Watching IPl, I witness immense talent and potential in our domestic players. Many players, who are yet to represent India, have become household names through IPl. They not only get the exposure but also share the dressing room with cricketing icons and international stars.
As an Odia, it is a matter of great pride for me to see Ranjib Biswal, president of the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) as IPl chairperson. But this season, there are no players from Odisha in the IPl. last season, Biplab Samantaray, our Ranji Trophy captain, played for Sunrisers Hyderabad and performed really well. It was a deal negotiated by the OCA, which hosted a couple of home games for Hyderabad. Players like Haldhar Das have also played in the IPl.
Why do players from Odisha not go on to play for IndiaIJ People don’t even remember the players who have played for the country (Debasish Mohanty, SS Das and Sanjay Raul). Odisha has unfortunately failed to produce international level cricketers. Is it lack of talent or the inability to perform at the ‘required’ levelIJ
Hockey is prominent in certain areas of the State and among certain sections of people (in the tribal areas of Sundergarh district). But cricket is religion among the youth masses. It is equally popular among both the urban and rural masses. In the nooks and corners of cities and villages, one finds people playing the game with great fervour and passion. There are a lot of cricket clubs spread all over the State, conducting many local level tournaments. The presence and participation of Ranji cricketers augment the process of their evolution. There is no dearth of passion and commitment from the side of the players. Then, what is holding us back at the national and international levelsIJ
The reason may be threefold- infrastructure, performance and clout.
First, the lack of infrastructure has given a major jolt to the aspirations of the cricketers here. There aren’t many stadiums in the State. Most of the clubs are concentrated in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Cricket in the State also suffers from lack of finances. Our players go to Kolkata to play in their league to earn some money for subsistence. Besides, the local clubs are not maintained properly. There is this innate lack of ‘turf wicket’ which deprives the cricketers of getting a taste of real pitches.
The Odisha cricket is dominated by ‘matting wickets’ which is not where the Ranji and international matches take place. The lack of turf wickets make the transition an Achilles’ heel for those who have played the entire season on matting wickets. Suddenly, they are put on virgin areas which in turn become detrimental to their self-confidence. Also, there are no sports academies in the State. The edifice of a nebulous career is put at a young age. But there is no sign of prudence with respect to harnessing such talent. Most of the clubs have coaches who are past cricketers, many of whom are not even Ranji players. They impose their own archaic methods and thinking on these youngsters. No new ideas emanate from these coaches. Their reluctance to reinvent themselves by undergoing ‘level A/B course’ depicts the lack of efficacy of the system. Cricket is no more a physical game; it is now more a mental game. The psychological aspect of the players is neglected. The coaches not only lack the ability and acumen to deal with the psychology of players but are not committed enough to master the art.
Second, coming to the performance of the Odisha players in the past few seasons, it can be dubbed as ordinary. As Sachin Tendulkar has said “Performance in the domestic circuit cannot guarantee you a spot in the Indian team but can surely bring you into reckoning.” Not only have the Odia players failed to earn a spot in the Indian team, very few have made it to the ‘reckoning list’. According to current Ranji trophy selector P Jayachandra, the current players who have made it to the ‘reckoning list’ are Natraj Behera, Biplab Samantaray, young Gobind Poddar and paceman Basant Mohanty. These players have shown glimpses of brilliance but nothing eye-catching.
Since only three players have played for India, and Odisha has never won the coveted domestic title, the players suffer from the implicit indigenous problem of lack of belief. The kind of background and psychology that is ingrained in most of these players prevents them from dreaming big. They are drained by their ambition and aspiration to play for the State team; anything above that is a bonus. This lack of belief needs to be changed. Dreams should be high and one mustn’t relax until one has represented the country.
Another point that I had made earlier was performing at the ‘right place’. People play well at the Ranji level and then go on to represent zone, India-A and subsequently India. Odia players play well at the Ranji level, but at a higher level where the stakes are high, they flop. In 2001, Debasish Mohanty had taken ten wickets in an innings against south zone (which had Rahul Dravid in the side). Then, when he played for India-A against Australia, he went wicket-less. laxman scored a hundred and Harbhajan took a fiver in that match; both of them got selected into the Indian team. The epic 2001 Australia series followed and both of them became legends. The debacle of the 2002 West Indies tour resulted in the ousting of Shiv Sunder Das from the Indian team. But later, he was made the captain of India-A squad that toured England. Although the team did well, he failed to score runs and was never seen in India colours again.
Third, there is considerable clout exerted by te boards of Mumbai, Tamil Nadu and Delhi in the administration and in the selection process. Odisha belongs to the nadir group in the hierarchy. The State cricket is run by the whims and fancies of two people, Asirbad Behera and his son. They decide who to select as captain, coach, support staff, etc. Right from the U-15 level to the senior level, it is ‘they’ who run the show in the State. Behera’s son Budha Behera owns the Rising Student Cricket Club in Cuttack. Players from all over the State come here in the hope of making it to the State team. The propriety of selection of players in the entire hierarchical level rests on him. It’s high time we took note of this culture. The callous nature of the administrative officials has cost the career of many, Sanjay Satpathy being a notable one.
On the national level, we have got familiar with Ranjib Biswal as the man who was carrying the national flag in Sachin Tendulkar’s World Cup winning victory lap. Biswal had held many a post of prominence ranging from NCA Director, national selector, manager and finally IPl chairman. Being such a powerful person on the national level, what is his contribution towards the Odisha cricketIJ He could have recommended a few names. Natraj Behera this season has scored four back-to-back hundreds, but does he feature in any of the IPl teamIJ Surely, the players could have performed better, but Biswal could have squeezed in one or two players! How many times have players like Ajit Agarkar or Murali Vijay made international comebacksIJ What are the extraordinary performances of players like Mohit Sharma and Stuart Binny that earned them a national capIJ
Even with his credentials, Biswal is an outsider in the State and has wielded negligible power in the State administration machinery due to the father-son duo. If players are selected to the national team, the credit would go to Behera.
The only option that the players have is to score tons and tons of runs in the domestic circuit and hope to catch the attention of the national selectors. The quagmire of the State cricket officials would lead them to nowhere. They must decide their own fate and hope for the best.
(The writer represented Odisha U-15, U-17 cricket team, besides Bangalore University)