On the outset, I must confess that inspite of match fixing, unabashed commercialization, BCCI's big boy attitude etc. I am still a fan of cricket. I support Indian Cricket team (and RCB, now that CSK is no more) whenever possible. While, I was watching the latest edition of IPL, I noticed the following:
Lot of young (Indian) players are included in the squad (some of them bought at obscene prices). They seemingly perform great in such tournaments. But when some of them are selected to play in international matches, they fail miserably. Initially, I thought this was limited to certain individuals, but over a period of time the number increased. When I started thinking about the root causes, it came down to the following:
1. Conditions are heavily tailor made. Most of the cases it is favoring local players
2. Since players are bought in auctions, their true value is skewed (either way)
3. Inducing a false sense of belief that playing in such conditions is good enough to be world class
4. In general, T20 is about 90 mins of luck and stamina, whereas any other form of cricket is way different from this
Overall, the "so called champions" in such conditions come cropper when they play in different league and class.
Then it struck me - IPL to cricket is exactly what reservation is to education.
1. Conditions: Right from school level, the marks and grades are heavily lowered
2. Reservation masks the true value of the person
3. Induces false sense of belief that they are actually "highly qualified Engineers and doctors"
4. With a heavily lowered bar, the person's ability to push harder is reduced
This is why there is a gradual degradation of standards everywhere. These people suffer when they are put in real-competitive environment. And our politicians have already started to "fix" this problem by asking for "reservation in private sector". Only thing pending is reservation in H1Bs and Green cards (don't be surprised if you find them in the manifesto of some party in 2019 or 2024 elections).
What is the solution then (for both issues)?
1. Adjusting the playing conditions is not the right approach.Invest in improving the talent. In IPL, we have seen players like Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Dhoni etc. are playing well. In fact, these players play well in any condition and have proven it already. Similarly, properly groomed kids will shine in any field provided their basics are right. Setup schools everywhere (even exclusive coaching centers for certain groups of people).
2. Make reservation (IPL selection) as a prize to be won rather than a throw away gift. This should follow step1. Qualified students maybe given preferences in colleges and qualified players in IPL
Now we are creating a system where we don't compromise on quality, while achieving proper social balance.
Lot of young (Indian) players are included in the squad (some of them bought at obscene prices). They seemingly perform great in such tournaments. But when some of them are selected to play in international matches, they fail miserably. Initially, I thought this was limited to certain individuals, but over a period of time the number increased. When I started thinking about the root causes, it came down to the following:
1. Conditions are heavily tailor made. Most of the cases it is favoring local players
2. Since players are bought in auctions, their true value is skewed (either way)
3. Inducing a false sense of belief that playing in such conditions is good enough to be world class
4. In general, T20 is about 90 mins of luck and stamina, whereas any other form of cricket is way different from this
Overall, the "so called champions" in such conditions come cropper when they play in different league and class.
Then it struck me - IPL to cricket is exactly what reservation is to education.
1. Conditions: Right from school level, the marks and grades are heavily lowered
2. Reservation masks the true value of the person
3. Induces false sense of belief that they are actually "highly qualified Engineers and doctors"
4. With a heavily lowered bar, the person's ability to push harder is reduced
This is why there is a gradual degradation of standards everywhere. These people suffer when they are put in real-competitive environment. And our politicians have already started to "fix" this problem by asking for "reservation in private sector". Only thing pending is reservation in H1Bs and Green cards (don't be surprised if you find them in the manifesto of some party in 2019 or 2024 elections).
What is the solution then (for both issues)?
1. Adjusting the playing conditions is not the right approach.Invest in improving the talent. In IPL, we have seen players like Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Dhoni etc. are playing well. In fact, these players play well in any condition and have proven it already. Similarly, properly groomed kids will shine in any field provided their basics are right. Setup schools everywhere (even exclusive coaching centers for certain groups of people).
2. Make reservation (IPL selection) as a prize to be won rather than a throw away gift. This should follow step1. Qualified students maybe given preferences in colleges and qualified players in IPL
Now we are creating a system where we don't compromise on quality, while achieving proper social balance.
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