India’s dominance over world cricket outside the playing field has been reinforced in the past week on a number of occasions.
When India found time in its schedule to allow their team to become the first country at Test level to take on Afghanistan, it was seen as a great moment for both nations.
While it will be a mountain for the young Afghani team to climb, it gives them an immediate taste of just how difficult and exhilarating Test cricket is.
Then it was announced last week that Indian captain Virat Kohli will be ‘skipping’ the Test match to play for four weeks in the English County Championship with Surrey.
It’s understandable that India want to have the best preparation possible for their upcoming tour of England in order to give themselves the best chance of winning. But should this be at the expense of their captain, best batsman and highest profile player not only missing a Test match, but missing the first Test match that Afghanistan will play?
Does it matter to the BCCI or Kohli himself that they risk insulting Afghanistan cricket? Or is it just enough that they are playing Afghanistan in the first place that they should be happy?
From a playing perspective, Afghanistan will be happy to avoid Kohli, and the team India has selected is good enough on paper to win the match with some comfort.
But having Kohli play in the County Championship appears a slap in the face to both Test cricket and Afghanistan.
Virat Kohli (AFP PHOTO / MARTY MELVILLE
Once this had passed we had the BCCI deciding – despite the overtures and the almost-begging from Cricket Australia – they would refuse to play the Test in Adelaide on their upcoming tour as a day-night fixture.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am just as happy watching it progress as a normal Test match in daylight hours. I find the pink ball hard to pick up, and there is enough night cricket already with ODIs and T20s.
However, in refusing to play under these conditions, which four other touring teams (five if you include Sri Lanka in the coming season) have agreed to in the past three years, the BCCI again came across looking as though they will only do things on their own terms. Which, for all intents and purposes, is true.
India shunned the initial foray into T20 cricket, but when they saw what its potential was in regards to money making, they came on board, and now control the market and world cricket by initiating a break in the calendar set aside just for the IPL to dominate.
While it might seem the BCCI is protecting its players, given that they have had almost no experience against the pink ball, there is little doubt that they are more concerned that Australia has had plenty of experience in the same conditions. The BCCI are more concerned with limiting any advantage Australia may have in their own backyard, and at a time when they are at their most vulnerable in years.
India believe they are a huge chance of winning a series in Australia for the first time ever, and any suggestion that this decision to refuse to play the Test as a day-night fixture was motivated by any other factors is patently not true.
The inevitability of day-night Tests becoming important to India is not too far away, and I would like to think that when Australia tours India in three years’ time for their next Test series, and the BCCI say to CA they would like one or more of these Test matches to be played with the pink ball under lights, that CA politely and firmly tell the BCCI what they can do with their request.
Sadly, when it comes to the money powerbrokers of world cricket, we all know this will not happen.
Brissie Boy
Guest
We bash the BCCI a lot for the way in which they dominate the world game at the expense of smaller nations, but there is certainly a strong argument to be made that Cricket Australia is far worse in this respect. Could you imagine the the big heads up at CA even contemplating taking the initiative in playing a match against a nearby neighbour like PNG, a nation which until very recently had ODI status? Not a chance, no money in it.
Rupesh
Guest
But Dhoni or Kohli never got banned for one year for using sandpaper.
Matt H
Roar Guru
That's a good point, especially about PNG. then again, it took Australia something like 20 years to bother playing NZ when they first got test status. Australia have no high ground when considering how other countries choose when and how to play.
AS
Guest
What about this ? Cricket Australia’s ‘disrespectful’ snub - news.com.au
Bill Peters
Roar Guru
I absolutely disagree with CA decision to cancel the Bangladesh tour. It is short-sighted and, again unfortunately, not in the interests of expanding and fostering WORLD cricket rather than CA coffers. I wouldn't say it was more disturbing than the two things I covered in my article. Steve Smith and Ricky Ponting never missed a Test match to warm up for another Test series. That is where I think the mistake in this instance has been made by Kohli and the BCCI. I also agree that change should occur at CA. We may need some explosives to budge them however.
Akkara
Roar Rookie
Bill, it seems the timing of this article is rather unfortunate. Surely you'd have to find CA cancelling the Bangladesh tour with 3 months notice and no communication with Bangladesh or ICC, far more disturbing than the points you raise. Kohli is considered the best batsman in the world, and yet he has failed consistently in England. The only way he can improve his game is by playing in England and this is the most appropriate time for it. It was Kohli's request, agreed to by the BCCI. You will find that Steve Smith and Ponting were rested from many internationals (in SriLanka etc) while captaining the team. It is time for Sutherland to exit. His hasn't handled a single matter with any success. The MOU debacle, the animosity between the cricketers association and CA, the disastrous South African tour, the illegal TV rights agreement and now the cancellation of the Bangladesh tour, have all been failures. Surely it is time for some new blood leading CA in a new direction.
Brasstax
Guest
Indian batsmen score plenty more runs here than we do there. They scored a lot of runs in 2004, 2008 and the 2014 tours with the 2011 tour being horrible for their batsmen. The problem for India has always been their failure to take 20 Aussie wickets whereas our bowlers always bowl them out twice despite them scoring runs. To say that Indian batsmen struggle on these roads is simply not true. And it is not their fault that we prepare roads. We have been preparing national highways for all teams for several years now which has more to do with our batsmen's incompetence against deliveries which do not come in a straight line from the bowler.
Homer
Guest
As an aside, the Greater Noida ground in Uttar Pradesh has been allocated to the ACB as their home ground, with plans to build a second ground in Dehradun. I wonder how many other cricketing nations do that!
Homer
Guest
Any which way you look at it, it is the visiting team rejecting a venue proposed by the home team, whatever the underlying reasons. And when it comes to the subcontinent, is there any venue where the Australians can put hand on heart and say they can win, no matter what?
Just Nuisance
Guest
That was disappointing Ronan. Took me back to the cancelled A tour to South Africa . I realize that circumstances differed but it was still a disappointment to the SA fans. Actually it really backfired on Aus as the Test replacements for Smith and co. would surely have toured in that A side and would have had the advantage of a bit of quality game time in SA especially at altitude.
DTM
Guest
..... And a few of us hackers. There is no comparison between Smith resting for meaningless T20's and Kohli playing county cricket in preference to a test match.
Just Nuisance
Guest
Unfortunately India have a history of isolationist behaviour . It took a long time after the introduction of DRS which all the Test playing nations embraced for India to eventually come on board . However I would caution against over-confidence of Australia and it's supporters in the upcoming series . India have most bases if not all covered . Strong batting , great spin , a very nippy pace attack and their fielding is as good as anyone in the world these days.
Meat Pie
Guest
Oh dear. Australia has booted the Bangladesh tour because of the mighty AUD. If India is the biggest bully today, then we know from who they learnt that craft from. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie ...
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Yeah it's ridiculous stuff from CA, it's not as if they're short of cash and can't afford to drop a little bit of money for the good of the game, and for the good of their own team.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Hopefully this new ICC Test Championship will lead to a schedule created by the ICC and forced on countries like Aus and India. Feels like even with a Test Championship India, Aus and England will still control when and where they play which is just absurd.
Camo McD
Roar Guru
Geez, Bangladesh with 160m+ people and a very competitive team being considered a relative 'minnow' by CA is worrying but not surprising. Meanwhile close neighbours PNG and HK recently had ODI status and Aus didn't bother playing either of them in a single match in 4 years. Ah well, off to another bi-lateral series with England. Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands will be ignored as usual even though any of these three could conceivably knock over this Aussie side.
Rellum
Roar Guru
The board and Sutherland are in full corporate mode. They don't think the series will make money so it won't go ahead. I assume the TV deal doesn't start till next summer so no one will pay to broadcast the series, hence it is not profitable and a drain in the eyes of CA.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Meanwhile Australia have just cancelled their scheduled Tests against Bangladesh this year, highlighting their galling lack of respect for the lowest profile cricket nations.
Brew
Guest
I totally agree Rupesh, I was looking forward to going up to the top end for this series again 15 years is a long time. Total disrespect by CA to not only Bangladesh but the people in Northern Australia.
Paul
Roar Guru
no difference between the importance of Test matches versus T20 cricket? Each to their own I guess, but there's a fair few first class cricketers who might disagree with you