Different yardsticks for different players

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EXCLUSIVE: More... Different yardsticks for different players Makarand Waingankar It's not just an occasional spark of brilliance but consistent performance that makes a good team player. To budding Mumbai cricketers in the sixties, coach Vinoo Mankad would say “Don't dream of playing for Mumbai if batsmen haven't scored minimum 3,000 runs or bowlers haven't taken 200 wickets in club cricket”. He always believed potential had to be backed by performance against quality opposition. Things have changed. Potential seems to be the benchmark in this instant era, where time or effort can't be spared to measure the performance. And fitness is always at a discount. A medical certificate and the blue-eyed boy walks into the team even if his state association has issued him a show cause notice for not turning out for it. What message do the selectors send to aspiring cricketers who are performing either for the State or India ‘A'? What about the India ‘A' performer Dhaval Kulkarni who was the highest wicket-taker on the India ‘A' tour of England? Despite a hundred in the first innings and a match-winning unbeaten double hundred in the second innings of the Duleep Trophy final, Yusuf Pathan hasn't been picked for either — India ‘A' or the Board President's team. Indian selectors have different yardsticks for different players. One lot, irrespective of fitness, is considered for international cricket, the second lot is for India ‘A' and the third lot keeps playing domestic cricket. The former Mumbai captain Sairaj Bahutule played two Tests but played 11 years for India ‘A'. Ideally, Yuvraj Singh ought to have been in the Board President's team. He had a bad tour of Sri Lanka; was lacking in confidence. This match would have given him the opportunity to get back to form. The worrying factor is the Indian pace attack. The Chandigarh match would have tested the fitness of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma, though if any of the three Indian teams reach the final of the Champions League, the players chosen for the Board President's team would be missing the match. There are five players from the Board President's team who are with three teams of IPL franchises. Whether they will play for their franchises or Board President's, if the Chandigarh game clashes with the Champions League, remains to be seen. This is the only match before the first Test at Mohali. Bowling four overs in a match in the Champions League will certainly not suffice to test the fitness level for a Test match. Ishant Sharma too hasn't been picked for the Board President's team. Here is a case of a player losing what he had. To such a player it's the time in the middle that matters. It does seem the series against the Australians has hardly given the Indian players time to prepare themselves. If Zaheer Khan is unfit to play the series against Australia, India will have to rely on the inexperienced lot of medium-pacers and get three spinners to play.