It is no secret that Indian cricketers have the most demanding schedule among the cricket-playing nations. They have been playing non-stop cricket from the tour of England in June 2007, which was followed by a mentally taxing trip to Australia where they had to tackle on and off-field issues on a day-to-day basis.

The break they had before the home series against South Africa, perhaps, was not good enough to heal the scars and recharge the batteries. They played the first Test against the Proteas in Chennai under energy sapping conditions and within three days they had to take the field for the second Test in Ahmedabad. Even during the short break many of them had to take part in the Indian Premier League shooting, depriving them of much-needed rest.

The consequence: a below par outing and a defeat inside three days. It is easy to put the blame on players for the embarrassing defeat. They, of course, had played a part in that. But just one part. The powers-that-be should not forget the welfare of players — at present limited to a few peripheral efforts — amidst the mad rush to fill the coffers. Within two days of the conclusion of the series against South Africa, the Indian players will have to appear in the IPL.

The players were expected to get some rest before they embark to Pakistan for the Asia Cup. But with the Board of Control for Cricket in India agreeing to play a series in Bangladesh, that hope too has evaporated. Take a look at the schedule. After the Asia Cup, they will play in two away series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and home series against Australia and England, besides the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

Disturbing thought

All within the next eight months, and it is a disturbing thought. Such a schedule is not only cumbersome, but it prevents players from recovering sufficiently from injuries that are part and parcel of international cricket.  It also prevents the team from attaining consistency. The bowlers, who looked so sharp in Australia, were a pale shadow in the first two Tests against South Africa.

Ishant Sharma could not even take part in the two Tests because of multiple injuries – big toe, finger and side. Paceman S Sreesanth has blown hot and cold in the series so far and his partner Rudra Pratap Singh was insipid. You will get a proper picture if you compare Indian pacers' performance with that of their South African counterparts — they have taken 26 wickets so far against a princely three managed by RP Singh and Sreesanth.
One player's remark, "we can't even think about careers spanning 10 years and 20 years from now on", came as no shock. He was just stating a mere fact, sad one at that.

Then there is the issue of nature of pitches in India. During the Ahmedabad Test, there had been lot of talk surrounding the pitch, and India saw red on the green-tinged surface. It can be safely said the Indian batsmen played the pitch than the bowlers, fearing the non-existent demons and they were bundled out for 76. When Indian pacers did well in England and Australia, there were cries to prepare pitches that suited fast bowling.
After the Motera debacle, suddenly everybody seems to have realised that India's strength is spin, and the curator was taken apart for keeping the grass on the pitch.

But skipper Anil Kumble refused to slam the pitch for India's debacle. "I think the wicket behaved like that throughout with the new ball. It was just the matter of adjusting to that." His words highlighted the need to prepare more sporting wickets across the country to avoid such humiliation in the future.