The recommendations of the BCCI Technical Committee must by and large
be welcomed by most people concerned about the state of Indian cricket
and the declining relevance of domestic performances in an
international context. It has been expected for sometime that some
kind of two-tier system would be part of the proposals and Sunil
Gavaskar & Co. have fulfilled those expectations.
Under the new scheme if approved by the working committee and the
general body of the BCCI, an elite group of ten teams, the top two
from each zone, will vie for the Ranji Trophy, while the remaining 17
will be further split into two groups. To make the Ranji Trophy more
competitive, the technical committee could perhaps not have come up
with a better alternative, given the Indian scheme of things, but as I
have said earlier in these columns, the move is harsh on other
deserving teams and players. Unfortunately, choosing the top ten teams
from the top two in each zone cannot ensure that the best teams
compete in the senior division. For example, one of the three premier
teams in the South Zone -- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Hyderabad will
not figure in the senior league, while an Orissa or a Jammu and
Kashmir may.
The Duleep Trophy is to be played on a league basis, we are told.
There could be no more effective way of rendering these matches boring
and uncompetitive. In fact, there is merit in suggestions from some
quarters that the zonal competition be scrapped. Instead, there could
be a knock out among eight teams comprising the top four teams in the
elite group and the top four among the rest. This way, players from
the lower division will get to play against the elite teams and
compete for higher honours.
The new proposals offer considerable hope that team values will be
stressed. Players will only too keenly be aware that their personal
fortunes will depend on the fortunes of their teams, as they are more
likely to be considered for selection to the Indian team if they
figure in the senior division. The result may be more strenuous
efforts to play a more competitive brand of cricket.
The idea of uncovered wickets for the Duleep Trophy is an interesting
one that may expose our batsmen to different pitch conditions. While
the batsmen will widen their education in the process, the bowlers may
get inflated reputations as well. More important and urgent is the
need to have sporting tracks of even pace and bounce at every level of
cricket.
According to media reports, the technical committee meeting that drew
up the proposals was attended by some special invitees. The list does
not include the names of former captains Pataudi, Bedi, and
Venkataraghavan or former Test stars like Prasanna and Hanumant Singh
who have in recent years been involved in coaching our best
youngsters. I am sure if they had been available, they would have
enhanced the quality of debate.
Finally, the promotion-relegation system is eminently capable of
misuse by teams wanting to fix the outcome of matches to ensure
promotion or avoid relegation. It used to be done in the old leaguecum-knockout system, and it can be done again. Only the stakes will be
higher.