What is the Indian cricket missing ?

[mekin]

I am an avid cricket fan, and right now a disappointed Indian cricket fan.
After 2 losses & a potential exit from the World cup, its easy to find faults with the Indian cricket team. A lot of people are doing so 24X7, but to me most of their "analysis" seems shallow, just like out cricket board president's statements - "we need youngsters". If the

Comments

[rileen]

Ironically, were there to be such an election, the turnout may be much higher than that for the usual ones :-p

Good points, i'd add the need to provide testing conditions for batsmen while they are learning at the domestic level.

But we could add many things, the frustrating bottomline is that no substantial (and meaningful!) changes are likely to happen.

[mekin]

I agree ...
Way too many points..

What irks me most is that the BCCI shirks responsibility of this debacle & blames the 11 players & the coach.

The entire infrastructure needs a major overhaul.

Junior players need to get a lot more international exposure - counties, playing other A teams (or even minnows).

The Indian national team should not be the grooming ground for young talent. Right now, I don't know the name of a single promising youngster who might be tomorrow's Sachin or Dravid.

We, as a country, need to make cricket what it is - a sport. Play a lot more if it, watch a lot more of it - not just the national team's outings. Have a lot of good local competitions. Like an NBA or even the english county.

I wish some big media house starts seeing things this way & they get the Board officials under the scanner.
I wish ...

[rileen]

Play a lot more of it? Debatable - if you compare the domestic set ups in Australia and England, it can be argued that too much cricket could actually make it more of a "job" and reduce the passion/enjoyment.

As for watch more of it, again - not sure. Firstly, i'm not too keen on seeing the kind of "rivalry" that holds sway here among football clubs. Drunken supporters often behaving like bloodthirsty mobs. More support for local cricket, yes. But one would have to think of ways of making that happen.

Secondly - what of other sports? Cricket already dominates the money, media, public support, .... practically all important aspects in making a game popular, and attractive to future sportspersons.

Wouldn't playing and watching a lot more of this actually make it even worse for the other sports?

[mekin]

I meant play & watch more of it at the domestic levels.
Not just the national teams.

How many ranji/duleep matches see 5000 crickets sold ? None if no big stars are playing.

What I mean to say is that:
1. Stop hero-worshipping our national team.
2. Put up a system in place so that watching & playing cricket at all levels is more enjoyable - 20-20 might be the answer, I dont know.

Secondly - what of other sports? Cricket already dominates the money, media, public support, .... practically all important aspects in making a game popular, and attractive to future sportspersons.

I cant agree more.
We worship cricketers who are not in the top 8 teams, of a sport played barely in 14 countries.

We forget our world champions in Billiars, Snooker, Chess, Boxing, weightlifting.
We dont even compete in more global sports like Soccer.

Its a shame, but Indians are poor athletes, and again, I dont see much happening to change that.

[rileen]

20-20 may boost popularity at lower levels, but likely screw the techniques of young batsmen, and make the bowlers overly defensive (such a sad sight to see Bhajji not attack at all, and be milked for over 50 anyway. Compare with Murali).

As for being poor athletes in general, again we need a national drive that's hard to see coming.

We could go on agreeing in misery forever :-p