The complete devaluation of the Duleep Trophy

The once-prestigious Duleep Trophy has met with the ultimate humiliation. With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) changing its format from an inter-zonal competition to one where the contestants will be three teams drawn from players involved in the elite division of the reshaped Ranji Trophy and two teams from the Plate Division of the Ranji Trophy, the Duleep Trophy has been shorn of all its glamour and importance.

For many years, the zing was indeed very much in evidence. Matches were of a high standard, competition was keen, and the feats of the leading lights in the game in the country were followed with fervour. Notable Duleep Trophy deeds were a passport, as it were, to a place in the Indian team.

Over the years, the competition has slowly lost its place as the pre-eminent national tournament, thanks first to the players who regularly gave it a miss and then to the administrators who scheduled the competition in a haphazard manner, changing the format from a knock-out to league and back again. Last season, for example, the tournament was played at the fag end of the season, when interest among players and cricket-followers was bound to be lukewarm.

But at least the format was retained, and for budding players, there was no more prestigious tournament. A place in the zonal Duleep side was much sought after by youngsters who did well in the Ranji Trophy. They were aware that it represented the final stepping-stone towards an India cap. Indeed, over the last 40 years, one has lost count of the number of stars who stepped on to the international stage with a notable performance in the Duleep Trophy.

Getting into the zonal side was a matter of pride, but with the change of format, one doubts that the same honour will be associated with the tournament any more. A cricketer used to say with pride that he represented South Zone or West Zone or North Zone. What will he say now? With zonal identification missing, the importance of the tournament is no longer relevant.

The Duleep tournament was inaugurated in 1961-62 and came as a whiff of fresh air in the sick domestic circuit. The Ranji Championship, after more than 25 years, had lost much of its sheen and glamour, and the dwindling crowds said it all. It was hoped that the Duleep Trophy, a more glamorous tournament involving the best players from the five zones, would do much to bring back interest in domestic cricket.

And for many years, the zing was indeed very much in evidence. Matches were of a high standard, competition was keen, and the feats of the leading lights in the game in the country were followed with fervour. Notable Duleep Trophy deeds were a passport, as it were, to a place in the Indian team.

The first two decades of the Duleep was the tournament's golden period. >From the early 80s, the devaluation commenced. With the international calendar getting heavier, stars started giving the competition a miss. Often the Duleep Trophy had the tag of being a "glorified trial," held just prior to selecting an Indian team for a tour.

Through the 80s and 90s, the Duleep Trophy gradually became just another domestic tournament to be conducted without any particular planning by the BCCI. By this time the international commitments had become even heavier, so the competing teams generally consisted of the second string of players. Not unexpectedly, the crowds stayed away. A brief flirtation for a few years of holding the competition on a league basis did not change matters much. Indeed, many players complained that it only made the Duleep Trophy needlessly long-winded in an already heavy domestic season.

But throughout these four decades, the tournament was held either at the start of the season or halfway through, so the players were still fresh and had something to play for. With the BCCI shifting last year's competition to March - April, the tournament suffered a grievous insult.

Now comes the crowning humiliation. There was really no need for the BCCI to take such a drastic change in the composition of the teams. Even if, over the years, the tournament has lost much of its initial glamour, it must not be forgotten that it is still important for budding players eager to climb the ladder of success. It will not give them the same degree of thrill, success and fulfillment even if they do well in its new avatar. This is needless tinkering with an important competition, and while the domestic circuit has to be restructured, this is not the way to go about it. The BCCI, in the process, has also shown scant respect to the great cricketer after whom the trophy has been named.