Raising level of game pays for Punjab cricket

Few know that Punjab, virtually unheralded at the senior level for long, won a national championship for the first time not through its Ranji Trophy side (’92-93); their under 19 side actually did it three months before their seniors when they won the All India Cooch Behar tournament at Patiala. Not only did it spur the senior side, its star performers, Amit Sharma and Pankaj Dharmani brought an element of freshness to the Ranji side as well. Remember, how Amit Sharma, in his very second first class match, became the man of the match in that epic Ranji Trophy final for Punjab against Maharashtra.

Punjab may not have matched their title-winning show in Ranji Trophy but the youngsters, taking a cue from their predecessors have been going from strength to strength and are the most feared side in the country. This year was a golden double for Punjab, winning both the under 16 and under 19 sections. They first won the Cooch Behar trophy at Hyderabad and then the Vijay Merchant at Patiala. It was an icing on the cake for them, when the under 16 side also wrested the Madhav Rao Scindia Trophy from the Rest of India side.

Five members of the under 19 side (Yuvraj Singh, Sandeep Sawal, Sarandeep Singh, Harman Harry and Sanjay Kumar) are currently in the state Ranji team, one (Ravneet Ricky) had played last year, and some (Munish Sharma, Sanjay Dhull, Gulzarinder) missed out on competition. That certainly augurs well for the state, coming in the wake of a poor run by the Ranji team (probably due to its re-building stature). It might take a couple of years or so, but once these youngsters get synchronized in the team, the performance is bound to pick up.

Sukhwinder Singh Bawa, who coached the under 19 side this year, is full of praise for the youngsters, recalling. “They were not ruffled at all. In fact, there were times when I was tense but their (team members) cool approach surprised me. They prevailed over all oppositions and under all conditions. Their mental toughness was a result of the competitive district cricket they play.”

When a player knows that he cannot rest on his past fame, with so many looking for an opportunity to get into the side, the quality of cricket goes up. If Punjab is gaining, it is only through this endeavour, where the stress is not only on producing good cricketers, but raising the level of cricket in the state. Good cricketers will automatically follow.