Indians and the lost art of playing Test Cricket
The Indian cricket team was once considered a formidable force, both as hosts and visitors. After series losses against England and Australia, this is not the case any more. Here is a look at a few reasons why the Indian Cricket team is struggling to play Test Cricket and what can be done to make India that formidable side once more:
The end of an era:
The end of the Dravid-Ganguly-Kumble-Laxman era not only disappointed a lot of fans, but also caused an upset in the balance of the team. The quartet, along with the currently struggling Tendulkar and Sehwag, formed the base of the team and led India to heights of success. The experienced lot explored the nuances of the long format and dominated the opposition. Gone are the days when Test matches used to be peaceful, bowlers went at 3 runs per over, partnerships lasted 300 runs and matches lasted until the fifth day. The new generation will find it hard to live up to the standard set by their seniors.
IPL and the rise of T-20:
The Indian Premier League is a huge success in many ways in terms of scouting new talent and developing the talent by exposing the youngsters to professional grade cricket. However, in the short format of the game, batsmen are expected to slog every ball and have an attitude of ‘hit out or get out’. This often carries over to the long format of the game where the inexperienced youngsters lose their wickets in an attempt to slog. If you notice, very few Test matches nowadays carry on into the fifth day. Most matches end in the third or the fourth day which also lessens ticket sales and revenue. The IPL also causes huge fitness issues among players as it is two months of unrelenting cricket on a daily basis.
Team politics:
The first name that springs to mind when one thinks of team politics is that of Virender Sehwag. The under-performing opener’s spat with Captain Dhoni was fodder for newspaper headlines for many a day. It is understandable that Sehwag, being the more senior member, feels that he should be Captain; but there must be some discipline and respect for authority within the team. The same goes for Gautam Gambhir, who has been dropped for the current series against Australia. Discipline has never been a strong point of the Indian Cricket team, but it must become one if success is to be sought after in the future.
BCCI politics:
Money is everything in today’s world and the BCCI is a great example of the same. As the fixtures are released every year, you notice that the team barely has any recovery time. The calender year is dotted with series after series of unrelenting matches against tough opponents. You will barely ever notice a series against Zimbabwe or Kenya because there is not enough revenue in playing a lower ranked team. The continuous matches cause fatigue and injuries in many of the players as is the case with our current fast-bowling department. Zaheer Khan has been out injured for quite a while now and the busy schedule is the only thing left to blame.
The BCCI should schedule more Test matches instead of T-20 matches throughout the year and will do well if they lessen the strain on the players by providing some recovery time between matches. The Board must put player fitness and quality over money and take care of the players they are paid to take care of.
The duration of the IPL must be shortened. It may be a huge source of entertainment, but it does not do anything positive for the game. It encourages slogging and spoils a lot of players by providing pots of money. It should be altered a little bit to match it’s English counterpart in the sport of football where the English Premier League provides both entertainment and pure football.
The future of Indian cricket is in good hands with young emerging talents like Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Cheteshwar Pujara and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to mention a few. Hopefully, the new generation of players will not be drawn into team politics as they lead India to new heights of glory and success and mature into well-developed and fit individuals.