A showcase of Indian cricket
India's Challenger has many things going for it, not least its instant appeal to the fan who is given less quality domestic cricket than he wants
Invariably the crowds are good, and they come in with a childlike excitement to see blossoming talents they have only heard of go up against the studs. Something of this curious wonder must have been at hand in international cricket in pre-satellite days. "It promises to be an exciting tournament and the prize-money is substantial so the cricket will be of a high quality. I am looking forward to seeing the up-and-coming stars lock horns with the established stars of the current team. I simply can't wait." This is not a fan posting, it is Sunil Gavaskar writing before the first-ever Challenger, in 1994-95. It is a terrific vehicle.
In many ways, this concertinaed tri-series has mirrored the growth of international cricket. It was conceived in the mid-nineties, as an add-on to the Wills Trophy - a similar tournament, with three state teams and two potpourris. Those were the days of one-day cricket boom. By 1997-98 the tournament, played mostly under lights and in coloured clothing, was being beamed live by the national broadcaster. Last year it found a title sponsor in Hero Honda and this year it is TVS. Now the tournament is able to stand on its feet - which isn't terribly necessary given the riches generated by international cricket, but which goes to show.
And still it retains a sense of small-occasion, so that the bond between player and spectator feels tight. It is a bond which must be encouraged if people are to take to care for domestic cricket. Autograph sessions might help, as might little coaching clinics. This is the right forum.
The value of the Challenger as a testing ground can sometimes be over-rated. It is more a showcase than a challenge. It is not first-class cricket, and, with the exception last year at Bangalore, it is generally played on flat tracks. No Indian player can have claim to have emerged, or caught attention, because of a sensational Challenger.
Rather, it is a form guide. Tiny Niraj Patel of Gujarat came back from topping the batting averages for India at the under-19 World Cup to dazzle at Ahmedabad three years ago; he has done virtually nothing noteworthy since. Sourav Ganguly's lack of form in the 2000-01 season, particularly against fast bowling, was proved when Ajit Agarkar and Ashish Nehra harassed him on that juicy Bangalore wicket; when he recovered his touch, Ganguly went on to have a fine international season in West Indies and England.
This is not to say that nothing comes out of it. There is a lot to be observed. Reetinder Singh Sodhi's audacious first-ball six, dancing down the track to a stunned Venkatesh Prasad, in 1999-2000, spoke of the young man's spirit. VVS Laxman's intelligent and unruffled captaincy shone in the last tournament, which his team won.
Thankfully, after the first few years where the Senior, A and B teams were picked in order of merit, the emphasis shifted to selecting three well-matched teams. This time, the tournament comes at the back of two intense camps, and each team will be tended to by a qualified coach. (John Wright, Sandeep Patil and Ashok Malhotra). It is up to these men, along with the senior players of the national team, to assess the match temperament and team-spirit of the young ones.
On paper, Rahul Dravid's India B appears the most vulnerable, but only just. In Murali Kartik, Amit Mishra and Harbhajan Singh, Sourav Ganguly holds a formidable spin trio. And India A contains half of Mumbai - Tendulkar, Agarkar, Ramesh Powar, Wasim Jaffer, not to mention Rohan Gavaskar who moved to Bengal, and is to be managed by Patil. Much as he might like to, beating rivals Mumbai in his own backyard will be impossible for Kumble, who has been appointed to lead this team. In four days it will all be over, and a new season will thereafter begin.
Rahul Bhattacharya is assistant editor of Wisden Asia Cricket.