Too much cricket - Why the BCCI could have followed a different selection policy for the Bangladesh tour

Fans enjoy the India vs Australia World Cup semi-final match on a giant screen in Gurgaon

In light of the impossibly hectic cricket season all players of the India team are currently in the middle of, it is worthwhile to again raise the question whether cricket boards in general, and the BCCI in particular, exploits the potential of India’s best 11.

Despite reports suggesting that key players like M.S. Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane would be rested, a full-strength team has been announced for the Bangladesh series starting barely two weeks after the IPL, which in turn started barely two weeks after the World Cup.

Even though Virat Kohli’s selection in the Test team can be justified as he is the newly named captain, but he could have been rested from the ODI series perhaps.

One major stakeholder in this prolonged continuity of action from India’s best are the broadcasters who are always desperate to make popular and important players play so that they do not lose money.

Perhaps being one of the biggest cricket boards of the world, the BCCI has the responsibility of setting examples by rotating players. Respecting its players is a primary responsibility of cricket boards.

Risks of a packed cricket calendar

BCCI should come up with a proper cricket calendar. Even after playing continuous cricket from December 2014, it is not that the team will now be provided ample time to recover. The immediate future is packed with tours to Zimbabwe in July and Sri Lanka in August.

Having back to back events is something that demands serious consideration from BCCI.

A risk of constantly playing is that players don’t get time to properly recover from injuries before they are forced into the fray once again – if by chance that player happens to hit a rough patch, it is a Herculean task to return to previous form and fitness simultaneously.

Opportunities for young cricketers

This Bangladesh tour is one of the many instances where the BCCI was required to let at least a few players who have been subject to long periods of high pressure to get a desired break.

Stars from the Ranji Trophy and the IPL could have been given a stage to make the step up on the Bangladesh tour, surely a better platform for an uncapped player than a Test series in Australia or the T20 World Cup.

The saying goes that an excess of anything is bad and this applies to the present situation as well. The increased amount of cricket in the last few years must have been a profitable affair for the BCCI and the broadcasters, as well as being a treat to the die-hard fans, but it is worth remembering that a lot of people on the other side of the coin might have been losing their interest in following the game as well.