Letter to the BCCCI

Dear Board of Control for Crushing Cricket Careers in India,

So what if you won't do much to set the standards for excellence on the cricket field, when it comes to making a mess of people's lives you take the cake. (Not my words, their words.)

To them, one name that stood out of the 'Jumbo Cabinet' for Sharjah and Kenya was that of VVS Laxman. (And the pun was every bit intended. Never mind if you didn't get it.) Apparently, it also reminded them of another name that already seemed like out of the past, Harbhajan Singh. Which reminded them of a name that first came up in the very, very, distant past, Robin Singh. And they say these are just a few of the many brilliant careers that will never be. Fortunately, it managed to avoid reminding them of Ganguly. But only just. Pure serendipity, they insist. (Or did you guys actually get it right with him when you gave him his second chance at life? Naaah!)

I first recall seeing Laxman in that disastrous tour of South Africa. The one where, thanks to yet another badly planned overseas' itinerary, we capitulated, yet again, in the first Test of the series. Besides Dravid, Laxman was the only other batsman who seemed to reveal a degree of commitment and courage to stay out there. In the, one or two am not sure, Test matches he played, he seemed like a young middle order batsman, much in the same vein as Jaisimha, with a sound technique and a bright future. But then…you had other plans. In their words, selectoral zones, whims, fancies and mess-ups to indulge.

Most knowledgeable followers and observers of the game will tell you opening batting is for opening batsmen. (Actually, even an idiot will tell you that.) Most knowledgeable followers and observers of the game will also tell you that VVS is not an opening batsman. (Not to mention, opening bowlers.) Unfortunately, most knowledgeable followers and observers of the game will then add that the board is anything but sensitive to reasoning (But then, that's patently obvious).

Dear Sirs, and I'll try and say this softly, when you force a player to make the switch from the relative shelter of the middle order into the vituperative glare of the best speed merchants in the world, you're not exploring a bold, new initiative. You're revealing how little you know of the game. (Though they say they don't need any more proof of that.)

You don't bother nurturing opening batsmen. You don't do a thing about raising standards in domestic cricket. You don't give our players a taste of the real world. You don't provide a breeding ground for seamers. Heck, what do you do? Ah yes, you make sure a possible alternate to Azhar in the middle order is lost forever, I hope not, to Indian cricket. And I haven't even come to Robin Singh. (I mean, that's what they say.)

Sure you guys give him a break even though he wasn't 'young enough'. But what happened, or didn't happen, post the '89 tour to the Caribbean? What happened to the best years of Robin's life? Why was the team's 'oldest Young Gun' kept out when he was…umm, really a 'Young Gun?' Were we so flush with all-rounders? Were we winning most things in sight? No siree, we were playing politics. And just when I think they've calmed down, out pop more questions?

How many world class off-spinners have we in the current Indian side? Right. How many have we produced post the Pras and Venkat generation? Right. Was Harbahajan as good as Murali? Certainly not. Was he close to Saqlain? By no means. Did he have the potential to get there? Most certainly. And isn't it tragic that we're talking about 'Bajju' in past tense? The man is only in his very early twenties. And he's already dented one of the most important qualities he'll need as a spinner. Confidence. And you've had a lot to do with it. (They said so.) Look where Murali and his 'diabolical action,' Bishan's words, is today? And to think Bajju was never even 'called'. (Except to go and meet Fred Titmus to pick up tips! When will we emerge out of our pathetically king-sized colonial hangovers?) Yet, we did little to back him up during the 'chuck-hunt'. Not surprisingly, we're still looking for that world class off-spinner.

And just when they were about to start on some other names, I made a quick getaway. (Thank you, Dey for reminding me about them.)

Yours angrily,

Dey, they and me.

Avinash Subrmanium

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