Fixing The Home Front

‘‘There is a huge potential for the game in India becoming bigger on TV. And domestic cricket is the soul of it all for it’s generally an untapped area’’, says Peter Hutton, vice-president of Ten Sports.

No wonder, then, that the process is being keenly being watched by all major channels — DD, Ten SPorts, ESPN-Star and Sony — planning to put in their best foot forward. The bait is the big matches — the ODIs, which will draw the crowds, the sponsors, the big bucks.

But there is also a social component to these rights — currently held by DD — because they include the coverage of non-profit, non-glam domestic cricket. And to change this, it is essential that the BCCI sells the rights to a party willing to promote domestic cricket.

The Indian domestic game, some broadcasters say, is hampered by ‘‘lack of marketability’’ because it is not attractive to watch, or sell. There is not a single tournament in the Indian calendar which makes a viewer want to rush home and be updated. Yet the world over various cricket boards have tried a variety of innovations to make the game TV-friendly (detailed elsewhere on this page).

The BCCI, the world’s richest cricket body, has sadly been slow off the blocks. Should Indian cricket too try something new?

‘‘Yes,’’ says Peter Hutton, vice-president of Ten Sports, citing the examples of Pakistan and Sri Lanka. On Ten’s suggestion, both countries are set to launch a new Twenty20 league just to raise the profile.

Hutton, who as part of TWI worked on capsules on Indian domestic cricket between 1994-99, says that the likes of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman — both then struggling to make the India side — would spend some time checking out tapes and looking at corrective measures.

Ironically, even the Indian Hockey Federation, long criticised for its reactionary trends and rigid leadership, has realised TV’s importance. They have in conjunction with ESPN-Star Sports have launched the Premier Hockey League.

Football, too, isn’t far behind. Himanshu Verma of ESPN-Star Sports spoke of how the channel televised the IFA Shield last season. ‘‘The IFA shield is a craze in those parts — but it’s still largely an eastern India tournament. We flew in the best technicians from Singapore and jazzed up the telecast. Such things matter for local events are integral part of any sport.’’

One last thing. It’s too easy to blame DD for its poor coverage of domestic cricket. Yes, it could be better — but it could be much, much better if the BCCI played ball. What has really hamstrung domestic cricket is poor scheduling, which prevents the stars from taking part — and which last season saw the showpiece Ranji final between TN and Mumbai being played on the same days as the first Indo-Pak Test.

Physical Fitness:
Bengal Takes King’s Man

A few summers ago, Team India joined the fitness revolution by hiring Leipus and LeRoux, who brought with them rigorous training techniques. The proof of the wider success, though, was always going to be when and whether the state teams picked up those habits. And there is strong evidence to be found in the unlikely environs of the Eden Gardens, not known for producing the fittest cricketers, where Bengal are experimenting with trainer Ranadeep Moitra, assistant to Team India trainer Gregory Allen King.
Moitra, a Ranji cricketer whose career was cut short by a dodgy back, had completed all required courses to become a Certified Fitness Trainer when friend Kevin Jackson — trainer with East Bengal football club — put him in touch with Saurav Ganguly, a teammate from the early 1990s.

A couple of sessions at the Eden Gardens after the 2003 World Cup convinced Ganguly, who asked Moitra to help King at the camp in Bangalore a year ago. From there to the Bengal Ranji team was a short journey, made swifted via a recommendation from John Wright.
However, it’s not been all smooth sailing. Though senior pros like Deep Dasgupta and Nikhil Haldipur swear by him, Moitra is yet to get a full-fledged contract. CAB officials, while affirming his contribution to the team, plead lack of finances. It’s forced Moitra to stick to the day job with a Kolkata firm. ‘‘Things are in a limbo’’, he told Sportsline. ‘‘I have been told that I might be given responsibility for the India under-19 or India A side. The National Cricket Academy has asked me to work with their Under-19 trainees. I have worked with the A-team boys. But nothing is final.’’
Meanwhile, Moitra is planning taking another course, for a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

Shamya Dasgupta

Fiscal Fitness:
Assam gets new gear

Most state associations crib about the lack of money. But at least one team — virtual non-entities Assam — have had good news: corporate biggies Williamson Tea will sponsor their kit and throw in a bit extra for the coaching of the junior teams.
The deal, Williamson’s marketing president Anil Mukherjee explained, sees the Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 teams getting track suits, and Rs 2 lakh each for coach and trainer. ‘’’The senior team, meanwhile, will be provided with training and match gear with our logos and playing kits’’.
It started with the company’s people approaching Assam Cricket Association officials during a Ranji match last year. They made the first move and, as ACA secretary Bikash Baruah says, there was no question of saying ‘no’. An MoU to that effect was signed recently.

Speaking to Sportline, Baruah says, ‘‘We don’t have much money and the boys have just a few pieces of white clothing to play in. Nor any training gear — people train in whatever they have. So the money will definitely help us.’’
Former India opener Lalchand Rajput is part of the ACA set-up and has often helped the team in the coaching department in the past. ‘‘Sponsors are always good for a team, especially a small team like Assam’’, he said. “And if we have good coaches and trainers and new equipment, the cricketing aspect will definitely improve.’’
In cricketing terms, the company made the move primarily because of the talent they saw in the junior ranks across Assam. Mukherjee says: ‘‘For the past few seasons, I have been told, junior cricketers from Assam have been making a mark. Though there isn’t much at the senior level yet, we believe there is scope for improvement.’’

Shamya Dasgupta

Ponting for Punjab:
Not pure fantasy

Some months ago, a column in this paper mooted the possibility of foreign stars playing in India’s domestic league: Ricky Ponting for Punjab, Brian Lara for Mumbai. It’s not as fantastical as it sounds — especially not now that Intikhab Alam is all but here. And it’s the surest way to bring the crowds back to the stadiums for domestic matches.

Indeed, what is surprising that Jagmohan Dalmiya, he who sees dollar signs wherever a cricket ball is bowled, has not turned this idea to reality. Stranger, when India is the hub of the growing world of cricket ads — and World Cup 2003 showed us that Indian companies rule international cricket. All Dalmiya needs to do is divert the endless procession of top cricketers from the ad shoot to the cricket ground.

And in a country where crowds from Kutch to Kolkata flock to see a tennis-ball cricket match in a neighbourhood alley, the sight of a star or two making waves under the lights at Eden Gardens will pull them in by the thousands.

There are stumbling blocks, of course. The biggest is the scheduling: Our season overlaps with those of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and to an extent the West Indies. So how will the stars play? Simple: All you really need is a 3-week window pre- or post-season, August or April.

In that time, schedule your one-day matches, mix up the stars so the element of nationality is eliminated and watch the sponsors flock to your doorstep. Then laugh all the way to the bank.

Sandeep Dwivedi