Sanjay Manjrekar: Time for youth to take overJanuary 20, 2008
Sanjay Manjrekar: The 16-member Indian one-day squad for the Australian triangular [CB Series] has been announced, and I must confess I am quite happy and pleased to see a sense of purpose in the selection and some amount of maturity as well.
In the past, there has been a tendency with a lot of selectors to go by the public mood and many a times Test match performances have been confused with one-day performances. So if you were to expect a typical Indian selector's decision then most of the players from the Test team would have been retained after that great win India had at Perth. But, the selectors have shown us they have a certain vision in mind, which is about youth in one-day cricket, and the Twenty20 success has reinforced this belief in youth as far as limited-overs cricket is concerned. They haven't let the vision they have in their mind get affected by Test match performances.
A bold decision to get Sourav Ganguly out, but I support the decision. I think the time has come for youth to take over from people like Sourav Ganguly, who has made a handsome contribution to Indian one-day cricket over the last so many years. In Australia, where boundaries and sixes are not going to be as easy to come by for the batsmen, your running between the wickets and your prowess in the field is going to come to the fore; and I think that is where Sourav Ganguly has been sidelined, on that account. So I see a lot of sense in that decision. VVS Laxman has had a wonderful time in Test match cricket. In the past, that would have tempted a few selectors to put him in the one-day team but that would have not made sense.Also, the Ranji Trophy season has been going on in full swing. We have seen some good matches and the final was being played just before the team was announced. The selectors were watching those games, and that had a lot to do with the [ODI team] selection. So you have a couple of names coming through on their Ranji Trophy performances - which are very fresh in the selectors' mind. This is something the selectors have to keep doing: they have to reward outstanding performances at the first-class level, because that is how you will give certain amount of importance to first-class cricket. Or you will have players performing over the years and making contributions at the first-class level and never getting the recognition. So, it is nice to see few names coming from those good performances in the final of the Ranji Trophy.
Virender Sehwag's inclusion is a bit of surprise. Here is the case of people confusing Sehwag's performance in Test match cricket and one-day cricket. I for one thought that Sehwag should have never been dropped from Test match cricket, although there was a strong case for him to be sidelined in the one-dayers, especially with the scores he's had and the contribution that he's made in one-day cricket. So that is a bit of a surprise, but Sehwag is such big impact player that it is always a tempting thought to put Sehwag in a line-up, especially against Australia. He has the ability and somehow he has the nerve to rattle even a team like Australia. So that selection is also a good one.
[Rahul] Dravid is somehow not getting the backing of the selectors - as far as limited-overs cricket is concerned - and I hope this omission doesn't disappoint him too much. Well, as far as Suresh Raina is concerned, this is one player whoever I have spoken to In Indian cricket - who have seen him and played with him - rate him highly. They reckon - along with somebody like Rohit Sharma - that he is one of the great hopes on Indian cricket. His last stint wasn't very good, and whenever I saw him he did not get the runs but his contribution was still there in the field. Now here is a player who doesn't only look brilliant, but actually makes a contribution in the field by run-outs - direct hits that can change the course of the match. He failed with the bat last time I saw him, but he made a contribution in the field. Talent like Suresh Raina needs to be tested again and again, so let's hope that this time his batting also comes through along with his fielding - it is certainly going to help Indian cricket's cause. So a good decision to get Suresh Raina in, and let's not forget that he was rated highly by a lot of people who know a bit about cricket, so good to see Suresh Raina back.
There is just one, you can say a prayer that I have for the fans of Indian cricket: not to make too much about Sourav Ganguly's omission. There comes a time when you have to look at youth. Mahendra Singh Dhoni leading a young team is always great to watch. There is always hope when youngsters take over. Look at Australia, they are playing with a young team now - their big stalwarts like [Glenn] McGrath and Shane Warne are missing but they are continuing with their cricket. They might have lost a game [at Perth] but they are on the right path. India, by making these selections for the one-day squad has also shown the same approach, which is heartening to see. So I wish this India one-day team all the success, it's going to be a great triangular [series]. Sri Lanka is the other team, so look out for some top quality one-day cricket action in the coming weeks.
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As I have always maintained about this particular columnist / commentator, his duplicity and double standards know no boundaries.
AuthorTopic: And the hypocrisy of some continue... (Read 381 times)
October 14, 2006, 10:26:25 AM