LET TALENT PREVAIL
Ever since Vaibhav Suryavanshi burst onto the cricketing horizon, I have wondered, and pardon my blunt assessment, whether Indian team management is allowing seniority to take precedence over emerging talent. We have seen instances of this during India’s tours of Ireland and England this summer, and now in the ongoing T20 series against the West Indies.
In my view, keeping exceptional talent on the bench simply because several senior players are performing well is not a prudent strategy. Continue this for another year, and a young player’s confidence, momentum and match readiness may suffer. Talent needs opportunities to flourish, not prolonged spells on the sidelines.
Look at the IPL. Team managements do not automatically prioritise seniority; they pick players based on the team’s needs and the talent available. Suryavanshi’s performances, over last 2 years, make a strong case for giving him a place in Indian Team, like he is automatic first choice in IPL, and allowing the management to build the rest of the playing eleven around the team’s requirements.
The principle, like in IPL, should be no different when representing the country. The national team must field its best available talent, not reward seniority at the cost of merit. If that means some senior players have to sit out, so be it.
No player, however senior or accomplished, should feel slighted when a more deserving talent gets the opportunity. In a team sport, individual seniority must yield to collective interest.
Let talent prevail. Let merit decide. Let the best represent the country. Country first !