Former India captain and the chairman of BCCI’s Talent Research and Development Wing (TRDW) Dilip Vengsarkar has recommended the use of lighter bats to under-15 cricketers.Putting the weight-limit to 2.4 pounds, Vengsarkar said at the BCCI’s Junior Cricket Committee meeting that, ‘‘junior cricketers develop technical flaws because of heavier bats as they tend to use the bottom hand more than the top.’’This comes in the wake of reports carried in The Indian Express where the chief Talent Research Development Officer (TRDO) from the Central Zone Partha Sarthi Sharma had suggested the use of lighter bats to BCCI Technical Committee after a detailed study. Even Indian vice-captain Rahul Dravid had told this newspaper how he has always advised youngsters to use lighter bats.With Vengsarkar endorsing this view, Sharma’s suggestion has got an official approval. However, it will now be up to coaches at the junior level to implement this idea at the grassroots. And that were the real problem lies. Most current Level III and II coaches say that such aspects have never been looked into. ‘‘At the NCA, the coaches are taught the importance of making kids use lighter bats. But the importance of following up with these coaches and seeing to it whether the advice is being implemented or not is still not there,’’ says NCA’s sports medicine expert Kinjal Suratwala.He feels that after Sharma’s report on the use of lighter bats and now Vengsarkar suggesting its use, the BCCI will send a recommendation to every association, which will further help implement it.‘‘As of now, the NCA has still not seen to it whether coaches — after completing their courses — are implementing it or not. Hopefully this might improve now,’’ Suratwala says.
