The side effects of IPL

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After 44 days of hype, glamour, glitter and non-stop cricketing action it's time to figure out what kind of footprints the DLF-IPL will leave. Look

at it any way, it was a hit - full stadiums, soaring TRP's and the odd controversies that helped this new version of cricket take rapid strides in

its very first year. Just by the sheer magnitude of interest it has become the flagship tournament of Indian domestic cricket. But is it good

news or bad news? The answer lies with the BCCI.

We have heard the positives of the IPL and how it can change the dynamics of Indian cricket. Not many critics and commentators have

chosen to look at the flip side. No matter how good the medicine may be, there are always some side effects. Ignore them and you are inviting

new problems.

The first thing the BCCI needs to ensure is that the IPL doesn't send a wrong message to the youngsters playing cricket in India. Yes, it's an

important tournament that can offer overnight stardom, but it should not encourage youngsters to see this as the gateway to get into the

Indian side. The Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy are India's premier domestic cricket tournaments and that's the way it should stay. The IPL

should be seen only as a launch pad, not a short-cut.

A few selections in the recent India A squad were baffling and didn't send the right message across. With all due respect to Manpreet Gony,

he didn't deserve a place in the squad for the Emerging nations tournament. He has played five first-class games, taken 13 wickets with no

five-wicket haul yet. Surely there are many more who have remained more consistent through the season. A few good performances in the

IPL, where you need to bowl four overs, shouldn't be enough to get an India A cap.

Youngsters should not feel that this pyjama cricket can get you a place in the Indian side. The values of strong technique and solid basics are

paramount for any cricketer. And they can only be built in the grind of four-day cricket, where you learn the art of building an innings and

bowling long spells. More often than not, a good Test cricketer can survive in all formats. But in most cases it won't work otherwise. The

value of a classical cover drive can not be replaced by a paddle sweep over fine leg. Watching Shaun Marsh bat in Twenty20 confirms as

much.

A format like this will always attract crowds and sponsors. A rock concert by Himesh Reshmaiya will always have more attendance then a

concert by Bhimsen Joshi. But it's very important to understand the importance of both the audiences. What matters is the intensity with

which the organisers conduct and market it.

The BCCI must use this IPL as a blue print to organize other domestic tournaments in the country. With the same enthusiasm and intensity,

things will only look better. Only the BCCI can ensure that a new kid doesn't get all the attention and the elders feel insecure. If Lalit Modi

can criss-cross the entire country to make sure everything is running fine with the IPL, he can certainly watch a few domestic games to show

that his heart is in the right place.