It doesn't get any bigger

THAT India controls the money in international cricket is a well known fact. On Wednesday, India Inc rubbed it in. Consider the statistics: At the end of a long day of drama and live action at the Indian Premier League auction in Mumbai today, six of the top10 players, on the money stakes, were from India. Captain M S Dhoni topped the chart (Chennai; Rs 6 crore).

Five of them were part of the side that won the Twenty20 world championship in South Africa last year. As far as a T20 championship goes, that's logic.

Consider this then: Ricky Ponting, regarded as one of the best batsmen of this generation, was sold for Rs 1.6 crore.

Even players associated with Young India - the likes of Rohit Sharma (Hyderabad; Rs 3 cr), Manoj Tiwary (Delhi; Rs 2.7 cr), Robin Uthappa (Mumbai; Rs 3.2 cr) and Gautam Gambhir (Delhi; Rs 2.9 cr) - were priced higher than Ponting. Proven performers such as Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist were left behind.

The biggest pointer towards the bidders going by nationalist sentiments is the case of Ishant Sharma. The Delhi fast bowler, who has come up leaps and bounds over the last couple of months, went for an incredible Rs 3.7 crore.Chaminda Vaas, one of the stingiest bowlers world cricket has known over the last decade,

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