15th February 2010
By Vikram Afzulpurkar
Well, the backdrop is of two of the most exciting finals of domestic Indian tournaments within barely days of each other. It's going to make our blood run thick about national cricket tournaments. Mumbai edged out Karnataka by six runs in the Ranji finals, during which Manish Pandey's brilliance brought the latter ever so close to winning. There was more in store only days later - The Duleep Trophy final.
Classic Duleep final
The Duleep final, though not seeming as close, was a monumental effort from both sides, but especially for West Zone's Yusuf Pathan who seemed to have achieved the impossible. Even in these days of wider imagination and scores of 433 being chased in 50 overs. Yusuf powered West's world record first class chase of 513 when punters probably weren't even willing to offer odds. His double hundred second innings effort sealed it, but wait, there was more earlier. He'd scored a hundred in the first innings!
Dinesh Karthick led from the front for South with hundreds in both innings, not to mention stewarding his side to give them the early advantage. Herculean efforts and great entertainment. The games before the final though did not seem to have the same hunger for the players; somehow, state pride comes above so called zone pride if there is such a thing.
Scrap or not?
I opine that the Duleep Trophy be scrapped however. No doubt, the odd match will be a good show. But the clarion call from wise players, Dravid recently, is strong, that the calendar is crunched and therefore some tournament needs to be shelved.
Dravid's case is strong because he's telling us specifically that domestic cricket itself is suffering because captains play defensively by holding back their key bowlers so as to not tire them for the matches to come. An easier calendar will allow them rest and recovery. This is the best example of end-user feedback which must be heeded, or else the cricket establishment will let it pass.
So, we're staring at an irony here - scrap a domestic tournament, which recently provided a grand fest, while serving a good cause to domestic tournaments in general. Not to mention that these kids playing the domestic tourneys will lift their game and graduate to playing for the country.
A Step Back in Time
A historical perspective can delve into two periods - perhaps the late 1930s and then the mid 1990s. At both these points, there were scarcely enough cricket, relative to the eras, being played to groom youngsters in India. To the Ranji Trophy, which Mahatma Gandhi approved as opposed to the Pentangular which was run on regional lines, was therefore added another tournament. It sought to combine the best of each cricket zone in the country, apparently providing cricket for the selectors to view. And what better name to give it than the Duleep Trophy after an illustrious son of Indian origin, Duleepsinghji.
The Birth and Intent of Modern Domestic Tournaments
The mid '90s represents another period, when the Indian Board decided to add tournaments like the Challenger Trophy, and in any case many other tournaments including the Irani Trophy had already been born. A good solution at the time. However, we all know the cash rich nature of today's cricket and consumerism. Many more tournaments were added in the fifteen years since the Challenger. Some of them are corporate driven and cannot be axed because India Inc fuels cricket growth today and to a good cause.
If this action of scrapping relatively dead tournaments is to see light, some more can come under the axe:
The Irani: Is nothing but a chauvinistic show of Mumbai's might, characteristic of their winning the Ranji Trophy for something like 15 successive years, starting from the late '50s. There is no sting in that theory now because as Mumbai themselves will admit, there are many more sides hard to beat in this professional era.
The Challenger (NKP Salve) Trophy: In today's Academy-led grooming and selection process, this tournament's viewer response too is poor. Sure, the selectors watch these but more out of habit.
We need to take some fast action. For posterity's sake, Duleepsingh's name can be lent to another tournament which better catches the public eye in this era, even if it's a 20-20.
