`A’ culpable homicide enacted at Los Angeles

`Globalisation’ is the latest mystery commitment of our cricket-crazy officials. Spreading the gospel of cricket in Hollywood reminds me of a visiting cricket-oriented reverend to the Yale University. `Y’ for youth, emphasised the bishop, but the audience was not impressed. `A’ for ambition led to a walk out byhalf the students. `L’ for loyalty and `E’ for energy was part of the discourse by which time there was only one student in the hall. The bishop was deeply moved. “Young man, perhaps you would be good enough to tell me what it was that moved you so deeply.”

“Yes,” said the youth. “Offering a small thanks that I am in Yale and not the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.” Sowing cricket seeds among Americans is not that simple as the BCCI will soon discover. India `A’ playing Australia `A’ for the benefit of yanks is a cruel joke on cricket. That this trip escaped the scrutiny of the BCCI’s working committee is another howler. Indian cricketers are being made guinea pigs in places like Singapore, Toronto, Nairobi and LA, when there is so much to attend to on the domestic front.

If Delhi had played Mumbai on a surface like the one being used in LA, the inspector of pitches would have come in for a lot of flak. Part-time bowler like Sriram could not bowl a straight delivery. To play five games on thesame surface is culpable homicide for cricket. I was amused to read that Srikkanth, the Indian coach had to dig deep to explain to the US immigration that cricket coffins are different from the ones used by the undertakers.

“You had better take them back with you,” was the message conveyed to the Indians!

If only BCCI had planned an organised trip of India `A’ to Australia or South Africa, nobody sanely involved with cricket would have cribbed. It would have been a case of `exposure’ as against `exposed’. Such colossal waste of funds with so little vision. Helen Kellar was once asked: “What is worse than being blind?” She had replied: “Having eyesight without vision.” I am afraid there are plenty of myopic cases within the BCCI who need immediate attention. Maybe, just someone will take up the cause of Ranji and Duleep Trophy — both premier championships. Rohinton Baria Trophy also needs resusitation. Wonder which wonder-brain will provide that?

For all you know the big-wigs at BCCI’s AGM may betoo busy patting their own backs for Ganguly’s maiden triumph at Toronto. `Great team effort’, they exclaimed. How loosely the term great is flaunted. Even so, first victory in the year was something to be happy about. Apparently Saurav Ganguly enjoyed the stand-in stint at the helm. In a situation like this, there are no pressures. Indeed, stop-gap arrangements are thus framed. It is only when the noose gets tighter in official capacity, that the stress begins to show.

“Captaincy is all about man-management,” declared Ganguly after the win. How come this simple mantra was never discussed in team meetings in which the `Maharaj’ participated in the last few years?

No, I am not taking anything away from the Bengal tiger. Only underlining the fact that success has many fathers.

During the last World Cup, Indian camp was conspicuous by the absence of leadership. All of a sudden, there is a plethora of claimants for the hottest seat in Indian cricket. In a photo-finish, I can predict who will get the nod.But I shall abstain for now.

Let the `stop-gaps’ get their due as Tendulkar’s spine gets the treatment it deserves.