The ads have been good, some of the anthems have been excellent; the fireworks have gone off and the dancers are showing a lot of energy. But cricket is winning, as we always knew it would. The first week of the IPL has worked. Now it must draw repeat crowds, it must be a success in its fourth week. Chances are it will do more than just that; I sense we are seeing a lifestyle change, like the personal computer, broadband and digital music.

The sceptics abound and that is not bad because success must be challenged; new thought must stand up to scrutiny. The first people who said the world was round took a long time convincing others. This will be a much shorter journey towards acceptance. Maybe it has already happened.

The players are enjoying it too. They are not here for a hit and a giggle but to create a name for themselves in this new world. Matthew Hayden told me yesterday that he had the same feeling in his gut as he has otherwise when he walked out to bat for the Chennai Super Kings. He is playing it with the same toughness as international cricket and while some might think it is blasphemous to say that he plays with the same intensity for Australia, it may not be too far from the truth.

And the more I see it, the more I am convinced that we are now at the threshold of a reverse learning pyramid. Traditionally, cricketers learnt to build innings, adapt to the 50-over format and, in recent times, have had to embrace 20-20.

Now, teenagers will be born into 20-over cricket, will have to acquire the patience to play over 50 overs and watch as only a small number learn the intricacies of test cricket. It is like learning to write a précis first and then constructing an essay around it. It won’t be easy but then, it wasn’t easy for everyone to adapt to 50-over cricket initially.

Already, kids are taking to it easily. Names you hadn’t heard a great deal of are looking very good. With the Mumbai Indians, with whom I am working at the moment, Abhishek Nayar looks special and Dhawal Kulkarni looks like he has it. In the dug-out I was asking people where Gony is from and nobody knew. That will change. Don’t belittle them, don’t weigh them in different scales, don’t ask how good they will be on a fourth day turning track because they are playing a different game with different skills. Music didn’t suffer with the arrival of multi-track recording and while my grandmother may not have been very good with a microwave oven (initially she called the fridge the cold cupboard!), you don’t mind eating what comes out of it.

Everytime there is change, there are early adopters and there are laggards. If people had an option, few things, if any, would change. But we don’t control the world, we cannot stop its movement. We can approve or criticise but the tide always comes in because somebody somewhere likes it. It is a bit like the news we now have on television. Some people believe you must report the truth others think it is too much of a burden. 20-20, and the youngsters who are taking to it, are creatures of our times. I yearn for a Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron but my kids thought it was slow and boring!

There is something else about the IPL that we cannot ignore. Having had the opportunity to travel with the Mumbai Indians

I have watched the juniors look with open admiration at the legends they are getting to play with and listen to. They could never have seen the likes of Shaun Pollock and Sanath Jayasuriya at such close quarters, asked them questions and marvelled at their work ethic. In course of time, there will be a very pleasant osmosis and that is how people grow; by being with the best. Indian cricket will emerge richer in the near future.

I hope, though, that we resist the temptation of playing more than the current four overseas players per side. It is creating some very interesting permutations within teams and it is allowing some little known players to flower. That is how it should be.

And so, into the first week of the IPL, only two things jar; the boundaries are too far in and the 8pm starts are no good if you want to play cricket with a dry ball!! Both, in course of time, will make it difficult for spinners to play a major role. Hopefully these are glitches.