THE BOARD of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has come a long way since 1983 when they did not have enough funds to arrange for a reception for the victorious Indian cricket team, headed by Kapil Dev, on lifting the Cricket World Cup. Today, the Board is rolling in money and all its efforts are directed towards achieving the single-point programme of how to add to its coffers. It has been a steady rise and the ground realities today are that it controls the cricket world. For the record, there is an International Cricket Council (ICC), but the clout of BCCI is strong and it has insisted on having its way on a number of occasions. However, when it came to team selection, there were some dark areas. India is probably the only country in the world where a player can go on playing till he is too tired to lift the bat. In the bargain, he keeps piling up runs or adding to his tally of wickets. Records keep coming and admen line up to get their endorsements on products. The cricketers find it difficult to come out of the tangle and watch their fortunes swelling. Once this becomes the routine, they expect to be automatic choices for teams for all times. That has now been broken.

The latest selection of players for the Test series in Sri Lanka followed by the champions trophy in Pakistan is an indication that the Board wants to turn over a new leaf and is at last waking up to more practical options instead of relying on sentimental values of past performance. Players in the test team have proven track record in patience, perseverance and stamina. These are necessary when planning for five day games. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman are fine in the longer version of the game, but it has to be admitted they are unable to come up to the expectations of instant cricket, as it stands today.

Examples are taken of players like Sanath Jayasurya but they are, after all, the exceptions. While not taking away any credit away from him, it has to be agreed that in the final of the Asia Cup 2008, he thrived on the chance given by R P Singh – he plundered runs after that at will, beginning with the 26 runs (3x6 plus 2x4) in one over of R P Singh. Therefore, selecting a bunch of seniors for the Sri Lanka series and not including Ganguly and Dravid in the team for the champions trophy is a fair selection on which no one should grumble.

Tendulkar has been dropped by Pepsi and the master blaster is having the whale of a time promoting insurance packages – that looks to be a sad end to high profile endorsements. Indian cricket has awoken to a new dawn. The time has now come for BCCI to prepare two separate teams for the two different types of the game.