Bold decision by selectors

Partab Ramchand

October 8, 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.

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