ARTICLE: The Young Masters of Indian ... (S.Gavaskar) - 9 Mar 1995
The Young Masters of Indian Cricket : S.M.Gavaskar
It is fitting that the House of Kedia will be the first sponsors
of the tournament between the India Senior, India "A" and India
"B" teams. The original idea for the event emanated from them and
the Cricket Control Board also deserves compliments for the ala-
crity that it accepted the idea and arranged the tournament
dates. Logically the Indian Senior team should swamp the other
two teams but we have seen in the past in this glorious game of
uncertainties that star-studded teams have been humbled by teams
lesser known players. The success of Central Zone in the Duleep
Trophy in 1972 is the most striking example when they demolished
the South and West Zone teams that comprised players playing for
India and went on to win the championship. It was this particular
victory that was the germ of the idea of what now promises to be
an annual event.
All over the world it is normal for teams to become like an ex-
clusive club where no outsider gets in. Once a team is settled
then there is great resistance from within the team itself to
changes and thats why a newcomer often finds it hard till he is
accepted as part of the "club". It is because of this exclusivity
factor that out-of-form players are kept on in the side. Once
such a feeling crops in, then players also tend to take their
places for granted and in such a situation he does not always
perform to his best potential simply because he knows that he is
not likely to be dropped in a hurry. The prime examples are the
reserve players who do not get a game and some of them are quite
happy not to get a game because then they are not deemed to have
failed simply because they haven`t had the opportunity to play.
Now with the tournament being played at the same centre and in
the same conditions means that fringe players will be competing
with other fringe players wanting to take their place and that
makes for truly competitive environment. If there are question
marks against some players, they can be answered because all the
players will be there at the same time.
Well, not all, for it is hard to understand how Praveen Amre, who
was a month ago the captain of the India "A" team, is not in any
of the teams. Neither is Atul Bedade, who at the beginning of the
season, was in the Indian team for the limited overs games in Sri
Lanka as well as at home. If Bedade has not been picked because
of the report by Sandeep Patil against him, then the question is
how come another player against whom Patil reported was picked.
And if the report of the India "A" team manager has nothing to do
with the selection, then the selectors better explain how a
player who is not good enough to be in the first 36 players today
was found good enough to be in the first eleven less than a year
ago.
Yes, one is well aware that sometimes an in-form player gives the
impression of being a world beater but is found wanting in higher
competition but that still does not explain why he is denied a
chance for a come back to form. After all, if the thinking is
that Bedade in his few appearances is not good enough at the
international level then how come another player who has made a
few overseas tours and has also been found short of class is cap-
tain of one team. If domestic performances are the criteria then
there are plenty of players who will feel hard done by and none
more so then Surendra Bhave and Shantanu Sugwekar. Bhave has over
800 (yes,800) runs in the Duleep Trophy this season and Sugwekar
has also been marvellously consistent. Sugwekar`s additional plus
point is that he is a useful medium-pacer and a team in a limited
overs game can always do with more than a string to their bows.
No selection ever meets with universal approval but the important
thing is to make players feel that these performances are being
looked at and not made to feel whether it is worth the effort.
Raman Lamba is another who has had a terrific season and if in
his case age has gone against him then how come a player who is
close to qualifying for the masters tournament gets a look in
ahead of Lamba.
Fortunately or unfortunately, for the selectors the under 19 team
is still in Australia and there were a couple of players in that
who could have also been among the players chosen in the teams.
These omissions have been mentioned because like some glaring om-
issions in squads of 14 these are equally, if not more glaring,
after 36 have been picked. Hopefully, the tournament will give
the selectors more data and put enough pressure on the regulars
so that they do not take their places in the senior team as un-
droppable.
Even as this new concept of trying out as many probables as pos-
sible takes shape over the next few days the other tremendous
concept of the Masters Tournament will have finished the first of
what promises to be regular events around the world. The Masters
Tournament was thought by many as being more an exhibition one
than a competitive one, but the cricket shown by the teams proved
that it was definitely a competitive one. Irrespective of one`s
age, there is a certain personal pride and reputation that goads
one to try one`s best at all times and especially when one is
playing for a Trophy as well as prize money. The presence of
Pollock, the two Richards, Jeff Thomson, Greenidge, Kapil Dev,
Viswanath and others brought back memories of their halycon days
and they all gave enough glimpses of that famed ability to make
many go down memory lane.
The organisers of this tournament deserve congratulations and
compliments in much the same way as those who thought of the
three India team concept. It has been a wonderful fortnight play-
ing with and against the greats of the game and one now looks
forward to the next few days to the current greats and would be
greats from India in the three team event in Calcutta.
Source :: IndiaWorld online
Contributed by Rohan (azhar@cs.stanford.edu)
