Let Sachin, Sourav play only Tests

It was the evening of October 29, 2004. A bunch of Oz cricketers were punching the air, embracing each other at the Vidharba Cricket Association stadium in Nagpur. Brett Lee was screaming for an Australian flag while Matthew Hayden was lying on the grass with beer in hand. They did what Steve Waugh's world conquerors failed to do in 2001. The Final Frontier was conquered. Australia won a Test series in India.

Adam Gilchrist, who was leading Australia in the absence of an injured Ricky Ponting, said: "It [the series victory] is very pleasing. The Australian team had started preparing for the India series from Chennai 2001. John Buchanan's mind had started ticking from then."

It speaks about why the Australians are world champions. They started preparing for the series form the day they failed to win it. And finally, won the feather that was missing from their baggy green cap.

Will the Indian cricket Board learn from this? India failed to even qualify for the second stage of the last World Cup. Over one year has gone by and the next World Cup is barely three years away. But the team management still seems to be groping in the dark on how to win the tournament that India will co-host.

Although a regular coach has been appointed in Gary Kirsten, the management must draw a blue print on how to build a bench strength of 40 players with enough international experience. With complaints of too much of cricket being played, which is bound to take its toll on the players' bodies, the game's administrators may be forced to curtail the number of matches soon. Also Twenty20 is catching up fast with overwhelming potential for generating money and entertainment.

India will play 54 One-day Internationals, apart from the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan in Septemebr 2008, three tri-series (two in Sri Lanka and one in Bangladesh) and the Asia Cup in 2010 before World Cup 2011, according to the Future Tours Programme of ICC. After the current Asia Cup in Pakistan, the Indians will tour Sri Lanka in July and August to play five ODIs before returning to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy in September next.