How often in the recent past have we seen young players like Irfan Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Robin Uthappa, and so on, entering the international arena with some superb performances, but then fading away as the opposition teams managed to find chinks in their armory. Somehow, rather than improving, these players seem to forget how they got till this level. Ofcourse, the hype created around these players by the media and the supporters is also to blame. But blaming just the media, and the followers of the game is not enough. Soccer players experience similar adulation, and idol worship; they earn much more than our players do, and they appear in many more ads than cricketers. However, we still see them doing well at the top level.

What the youngsters in the Indian team seem to lack is the desire to keep improving. How many times have we heard all the great players - both of yesteryears, and current - say that they kept on learning right till the end. The best way for the youngsters to do so is to go to the roots; the domestic cricket arena in their case. The Indian domestic cricket structure may not be in a great shape, but still it can do wonders for any player willing to exploit whatever advantages it offers. Even if the standard of cricket at our domestic level is way below the international standards, going back to the grassroots level means that you get to analyze how far your game has changed - for better or for worse. Your coach at the domestic level may point out some defect that may have crept in your game; which your national team coach may not have noticed.

One of the best examples of benefits of going to the grassroots level was displayed recently by Rahul Dravid. Embarrassed shamelessly by our selectors, he refused to break down (as he has done so often in the past), and instead of moping around, went back to play for Karnataka in the Ranji trophy to prepare for the test season ahead. The results were clearly visible yesterday. For a man who had not played test cricket for a long time, he seemed perfectly at ease in the testing conditions during the morning. And as the pitch eased off, he proceeded to play one of the finest innings he has played in the past few years. So the question to be asked is: If an established player like Dravid can go back to the Ranji level to fine tune his technique - even though nobody has raised their voices against him - why can’t some of our players who are struggling against the short deliveries, accept the facts facing them humbly ,and work out the chinks in their techniques? What is it that stops them? Ego? Laziness? or a false sense of accomplishment (especially in IPL)? Whatever it is, unless they get rid of it, the future of Indian cricket looks grim.

As it is, the quality of umpiring is not consistent these days. This decision may further affect the quality of umpiring. The umpires may start making casual decisions knowing that even if they go wrong, the batsman can appeal against the decision taken. Umpires have long been held in the highest regards in the game of cricket. But this decision will certainly affect the sanctity of the position. This effectively means that the umpires will be reduced to mere spectators with the best seats in the house.

At a time when severe questions are being asked about the umpiring standards following the fiasco in the India-Australia series, the ICC should have strongly supported the umpires. Especially since they are chosen by the ICC itself. Instead this new move will further give rise to speculations that the ICC does not trust its own representatives.

This move will also have an effect on the ICC’s initiative to popularize cricket. Cricket has always struggled to match the popularity of Soccer. One of the prime reasons for this has been the pace of the game. Just as one thought that cricket may have made some progress in this regards with the arrival of T20 competitions, this move will severely hamper the ICC’s plans.

It remains to be seen what comes out of this bizarre decision by the ICC. If it succeeds then it may bring an end to one of the foremost questions being asked in cricketing circles: “Is technology the answer to erroneous umpiring?”

Mumbai has been no exception. The ever growing population of Mumbai has meant an increase in the amount of cement and concrete jungles. This in turn has led to an increase in the heat levels in the city. As a result people have always welcomed monsoons with glee. But the situation has been rapidly changing in the past few years. People, though still relieved with the advent of monsoon, also have some trepidation about it. The BMC has been unable to cope up with the ever increasing population of Mumbai. The increase in the number of housing projects, malls, roads etc has meant that the water entering the city has no place to go to. The drainage systems have been clogged. All it takes is one heavy downpour and the city comes to a standstill. What’s more, this constant water logging is proving to be quite fatal for the lives of many people due to the uncovered manholes throughout the city.

It was a very sad day indeed for the city when the American Embassy had to issue a directive to its people in Mumbai to be careful during the monsoons. Though the citizens and the BMC officials reacted with fury and sought to give various explanations, no one stopped for a moment to think about how it could come to all this. There have been a lot of plans announced in the past few years. But one still has to see them being implemented.

Lets hope that the officials take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of the citizens. Lets hope monsoon becomes safe again. Lets hope monsoon becomes beautiful again.