The end of the 100-Test cricketer

Anand Vasu writes in the Hindustan Times about how the IPL and the Twenty20 boom has changed the priorities of the upcoming generation of Indian cricketers.

In two months, some of these teenagers will pick up more cash than the average middle-class professional makes in a career. What's more, with the contract in the bag, they won't have to worry about some cranky selector dropping them or a section of the media calling for a replacement. There will be all the good things in life without any of the pressure, perfect for the individual in the short-term, and a recipe for long-term disaster.

Before the IPL the sole intention of a cricketer's life was breaking into the Indian team. Once that was done, life was a constant struggle to stay in the eleven. In time, the peripherals too care of themselves. This is why Ganguly fought so hard to stay in the picture... It is the fight to stay in the top 1% that makes it worth it.

India's young brigade is drawing flak, but Dileep Premachandran writes in the Guardian that the criticism must be based on their performances, and not based on their flashy lifestyles.