'Quality must be there'

Pune Mirror, September 7, 2008

Suhrid Barua

Pune: The BCCI's decision to put in motion the rule of allocating one foreign player in State teams for the 2008-09 Ranji season has only set the cricketing tongues wagging. A lot has been documented about the new 'one foreign player' rule but has the thought ever crossed our minds whether foreign players are absolutely imperative for Indian domestic cricket? One can understand that the induction of foreign players can help fine-tune the skills of our domestic cricketers but then, no one can question the flush of home-grown talent which must be given the proper launchpad to blossom.
Former India batting great Gundappa Viswanath said the question of whether Indian domestic cricket need foreign players is a tricky one to answer as every Ranji team would have different requirements. "It's not about whether we need foreign players for our domestic circuit. Every team would have different permutations to work on and combinations and would opt for players accordingly," he said.
Viswanath was, however, clear on one count. Quality cannot be compromised at any cost. "Even though we're going to have allocation of one foreign player in Ranji teams, every effort should be undertaken to ensure the best of the lot ply their skills here as having below-par players would only have a deleterious effect," he explained.
Similar sentiments were echoed by former Indian all-rounder Chandu Borde. "If at all we want to induct foreign players in State Ranji teams, it must be ensured that 'quality' is not compromised. If the home-grown talents of a particular State team fits the ball, then there is no need to go for foreign players. It all depends on what line of thinking the braintrust of each teams have," he remarked.
However, another former India all-rounder Madan Lal, a member of the 1983 World Cup winning team, struck a discordant note. He feels the BCCI is getting carried away by the foreign flavour. "They're giving everything to the foreigners. Coaches are from outside and now foreign players coming into Ranji sides, I don't think having foreign players is the right way to go about things," he said in a tone almost dismissing the entry of foreign players in Ranji teams.
The former medium-pacer believes that all the perennial talk of the gloss missing from Ranji trophy can be a thing of the past if BCCI makes it mandatory for the Indian 'star' players to play in our premier domestic competition. "I do understand that the BCCI is hard-pressed to follow the Future Tours Program (FTP), but the board must find a way out to space out our calender so that our 'stars' can play.
"If 'competitive juice' has to retained in our domestic circuit, making the 'stars' play is the only possible way. Tell me which bowler won't like to get Tendulkar or Dravid out in Ranji trophy? It's every bowler's dream. In my playing days it's the same joy I got bowling to the likes of Gavaskar and Viswanath and dismissing them," he added.
Former national chief selector and wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani says the move could act as an added incentive for our domestic players to raise their performance bar. "It's not about whether we need foreign players in State Ranji teams, it's about whether their presence are going to help our domestic cricket.
"No doubt, our domestic players would get added fillip to perform playing alongside foreign players and that way, our domestic cricket can only get better. Only time will tell whether the entry of foreign players serves the desired purpose," Kirmani quipped.