There is a need to hunt for cricket talent in small towns and districts

By Sudhansu R Das
Team India’s embarrassing ten wicket loss to Pakistan, eight wicket loss to New Zealand and its early exit before the IPL world cup semifinal raised many questions about the team’s preparedness, players’ selection, core strength, genuine analysis from cricket experts, coaching ability, leadership and the captain’s ability to change strategy as per the game situation etc. Though India registered the highest IPL total of 210 runs against Afghanistan, chased 83 runs in only 39 balls against Scotland and a nine wicket victory over Namibia, all these things cannot hide Team India’s lack of preparedness for the IPL World Cup.
India had entered the tournament with over confidence. The first three world cup matches exposed India’s bowling attack which lacked quality back up pace bowler and a quality spinner. India’s spin attack has improved a bit after the inclusion of Ravichandra Aswini; both Aswini and Jadeja bowled in tandem against Afghanistan. Though Ravindra Jadeja has grown into a good all rounder, his bowling on flat wickets does not help much. Exclusion of Ashwini in the first two matches was a blunder. Team India should have picked up experienced Sikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaekwad and Yajuvendra Chahal in the team.
This IPL world cup belongs to the bold and the strong people with technique and extraordinary fielding skill. A mistimed shot from a batsman with physical strength can clear the boundary line for a six. Look how Chris Gyle hits sixes with effortless ease; Gyle’s technique is backed by his enormous physical strength. In the match against New Zealand our six top order batsmen were caught deep in the boundary line because they mistimed and could not clear the fence due to lack of extra strength.
Rohit Sharma has the strength and the ability to play a wide range of strokes but a quality fast bowler with swing continues to trouble him in the initial over. The team heavily depended on Rohit Sharma’s batting instead of developing dependable middle order and slug over specialists.
Virat Kohli seems to be leaving his former self as a grand finisher; he becomes clueless under pressure. Kohli depends on a straight forward “bat and bowl well type approach” to win the match. It does not always work at a high level of competition. Winning a match needs strategic thinking and shrewd moves which always store surprises for the opponents. Kohli can return to his original form and play for another three to four years without the pressure of captainship. It is high time for the team management to relieve Kohli from captainship for good reason. Each and every player of the Indian team should fight for his place and selection should be done on the basis of present form only. Besides, young players should always be tried against tough teams; the domestic IPL matches are in fact not the right place to judge the players’ ability. For testing the players against the tough teams, our top order Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should make room for the youngsters in some matches. It will help find genuine talents.
India should hunt for tough breeds like Yuvraj Singh, Virendra Shehwag, M S Dhoni, Sandeep Patil and Kapil Dev who had raw strength, courage and skill to achieve unpredictable things and made cricket a game of glorious uncertainties. Ordinary batsmen simply crumble but those who have courage take the fight to the opponent’s camp. When a quality pace bowler or spinner spins his web around the batsman on a grass top bowler friendly wicket with good field setting, you are left with the only option to hit the bowler out of the rope. When wind blows to support the pace and swing the batsman needs the courage and the indomitable will to tame the bowler. The future cricket belongs to the fearless and strong players with beautiful minds.
The team management should go extra miles to find the right talent in small states, districts and towns. Quality allrounders who can be slug over specialists should be identified through a transparent selection process which should begin from the district level. Cricket should not be the domain of the rich and the influential people.

Comments

Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov, the artist who survived Stalin's cultural purges

By Harsh Thakor* Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov (September 14, 1885 – April 20, 1964) was a Soviet artist, professor, academician, and teacher. His work was posthumously awarded the Lenin Prize, the highest artistic honour of the USSR. His paintings traced the development of socialist realism in the visual arts while retaining qualities drawn from impressionism. Gerasimov reconciled a lyrical approach to nature with the demands of Soviet socialist ideology.

Nepal votes amid regional rivalry: Why New Delhi is watching closely

By Nava Thakuria* As Nepal holds an early national election on Thursday (5 March 2026), the people of northeast India, along with other regional observers, are watching the proceedings closely. The vote was necessitated after the government of Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli collapsed in September 2025 following widespread anti-government protests. The election will determine the composition of the 275-member House of Representatives, originally scheduled for 2027, under the stewardship of an interim government led by former Supreme Court justice Sushila Karki.

From plagiarism to proxy exams: Galgotias and systemic failure in education

By Sandeep Pandey* Shock is being expressed at Galgotias University being found presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog and a South Korean-made soccer-playing drone as its own creations at the recently held India AI Impact Summit 2026, a global event in New Delhi. Earlier, a UGC-listed journal had published a paper from the university titled “Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis,” which became the subject of widespread ridicule. Following the robotic dog controversy coming to light, the university has withdrawn the paper. These incidents are symptoms of deeper problems afflicting the Indian education system in general. Galgotias merely bit off more than it could chew.

'Policy long overdue': Coalition of 29 experts tells JP Nadda to act on SC warning label order

By A Representative In a significant development for public health, the Supreme Court of India has directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to seriously consider implementing mandatory front-of-pack warning labels on pre-packaged food products. The order, passed by a bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan on February 10, 2026, comes as the Court expressed dissatisfaction with the regulatory body's progress on the issue.

From non-alignment to strategic partnership: India's ideological shift toward Israel

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* India's historical foreign policy maintained a notable duality: offering sanctuary to persecuted Jewish communities dating back centuries, while simultaneously supporting Palestinian self-determination as an expression of its broader anti-colonial foreign policy commitments. The gradual shift in Indian foreign policy under Hindutva-aligned governance — moving toward a strategic partnership with Israel while reducing substantive engagement with the Palestinian cause — raises legitimate questions about ideological motivation and geopolitical consequence.

Development vs community: New coal politics and old conflicts in Madhya Pradesh

By Deepmala Patel* The Singrauli region of Madhya Pradesh, often described as “India’s energy capital,” has for decades been a hub of coal mining and thermal power generation. Today, the Dhirouli coal mine project in this district has triggered widespread protests among local communities. In recent years, the project has generated intense controversy, public opposition, and significant legal and social questions. This is not merely a dispute over one mine; it raises a larger question—who pays the price for energy development? Large corporate beneficiaries or the survival of local communities?

Indian ecologist urges United Nations to probe alleged Epstein links within UN ranks

By A Representative A senior Indian ecologist and long-time United Nations environmental negotiator, Dr. S. Faizi of Thiruvananthapuram, has written to António Guterres, urging the United Nations to launch a high-level investigation into alleged links between certain current and former UN officials and the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein, following disclosures of email communications by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Vaccination vs screening: Policy questions raised on cervical cancer strategy

By A Representative A public policy expert has written to Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda raising a series of concerns regarding the national Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign launched on February 28 for 14-year-old girls.

Zinaida Portnova: The teenage partisan of the Soviet resistance

By Harsh Thakor* February 20 marked the birth centenary of Zinaida Portnova, one of the youngest recipients of the Soviet Union’s highest wartime honour. Remembered for her role in the anti-Nazi underground in occupied Belarus during the Second World War, Portnova became a symbol of youth participation in the Soviet resistance.

Search This Blog