Just after the Indian cricket team returned from their Australian tour the last time, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had a bright idea. They proposed to hold a cricket camp in Dharamshala each time the team was set to travel overseas tours to Australia, England and South Africa. This was BCCI joint-secretary Anurag Thakur’s brain-child. Unfortunately, this practice never saw the light of day because of the Indian team’s hectic schedule. The reason that Dharamshala had been selected for the aborted training camp idea was for the pace of this track – conditions not very different to those our cricketers are facing in Australia right now.
Despite the Dharamshala idea fizzling out, the BCCI did its best to hold matches on sporting wickets, which are impartial to bowlers and batsmen. The board also tried staging knock-out matches of the domestic tourney in neutral venues. This didn’t sit well with many of the cricketers however. Take this instance – recently, as the Ranji Trophy is underway, one reputed state-team was designated to play a match from December 21.
The state association gave permission to the curator to prepare a sporting track with some bounce and carry. However, three days before the match would begin, the team management of the home side came to the ground and ordered the curator to prepare a turning track. The management even requested the grass be mowed, and so on. The curator was confused. Luckily, the local association head came to the curator’s rescue and told him to do what the team demands. Ideally, the association in question should have asserted itself over the players and demanded that they play on a sporting track. But that didn’t t happen.
This is likely just one instance of the state association going easy on its players. With such a prevalent culture, how can our boys be expected to beat the Australians in Australia? Or, for that matter, on any bouncy track anywhere in the world? Whenever, our team loses away from home the board is blamed for not being pro-active. This situation demonstrated the board’s willingness to do more for its players but resistance from lesser quarters is clearly hampering such intentions.
The true mettle of a champion side is such that they’re adaptable to all conditions, no matter how difficult. In the seventies and eighties, if the West Indies team dominated world cricket, it’s because they could play in all conditions. They would come to this sub-continent, play in Australia and England — and would enjoy the upper hand in every aspect of the game, regardless. Such was the level of cricket in those days. Playing to your strength is something every country does, but you have to be prepared to play for other pitches as well — and you have to do this at home as well.
