Can Indian cricket prosper whilst overlooking the Northeastern region? The question should be raised after the suggestions made by cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar to make the country a formidable force in cricket. Sachin has asked to change the Duleep Trophy format, a premier regional cricketing contest in India. So far, India divided in five zones, used to take part in the said competition. According to Sachin from now on semifinalists in the Ranji Trophy Competition, the contest which decides the national champion and two other teams comprising talented budding cricketers should be given the chance to compete in the tournament. One of the all-time greatest batsman of world cricket believes that this step will further enrich Indian cricket.
If Sachin’s plan is accepted, it will virtually put an end to the burning ambitions of Northeastern cricketers to play more cricket. Being a new entrant to Indian cricket, cricketers of the region need more matches to prove their worth and to make a mark. At present, they get the chance to play barely 20 odd games in the whole season, while players donning national colours or those waiting in the wings play more than 50 matches a year. From the number of matches Northeastern cricketers get to participate, it is easily understandable how spirits can be low.
There is no denying that cricket is not so popular in the Northeast. This can be attributed to two reasons. Firstly, the weather and secondly the lack of allowed space. Due to its geographical location, the region gets plenty of rains during monsoon. Monsoon, in the region stays longer than other parts of the country. Moreover, hilly terrains in the Northeastern states make it a challenge to find a suitable field to play cricket. Yet, one cricket stadium has come up in Dimapur, while another is in the pipeline. Apart from Nagaland, other states of the region too, are making efforts to prepare cricket fields. These two reasons combined with the apathy shown towards the region by the apex body of cricket in the country BCCI, had kept Northeast out of the cricketing scene for decades. It is only due to the intervention of the Supreme Court that states belonging to the region are now participating in the national championships.
But even in such a short span of time, the Northeastern states have already started making a mark at the national level. Recently, Meghalaya beat Mumbai, the undisputed Mecca of Indian cricket in a group league match of the Mushtaq Ali T-20 tournament. The result of the match may stun some. But those who are aware of the Northeastern passion for sports are not awestruck, as today or tomorrow, the region will also be counted among the top teams in the country. Genetically Northeaster populace are fit for sports. Sportspersons of the region have already become household names in the country. Everyone knows the achievements of Mary Kom. Sarita, Hima, Deepa Karmakar, all have grabbed the attention of the nation through their heroics in the sporting field. So, it is only a matter of time before the cricketers from the region draw attention. The only worry is that the present BCCI president Sourav Ganguly accepts his friend Sachin’s proposal, which will virtually rob the budding cricketers of Northeast from the opportunity to exhibit their skills at the national level.
