“India ‘A’ is important for any player who wants to play for the country. Performances on these tours really count. I believe sometimes one match can make a difference to their careers.
“I know they have come here through a tough journey. So, my role demands giving a chance to everyone and the tour also demands the same. It’s not easy to play different formats. The whole purpose is to see that who is really ready to go the next level,” Amre said here on Thursday ahead of the 10-day preparatory camp for the squad, beginning at the National Cricket Academy on Friday.
Amre cited the examples of Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and S Badrinath who excelled in the ‘A’ tours and Emerging Players tournaments before striking it big in the international circuit.
“I was with similar squads for the last two years in the tours to Australia. Virat, Suresh and Badri were there. It’s good to see them playing the next level. Last year Down Under, we played six games and lost four. But still we ended up winning the championship. Winning is different. Our focus was on playing quality cricket out there. We know these guys are talented and now their performances on those tours are making a difference,” Amre said.
There was a lot of focus on Indian batsmen’s inability to counter short-pitched deliveries after India’s inglorious exit from the World T20 in the West Indies. Amre said they would work on it during the camp.
“The good thing is that we have got a 10-day camp. Last time it was a four-day camp. Now, we have got ample time to work on a few things. As for short-pitched balls, it was a factor in Australia and our batsmen did a good job, tackling it. Virat did a good job on that front. It’s not that we are not working on it, here too we will focus on that,” he added.
The former Indian batsman, however, was aware that his wards will have to negate many more threats in England than just short-pitched stuff. “We will have to tackle English conditions.
“Every time we tour to different destinations we have to handle different things. In England, it’s going to be swing. We will discuss that here and will try to get close to those conditions, so that the batsmen will be aware of the things to come.”
“For batsmen playng on the rise, it will be tough when the ball stops and comes (to the bat). Remember, we are playing first-class cricket on covered wickets and open wickets will be very tough. But this will be a good exposure for the players,” he said.
Though the squad strength is 16, only 15 will feature in the camp as Karnataka pacer Abhimanyu Mithun is currently in Australia as part of the Border-Gavaskar scholarship.
Uthappa leaves for UK
Meanwhile, Robin Uthappa left on Thursday for England to have surgery on his injured shoulder. The Karnataka lad will return on May 30.
