silentstriker
The Wheel is Forever
Agreed.
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Domestic cricket overhaul in a country
- Thread starter silentstriker
- Start date
Jungle Jumbo
International Vice-Captain
Personally I don't think there is too much wrong with the structure of Indian cricket. The problem is that the BCCI put so little emphasis on it. A player now appears much more likely to be selected on the back of a few Duleep games and a decent Under 19 record than a player who makes big runs or takes shedloads of wickets in the Ranji Trophy. If it is to succeed, it must be valued more. Pitches must be made competitive, somehow aggressive batting, outrights wins and attacks with more than the usual two token medium pacer to open the bowling must be encouraged. The game should be taken back to the people: if fans can attracted back to domestic cricket, it will be more in the national eye.
Play Twenty20 matches at night in coloured kit under lights, with free entry for spectators; publicise the local stars so that the names of the Bengal squad are as well known by the teenager from Calcutta as the likes of Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dhoni. More than anything, get the national team superstars back into domestic cricket. Take the cricket to the people and people will come to the cricket.
The structure is not a problem. Sure, the standard would be higher if only half a dozen sides played, but then they become national trials rather than a proper regional competition. The problem is neglect.
Play Twenty20 matches at night in coloured kit under lights, with free entry for spectators; publicise the local stars so that the names of the Bengal squad are as well known by the teenager from Calcutta as the likes of Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dhoni. More than anything, get the national team superstars back into domestic cricket. Take the cricket to the people and people will come to the cricket.
The structure is not a problem. Sure, the standard would be higher if only half a dozen sides played, but then they become national trials rather than a proper regional competition. The problem is neglect.
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
Hmm... not sure, personally. What's been Indian cricket's traditional strength? Spin. I don't see the point in trying to defy 50-odd years of history. IMO India would do best to encourage as many spinners as possible. Seam has never been an Indian strength.
TBH, I'm not sure. Domestic-First-Class cricket is not a spectator sport anywhere in The World. Twenty20 and ODers, though, yes, certainly.
Jungle Jumbo
International Vice-Captain
I haven't got a problem with pitches spinning, that's not a problem. But pitches where sides play two 75mph medium pacers and three spinners are clearly not helping either the sport or the national side. The deadpan wicket that sees both sides make 400+ in 180 overs has to go though.
Yeah, wasn't really getting at FC cricket, more the other two forms.
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
Quite. Pitches need - mostly - to offer something to bowlers, that's a given in any country.
But IMO, India are far better served encouraging spinners than seamers. I don't see a problem with a side playing 3 spinners and 2 75mph medium-fast seamers, not in India anyway - that was what they did virtually throughout the 60s and 70s. Indeed, the famed spin triumvarate of three-from-four-of Bedi, Chandra, Prasanna and Venkat had Syed Abid Ali and Eknath Solkar (more renowned for their fielding than their bowling) as the best of the bunch. And that was India's best period in Test history.
silentstriker
The Wheel is Forever
There is nothing wrong with working on your weakness and trying to improve in that regard. That's like South Africans not encouraging young spinners. Why shouldn't they? You don't have to discourage spinners to encourage fast bowlers. But the curator should be fired if he produces a pitch so flat where the fast bowlers don't really want to bowl after 10 overs. It doesn't help cricket in general, and it doesn't help the national team. It hurts the batsmen because they can't face quality fast bowling on bouncy pitches, and it hurts the bowler because they give up.
Andre Nel, one of the best bowlers out there right now, might have given up early in his career if he was from India because flat tracks would have rendered him useless and he wouldn't be anywhere near the Test side.
Andre Nel, one of the best bowlers out there right now, might have given up early in his career if he was from India because flat tracks would have rendered him useless and he wouldn't be anywhere near the Test side.
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
Andre Nel is one of the best exponents of exploiting non-seaming surfaces you'll see - at his best, at least.
And TBH, I can't see any point in SA trying to get anywhere in the spin dept. Their strength has always been seam. And they've had plenty of seamers who've been capable of prevailing on all surfaces.
And TBH, I can't see any point in SA trying to get anywhere in the spin dept. Their strength has always been seam. And they've had plenty of seamers who've been capable of prevailing on all surfaces.
silentstriker
The Wheel is Forever
I don't understand your logic. That's like saying if a batsman can't play the hook shot, he shouldn't ever even try to learn because he does other things well......
silentstriker
The Wheel is Forever
You've just transformed the issue. The issue is not whether you should play a shot you can't play. It's whether you should try to learn a shot that you presently can't play. Big difference. I am not advocating India going to a Mumbai test with four fast bowlers. I am advocating that we try to create better fast bowlers by creating pitches and processes that are conducive to that goal.
Although, if we ever do go into a Mumbai test with four fast bowlers and manage to win it, I'd be a very happy man indeed.
chris.hinton
International Captain
India cricket needs Twenty20 and better viewing of Domestic cricket as a whole, India has 1 billion people so it should produce a excellent test/ODI team.
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
I don't see any need to try and learn it - if the shots you've got work for you, no need to bother.
Spin has always worked for India; seam has always worked for South Africa. Why change?
silentstriker
The Wheel is Forever
Except it hasn't. It has worked only sometimes. Seriously, are you arguing for the sake of arguing? I don't really know how you can argue against someone trying to be better than they are.
Well, always worked is very subjective. Spin may work for India, but who's to know how much more successful they could be with top quality fast bowlers? It is not like the Indians or South Africans have dominated in test cricket.
viktor
State Vice-Captain
Spin has worked mainly when India has played at home. Outside India, lack of good seamers has almost always hurt them.
chris.hinton
International Captain
What is Ashok Patel famous for?
adharcric
International Coach
Not really. India are dire outside of the subcontinent and South Africa are dire inside of it.
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
Yes, but that's just the way it always has been. India have for the last 40 years and more been incredibly hard to beat at home and usually a pushover away.
Anyway - if there were more Chandrasekhars alongside the Bedi\Kumble\Harbhajan\loads-of-others, maybe India would win a few more away Tests without quality seamers.
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
I'm not. I'm arguing against trying to change something that's been the case for decades. And IMO if you try to improve in one area it almost invariably has to mean another goes downhill. IMO, if India try to become more competetive away on a consistent basis (there have been several periods in their history when they've had spells of a year or three of away competetiveness or even dominance) then they're almost certain to lose the other part of their historical trait.
Personally if I'm happy with India being the way they always have been. Obviously, some people aren't. That, of course, is fair enough - it's a case of personal preference.
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
Well... it depends when you look. There has undoubtedly been a period (coincidentally within a couple of years) when the South Africans and Indians have been the best Test team in The World (late 60s and early 70s). No, not as often as Australia and West Indies have been, but the same applies to England.
IMO, it's unrealistic to expect many teams to have extended spells of being the best in The World. Only Australia and West Indies have ever done it since the First World War.