Challenger Trophy throws up no new names

Indian cricket administrators have always been notoriously traditional in their thinking and planning. Slow to change, they took years to gauge the popularity of the one-day game, and it was a full decade after the commencement of the Gillette Cup limited-overs competition in England that Indian domestic cricket had its first taste of the one-day game with the inauguration of the Deodhar Trophy inter-zonal tournament.

The selectors would certainly have learned much from the contest, the main lesson being that there are hardly any promising young players ­ other than the already fairly established names ­ to be included in the side not only for the series against England and further such engagements through the year, but also perhaps the World Cup.

After its inception in 1973-74, the competition was fairly popular, so there was soon another tournament with the establishment of the Wills Trophy in 1977-78. With ITC coming forward to sponsor the new one-day competition, cricketers had a second arena to further their skills in a format that was becoming a rage all over the world but still only picking up in India. In the 80s, even as the Wills Trophy upstaged its Deodhar counterpart in popularity, came a sudden surge in the appeal of the limited-overs game in India, thanks chiefly to the World Cup triumph of 1983.

But in the late 80s and early 90s, even as interest in one-day international cricket reached an all-time high, the Deodhar and Wills Trophy competitions suffered in the popularity ratings. The domestic one-day game was in need of a fillip, and in the mid-90s, the authorities took a couple of steps to bring back the crowds. One was to stage the Deodhar Trophy tournament on a league basis. The second decision ­ the inauguration of a new one-day competition ­ had more farreaching effects. The inception of a third such tournament, christened the Challenger Series, brought together the cream of Indian cricket, thanks to the format of fielding just three teams ­ India Seniors, India 'A' and India 'B' ­ compared to five in the Deodhar Trophy and seven in the Wills Trophy. And when 36 of the top players in the country take part, there is bound to be greater public interest, a higher standard of play, and more intense competition.

Over the past seven years, there is little doubt that the tournament has not only grown in popularity but has also served to bring to the fore several young players who have gone on to carve a niche for themselves in the national team. With the World Cup in South Africa just over a year away, there is an urgent need to form an Indian team capable of regaining a trophy it won in England almost 19 years ago. There are a couple of chinks in the side, and it was hoped that the just-concluded eighth Challenger edition at Bangalore would help in unearthing players to plug the loopholes.

Except for Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Javagal Srinath, all the leading players in the country took part. The selectors would certainly have learned much from the contest, the main lesson being that there are hardly any promising young players ­ other than the already fairly established names ­ to be included in the side not only for the series against England and further such engagements through the year, but also perhaps the World Cup.

This is amply reflected in the squad picked for the first three one-day internationals against England. There are really no surprise inclusions, although they are a couple of surprise exclusions in Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif, both of whom turned in impressive performances in the Challenger tournament. However, there is no doubt that the two will be bidding for higher honours during the year. The one disappointment of the competition was that no fresh talent emerged, although it was heartening to see comparatively lesser known players like Daniel Manohar and Sangram Singh come good.

Looking at the brighter side, though, some of the newly established players proved they could be long-term prospects. Indeed, the tournament underscored the fact that the selectors need not indulge in needless chopping and changing. Instead, they need to concentrate on about 20 well-known players over the next year so that a strong, established, and nicely balanced World Cup squad is built. The pace battery will consist of Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Tinu Yohanan and Ajit Agarkar. Sanjay Bangar, in the squad to play England, and Reetinder Singh Sodhi, who was injured during the tournament, deserve a look-in as utility players. As for the spinners, the selectors need not look beyond Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Sarandeep Singh. All of them find a place in the squad to play England, but it is certain that only two will be considered for the World Cup.

The batting, if anything, looks even more settled than the bowling. With Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar as openers, and with the middle order consisting of names like Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Hemang Badani and Dinesh Mongia, there is little to worry about. The inclusion of Ajay Ratra is to be welcomed; the Haryana youngster has been a contender since his impressive displays in the successful under-19 World Cup campaign in Sri Lanka two years ago and has got his break at the right time. Deep Dasgupta, in the meantime, can take steps to improve his wicket-keeping and try for a comeback, and that will help keep Ratra on his toes.