This is the story of a game that was being touted as an exciting encounter, between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The two teams fought tooth and nail for over three days and nearly 300 overs. Batting first, Rajasthan had to deal with incessant showers, poor light and moisture in the track. MP had to deal with the pressure created by the mountain of runs, but more importantly time, for there wasn’t enough to overhaul the total and gain the first-innings lead. Since both teams were tied on equal number of points after two games, it was imperative to not concede the advantage. The lack of an outright result pinched, yet it made for some intriguing play as both the important T’s - technique and the temperament, were tested in the process.

Shockingly though, both teams didn’t get even a single point from the hard-fought dual. The rulebook says that if more than 90 overs are lost in a match; both teams share one point each in case both teams fail to complete their first innings. Fair enough. But if less than 90 overs are lost and the first innings is not completed, you walk away with no points. Despite losing almost a full day to rain, which means 90 overs, teams didn’t lose 90 overs of play in four days. They made up for the lost time by extending the post-lunch session by half an hour and playing till the light permitted on the remaining days. While it was a good effort to get maximum number of overs in, it boomeranged. Perhaps, losing more than 90 overs was a better deal, thanks to a rather mysterious rule. How perplexing it is to know that one gets a point for even conceding the first-innings lead, while in this case the teams got none.

Hyderabad were blown away for 21 in the first innings against Rajasthan and then subsequently in the match and quite justifiably got no points. You can penalise a team for playing poorly, but can certainly not reprimand them for not giving any quarters to the opposition. In fact, playing poorly can also fetch you one point, if you concede the lead.

This could well be a classic situation to throw away the match too. If both teams were tied on the same number of points and one team needed the points to either get promoted or stave off relegation, it was worth allowing the opposition to either overhaul the total, or throw away wickets to concede the first-innings lead. This would at least ensure one point which is definitely better than none. Undoubtedly then, there is an obvious flaw in this rule, for it may force people to change the natural course of the match in order to gain a point.

You might say that since both teams didn’t get a point, nobody lost out. But little do we realise that it allowed Hyderabad to come even at the points table and are now joint third at the top. A point for each team would have steered them clear of rest. For now though, Rajasthan & MP pay for the absurdity of certain bizarre rules.

Will we not see another Rahul Dravid in the future? © AFP

“Congratulations Rahul Bhai! D of Dravid stands for determination, dedication and discipline,” I tweeted after Rahul completed his 31st Test century and the second against New Zealand in this series. These attributes may be highly effective, but not attractive anymore, felt a couple of people who commented on the post. And that remark took me back to a conversation I’d had with a 19-year-old kid who is trying to break into the first-class circuit. This player has played for India colts and is indeed a promising youngster. He says he doesn’t want to be like Dravid. “What good is a life dedicated to only cricket and nothing but cricket,” he’d said. “It’s quite obvious that his life has always revolved around the game and despite scoring so many more runs than the others, he isn’t as popular with the youngsters.

“It’s not just restricted to Dravid bhai but all the players who play just Test cricket (obviously he’s unaware of Dravid’s 10000-plus ODI runs). Who knows of Samaraweera and his Herculean test average? But everyone knows of Shahid Afridi and Yusuf Pathan. I want to be like them.”

It’s not like he does not respect Dravid’s accomplishments. In fact he seems to be in awe of him and his achievements but is perhaps too scared to follow in his footsteps, for it demands sincerity and discipline of the highest order. He confesses it’s too much hard work for way too long. When something similar or perhaps better, in his eyes, can be achieved with slogging then why tire yourself, batting for countless hours? In any case, who wants to go back to school again, was his thinking.

But is this how the next generation is thinking? The more I interact with the younger lot, especially the ones who have had a taste of the money and fame brought by the IPL, the more certain I become that the best Test cricketers India will ever see, are the current lot.

And it’s not just the attitude but also the approach towards the game which vindicates my point. In another junior cricket game, two openers had been batting together. One, had an IPL deal, and the other was searching for one. The guy who hadn’t got the IPL contract was technically more solid than the other. But he was the one who’s throwing caution to the winds, for he not only wanted a contract but was also desperate to change people’s opinion of him. To be called a player suited only for the longer format isn’t something to be proud of; in fact today it is actually considered offensive.

The scales are heavily tilted in favour of the ones playing in the money-spinning IPL with regard to both money and recognition, and in some cases even selection. And if nothing is done soon enough to change that rather warped perception, at the risk of sounding cynical, this current set of players might be the last group who will see India at the top of Test rankings.

If Jaidev Unadkat was to play 60% of domestic games before getting a go in the IPL, would he still have become India's fourth-choice medium-pacer? © Getty Images

As you would know by now that I’m both a purist and a huge fan of domestic cricket and it goes without saying that any move which makes the longer format and domestic cricket significant enough, is welcomed by me. The Indian board is making serious efforts to ensure the importance of domestic cricket isn’t wasted on the players and hence have come out with a rule book with regard to a domestic cricketer’s participation in the IPL. While a ceiling for their earnings via the cash-rich IPL has already been fixed, the new ruling states that one must play at least 60% of the domestic matches played by the player’s respective state side. In addition to that, he must also obtain an NOC from his state association. Only then can he participate in the IPL. While the intent behind the move seems to be both in the interest of the game and the players, the larger impact is worth pondering over.

The first case I’m looking at is that of the highest run scorer in the domestic Twenty20 competition, Chetan Sharma. His batting is tailor-made for the slam-bang format, but quite obviously lacks the temperament and technique to last in the longer version of the game. In all likelihood, he won’t be able to fulfill the 60% representation criteria and would have to ask the Board for special permission which he may or may not get. Assuming that not everyone gets the special permission, what would be the yardstick for such permissions, I wonder. And if everyone would eventually be allowed, then why seek one?

Now, is it really necessary to be a good player in all formats to earn your living? Not too long ago, it was the other way around. People who weren’t well-versed with the Twenty20 format were treated as second-class citizens, given that a domestic player is identified with his IPL franchise and if you don’t have one, you merely exist as just a cricketer. Now, if you aren’t playing in the longer format (which means you aren’t earning well, in any case), you can’t also play in the format you prefer and make money. The world doesn’t exist peacefully in extremes, for there has to be room for everyone.

If playing domestic cricket was so vital then why did we include the clause that every franchise must hire two Under-22 cricketers, in the first place? In fact a lot of franchises were also encouraged to take India Under-19 cricketers on board, if not for the current season, then for future editions. Jaidev Unadkat was one of the players distributed amongst eight franchisees by the draw of lots. One look in the IPL was enough for him to jump the queue and get picked for the India-A team which toured England. Mind you, he played his first first-class match as an India-A cricketer in England. Now, he’s the fourth-choice medium pacer in Test cricket, but it may not have happened if he was to play 60% of domestic games before getting a go in the IPL.

Finally, the case of obtaining a presumably simple NOC from the state association - why would Mumbai allow young left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh to play in the IPL? I wouldn’t; if I was heading the organisation, for he is one of the few guys who still flights the ball and is suited for the longer format. There is a real threat of him losing his way to suit the demands of the Twenty20 format. But what if he isn’t given the NOC? Will someone pay for the financial losses he would incur?

What do you make of this? Your opinion.

The scrapping of Grade D is a blow to cricketers like Ajinkya Rahane © AFP

At last, the much deferred and overdue fee hike for India’s Test Players has finally happened, that too three times its present amount. For one, the move was imperative to make playing Test Cricket as lucrative as possible, so as to ensure that players like Cheteshwar Pujara with solid technique and temperament don’t sacrifice these attributes for acquiring skills to suit the more rewarding Twenty20 cricket. While a few players have been lucky enough to get this incentive, along with a pay hike in their central contract with the BCCI, a much bigger pool of fringe players has lost out as now there won’t be Grade D to accommodate players like Ajinkya Rahane or Shikhar Dhawan who’re waiting in the wings to prove their mettle. The current list has also been pruned from a whopping 41 to a meagre 24 for this season.

The central contracts list, when they were first handed out, made for an elite group of 20 cricketers. But then came the ICL, which organised a player coup of sorts. A lot of domestic cricketers left the BCCI fold and joined the ‘rebel league’. The board was swift to act and increased the number of contracted players with the introduction of Grade D to reward the performances in domestic cricket. It was, in a way, both telling the players that they were in the loop and also giving them much needed financial security. In fact, even the fee for domestic games was increased substantially. But a lot has changed since then; the IPL arrived with a bang and forced the ICL into oblivion. Subsequently, the Grade D contracts disappeared too. The BCCI’s stance with regards to the abrupt trim is that it is an elite club with a restricted entry which must only be earned by sterling performances. But was it not the case always? Or were the contracts handed out to undeserving players earlier?

But this cutback has an even bigger impact on the earnings of these domestic performers. Being on the list of contracted cricketers would have ensured their eligibility for auction at the IPL, meaning money based on their market value. But just to add to their woes, their maximum salary was already decided earlier based on the year of their first-class debut and not performances. While some players might still cobble something together with the new order, players like Pankaj Singh and Rahane, perceived inept for the T20 format, might suddenly find themselves in a fix. Now, they would be lucky to get a half-decent deal from a franchise.

And if things weren’t already looking sordid enough, the major part of a domestic match fee, which comes from the BCCI’s annual revenues, has also come down massively in the last couple of seasons. It started with a player getting nearly Rs. 37,000 per day which has now been slashed to about Rs. 22,000 thousand. The earnings of domestic players are taking a hit every year, but not many bother, except the players, who’re at the receiving end.

Your thoughts?

I’m quite fascinated with the interviews teen sensation Deepak Chahar is busy giving, one after the other. People want to know what he eats, or whether he can bowl as fast as Brett Lee, or which IPL team he would like to play for. What no one seems to be asking, though, is where Deepak Chahar comes from. The answer might help us understand the events which have led to the making of the young prodigy.

It’s always easy to form an opinion by just looking at the surface. Since he’s a frequent sight at the NCA, and been playing age-group tournaments for quite a while, it’s convenient to give credit, for once; to the otherwise much criticized system. But you have to dig a little deeper to know the real story.

Chahar belongs to a district called Hanumangarh in Rajasthan. What Sansarpur is to hockey, Hanumangarh is to fast bowling. They have been producing fast bowlers by the dozen and the credit must go to one man who has dedicated himself to the craft—Navendu Tyagi. His passion for the skill compensates for the lack of infrastructure in a small district. He is a hard task master and making players physically fit is his top priority. He ensures that his wards go through a rigorous cardio routine which, at times, includes going for a run at 2 pm in scorching desert heat. He generally accompanies them, either on foot, or on his old bike.

He also takes his pupils to a summer camp in Rishikesh every year. While the kids pay for their travelling expense, Tyagi takes care of everything else including the boarding and lodging. They stay in a basic dharamshala and the day starts at 5 am with yoga. Then they run in the hills, followed by some strengthening exercises using their own body weight in the evening. It may be preferable to choose a place with modern facilities, but since that’s not financially feasible, a get away to Rishikesh during the peak summer season is the next best thing.

The coach also takes great care in preparing the practice tracks in Hanumangarh. It would always have a good covering of grass and decent bounce to keep the pace men interested. Slowly but steadily his efforts have started bearing fruit - most of the fast bowlers representing Rajasthan at various age group levels now come from Hanumangarh. In fact, there are so many of them, they have started lending bowlers to other districts.

I am told that there was a time when nine out of the playing XI were fast bowlers in the district’s team. Deepak would either open or bat at number 3 for his side, which did well in improving his batting skills, but obviously meant trouble for the team. They would regularly dismiss the other side for a paltry total, but would get out for an even lower total. The district got relegated twice to be in the lowest division. Nobody, though, seems to complaining.

If one man’s dedication and passion can do so much, a collective effort towards a particular goal could easily do wonders. What say?

Deepak Chahar reminds Aakash Chopra of Manoj Prabhakar © Getty Images

Bowling Hyderabad out for 21 came as a bit of a shock for us. When they were three down, I remember a team-mate in the slips told me we might need to bat by around tea. I told him it was too early to say that. Ranji Trophy has taught me otherwise on many occasions.

I told him once the pitch dries out, once the ball gets a little order, there is bound to be a partnership somewhere. They might even bat out the whole day. It never crossed my mind that you can bowl a side out for 21, that too Hyderabad, who are no pushovers. They are no nobodies.

The wickets, though, just kept falling. Everyone just came and kept playing reckless shots. All of a sudden we were batting after the first drinks break. We didn't even have time for it to sink in.

When talking about the sensational events of the first session, it is important to go back two or three months. Of course Deepak Chahar, the right-arm swing bowler, has arrived with a bang with this performance of 8 for 10 on debut, which is phenomenal, but those who have seen him from the Buchi Babu, Moin-ud-Dowlah, or during practice in Rajasthan nets, were expecting good things of him.

I remember somebody asked me on Twitter, in September, if I had seen any new, young, raw talent, and I mentioned Chahar's name there. I have admired the way he bowls, the talent he possesses, the attitude he has, and the way he carries himself. He is a good promising kid with a bright future, and with his head in the right place, and priorities sorted out. He brings with him a lot of hunger to succeed. You just have to throw the ball at him, in fact he will snatch it from you. He has that Ishant Sharma attitude.

There was something in the track for the bowlers, but definitely not so much that somebody should come and take eight wickets on debut. The track had no such demons, the kind there were, for instance, for our game against Orissa in 2008-09. It was nowhere near that track. Our score of 220 for 2 by stumps tells the story.

Chahar, though, bowled really well. That nobody had seen him before helped, as did his ability to swing the ball both ways. I won't say he is rapid, and you don't expect a swing bowler to be rapid. If you had to draw a parallel with somebody, he would be like a Praveen Kumar or a Manoj Prabhakar, someone who had good control over swing, and a really good wrist position that got the ball to swing. They aren't rapid either. He is built like them too, not too tall.
Similarly Chahar has a brilliant wrist position that allows him to bowl with the seam upright. Like we say in Delhi, uske haath mein swing hai [his hand has the swing]. The outswingers got the edges, the inswingers got them lbw and bowled.

The ball that he bowled to get DB Ravi Teja was a beauty. He is an opener, and he knows how to play the new ball. But if you haven't played Chahar before, there is a chance you will get fooled by the inswinger. His stock ball is the one that goes away, and swings appreciably, and the inswinger comes in like a banana. That's what happened with Ravi Teja. He was caught on the crease, completely clueless, and dead plumb. It was as if he had planned to leave the ball because it started way outside off, but it came back and thudded halfway up his pads. That was one of his best deliveries today.

Chahar is a good, young kid with a lot of energy, so much energy that you have to tell him, “Boss there is something called rest. You can't be bowling all the time. Running all the time.” Once he got the five-for, that celebration was special. It felt extra special knowing that his father had given up his Air Force job just so that Deepak could play cricket.

His family is from Agra, and it was during his father's Jaipur posting that Deepak started playing cricket. You feel good for the kid when you know so much is riding on his performance. His family lives in Agra, and wasn't there to witness his debut, but I am sure he will give them more opportunities to watch him perform well.

Dear readers,

What appeared to me for ages as a rather nonchalant approach from the managers towards a plain Indian domestic cricket and its slip-ups is, to my delight, now being replaced by a more informed and involved outlook. For instance, not only genuine lovers of the game but also top honchos seem to be sitting up and taking note of the abysmal quality of teams in the Plate division. “What do we do with them?” is the big hopeless question doing the rounds. While this change of heart is good news, I ask a slightly different question to get a possible answer: “What do we do with the teams that aren’t showing any real progress?” For blaming only the teams in Plate division would be naive.

There are a lot of teams in Indian domestic cricket that are participating but not competing. They turn up season after season only to produce an almost identical performance before fading into oblivion for the next six months. Some teams are more than happy to be just there, without making the effort to stretch the envelope. If they are in the Elite division, their only endeavour is to ensure that they don’t get relegated. Qualifying for the knock-outs and eventually winning the Ranji Trophy never cross their mind. And that’s precisely the reason why only a few teams compete for the top spot and keep rotating the trophy among themselves year after year. And some of the teams in the Plate division have no reason to worry because relegation is not a possibility for them.

These teams not only consistently fail to surprise people by causing a few upsets, but also fail to produce quality players, which in my opinion is a much bigger crime. When all the state associations get a huge share of BCCI money every year, it’s only fair to expect them to improve the state of cricket. And let me assure you that it’s not only the teams from the Plate division who are guilty of not doing enough, the teams in the Elite are to be blamed equally for the poor show. In fact, some Plate division teams spend more time and effort to upgrade the facilities and have put a proper structure in place to ensure progress. And that’s why we are increasingly seeing good players coming from small towns and teams.

In my opinion, there are two ways of improving the fate of cricket in a state. The easier route, albeit taken by a lot of teams, is to hire professionals and expect them to take the team to the next level. But this is only a quick-fix, which is guaranteed to backfire in the longer run. Assam followed this to the T and the professionals helped them qualify to the Elite division last year, but the sustainability at the top would depend on the other eight players now.

While there’s nothing wrong with the first approach, it’s mandatory to supplement it with serious work at the grass-root level. Eventually, home-grown talent must take over from the seniors and take their team forward. Rajasthan is following the first path by hiring professionals but also spending both time and money on cricket development. There’s serious effort to have state-of-the-art academies in every district, running a 12-month program, something a lot of teams in the Elite division can also adhere to. It may take some time for the young kids to make a mark but it’s just a matter of when and not if.

But there are certain associations who neither spend money on hiring professionals nor on cricket development. How they are spending the money received from the BCCI is anybody’s guess, for they haven’t even developed a decent ground in so many years. And these associations must be taken to task by slapping a financial penalty for non-performance, both with regards to the results and producing/nurturing talent. Nothing hurts people more than the money being taken away from them.

Your thoughts?