University cricket was a big thing in the 70s and 80s. It gave some great players like the legendary Sunil Gavaskar to the Indian team. However, with the passage of time it steadily faded away. But it seems that the university cricket is going to make a comeback in the country. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is contemplating the idea of starting the university cricket league once again in the country.
According to reports in the Indian Express, BCCI president Anurag Thakur said that the board’s working committee, scheduled this week, will discuss how the board can revive University cricket.
The Board is planning a T20 league but it is yet to plan out the strategy for the league. With more than 100 universities across the country,there is a possibility that a league system might be formed where the best performers from different University cricket sides will be picked in different teams.
“During my playing days the University cricket was still relevant but before that, it used to be the stepping stone for the Test and international cricket. Today, it needs overhauling and we will discuss that in the working committee how to revive it. We can think to do something on a league basis in T20 format. Or we can think of a different kind of tournament which could give quality players to the nation,” Thakur stated.
The university cricket already found a supporter when last year former India batsman and selector Dilip Vengsarkar raised his voice to revive the university cricket.
“”I have seen Ajit Wadekar scoring a triple hundred against Delhi University during my days. Even Sunil Gavaskar made a lot of runs in inter-university cricket. In fact, it was on that basis that he was selected in 1971 for the tour of the West Indies. Even I had almost scored a double hundred against Delhi. It was a really big thing back then. It is thus very important to revive inter-university cricket,” Vengsarkar said then.
The Board president said that in order to ensure that the talented young players do not waste their talent to pursue studies, university cricket will play a big role.
“Many young players, especially those players who are 17-18 years of age, their focus goes into studying in professional colleges like engineering, medical. To ensure that talent doesn’t go to waste we want to give them an opportunity to come and play and if they still have the calibre or potential to play for the nation than this could be the stepping stone for them,” Thakur added.