The Capital transition

People who have grown old with the city have seen Delhi's character change over the last few decades. Not just the way the city looks today (metro train, flyovers, under-passes) and functions. Even the game of cricket was quite different in those days.

During the 1970s, Mayor Shield and DDCA Hot Weather tournament for the Lt Governor Trophy were very popular in the Capital. Top teams (clubs and institutional teams) that included prominent Ranji stars were major attractions. Those were days when cricket matches were played over days and not for overs as is the case now. Even the DDCA hot weather tournament final was a four-day affair. Now it has been reduced to a 40-over each side event.

It always used to be time games and not overs games. Some of the summer tournaments used to be held in two sessions: 7 am to 10 am; 3 pm to 6 pm. Mayor Shield (run by Patel Nagar Gymkhana) and Jain tournament used to be conducted in two sessions. Even the DDCA hot weather and league matches used to be conducted in two sessions because of the extreme hot weather during the months of May and June.

Salwan tournament, another popular tournament in those days, also was held in two sessions. I had participated in the tournament during early 1970s, as member of Lawrence Club, Dehra Dun. Similarly, the Sheesh Mahal tournament matches in Lucknow were of two days duration. Most players from Delhi and Northern India travelled to Lucknow to participate in the prestigious summer tournament.

Importance to local matches
Local cricket got so much importance those days that even most leading newspapers covered them with full scorecards. Kapil Dev, Madan Lal, Surinder Amarnath, Jasbir Singh, Rajinder Goel, Surendernath, Sarkar Talwar were some of the prominent players to have played in the DDCA hot weather tournaments.

Incidentally, in one of the DDCA hot weather finals during 1970s, both Desh Prem Azad and Kapil Dev represented Haryana Colts against State Bank. Azad opened the batting while Kapil Dev was No.11 batsman! It was, perhaps, the only occasion when a prominent coach and his trainee represented the same team in a tournament.

Suresh Luthra was a big star in local cricket during the 1970s. Known as the `Miracle Man' for his magical bowling spells, he had often changed the complexion of games by his inspired performances. A left-arm in-swing bowler of repute, Luthra helped his team, State Bank of India win the 1970 Mayor Shield at the Ferozeshah Kotla. He picked up 8-20 off 16.3 overs in State Bank of Patiala's second innings, on the third and final day of the final.

State Bank of Patiala had gained a two-run lead and virtually won the final. But Luthra (Luther Singh to his team mates) and Rajinder Goel bowled the opponents for 61 in about 33 overs and SBI went on to win the title.

In the 1972 final against Haryana Colts, Luthra bowled his team to victory, with a spell of 3-57 despite having his right hand in plaster after suffering a finger injury during the match.

There was lot of spectator interest those days even for local games. Each club or team had its set of supporters who would throng the venues to cheer their teams. Now, besides members of the participating teams, cricket grounds wear a deserted look.

The importance a player in those days gave for local matches can be gauged from the fact that Luthra played a DDCA league match on the day of his wedding in 1972!

Where is college cricket now
But the most striking difference of the Capital's cricket scene is the total absence of college cricket. Even if it is played now, it is not visible at all. College cricket was serious business till early 1990s. Players used to be spotted and picked on the basis of their inter-college performances.

There were players like Hari Gidwani who would skip a Ranji game to play for his Hindu College. Matches between traditional rivals Hindu and St Stephen's used to generate a lot of interest. Most cricketers of the past came through the rigours of DU's inter-collegiate from 1950 through 1970s. Rivalry among colleges was healthy and produced good cricket. All finals were played for five days and there were occasions when the final ran into the seventh day. There was AIR running commentary, too, for an inter-college final. Can one think of it today in an age dominated by instant cricket?.

DU matches got due recognition from state association. College cricket was the main nursery for Ranji teams then. Some senior cricketers used to be deputed by the DDCA to watch inter-college matches to spot talent. DDCA's present President and BJP leader Arun Jaitley has confirmed that he used to bunk classes to watch inter-college finals!

Even during an India-West Indies Test Match at the Kotla, the crowd swelled only after an interesting inter-college game had ended at the university ground. That shows that an inter-college game had immense interest for the spectators, more than a Test match although Kotla used to host a Test once in 2 or 3 years only then.

In comparison, in the last 15 or so years, there have been many occasions when the tournament had been cut short at various stages because of squabbles and controversies. In 1997 the final was left unfinished because the university ground was flooded after a sewage pipe burst! Now, one is not sure whether inter-college matches are played on a regular basis and if so whether they are completed.

University cricket lost its charm ever since it became limited-overs affair. Vizzy Trophy, Rohinton Baria were the symbols of university supremacy. They no longer enthuse youngsters.

Club culture gone
Till early 1990s, Delhi cricket was dominated by private clubs, prominent among them being Sonnet, Subhania, Madras Cricket Club, Bright Club, Ajmal Khan Coaching Centre and Rohtak Road Gymkhana. They used to vie for top honours with some of the institutional teams like FCI, CWC and Indian Airlines.

Unfortunately, some of the clubs are fighting for survival because of tough competitions from institutional teams like ONGC and Air India, both of whom have an array of international and national players in their ranks. With organisers of local tournaments charging entry fees of Rs 25,000 to 30,000 per team, clubs have felt the pinch. What the parent association (DDCA) pays each club as subsidiary (Rs 60,000 per year) is finished once the club enters in two local tournaments.

That plus the lure of 'big' money have forced several owners to `sell' their clubs in the last 4-5 years. A private club secretary admitted "If by selling the club I get Rs 40-50 lakh why should I continue to struggle to run it?''

Some of the clubs that have changed hands in the past few years include Ajmal Khan Coaching Centre, Raghubir Willowers, Inborn Cricket Club (name now changed as Mount Club), J N Golden Club (new name is Mata Vaid Solanki) and Professional Management Group (earlier owned by DDCA official Dr S S Sareen and now run by Raj Kumar Sharma of West Delhi Academy).

Lack of loyalty among present-day players is another reason for the lacklustre attitude of most clubs.

Big challenge for coaches
Raj Kumar Sharma, who runs an academy in west Delhi, and better known as Virat Kohli's coach, feels it is a great challenge for coaches and selectors to remain unbiased in their profession. He feels priority of players have changed. Parents are now in the forefront and want their children to get into IPL teams and make quick money. Today's youngsters are not interested in representing the state in Ranji. IPL is their goal. In earlier days players used to think about the number of runs or wickets they would take when a new season approached. Now, players dream of the amount of money they would make in a season, Raj Kumar laments. Everyone is in a win-win situation. Cricket is the real loser is his regret.

Of course, the most positive side that the game has seen in recent years is that money has come into the game. It is good for the players. They need a secured future as there are no jobs available, except railways and banks who offer jobs. Even an ordinary cricketer today can make good money by playing in the IPL. Even at Ranji level one can make good money now.

While most former players see the advent of limited-overs cricket as the main cause of decline in quality, former Delhi captain and present Ranji selector Vinay Lamba looks at the brighter side. He feels changes and innovations are good for the game. "It is ok to have short duration games now. I don't find any fault in that. But I feel minimum overs should be 50 (as played at international level) and not 40 as the case in most local tournaments. Innovation is good. Otherwise, things become monotonous. It must be accepted and enjoyed,'' he says.

When everything is changing so fast in this jet-age, the game of cricket can be no exception. But for someone like me who has seen some of the best players perform with only passion for the game in their minds, it is difficult to digest today's commercial game where a player thinks more about the money he will earn rather than the runs he scores or the wickets he takes. Time has changed. So has the game: for the better or worse, time alone will answer!