Why India needs more home internationals and a 'Diwali Test'

After Boxing Day Tests, a ‘Diwali Test’ maybe?

The abrupt termination of the West Indies tour to India has led to the anticipated consequences with WICB scrambling for fire-fighting measures and BCCI seeking maximal claim of monetary loss.

The future of the players in international cricket remains hazily unclear, some wondering to the extent of their participation in the World Cup early next year. Few sane voices are suggesting all concerned parties to restore talks with a calm mindset and resolve the issue sans victimization. No follower of the game would like West Indian players to be isolated in the overall frame, but things would have been much better had the events unfolded in a different manner.

A lesser significant aspect of this troubled series is that of impromptu scheduling modifications and an inflexible approach to a foreseen weather affected match. Spontaneous changes in tournament schedules is not uncommon in the Indian cricket set-up; the recent example being that of the IPL semifinal and final venue alterations midway through the league.

Though such moments have their respective background stories and are minor enough to be neglected, it subtly emphasizes the need for greater professionalism and unflawed planning. The thought to shed light on this facet is not merely with the perspective of the present moment but to emphasize the greater paucity of mapping the popularity of Indian cricket with consistent quality cricket.

Despite unprompted following for the game in India, the administrators have been inclusive in recent years with respect to spectator interests’ viz. newer stadiums are audience friendly, most match-day berth bookings are available online, test matches are held over weekends and almost all the ODIs are day-nighters. What seems to be lacking is the appreciable enthusiasm in organizing bilateral home international series’ with a periodic frequency, which could inculcate a tradition in the process.

The focus on selling cricket in India has quietly narrowed down to IPL (and CLT20 to some extent), leaving international cricket on its own perpetual progress. It is not difficult to understand why that is the current trend but purists and ardent lovers of the sport would love to have an assured phase of home (international) season every year.

Sample this - since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (2012-13) [which ended in March 2013], India has hosted only 2 Tests (the ones vividly remembered for Tendulkar’s final Tests) and seemingly won’t host one until October 2015! In this period 3 limited overs series (1 vs Australia, 2 vs West Indies) and only 1 T20I have been organised at home. You could argue about the lack of space/time given 3 away tours in this phase and the unexpected curtailing of the West Indies series, but cannot justify the lack of intrinsic intent in allocating time for home internationals.

Things at helm in the ICC have undergone a paradigm shift this year and the new FTP has guaranteed longish bilateral tours with England and Australia. Curtailed tours against South Africa (home and away) too have been included. There is a perceivable change in the way BCCI is addressing this aspect and hopefully the scheduling cycle post the 2015 World Cup has better prospects for the fans.

Reports of administrators mulling over a Boxing-day like feature Test match have been floating, but strangely nothing seems to have yielded materialistically. India’s cricket season commences in October and goes on till March. The festival of lights comes generally between mid-October & mid-November and weather too changes its tracks during this phase. A majority of the working population is laid-off during the Diwali week and school/college going students have an academic break. A constructive confluence of all these factors could be worked out to fill the apparent void for a marquee cricket day/week in the scheme of things.

Numerable examples in recent history suggest that if context and quality resonate, the particular match and its memories linger in the mind longer, irrespective of the format. While it’s not clearly apparent, on-ground Test cricket following is decaying gradually across venues. Such a pattern can subsequently lead to decline of this format as most events in today’s era are driven by commercial success. Preserving this format, even if for the sake of it is paramount for the sport to exist and hence even baby steps in this direction can directly strengthen the overall framework of the game.

A Test series revolving around something like a ‘Diwali-Test’ can be the potential solution to both the objectives. Here’s wishing that a better calendar for home internationals inclusive of a marquee phase sees light at the end of the tunnel!