Can we assume that a larger based pyramid will always throw up the best talent and produce the best results? This may not be true. Australia has a far smaller base of cricketers than England/India/Bangladesh. It still identifies more talent and nurtures it better.

I think the administration of the game and the incentives for playing it seriously may be more important than simply having mass popularity, assuming the pyramid has a minimum base -- that is, there is a minimal critical mass of players which is met.

And genius may strike like lightning out of a clear sky.

The Italians had a far smaller base of bridgeplayers than the US but they absolutely dominated the game for a 20-year period because three of those Italians (Belladonna, Forquet, Garozzo) happened to be geniuses. Pakistan and Taiwan made it to the finals of the world bridge championships several times because Pakistan possessed one genius in Zia Mahmood (with a total bridge-playing population of 6 expatriates) and Taiwan possessed a bridge-playing population of 10 people with 4 decent practitioners who invented a killer bidding system (Precision). Squash is another example of random genius – one family (the Khans of Pakistan) dominated the sport for 30 years.

Also, Armenia, Israel and Azerbaidjan, with very small populations and even smaller registered bases of chessplayers, outgun most big chessplaying nations (including India and China which both have more registered and internationally rated chessplayers than Israel+ Armenia+Azerbadijan combined)

Amit's argument also partially revolves around incentives. The concrete financial incentive available to practitioners of a popular sport and the less concrete adulation available to them are key drivers. He seems to be arguing that cricket may lose popularity in terms of entertainment value for socio-economic reasons as India's GDP grows. Hence there will be less money available for cricket and less incentive for cricketers.

I'm not sure once again that this is true. It depends on absolute amounts as well as slice of the overall pie. I am sure that the slice of the pie will decline and cricket will occupy less mindspace, say, a decade down the line. There will be less money in percentage terms. But if Indian GDP grows as almost everyone seems to be projecting, the absolute cash available to the game will increase enough to keep every serious practitioner interested.

Case in point: Men's soccer in the US. It has a tiny viewership in US percentage terms; it has miniscule cash incentives in comparison to basketball, baseball and American football. Yet the US has consistently qualified for the World Cup and given an excellent account of itself in the past decade. I think what has happened here is that, in absolute terms, the incentives are enough.

In a pyramid with a narrower base we probably have a selection bias – only the seriously talented and competitive bother to play. That means a tougher and more exclusive field. We may actually get a counter-intuitive outcome where circa 2020, India has fewer practicing cricketers but it has a far higher number of really good players.

With a combination of Coach-Captain we possess in Chappell-Dravid, Indian Cricket will surely have more takers.

For cricket to thrive in India, we ve stop playing in Venues especially Eden Garden ...... what a bad sport ..... they just didn't care the feelings of any other Indian ...... Didn't we all learn enough from past from the ground ..... why don't we just stop playing in Eden Gardens ... can't believe these are the same people from the land of Rabindranath Tagore, Subash Chandra Bose .....

They ve ashamed themselves & our country ..... shame on them ....

The whole chappel-ganguly controversy generates from Sachin rehabiltation programme in Indian team. Recent report shows that Sachin got a contract of 125 crore for mobile phone advertisement. Adworlds definitely see that Sachin's image needs to be revived after his long absence from Indian cricket scenareo.All the TV channels, Indian coach, BCCI including the so-called selectors has to look after the interest of the ADWORLD more than cricket.The disgusting programmes like " match -ka-Mujrim" are serving the purpose very dilligently.While cricket is a team game the programme purpose is to single out and unnerve players they don't like. I guess the whole controversy generated by leaked EMAIL of Chappel is a game plan rather than Gangulees confession that a sincere advice of Greg to Saurav to live captaincy and concentrate on his play.Eliminating Saurav from the team will ease the slot for SACHIN which is now overcrowded.

Nice column. Very well said.

I believe incentives, tough competition and a high level of transperency (and exposure) in(at) the various levels of the game (school, college, state etc.) lead to better players and overall betterment of the sport.

Did I say good management also helps.........

Games like Bridge and Chess are highly strategic (and infact only strategic) games. I think comparing those with Cricket is unfair.

In country like India, you are going to have critical pyramid base for all the sports.

For sports like cricket, tennis or football which are taxing physically too, it is the incentives that will drive that sport.

Cricket will thrive in India simply because there is a lot of void on the sports scene. The moment other sports start enjoying the incentives as they are in cricket, the differences will be apparent.

e.g. We have good pyramid for soccer too. Infact in most of the schools, all serious sportsmen opt for soccer first. But there are not good enough incentives to take it as a serious career.

It is true that India has by far more talented cricketers than any other country.

However, to be a successful team for over a long period of time, you need to be very professional - need to run the team like a business, and Indian's culture is more sort of laid back which pulls us down.

I've mentioned this in my blog www.foreversport.blogspot.com many times, Indian cricket will always have a huge following, but if India are to dominate world cricket like the 1980s West Indies or Steve Waugh's Australian's then an efficient, professional system of administration is a must.

I don't think it is sufficient to say that as an economy grows, sport should necessarily develop with it.

It also brings with it the problems of changes of diet, security of employment which can distract a youngster from wanting to be a cricketer and a myriad of other socio-economic issues.

Just look what has happened in the West Indies as people started buying satellite dishes. NBA became popular and cricket became less attractive

Cricket is the only sport where we really excel as a nation and where we still can stand up and be counted...

I guess under the circumstances, cricket will thrive....

In a few years, all the crooks / politicians will invade the game and lead it to a natural death... Just look at Hockey.. the devil who exterminated the bloody terrorists in Punjab made sure that the hockey players also disappeared...

For cricket to thrive in our country, it is better to work with a smaller pyramid base and not a large one as is being attempted by Mr.Dalmiya through the BCCI. By playing International matches in all kinds of venues we are diluting the high standards of sportsmanship expected from cricketers. That is why we have bowlers chucking,excessive appealing by players, cricketers digging up the pitch and players belly-aching if they are not selected for the World XI.
If we carry on like this, one fine day the sport will just collapse in our country and may be soon neglected. If to this we add the external environment of betting, the criminal influence on the game will bring the decline faster.

I think cricket in India will thrive as long as there is the common man's interest in it. The day i feel that my child playing cricket is pointless since only some people will be selected while others wont, will also be the day I will pull my child out of the coaching camp and put him in tennis or football.

it is vital to have a strong and big base of players playing the game for the love of it. Cricket is not about the pursuit of excellence. All sports are meant for enjoyment and physical and mental well being. Only at the highest level of sports do we find it necessary to achieve excellence. So, i think devangshu datta is wrong to believe thatc ricket will thrive even with a small base of players. I think the smaller the player base, the smaller the common man's interest in the game and this will have a domino effect on everything from advertising revenues, to global telecasts, to newsprint for cricket and deccrease in the live audience both on TV and at the ground.

As for devangshu datta's examples of china and the us, let me remind him that India's administrators are not accountable as much as china's or america's are. This is the single important link that determines quality, and quality selection. If the administration is corrupt in america, it is behind the scenes and at a level that cannot CONSISTENTLY hamper good quality players being selected, which is not the case in India.

I will also contradict my point above by mentioning this - every country gets the people it deserves. every people get the country it deserves.

As for Arun's post about the eden gardens, i think it is important to understand that kolkattans are pasionate. I am very angry with their behaviour too, but i see no reason to stop playing matches there. Instead, if the machinations of politics within the BCCI and other associations were to be rectified, the feeling that bengal is more important than india, or mumbai is more important, or chennai, or delhi will give way to the feeling that ganguly is an unfit player for the national side and our nation comes first, and bengal only second - ONLY THEN, through effecive administration and recognition of exceptional talent (it must be remembered that the eden gardens crowd were receptive of india even when the indian administrators did not select a very talented ganguly after the disastrous 1991-92 australian tour) can we hope to change the mindset of the kolkattans.

Anyhow, you are right, mr. arun, about one thing. if any ground deserves to be abandoned for consistent poor crowd behaviourr, it has to be the best of indian grounds - eden garrdens.

i believe that cricket will live for a long time, with more test playing nations.

but i agree that if the cash involved doesnt increase, the sport will have less serious practioners.

i also think that other sports, hockey for sure, will grow exponentially.

I agree with Arun, Eden Gardens should be renamed "hell Garden" - Shame to Indian Cricket. It is not the lack of players in the country would destroy cricket it is this kind of blind fury and frenzy that is the enemy of Indian cricket. Why is "hell garden" promoted so much? Jagmohan Dalmiya? God Save India from such places and characters for the benefit of cricket.

I totally agree with your point Devangshu if the pool of crickets are narrowed down selection, training and prooning will be focused and professional. However, India need not think about less number of players taking up cricket as we are now in the golden era of cricket and it will take atleast a generation ie 30 - 40 years to break in a change.

We have all the talent. It just we need to keep away big bullys and places like "hell Gardens" away from cricket.

Systems and Incentives

There is no better example of a system producing the best atheletes than American baseball; and no better example of incentives working than American basketball.

As Spring begins, almost every five year old boy in the USA goes to a little league field, with a father and a mitt. There he meets his first little league coach, and his assitant coach, both of whom have rehearsed their lines, learned a script, a method that they will use to teach the ten or so children assigned to their team. These coaches are fathers and mothers, they get no money, but they love the game, and they do it because someone did it for them many years ago. For the next few months, they meet the kids twice every week, teaching them, in a manner taught hundreds of times before, how to hold a bat, how to swing, to lean inot a ball; then they will teach them, in time, running, then catching, and then throwing. The parents sit by the sides of the field, cups of coffee in hand; each week, they have a game with another team, where they keep no score, and everyone bats as long as it takes to get a hit. Someone brings donuts each week. The children learn how to lose and why they should not cry. By the end of the season, the coaches across the country have some sense of the talent, which they jot down, for the next season. And from then on, a process begins in which training and playing, judging and pruning, combine to feed a system that eventually gives us some very, very fine batters, pitchers and fielders who go into the minors and majors of the game. The little-league coaches are all volunteers; the parents make sure the children are always there; and in typically American fashion, the local merchants --- dry cleaner, bakers, barbers --- each pay small amounts of money to buy the kids T-shirts, which display on their backs the names of the proud sponsors. The actual fee each parent pays is in fact very little, and it goes to buying bats and balls. It is a volunteer system. But it is a very well developed system, carefully designed and scripted, practised and honed year after year after year. And it works beautifully.

Basketball works in a different way. Across America, in inner cities and poor neighbourhoods, small boys --- it is mostly boys --- walk to a hoop, sometimes alone, sometimes with an elder brother, a friend or a father. They throw the ball up, watch it soar, drop, kiss the rim, sometimes fall in. They play impromptu games, hour after hour after hour, spinning, twisting, jumping, pretending to be one or another favourite player. They sweat, tear away, skip, fly --- they play like we used to play cricket years ago in Delhi, pretending to be Gavaskar, or Bishen Bedi tossing the ball up with his left hand. These kids in America play basketball the same way, and for the same reason: they adore the game, and they hope to become the best. Someone might spot them, or their talent may be so exceptional that they cannot be ignored. That's how Dr. J, and Magic and Sachin did it --- love of game, a lot of passion, a lot of individual effort, and then some breaks. It works, too, because there is an incentive --- not an external incentive, but a personal incentive, for each of these children, who dream of beating the odds, of becoming the best, through their effort and brilliance. It works. And at least in basketball, there is a lot of money if you are among the few blessed ones, and a lot of heartache and ruin if you are not.

So both systems and incentives work. Neither has much to do with money or the love of it, at least not until much, much later, when there is a real hope for someone to become a professional. The incentive, as it should be, is the achievement of a dream.

I for one prefer the baseball system. And it has nothing to do with GDP and stuff like that. It has to do with organization, vision, volunteerism, and parents giving to their kids their time and energy and devotion, and passion for a game.

I think the culture plays important part in sports, as certain countries has mastered certain games. Popularity or population itself is not enough to make good team. Our culture in india and the structure of game put us on back foot to be world beater. Dirty politics and individual ego makes more matter than national ego. This is the sad part of our team.I am not agree with Mr. Datta about the ratio he was talking about a genius in 8 billion. Genius comes from many factors that start with talent and personality of a person. There are many times that genius has not been spotted even if you have next to you. It is also depend on structure of your sports system to find right people for right job.

For cricket(or for that matter any sport) to survive in India, it must be popular and attractive to play from the school level. But in India, only matches involving the Indian team remain popular. So, the BCCI must take all the necessary steps to popularize domestic cricket by bringing in TV coverage and adopting smart marketing strategies.

Remember that 20-20 is not the way to go since it'll turn the avid follower into a more occasional follower which is not good for the game!

More Test cricket and much less ODI cricket can do wonders to not only Test cricket in India but also to domestic cricket as it'll provide our star players with more time to play domestic cricket. Thats the way to go..

Having a large population of cricket players does not necessarily mean that we actually have quality players. By quality players, I mean the players who have the ability to perform CONSISTENTLY at the international level. Look at Australia, for instance, it does not have as much cricket-athletes population as does India. Still, they produce players who are consistently performing at the international level and making it happen. But for Indian players, it is always a game or two performance for every 10-15 games and that's it. This is why teams like Australia (consistent performers) are better than India, who also happens to have the biggest cricket pyramid.

Devangshu has overlooked a major point. Namely, the genetic factor.

Even though India is genetically diverse, there are certain sports in which Indians cannot be in the top 2 or 3 (unless we import talent from elsewhere)

Why is our soccer ranking so bad, far worse than some impoverished african countries?

Cricket and a few other sports have a mix of skills where India does have the talent pool. But soccer and basketball are not these sports.

Sachins place in Indian team is always open. No one can be a competitor except Bradman,Lara . No other person on earth can fight with these guys. They are bigger than the game itself. Sachin revolutionised Indian cricket. He won matches sorry he still does it. His poor run agaisnt SA will end for sure. He will bounce back . He is a force , His mere precense in the team makes a differece , it sends fear down to the spines of the oppenents. No one in the present or past Indian team can fight for place with the master . He is a hero , http://www.angelfire.com/extreme5/tendulkars/onlysachin/
CHeck this out buddies .

Excuse me, but Eden Gardens outlawed from India ? And the reasons are. Because of some bottle-throwing during 1996 ? Yes, I admit that was bad but, hey, that happened in Nagpur as well ! And what about Mumbai ? Can't we remember the 1976 tour of WI in Mumbai where the whole tea session of a day of a test match couldn't be played ?

Eden Gardens is by far the best stadium in Asia. The supporters were fully in the right. Leave out the Ganguly issue, when you have payed Rs 800 odd for a ticket, and you see such a suckering performance from a team which you admire, you do not like that team. Maybe, staying behind your team counts, but sometimes you have to remind them that we are not always behind you. And when I see crowds all over India dismissing a poor performance as a fluke, I feel proud. Because I am in Eden Gardens, a place which does not feel afraid to voice it's opinions.

The Verdict :-

Kolkattans have showed total ignorance. They probably don't read newspapers or simply don't believe in ethical behaviour.

It was not South Africa VS India but Kolkatta VS India. This incident will forever leave a mark on the sporting spirit of the Bengalis.

However, such behaviour is not acceptable and measures should be taken to overcome such actions by a certain arrogant group. BCCI should not host any matches in that region for upto two years or so.

Also, Kolkatta stood up for Ganguly and proved what they are worth, can Ganguly now stand up for Kolkatta and justify his position in the upcoming test matches!

Good luck to Ganguly and his state!

i totally agree with Arun and Sam that the Eden gardens should be stripped of its status as an in'tal venue. It should be converted into a museum displaying the "M/S Ganguly , Dalmiya & the booers " photographs. Goodbye Calcutta Shame on you people!!!!!

its unfair to blame the eden crowd.they supported the team they wanted to win.You can't say they should always support India.And one more thing it is not only Bengalis who want Ganguly back,there many other patriotic indians who beleieve dada should come back.anyway Dravid chappel is a great combination,they managed in 2 months what ganguly could not in 4 years,losing an ODI in India by ten wickets.hats off to them

Cricket is a game where talent arrives and departs. Indian cricket needs to focus on the future and has to face the politics attached with the game. If dropping one player from the team has created so much disturbance then this sport is not being played professionally. Cricket began as a gentleman's game and today has reached another level where the game is being seen as a medium for making money and earning fame. Former captain Sourav Ganguly's record speaks for itself and its time he retires gracefully. India has the largest population among the cricket playing nations and chances are that there are more talented players out there who can contribute to the game and to Indian cricket. No wonder Australia is so successful in being the best team for so long because they have the right attitude and stress more on fitness. They drop players who do not perform even though they are superstars.I feel Indian cricket team is going in the right direction as long as they make their prime objective that is to be the world champions for 2007 and stay on the top for the years to come ahead.

Well said Arun and Isaac! The Garden of Eden, ipso facto, our cricket headquarters was once again much reduced to graveyard of cricket during the fourth India-South Africa encounter. (Needless to say the previous ones, of course!) What can you expect from a bunch of hooligans having curricula vitae of recalcitrant behaviour? It was of no surprise to me. All aimed to include an individual who has the "dubious distinction" which you all know so well. A decisiom has already been made by the selection panel and I really don't know why the issue is being raised again and again. Ban the venue for a couple of seasons for the welfare of the game. It's time that a "true professional" is badly required to take control of BCCI's endures from Dalmiya et al.

I've been reading a lot about the criticism of Eden Gardens and I don't really buy it. If the "now mighty Indian team", and apparently
so because "Sourav's exorcising influence has been removed" (an opinion I find being voiced frequently) couldn't handle SA on a turf with a smidge of juice and green, I find it
quite justified that they were lampooned. The exclusion of Sourav is one story; the systematic effort to villanise him is another (and in extremely poor taste if I may add) and if that was what Eden was responding to, well, they have my whole-hearted support. Let's face it..againt SA, the Indians have hardly looked extraordinary...they needed a wretched track in Bangalore to register their solitary win. I think most eyes would be opened if we could bring the Aussies back and have them give the Indians a sound drubbing. Would at least put an end to all this vicarious megalomania that the recent past has seen Indian cricket fans indulging in.

My sons precocious friend, all of 13 offered a solution. He said "why dont we let West Bengal secede to Bangladesh. In one stroke we solve a lot of problems. BD immediately has a stronger team with Ganguly as captain and Dalmiya as head of Bangladeshi cricket. And they can then cheer for Bangladesh where Ganguly is captain for life. Also for the politicians, it will get rid of the troublesome commies, who are preventing India from being a superpower!" Out of the mouths of babes...

Please somebody, explain to me why Jagmohan Dalmiya is still counted in the BCCI as one of its important memebers. this can be seen when he was in the discussion room with BCCI heads in the Ganguly-Chappell row time. this utterly unprofessional to have an ex BCCI member, who has no official role in the organisation to attend and have a say in the most important of matters. All Bengalies dont take offence to the following, as its aimed only for Dalmiya: Get out of the organisation, ur only further corrupting it!

ok now on Eden Gardens and any other similar incidents, banning it is not the answer. instead think about a severe fine to be payed by that states' cricket organisation or the club running the stadium. only for a second offence or incidents as that should there be a consideration of a ban on matches there. however, each case must be looked into individually as though there are similarities, there are also many contrasts in the incidents like in Mumbai, Kolkata and Nagpur.

If similar treatment was meted out to tendulkar,I'm sure wankhade would have responded the same....

For Kolkatta fans ...... We are really sorry that Indians didn't perform well & u lost around Rs.800 like Angi said ....... But not many spectators showed that they wanted India to win, nor did the groundsman ..... what a disgrace ..... Even the South Africans are surprised to see that kind of pitch ....
I agree that we have to play in all sorts of pitches, but would this have happened if Sourav played ????.. Do u think they will produce spinning track in South Africa or elsewhere in the world, just bcos their statesman didn't play ????? i don't think so ..... I believe the ones who read & comment on this are all educated people ... please do not stoop down to the level of those low levels who disgraced our country .... For someone who doesn't believe in patriotism nor sportsmanship, this is not the area where you should be ... just think couple of seconds, before what you have to say ....

I tend to agree with Devangshu that cricket is strong enough in India to not only survive, but possibly thrive. The moot point is whether it can sustain itself internationally, especially Test cricket, which clearly is a pre-industrial game. Thankfully, the recent Ashes series has given traditional Test cricket (the five-test series) a shot in its arm in two of its most developed markets. Still, the traditional form is struggling everywhere else.
This brings me back to Mukul Kesavan's brilliant thought on the privately-held league system. India is in an ideal position to start such a concept - especially as we have to play a whole lot of menaingless ODIs to fill up our coffers. If we can get top International talent struggling in weak teams - and this can range from record-holder Lara to never-really-got-a-chance Tikolo - to appear along with local stars like even Kumble or Kambli, I'm sure we can have crowds flocking to such games. In fact, out of Lalit Modi's suggestions last year, an eight city league was the only good and implementable one. In fact, our nine test centers provide an ideal platform for such a city-based league concept. And ultimately it will only strengthen the game in India, by providing a more robust and tougher domestic structure for young players to progress to the next level.

what wrong has the crowd done?please specify.

...while eden garden crowd has more often been guilty of boorish behaviour, let's not forget the last india-pakistan ODI at delhi...it was a shameful behaviour by delhi crowd and even the indian players against the pakistani team...kanpur has been known to be a rowdy place where the fans have no idea about the game or it's nuances... mumbai, nagpur and ahmedabad have also behaved boorishly in the past...the only crowd in india which is
really amazing is the chennai crowd...knowledgeable, sporting and very fair...

First, I'd like to respond to one of the replies here...which said..the same treatment would have been given to the team by the mumbai stadium if sachin was left out.
For your kind info..sachin is a totally different personality than arrogant sourav. And such an incdent of removing sachin from the team wont happen.

Eden gardens must pay for what they did!...a good way is ..no international cricket must be played there for quite a long time. I'd like to hear what sourav says about the behavour of the crowd. he could have very well prevented this from happening. I strongly back the BCCI in the removal of sourav from the team.

my heart cried for the country and the men who played for it in kolkota. what a shame? this might have never happened any where else in the world. they support the opposition simply becos the team doesn't have their fellow who is so adamant that he never tries to rectify his mistakes n who tries to create rifts in the team. the bengalis must remember one thing it is becos of sachin and dravid that sourav has enjoyed so much of success. anyway there is no point in playing at eden gardens anymore and all the players collectively shud boycott the whole of kolkota in anyway they could.

So we have this whole comment on the sinners from Kolkata and a suggestion from a 13 year old for WB to seccede. And we are blogging it. Great stuff, wonder what you were doing, admiring your friend's son's brilliance or trying to talk sense into him assuming you have had the benefit of some education?
Did the 13 year old jump for joy and recognise Greg's finger salute as the new code of conduct or did you spend time with him in teaching him that the finger salute is the best way of treating people with respect especially if you are in the drivers seat of a sport followed passionately by the country.
Its a shame that we are encouraging comments like the above. The crowd comes to watch a good day's play and we sitting thousands of miles away pay top dollars for our favorite team and use up whatever little leisure time we have to follow this wretched team. Guess what we got for our endeavors.....not one decent over of bowling nor an extended period of batting where we could get our money's worth. I am glad that the team was booed...the team should have been kicked out along with the coach from the country and your friend's son should go with them and maybe you should too.
Lets face it...financial incentive can support talent and discipline and incent them to higher levels of performance.In a situation that is bereft of serious talents , where we make heroes out of two bit players, putting in more financial muscle will mean corrupting a system and having a bunch of losers as we have had for ever since I can remember. It will also empower the administration to behave more like an anarchy.
Look at the bunch of jokers who administer the dearest game of a billion strong country(notwitstanding demands of seccession from 13 year olds). A bunch of traders(dalmiya and cohort) and sugarcane farmers(pawar and gang)get to decide what you and I get in the form of a team or the game itself. Its a miracle that the system still functions and games continue to be played.
The pyramid based approach for talent base creation coupled with strong administrative guidelines for channelising fund for training and facilities, should go a long way to help build the game as opposed to suggestions on seccession from ignorant quarters. \
If Dennis Lillee can create a successful for profit academy in India, surely the BCCI with its immense wealth and bevvy of experienced cricketers can do better!!!!!

I agree with Sam and others. The Kolkata crowd was a pure disgrace to the country and biased. Maybe they are all like Saurav Ganguly himself, afraid of fast short pitch deliveries always trying to find faults in others rather than themselves. If these are my fellow country men, Iam ashamed to be an Indian !

It is to be remembered that the Team and the Country are more important than any individual player.Ganguly's past performances donot merit inclusion at the cost of a Kaif or a Yuvraj.By the same yardstick, the Hyderabadi crowd should have acted up at Laxman's omission from the One day side.The behavior of the Eden crowd is indefensible.They supported SA,riled the home side and wished for an Indian loss.This is the curse of India..we are too regionalised to think about the greater good.It is a ridiculous mindset.
Finally, it is the home sides prerogative to prepare tracks as they see fit.Smith & co will not be merciful when we visit SA, with respect to pitch requests.
The Chappell-Dravid combination is the right way to go.

Well, absolutely agreed that the Eden pitch suited fast bowlers more because of the tinge of green. Everything is because of the diabolical machinations of the Cricket Association of Bengal!

But they didn't stop there. They rigged the toss coin to ensure Dravid lost (remember Sholay?). Not only that, they requested Shaun Pollock to bowl a perfect line and length to the Indian batsmen. They also hypnotised Greg Chappel into sending Irfan in as opener. Oh, and when Pollock was stepping up to the crease to deliver the ball, they used a supersonic mike fitted in the stumps to shout into Sachin and Gambhir's ears so that they immediately adopted a defensive stance against balls outside the off stump.

The same dastardly deed was done to Dravid. They mixed some medicine in his drink of water so that he had temporary astigmatism, and therefore could not figure out the line of the ball at all.

But this was not all...

At dinnertime, they fed some heavy, sleep inducing bengali sweets to Irfan, Ajit Agarkar, and RP Singh, so that they bowled on the same green top, but with zero swing! They gave some Red Bull to Smith so that he could smash the Indian bowlers all around the park, even the greatest spinner of all, Kartik, who was so unfairly kept out of the side by Sourav for one failing only - not being able to spin the ball!

Such anti-national acts. Shame on the CAB!!!

Unpatriotic behaviour by the crowd cannot be forgiven. In Kolkatta, cricket is no longer a sport but a fanatical religion. Like other fanatical religions it will soon breed terrorists who will target our selectors, coaches and even players. CRICKETERS beware and avoid Eden Gardens.

Its disgusting to see the crowd behaviour in Eden,

NO ONE is LARGER than INDIA i repeat No One is larger than indian cricket!

Shame on eden gardens! Shame on Bengalis!! Shame on Gangulay who created such a mess! Shame on BCCI!!! for publicising the email from Chappel.

Jai hind!.

Shan from singapore

The main reason for dropping Ganguly is his form and performance over last 12 months not becoz he is bengali!

If tamil hv to think the same way why Sadagopan Ramesh and Balaji not included in the team u willnot see a single person in the Chennai stadium... that's not the way.
Let us give some thought abt it ... Ganguly let him talk through his bat then he will deserve the place not by playing politics. Such a shame that BCCI handling all these things just to hide their elections.

BHARATH MATHA KE JEI
TRULY INDIAN.

guys,

leaving aside purile comments like secession, but to respond to people defending the act of kolkatans...please be reminded that it was Chappell-Dravid duo who were hooted the evening before the match and then during the match too. please read dravid's comment that fielders at fence were abused. (Vamshi, this certainly happened before the bad bowling by all indian bowlers had really been into its completion). we should remember that SA has been playing incredible cricket

Lets put things in perspective. Ganguly was out of form and hence did not deserve a place in the team. Accepted. The method of letting this happen to an Indian Captain who in his hey days has contributed immensely should be given some thought. Why didn't Dravid or Sachin or Chapell say even one word of encouragement for Saurav? When Dravid who has played for eons with Ganguly, does not even say a word about Saurav's exclusion, then it definitely gives ideas to all his fans irrespective of the Bengali factor. Could not have Dravid said" Ganguly is a great batsman. But is currently not in form. I am confident he will prove his mettle in the domestic competitions and bounce back". Why is everybody shying away from even saying a good word or two? How has Saurav all of a sudden become an untouchable? Anybody can conclude that there are vested intrests in trying to ensure that he never gets into the team. Saurav said openly that he had no problems with Dravid and that he is happy Dravid is doing well. That he has been selected for just one test is another case in point. I am sure they will let him be a part of the XI and will pray to God to make him fail so that they can do away with him for good. And what wrong did Zaheer do? Its very clear as to who is in control. Chapell all the way. Those ashamed at the behavior of the Kolkatta crowd, must feel further ashamed to be an Indian after seeing the holy finger of Chapell. Any Indian with self respect would feel thoroughly offended by that. No wonder, the crowd behaved the way they did the next day. I can see comments lambasting the crowd, but not one wants to talk about Chapell's endeavors. Its double standards as usual. Lets not point fingers only at the Bengal crowd. We too are to be blamed. If we can take sides, so also they.

Most of you were quick criticize Eden Gardens, without even understanding the problem that lies "behind the scenes."

Lets get the FACTS straight. Eden Gardens has a capacity of 120000 people. Thats massive. Most of the spectators are from low income families, mostly bengali, seemingly uneducated in a city which is densely populated, employment is scarce and the "joy" is limited. If 10% of the crowd is rowdy or ignorant, that is 12000 people in total. Now thats a huge number, even though 10% of the crowd is a minority. So in absolute numbers everything about Eden Gardens gets exagerated. Most educated families whether bengali or non bengali DO NOT CARE if Ganguly is in the team or not.

It is the "mob" culture of India, and still lingereing communist "protesting" nature of Bengal that makes the noise. These people are the "mass". Not the quality, but the quantity of the state.

It absolutely does not represent the rational thinking of MILLIONS OF CALCUTTANS who not only hate Ganguly for his inefficiency, but are also disgusted by these "locals" who disrupt everythin in Bengal. Whether it be cricket, or a simple US-INDO Naval Air exercise.

Eden Gardens is like a colesium, where "locals" who struggle to get with their lives everday turn up in hordes to witness a momentary "joy". However that joy almost never happens, India always has a crushing loss at Edens, and then the hungry crowd reacts. But remember its relative. Even if 25% of the people in the crowd are not happy, that is still a minority, but when you translate that percentage in numbers it turns out to be a massive 30,000 people. And therein lies the problem.

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On top of all this, the biggest problem is the administration. They dont know how to sell a game to a massive crowd. Of course the home team can lose anyday, but how do you make the sporting event enjoyable for specatators? There is absolutely no efficiency in selling games in India. Eden Gardens needs a huge screen, where people can see replays, new commercials, some promotional giveaways, free tickets, a raffles lottery, free food. Thats how you keep a crowd interested. A half-time show with some prominent celebrities, music in between the overs, small TVs all around the stands, atleast two huge screens on two sides. Simple things, that will transform the spectator experience. With all the money that BCCI has, they are not utilizing it to sell the game. BCCI has to learn a lot from American sporting arenas and stadiums.

Remember Calcutta and its suburbs has a population of over 14 million. Even if we assume that a 1 million people protest and cause chaos, that is STILL A MINORITY. It does not reflect the opinions of the rest of the city.