BCCI Grounds

Our political leaders are busy taking credit and expect their efforts to be lauded as they ferried a train from Mumbai to Latur, which is suffering from severe drought conditions with people searching even for drinking water. It is not an achievement on the part of the Govt. to provide water by train. I’d say it is rather the shoddy planning whether Congress or BJP that the State has to spend money for ferrying trains and it could not plan or act accordingly so that such condition may not happen.

Looking at the plight of the poor people of Maharashtra, an NGO filed a petition in Bombay HC to shift the IPL matches out from Maharashtra especially now since IPL has two teams from Maharashtra (teams have nothing to do with States but more so with their home ground).

Mukesh Ambani’s wife, Nita Ambani was traveling around Europe and witnessed how the club football created enthusiasm and united people across boundaries and she got her idea to float Indian Super League and now it has already run for three seasons. Perhaps Reliance knows and understand how to look at virgin markets and build them from ground up.

IPL Management has decided to look for an alternative venue for next season outside India. I mean there is one corporate who is trying to revive the culture of football in India. On the other hand, we are trying to deconstruct the culture of cricket in India. First time perhaps in sports that India took a giant leap and gave a new format, new version and style to play the game and more so, that the epicenter of cricket has moved from England to India.

The Court did make a vlid point. How can you (cricket associations and BCCI) waste water like this. People are more important or your IPL matches? How can you be so careless? Who wastes water like this? This is criminal wastage. You know what the condition is in Maharashtra,” a division bench headed by Justices V M Kanade and M S Karnik said, while hearing a PIL filed by the Loksatta Movement NGO. “Ideally, you should shift the IPL matches to some other state where water is in abundance,” the court observed.

BCCI submitted different plans and proposals for the Court to consider but Court wouldn't budge. BCCI gave an excellent idea to use sewerage treated water to water the grounds and the facility for the same has been established by the existing prestigious club in India to water its golf course. The Court questioned BCCI to compensate State for the water used during all the past IPL matches. Which should not be a hard thing for the BCCI to undertake given the fact that they are the richest body in India barring few temples?

The big question remains, why and how the situation has come to such a pass? Not State Government’s, we know them, they engage in damage control and quick fix last minute measures. But the BCCI could have acted at an appropriate time. State could have opted to spend all the taxes and the money received from IPL in setting up and controlling the water situation in the State of Maharashtra. Why the Court asked the BCCI to compensate State for the water and suggested the State otherwise?

Not to mention, IPL shifting out of India will be India’s loss on the cricketing arena and not to mention the fans and revenues accrued from the same and taxes paid to the Govt. to host such events. 

There are close to 50 international cricket grounds/stadiums in the country. The eight stadiums which are made the home grounds of the teams along with their names are normally hosting the cricket matches during other tournaments as well with few sundry or other matches are scheduled at few other locations. Why the process to engage other cricket stadiums has still not been included in IPL? Wherein the home ground is divided amongst two grounds in the State so that the chance to develop the game of cricket and upgradation of infrastructure is spread across the country but what is happening is instead the more money is pumped into the iconic cricket stadiums of the country. 

The High Court order of shifting all matches out of Maharashtra is a blessing in disguise for the BCCI to work on an alternate plan and agenda to spread the virus of IPL across the country. Take the Chandigarh, it helped Dharamshala stadium and the town just by shifting two - three matches in past few IPL seasons. Amritsar can be developed as another alternative ground for Chandigarh, which gives considerable boost to the economy and the culture of the city. 

Mumbai already is in severe grip of cricket fever, why not host few in matches in Nagpur or Goa. Similar should be the case that the matches are spread which will benefit the franchises in increasing the fan base and building different entertainment and lifestyle on the basis of their team’s theme.

But just in case, BCCI decides to move IPL out of India, there should be another petition in the Supreme Court with the Court to keep the tournament in India. VIVO is the chief sponsor of IPL, the forex earnings of the country is going up. Plus the expenditure that the foreign players and visitors spend in India. BCCI perhaps can host few matches outside India in every season again to increase the fan base and the loyalty but logistically implementing the same will be a challenge. 

But in the meantime, IPL should stay in India and the idea of alternate grounds to home for every team should also be developed. The Govt. should work with BCCI to provide sewerage treated water to water grounds at every ground in the country.

Dhoni and the World of Cricket T20

I stopped watching the Final of Cricket World Cup T20 between England and West Indies after 12 over of second innings by Windies as they had just scored 66 in 12 overs and required 90 from 48 balls. A mobile beep at 11 in the night tells me West Indies won after hitting four sixes of last over with two balls to spare. Now Darren Sammy tells the world about the delirious conditions with which their Board treats them, hence they are bigger heroes than just winning the World Cup. Probably England is the best team to hit sixes against, Yuvraj hit six sixes in one over against them.

My mind races back to the India-Bangladesh match and what a match it was, no match  of any sport in any country in the world can make as many people their heartbeats than a thriller by an Indian cricket team. A friend of mine quoted on Facebook, “Dhoni does not believe in Winning, Winning believes in Dhoni”. We had won three straight games against Bangladesh prior to the series and won all the matches in Asia Cup in Dhaka. In this match as well, we were expected to take leap in terms of average in case India, Pakistan and Australia get stuck at 2 won matches each. Only the luck (luck is an important factor in T20 cricket) saved the match. But as the team with Number 1 ranking, we are never up to the mark.

Radio, television channels, music, entertainment channels everybody was playing the last over of the match by Hardik Pandya for the next 24 hours. In the past few months, their is a movement amongst the cricket intellectuals and greats to elevate the position of Dhoni from cricketer and skipper to the Cricket Hall of Fame. Certainly people were reminded of the last over bowled by Joinder Sharma in the first ever T20 cricket wherein Dhoni was made Captain and sent with the team of rookies (underdogs) as the heavy weights refused to play T20 cricket. 

Dhoni certainly deserves a place. We won a match against Pakistan and also Australia to which Kohli guided us to a comfortable win. If Sachin is God of Cricket, then Dhoni is certainly the mentor of T20 cricket. He is a mentor not only to players or the team but the whole concept of T20.

Like his coach said that he was recommending to some senior retired players in the cricket arena and they asked, what type of batsmen he is and what is his batting style? His coach said, he plays excellent shots and he has his own style and not anybody he can think of. Dhoni's style of picking good length, low pitched deliveries from the ground and swinging it past boundary on the long on/off is called Helicopter Shot. 

For the semi-final, we booked a table at an upmarket pub in South Delhi. Somehow watching the matches in a crowded place adds to the fun, much better than an experience in stadium. Plus they are playing all the heart pumping patriotic music during commercial breaks or whenever India hits a six or takes a wicket, free shots (tequila) are provided. 

We lost the match to the Windies and our chances of winning the World Cup were grounded. In the upmarket bar which was crowded was suddenly empty and dull after we lost and one group of Indian fans lashed out at other group for they were still laughing and argued India lost and you are smiling. Not to mention, glasses and plates few across and broken and littered at the place, so much so, that the bar authorities had to call the security and Police was also on the way, during which we also decided to  gulp our beer and head towards exit.

Apparently there were few reports in the media as well of violence on the streets as India lost. Such is the passion and enthusiasm of cricket. T20 is not about technique or the patience or the sense of character, it is all about entertainment. With the increasing mix of Bollywood and the corporate world and the models and cheer leaders, it is as glamorous as a fashion week but with much high drama and emotions at play.

Dhoni’s style of shots are perfectly attuned to this style of cricket. In more than 6 out of 10 matches, he is playing the winning shot. In the T20 matches, India’s matches were the ones which provided with the maximum thrill and entertainment for any cricket fan as all matches were close and could swing to any side, any moment. 

It’s true he and the team that he is built has given immense range of emotions to the cricket fans and more percolate on the thrilling and happy side and less of sadness and moreover Indian side put their everything in T20 match, even if they have lost, they play a competitive game with no easy chances for their opponent.

Dhoni is an entertainer as T20 is all about entertainment. Let’s take a look at the press conference after they lost to West Indies in the Semi Final on 31st March, 2016. 

The question asked by Samuel Ferris of cricket.com.au was about whether after the Indian team's exit from the ICC World Twenty20 semi-finals, Dhoni, at 34, was keen to play on. At first Dhoni responded by asking Ferris to repeat the question, and when he did, the following played out. 

“Come here, let's have some fun”, said Dhoni, beckoning to Ferris to join him. Ferris blinked and looked taken aback. Dhoni pushed aside one of the chairs next to him and said: “I am serious, come here”.

The Australian sat down and Dhoni put an arm around him. “Do you want me to retire?”

“Not that I want. That's what I want to ask you,” replied Ferris.

“I was hoping it was an Indian media guy because I can't really ask you if you have a son or a brother who is a wicketkeeper. Do you think I am unfit, looking at my running?” asked Dhoni as giggles rippled around the room.

“No. You're very fast.”

“Do you think I can survive till the 2019 World Cup?”

“You should, yes, sure.”

“Then you have answered the question.” With that, Dhoni patted Ferris' back and the Australian got up and walked back to his seat.

Dhoni wasn't finished, though.

“I wish it was an Indian media person,” he added, clearly in reference to the number of times his place has been questioned after a defeat and the times journalists have asked him questions about his future. “Then I would have asked if he has a son who is a wicketkeeper and ready to play. He would have said no, then I would have said maybe a brother who is a wicketkeeper and who is ready to play. You fired the right ammunition at the wrong time.”