da pinnacle： The selectors would certainly have learned much from the contest, the main lesson being that there are hardly any promising young players other than the already fairly established names to beincluded in the side not only for the series against
Partab Ramchand15-Jan-2002Indian cricket administrators have always been notoriously traditionalin their thinking and planning. Slow to change, they took years to gaugethe popularity of the one-day game, and it was a full decade after thecommencement of the Gillette Cup limited-overs competition in Englandthat Indian domestic cricket had its first taste of the one-day gamewith the inauguration of the Deodhar Trophy inter-zonal tournament.
The selectors would certainly have learned much from thecontest, the main lesson being that there are hardly any promising youngplayers other than the already fairly established names to beincluded in the side not only for the series against England and furthersuch engagements through the year, but also perhaps the World Cup.
After its inception in 1973-74, the competition was fairly popular, sothere was soon another tournament with the establishment of the WillsTrophy in 1977-78. With ITC coming forward to sponsor the new one-daycompetition, cricketers had a second arena to further their skills in aformat that was becoming a rage all over the world but still onlypicking up in India. In the 80s, even as the Wills Trophy upstaged itsDeodhar counterpart in popularity, came a sudden surge in the appeal ofthe limited-overs game in India, thanks chiefly to the World Cup triumphof 1983.But in the late 80s and early 90s, even as interest in one-dayinternational cricket reached an all-time high, the Deodhar and WillsTrophy competitions suffered in the popularity ratings. The domesticone-day game was in need of a fillip, and in the mid-90s, theauthorities took a couple of steps to bring back the crowds. One was tostage the Deodhar Trophy tournament on a league basis. The seconddecision the inauguration of a new one-day competition had more farreaching effects. The inception of a third such tournament, christenedthe Challenger Series, brought together the cream of Indian cricket,thanks to the format of fielding just three teams India Seniors, India’A’ and India ‘B’ compared to five in the Deodhar Trophy and seven inthe Wills Trophy. And when 36 of the top players in the country takepart, there is bound to be greater public interest, a higher standard ofplay, and more intense competition.Over the past seven years, there is little doubt that the tournament hasnot only grown in popularity but has also served to bring to the foreseveral young players who have gone on to carve a niche for themselvesin the national team. With the World Cup in South Africa just over ayear away, there is an urgent need to form an Indian team capable ofregaining a trophy it won in England almost 19 years ago. There are acouple of chinks in the side, and it was hoped that the just-concludedeighth Challenger edition at Bangalore would help in unearthing playersto plug the loopholes.Except for Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Javagal Srinath, all theleading players in the country took part. The selectors would certainlyhave learned much from the contest, the main lesson being that there arehardly any promising young players other than the already fairlyestablished names to be included in the side not only for the seriesagainst England and further such engagements through the year, but alsoperhaps the World Cup.This is amply reflected in the squad picked for the first three one-dayinternationals against England. There are really no surprise inclusions,although they are a couple of surprise exclusions in Yuvraj Singh andMohammad Kaif, both of whom turned in impressive performances in theChallenger tournament. However, there is no doubt that the two will bebidding for higher honours during the year. The one disappointment ofthe competition was that no fresh talent emerged, although it washeartening to see comparatively lesser known players like Daniel Manoharand Sangram Singh come good.Looking at the brighter side, though, some of the newly establishedplayers proved they could be long-term prospects. Indeed, the tournamentunderscored the fact that the selectors need not indulge in needlesschopping and changing. Instead, they need to concentrate on about 20well-known players over the next year so that a strong, established, andnicely balanced World Cup squad is built. The pace battery will consistof Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Tinu Yohanan and AjitAgarkar. Sanjay Bangar, in the squad to play England, and ReetinderSingh Sodhi, who was injured during the tournament, deserve a look-in asutility players. As for the spinners, the selectors need not look beyondAnil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Sarandeep Singh. All of them find aplace in the squad to play England, but it is certain that only two willbe considered for the World Cup.The batting, if anything, looks even more settled than the bowling. WithSourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar as openers, and with the middleorder consisting of names like Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, VirenderSehwag, Hemang Badani and Dinesh Mongia, there is little to worry about.The inclusion of Ajay Ratra is to be welcomed; the Haryana youngster hasbeen a contender since his impressive displays in the successfulunder-19 World Cup campaign in Sri Lanka two years ago and has got hisbreak at the right time. Deep Dasgupta, in the meantime, can take stepsto improve his wicket-keeping and try for a comeback, and that will helpkeep Ratra on his toes.