CALCUTTA, May 26: Cricket madness has given way to a tinge of sadness in the City of Joy. After all, cricket is a religion in this part of the country -- a game as close to a Bengali bhadrolok's heart as the mandatory rosogolla and mishti doi after a sumptuous feast on ilish maach. The sweet dish seems to have gone a bit sour by India's inability to make it to the final of the Independence Cup.

But strangely, Bengalis, who are reputed to have an opinion on everything under the sun, including the sun, are quiet on their team's premature exit. You eavesdrop into a heated conversation at a crowded tram expecting to hear juicy nuggets about which Indian player received an Opel Astra for playing (or, not playing) a part in India's loss, and all you hear are methods of stopping a runaway locomotive called Sanath Jayasuriya, or how the rampaging Saeed Anwar can be contained.

Anyway, thanks to Pakistan's brilliant win at Chennai one rumour has been effectively quashed. It can be said with certainty now that all the other teams in the Independence Cup were not paid handsome amounts so that they let the hosts win the tournament.

Then, there was another which suggested Sachin Tendulkar and his men were involved in a betting racket and, hence, losing matches from seemingly impossible positions. But Anwar's world record effort sealed the lips of men who thrive on such rumours.

It was obvious that it would have taken eleven clones of Superman to win that match. That Indians perished just 35 runs short of the mammoth target, spoke volumes about their effort. If people still think the whole show was staged, then someone better ask the Academy of Arts and Motion Pictures to reserve 11 Best Performance Oscars for the home side.

The Chinese, with all the profundity of M/s Confucious and other great philosophers behind them, have a saying for each occasion. One goes like this: Everyone knows how to save a ship, but only after it has sunk. Things are a bit different in India's case, though this country's cricket seems to have sunk to abysmal depths. Or, has it ?

Problem is, something could have been done against this happening.

For example, can someone explain the rationale behind playing a couple of matches in Bermuda after the Caribbean tour? That too, when the Independence Cup was just days away. It ensured the jet-lagged Indians will be playing a match the very next day after travelling almost 32 hours!

And what purpose did all this achieve? Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya, having already ensured the Presidentship of International Cricket Council (ICC) for himself, may have gained another vote from Bermuda in the forthcoming meetings. But the price has been too heavy -- India is out of the Independence Cup, being played to celebrate the 50th year of its independence. In the process of winning one friend, Indian cricket has lost several in the form of paying public.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India must realise that they have men doing job for the country and not machines. Biologically, muscles need to be rested to get over the fatigue. Logically, there should be a better-planned itinerary for the team.

But will the Board learn from the recent follies? Or, will they follow another saying of our wise Chinese friends: A gambler always thinks he will become a rich man, until he loses his last money.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.