NEW DELHI, FEB 8: The withdrawal of three top stars - Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly and Javagal Srinath - from the One-day Challenger Trophy beginning at Ahmedabad from February 10, once again raises questions which, as usual, don't augur well for the game in the country.Tendulkar has a `back' problem which he needs to take care of, Ganguly has a knee injury and Srinath needs to work on his shoulders. These to some may appear excuses and to some genuine reasons to skip a few matches before the Indians take on the South Africans later this month.The Board, would react here strongly and like to earn public sympathy by blaming the players for lack of commitment. But they should realise that these players are human and would like to rest before they embark on another gruelling schedule. And if, in the process, Indian cricket suffers, who should be held responsible?One also fails to understand why have a one-day tournament and tout it as trials for selection against South Africa when India are firstscheduled to play two Tests against them. The one-dayers will be played later.Kapil Dev, now the coach of the Indian team, had suggested last year that tournaments like the Challenger Trophy, should be given top priority by the Board and should be scheduled at a time when all the top players are not only available but also fresh and ready for the battles ahead. But the Board crams the tournaments in such a manner that such `withdrawals' shouldn't surprise any. And if, despite its live telecast, the sponsors don't come forward with bucketful of money in the absence of top stars, the Board shouldn't crib. As it is, their coffers are already overflowing with money.These withdrawals have also led to the interesting situation where the selectors have elevated Mohammed Azharuddin to lead the India A side in place of Ganguly. This appointment, by inference, would mean that Azharuddin is the selectors' choice for a recall to the Indian side.
