The Mumbai captain has this to say about the talent in the ranks
"We won the Under-19 and were the finalists in the Under-22. We reached the semifinals in the Under-16 tourney too. But I didn't see or hear about any big batting talent emerging from there," Jaffer told the Times of India. "In fact, in the finals of the Under-22 tournament against Punjab, we were bowled out for 80 odd which is a worrying sign. We need youngsters to challenge the Ranji Trophy players for their places."Reality check time
Vinit Indulkar, age 24 squad of 2005/06 now plays for HP
Omkar Khanvilkar, age 26 squad of 2005/06 - not been selected for the past 3 seasons
Aavishkar Salvi, age 27 squad of 2005/06 - not selected for the past 3 seasons
Abhijit Shetye, age 27 squad of 2005/06 - not selected for the past 3 seasons
Swapnil Hazare, age 28, squad of 2006/07 - not selected for the past 2 seasons
Bhavin Thakkar, age 28 squad of 2006/07 now plays for HP
Parag Mohan Madkaikar, age 22, squad of 2005/06 - not selected for the past 3 seasons
Sushant Marathe, age 23, squad of 2006/07 - not selected for the past 2 seasons
Iqbal Abdulla, age 19, squad of 2007/08 - dropped for this Ranji season
Prashant Naik, age 22, squad of 2006/07 - not selected for the past 2 seasons
Rajesh Verma, age 27, squad of 2006/07 - not selected for the past 2 seasons
Kshemal Waingankar, age 23, squad of 2006/07 - not selected for the past 2 seasons
Bhavesh Patel, age 21, squad of 2006/07 - not selected for the past 2 seasons
Anup Revandkar, age 21, squad of 2006/07 - not selected for the past 2 seasons
Mumbaikars plying their trade for other teams in the current Ranji season
Rajesh Powar - age 29
Munaf Patel - age 25
Amit Pagnis - age 30
HD Rawle - age 24
Santosh Shinde - age 29
Manoj Joglekar
Nishit Shetty
And then there are Dhawal Kulkarni (19), Rohan Raje (22) and Ankeet Chavan (22), all part of the 2008/09 squad, out of whom only Kulkarni got an extended run with the team.
So, if the Mumbai captain is so worried about the talent, this will be a good time to introspect as to why Mumbai is doing such a poor job with keeping and nurturing the talent the great city has on offer!
4 comments:
Not all the players in that list are actually good enough to play for Mumbai. Salvi and Hazare missed out on an entire season through injury, though its a mystery why they haven't been selected since. Some others, such as Verma, were given opportunities but they were disappointing. The ones that I really think got away are Indulkar and Thakkar, and also, the non-selection of Naik is surprising, more so because he played an important role in the campaign of 2006-07. But Jaffer has a point, as the current players are all much more talented than the players on this list (with a couple of exceptions).
Sailesh,
What is the basis for that assessment?
When Jaffer made his debut, the Mumbai opening responsibility was shared by Manoj Joglekar, Sanjay Manjrekar, Sulakshan Kulkarni and Jatin Paranjpe. Was Jaffer better than these guys?
Secondly, in 2005/06 and 08/09, the kids did more than their bit to propel Mumbai into the semis only for them to take the back seat as Sachin and co were selected by the selectors - so what is the incentive for the kids and if they are not subjected to the pressures of the semis and the finals, where is the objective assessment of their talent?
And finally,where is the continuity in selection? 20 year olds are picked and discarded for people from the 30+ age group and are never heard from again. So where is the investment in the next generation of Mumbai cricketers?
Cheers,
Homer, when the stars come back, someone always has to make way for them. Thats the way it has always been, and why shouldnt it be so?
You may have a point about the younger players being given more chances, but if you are talented enough, people start noticing you right from your days of gymkhana cricket. And if you fail at the domestic level, your potential guarantees you a few more opportunities.
The question of why talent is not coming through is a valid one, but its a question directed at the grassroots level.
Sailesh,
The list I put together has atleast 16 players who we benched or let go who can/could have played Ranji for Mumbai for the next 5-7 years.
So what is the expectation then, 15 Sachin Tendulkar clones?
And if we get 15 Tendulkar clones, how does Mr Jaffer propose to fit them in the batting lineup ( given thet each one will want to bat at 4).
The proposition Jaffer makes is ridiculous. Either he needs to understand the framework of a team or needs to stop playing fantasy cricket.
Every team has its share of prima donnas, super talents and journeymen cricketers.Teams are built around the super talents and every effort is made to reduce the presence of prima donnas( unless they are the super talents and there is no alternative) and then the core of the team is the journey men - people who do the grunt work on a day in day out basis.
Also, as Jaffer says, Mumbai won the U-19, were finalists in U-22 and semi finalists in U-16. And if after that he feels that there isnt talent coming through, its a damning indictment of the BCCI itself. After all, if an ordinary team with ordinary players can reach so far, what does it speak of the opposition?
Cheers,
Post a Comment