I was reminded of that when I read Greg Chappell's thought-provoking article in the Hindu
about how modern batsmen are struggling to "survive, let alone make
runs, when the pitch is other than a flat road where the odds are
overwhelmingly in the batsman's favour". He thinks it could be a result
of academies that "do not produce the creative thinkers that become the
next champions", and whose "highly intrusive coaching methods… have
replaced those creative learning environments".Even as academies mushroom everywhere, there is little proof that they
are enriching Indian cricket and not merely providing another source of
income to retired cricketers. It is a good exercise at social events to
say, "You know, my son goes to such and such academy run by so and so
former cricketer", but it does little else. My fear is that it thrusts
eager children into another school of regimented learning; instead of
the unfettered joy of hitting and chasing and bowling a cricket ball,
they are checking out their stance, their foot movement and the
alignment of the shoulder. That is like answering a question on five
aspects of the architectural layouts of 16th century temples, instead of
learning history. Sport can run the risk, as my friend Shyam
Balasubramaniam says, of "becoming an industrial time and motion study".
Even as academies mushroom everywhere, there is little proof that they
are enriching Indian cricket and not merely providing another source of
income to retired cricketers. It is a good exercise at social events to
say, "You know, my son goes to such and such academy run by so and so
former cricketer", but it does little else. My fear is that it thrusts
eager children into another school of regimented learning; instead of
the unfettered joy of hitting and chasing and bowling a cricket ball,
they are checking out their stance, their foot movement and the
alignment of the shoulder. That is like answering a question on five
aspects of the architectural layouts of 16th century temples, instead of
learning history. Sport can run the risk, as my friend Shyam
Balasubramaniam says, of "becoming an industrial time and motion study".
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