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BCCI’s junior programme draws praise

Special Correspondent

Infrastructure for juniors is good: Vengsarkar
It’s a fantastic achievement, says Viswanath

Mumbai: The BCCI’s multi-layered junior competition structure and infrastructure has of late come in for praise from Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar.

After Praveen Kumar turned the match around against Sri Lanka with a four-wicket haul in the Commonwealth Bank tri-series, Gavaskar could not resist highlighting the BCCI’s talent hunting programmes at the junior level.

“The BCCI deserves credit for unearthing talent from places like Jharkhand, Meerut, Kerala and other small cities and towns,” said Gavaskar on a TV channel.

On Monday, Vengsarkar, watching the Mumbai-Maharashtra one-day match in Pune, went a step further. “The ICC under-19 World Cups have constantly turned out to be a supply line for the senior Indian team.

“The under-19 teams have been performing well, reaching the final or semifinals. The BCCI’s infrastructure for junior cricket is good. We can take it further by paying a little more attention to the quality of wickets and standard of umpiring,” said Vengsarkar.

The chairman of the National selection committee named Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Parthiv Patel, Irfan Pathan, Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, Suresh Raina, V.R.V. Singh, R.P. Singh, Piyush Chawla and Rohit Sharma as some of the players who played their part in the ICC Under-19 World Cups and have gone on to represent India in Tests and One-Day Internationals.

Test series

“I would urge the ICC to put in place a Test series for under-19 or under-23 teams. Let the full members of the ICC play a two-Test series on a home and away format at age group level.

“I think the most crucial period for the development of a player is from the age of 19 to and 23. A Test series in the age group will improve the bench strength,” said Vengsarkar.

“I think almost all the players picked for the KL event have played Ranji Trophy and along with established players in their respective States. They have had the opportunity to improve skills and demonstrate their temperament.

“But the next three years will be most crucial for their development in order to get into the national team. That’s why I believe that the ICC should start a Test series in the age group on a home and away basis, at least a two-Test series.”

One of India’s greatest cricketers Gundappa Viswanath said, “It’s a fantastic achievement to win the under-19 World Cup. The competition gives exposure and a chance to match skills against the best under-19 cricketers of other countries.

“It’s a platform where every junior cricketer gets an opportunity in India as well as in the World Cups to improve and learn cricket. The BCCI’s programme at junior level is good.”

Kumble’s praise

Our Bangalore correspondent reports:

India’s Test captain Anil Kumble has expressed delight at the under-19 team’s triumph in Malaysia. Speaking to The Hindu on Monday, Kumble said: “Great job. I am really proud of the victory. My congratulations to everyone in the team.”

A rousing reception is being planned for the team on arrival in Bangalore on Tuesday.

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