WITH Vidarbha team entering a second successive final match of the Ranji Trophy tournament and Kerala coming from the other side, it is obvious that domestic cricket is confirming the arrival of a new competitive culture that is inviting entirely non-traditional teams to perform better -- and transform the game. Of course, teams with no culture of cricketing excellence have been showing a remarkable elevation of their game in the past couple of decades.

 

Yet, the top layers of domestic cricket were inhabited mostly by traditional teams such as Mumbai or Karnataka or Delhi, for example. Only a handful of teams contested for the top spots and alternated the championship among them -- with, of course, Mumbai usually having won the maximum numbers of Ranji championship finals. But the last few years have seen this traditional picture changing with newer teams -- such as Vidarbha -- surging ahead in talent and teamwork and craft remarkable victories in crucial matches and even winning different coveted trophies. This transformation in the country’s cricketing culture has an endearing colour and enticing fragrance which conventional as well as modern cricket fans have come to adore.

 

This transformation has not been an easy journey for domestic cricket, one must admit. In fact, for decades, domestic cricket bodies have been experiencing a richer playing ecosystem and infrastructure that is fully commensurate with what is available globally. On some counts, Indian ecosystem proved even better than that of countries like Australia. Despite that terrific input on most professional counts, talent was not finding an appropriate expression in domestic cricket in India. That had led many conventional thinkers to conclude that mere world class physical infrastructure does not necessarily win competitions. Possibly, cricket establishment collectively understood this well, and launched many cricket academies either under the official banner of the Board of Control for Cricket in India or under some independent entities. Those heightened levels of cricket mentoring made a critical difference -- which we see getting reflected in the outcomes of most domestic tournaments. Going by this standard, we can say safely that Indian cricket is enjoying the romance with itself -- as can be sensed from the elevated standards of domestic cricket. In other words, this may be described as a golden period in Indian cricket on the domestic front.

 

Add to this the happy reality of a vastly expanded range of talent the country can boast of. Talented and inspired youngsters from hitherto unknown places, too, are coming to centrestage with dramatic performances all along their upward journey to the top. Their batting talent, their bowling acumen, their fielding deftness are truly world class. Never had Indian cricket seen such a scenario. That is the reason why India has become a name to reckon with in international cricket as well. Another cultural contribution of India to cricket is the richness of resources which managers of the game created with conscious effort over generations. This is not a mean contribution by any standard. Today, India is cricket’s leader-nation and a totem pole of excellence in the game and its management with its own signature.