Finally, the Board of Control for Cricket in India decided on contract, gradation and the incentives to our star players. None other than Anil Kumble gave the presentation on this about a year back during the regime of Muthaiah as a president and his advisors.I think what Anil wanted, at the instance of the seniors, was to safeguard financially those who are almost the certainties in the team but are overworked and suffer the wear and tear the most. Sadly, the performance part did not assume any importance during the demonstration on his laptop and the subsequent discussion held by the so-called experts in the Board.This is why the present president Jagmohan Dalmiya must have decided to put stress on the improvement of Indian cricket. He also doesn’t appear to be interested in investing in non-performing assets any longer though the Board has heaps of money in the coffers to squander. So, Dalmiya allows the gradation and the contract system with a riddle.Under this system, there will be 20 players selected for the contract on the last year’s performance. They will fall in four categories, namely A-I, A, B and C with Rs 75 lakh, 60 lakh, 35 lakh and 15 lakh as contract money respectively for a year. This gradation is purely on seniority and the contract money will be paid irrespective of whether they play any game for the country or not.Now, the riddle starts. The bonuses are linked to the performance. Upon winning a match, a player gets extra amount as bonus, equivalent to 100% of the match fees if the opposition is rated very high. If the opposition is not that good, he gets only 50% but if the team loses, the fees will be cut down to half. Prima facie, it looks very impressive now that the player is being made accountable for the first time in the history of Indian cricket.But how practical is this move knowing fully well the vagaries of this wonderful game. Just for defeat, you can’t penalize a player even if he gets a brilliant century or five wickets. For the contracted player, the allowances and the bonuses are additional perks, which will vary depending on results. Only players outside these golden 20 will suffer. If the team loses, they will be playing for half the fees. In corporate parlance, if an employee is not doing well, he is given time to improve and still if he doesn’t get the results, he is fired! A better replacement is sought for but wages are not deducted. Consciously or sub-consciously, there wasn’t any mention about the accountability of the selectors and administrators! Why can’t they be subjected to disincentives? I don’t subscribe to the differentiation between the junior and the senior. It’s a team game. If Sachin or Sunil got the hundred, it is because other players stayed with them at the oter end. If Kapil or Anil got more than 300 Test wickets, it is because some younger lot had mnaged to hold on to sharp catches off their bowling. So, whatever cash awards, logo money, bonus etc, they get, should be distributed equally. In fact, the last two one dayers in the triangular series now being played in England only prove my belief in equal distribution. The juniors like Yuvraj Singh, Sehwag, Mongia, Agarkar, Kaif did contribute equally if not more to the team’s well deserved victories in these two games.The genuinely talented senior is always rewarded extra through modeling and branding for his extra talent. We don’t have to ape the other countries always.
