Colonel’s youth brigade has hit the right note

R. Mohan

It should come as no surprise that the young Indian ODI team are doing rather better than the Test squad in Sri Lanka. The team may or may not win silverware but that is hardly relevant compared to what Indian cricket is gaining by a steadfast youth policy in limited-overs cricket.

History will record that it was Dilip Vengsarkar who brought this about, but only after the disaster at the World Cup in the Caribbean produced such violent reaction that he was emboldened to act thus. Full credit must go to the chief selector for converting his push for youth into a crusade.

Sometime ago, Dhoni had also made the point that he would rather have a team of players who may be playing in the 2011 World Cup than those who may score today because of their vast experience but whose careers are unlikely to last that long. The world T20 championship was the big turning point.

The most experienced batsman in these ranks, Yuvraj Singh, had hardly caused a ripple, despite which the Indians are already one win away from a series victory. Yuvraj hasn’t picked the mystery spinner well enough. The dasher Sehwag who can score heavily against the new ball is also back home. Considering what they are missing by way of heavy batting armour, the performances can be put down to a team effort more than individual brilliance.

While it is true that Dhoni’s team have not won anything this season in which they have come up as the bridesmaids twice, in Dhaka and Karachi, the performance suggests that the Indians are not suffering in any way from the absence of at least six men who were not so long ago thought of as indispensable.

Maybe, Sri Lanka’s batting inconsistencies are giving the visitors the edge in the series because India’s batting has not exactly taken off either. Even so, the winning of tight games suggests the young team is prepared to scrum for control of the match.

It’s not by accident that the two-track selection policy has come about. It seems perfectly logical to have a young team in the shorter versions while Test matches may require the touch of wisdom that the experienced bring to the longest form of the game. The one who achieved this with a vision is the chairman of selectors.

Those inclined to be sentimental may pine for the members of the older brigade to come back to the one-day game. If they do, they might even do well in an innings or two. However, they are hardly likely to sustain their excellence in a demanding form of the game that calls for distilled action.

If Sachin is thought to be proficient to carry on, it is because his genius is thought to be capable of offering more. However, fitness problems have been hampering him so much he is not guaranteed to be a regular in the ODI team, which alone might still have a place for him, but not for Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman.

It may be an accident of history but what the World Cup flop and the T-20 world championship win taught us is the old shibboleths are not any longer true. None of the junior lot may be world beaters yet. In doing what they are achieving together, they are merely sending a message of the strength of youth. Do we see Dilip smiling?