From the iSport Cricket Paddock: iSporter Akshay Iyer pens his thoughts on the on-going controversy of India's participation in Cricket at the Asian Games 2010. Read on to know his views.
If the drama involving Lalit Modi wasn’t enough, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s decision not to send a men’s or women’s team for the 2010 Asian Games has forced it to enter, what I personally feel, is an avoidable controversy.
The 2010 Asian Games are going to be held in Guangzhou, China from November 12th to 27th, and this is the first time that cricket would be a part of a multi-sport event since the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. The BCCI has cited international commitments as the reason for its inability to send the Indian men’s and women’s Twenty20 teams to Guangzhou. The Indian men’s team will be hosting New Zealand for a series that will have three Test matches and five One Day Internationals in November.
This is cricket’s first tryst with the Asian Games, and the continent’s four Test playing nations – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – along with hosts China have been granted automatic entry in both the men's and women’s events. In fact, India and Pakistan were said to be the drivers behind the move to include cricket in the 2010 Asian Games, according to Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Sabah in a statement last May.
To complicate matters further, there is also a question mark over the ability of the Pakistani and Sri Lankan boards to send their best teams for the Asian Games. While Pakistan is playing a series against South Africa in UAE from October 25 to November 25, Sri Lanka will be hosting West Indies in the same period. Should Pakistan and Sri Lanka fail to send their best teams, it would be a body blow to the future of cricket in multi-sport events, at least in the Asian continent.
As for India, if the BCCI could send a second-string side for the ongoing tri-series in Zimbabwe, there is no reason for it not to field a team shorn of stars like Gautam Gambhir, MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh or Zaheer Khan against the Black Caps at home. I am sure these cricketers would love to stand on the medal podium and hear the national anthem being played – after all, this is the dream of every sportsperson. Some of India’s leading players can be joined in Guangzhou by the likes of Ambati Rayudu, Saurabh Tiwary, Naman Ojha, Irfan Pathan etc.
The commitment had been made by India and Pakistan to send their strongest teams, and it is now up to the cricket boards of these two countries to put up their hands and string together competitive squads for their respective countries in the lead up to the Asian Games. The Asian Cricket Council has worked hard to get cricket included in the Asian Games programme, and it would be unfortunate if the cricketing powerhouses of the region don’t support it's initiatives.
And, while there may not be a lot of revenue generated for the Indian board by sending the men’s and women’s cricket teams to Guangzhou, the opportunity of winning a gold medal or two for the country will hopefully be incentive enough for BCCI president Shashank Manohar and his team to ensure India’s representation in the cricket events at the 2010 Asian Games.
The 2010 Asian Games are going to be held in Guangzhou, China from November 12th to 27th, and this is the first time that cricket would be a part of a multi-sport event since the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. The BCCI has cited international commitments as the reason for its inability to send the Indian men’s and women’s Twenty20 teams to Guangzhou. The Indian men’s team will be hosting New Zealand for a series that will have three Test matches and five One Day Internationals in November.
This is cricket’s first tryst with the Asian Games, and the continent’s four Test playing nations – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – along with hosts China have been granted automatic entry in both the men's and women’s events. In fact, India and Pakistan were said to be the drivers behind the move to include cricket in the 2010 Asian Games, according to Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Sabah in a statement last May.
To complicate matters further, there is also a question mark over the ability of the Pakistani and Sri Lankan boards to send their best teams for the Asian Games. While Pakistan is playing a series against South Africa in UAE from October 25 to November 25, Sri Lanka will be hosting West Indies in the same period. Should Pakistan and Sri Lanka fail to send their best teams, it would be a body blow to the future of cricket in multi-sport events, at least in the Asian continent.
The commitment had been made by India and Pakistan to send their strongest teams, and it is now up to the cricket boards of these two countries to put up their hands and string together competitive squads for their respective countries in the lead up to the Asian Games. The Asian Cricket Council has worked hard to get cricket included in the Asian Games programme, and it would be unfortunate if the cricketing powerhouses of the region don’t support it's initiatives.
And, while there may not be a lot of revenue generated for the Indian board by sending the men’s and women’s cricket teams to Guangzhou, the opportunity of winning a gold medal or two for the country will hopefully be incentive enough for BCCI president Shashank Manohar and his team to ensure India’s representation in the cricket events at the 2010 Asian Games.
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Aditya Vaidyanathan
said:
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... Akshay, I feel equally bad that we wont be a part of the Inaugural Cricket event at the Asian Games this time. BCCI too would have thought about the same. BCCI, we need to realise is not an enemy to Cricket or National pride. They wouldnt have purposely done this without a reason, a solid one. They knew this would invite public ire. But even sending a second string squad (An 'A' team or a 'B' team) would be complying to WADA. That would mean disclosing the whereabouts of our cricketers months in advance which might be a security threat to them. |
Uttaresh Iyer
said:
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... Well said Akshay, Agree with your views. But disagree with you on one point which aditya has mentioned above. Although the promotion of the game in such events is equally necessary, international commitment is something that can never be ignored. Remember that the New Zealand team is very strong as such. Choking at crucial games is seen in them. For facing them, a second string side like the current one to Zimbabwe will not suffice at all. |
Akshay Iyer
said:
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... @Aditya and Uttaresh: Thanks for your comments. While I agree that the BCCI is not an enemy of national pride, I don't totally buy into the fact that fielding a slightly weakened team against New Zealand is going to cost India dear. And, if a choice is to be made between winning the NZ series and a couple of golds in the Asian Games, I would go with the latter. The BCCI, PCB and the Sri Lankan Cricket Board also need to realise while their international commitments are important, there is no greater joy than winning a medal for your country. Also, if cricket is to promoted in other Asian countries, it is imperative that India, pakistan and Sri Lanka all field competitive teams in the Asian Games. At least, India should! |
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