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Cricket PlayersIndia’s growing influence over English cricket
There was a time when Indian princes led teams to England. Now, it is the country’s corporates who hold sway
India and England go back a long way in cricket, more than a hundred years. In days past, Indian princes led touring teams, now corporate czars own teams in The Hundred. Over the years the nature of contact has changed, moving from cricket to commerce.
At one time, County cricket was considered essential for the growth of players and the best in the world went through its relentless grind. Those days concerns of workload management didn’t exist and cricketers played all the time. As contracted professionals, bowlers bowled in the nets, sent down 25-30 overs in a day and drove to the next venue after play ended. Nobody wanted rest.
Most Indian batsmen from the previous generation did a stint in England, learning to bat in difficult conditions and improving their skills to handle bounce and seam. But when the international calendar got busy players could not find time for County cricket. Pataudi, Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri, Tendulkar, Dravid and Sourav played for Counties, and recently Pujara, Rahane and Sai Sudarshan spent time in England.
This season the bowlers, not batters, are in England – Jaydev Unadkat, Kuldeep Yadav, Sai Kishore, Manav Suthar, Yuzi Chahal, Rahul Chahar. Interestingly, the wheel of cricket has turned a full circle and India is at the core of English cricket – but in a different way. More than individual players, it is Indian money and the Indian team that is in demand. England realised that each visit of the Indian team leads to a massive commercial boost.
In England, and elsewhere, the Indian team is cricket’s box office – a guaranteed money spinner. No wonder after a five Test series last year the Indian team was again in England this summer on a white-ball tour. And, yes – all games were sold out. Host venues generated significant profits from ticket sales and top end hospitality packages.
India’s shadow over English cricket is growing in a much deeper manner. For the ECB, The Hundred is its financial lifeline because 14 of its 18 Counties are in the red annually. The sale of franchise teams attracted vast amounts of Indian money, which is being funnelled into cricket at different levels.
The biggest play of Indian cricket/corporate clout is visible at Hampshire. Its Southern Braves Hundred team is fully owned by the GMR Group which also controls Hampshire’s County cricket. Elsewhere, IPL franchises (MI, Sunrisers, LSG) not just add their unique culture to the competition, but are part of the governance structure. In Manchester, LSG has announced an ambitious plan to invest in cricket infrastructure.
Unlike India, cricket faces serious challenges in England, not all of them financial in nature. The major concern is that cricket is unattractive to the youth, even roller skating and darts (not considered sport in India) have more followers. Attracting talent into cricket is a huge task and getting people to buy tickets to watch an even bigger one. Mindful of these ground realities, closer commercial contact with India is seen as the silver bullet to get over the problems.
One Interesting development is the rising stature of Indian cricket people within English cricket ecosystem. A notable example is Dinesh Karthik, who is part of the London Spirit Hundred technical leadership group and a regular on the Sky Sports commentary team.
DK successfully transitioned from red to white ball, from Tests to the 20-over circuit, from the dressing room to the television commentary box. DK is the complete package – solid experience, a sharp analytical mind, fluent expression and a pleasant personality.
As a cricket pundit he offers a fresh perspective. Spending time between Chennai and London, DK has many balloons in the air. With him on the circuit is Ravi Shastri who has a strong voice and a strong opinion. This year, Ajinkya Rahane took to the microphone, covering three matches for The Hundred.
When asked about his new role, Rahane said he would have liked to do more but had to go rush to Mumbai – because his daughter’s school was opening after the summer break.
That, in today’s context, is also ‘workload management’.
