The passion that Rahul Dravid has for Karnataka cricket often comes through in his casual conversations.
At the prime of his career when he used to be away doing national duty, he would always make it a point to follow the progress of the Karnataka team in domestic tournaments. Even after his retirement, despite his many media commitments, he has been following the performances of the State team with the same enthusiasm.
Having won an unprecedented three titles – Ranji Trophy, Irani Cup and Vijay Hazare Trophy -- the last season, Karnataka began their 2014-15 campaign with a bang by winning the South Zone one-day championship for the Subbiah Pillai Trophy and retaining the Hazare Trophy.
Naturally, the former India captain is quite pleased with the way the side has fared under R Vinay Kumar. “They had a fantastic last season,” Dravid said on Friday. “After a long time, we are seeing a lot of guys pushing for places in the Indian team. It’s great to see that Karnataka has three probables (Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey and Stuart Binny) for the World Cup. I have been particularly impressed by the way they have played as a team, the way they have come together and the way everyone has understood and responded to the responsibilities entrusted to them.”
The right-hander was also effusive in his praise of coaching duo of J Arunkumar (batting) and Mansur Ali Khan (bowling). ”Vinay has led the team extremely well, and I think the combination of Arunkumar and Mansur has been fantastic for the team. They have combined really well and managed the resources brilliantly.
A lot of credit must also go to them for the way the boys have played,” he pointed out. While he believes that the team is capable of replicating its last year’s success, he is disappointed with some of the decisions the State senior selectors have made ahead of Karnataka’s season opener against Tamil Nadu beginning here on Sunday. Particularly of his concern are the size of the squad – 16 members – and the inclusion of off-spinner Udit Patel.
“I was a bit disappointed to see the team for the first Ranji game,” he stressed. “To be honest, I don’t see the need for a 16-man squad for a home game. I don’t buy the argument that once the final XI is picked, one or two players can then be released to go and play for the state Under-23 side. Pick 15 initially, at the most, and when you decide on your playing XI, send one or two guys to the Under-23 team, that is a positive sign because you need players to get game time, not just sit on the bench. The selectors must have conviction in what they do, they must take tough decisions. Picking 16 players for a home game suggests to me that they are trying to please too many people.”
The 30-year-old Patel, who is returning to the Karnataka first-class set-up after a gap of four years, has taken 54 wickets from 31 first-class games at an average of 45.62. After he was overlooked by the State selectors, Patel turned up for Tripura but didn’t have anything to shout home about by way of performance. In 12 matches for Tripura, who get clubbed with lower-rung teams, he claimed a princely nine wickets at a staggering average of 77.22.
“I am extremely disappointed to see Udit back in the side,” Dravid noted. “I have nothing against the boy. If he has been picked, he has been picked, it’s not his fault. But look at his numbers – he averages 45 in 31 first-class games, his performances this season across formats have been nothing to write home about. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he wasn’t even able to complete his quota of 10 overs. I have no issues with the fact that he is 30, but the numbers just don’t stack up. The selectors really need to be clear about their vision. They can’t take two steps backwards when someone averages 45.”
This, Dravid feels, could have a negative impact on younger spinners. “It will also mean unnecessarily putting pressure on guys like Shreyas Gopal and J Suchith. I thought Suchith bowled beautifully in the Vijay Hazare final, 1 for 22 from 8 overs, and the 20-year-old kid isn’t even in the squad of 16. Shreyas was very good last season, took a hat-trick in the Irani Cup, and was dropped after two ordinary games in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
“He is a 19-year-old leg-spinner, he will go for runs from time to time. You need to have patience, he will have a few bad games. But you can’t have different yardsticks,” he offered.