Dreadful Slump for Team India, Courtesy: Ridiculous Itinerary Framed by the BCCI

SHUVAIT KOUL

Well before Team India landed on the English soil, England Skipper Andrew Strauss and his men had started playing mind games claiming that England will not be the venue where the great Sachin Tendulkar will hit his much anticipated hundredth international ton. But who would have thought that the hosts would not muzzle the Little Master in terms of runs but rip-apart the rest of the so- called coveted Indian bating line-up as well.

To say the least, India has been taken to the cleaners by England in every department of the game. Losing three tests in a row has not only dethroned the World Champions from the top spot in ICC Test rankings but also raised serious speculations on the ‘will’ and ‘spirit’ of this rather fatigued looking Indian outfit.

Many cricket experts assert that the fundamental reason for India’s brazen nemesis in England is the formidable make-up of this English team which has played like a true champion in the series so far. However, there is undeniably more to it than what meets the eye.

Comparing Team India’s 2011 itinerary with that of England’s gives an idea of what is the strongest yet latent reason for the former’s annihilation. Shortly after the World Cup got over, while the English players were cooling their heels back home; probably doing their home work for their forthcoming series against Sri Lanka and India, the most high profile members of Team India were busy performing their duties for their respective IPL franchisees. 

The result- a broken and battered Zaheer Khan, the mainstay of Indian fast bowling and an out-shouldered Virender Sehwag- India’s trump card in any part of the world.  Not just this, the exhaustion could also be clearly seen in the body language of both the senior pros and the young brigade.

In such a scenario, one cannot but attribute this dismal performance of the Indian team in over a decade to the ridiculous scheduling they have been subjected to by the BCCI.

The story doesn’t end here but consolidates the point even further when if one goes through India’s itinerary for the remainder of the year. India plays England and WI in two home series from October to November prior to the Australian tour in December (which stretches to March 2012 including the tri-series involving Sri Lanka). 

With such tight scheduling, the board is trying to portray the Indian cricketers as Gladiators and effectively reducing their cricketing life-span much of which has already been established in the England tour.

In all seriousness, it is high time that the BCCI and the players themselves take cognizance of this absurdity or else it will very soon spell doom for Indian cricket, the signs of which are pretty evident in the England tour.

First Cup and now Moolah; Brand Equity Reaches Apex

by SHUVAIT KOUL

In a country where cricketers are considered to be demi-gods, the stellar triumph of becoming the World Champions doesn’t come alone but generates a sky-rocketing effect on the brand equity of players.

This is precisely what is set to happen with Dhoni’s victorious brigade in the aftermath of the WC conquest.

With big brands and companies signing-up the champions, one cannot agree more on the fact that this mammoth accomplishment has already made the men in blue the undisputed torchbearers of brand endorsements in India.

While Dhoni, Sachin and Yuvraj have turned out to be the major beneficiaries with their values attaining prodigious levels, the likes of Gambhir, Bhajji, Zaheer, Kohli and Raina are not far behind.

From the business perspective this victory is far more different than that of 1983 when the concept of brand endorsements was still to sink in completely. However, the ever-growing celebrity status of cricketers in the past decade and a half has made the corporate world invariably zero down on them when it comes to endorsements and publicity.

In the run-up to the World Cup, with Team India being the firm favorites to lift the cup, various corporate pundits had already foreseen the steep rise in the brand worth of players.

The stakes for Dhoni’s men were high before the World Cup had started and now the claims are remarkably higher. This gives a clear cut picture of the direct proportionality between the business sector and cricket in India.

More Than a Billion Hearts Conquered

by SHUVAIT KOUL


It gives me goose bumps writing this piece. What an incredible feeling it is to be called the World Champions. A day like this comes once in a blue moon.

But finally Dhoni and his brigade did what the nation had been yearning for since 1983. The whole of India will be dancing in the aisles tonight and the celebrations will continue for many more days to come.

It was the perfect script for a final that one could have aspired for. Right since the 1996 WC, all the finals had been one-sided affairs and to see this year’s WC culminating in the manner that it did was more than gratifying.

There were lots of great performances on the day but nothing more spectacular than the Indian skipper MSD peaking when it mattered the most. He had been facing some criticism for not batting to his potential in the tournament. But his marvelous knock of 91 came to the rescue of Team India- the best answer to silence his critics.

Not to forget Gambhir, he too hadn’t clicked in the tournament and had perhaps saved his best for the last. His knock of 97 provided the perfect launch pad for Dhoni to play his natural game.

Spare a thought for the Little Master! For someone who waited for this moment for two decades, the sentiment is all the more extraordinary. This was the only feather left to be added to his cap.

Though he missed out on attaining the mammoth feat of scoring the 100th international hundred but he has always been a team man and will be cherishing this victory second to none.

Finally, for the Lankans there is nothing to be ashamed of. They have been great ambassadors of the game and fought till the end to stay in the game. One of the best one day international Hundreds by Mahela Jayawardena and a farewell to the illustrious career of the spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan was a treat to the eyes.

Meanwhile, it is history for India and they will be basking in the glory of this immaculate victory for years to come and quite deservedly so.