Opinion Cricketers missing tours isnt necessarily a bad thing
Sadly,in spite of the atmosphere and the people a tour of the West Indies is down the pecking order a bit.
As,increasingly,the end of a series or a tournament resembles the end of an over,with players merely ambling away before getting ready again,it was inevitable that a degree of prioritisation would set in. If someone cannot play everyday,then he will choose what he wants the most and that is why I am not surprised at all at the reluctance of some players to go to the West Indies.
Sadly,in spite of the atmosphere and the people a tour of the West Indies is down the pecking order a bit. The fall in cricketing fortunes is invariably accompanied by a fall in prestige and,in this case,in revenues from television rights. If Indias top players dont go,interest drops,advertisers are less enthused and television rights holders earn less. And not being charitably disposed,they are bound to extract what they can from the authorities who sold them the rights.
In any case,to expect the best to turn up everyday was asking for too much. People get tired,they get out of bed not desirous of conquering the world but with a moan. When you choose cricket for a profession,you do so because you love it more than anything else. But from time to time you need to stoke the fire,to rekindle the ambition,to miss playing cricket. Playing everyday can start leaving you immune to the riches you possess. Of course,many other professions do not have such options but they dont have twenty hour news channels ascribing motives to their actions either!
So one of two realistic options present themselves. If you want your best all the time,then you only play a certain amount of cricket. Otherwise,if the bottom line matters,and it is not immoral for it to matter,you get used to seeing different players playing at different times; which is what has happened now. Players want to play in England because that is a bigger stage and that means they cannot play in the West Indies. It happens all the time. Athletes want to prepare for the big international season and so they miss the Commonwealth Games. Tennis players want to prepare for a Slam event and so they miss the Davis Cup. Even musicians have to take time off to sing the latest version of I love you! Each must have his own priorities.
And the news for all those in the business of embracing doom every evening is that something good can come out of Tendulkar and Gambhir and Yuvraj and Sehwag not going to the Caribbean. They could go to England recharged. Better still,you can check if Badrinaths remarkable consistency at home can be replicated at international level. Or whether Virat Kohlis obvious class makes him a strong option in the middle order. Sometimes resting the stars can throw up options not hitherto considered.
Amidst all this lies the other argument; that everyone could have played everywhere if it hadnt been for the villainous IPL. I get the feeling sometimes that the IPL is seen as the evil daughter-in-law from the Hindi soaps,out to ruin a family; that playing in the IPL is like accepting a back-hander in a contract or selling illicit liquor. Or worse. The IPL is now a legitimate tournament that must take its place in the calendar; sit amidst the priorities that players must consider. It is not a rogue or renegade tournament and making money playing sport is one of the more respectable ways of earning a living; certainly given the other methods we read of increasingly these days! And given that the BCCI organises both,the IPL and bilateral international cricket,the club versus country debate gets a bit irrational.
Club,or franchise,cricket is a sign of our times. It is a force that can no longer be bottled for commerce would otherwise find another outlet. 160 million viewers watched it this year so the people must like it,even if occasionally some displeasure is stated here and there. I dont know where the IPL sits in the hierarchy of desires at the moment (does it sit below India vs England and above India vs West Indies?) but it cannot be wished away. I would believe that its strength must lead to a relook at the international calendar rather than merely stuffing it up with more. You can only put so many shirts in a drawer; beyond a point you have to take some out to shut it.
So what the ICC and the BCCI are not doing,the players and market forces are. If calendars are not rescheduled,we will see more players missing tours. And,I believe,that may not be such a bad thing!
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