Why are Indian cricketers not allowed to play in other T20 leagues? Should they be?
First of all let me tell you, the title is a tad bit misleading here. I am not providing the reasons why Indian cricketers are not allowed to play in other T20 leagues. I am trying to speculate why they are not and visualise the possibilities and/or outcomes if they are. Not only T20, but the participation of Indians in longer games has also reduced. “Is it Good? Is it Bad? Why?” By the way, this piece comes on public demand so, excuse me if it seems a bit premature. *laughs*
Let me throw some stats in this paragraph. Only 33 out of 331 capped Indians have played the County Championship so far; the last one in 2013, which comes to only 10%. Needless to say, none have played in the Pro40 cup or NatWest T20 Challenge. Let’s not limit it just to English cricket. If you look at Australia’s Domestic Cricket or South Africa’s Domestic Cricket, you will see that no Indians have ever featured in it.
Everybody knows that players from all nations pro-actively participate in the IPL. Names like Brendon McCullum, Lasith Malinga, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Shane Watson have become household names in India. However, the BCCI is yet to send any of its players to other leagues. In fact, BCCI pays money as compensation to other national boards so that they release their players for IPL and hand them NOCs(No Objection Certificates). This can simply be termed as a move made by the BCCI to ensure that its own interests are protected, when it comes to IPL. And why not! After all, it’s a money-making venture for the BCCI. Anyhow, the reason of India’s dismal performances in T20 when touring can come down to this. If you discount the World T20 2007 and the recent T20s in Australia, India have never been good tourists.
The requirement of India’s National Cricket team is 15 plus 2-3 here and there. There are around 300 cricketers active in India looking for some big action. So, the question here is simple – “Should they be given the liberty and opportunity to expand their horizons, gain some experience by playing in leagues like Big Bash, BPL, SLPL, CPL, etc.?” The answer, as its question, is very simple – “Yes” In the process, Indian cricket will gain cricketers who won’t be first-time tourists if and when they play for India overseas.
Similar is the case with players not being utilised at all in the IPL. But, that is for another article. The BCCI has remained stubborn in plenty of its cases but, I think they are missing a trick here. BCCI is like that lone stubborn child who tries to get everything it wants, be it impractical. Dominance is one thing, being rational is another.
In the last 4-5 years, India’s performance in Tests in England and Australia have been disappointing, to say the least. There is a hidden, not so hidden, reason behind it. Majority of the cricketers to have featured in the Indian team were first time tourists. They obviously lacked the experience to play in such conditions. One important thing to know is that the Indian team which reached the number 1 rankings in Test had players who had plenty of county experience. The Big 4, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Sreesanth, Sehwag and Gambhir had all played county cricket. Mother of Co-Incidences, right? Well, it’s not. That is the process and one of the reasons for success.
It all comes down to Twenty-Twenty cricket – The Silent Killer. It is a boon and a curse. But, more than that, it is the Frankenstein Monster. It is like junk food, you want to hate it but, you just love it. Not the end you expected, right? Well, I did warn you that the title is misleading. Have a laugh!
