All is not well with the NCA

The ongoing Test series in Sri Lanka has brutally exposed India's non-existent bench-strength, especially in the fast-bowling department. GS Vivek writes in the Indian Express that one of the reasons for India's inability to unearth talent is the failure of the National Cricket Academy to live up to the hype it generated when it was launched in 2000 in Bangalore. He lists out the problems ailing the academy, ranging from a complete lack of focus to a disconnect with the requirements of the national team.

Over the years, the biggest possible names in Indian cricket with too many things on their plate, and few foreign experts too, have been at the helm of affairs at the NCA. Invariably, a change on the name plate outside the Chairman's chamber at the NCA has coincided with a shift in focus of the institution. The last decade has seen the academy being projected as a finishing school, a centre of excellence for elite cricketers, a monitoring institute for fringe players, a one-stop rehabilitation clinic and even a college for coaches. This has meant confused priorities, muddled planning, detached leadership and, ultimately, the NCA failing to groom talented cricketers.

A related article in the same paper lists some of the instances where the NCA failed to assist cricketers in need of help, and some of its ventures that were not thought through well enough.