Large amounts of money won't solve the problems in Indian cricket, says Bishan Singh Bedi

Former Indian spinner, Bishan Singh Bedi believes that the arrival of large amounts of money is not a solution to some of the persisting problems in Indian cricket. Rather, the left arm bowler thinks that it will pave the way for a number of additional problems in the scenario. Bedi has pointed out that those problems will not be solved until and unless the BCCI address those crucial points with utmost importance.

Bedi chalked out the decline of standards as far as Test cricket as concerned as the primary problem. The owner of 273 international wickets, Bedi held the IPL and the lucrative T20 leagues responsible for deteriorating the skills of batsmen. While many believe that the IPL has raised the standard of cricket and have dug out some of the brightest talents, Bishan Singh Bedi begs to differ.

What Bedi said:

“The numbers are mind-blowing – Rs16,347 crore for Indian Premier League media rights – but I have not been surprised by the humongous money committed to the BCCI in the course of this year, thanks to the transparent tendering process.” Bedi said.

“The BCCI has sold products close to Rs18,000 crore – Rs 16,347.50 crore from IPL media rights and Rs 1,079 crore from Oppo as team sponsor – besides the Rs 2,597 crore promised by the International Cricket Council.” added Bedi.

Bedi continued “And, that number can quell a lot of arguments, or so the mandarins would think. Unless they address some key issues, the problems in Indian cricket will not go away with the appearance of such large amounts of money. On the contrary, the infusion of so much money can bring along more problems, I reckon.”

“Let me share one of my biggest concerns first. If you have been watching Test cricket around the world for some years now, you will agree that the overall standards of cricket have declined quite significantly. The reason is not far to seek – Twenty20 cricket. It is not funny how we are being fed lies that the players’ skills have improved and led to rising standards.”

“We cannot blame IPL alone for that. The Big Bash League in Australia, the Caribbean Premier League in the West Indies, the Ram Slam T20 Challenge in South Africa where the new T20 Global League is shaping up, Pakistan Super League, the Bangladesh Premier League etc., have all played no mean role in T20 steadily gnawing away at the roots of traditional cricket.” claimed Bedi.

Bedi mentioned that the players who get selected to play in the IPL will earn enough to sustain their living for a lifetime but the youngsters who are struggling hard at the bottom due to the lack of opportunities and facilities will suffer. According to Bedi those players would be happy if the money earned through media rights is spent on developing the infrastructure and setting up academies to groom the talents.

“Cricketers who are a part of the IPL extravaganza will go laughing to their banks but what happens to the kids at the tail-end of the queue?” Bedi said.

“It matters little to a kid, dreaming of playing for India, that the IPL media rights deal is worth Rs 3,270 crore each year. It will mean a lot to them if state associations curb the mushroom growth of private academies by setting up official academies and indoor facilities across their respective states so that talent can be groomed right and without the cricketers paying through their noses.” added the 70-year-old.

Instead of focusing on enhancing grass-root facilities, state associations will want to build new stadia. And, we just have to glance at the recent past to find echoes of rampant corruption in most places where new stadia have cropped up or are being built” he concluded.