The Board of Control for Cricket in India's decision to implement the Players' Contract system has been further delayed and only the players and Board know the reasons behind it. But, as usual, some people in the cricketing fraternity are trying to give a twist to the whole issue by saying that bickering among the players is the reason behind the delay.
But, then, any further injunction against the Players' Contract system will definitely mislead the cricket-loving public. They, too, may start believing that there are differences among the players. It will not only be insidious and destructive for Indian cricket, but will also give rise to speculation and encourage those opinionated voices.
As of now, the relationship between the cricket Board and the players in India is solely regulated by the selectors. It's not always the same in other cricket-playing countries where cricketers have the option to draw lines either through the players' associations or the state and the country they have professional contracts with.
Although, the entire exercise to bring in the Players' Contract system was no doubt initiated by some of the senior members, it's now the Board's responsibility to integrate the matters seamlessly into the current system. Some uncertainties may crop up in the initial stages, but things will gradually normalise in due course of time.
While the preferred course is to reason with the junior players, it sometimes becomes necessary for the Board to tell the new players that they cannot be equal on every term. At the same time, while the concept that a few senior players are above everything may not be completely true, one cannot easily ignore the hard work and the sustained performance given by the seniors for a long time.
To quantify and compare the efforts put in by Sachin Tendulkar or Anil Kumble over the last 15 years with someone who has played just two years on equal terms defies all logic. If need be, the policy makers should use minimum force to lay down the rules if required. After all, the juniors not only look up to the seniors but they also do respect the experience and attitude of the seniors. The same juniors will grow in stature and become seniors in due course of time.
The tournament opener was yet another warm-up tie for the Indians. In the first few games, the players always appear little rusty and there is nothing unnatural in it. That is all the more reason why practice games become so important.
India's mighty batting line-up once again proved too much for UAE. Rahul Dravid started from where exactly he had left in Pakistan.
It appears that the break in between has had no affect whatsoever on Rahul and he should be pleased to be amongst the runs.
Skipper Ganguly made a cautious start to get to spend some time in the middle.
It was apparent to see the tiresome efforts of Rahul behind the stumps just after he got his hundred. This team is flirting dangerously in making Rahul keep wickets. It will very soon pay a heavy price for this. I am afraid that such a practice will either see sloppy work by Rahul behind the stumps at the crucial stage of an important match or will stress him to the limit to see a drop in his batting performance.
I wonder whether it is really worth taking the risk of making Rahul perform both the duties. Lots of cricket is in the pipeline and by any stretch of imagination it's unfair for the team management to ask him to keep wickets throughout.
The new jewels of Indian fast bowling, Irfan Pathan and Laxmipathi Balaji bowled with vigour and maturity. It's always good to watch the batsmen getting pushed on the backfoot. Zaheer, still struggling for rhythm, appeared desperate enough to hit the right line and length. It's definitely a sign of improvement.