Tamil Nadu absent, South missing in India U-19 squad

Ramnarayan may not have played for India, but his credentials in spotting talent in Tamil Nadu are good enough. Despite being a cricket historian of Chennai, he was quick to look at young talents in the league and even write about them in the newspapers in his columns.

He has sent a strong signal to the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and also to the southern states to examine the defects of the system. He underlined the fact that it is certainly not an anomaly because the chief selector of the colts team and the coach are from down south. And he did not explain the reasons for the sorry state of affairs, but instead left it for the administrators to address. 

India has had tremendous success in the Under-19 World Cup, winning it three times in the 11 editions so far. It was also the runner-up the last time (2016) in Dhaka. Players such as Yuvraj Singh, Mohammed Kaif, Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli emerged from this tournament. For argument sake, we can contend that a great player like Sachin Tendulkar never played in this tournament though he was eligible to be there in the inaugural edition in 1988. 

But that is not the argument. In 2016, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) brought in a rule stating that a player, who has represented India once in Under-19 World Cup, will not be selected again for the same event, even if he is eligible. There is an instant case of omission from Tamil Nadu on this score and that is Washington Sundar. The 18-year-old played in the 2016 World Cup and he has gone on to represent India in the limited-over matches this year. There was Baba Aparajith in 2012 from Tamil Nadu in the India Under-19 squad. He had a good time that year and was a useful all-rounder. 

Curiously, a Chennai man led the Indian side in the inaugural Under-19 World Cup. M Senthil Nathan, the current head of the MRF Pace Foundation, who has also played Ranji Trphy for the state, recalled the 1988 side to Australia. “My team had four players from Tamil Nadu. Arjun Kripal Singh, J Ramdas and Shyam Sundar were part of that side. Venkatapathy Raju (left-arm spinner from Hyderabad) was the fifth man from the zone,” Senthil said.

The Pace Foundation head feels there are many factors that cripple the selection process. “The Under-19 category is the most significant stage for a cricketer’s selection. And it is important for the selector to follow the career of those in the run closely. He should have an eye for talent and he should not go by scores alone,” Senthil pointed out.

He praised the Kerala Cricket Association for the efforts taken there to change the equation there. “They had no system there for a long time. Now they have academies in many places and they are reaping the rewards. You need a well-paid coach to train the colts. Only if you give money, strong players would take up the coaching job,” he analysed. 

Something for the associations in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Hyderabad to ponder.