NOVEMBER 2007 E-Magazine - Pravasi Today

SPORTS
Cricket or Crack it
❒ K.K. Srivastava
ndia's victory in the 20/20 World
cup in South Africa has been
Ithough
blown out of all proportion. Even
the team comprising mostly of
youngsters performed exceptionally
well to beat all major teams including
Australia, but their ability should not
be measured on the basis of their
success in this tournament. It really
does not amount to much as is proved
by their performance against
Australia in the 50 over games. The
two games are on a totally different
plane. There is no comparison. In 20
over games there is no strategy, skill
or technique. It is pure luck, although
its excitement and entertainment
value can not be ignored. That in my
opinion would be the only reason for
its popularity. We however, should
not let that point stain our opinion
about 50 over games and the Test
matches in particular The Indian
cricket board has gone beyond all the
limits of common sense and reality in
celebrating India's victory and
unashamedly claiming credit for it.
All this has raised the hopes of cricket
fans all over the country and indeed
around the World to fantasy heights
which can only lead to disappointment.
It is also unfair to
criticise the senior players for not
performing well enough against
66
Pravasi Today ✦ November 2007
Australia. Their tremendous
performance against England has all
too readily been forgotten. One must
remember that Australia are a
formidable team in all forms of
cricket and and our cricketers worth
must not be undermined just because
they lose to Australia. For that matter
our younger players have not
performed that well either. The
selectors have been rather hasty and
premature in picking Dhoni as
Dravid's replacement. Ganguly-
India's most successful captain - is
still playing well and ideally should
have been reinstated to let the
successor learn the tricks of the trade
under his guidance before taking
charge. Dhoni's success in South
Africa is not a great testimonial for his
ability as a captain. Admittedly there
is a fair number of promising
youngsters waiting on the sidelines,
but we are extremely fortunate to
have legends like Ganguly, Dravid,
Tendulkar and Laxman in our midst
and it would amount to gross injustice
to the spectators if they were deprived
of watching these great stalwarts for
as long as they are able to maintain
their form and fitness. Whatever level
of success is achieved by our players
in limited over games, the ultimate
test of their ability has to be based on
their performence in Test matches and
from that point of view it is worrying
to see that the administrators of the
game in the country are organising
disproportionately large number of
limited over matches compared to
Test Matches. Money should not be
the only consideration. It will be a
matter of great shame if the glory and
the charm of Test matches gave way
to the dazzle and razmattazz of
limited over matches. ■