Indian Cricket - the road ahead ...

India's poor performance in WC 2007 has filled 100 billion people with dissappointment, pity!, anger and what not. Team India is passing through a horrible time that no one would even dream of. All coz of the tendency of just screwing it up when it matters. Had they shown some sort of mental fitness, the scenario would have been 180 degree different. But alas, it lies all messed up.

Just with this funny performance, several things come to my mind like :

• India is the second-most populated country in the world. The country where cricket is followed more than religiously. The pujas and the maha-yagnas conducted all over the place for cricket.
• Financial and social benefits that the players enjoy in this cricket-mad country. On every second nukkad the children are seen playing the game.
• The players that were selected for the mission world cup. Their attitude being reflected in the game. Also hinting about the training pattern for world cup.
• The heros in Sachins, Sehwags, Gangulys and Dravids having more than 40,000 runs under their belt. Two world-class spinners in Kumble and Bhajji.
• The rich and wealthy BCCI.
• The importance of the game for being heard in the parliament sometimes.
• The mixed 'luck and results' that India had in the past. The shameful loses to the glorious victories.
• The opportunity ahead, the things that could put things in place.
• The need for a more effective selection process, encouraging the game at grass root level.
• The performance based payments that could keep players on their toes. (Of course they make most of their wealth through ads, but the players, specially seniors will feel really bad if they are in the lower bottom half)
• The rotation policy for the having the best team for the best event. No point in playing the best 11 in Ind-Ban series and winning it 3-0 or 5-0 or whatever. Having a world cup to world cup agenda, almost like the 5-year plan (or rather unlike the '5 year plan')
  
• I just sometimes sit and wonder about the time when Indian cricket board will feel and groom the passion the budding kids show, for the kids play mini-cricket at their homes when its raining outside!

cheers!