India defeated England by five wickets in the fourth Test in Ranchi to win the five-match series 3-1, with the final Test scheduled to be held in Dharamsala from March 7. What’s been impressive is the way some of the younger guys have put their hands up, and while there will be sterner examinations, especially overseas, what has been heartwarming is the temperament.
It’s always temperament that separates the men from the boys, and these boys are well on the way to becoming men if they stay true to the work ethic that has gotten them international status and don’t get carried away with sundry things that invariably crop up when a bit of name and fame comes their way.
What would be even greater is for them to realise and remember that all will come about only because of Indian cricket, and to never forget that and take Indian cricket for granted. The fact that the BCCI Secretary, Jay Shah, had to send a stern reminder to some of the players to participate in domestic cricket does indicate that maybe some players think that they can do without Indian cricket.
At the start of the IPL in 2008, the BCCI made it mandatory for domestic players to play a minimum number of Ranji matches if they were to get a NOC to play in the money-spinning IPL.
There was also a cap of Rs 20 lakh on the fees of those who hadn’t played for the country. Then, when an uncapped overseas player went for more than half a million dollars, the question was raised as to why the Indian uncapped player should be restricted to 20 lakhs while the overseas player was not similarly restricted. Now, with an uncapped player fetching crores, there’s understandably more keenness in not getting injured playing some other domestic tournament and thus missing out on a life-changing opportunity in the IPL.
FROM THE MAGAZINE | No dearth of drama as Ranji Trophy heads into knockouts
Perhaps the best way to avoid this would be to play the Ranji Trophy at the start of the season in October and finish by the middle of December. Then play the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy games, which would also be great match practice for those selected for the various franchises in the IPL.
This way, the national championship, the Ranji Trophy, will get the importance and attention it deserves from those who are giving it a miss to not get injured or stale for the IPL. Playing the Ranji Trophy in October will also mean the players playing the longer format will be match-ready for the Test matches played around that time in India or overseas.
Playing the Ranji matches with a scheduled start time of 9.30 am is pretty impossible in North India from mid-December to mid-January. This season, some teams have lost points because their matches didn’t start until well after lunch or didn’t start at all during this period.
Many years ago, when I was the Chairman of the BCCI Technical Committee, it was decided not to play any games in North India between December 15 and January 15 because of the foggy conditions, which made play either delayed or called off for the day.
This year’s Ranji season is almost over, with only the semifinals and finals to be played. But maybe for the new season, we could have a different schedule that will see every player keen and raring to play for ‘personal reasons’. Those reasons include scoring heaps of runs and capturing plenty of wickets to get picked for the country, which is the highest honour and greatest privilege in the game.
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