There are two sides out there’’, the Australian captain during Bodyline, Bill Woodfull, said, ‘‘but only one of them is playing cricket.’’ Painfully, like a sharp stab in the chest, we have been reminded of that these past few days.

Every country has two sides playing for it. India’s cricketers, one of those two sides, were playing in Zimbabwe. India’s administrators, the other side, were scheming, politicking, adjourning, quarrelling...choose a word from that family and you won’t be wrong. If what they were doing had anything to do with Indian cricket, it was remarkably hidden.

These are serious times in Indian cricket and the administration cannot be a burden. Teams must play the opposition, not get derailed by their own. An extraordinary degree of shrewdness has been demonstrated in the effort to either gain, or hold on to, power. Hardly any part of it is visible in the development of Indian cricket.

Who then, loves Indian cricket? You that read this, that pay, even pray, for their team, you that bring in the riches that are so camouflaged in the way the sport is played. Have you seen an agenda for Indian cricket from any of the rival parties?

So how then should our cricketers perform? Wouldn’t you laugh if Rahul Dravid asked for judicial observers in selection committee meetings? Wouldn’t you feel offended if Anil Kumble called for a stay on the selection of the one-day team claiming he was being victimised? And what if a high court barred the cricket team from playing on appeal from one of many obscure clubs that surface once a year? Isn’t that the language of our cricket?

The message we are sending our cricketers is that opportunism counts, legal loopholes count, political pressure counts. Is this the India that the world is looking to? Is this what you deserve?

I read most newspapers and almost everything to do with Indian cricket. I have never seen a statement from Netaji Sports Club or Kalighat Sports Club about how to make India a cricketing power. But the moment the elections come around, the moment the opportunity of some juicy litigation comes around, they surface. Bacteria is like that. What a pity. The dark side is very fashionable these days. Harry Potter. Star Wars. BCCI.

In the next seven months, India play about 30 one-day internationals. That will take them to within a year of the next World Cup, by which time the team needs to have a settled look.

Some serious thought is needed. Can everyone in this team last 18 months? Can a few players be blooded in this period so that they are ready for the World Cup? Can we bridge the gap between our domestic cricket and international cricket? But I get the feeling all that is boring. I once saw a book called Everyone Loves A Good Drought. Well, the drought is upon us. In thought and action.

Oh, and meanwhile, there is the issue of television rights to sort out. I can tell you already that you cannot get a genuine world class telecast for the matches starting October 25. There isn’t enough time for it.

So for heaven’s sake don’t ask why the coverage of the Ashes looked so much better. Channel 4 had a year to plan their first telecast, Sky Sports have a year to think about the tests next year, Channel 9 have had their contract extended well before the earlier one ended.