Tri-series – chance to inject young blood

It is time to get back to “real” cricket, now that the Indian Premier League is nearing its conclusion and the Indian team would begin a fresh season with a trip to Bangladesh for a tri-series next week.

The National selectors are scheduled to meet shortly to pick the squad that by all accounts is not expected to contain many surprises. It is stated that the IPL performances would not be a definitive yardstick and it is just as well that it would be so. Never mind that the TV commentators are singing praises of several new faces who have left their imprint on the IPL, but given the very nature of T20 format, performances tend to get magnified.

After all, the approach of the bowlers in a T20 is vastly different from that in the longer versions, be it ODI or Tests. The short boundaries in the IPL meant even a mishit went for boundaries and sixes. As such, it is not so much the runs but the manner in which they were scored that needs to be looked at.

Much as we say that the IPL has transformed cricket and brought in an element of entertainment besides non-stop, but compressed action, T20 cannot be equated to even the ODI, leave alone Tests, where you have to bat, bowl and field for longer periods, and where it involves far more tactical planning.

As such, the five wise men are likely to go by the performances in the Commonwealth Bank tri-series in Australia that also involved Sri Lanka. The Indians, under Dhoni, won the trophy. If that is so, then I doubt we will see too many changes, if at all any, save the forced omission of Harbhajan Singh. He might be replaced with either a spinner or a fast bowler depending on how the selectors view the situation.

The other possible change could be Robin Uthappa. The young Bangalorean, besides having put on quite a bit of weight, has been struggling to cement his place in the ODI team despite being provided opportunities. As Greg Chappell said the other day, Robin needs to focus more on his cricketing talent that he has in abundance rather than being a self-styled showman.

Nobody begrudges his penchant for trying out new hairstyles or indulging in a bit of showmanship that can attributed to young blood. We do need characters, and so long as he delivers on the field, nothing else should matter.

He reminds me of the young Vinod Kambli, who on a trip to Australia with the Indian team in the 1990s, “lived it up”, much to the chagrin of the seniors who thought he would be better off spending as much energy on honing his cricketing skills. Quite predictably, he was dropped (not entirely due to cricketing reasons) and subsequently, despite the best efforts of his schoolmate Sachin, could not hold his place in the Indian team. Kambli was a rare talent that never really blossomed.

And so Robin would do well to guard against complacency and not allow the whispers that are currently doing the rounds in the cricketing circles to grow into a chorus. Over two decades ago, another young man, Sadanand Vishwanath, undoubtedly the most talented wicketkeeper India has ever produced, put pleasure before business, and ruined a promising career as a cricketer, besides becoming a victim of politics.

By no stretch of imagination am I casting aspersions on Robin or questioning his character or integrity. I first saw him as a toddler and have known his father, Venu Uthappa, a quality forward, goal-scorer and later, an international hockey umpire for over two decades. The point is that nobody likes to see a talent go waste and it is to be hoped that Robin would soon get cracking with the cricket bat and establish his position in the Indian team.

The digression may be pardoned, but it underlines the fact that the IPL has given many young Indian cricketers the kind of riches, fame and exposure they would not have dreamt of. It is important then for them not to lose focus on the primary reason why they were chosen.

If anything, the IPL has surely provided valuable data to the selectors on young talent whose development could be monitored and more importantly, groomed for the future. The tri-series in Bangladesh is an opportunity for the selectors to try out some youngsters rather than stick to a tried and tested combination. After all, it only serves as a warm-up for the more important Asia Cup in late June in Pakistan, and it would be a welcome move if the seniors are rested and the young guns given a chance.

Source: http://sify.com/sports/fullstory.php?id=14683982