Indian cricket: seniors versus juniors – an avoidable debate
By Swapan Mitra
Perhaps nobody, not even Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s diehard fans, gave his team a chance when the squad for the Commonwealth Bank Series was announced early this year. The selectors left out ODI veterans like Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, and opted instead for names that were, at best, only faintly familiar to the Indianpublic. What apparently tilted the scale in their favor was their youth – a criterion considered most important for the shorter version by the Indian think tank. Experience was represented mainly by the one and only Sachin Tendulkar, if we choose to accommodate the likes of Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh in a middle-of-the-roadcategory.
Now that Dhoni’s young team - albeit with some more than useful contributions from the experienced Tendulkar - has come up trumps against the mighty Aussies in their own backyard, the question of youth versus experience, or what some call juniors versus seniors, has again occupied centrestage. In fact, even when Dhoni’s team won the Twenty20 World Cup, that too without Tendulkar, most people had perhaps imagined that the absence of the experienced veterans was either voluntary or only a temporary phenomenon. The lack of familiarity with the Twenty20 game was perhaps another factor that caused a relatively muted reaction at that time.
But the nation now appears sharply divided over the issue – some calling it ungratefulness to ‘forget’ what our ‘seniors’ contributed during their glorious days, while some unashamedly rooting for the unbridled energy and vitality of the bratpack. The debate, on a few occasions, has turned bitter and ugly showing signs of even parochial discontent.
As choosing one at the expense of the other may not prove productive, we must have a careful look at the issue before rushing to any conclusion.
How young is our young Indian team? The average age of the 18 players present in Australia at some point of time during the CBS was between 23 and 24. The oldest of the lot was Tendulkar (34) and the youngest was Piyush Chawla (19). But it does not tell us the complete story – we would run the risk of being misled if we make the mistake of equating experience with age. Even if we leave out Shewag, Harbhajan Singh or Yuvraj, there are a few under-25 players like, say Irfan Pathan, who already have enough experience in internationalcricket. So Dhoni’s team was not all about youth, it had experience as well – even without Tendulkar. With the increasing number of ODIs being played each year, especially by India, gaining experience at a young age is no big deal at all.
So, try as we may to think in a different way, the question ultimately boils down to the wisdom or the lack of it in excluding a few senior players. The question many people ask, although not in as many words, is: If Tendulkar can be there at 34, why not Ganguly or Dravid? Given their batting form, they should have walked into the Indian squad. So what kept them out? And whenever the youngsters failed, these people kept baying for their blood claiming sarcastically that running between the wickets does not win matches, but scoring runs does. This was in response to the argument often put forward in favor of the younger members that they are quicker between the wickets, and they are more agile on the field saving more runs. In other words, the younger lot spared a captain the additional burden of looking for a place on the field where he could hide them.
(Tendulkar, the lone senior in the present ODI squad, is above any such debate because he is unique, a rare exception who just cannot be left out because of the immense value he brings into the team.)
Unfortunately, apart from the usual effigy burning and similar stuff by disappointed fans, a stateassociation chief even went on to directly blame Dhoni for the exclusion of a particular player belonging to that state. It was not only unbecoming of a person holding such a post but it also showed his ignorance about the process of team selection. He should have known that the captain is entitled to put his views before the selection committee and he has every right to express his opinion, favorable or otherwise, about a player.
According to some sources, Dhoni and the Indian think tank had thought along these lines: While the number of runs to be scored by a player in a match falls in the realm of the uncertain, it can be predicted with a fairdegree of accuracy how many runs a player is likely to save. Although far from infallible, this logic can’t also be summarily ruled out. What they believed was that a crucial fielding lapse, be that a dropped catch or a missed run-out chance, often played a more decisive role in the outcome of a match. For them, the talks of faster running between the wickets, quick reflexes, agility on the field etc. were not just mere clichés.
Another misconception prevalent even in a section of the media is that Ganguly or Dravid should now score heavily in the domestic tournaments to force their way back into the team. What they tend to forget is that none of them, especially Ganguly, was dropped from the ODI squad because of lack of batting form. With over 20,000 runs between them, they have given a lot to Indian cricket, and there is no need for them to prove themselves again and again.
The heat generated can perhaps die down if we take the predominance of youth as part of a long-term policy designed for the best interest of Indian cricket in the future. The seniors, the great Tendulkar included, are not getting younger by the day and are likely to walk into the sunset sooner or later. Let these youngsters stay prepared to fill in the vacuum when the seniors retire also from Test cricket. Even the Australians have started thinking along these lines after their defeat to a young Indian team. They have already lost a few greats to retirement and are likely to lose a few more very soon.
This is a period of transition in Indian cricket that should be handled compassionately by the officials concerned. They should not repeat what they did this time - selecting the ODI team in the middle of an ongoing Test series. The players to be left out, especially the seniors who have served Indian cricket with distinction for long, should have been taken into confidence and explained the reasons for their omission. Unfortunately, that did not happen and the lack of transparency led to a whole lot of misunderstanding. The BCCI officials, selectors, and all others concerned should now strive to take Indian cricket even higher without for a moment forgetting the contributions of those who are in the twilight of their careers. They deserve a graceful farewell from the arena that once was theirs.
By Swapan Mitra
Perhaps nobody, not even Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s diehard fans, gave his team a chance when the squad for the Commonwealth Bank Series was announced early this year. The selectors ...
