India’s young heroes yet to sprout

That was in August 1996 and the opposition included the best under-15 players from Australia, England, West Indies, South Africa, Holland, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Canada.

Hailed and feted on their return, this team, which was led by Punjab’s Reetinder Sodhi included 13 other players — from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Mumbai.

But, a little over two years after that victory, barring two members of that squad — Reetinder Sodhi and Mohammad Kaif — the rest of them are struggling to live up to expectations. Sodhi is theonly cricketer among the 14-member team to have made headway in the direction that could at some point see him in the Indian team. The Patiala-born player, son of former Punjab cricketer Mahesh Inder Singh, has been a part of his state team for Ranji Trophy for the last three years while most of his former colleagues are struggling to get even into the under-19 squads of their respective states.

Sodhi, who tunred 18 this October, took a double hundred off the Delhi attack last year at Patiala and has proved to be a more than useful bowler, with his pace and swing.

Sodhi has also represented the country in the Junior (under-19) World Cup in South Africa, where the team was led by Mumbai’s Amit Pagnis. He also toured Pakistan with the India A’ team under Gagan Khoda and was a member of the India A’ team to Holland under Vikram Rathore this year.

“With all support and encouragement from my father, I have found it easy to concentrate on the game. The experience of having toured South Africa, Pakistan andHolland with under-19 and India A’ teams have helped me in toning up my game,” says young Sodhi, who hit an unbeaten 152 for Board President’s XI against the touring South African Under-19 team, prior to the Lombard Cup.

Mohammed Kaif was talked of as future India material even as the Lombard team came back from London. “I see another Azharuddin in his batting,” was what India A’ coach Krishnamachari Srikkanth said about his batting abilities. Very encouraging words indeed. The Uttar Pradesh middle-order batsman, whose elder brother Mohammed Saif was already in the squad, made his Ranji debut last year and his name figures in the India Youth team due to take on the visiting West Indies A’ at Pune later this month.

While Sodhi and to a certain extent, Kaif, have made significent strides towards bigger honours, many other members of that Lombard squad have not found progress easy. Many are yet to become regulars on their Ranji teams. The Lombard team had six, including Sodhi, from Punjab. WhileGulzarinder Singh Chahal, Ravneet Singh, Vivek Mahajan and Rajive Arora are in the state under-19 squad, Gagainder Singh (Garry) was a member of the state under-16 team until last year.

None of the four players from Delhi in that team have been able to make a mark in any grade of cricket so far. Wicket-keeper batsman Pradeep Chawla does not even find a place in the Delhi under-19 team while Maninder Bola shifted to Haryana for the Cooch-Behar Trophy this year. Medium-pacer Rakesh Raman Jha and Rajan Gupta, however, are in the under-19 team.

The transition from under-19 squads to higher levels is always a difficult task and it now remains to be seen, if by the turn of the century, any of these Boy Heroes of August 1996′ will become permanent fixtures in the Indian squad. Or, will it simply be a case another group of youngsters impressing on their arrival and then leaving without a trace?