Sharath wants to take one step at a time

While the five-member panel has been tasked with assembling a potent India squad for the Under-19 World Cup in the West Indies next year, Tamil Nadu veteran Sharath isn’t looking too far ahead. His approach makes complete sense as the youngsters in the country have had little taste of competitive action in the recent past due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“First of all, I am grateful to the Board of Control for Cricket in India for entrusting me with this huge responsibility. I would like to thank the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, India Cements managing director N Srinivasan sir and well-wishers for helping me in this journey,” Sharath, the first player to feature in 100 Ranji Trophy matches for Tamil Nadu, told DT Next on Friday.

“All of us have endured tough times in the last one-and-a-half years. I feel that there is light at the end of the tunnel. We have to show sympathy and empathy towards the children. They have not played competitive cricket for almost two years. We will have to go step by step and think about the World Cup later,” explained Sharath.

The Vinoo Mankad Trophy (between September 20 and October 18) and the Challenger Trophy (from October 26 to November 9) will help the committee assess the level the colts are at. Sharath believes that the juniors would take only a couple of matches to get back into the groove.

“I feel that most of the kids would have become mentally tough. Some of them would have had a first-hand experience of the bio-bubble environment. The only thing they lack is match practice. We should give them some time to perform. Once they play two to three games, I think that they will get into the zone,” said Sharath.

He also emphasised that the players and coaches should take centre stage. “I always like to stay behind the scenes. The job of the selectors is to pick a proper squad. When a team does well, the credit must be given to the juniors and the staff.”