Bold decision by selectors
Indian selectors have generally been conservative in their line of thinking
Partab Ramchand
08-Oct-1999
Indian selectors have generally been conservative in their line of
thinking. Even when the situation has called for some bold steps, they
have toed the defensive or orthodox line. This has been seen in their
reluctance in giving youngsters a timely break. So often in the
past when the opposition has been weak, the selectors have still
opted to field established stars instead of giving promising
talent the big break. This can be done without weakening the team
to any great extent and in the long run, such innovative steps could
pay off.
One recalls the bold steps taken, in the face of much opposition, by
Vijay Merchant as chairman of the selection committee. When New
Zealand visited India in 1969, Merchant, realising that the team was
not very strong, decided to give youth a chance. In the three Tests,
six players - Ajit Pai, Chetan Chauhan, Ashok Mankad, Ambar Roy,
Ashok Gandotra and Eknath Solkar - were given their caps. The series
was drawn with great difficulty and Merchant drew a lot of flak from
his critics, who pointed out that senior cricketers like Borde,
Sardesai and Surti were not being given their due.
Merchant however was unfazed by this criticism and maintained that his
faith in youth was unshaken and he gave two more youngsters - Gundappa
Viswanath and Mohinder Amarnath - their chance in the tougher five
Test series against Australia which immediately followed the contest
against New Zealand. That series was also lost but in the long
term, Merchant's gamble paid off. For during the 1970-71 season, in
continuation of his policy, five more players were given the
break - Sunil Gavaskar, P.Krishnamurthy, K.Jayantilal, D.Govindraj and
R.Jeejebhoy. Also three of the players he had given India caps
during the previous season in Solkar, Mankad and Viswanath were
persevered with and the result was that India pulled off a grand
double by winning the series in West Indies and England for the first
time.
Generally, Indian selectors have been wary of fielding more than one
new cap in a Test. Sometimes, in a generous mood, they have given
caps to two untried youngsters. Very rarely have they fielded three new
players in a Test. The fact that three cricketers could well be making
their Test debut against New Zealand at Mohali brings
back happy memories of the days when Merchant and Lala Amarnath
were chairman of the selection committee. One must not forget that
it is going to be a long season with tougher contests against Australia
and South Africa. The time to blood young and talented players is now.
In the long run, the bold move is bound to pay dividends.