Some Scheduling

On a Friday,Australia vs New Zealand has been kept as a day game.Makes one long for the scheduling of the first three World Cups.The first two were almost pre television in India and we saw the India semi final and the final on Doordarshan in 1983 and the rest as they say is history.However so lowly was the one day World Cup rated that 1979 World Cup was not covered on All India Radio while the test series with England that followed was covered ball by ball by AIR.The BBC Test Match special which at that time broadcast on the world service as well was what kept us in India clued in to the World Cup.The BBC coverage of up to four matches a day was good. AIR used the BBC feed after India started doing well in 1983 and it was the all Indian team of Ashish Ray and Farokh Engineer who were on the air when india went throughto the Finals.
Of late All India Radio has consigned the overseas test Matches to off tube commentary mode even though India as number one side in this form has a considerable following.All India Radio is covering the India based games live but AIR is absent from the Internet. Even as I write this NewZealand vs Australia game is being broadcast live on Radio sport NZ.