Improving the Standard of Indian Cricket

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken a tough stand on cricketers refusing to participate in domestic tournaments. Recently, the BCCI dropped two players from the list of central contracts as both skipped this year’s Ranji Trophy tournament despite being asked by the board to do so to regain their form. By doing so, BCCI has made it clear that henceforth every cricketer will have to take domestic cricket seriously and failing to do so may cost them a place in the Indian cricket team. Certainly, the decision will infuse new life to domestic cricket as the absence of stars from premier domestic competitions has not only diminished the standard of the game, but also often been blamed for lack of enthusiasm about national-level cricket championships. The presence of international cricketers in the domestic scene greatly helps budding cricketers to harness their cricketing skills and pave the way to dominate world cricket in the future. All the great cricketers, who have made India proud, regularly participated in domestic tournaments before and even after donning the national colours. Legendary cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar or Sachin Tendulkar regularly participated in domestic cricket whenever they found time from their busy international schedules. Other past stalwarts like former Indian captain M. A. K. Pataudi and M. L. Jaisimha and others played regularly in domestic matches. Even after being removed from captaincy, Pataudi re-entered the Indian team by scoring tons of runs in domestic cricket including a marvelous innings against the touring side in a tour match.  

It’s a pity that in recent times many cricketers have refused to participate in any domestic competitions apart from the annual Indian Premier League (IPL), a cash-rich tournament organised by BCCI, overlooking the examples set by former cricketers. These days young cricketers treat the franchise-based tournament as the stepping stone for higher levels of competition, as BCCI had inducted some cricketing talents into the Indian squad straight from IPL. Among them, some have been able to cement their places in the Indian cricket team, while most are now far from international cricket after failing to prove themselves at the highest level. Budding cricketers should keep in mind that white ball cricket is not a true indicator of talent as it is completely different from red ball cricket, which puts one’s skill under the scanner. On its part, the BCCI should stop including budding cricketers straight from IPL to Indian squad as it makes other domestic tournaments redundant. The BCCI should select cricketers not only by their ability to hit sixes, but by examining their defensive abilities. For instance, in the recently concluded fourth test against England, two young cricketers Shubman Gill and Dhruv Judel were instrumental in winning the match as they managed to frustrate the English bowlers with rock-solid defensive skills, a sight not often seen in present day cricket. Thus, it is evident that the BCCI should continue to give importance to domestic competitions for the betterment of Indian cricket.