Under the captaincy of Yash Dhull, India has won the ICC U-19 World Cup 2022 for the fifth time. India defeated England in the final and became the only country to win the competition five times. This means India has a lot of raw cricket talent that gets nurtured at the lower level. But why doesn’t it translate into more ICC trophies for the senior team and why do very few players make it big in team India? Let’s find out.
U-19 teams performing well
India’s U-19 circuit functions like a well-oiled machinery. The reason is bureaucracy, or lack of it, to be precise.
Since the U-19 World Cup doesn’t bring in a lot of attention and money, the bureaucrats aren’t usually very keen on getting involved with the system. So, a set of young, promising players is left to train with a dedicated coach without any power struggle or politics. The team has just one focus- playing well and winning. This is what they do, and this is why they keep winning the tournament.
Disciplined ex-cricketers like present team India coach Rahul Dravid have worked with the U-19 and A teams which has also helped India in performing brilliantly at the U-19 level. A good talent pool is periodically created that can qualify to the senior level.
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Why the U-19 performance doesn’t get replicated at the senior level
Successive victories at the Under 19 level clearly prove that there is no dearth of talent. However, India hasn’t won an ICC trophy since 2013. The raw talent being nurtured at the junior levels is clearly not helping the senior side.
The fact remains that, unlike the U-19 World Cup side, the senior team isn’t free from all the bureaucracy and power struggle games at the national level. Mostly, the cricket board and the team skipper are on the same page. And things go fine as long as it stays that way.
But when news reports of multiple power centres and power struggles start doing the rounds, distractions prop up and the ICC trophies start evading the team. You can imagine how demotivating and detrimental such reports are to a player’s attitude. Suddenly, the focus turns to such power struggle games instead of playing good cricket and winning.
Why U-19 players aren’t making it big?
This is the real issue. Some of the most promising players who originated out of the Under-19 level haven’t been able to make good careers at the regular level. Players like Ambati Rayudu and Unmukt Chand had seemed quite promising in the early stages of their careers. But they couldn’t replicate their success with the senior side.
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One issue is the power struggles at the national level. With problems like favouritism and personal equations coming into the picture, the young U-19 players start facing enormous pressure that can be detrimental to an athlete’s performance and career. Suddenly the focus is not on winning but on retaining a position in the team. It becomes a ‘perform or perish’ situation which doesn’t augur well for a young sportsman.
And with the cut-throat competition in the Indian cricket scene, a phase of below-par performances can be fatal to a cricketer’s career.
The IPL factor
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has reaffirmed BCCI’s image as a cash-rich cricket board. But how far has it helped India in grooming cricketing talent?
In the past, Ranji Trophy was the backbone of Indian cricket. It produced the epitome of focus and concentration like Rahul Dravid and an aggressive spinner like Anil Kumble. Why do we lack such talent at the senior level now?
Well, IPL has made a big change. When you can roll your arm for four overs and bat for an average of 25-30 balls to earn crores of rupees, it is only natural for a player to prefer IPL over Ranji. But Ranji is what teaches you the ability to handle the red ball and bat for longer periods without playing a reckless shot.
Under 19 brings in talent and a robust domestic cricket circuit grooms it for representing the senior side. But with the IPL, things have changed. IPL is here to stay but the domestic cricket circuit needs to be strengthened too.
India has won yet another U-19 World Cup, but if the opportunity to use the new talent pool is going to be squandered all over again, then it is not a cause for celebration.