Spitting into the wind

I have never hidden my admiration for Aakash Chopra, and have even advocated a major role for him in the current Indian set up.

A few days ago the BCCI announced the latest list of contracted players. Many fringe players made it, but there was one omission that went largely unreported - Aakash Chopra was quietly dropped from the Grade D (the lowest grade possible). (Siddharth Mongia explores this in more detail in this piece).

To say Aakash Chopra was stung by the vote of no-confidence is an understatement. On his CricInfo blog, Aakash puts forward a very compelling case for why he deserved a longer run, clearly showing that the BCCI only pays lip service to the domestic game. I fear the writing is on the wall, and Aakash Chopra will never play for India again and the loss is entirely Indian cricket's. Shame on you, BCCI.

Initially, the list of contracted players was limited to the top players in the country, and it had no more than 25 players spread over three grades. But last year the BCCI went a step further, and included the players who were doing really well in the domestic circuit. It was a great gesture from the BCCI, and it rewarded a lot of players for their performances. Well, everyone can't be playing for the country at the same time, and hence getting a contract was a huge encouragement. Once you have the contract, contrary to popular belief, not only does it bring the money and security, but it also adds to the motivation to do well, knowing that you're in the loop and would be rewarded again if you do well.

Last year with the contract under my belt, I was all geared up for the season and played with the single-mindedness of proving right the decision to back me. It was a great feeling to be back in the loop after three years of wandering in the wilderness after getting dropped from the national side. It was good to be back.

I went on to score 1339 runs at 60 runs per innings in the longer format, and was the highest run-getter in the season with three double-centuries and two centuries. Incidentally, my tally was the fourth-highest in a single season in the history of Indian first-class cricket. I was lucky to add three unbeaten centuries in the shorter format, taking my season's tally to nearly 1700 runs.

(...) The new list of contracted players was announced three days ago. I was disheartened not to find my name in the list. For the last couple of days I was mulling over what must have gone against me. Did I not score enough runs in that period? Was I supposed to do something more? And after two days of brainstorming, I am still as confused as I was earlier. If I was disheartened earlier, now I was positively lost. I really don't know how to react to the news of not finding my name in the list. It was, after all, meant to be the reward of doing well in the contract period. One part of me still believes that my name must have been forgotten, as I've always had faith in the system where one performs and gets rewarded. Questions are plenty, but answers are none.

No surprisingly, Aakash Chopra is back at it again, scoring runs and keeping Delhi's hopes of defending it's Ranji Trophy triumph alive, by leading from the front as captain and opening batsman.

Good guys rarely finish first, but I'm rooting for this one to buckle the trend.