Desicritics Author: Chandra

Indian Supreme Court Upholds OBC Reservation

Chandra — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:29:27 EDT

Finally the good news has come.

The Supreme Court has upheld reservations for OBCs in leading institutes. Very clearly, the court has agreed with the contention that the existing law does not violate the tenets of the constitution.

Additionally, the Supreme Court has clarified that the Government(s) will have to find ways to eliminate the creamy layer from the gambit of reservations.

This is excellent news. It takes into account one component of the massive protests seen in 2006. I call upon liberal folks to accept this announcement and move on.

There are major concerns on how to expand the number of seats, particularly in medical colleges where talented general quota candidates are unable to pursue PG courses.

The Govt will also have to find ways to encourage teaching capacity across the nation. This is a great opportunity to improve the quality of education infrastructure. This is another proud day for my great nation. Jai Hind!

UPA Drowning

Chandra — Sat, 5 Apr 2008 06:06:05 EDT

I have said many times that this Government is a disaster. My worst and most prejudiced comments are coming true. This Government has failed on almost all fronts -

a. Inflation touched 7% this week. It is possible that it may touch as high as 9-10% in 2 months time.

b. Higher Inflation means the RBI is likely to intervene with an interest hike. Those who are on adjustable or floating rates know how EMIs have been increasing. Higher EMIs and interest rates would mean a slowing down in economic activity.

c. A few months ago i (in a prejudiced way) thought that some senior ministers were in the tank with the CIA. Looking at how the Tibet issue is being managed i realised that being in the tank was an unfair accusation. This Govt is so spineless, they are willing to be thrown into any tank. Even prosititutes know when to say NO

d. The Government's handling of the Taslima issue was a disgrace. Why pretend to be secular. Just call yourself the United (Mullah) Pandering Alliance.

e. The Trenton ship purchase: The CAG report concludes that the purchase was made hastily and without proper physical assessment. Not surprisingly, five sailors and an officer were killed a couple of months ago. Lieutenant Commander Shwet Gupta died attempting to rescue the other sailors. Truly a tragedy. I am quite sure that other defense purchases will have similar tales

This is over and above the huge litany of problems that the Govt has done nothing about - Water, Power, Education, Public Sector Reform, law enforcement reforms, Health care (Population management) etc etc. It goes on. The recent announcement in the budget for expanding the NREGP and a desire to waive farmer loans will go a long way in ruining the economy. It appears that members of this Government have lost all sense of rationality. Time is up for Mrs. Gandhi and Dr. Singh. Hopefully we hire people with more competence in the future.

The Obama Clinton Deal

Chandra — Sat, 8 Mar 2008 00:22:13 EST

The Democrats are shooting themselves!

As predicted, Super Tuesday-2 ended Obama’s winning streak. The loss in Ohio and Texas is due to the fact that Obama has been unable to consistently breach Hillary's traditional strengths - Women, Older Folks, Low Income folks, high school only educated folks, Hispanics and Catholics.

It is very clear now that while Obama is contesting for the nomination in 2008, Hillary is doing so for the 2012 contest. In 1976, Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford and in 1980 Kennedy and Carter bruised each other enough to end the contest in favor of the other parties. That is the Hillary Strategy. There is no doubt in my mind that Obama will end up winning the nomination, both delegate and popular count. However, as polls increasingly show, an Obama victory does not mean that all Hillary supporters will end up choosing him over McCain. Polls in New Jersey and California clearly show how competitive McCain can be if Obama is on the ballot.

In this scenario, the best outcome for Obama is for Hillary to withdraw and let Obama be the nominee. The problem is with a lead of just 100 odd delegates, no major state wins and inability to do well with key groups like Hispanics and blue collared white voters, Obama has still not made the case that he will definitely do better than Hillary. Also, 100 delegates and 500000 votes (excl Florida) is really not significantly high. The Hillary argument is also that Obama is too inexperienced to be president. Whatever the merits, there isn't a case strong enough for the hugely ambitious Hillary to drop dead for nothing. In fact, over the last 3 weeks, Hillary's supporters (like Obama's) have now begun to actively invest in her campaign ($3 M on Wednesday). In other words, two groups of committed voters are directly invested in the campaign with the singular desire to ruin the other.

Considering this scenario, here is my unconventional suggestion. While I am not excited by an Obama and Clinton ticket, I believe it is the best option for the Democratic party. Any other alternative may end up in defeat mostly due the likelihood of core voters of each candidate not supporting the other candidate. However, my recommendation is a little unconventional in the sense that I would recommend a deal that would give both candidates an opportunity to be President.

My suggestion is as follows. This year, with Obama leading, both candidates should agree for an Obama presidency with a Hillary Vice Presidency. If elected, Obama should step down in favor of a Hillary candidature in 2012. This would give Hillary to be President after one cycle in 2012.

This provides both candidates with a fair solution, if not a perfect one -

a. It prevents both candidates from destroying each other and close the deal in the General election in November

b. It ensures that Clinton gets an opportunity that she so desperately desires

In the event that neither of these candidates can find a mature deal, neither of them should be President and Al Gore should be drafted in as the candidate for the democratic party. Neither of them anyway are unlikely to thrash McCain as he would.

Let me hear your views!

Super Tuesday Primaries - Live Report - Updated

Chandra — Tue, 5 Feb 2008 08:19:59 EST

Is today is a big night or what? 22 states vote today to shortlist the nominees from the two main political parties for the US Presidential elections in November. Better known as Super Tuesday, today is the busiest day in the primary calender with nearly half of all delegates available to both parties

Results: (May change)

California Hillary Clinton and John McCain look set to take California

From a delegates standpoint, John McCain seems to have a big lead over the other Republican candidates, while it's still hard to call between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.Delegates:

West Virginia GOP Convention: The state has 18 delegates to the national convention, and first round voting was inconclusive with no candidate gaining a majority. Mike Huckabee won the second round, taking all delegates. Ron Paul was eliminated in the first round of voting. Mitt Romney came second.

Hillary Clinton had to cut short a television interview on ABC's This Week due to a coughing fit, she joked that it was due to the intense campaigning in New York. Hopefully nothing some hot tea won't fix.
Almost all opinion polls are trending towards an Obama and McCain landslide. Obama was ahead by 13 points in California (Reuters/Zogby Poll)
Hillary has raised only $13.5M in Jan as opposed to $31M by Obama, although it appears more Wall Street money went to Ms. Clinton.
Absentee ballot data in California indicates that Obama is trending well amongst these voters as well. Mitt Romney seems to be positioned well to win California and Mass.
Hillary has begun to lose the decisive edge she had amongst women.
If Hillary wins the Presidency, she becomes the first female President, An Obama win will mean the first African Amercian President and if John McCain wins he could become the oldest ever to be elected as President
Irrespective of who amongst Clinton, Obama and McCain becomes the president, the US will have a Senator becoming the president for the first time in 40 years (Nixon was the last).
McCain continues to be attacked by so called 'conservatives' within the party. Conservative Fashionista Ann Coulter has already promised to vote Hillary if McCain is the GOP nominee
Hillary cried again last night, campaigning in New York.

As the results stream in, here is what one should watch out for tonight

Democrats

a. Who is winning California? Barack Obama is expected to win a landslide by Zogby/Reuters

b. Who is winning New Jersey/Connecticut and Massachusetts? Most polls predict a close finish

c. Who is winning New Mexico/ Arizona and Colorado? Most polls predict an Obama win

d. What is the size of victory margin in New York/ Georgia and Illinois? Most polls predict an Obama landslide in Georgia/Illinois and a good win for Hillary (20pts) in New York

e. How many states will Hillary win? Anything less than 10 will end her campaign

f. How many delegates did Obama win? Anything greater than 900 will making him the party's nominee

Note: Democrats divide their delegates at two levels - Level 1: According to the % of votes won in the state (30% of delegates), Level 2: According to % of votes won in a congressional district. Anything above 15% gives you one delegate and even a 60%-40% result could give equal number of delegates to both candidates

Republicans

a. Who is winning California and by how much?

b. Who is winning in NY/NJ/CT and Mass.?

c. How many Southern states will Huckabee win? Read about the possibility of Huckabee's Evangelicals voting for Barack Obama

Note: Most Republican States follow the system of winner takes all.

Summary

Almost all opinion polls (GOP, Democrats) have trended in Obama's and McCain’s favor. This could probably mean a big night for both McCain and Obama. While McCain had strengthened his position after South Carolina and Florida, Obama could do the same today as almost all scenarios are in his favor.

My forecast

1. Hillary will drop out: If Obama wins most states or more delegates (100+)

2. Obama will drop out: If Hillary wins most states and a delegate gap greater than 100). The polls suggest that this scenario is impossible.

3. No change in situation: If Obama and Clinton win equal number of states and almost the same number of delegates (+-50)

3. Both Romney and Huckabee will drop out

Join us tonight for updates, analysis and a live discussion at 7.00 PM EST/ 12.00 GMT/5.30 IST

The states in play:

Barack Obama - The 'Short Change' Candidate

Chandra — Sun, 3 Feb 2008 04:12:13 EST

Barack Obama has seen a spike in support over the last week, strongly positioning him to be the Democrat nominee for Nov 2008. His messages of unity, togetherness and change have attracted a whole host of voters across the spectrum. His speeches have been compared with no less than MLK Jr and Kennedy. Any questions on experience have been dismissed as typical ‘Washington’ tactics or 'racist'.

With Super Tuesday scheduled two days from now, I am listing information that many of his supporters should know before they go out to vote. Here we go

1. When a leading supporter of Obama laid off more than 1600 employees in Illinois, Obama made only half hearted attempts to prevent the layoffs. So much so that this prompted the Union supporting the workers to endorse Clinton.

2. Barack Obama’s response to a nuclear leak in Illinois was nothing more than a ‘scolding’ as he failed to pass a resolution tightening rules related to nuclear leaks. This nuclear leak was from a plant owned by Exelon. Coincidentally, executives and employees of Exelon have contributed more than $227,000 to Obama’s campaigns. Additionally, David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist for many years has worked as a consultant to Exelon.

3. Obama has shown an inability to take a strong stand on the issue of supporting the Coal industry in Illinois. He seems to suggest that his stand demonstrates his understanding of both sides of the story. However, this has helped neither

4. Obama like other politicians is inconsistent-

a. He supported decriminalisaton for marijuana possession and use, then opposed it and now supports it again.

b. He supported benefits for illegal aliens and now opposes it

c. On Cuba, he supported a move remove the embargo, now he is ambiguous

d. He supported a single payer universal healthcare plan but recently says he does not

e. Today he says he supports gun ownership but a decade ago he was a strong opponent of gun ownership

f. For more examples of his inconsistency, see the following links:

5. Everybody is aware of Obama’s opposition to the Iraq war. However, how many of you are aware of Nadhmi Auchi? Auchi had major links with the Saddam regime before the Government was overthrown by the US? Auchi’s wife was the director of a company that lent money to Obama’s fundraiser in May 2005. Incidentally, Auchi wired about $3.5 M to Obama’s close friend, Tony Rezko

His relationship with Rev Jeremiah Wright and Tony Rezko are well known. I do not want to discuss those here

To summarize:

a. Obama is as much a liar as other Washington politicians
b. Obama will say things that his audience likes to hear
c. Obama has shown poor judgement through his relationship with various individuals
d. Obama has shown no independence in thought though he claims to be a uniter in all his speeches
e. Obama has not demonstrated an ability to deal with Contentious issues in the senate and therefore failed in passing any legislation of use

The question is

Is he the Change candidate or the ‘Shortchange candidate? You decide.

Analyzing Gujarat Congress Performance

Chandra — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 09:13:52 EST

Post election analysis is always interesting. This election is no different. Most of what I present is surprising to say the least. Here we go-

- Voter Turnout (All Parties): 20455166 (2002), 21867210

- Polling %(All Parties): 61.5%(2002), 59.8% (2007)

- Total Number of seats won by Congress in 2002:51, 2007:59

- Total number of seats wrested from the BJP: 36 (28% of BJP 2002 Tally)

- Total number of seats lost to the BJP: 28 (55% of Congress 2002 Tally)

- Number of seats won due to BJP sitting MLAs performance: 24 (19% of BJP 2002 Tally)

- Number of tribal seats wrested from the BJP: 7 (25% of all tribal seats)

- Number of seats won due to NCP withdrawl: 4

- Number of seats won due to better 'Independents' management: 10

Summary:

a. Considering the excitement, a reduced turnout is interesting. It appears that local voters were less excited about the election than National media

b. Congress managed to win more seats than last time mostly because BJP MLAs were highly unresponsive to their constituents

c. Congress did a poor job of defending current seats (only 45% were retained, as opposed by BJP which retained 72%). This result is more surprising considering the fact that Congress was not the Incumbent Government

d. Local politics played a big role in determining who won. MLAs who were responsive were more likely to retain than those who did not (Elementary)

e. Incumbents largely lost due to most of their voters not turning up. Message for legislators: Donot take your voters for granted.

This is just the first part of the analysis, we will need to look at BJP data to arrive at some mega trends. However, it is quite clear that doing the basics (listen to your constituents) would have won congress more seats than they actually won. In fact theoretically the congress may have ended up winning 87 seats as opposed to just 59.

India vs. Australia: Rumble Down Under

Chandra — Tue, 4 Dec 2007 09:14:57 EST

India is on the way to completing a victory over Pakistan in the three test series. A 2-0 or 3-0 or 2-1 victory will be a good start for Captain Anil Kumble. Good for the captain.

However, the sternest test to Anil Kumble and Indian cricket begins 24 days from now. On Boxing Day, India will commence one of the most important series during the last 4 years.

As I watch the Indian bowlers toil under the sun against an average Pakistani line up, I fear for this team when they tour Down Under.

The kind of pitches prepared and the practice planned for before the series does not portend well at all. The fact is that the Indian team is so thoroughly under-prepared for the Australian series that a 0-4 series as forecast by Stuart Clarke cannot be ruled out.

Batting

The batting resources are almost the same as 2004 except that they are three years older and a little slower. Our opening woes continue with Dinesh Karthik increasingly getting the edges that eluded him an entire day in England. Jaffer has produced some great knocks but is inconsistent. The "wall" Dravid looks far more solid now than during the last 18 months but then, lack of a big score and not having scored against quality attacks is a big disadvantage. VVS has been consistently scoring in important matches but has become increasingly susceptible to genuine fast bowling. Sourav's susceptibility to the bouncer is well known and you don't get a better bouncer than in Australia.

Only Sachin seems to be in great nick and should hopefully do very well in the series. The enterprising Dhoni, as usual, is expected to play quite a few good knocks. One of the biggest problems is the huge difference in conditions between playing in India and Australia. However, a total of three match days are planned for practice before the first test match.

In summary, get set for a batting collapse during the first test match. It has happened during every single visit by the Indians to Australia during the last 15 years.

One issue being debated is what one should do with Yuvraj Singh. Unlike others I have no doubt that he will do very well given an opportunity in Australia. When and how will be decided by circumstance. The recent test averages for the top-7 batsmen means there isn't a case yet for replacing anybody. However, one or two matches in Australia will restore sanity to the inflated averages and make decisions simple. Yuvraj can play a very important role in Australia in terms of taking the attack against Stuart Clarke and Mitchell Johnson.

Bowling

If the batting resources are shaky, the bowling resources are even more worrying. It has been a long time since Anil Kumble has come up with a match-winning performance and Harbhajan is nowhere near the prowess of the 2001 series. The pace attack holds more promise than in 2004 with expectations that Zaheer and RP lead the attack well.

Again, Zaheer is a moody player and let us hope he turns up happy on all the match days. In the event that we play three pacers, the choice of third pacer is a clear problem. Sreesanth's bowling has been brilliant in patches while Munaf is struggling with something that none of us understand. Either way, we will need to take both of them assuming they are fit.

Having said that, the Australian batting line-up is the best batting line-up and it is only fair to expect them to notch 500+ runs in all innings that they bat. Unless, of course, we are better prepared and we have more than one session of Agarkar brilliance.

Way Forward

One way to prepare well will be to allocate more time to practice than has been budgeted for. As of now, no such practice is planned but if the Pakistan series is at 2-0, I don't see any reason why key members of the team can't sit out the Bangalore test and instead hit bouncers at Mohali for a week or so before traveling to Australia. The second option, if feasible, is to prepare a bouncer friendly pitch for the Bangalore test. Over and above this, I am not sure if anything else will help so late in the day. As usual, the BCCI is fast asleep worrying about things that are of no consequence to Indian cricket. God bless Indian cricket!

PS: There has been a talk about how crowds do not turn up to watch test matches in the Sub-continent. However, both tests (Delhi and Kolkata) have been well attended. Test cricket has its charm and there are enough fans who love watching and following test cricket.

Recruitment Discrimination in India

Chandra — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 10:39:14 EST

A recent study by the Princeton University found a high incidence of Caste and Religious discrimination in India. The research calculates that an upper caste Individual has significantly higher probability of being shortlisted for an interview when compared with scheduled castes or Muslims. This assumes that the only difference in the resumes of the three groups is their name with a clearly identifiable caste surname. Whatever the accuracy of the research, it does highlight the larger issue of recruitment discrimination in India.

Types of Discrimination

I have noticed that religious discrimination against Muslims has increased over the last few years. Amongst many HR managers and other recruiters the unsaid agreement is that Muslims should be 'recruited as a last resort'. I have never understood the reasons clearly but I suspect most of it is related to Muslims perceived of being 'different culturally' and hence not a fit to the organisation's culture. The other is a general hatred that is quite pervasive amongst many Hindus across the nation.

Married women are discriminated by many organisations. I know so many managers who are reluctant to hire women (given a choice) because of prejudices about their performance or the pain of replacement in the event of pregnancy. The performance perception is obviously unfair. The fear of being unable to replace is an organisational problem that needs an HR solution.

The third type of discrimination is regional/caste based. There are many companies in India that hardly have any diversity at the management level. Example: I know a company based in Hyderabad that is packed with Andhraites and another, a Delhi based organisation in Hyderabad would that is packed with Punjabis and Marwaris. It is silly both ways. In this example both organisations positively discriminate on the basis of perceived attributes. The irony is they are in the same location and are very similar in performance. Instead of filling up the best person for the job the organisations are filling up the best Andhraite/Punjabi/Marwari for the job. This is no doubt a recipe for lower performance than feasible.

Caste based discrimination as highlighted by the research is new to me. Unlike other forms of discrimination highlighted above I have never heard people speak of this openly. The design used to carry out the research has many flaws in it and I think more research is needed to understand this issue better.

There are other kinds of discrimination that are contentious. One of them is 'Pleasing Personality'. This is very similar to matrimonial ads. Nobody knows what pleasing personality means and if indeed there is a linkage between pleasing personality and business performance. The other prejudice is about non-metro ('Provincial') folks. Some senior managers ask HR to eliminate folks from small towns because of perceived lack of attributes. Then there is 'Family background'. There are enough examples to show how kids of 'not very educated' parents from very small towns are doing extremely well. Other forms of discrimination that are contentious include IITs versus rest, IIMs versus rest, graduates versus technical graduates and so on.

What can Organisations do?

Firstly, I need to state that much of what I say is anecdotal. I say this from having consulted with many clients across 3 regions of the country (excluding Mumbai). The second aspect I need to point out is that such discrimination is on the wane primarily because of Shortage of skilled people anda very mobile workforce that provides many positive examples contrary to prevalent prejudices and lastly all managers and all organisations are not discriminatory.

I believe that the some or all of the following measures will help

a. Industry associations like FICCI and CII have a role to play in making people aware that these kinds of discriminatory practices are unacceptable. CEOs are an obvious target. The impact of top down communication on these issues can be very impactful.

b. Recruiters will need to go through special orientation courses to sensitise them on the need to do away with practices highlighted above

c. Organisations and recruiters will need to attempt diversifying the workforce at various levels. I admit this is tricky but a few successful executives of some of these groups will serve as a wonderful example for others to look at.

d. Process consultants will need to design better ways to deal with unique needs of various groups of employees. For example: Designing better processes to reduce turn around times to replace people on maternity leave will be of great help.

e. The education system itself will introduce chapters/ courses that reinforce the pitfalls of discrimination to potential managers

f. While many MNC organisations have clear cut policies on discrimination, that is not the case with most Indian organisations. This is a basic piece of document that reiterates the intolerance for any indiscrimination

g. Recruitment discrimination like the ones highlighted above should be deemed as illegal through special laws enacted by the Central Government.

h. A more radical suggestion will be to have recruitment practices are subject to audit by internal auditors who represent multiple interest groups. This will mean a higher degree of documentation within the organisation. a. Resumes cannot be thrown away for until 2 years, b. Back ups of e-mails sent to recruitment IDs, c. Access to scoring sheets across the interview process etc.

i. One important point for discussion is regarding asking candidates about 'family background'. There are many who believe that this piece of information is sometimes used to eliminate candidates even if it has limited impact on the Individual's performance. There could be a case for this question being banned completely.

I think the lesson for all of us is to get rid of prejudices and instead rely on facts of the case during recruitment. This will go a long way in building more efficient organisations and in turn a better society in general.

End Permanent Migration To West

Chandra — Sat, 6 Oct 2007 13:23:43 EDT

A recent survey found that a majority of Britons considered immigration as a threat to their society. In the United States, about 75% favoured tougher immigration restrictions. Without delving on the merits or demerits of this perception, there is no doubt that most Europeans and many Americans are fearful or resent migrants from African, Asian or Hispanic nations.

On the other hand, emigration is a craze in poor countries across all continents. Ambitious young men are ready to risk everything for an opportunity to work in these countries. Educated folks on the other hand migrate for opportunities to work on the latest technologies and perceived better quality of life.

There is no doubt that migrants contribute positively to their countries of origin (native countries). The large value of remittances to India, Pakistan, Mexico and Philippines contribute positively to the balance of payments situation. Many have also contributed to their native countries through investments and experience gathered through migration. On the other hand, they also contribute negatively to their native country. Loss of talented individuals means that the native country is losing out on not having the best people productive activities. This in turn has a massive impact on innovation and productivity. In case of doctors migration the impact is directly on the availability and cost of health care. These factors negatively impact the growth of poor country.

Considering the resentment in the adopted countries and the loss to the native countries, I propose the following common migration rules

- Allow for freer transfer of labour. Have caps if required. However this needs to be for a maximum of 5 years
- Permanent migration to be completely banned except in cases of marriage (No green card, no citizenship)
- 5 year period to include study period

I believe that a 5 year period is enough for migrants to be able to save enough to return and lead a reasonable life in their native country. I also think that most individuals should be able to complete their courses and if that is not the case, one could make exceptions for full time courses that exceed 5 years.
It will mean that a much wider group of migrants will benefit economically in a legitimate manner without impacting remittances. With talent coming back after 5 years (as opposed to not coming back now), native countries will benefit significantly from talent, experience and finance that these citizens would bring.

On the other hand, the temporary nature of stay will mean that expatriates spend much lesser time in the host country and leave. Their share of population will remain constant or in line with overall population growth. Hopefully this will reduce the fear of being overwhelmed that current citizens have. Lastly, developed nations will not be seen as exploiting poorer countries for their talent pool.

In summary, this should help both the recipients (Rich countries) and the donors (Poor countries) in equal measure.

Twenty20's Impact on World Cricket

Chandra — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 03:03:40 EDT

I conducted a straw poll amongst people across the spectrum watching the ICC Twenty20 World Cup to understand how the perceived this version of the game. The result is not surprising at all, most of them felt that this was clearly the most entertaining version of cricket. The common refrain is that unlike other forms of cricket one can expect action from every ball and no periods of dullness like Test and ODI cricket. Clearly, this version is being accepted faster than many expected and If customers are delighted, what can anybody say?

Personally, I feel that this version should completely replace ODI cricket. It is shorter, entertaining and extremely challenging. In many ways it tests players on the same type of skills but at a much higher level. The fewer upsets indicate that skill continues to be a massive factor and therefore hitters like Jayasuriya and Gayle continue to do very well and so do clever bowlers.

Here is my forecast on how Twenty20 cricket will impact world cricket

1. Bowling accuracy will significantly improve - I anticipate more and more bowlers bowling at a McGrath level of accuracy than there are currently. I also anticipate more and more bowlers improving the quality of their bouncer. The other impact is the return of the slow medium pacer (Amarnath Variety). The yorker will become even more accurate but probably not aimed at the stumps at all. I anticipate more and more yorkers bowled at the legs than at the off and middle stump. Spinners will bowl even faster. This means the slow flighted (juicy) balls will be fewer and fewer. With introduction of free hits, I expect wides and no balls to reduce significantly

2. Batsmen will develop even more innovative skills to score runs. For example, the hook and the pull will be a mandatory skill (Sorry VVS). Other skills would include scoring against the line of ball, even gentler cuts through slips, sweeping pace bowlers through to fine leg and more and more pull shorts that will keep the ball on the ground. I also anticipate an increase in accuracy of batsmen placing the ball between two fielders. This will also mean a significant improvement in running between the wickets. More and more teams will have 11 all rounders or at least 11 players who can bat very well. The concept of Tail-enders may even become extinct

3. Fielding quality will significantly improve. One will now see skills developing in attempting to hit the wickets from farther distance than currently. The concept of single handed catching and fielding will also pick up significantly. I also anticipate wicket keepers to stand closer to the wickets for a larger number of bowlers than now. More and more fielders will also learn to hit the wickets with a football kick.

4. Runs: Test and ODI cricket will see more runs and at a run-rate significantly higher than now

5. Physical fitness - Fatter or overweight players in general will reduce and be replaced with more and more players with ‘muscles’.

6. Specialization - Initially we are likely to see players completely specializing in one format and not playing in other formats, but eventually most players are likely to play all formats

7. Pressure - The penalty for an error will increase manifold and this would mean players will be under even higher pressure. Player burnout may become a even bigger phenomenon than it is now. Once Twenty20 becomes the biggest money generating business, the role of umpires may completely change with more and more decisions taken via television replays.

All in all, there is no doubt that Cricket will be impacted significantly. I also expect other rule changes to be made as this version is played for sometime. These may further impact the skills of players.

I recall those intense debates of the early 80s on the impact of ODIs on Test Cricket. Test cricket has survived and in fact most Test matches now produce results and players with even higher skills. I anticipate a positive impact on Test Cricket again. All formats will co-exist and we spectators will have a ball and a choice. No other sport has introduced newer versions as has cricket (Please correct me) and no wonder, cricket is the fastest growing sport in the world and will soon be the highest paying. Good for fans, good for players.