Thursday, December 1, 2011

Opinions On...Samit Patel



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Totally, absolutely, vehemently profusely, and uncontrollablly inspired by Samit Patel, today I read the following statement to my wife. I had thought of calling a "press conference" but better sense prevailed.

"My biggest ambition is to be a good husband and a good father" I said. "I need to spend high volumes of time in our marriage to push my case for an occasional night out with friends. If I was selected for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus then I would miss several dinners and lunches at home and that won't help me at a time when I need to do everything I can to impress you"

"I have listened to the advice from people that I trust and it is clear that this decision is the right one to have made for domestic reasons. The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus is an exciting enterprise and I would like to be involved in it in the future, but not to the detriment of my marital ambitions"

Sadly my wife was unimpressed. Her only response was..."Today is Wednesday, Is the garbage out?"

Why does Samit Patel think Engand's selectors would react any differently than my wife?

Seriously, cricketers do not announce so many of the things they do not do, so as to improve their chances of a Test Match cap. So why the fuck, do they need to announce that they have no desire to play in the IPL? 

No one says that "I don't want to participate in this year's fancy dress comptetition organized by 'The women's sewing  circle of Ulhasnagar for Christmas' because I will be playing the boxing day Test match."  So why do they think anyone would care what their plans are with the IPL?

Why do people like Michael Clarke, Ravi Bopara and now Samit Patel make such a big deal about something as flimsy as the IPL.

But joking aside, and in all seriousness, it is indeed very sad that we are making it so hard for young cricketers to do the right thing. For all its glitz, glamor and money, IPL's long term value, sustainability and its role in creating Test cricketers of the future is debateable. Questionable even. And even if it thrives, in its wake will lie a dormant, lifeless Test cricket setup.

Pakistan Cricket is blessed that their cricketers are not invited to the IPL.

We need more people like Michael Clarke and Samit Patel. And though it may sound ridiculous, Samit Patel should be shortlisted for England's subcontinental Test matches purely to set an example to others. For he has done something that is even beyond Sachin Tendulkar. Faced with a similar situation Sachin chose the IPL over a tour to the West Indies. With age (mine, not his) his decisions seem unacceptable to me.

In small controlled portions, the IPL is a blast. It will even bring in new fans to the game. However, to expect a bunch of politicians, businessmen and filmstars to contain and limit the bad influences of IPL on Test cricket and cricketers is to expect a toddler to chose right from wrong. For all its apparent short term benefits, the IPL is not "proper cricket" and in some aspects its just not cricket.

Samit Patel has endorsed proper cricket for that we wish him the very best.

2 comments:

Vivek said...

Trust the Indians to criticize any and everything Indian!

I agree IPL has some negatives and some cricketers do lose their way(like Gayle), but it has many more positives. Cricket players who used to wait for selection in the national team where most good players stay in for at least 10 years on average, just got their due and a good option to make money. Also, I think it as a platform to get noticed and experience from playing along side international players which they would not have otherwise while playing in Ranji matches. We got some promising players like Ashwin/Ojha/Y Pathan/Jadeja and many more from this same IPL you crib about. If anything, we will get bit more ready players than those coming from Ranji matches, and for test matches, we will get better quality players(who are ambitious enough for playing beyond IPL and succeeding at the international level). IPL will serve as a filter for those who are easily satisfied with IPL money/success vs. those who are not, and the latter ones will be absolutely ready, the day they make their debut. It is a win-win everywhere.

There will be some players who lose their focus and get stuck with IPL, but then that is their decision. If they are not focused enough on the game then they would wither away anyway, IPL or no IPL.

The notion of test cricket dying due to ODIs or IPLs or T20s is a misplaced one. I am hearing that since about 10-15 years now, yet I don't see any decrease in the number of test matches. It has survived everything and has been around for more than 100 years. Yes, it will change with times as run-rates/pitches/players/results change, but it is not going anywhere until the players/fans both are not interested, which I don't see happening in the foreseeable future.

Golandaaz said...

I agree with you 100%. I have already said what you said, in different words

In small controlled portions, the IPL is a blast. It will even bring in new fans to the game. However, to expect a bunch of politicians, businessmen and filmstars to contain and limit the bad influences of IPL on Test cricket and cricketers is to expect a toddler to chose right from wrong. For all its apparent short term benefits, the IPL is not "proper cricket" and in some aspects its just not cricket.