The Indian Premier League’s first summer has been a season of revelations. In flattening the playing field for performance to trump over reputation, it has showed how ill-served India domestic cricketers have been. Consider the Indian members of the Jaipur and Chennai teams who met for Sunday night’s final clash. Except for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, none can be absolutely sure of his place in an India XI. Yet they swung matches for their sides, against rival teams that included the best and fiercest of international cricketers. This is Twenty20 cricket, of course, but Goan opener Swapnil Asnodkar and Punjab bowler Manpreet Singh Gony leave no doubt that they have what it takes to excel in the longer version of the game. India, who just a year ago had a shock exit from the World Cup at the league stage, have just been shown to possess a bench strength no one could have suspected before last month.It should not have taken the IPL to reveal this. And the next step in nurturing this talent after the conclusion of Lalit Modi’s extravaganza need not necessarily be the squeezing in of a bi-annual Twenty20 competition. The capacity of Yusuf Pathan and Shikhar Dhawan, to name just two of IPL’s biggest stars, to hold their own against the best must focus the BCCI on making the domestic circuit more competitive and marketable. Those who play for the country must be made more involved with domestic cricket. The economics and celebrity culture of cricket today make it far too easy for leading cricketers to keep to their international orbit. Moreover, the IPL is proof that there is a huge viewership available for matches outside the international format. It is to the BCCI’s discredit that domestic championships receive so little attention.Selectors too had better take note. The IPL has exposed lazy selection and deference to established reputations. It will be a brave selector now who will keep Yusuf Pathan out of the Indian one-day team.
