Shortly after he took over as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 1985, S Sriraman told me in an interview that the organisation of the game in the country was built on a solid base, thanks to various age group tournaments. ``We have competitions for every age group - under-15, under-19, under-22, under-25 and the youngsters have plenty of opportunities to play the game and prove their talent and skill.''

During his long stint as one of the outstanding cricket administrators in the country, Sriraman did his best to have more tournaments and come up with certain innovations. Thanks to his efforts, the South Zone remained a pioneer in sponsoring the game in various age groups and in introducing a one day tournament for the KS Subbiah Pillai Trophy for the Ranji teams.

Among all the age group competitions, perhaps the most important one is for those under-22 for it is here the youthful teenager makes the transition to a grade of cricket perceptibly higher. A tournament along these lines has been organised in the South Zone for years, and the BCCI, belatedly alive to the importance of such a competition at the all India level, decided at the AGM held at Chennai last month to institute a zonal competition at this level. And the tournament, to commence with three matches in the South Zone from October 19, is bound to pay dividends. All the Ranji Trophy teams, bar the Railways and Services, are taking part.

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