Indian cricket’s domestic feeder path to an international destination doesn’t appear to be straightforward

Mere numbers game: For India internationals like Pujara, who are not in the Test team for the tour of West Indies, the Duleep Trophy offers not much more than a chance to add to their personal stats.
| Photo Credit: AFP

After a demoralising loss to Australia in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at London a couple of weeks ago, a dejected India captain Rohit Sharma hinted that it might be time to make a few personnel changes to the team.

“We’ll see what is required (for the next WTC cycle), and what brand of cricket we want to play in the next two years. Who are the guys who can do that role for us? That is the question that we need to find answers for. There are a lot of players who are doing really well in our domestic cricket. It’s about finding them,” said Rohit after India suffered yet another setback in an ICC knockout match.

The line about grooming those who do well in domestic cricket should give hope to the many who aspire to wear the coveted India cap. A closer look at the domestic schedule for this 2023-24 season, however, suggests that this feeder path to an international destination is not straightforward.

Lowering the stakes

The Duleep Trophy, which commences in Bengaluru on Wednesday, is a case in point. The prestigious zonal tournament, the season opener, has been pencilled in as the Indian team prepares to leave for a multi-format tour to West Indies.

The Test squad for the Carribean tour has been announced, lowering the stakes involved with the Duleep Trophy. The players will no doubt give their best when on the field, but they will be deflated knowing that big performances will not meet immediate rewards.

The next Test series, in fact, is quite a few months away, when India travels to South Africa. It cannot be assumed that standout talent in this Duleep Trophy will reserve their spots until the December Proteas outings.

For the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Suryakumar Yadav, both omitted from the Test team travelling to West Indies, the Duleep Trophy offers not much more than a chance to add to their personal stats. The West Zone batters could end up topping the run charts, but a return to India whites is not guaranteed reward. The best they can hope for is to remind the selectors of their wares, and hope that a prolonged, consistent run leads to greater glory.

The timing of the Vijay Hazare Trophy is perhaps even more glaring. The premier 50-over tournament is scheduled to be held a few days after the completion of the Cricket World Cup.

It would have been prudent to advance the Vijay Hazare Trophy by a couple of months to give the selectors the best chance to identify the best possible XI for the marquee event.

Instead, the task of building the ideal core group for the World Cup will rely on returns made in the ODIs held prior. While there are several ODIs on offer to make a mark, this is not the ideal way to identify talent for a tournament of this magnitude.

The dates of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, meanwhile, is best suited to modern demands.

The T20 inter-State tournament is set to begin on October 16, a perfect couple of months before the 2024 IPL auctions is expected to be staged.

The powers that be certainly gave these dates more than a passing thought.

On a positive note, the return to the zonal system for the Duleep Trophy is a step in the right direction.

The tournament lost flavour from 2016 to 2020, when players were slotted into three teams — India Red, India Green and India Blue.

With no sense of belonging to these randomly assigned generic teams, the action on the field was often meandering and lacking purpose.

Boost for the NE team

The zonal system thankfully returned in the last edition, joined by a North East Zone team. For cricketers from the North East, any chance to go up against the best in the business is welcome. The predominantly home-grown players were busy at practice at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Tuesday, and were no doubt eager for action to begin.

For Sonam Palden Bhutia, the head coach of the North East team, the message to the players is clear.

“All of our State association officials were very encouraging when interacting with the players. From their side, the message to the players is loud and clear.

“This Duleep Trophy is a golden opportunity — a ticket to the Indian team. The boys should go out there and perform at their best. Who knows, you might make it to the Indian team,” Bhutia said.

“We’ve been blessed with good talent from the North East region. Our expectation is to fight hard and put up a good show. For us, this is not new. We’ve been playing at this level since 2018. This is a game of uncertainties. Anything can happen. I am very optimistic,” Bhutia said.

Bhutia, who has coached the Sikkim senior men’s unit, added that the young talent here can spring a surprise.

“We have many talented under-19 players in the squad. There is a lot of scope for young talent. They will be recognised here, and might be picked for the India under-19 team,” Bhutia said.