Sachin Tendulkar has been the biggest champion of playing for one's country. For him the nation always comes first and his tears of joy at winning the World Cup at home was a testimony of the emotion and the burning desire that he had carefully preserved within him in his over two-decade-long career. And so it was rather disappointing to see him opt out of the West Indies tour citing that he wanted to spend time with his family.
Nobody grudges his desire to spend time with his family, but what is difficult to understand is why did Tendulkar play the Indian Premier League if he wanted time out. His reasoning, according to a report in a Mumbai paper, is that the break he wants now coincides with his children's summer vacations. All very well, but it also means that the family could have travelled with him to the Caribbean. If the Board of Control for Cricket in India can accede to his request to opt out of a series, would they have denied him permission to take his family along. Guess not!
But Tendulkar, who on Tuesday was felicitated by the BCCI with the Polly Umrigar Award, has for the first time in memory put club over country. And for the man who is known to set examples for the youngsters not just in India but all over the cricket-playing world, this is not the message you want the champion to send across.
Another player who has disappointed us by his decision to rest for the one-day series in the Caribbean is India's world cup winning captain MS Dhoni. Even on the night of the final as he spoke to Ravi Shastri before picking up the IPL trophy for the second successive year, Dhoni mentioned how he had not gone back home to Ranchi in many months. The break he would get by not playing the ODI series, he said, wasn't a big one and was just enough to spend a few days at home.
The tired Indian skipper, who has a hectic schedule, would have got a 59-day rest had he opted out of the IPL. Long enough to recuperate, spend time with his family and be mentally and physically fresh for the international cricket calendar. Instead, he chose to defend his IPL crown. The same holds true for Tendulkar as well.
Let's also look at the case of Virender Sehwag. The opener, who sustained a shoulder injury, was flown back from South Africa by the BCCI ahead of the ODI series so as to save him up for the World Cup. By that same logic should he not have gone under the knife immediately after the World Cup rather than play more than half the IPL and then pull out at a time when the Delhi Daredevils were out of the race.
All these players, admired and loved for what they have done and achieved for India, have collectively put club over country this time. The reason are manifold. Some will say they are professional cricketers who are committed to all the teams they represent. But have they, despite all their experience and wisdom, got the priority wrong this time.
If Tendulkar, Dhoni and Sehwag were part of a conglomerate, they would be among the senior-most executives in it. Can any senior professional in today's day and age say he or she is tired and take a couple of months off, while being guaranteed that their place in the setup will be kept as is.
There has not been much hue and cry because the team is traveling to the Caribbean. The West Indies are not the fiery unit they once were. But this is not about the West Indies. If after the fifth edition of the IPL, the Indian team has a series lined up against a top side, would you still be okay with the senior players asking for rest?
Don't forget that we are the world champions and this is our first international series after the triumph. Should we have not sent a team that will crush the Windies, not just beat them. And what about our endevour to be the No. 1 ODI side. Every win, every point is crucial to fulfill that dream. Surely, it won't be enough to pick up points against 'worthy' teams.
If the decision of the senior players to rest is a disappointing one, what is even more upsetting to see is the BCCI's role in condoning what is happening.
Why is it that the BCCI cannot monitor the rest and injury status of its players? Why can't the BCCI ask players to declare their injuries before the IPL than being faced with a situation where they name a captain for a tour and are then told that the player has picked up an injury. Why can't the BCCI ask players to give an undertaking that they will not put club over country and put in penalties for violations?
If the BCCI was wise enough to summon Sehwag back from South Africa, why did it turn a blind eye when the Daredevils decided to play him? What stopped the BCCI from telling a Kolkata Knight Riders to stop fielding Gautam Gambhir if they know he had picked up an injury. What stopped the BCCI from telling a Chennai Super Kings and a Mumbai Indians that Dhoni and Tendulkar needed rest?
Why is it so difficult for the BCCI to protect national interest?
That the IPL is here to stay is a fact. That the tournament needs a space in the ICC'S Future Tours Programme is desirable. That the BCCI needs to stop running the IPL directly is a necessity.
The IPL has ever since its inception been modelled on the English Premier League. While international football is hardly ever in conflict with the club calendar because of clear date demarcation, there are still times when national bosses are at loggerheads with club owners and coaches over the availability and fitness of players.
Take England for example. The Football Association is responsible for domestic football and for the England national team. The EPL is run by a conglomeration of the 20 clubs who are all shareholders. The FA doesn't run the EPL, but they have veto rights over amendment of rules and other decisions to ensure that the national interest is not compromised.
That is exactly the role that the BCCI needs to play. The IPL should be spun off as a separate body, administered by a set of official set in place by the teams who will be shareholders with the BCCI retaining veto rights to protect what is in the interest of Team India. The interest of the IPL and the BCCI cannot be the same for that at the moment doesn't seem to be in national interest. On the long run what matters is whether you can defend your world crown, not your IPL title.
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