How can you blame Gambhir?
Gautam Gambhir's shoulder injury, aggravated by playing in the IPL, is evidence of a problem that goes beyond the country versus franchise debate, according to Firstpost.com's Ashish Magotra
Dustin Silgardo
25-Feb-2013
Gautam Gambhir's shoulder injury, aggravated by playing in the IPL, is evidence of a problem that goes beyond the country versus franchise debate, according to Firstpost.com's Ashish Magotra. His grouse is the amount of cricket being played, which is bound to increase the number of player injuries.
At first sight, it seems like there are gaps in the schedule. A week here, a little more there but then think again. Between tours, there’s the whole thing about keeping sponsors happy, preparing for the next tour and getting some rest if possible. And once on tour, there is simply no downtime. You think about the game 24 x 7.
Partha Bhaduri says in the Times of India that it is the BCCI's conflict of interest in being in charge of managing the national side as well being involved in the IPL that confuses players.
While it is easy to blame big players for opting to play in the IPL in spite of a jam-packed schedule and chastise them for being 'in it' for the big bucks, it should be remembered the IPL is a BCCI enterprise in the first place, with some office-bearers even owning big stakes. This unprofessional attitude of the board does rub off on players, so they too must own up to moral responsibility if an injury problem is a well-kept secret.
Kiran More's solution is for the BCCI to develop a comprehensive policy dealing with all situations related to injuries and when players should report them. Also, he writes in DNA, the national team needs to develop bench strength to deal with the strenuous schedule.
A professional sportsperson is no different in his materialistic aspirations as compared to any other young hardworking professional in other strata of society. Even the great Sachin Tendulkar had to play last year’s IPL final with broken fingers; exemplifying the demands and rigors of professional cricket and its accountability.
Dustin Silgardo is a former sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo