Rebuilding takes time, so start right now

In the course of a long interview to a daily newspaper yesterday, Sachin Tendulkar dwelt at length on two important aspects - it was time to change the system and one must have faith in the young players.

That there is urgent need for overhauling of the system is something no genuine cricket lover in this country will argue against. Change in outlook, change in quality of domestic cricket, change in condition of pitches. All this has been touched upon in every quarter and is something that everyone who follows the game in this country is familiar with. Whether anything will be done by the authorities in this regard is a moot point.

But at least the selectors have shown a welcome approach in ringing out the old and ringing in the new. But having adopted this far sighted attitude, the selectors should not press the panic button and go back to depending on the old guard. This would be a retrograde step.

Rebuilding is a long process. It is done brick by brick and could take years like the construction of a good, strong concrete structure. But since when have the authorities in Indian cricket believed in the rebuilding process? Here the policy is hiring and firing. No other country has more one Test and two Test players than India. In a list of a little over 200 players, nearly a third have played two Tests or one. There are about 40 one Test players and about 30 two Test players in Indian cricket.

The selectors have to take note not only of statistics but also factors like talent and class. Unfortunately through the years, they have not maintained a consistent policy in any of these things. Players with proven figures have been ignored, gifted cricketers with class written all over them have been given a raw deal.

I always love pointing out the case of someone like Arthur Morris. The Australian left handed opener made two in the first Test he played against England in 1946-47. Retained for the second Test, he got five. No impressive figures against his name but the selectors could still see the talent and class. In the face of much criticism, he was kept in the team for the third Test, got a hundred - the first of three successive centuries in Tests. He remained a batting bulwark for Australia over the next decade.

This is probably what Tendulkar is trying to point out when he says that the faith in the young players should be unshaken. With the selectors having adopted a policy of encouraging youth, of looking ahead, he has said that the most promising players in the victorious Under-19 squad that won the World Cup should be allowed to practice with the seniors during camps.

As I have said, the rebuilding process takes time. This cannot be accomplished overnight. Last month, I pointed out how Vijay Merchant, as chairman of the selection committee in the late sixties, adopted the policy of encouraging youth. The policy was not an immediate success but in the face of intense - even personal - criticism, Merchant continued with this approach and the results were there for all to see in the memorable `India Rubber Year' of 1971.

A few more instances will illustrate the success of this far sighted policy. By the early fifties, the great Australian team of Don Bradman had broken up. And by the mid fifties, Australian cricket was down in the dumps. But the selectors continued to show faith in most of the young players and by the end of the decade, Australia were back as the No 1 cricketing nation, having rebuilt their side with players like Neil Harvey, Alan Davidson, Richie Benaud, Lindsay Kline, Wally Grout, Peter Burge, Bob Simpson and Norman O'Neill.

West Indies went through the same process about a decade later. The great team built by Sir Frank Worrell had collapsed and West Indies went down to England, Australia, New Zealand and India. But the selectors showed great faith in youth and by the mid 70s, West Indies were back on the top, largely with the help of these same young players - Clive Lloyd, Alvin Kallicharan, Roy Fredericks, Gordon Greenidge, Viv Richards and Andy Roberts.

Perhaps the finest rebuilding process was adopted by Australia. By the mid 80s, with the retirement of Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rodney Marsh, Australia were a shadow of the once great side and went from one defeat to another. By the late 80s, players like David Boon, Craig McDermott, Mark Taylor, Bruce Reid, Merv Hughes and the Waugh twins were discovered. Not all of them were instant successes but they were persevered with and by 1990 Australia had again risen from the ashes.

Will Indian cricket have a similar success story? Well, the captain has spoken. Now it all depends upon how the others around him feel on the subject.