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VOL. XXIV NO. 15, November 16-30, 2014
Mourning Indian cricket
(by R.K. Raghavan)

the whole nation is dis-tressed over what is looked upon as the demise of Indian cricket. I was actually surprised that there was no demand for an ‘Ashes II’ to mourn the happening! Even the most ardent Indian supporter will admit that the drubbing we received in the recent Test series against England was humiliating to the core, and there was no way we could condone the inept batting that we saw.

It is one thing to say that every cricketing nation goes through such a bad patch once in a while. It is an entirely another phenomenon to lose almost all the time we play a Test abroad on the bouncy pitches of England, Australia, or South Africa. When such a calamity descends on us we attribute it to our inability to play either the deceptive bouncer or the vicious swing. Like a talented and experienced physician we have the diagnosis all right, but we don’t know what the right treatment will have to be. Do we need just some medicine to take care of the ailment, or should we go in straightaway for surgery? As you know, surgery is always tricky, and could lead sometimes to the collapse of the patient himself. This is why we need to hasten slowly and not tinker with the basics.

M S Dhoni

Anyone who claims the IPL has not done any harm to Test cricket is being squarely dishonest. Let us face it. Beyond the need for physical fitness that both traditional and instant cricket demand, there is hardly any commonality. While the former requires patience and perseverance, and therefore the ability to graft – almost the qualities of a sculptor or painter trying to produce a masterpiece – the one who plays Twenty20 is a man in a hurry who has to draw on his wares instantaneously and will perish if he does not do so to the satisfaction of his thousands of supporters. This is why I do not buy the theory that the same player can be chosen for both versions and we can still preserve tradition.

The dilemma faces every form of art and entertainment. In my view classicism and modemity can coexist without adverse impact on either. Take for instance Carnatic music and the Western classical. Both have thrived despite the assaults of modern venality and crudity in the form of pop music. Barring a few Carnatic musicians, the rest who have tried their voices in the film world have been a flop, and have had their reputations besmirched. I, therefore, strongly advocate a system whereby an up-and-coming cricketer should take a decision early in his career whether he will stick to the longer version or migrate to the instant form of the game. This is where mentors would play a valuable role.

We cannot abandon Test cricket because of the sheer poetry it offers. No one attempting it will ever succeed in this kind of vandalism or iconoclasm. The parallel is to classical music which has grown from strength to strength. It may not have the numbers.

But it certainly has the quality that speaks for itself. In a mundane manner of speaking, we will know what the irresistible South Indian filter coffee (sometimes known as degree coffee) offers and how Nescafe or Bru stand out in stark contrast. Ask any coffee lover in Chennai. He will explain and take the decision for you.

It is for the BCCI to make the vital move. We need to have two totally different teams for the two versions. M S Dhoni may be good for both. It does not necessarily mean he should lead us in both. Nothing else would help avert the ignominy that we suffered in England this summer. The huge income differential for the players in the two versions will have to be closed, so that no one opts for the IPL merely because of the power of lucre. The BCCI has enough in its coffers to do this. This suggestion is nothing radical or airy. It is eminently practical.

I will necessarily have to end with what that master of words, Neville Cardus, had to say about a pricelss innings of the famous Australian, Charles Macartney, in the 1926 Leeds Test when, after being dropped at 2, he went on to score a hundred, and many in the staunch English crowd thanked the English fielder who had butter fingers.

Such is the power of the artist-
Batsman; his spells descend on
everybody, and even the savage
Competitive breast is stilled.

(Macartney scored three Test hundreds in the series and at Leeds he scored one before lunch!)

(The writer is Secretary, Kamyuth Club, in the TNCA League) (Courtesy: Straight Bat)

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The U.S. temple builder is no more
'Mandolin' Shrinivas – Is his best yet to come?
Of cricket and Saigal at MMC
ARANGETRAM
Mourning Indian cricket

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