All out in the open

There was a time when being picked for India was a life-and-death issue. The IPL has changed that, however, writes Anand Vasu in the Hindustan Times.

In no other profession does being picked for something become so important. Able-bodies, agile-minded men give up so much of their life to cricket that they're often not good for much else if they don't make it. Catching the selector's eye becomes an all-consuming pursuit, and occasionally, a matter of life and death.