Tendulkar's 200th Test: BCCI masterclass on how to run cricket

Dear BCCI, Your decision to invite the West Indies for a two-Test series in November, thereby allowing a certain Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar to play his 200th Test at home, will doubtless come in for criticism. The most obvious is the shameless opportunism to capitalise on Tendulkar’s career milestone. As a board official, anonymously of course, has pointed out – with no full home series scheduled for the rest of the year, you stand to lose a lot of money. Never mind that this schedule was agreed upon by all the cricket boards years ago and you did not object then. You have realised the error and acted to fix it. That is the most important thing. [caption id=“attachment_1078117” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Sachin Tendulkar might get a chance to play his 200th Test in India. Getty Images[/caption] By going outside the agreed upon Future Tours Programme to invite a team whose board isn’t in the best position financially, you have also killed two birds with one stone. You can make a bundle marketing Tendulkar’s career landmark, and help ease a fellow cricket board’s financial concerns. That’s the sort of clear focus on the bottom line one expects from a bank or investment company, not from a non-profit organisation that believes it should not pay any tax because its primary objective is to promote the sport of cricket. Such vision should be applauded at a time when India as a country is struggling economically. Besides, what’s the point of having financial muscle if you don’t use it? We all know muscles deteriorate if they aren’t exercised enough. So if you want to show Cricket South Africa that they should not have hired a chief executive you don’t approve of by shortening India’s tour, go right ahead. They should have known better than to think independently when India provides 70 to 80 percent of global cricket’s revenues. The other advantage of having Tendulkar play his 200th Test at home against a weak team, instead of during a highly anticipated and potentially exciting series against the top ranked Test side, is that it gives him the best chance of making a hundred in his 200th Test. Now that would be some story, and you should be congratulated for seeing the flaws in the FTP and setting up a potentially uncompetitive series for what looks like the sake of one man. Now the last time Tendulkar went to South Africa in 2010-11, he produced a masterclass in how to play fast bowling. Dale Steyn was thundering in but Tendulkar crafted a century of high courage, determination and technique that will stay in the memory of all those who were lucky enough to watch it. But playing high quality fast bowling away from home is always a risk. Tendulkar has struggled in recent times too and hasn’t made a Test ton since that 146. So don’t listen to those who will say that this move is disrespectful to Tendulkar, the West Indies, South Africa and the sport of cricket. Yes, Tendulkar has always said that cricket is bigger than he is. He probably feels embarassed by the decisions you took took at your Working Committee yesterday. Great players always wants to test themselves against the best. But he also isn’t bigger than the BCCI. These decisions are clearly in the best interests of the board, which naturally means they are in the best interests of Indian cricket. After all, it is you who control Indian cricket, if not all cricket. And speaking of Indian cricket, things on the field are pretty good at the moment. Off the field, perhaps there are one or two things to look at – three cricketers being arrested for spot-fixing in the IPL and the board in court over the shabbiness of its investigation into the whole affair. But these are the minor issues, right? Sreesanth has always had a question mark over his temperament and who cares about Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan. They are small fry who took a risk and got caught. That just shows the system is working. Everyone’s attention should be on the field. India won the Champions Trophy, a tri-series in the West Indies and whitewashed Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe. Shikhar Dhawan has thrilled crowds the world over with his shot-making and his movie-star moustache. Ravindra Jadeja has become a star and Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli have emerged as genuine batting heirs to the Big Four. Why then risk the good times against South Africa? India has never won a series against them. Far better to give the team more confidence against West Indies, shorten the series against SA to two Tests, as you are reportedly proposing, and limit the potential damage while still bathing in the glow of Tendulkar’s achievement. The tour of New Zealand that follows will then likely return India to winning ways should South Africa not go well. Indian fans have short memories, as you well know, and all this will blow over once the team is winning. And what cricket needs isn’t a good contest, as it commonly thought. What cricket needs is a successful Indian team because that is what puts bums in seats. So it doesn’t matter that one fan wrote the following on our website: We want Sachin to play against SA in SA in his 200th match and score a century. This will be his legacy. Not playing at home against a third grade West Indian side. That just proves this fan doesn’t know what is good for him. Thankfully, we have you to stay true to the course. My only regret is that this did not strike you sooner. That way you could have ensured Tendulkar made his 100th hundred in India and not against Bangladesh in a meaningless tournament like the Asia Cup. On the plus side, the Kohlis and Pujaras now know their futures are in good hands. Thanking you, Sincerely, A cricket fan.