Someday, today will be nostalgia

Experience is undervalued and overrated. In the old model of leadership, you had to be a part of the inner circle or a loyalist to have leadership handed over to you on a silver platter.  But today’s world of start ups and 20- something billionaires has caused us to re-organise our thinking. After KKR’s recent triumph in the IPL, voices are clamouring for Gambhir to be made captain of the team. One wonders if the same voices would have spoken up if KKR lost the final. For all his luck and ability, MS Dhoni is coming up short when it comes to leadership in tests. It must be noted that even he usurped the captaincy from numerous other contenders and players who considered themselves to be more experienced. One match, one magical innings or one series triumph doesn’t make a leader. Nor does losing one series or having a bad run.  In all of the rush, one forgets that leadership is a state of mind, a way of being and not a matter of age or experience .

The BCCI should be handed an award for double acting. In a pugnacious bid to deflect attention from all the evils it commits, a onetime bonus payment was made to past cricketers. That India’s first world cup winning hero Kapil Dev wasn’t invited for the proceeding reeks of double standards. Now that the circus has left our television screens, it would be a good time for some introspection. For all the fun and nearly two months of evenings that figured how to spend themselves, the league is increasingly flirting with fantasy. Coming at a time when Indian cricket is at its lowest nadir, it served as the perfect smokescreen. The acrimonious series losses in Australia and England have seemingly been forgotten. As the past few years have shown, IPL stars remain just that, IPL stars, with very few having made the transition to the ultimate arena. Real cricket isn’t played with cheerleaders cheering you on and it lasts much longer than 3 hours. Moral conduct seems to have do...