When looking for a turnaround in fortunes,sport teams go for one of the two measures blooding youngsters or bring in an outsider to run things.
This shift towards youth and foreign guidance has been the hallmark of the Maharashtra Ranji side under the Ajay Shirke administration since 2004. In the recent past,the side has had three foreign coaches while over the last five years,Maharashtra has fielded the youngest team,in terms of average age,in the Ranji Trophy.
In the last decade,with the onus on youth,completely fresh squads have been picked,ignoring a large majority of the seniors (above the 25-27 age category). This has led to a number of players,including Hrishikesh Kanitikar and Dheeraj Jadhav,moving away. Jadhav plies his trade for Assam while Kanitkar has since won two consecutive Ranji Trophy titles with Rajasthan.
People who have observed the performance of the team over the last five years say that the maturity and the calmness of experience,as in the case of a young squad built around an experienced core,was dearly missed.
Case in point was Maharashtras 2011-12 season. With Shaun Williams as head coach, the team reached the Ranji quarters,but a period of 22 minutes on the second day where they lost six wickets for 20-odd runs allowed Tamil Nadu to progress on first innings lead. In the one-day competition,again in the quarterfinals,Punjab were tottering at 6/67 chasing 187,but a dropped catch and an inexperienced bowling attack allowed the opposition to get over the line.
With the current shortlist for the job of the coach carrying a distinct foreign flavour too,the onus on the outsider is not about to change. But the lesson from the past,of blending experience and youth,is there to be learnt.
Chinmay is a trainee correspondent based in Pune
chinmay.brahme@expressindia.com
