Players lose out in political battle
MUMBAI: Eighteen members of the Rajasthan team came for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament here, instead of the usual squad of 15. In their last league match on Saturday, they made as many as five changes, resting some of their key players.
Even though, they had only a mathematical chance of qualifying for the final after losing to Baroda on Friday, there is an argument that the team’s main focus was to finish on a high.
To give chances to the bench strength is a genuine argument, but in such a scenario it’s usually a case of the old malice which afflicts Indian cricket --- accommodate players to appease various groups in the organisation.
The situation the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) finds itself in, the trend is difficult to control. The CP Joshi-led group lost the elections to Lalit Modi’s team, but the result has not been officially declared with the Supreme Court deliberating on the matter.
Hence, the old group is still involved in the functioning. Then there are members of the Modi group who also like to throw their weight around.
It’s not just at the local level. The RCA’s situation is equally complex in the BCCI set-up, given that Modi is expected to be the next head. The former Indian Premier League boss has been banned by the current BCCI regime and if he returns to power, the Modi vs BCCI case will transform into RCA vs BCCI.
The sign of things to come was when no IPL matches were scheduled at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, the home ground of the Rajasthan Royals. THE PLAYERS As it happens, in cricket politics, the players become pawns. The issue with the Rajasthan players is that there are no big names like Virat Kohli or Yuvraj Singh, and that anything related to them will be glaring. They can be conveniently ignored without anyone raising an eyebrow.
This year, Rajasthan cricketers had no takers in the IPL. Only wicketkeeper Dishant Yagnik was retained by the Royals. Last season, they had five players in various teams – Pankaj Singh, Aniket Choudhary, Arishtha Singhvi, Ashok Menaria (currently injured) and Yagnik. It can be argued that there is one team less in IPL, which reduced the overall demand for players.
But then, Rajasthan have showed that they have good Twenty20 players. They finished second from Central Zone to qualify for the final round of the Syed Mushtaq Ali event. Here too, they gave a good account of themselves.
Rajesh Bishnoi, a former Royal Challengers Bangalore player, Rajasthan’s batting star in the T20 tournament, said, “We have no idea about what the franchises are thinking. We had generally spoken about the issue during the season, that our players are not getting picked, in the teams and decided that the best way is to play well and qualify for the main rounds. It’s only the semifinals and finals where your performance is actually noticed, the selectors watch them and matches are telecast. We have done well in the national T20 tournament, let’s hope the players are rewarded next time.”
However, it’s not just about visibility, the day before the IPL auction was held, Rajasthan spearhead Pankaj Singh bagged a six-wicket haul in the biggest match on the domestic calendar –Irani Trophy. He has played all six editions of the IPL, for the seventh he went unsold. “I was surprised at not being picked because in the same city (Bangalore), on the eve of the auction I had claimed six wickets in the Irani Trophy.”
Talking about the team, Pankaj said, “It’s disheartening for the players because a lot of our players are good for T20.”
Pankaj said the basic requirements of the teams were being met by the association but agreed there was uncertainty. “Yes, things are not settled in Rajasthan and when there is dilemma, it is not good for anybody.”
Coach Pradeep Sunderam said, “Pankaj has done consistently well in all formats and should be given a look-in in the longer format of the game. The national selectors have ignored him.”