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Change Your Life! |
Srinath A Victim Of Cricket Overdose |
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April 7, 2000
Javagal Srinath honed his cricketing skills at the Dennis Lillee school of fast bowling in Chennai- the MRF Pace Foundation- where physical fitness is an integral part of the curriculum. Hence it is surprising he allowed himself to be reduced to the present state, forced to opt out of one-day cricket with an eye on extending his Test career.
In an era where a 38-year-old Courtney Walsh is still going strong after becoming the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket and is still a force in the limited-over version, a 30-year-old Indian's burnout worry due to the strain of one-day cricket seems a little out of place.
But then Srinath is no fitness fanatic like the West Indian, nor as determined as mentor Lillee who stretched the limits of his body to become one of the all-time bowling greats. The Indian is a rhythm bowler who can bowl with genuine hostility in spells, but has not shown the drive or the brains to do justice to his reputation as the main prong of his country's attack.
In fact, Srinath's decision to withdraw from India's one-day squad, as conveyed by national coach Kapil Dev at Sharjah, is the first sign that this Lillee protege is thinking about his game and his future. More importantly, he has discovered the courage to take a strong stand against the policies of Board of Control for Cricket in India, perhaps emboldened by the knowledge that he nothing to lose but his cricket career if he falls in line with the establishment and bowls himself to a standstill.
The Indian pace ace is not the first victim of a cricket overdose thrust on the players by the Board, hell-bent on swelling its coffers from the game through television rights and tour fees, but surely the most prominent one to take such a strong stand, indirectly though, against the establishment.
Having played 187 one-dayers and captured 257 wickets for India since his debut nine years ago, Srinath has the moral authority to voice his protest against the Board's scheduling of matches which give no opportunities for rest and recuperation. That the mild-mannered paceman has chosen the silent option by ruling himself out of one-dayers does not dilute his case.
It must be remembered that he is a professional, who by voluntarily withdrawing from the Indian one-day squad, if coach Kapil Dev is to be believed, is ready to suffer financial losses by way of playing fees (BCCI pays Rs 90,000 per one-dayer), endorsement money, win bonuses and man of match awards.
Srinath has not arrived at the decision on an impulse, but after a lot of soul-searching. Hence the need for the Board to treat this as a wake-up call and initiate a dialogue with the players about the forthcoming tours before his startling decision becomes an example for others.
The United Cricket Board of South Africa has shown the way to nurture national stars by the controlled exposure of Allan Donald, a tearaway fast bowler who is paid a handsome compensation for missing the excitement of one-day cricket so that he can be unleashed during the Test matches.
The Australian Cricket Board does not preserve bowlers, it simply replaces them, but has a players' representative in Tim May, who has a say in the decision-making process.
The history of world cricket is replete with cases of pace bowlers getting instant fame, before becoming burn out cases due to the inability of their bodies to accept the workload. Srinath clearly does not wish to become another Craig McDermott or Ian Bishop for that matter, both strapping pacemen whose careers were cut short due to injuries.
Fast bowlers have to be fitness fanatics to last the course, like a Kapil Dev or a Walsh who have never been forced to miss a match due to injury.
The Indian spearhead is fortunate to have both around as role models as he seeks to extend his Test career. Kapil is the coach who knows everything there is to know about fitness, while the former West Indian captain has become a role model for every aspiring pacemen.
At 30, Srinath has realised that he cannot fitter, but can avoid injuries by concentrating on Test cricket alone, where the pace of the game is not as frenetic as the one-day version. It will mean lesser money and lesser opportunities for making an impact on the game, now dominated by the Shoaib Akhtars of world cricket.
Let the tearaways have their way. The Indian spearhead knows that it is each one for himself out there, despite coach Kapil's words of support. The Board has to abide by the globalisation agenda, so it makes sense to take a break, recharge batteries and see what the future lies ahead.
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