Bring on the youngsters!
By Keshu Namboodiri

The world cup was lost with the Indians unable to improvise against wicket to wicket bowling both against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankans gave a masterful presentation of the art of taking singles when the going got tough. The Indians were flummoxed and had no answer simply because they had lost the art of thinking with only “power play” (of a different kind!) stuck in their head.

The world cup is seeing another era of power play with the Australians and South Africans leading from the front. Their strength lies in ruthlessly enforcing their stamp and class on the opposition whoever it may be –weak or strong. The Australians have always believed in cultivating a strong bench strength. This means they have a strong willed group who have their gunpowder dry and fresh for any eventuality. When the time comes for a replacement, there’s always someone waiting to rise to the hour. The Indians on the other hand rely too heavily on their seniors to deliver. We did not heed the warning signals that betrayed a vulnerable streak in our record fattened seniors for the past two years. The team management also failed to build a quality bench strength, although a lot of efforts were made to infuse fresh blood into the team before the world cup. Someone nipped the idea in the bud, a great opportunity was lost, with the result that we were forced to lean a little too much on the seniors who let the team down when it needed them the most.

One only hopes that the world cup shame opens the eyes of the diehard followers and we learn the right lesson from it. That cricket is only a game, that there’s a limit to glorifying our players. The commercialization of the game has only made things worse for the future of the game, though it has fattened the purse of the players and the sponsors. The added pressure to perform has robbed the game of its skill and charm and the media glare has only infused an air of artificiality to the emotions of the fans and the country.

While cricket’s enduring popularity will survive the world cup, the gong has been sounded for the administrators of the sport to pitch for younger players, irrespective of his box office appeal.