Remember the Time when slaves were auctioned as Gladiators?

Many years ago, there was this cruel barbaric system called slavery. Remember the movie Gladiator? Do you recall the way Russell Crowe gets auctioned as a slave to fight as a gladiator?

Today, I get a similar feeling when I read and watch the happenings in the world of cricket. The Indian Premier League (IPL) auction reminds me of this very system. World class players are being auctioned for green dollar notes!

I'm not sure how this really will work out (for the game of cricket), but I'm goocertain that the game of cricket is losing its erstwhile charm. The Twenty20 format itself, I feel, has dented the spirit of one day cricket.

T20 Cup - Presentation ceremony gag

In the post-match presentation, Ravi Shastri to Dhoni -

"Congratulations to you and the whole Indian team for winning this world cup. You guys have produced a great nail baiting show.. and deserve the cup. We welcome you to share the joy with us."

Dhoni -

"Thanks Ravi, the match was pretty close encounter between two great teams and our guys held the nerve to win the game and cup."

Shastri -

"Who was the one behind this thrilling victory?"

Dhoni -

"All us played well but I would say the man behind this great victory is Ajit Agarkar"

Shocked Shastri...

"Agarkar ? ? .. how come Agarkar... he didn't play in the final.."

Dhoni -

"Yeah.. that's the reason we won this low scoring match.. if he could have bowled in final, Pakistan would have scored the winning runs from his 4 overs...."

Shastri -

"ok.. fine, whom will u thank for winning this final..."

Dhoni -

"The team doctor deserves the credit... he really helped us to prepare for the final..."

Shastri -

"Is it? ?.... how did the doctor help u to prepare for the final...

he is not the coach or physical trainer...Dhoni.. I am confused"

Dhoni -

"Ravi... he failed Sehwag in the fitness test according to our game plan and we managed to pick a good playing team.. thus we weigh the doctor's contribution very high...infact its better than our team effort in the field.. our game tactic worked well"

Shastri -

"To whom will u dedicate this World Cup?

Dhoni -

"The entire team including myself wants to dedicate this cup to Sachin, Dravid and Ganguly..."

Shastri -

"I really really appreciate you... its good that you respect ur seniors....and you ...."

Dhoni interrupts....

"Ravi.. let me complete... India would have exited in the Group matches if they decided to play in the series... thank god they opted out and we managed to play cricket and won the cup.."

Shastri -

"The match was thrilling and was concluded by a single mistake of Misbah.. Isn't it? "

Dhoni -

"Yes you are right, after lofting the ball Misbah told me that he has send the ball to where there was no one....but he didn't know that there is a malayali in every corner of the world.... This single mistake has coasted the game and won the cup..."

Shastri faints and Dhoni receives the CUP and thats the end of the great Twenty-20 world cup...

The Indian Cricket - Valued like Gold

The value of Gold is something that has never gone down from yesteryears to date. Its been the most-watched and the most emotional sport of all time. Despite the fact that the entire nation knew the inside stories of the Indian cricket world, its always been close to their hearts. The value of Cricket in India is like Gold.

From the days of Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar to the days of Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni (from what I've seen), "controversy" has taken the center stage many a time. Match-fixing, ball-tampering, betting has been the most common of the various controversies.

From an other angle, Gold is something that doesn't lose value as it gets old - on the other hand, it gains value. So is the case with Indian cricket. Sunil Gavaskar - the superstart of yesteryears, and Sachin Tendulkar - of today, are both very good examples of this. They have grown old, but their value has never dwindled!

The recent "Great Loss" (if I may say so) of the Indian cricket team (and Indian cricketing spirit) at the World Cup 2007 is another good example. I am tempted to compare the recent happenings in the world of Indian cricket to the Indian Sensex - It dipped and jumped back on track again after a brief period in time. The resiliency has been high in the case of the Indian Stock Market Sensex and I expect the same to be in the case of the Indian cricket (and the spirits of cricketing fans around India).

It was just a month ago that the news tabloids carried the headlines "Angry Indian cricket fans pulverize MS Dhoni's home" (wordings were different though). Today's headlines that I read on MSN News carried the headlines - "Fan breaches security, hugs Dhoni"! Such are the minds of we (yes, I admit being a fan too) Indian fans.

The most ridiculous comment (with the recent spate of losses of the Indian team, both in WC 2007 and the prior matches) I read was in Rediff news, where Ravi Shastri is reported to have told them (when asked about the older players) - "Sachin is hungry... Just be patient with Sachin, Sehwag and (see) what they are capable of,". Hungry?? Ahem...well...no comments :-)

Net-Net, its time that the Indian Cricket Board and the selection process changed to what they have in Australia. Its time we kept 'politics' away from the Indian Cricket.

- An Indian Cricket fan.