Inside Incheon: Indian cricket too busy making money to care about Asian Games
Absence of test-playing nation from major tournament speaks volumes about its priorities
The absence of India from the Asian Games cricket competition is another blow to the game and one more example of how they fail to see the bigger picture.
India was not represented when cricket made its debut four years ago in Guangzhou and have stayed away again - underscoring impressions the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has only one goal: making money.
This was why the "Big Three" - India, England and Australia - took over the ICC as they sought more of the profits from broadcasting rights.
As long as the money flows in they don't care two hoots about the rest of the world and pushing the boundaries of the game
India believes they are responsible for the sums generated by cricket and wants most of the next cycle (2015-2022) of the television cash, estimated at US$2.5 billion.
The BCCI is right to take the money, but the body should try to help the rest of the world by raising the profile of the game among the lesser-developed nations.
Sending a team to Incheon would have helped hugely. The Olympic Council of Asia was keen for cricket to continue, even though hosts South Korea cannot tell the difference between a "Chinaman and a doosra".
The BCCI says it did not send a men's team because the Games clash with the Champions League Twenty20. With four IPL teams participating, the cream of Indian cricket will be playing for their franchises.
But that is rubbish. They could still have sent players like Virat Kohli, Murali Vijay, Ishant Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Amit Mishra, Yuvraj Singh or Manoj Tiwary, leading lights not involved in the Champions League.