Having won the ICC Champions Trophy and the Tri series in West Indies, the bench strength of the Men in Blue is proved to be all time high.
Since June, different Indian cricket teams have won a total of 4 tournaments. The senior team won the ICC Champions Trophy and the tri series in West Indies; the India ‘A’ team won the limited over’s tri series in South Africa and is on the verge of winning the test series and on Sunday, India’s U23 squad won the ACC’s Emerging Teams Cup held in Singapore. They beat Pakistan U23 in the finals by 9 wickets to lift the trophy. KL Rahul was the man of the match for his match winning knock of 93*.
All these results show that the bench strength of the Men in Blue is at an all time high. The most heartening thing to note is that all of the victories have come on overseas soil. Over the years, the Indian cricket team has suffered from lack of bench strength in various departments of the game. Competition amongst cricketers to get into the squad is always a healthy sign for any team. Today’s victory by the U23 team has just increased the pool of players for the selectors to choose from. Selectors also deserve credit as it is they who pick the squads for such tournaments.
The coming months are brimming with matches across all three formats. It would be imperative for India to have a larger pool of players to choose from. With the amount of International cricket played these days, in addition to the domestic tournaments like the IPL and CLT20, injuries are bound to take place. Having a larger pool of back up players to choose from, is a luxury the selectors would like to have. Credit must also be given to the BCCI for regularly organizing U19, U23 and ‘A’ team tours overseas.
The depth in talent is so astonishing that BCCI can have two different teams and still perform well at the highest level. Another vital point in such successes is that the young cricketers are performing consistently well. The U19 and the U23 teams have regularly won tournaments and does auger well for the future. An opportunity is what gives cricketers the chance to showcase their skills and prove that they belong in the big league. Whenever such opportunities arrive, these budding cricketers have grabbed it with both hands. This proves, they value their place in the squad and want to keep performing better. A winning habit is always a good one.
The BCCI should continue with this policy of sending teams on tours on a consistent basis as it is the best way for cricketers to gain experience of playing in different conditions and also an opportunity to make a mark in the eyes of the selectors. The future surely looks bright for Team India and if the winning streak continues, it won’t be too long before we see these talented bunch of cricketers make their international debuts.
