HoneY
MaaPeya Da LaaDLa
In this grind of the Indian Premier League, you can easily differentiate the men from the boys. After the euphoria of the U-19 World Cup, the teen champs of Indian cricket were all hoping to get the IPL call-up. It happened for most of them, with the likes of Virat Kohli and Shreevats Goswami getting ‘posted' in the Bangalore Royal Challengers, while Tanmay Srivastava found his place in Team Mohali.
While Siddharth Kaul and Iqbal Abdullah were included for the Knight Riders, Ravindra Jadeja made the Jaipur team and Napeleon Einstein sneaked into Team Chennai. But with the IPL now into its final week, none of the young guns have really been able to make an impression.
True, most of them haven't got too many chances, but the belief that T20 is a young man's game and every rookie will be a smash hit the moment he takes the field has been dashed.
Take Virat for example. Rahul Dravid was desperate for somebody to click at the top of the order, and played the India U-19 captain in five games. But even though he was a livewire on the field, the batting just didn't click. Shreevats, though, looked the part when he played against the Delhi Daredevils at Bangalore, but against the pace and bounce of Makhaya Ntini in Chennai, he looked a fish out of water.
But Shreevats is not the one who is going to be disappointed with one failed outing. ‘‘As we started playing here, we realised that U-19 cricket is over for us. We may not have got too many chances, but this has been a hugely satisfying experience for me,'' Shreevats said.
While the pint-sized Bengal boy got the opportunity to work under Mark Boucher and hone his skills, Pradeep Sangwan of Delhi Dardevils trained under Glenn McGrath.
And the Aussie legend was pretty satisfied with the way Sangwan has shaped up in the tournament. ‘‘I think he is a good bowler. We wanted to have four pace bowlers and both Yo Mahesh and Sangwan backed Mohammed Asif and me up pretty well,'' he said.
According to McGrath, Sangwan is surely a player for the future, if he is groomed properly. Team Jaipur skipper Shane Warne feels the same about the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Taruvar Kohli, who are in his team.
‘‘Ravindra is a fantastic talent. He has all the attributes of becoming a star for India in the near future...Unfortunately, we couldn't play him in too many matches, but I'm sure he will become a better cricketer at the end of this stint,'' Warne said.
The legend believes that Jadeja has been played more as a bowler in the India U-19 team, but his batting talents are also there to be tapped. ‘‘He, like all these kids, are doing well. These are very good signs for Indian cricket,'' Warne added. And it's precisely this chance of being nurtured by the greats which makes Siddharth Kaul of Kolkata Knight Riders so happy, in spite of the fact that he hasn't played one game. ‘‘Umar Gul and Shoaib Akhtar are like the big brothers. They're so friendly at the nets and are always ready to extend their helping hand. It doesn't matter if I haven't played a game, it's the experience that is extremely enriching,'' he said. Chennai coach Kepler Wessels too feels that these players should not be judged by the number of matches they have played.
‘‘Let me tell you, these guys will be the biggest beneficiaries of this tournament. At such a young age, they're rubbing shoulders with the best in the business. They're learning well and learning fast,'' Wessels said. So, let's wait and watch. The star of the next IPL may not have played his first game yet.
While Siddharth Kaul and Iqbal Abdullah were included for the Knight Riders, Ravindra Jadeja made the Jaipur team and Napeleon Einstein sneaked into Team Chennai. But with the IPL now into its final week, none of the young guns have really been able to make an impression.
True, most of them haven't got too many chances, but the belief that T20 is a young man's game and every rookie will be a smash hit the moment he takes the field has been dashed.
Take Virat for example. Rahul Dravid was desperate for somebody to click at the top of the order, and played the India U-19 captain in five games. But even though he was a livewire on the field, the batting just didn't click. Shreevats, though, looked the part when he played against the Delhi Daredevils at Bangalore, but against the pace and bounce of Makhaya Ntini in Chennai, he looked a fish out of water.
But Shreevats is not the one who is going to be disappointed with one failed outing. ‘‘As we started playing here, we realised that U-19 cricket is over for us. We may not have got too many chances, but this has been a hugely satisfying experience for me,'' Shreevats said.
While the pint-sized Bengal boy got the opportunity to work under Mark Boucher and hone his skills, Pradeep Sangwan of Delhi Dardevils trained under Glenn McGrath.
And the Aussie legend was pretty satisfied with the way Sangwan has shaped up in the tournament. ‘‘I think he is a good bowler. We wanted to have four pace bowlers and both Yo Mahesh and Sangwan backed Mohammed Asif and me up pretty well,'' he said.
According to McGrath, Sangwan is surely a player for the future, if he is groomed properly. Team Jaipur skipper Shane Warne feels the same about the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Taruvar Kohli, who are in his team.
‘‘Ravindra is a fantastic talent. He has all the attributes of becoming a star for India in the near future...Unfortunately, we couldn't play him in too many matches, but I'm sure he will become a better cricketer at the end of this stint,'' Warne said.
The legend believes that Jadeja has been played more as a bowler in the India U-19 team, but his batting talents are also there to be tapped. ‘‘He, like all these kids, are doing well. These are very good signs for Indian cricket,'' Warne added. And it's precisely this chance of being nurtured by the greats which makes Siddharth Kaul of Kolkata Knight Riders so happy, in spite of the fact that he hasn't played one game. ‘‘Umar Gul and Shoaib Akhtar are like the big brothers. They're so friendly at the nets and are always ready to extend their helping hand. It doesn't matter if I haven't played a game, it's the experience that is extremely enriching,'' he said. Chennai coach Kepler Wessels too feels that these players should not be judged by the number of matches they have played.
‘‘Let me tell you, these guys will be the biggest beneficiaries of this tournament. At such a young age, they're rubbing shoulders with the best in the business. They're learning well and learning fast,'' Wessels said. So, let's wait and watch. The star of the next IPL may not have played his first game yet.
