IND vs NZ 3rd Test: When cricket becomes commerce and cricketers become ‘Crorepatis’

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IND vs NZ: Serious cricket, what’s that, please? Watching the IPL retention drama play out on Thursday, followed by spineless batting from India in the third Test against New Zealand on Friday in Mumbai is proof, this sport at home is more about commerce than cricket.

After wonderful spells from Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, who took five and four wickets each respectively, the famed batting collapsed like a house of cards. The long walk from the middle to the pavilion at the Wankhede Stadium by Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli was finite proof of spineless batting. So what? They have secured 'Crorepati’ deals at the IPL retentions.

Each of these batters has made it big with Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore respectively. In terms of runs scored in an important Test to save pride, forget these heroes, they are zeroes. All the zeroes are only in the retention purse they are assured of.

Frankly speaking, nobody should weep or cry. This has become a joke, butt of ridicule, or whatever you want to call it. This is what will happen when you have IPL business deals on during a Test series. All the focus is on IPL where the mantra is 'paisa phenko tamaasha dekho’ (throw money and watch the fun).

This has become a reality in Test cricket as well, where each of these batters with pedigree fell cheaply. There is whatsoever no remorse. And why should there be. It is not as if the IPL is a private entity, if it’s monster, it was created by the BCCI. They are happy to see profits made and let serious cricket drown in the sea near the Wankhede Stadium.

Nothing will change soon. There will be sarcasm, taunts and barbs aimed at the Indian batters. Nobody will apologise, their posts from PR teams will be on thanking their IPL franchise. What was that term, break the bank? It’s true, these guys are happy to strike rich IPL deals, not rich form. What will happen in the BGT Series Down Under, one shudders to think.

It’s a collective collapse this. It has been mindless to have a retention or a distraction at the time of an important Test series. Forget making the ICC Test Championship final, the IPL retentions are important. And when the five-Test series begins in Australia, the IPL auction will be on in Saudi Arabia. All eyes will not be on the Test scoreboard but the auction hammer and TV screens which will nakedly parade the auction sale price. Indian cricket fans will love it, this mega sale, even if it means doom against the Aussies. Who cares, not the BCCI, not the IPL team owners.

Club cricket, which the IPL is, will rock in 2025 summer. Players will be happy to fly from one city to and play. All the sins of failure in Test series will be forgotten. 'Maximum’ will be the order where sixes will be hit in a flurry, even as the bowlers will hold their heads in grief. And it could be these same bowlers, Jadeja and Washington Sundar, who can also be hammered. Winning IPL team owners will cheer for the batters, bowlers can suffer.

As long as there is going to be a disbalance between serious cricket and 'pyjama cricket,’ a reference to the Kerry Packer series when held first, forget performances which will matter. Each IPL team owner makes a profit, the BCCI makes a profit and so do the players. The only folks who don’t make a profit and will shed tears are fans.

Wake up, Indian fans, watch fun cricket, not Test cricket. That’s what the prescription is. Unless you are a fool who still believes this is an unending nightmare.