Star-studded start to the domestic season

Sachin Tendulkar pulling out of the Irani Cup because of his elbow injury has come as a huge disappointment for many reasons.

The fact that he was keen to play the match showed that he meant business because he knows there is nothing like match practice. You may spend hours in the 'nets' but there is nothing like testing yourself in a match. The Irani Cup was just the kind of opportunity for the players to get ready for the series against Australia.

I was also looking forward to see a contest between Tendulkar and Ishant Sharma. Again, Ishant may have bowled to Tendulkar in the 'nets' but then a match is so different. Tendulkar has set some great records and has priceless experience but he knows what it is to knock the ball around when eleven opponents are out to snare him. I wish Tendulkar reports fit for the Test series because he is a key factor if India want to tame the Australians.

It brings the best out of you when the opponent belongs to a select category and Ishant would have learnt a few lessons from this match. But there is plenty to look forward from this match. How does Rahul Dravid tackle Ishant? How would Delhi's top four fare against the pace attack of the Rest of India team? It is not often that you get such a star-studded field in a domestic encounter. What a wonderful start to the season with this Irani Cup!

I am also wondering what is happening to talented players like Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik. It is time for them to introspect and improve. They can't be sitting on the sidelines when the best place for them is inside the boundary rope. I suspect they have lost the motivation because they have become satisfied with whatever they have achieved in a short time.

These young kids need to just look at the careers of seniors like Tendulkar, Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble, Virender Sehwag and understand the meaning of consistency and commitment. They need to study the road that the seniors took to enjoy such a long career. It is one thing to win the cap but it is another to wear it for such a long duration and with such distinction.

The difference between the young lot and these seniors is that they were never satisfied with what they were achieving. Their hunger for greater success not only helped them personally but it also supported the Indian team's case in wanting to become a big force in international cricket.

The image of the sub-continent has been dented in the recent past with the bomb blasts which has left us all sad. I liked the support that the Board of Control for Cricket in India extended to Pakistan by saying yes to the proposed tour early next year. There is time for that tour and we don't know how the situation would change but security is best left to those who handle it. We travel only when our Government says it is safe. Let us hope things improve.