Is Indian cricket willing to learn ?

It took nothing short of a revolution of sorts in the 1980's which helped cricket ride a wave of mass popularity as a sport that left other sports behind. Since then the unofficial "National" sport has come a long way, on the international scene, with India becoming a force to reckon with, but deep within the boundaries of the nation, the plight of the game, still finds itself in vacuum. Today Hockey, the National game in the true sense of its word, through the Premier Hockey League, has taken the responsibility upon itself to help in the reconstruction and remake of the domestic structure in Indian sport, forcing cricket to stare itself at the mirrors of introspection. This piece is essentially ideated with an insight into how the Big Brother of Indian sport can stoop his shoulder and learn something from the Younger one.

With regards to this, one question hits my mind - How can Indian cricket benefit from the PHL, although they are two different sports ? Well, if the cricket authorities of India are ready to go beyond their shells, this concept of the PHL could well make its way into the Domestic Competitions of Indian cricket. What is the fizz that makes PHL an interesting concept ? Well, it seems to have clung to the basic fundamentals of any domestic competition - mixing competition with entertainment. One can almost feel the buzz surrounding the entire event and compare that with a Ranji Trophy match, where spectators remain spectators and players remain players and do their respective jobs. The names of the teams like Hyderabad Sultans et al are something that match with the locals and most importantly there are lesser teams, which only leads to better competition. Overseas players coming in to play the league have added that extra which has been lacking in Indian hockey and providing an opportunity for the locals to learn from them. The main thing that PHL has succeeded is in its own way, market the SPORT of hockey in a big way, rather than certain select individuals as its done in cricket.

Innovation is the name of the game all over the world and has slowly made its way to India, thanks to the PHL. But will cricket be in a position to accept innovation in the game? In an ideal sense of the world, it probably should, as it only helps in the positive marketing of the game. But, in a country where Domestic Cricket has been a tradition rather than a creation, the concept might just face certain voices from the purists. England experimented with the concept of Twenty 20 to bring in interest among their dormant first class spectators and it has surely made an impact among the youngsters to pick the game, this is where the positive marketing of the game comes to the fore. And as a co-incidence, England have been proven to be a better One-Day side.

Who wouldn't want to see a Brett Lee donning Mumbai colours speeding his way against a certain Hyderabadi called VVS Laxman?? So what is the basic funda with some overseas players coming over and playing a domestic tournament in India? One, is that if the player is marketed well during the pre-tournament days, he could well be a performer for the team and a money-maker for the association, by pulling crowds from all over. Secondly, it will only help youngsters from that region/team develop their skills as the overseas players could impart their knowledge onto the would-be's. It will also be a true test of his ability, when he teams up with new colleagues and counters different and unknown conditions. If anything, it makes the entire feel of the tournament more competitive.

As a sports lover, who expects India to do well in every sport, right from Cricket to Kickboxing, hope is something I don't expect to leave. And it is about time that the action-packed and interesting concept of PHL has given Indian Domestic Cricket the jolt it needs to get up from a long-gone slumber. It will only be left to see as to how much the cricket authorities will take, as inaction has been the order of the day for years. As cricket lovers, something close to PHL coming into Indian cricket will do wonders for the game on the whole and one hopes its sooner than later that it happens, to give Cricket its share of Domestic Glory.