The Roar columnist Ryan O’Connell, in his latest piece, lambasted the BCCI for being arrogant towards Tests in foreign, bouncy lands.
I will go a step further and say that the issue with the board is not restricted to their mentality regarding Tests outside the sub-continent. It is their general attitude towards this format that needs revisiting.
In 2008 when the IPL germinated and later showed signs of success, they had a problem on their hands with respect to the five-day game. Undivided attention to this format had never been their forte but IPL’s emergence pushed it on to the backburner ever so more than usual.
Pressure from Indian fans and to an extent, the ICC, meant that the arrangement with the Test format had to be honoured but playing 60-75 T20 matches in a month and a half of simmering 35-40 degree centigrade heat and nearing cent per cent humidity was always going to give rise to technical deficiencies and fitness issues in the longer run.
Then, a wonderful thing happened.
The works from the previous decades of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble – to name a few – and the decline of Australia as a cricketing power and the choking tendencies of South Africa fructified into India becoming the number one team in this format.
This glorious past along with a few chance occurrences, had helped mould the present, pushing India to the top of the rankings.
It put the board in a quandary – the whole of India was talking of this new-found number one status and they could barely ignore it.
Never short of using ad hoc strategies to build on their plethora of wealth, the board went for another, ‘horses for courses’ strategy for this latest salable cricket content.
Cashing on this new-found ‘craze’ they organised more Test matches – they used their clout to convert a home ODI series against South Africa into Tests plus ODIs to ensure their continuity at the top.
Then again, a seven-match home ODI series against Australia was reduced to three limited-over games but two Test matches were added to the itinerary (the same two that Virender Sehwag so proudly gloated were won by India at home).
But the moot point was that seeds for this erstwhile present, that saw the rise of India to the top of the rankings, had been sowed in the past – the past which was moulded by a captain called Ganguly, a master scorer Tendulkar, a technician by the name of Dravid and an often unheralded grace VVS Laxman.
A past which did not contain any T20.
Eng’s Principle quotes that the easier it is to do, the harder it is to change.
Cut back to 2008 and it was easier to swing across the line, tonk the bowler over the head or hit through the line on a flatbed in a T20 game. It became progressively harder for them to get that out of their systems when the bigger test came around.
For 2011-12, the period of 2008-2011 was a past and much like before, it sowed the seeds again – but this time of poorer techniques and bad fitness.
If the batsmen imbibed those bad habits, then the bowlers began to break down more easily.
The result of that is now for all to see.
What the players are saying now is a reaction emanating out of plain shock – they wouldn’t have thought that the building was so termite-ridden as to cause a sudden collapse like the one on show in the last eight months or so.
But I am more worried about the response from the Indian board – I do not know whether the board cares much about India’s Test performance, whether away from the confines of the sub-continent or at home.
It reeks of arrogance not of their home Test record but of being in possession of a magic, fund-raising formula called the IPL. It continues to garner their focus of attention, rake in the moolah and that is where the ‘buck’ stops for them. Literally.
There is one point where I will differ from the popular opinion here, that of the pitches in India.
The tracks in India offer no pace and are quite low on bounce but in recent years, there has rarely been a raging turner since the 2004 Wankhede Test between India and Australia. Probably a couple of others against South Africa, but that is about it.
India’s number one spinner in that period, Harbhajan Singh, averages 36 with the ball at home since January 1, 2009 and that is as much to do with the unhelpful tracks as it is to do with his overindulgence in the shorter formats.
Truth be told, the direction in which things are headed in for Indian cricket, the BCCI may need to go back to preparing some spinning venom on home pitches – or a home series defeat is not that distance an eventuality.
The Boundary Rider
Roar Rookie
Unless they make changes, of course India could lose a home series. I mean, just prior to coming to Australia they very nearly lost a home test to the West Indies! Their strength has always been batting and spin bowling. I think their spinning stocks are the weakest I can remember and as for the batting......
DC
Guest
I think test cricket will hold it's head high above the hit and giggle games. Sure I get that crowds for nz vs zimbabwe last week were thin...but there is a core of support for the long form of the game... And it's not just about the Ashes ....Pakistan has made the cricket world sit up and take notice with their fine wins in Dubai and NZ, South Africa and other teams have good talent coming thru ....
Johnno
Guest
Apparramtly India is not even going to go on an away tour for a long time, or even play any test cricket at home which is sad. But world cricket can survive with out India in tests if it has too/ Most aussie fans now only care about the Ashes anyway , well at least that what i care about mainly in tests. So test cricket with Australia England South Africa Pakistan can survive. Is test cricket more popular in Pakistan, than it is in India, maybe i don't know. But ultimately outside of Ashes which will last forever i think or hope, i see T20 as the future, and both ODI and tests will be scrapped.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Yep, Test losses do not disappoint them too much. Actually it could well stem from the fact that the masses in India have moved on from the Test match format - most top venues in India like Mohali, Kotla and recently even Wankhede, do not see the crowds that one saw for the four Tests in Australia. Further, this is because there is too much cricket to follow - Tests, ODIs, IPL, CLT20. The better way for the masses to burn holes in their pockets are to watch T20Is and then the ODIs, rather than Test matches. With very few voices lamenting Test defeats, I guess the board gets a free hand to continue believing nothing is wrong enough to rope in someone for any reviews.
Ryan O'Connell
Expert
The Argus Review came about because Australia were devastated to have lost the Ashes so comprehensively. I see no such disappointment from India in losing to Australia 4-0. Therefore, I can't see much changing in the short-to-mid term. If ever.
Vas Venkatramani
Roar Guru
I always laugh whenever people say Indian cricket needs to be strong for cricket to be strong... What are they referring to? Are they referring to India's on-field performance, or their off-field financial performance? I think an Argus-style report will come on the basis of India losing home matches, because that is where the BCCI feels their stronghold is. Win at home, audiences pile up, you get massive revenues from overseas TV stations for the live feed, and we all are richer (therefore happier). If India loses at home, then that security blanket is taken away, and real introspection can begin. Like I said, the problems confronting Indian cricket are many, but the first step is for the fan to step away from the IPL. The second is for India to lose a series or two at home (along with losing away), and then the plight of Indian cricket becomes apparent. While the problems of other nations like NZ, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and West Indies are caused by a dearth of funds and resources, India's problems are caused by too much funds and resources. But for a little equity, every team could actually beat the other any day of the week...
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Thanks Vas. You hit the nail on head vis a vis hitting the pockets and it is actually happening in its own way. I do not know whether the board has woken up and smelled the coffee yet but from being a one-sport country, India is changing into embracing multiple sports - slowly and steadily for now. Recently, title sponsors Airtel cancelled their multi-million dollar deal with the Champions League T20 in the same week they associated themselves with the Indian Grand Prix. Football (especially EPL) is taking roots so well that most 15-18 year olds in the metros know more about their favourite EPL side than they know of Indian cricket (let alone an IPL). Neo Cricket, the channel broadcasting Indian cricket was stripped of their rights to show the matches from next season because of their inability to pay the steep licensing costs - analysts say that Neo isn't getting as much in return as they spent to get the rights. Gone unchecked, the back-pockets will be hit in the future...what remains to be seen is whether that is going to bring about an Argus Report-like situation or a rush for some quick fixes.
Vas Venkatramani
Roar Guru
Suneer, a fine article my friend, and some very astute points on what is an uncomfortable reality in Indian cricket right now. The problems facing Indian cricket are so many that for some, it's difficult to know where to begin in terms of fixing the problem. I now understand what the difference in viewpoints are between fans and administrators. For the fans, our financial views are shaped on what's morally right. For administrators, their morality is based on what's financially profitable. For that reason alone, the first place to start to help Indian cricket would be to ignore the IPL. Ignore the competition, and let the TV advertisers pull their support, and see the revenues plummeting. The BCCI only listens when the hip pocket is hit, and that is a good starting point to ensure Indian cricket is back on the right track.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Jason, no doubt that when the troika (with Ganguly around, they were four of them) goes, things are going to get even more difficult. But how did that potato in hand, become so hot? In 2008 when Ganguly retired, the board/selectors had a golden chance to phase out the seniors - in short, instill the youngsters in the Test team. In these four years, the three remaining seniors could have been phased out such that the incoming juniors could have gained a lot in the dressing room from them before the baton passed. Four years on, the remaining three pillars of Indian cricket, Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman are still in the side, not wanting to go away. To make it worse, till before the series, the team hadn't found a replacement for Ganguly (the eternal hope is that Kohli will be the one). The board had their chance but they did not take 'em...
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
I may be comparing apples and oranges here, but the scenario with English football could repeat here - much-spoken about international side, but falling a tad behind when it comes to delivering the result but to a cash-rich 'Premier League' to divert some of the blame.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Yes Chris, the chances of improvement in their attitudes towards this format could happen only if they get really grounded at home - it is a shame because they had a golden chance of being at an even keel with the other 3-4 sides at the Test level for the next 2-3 years
Nathan of Perth
Guest
I don't think we'll get an away victory in India in a test at this stage, our younger generation's vulnerability to spin was rather amply demonstrated at Adelaide, but I think we can at least eke out some draws and create something of a contest, which is miles away from what Team India has done in its last eight outings.
WoobliesFan
Guest
This Indian team is shot, mentally immature, staggered, delusional (look at the post-match comments) and old. Like old mate above said, they're going to be in a world of hurt once the oldies retire.
Jason Cave
Guest
The problem that will face Indian cricket is not so much as to how to keep winning at home, but rather, what to do when Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Zaheer Khan all decide to call it a day (ie announce their retirements). The BCCI could do a lot worse than look what happened to Australia in the period between 1983-84 and 1989, after Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh all retired (and there was a rebel tour to South Africa as well, which cost Australia 16 players). Australia struggled during this period under new skipper Allan Border, and it wasn't until the 1989 Ashes tour that Australia really began to win consistently. The BCCI must make sure that same thing doesn't happen to them.
TomC
Guest
On Suneer's logic, that might just lead them to retreating even more into T20.
Johnno
Guest
4-0 ,4-0 Australia and England away now, terrible.
Chris
Guest
A home defeat (or maybe a couple would be better) would do the world of good for Indian cricket. It's attitude, not talent that's holding back Indian cricket at the moment. My guess is they will be in for a world of hurt over the next 3-5 years at least.