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Focus on youth, courtesy Indian Premier League

The job of the selection committee is not going to be easy, writes Makarand Waingankar

— Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

TRIUMPH OF YOUTH: Swapnil Asnodkar’s blazing form has been largely responsible for Rajasthan Royals’ amazing run.

The national selection committee meets on Friday (May 30) to select the team for the tri-series and Asia Cup in Bangladesh. Though some of the selectors, prior to the IPL tournament, maintained that performances in Twenty20 wouldn’t be an indicator for the selection for the limited-overs matches, the selectors as well as the entire country have now seen that IPL has been a far more solid analysis of players’ fitness than medical certificates.

In matches played out in a few hours, players’ fitness, consistency in bowling length balls and agility in the field cannot be glossed over.

The Indian seniors may not have done too badly with the bat, but they were thoroughly exposed in the field.

A run saved is a run scored, and the seniors have certainly failed in the field. Permutation and combination is what all the selection committees look for, but the option of discussing youngsters is more after the IPL.

When the teams for the IPL were formed, Rajasthan Royals was termed the weakest team, but how well the team combined together is reflected in the performances of the individuals. Swapnil Asnodkar from Goa must never have dreamt of coming close to the selection of the Indian team.

But his carefree attacking batting display and electrifying fielding, reminding of Ramnath Parkar, should earn him a mention at the very least in the selectors’ discussions.

For the past couple of seasons, Asnodkar has been playing local tournaments in Mumbai, and the general question mark was whether the shots that he was playing and getting big scores would succeed in big cricket.

He didn’t change his approach and was encouraged by his IPL captain to go for shots, something which other captains must also give a thought to.

Great talents

Yusuf Pathan, a natural striker of the ball, is a Sandeep Patil in the making. Badrinath is another youngster who deserves to be picked for the tour. Not only his scores but his attitude and approach to the game make one wonder what else he needs to do to get the nod of the selectors.

When there is a possibility that two of the four icons may have to sit out, there is very little chance that the reasoning of looking to the future of Indian cricket will change. If the chance to youngsters was the priority of the selectors a few months back and it paid rich dividends, there is no reason they will change the logic behind the selection.

No consistency

Medium-pace bowling continues to be the worry. There is no consistency in either swing or length, and the misdirected deliveries show several of the captains in poor light. No captain is expected to set the field for a bad ball. And when those bad balls are so many, it should be of great concern to the bowling coach.

But leg-spinner Amit Mishra is a revelation. What is impressive of him is the confidence in his body language, controlling the variations and not forgetting the basic that a good delivery is a good delivery in any form of the game.

Both Chawla and Mishra are the future of Indian spin bowling if they are persisted with. This time, with the talent that has been showcased in the IPL, the job of the selection committee is not going to be easy.

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