Letter of the Day

Why is an overseas victory for India so important?

Cricket is the most followed/watched game and the players command godly respect from the followers. My grandparents and parents have followed cricket right from the pre-TV era, and their Olympics database is much smaller. These days teens spring around with the players' pictures hidden in all possible places and even school note books have their players on the cover page. Media exposure is the greatest for this sport. Not many people realize that we have not taken worthwhile medals home from the Olympics and not many have realized that Jeev Singh, playing golf in the den of Tiger Woods, and finished 63rd, sharing honors with an another Indian name from Fiji, Vijay Singh. Cricket has received such a command over other sports in this part of the continent.

With players paid heavily, and BCCI unofficially the most richest cricket board, we just cannot console ourselves for every failure. Just consider Brazil, they hardly played as a champion before the World Cup started. When they stuck in to reach finals, people in Brazil considered winning the final would improve the economy. Will that really improve the economy? It is the mindset and you consider yourself great and walk in the street of Rio-de-Janero with pride.

Travelling abroad and meeting different races of people, an Oz asked me one day: "Mate, you haven't conquered much outside your turf, have you?" Well, I had some awkward passes and had a blank smile to compliment it. "Well our lions can meet you guys in its den and that is the time we are hungry." And it was meant to be a joke. Winning definitely puts a great show with the team that posses such a talented middle-order that often crumbles on seaming pitches.

The BCCI should start looking from the ground level and work its way up. The contract system should be applauded if implemented. Moreover, they should start a similar system in zone level with a points system for batting/bowling/wicket-keeping. A pitch management committee should start from the North, making some bouncy pitches, as the cold winds there would help the ball do more talking. Normally dry and hot south should have spin pitches with little grass that would help the fast bowlers with an extra bounce. Zones would start playing with similar pitches. The team management on the ground, coach, skipper with vice-captain should decide the playing XI, not somebody sitting inside an auir conditioned room far away from the ground. Let us hope such a system is put in place and see how things work when we tour to countries that have juicy pitches.

With this kind of infrastructure I am sure many would be backing OUR TEAM.

Thanks

Krishnan, Ramkumar