Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has come out in support of the youngsters and has urged the selectors to focus on infusing more young players. Mumbai so far has won the Ranji trophy 41 times but the transfer of players from the domestic to the International stage has seen a decrease in numbers over the years.
Dilip Vengsarkar had organized a workshop on Tuesday that saw the coaches and selectors in attendance. The workshop was conducted with a view to preparing the youth players for the International stage and to address the issues they are currently facing in the system.
Talking about the situation, Dilip Vengsarkar said, “This is the first time in the history of Mumbai cricket that we’ve had a workshop like this. Our selectors and coaches have done a good job, but we needed to spell out what our expectations are from them as they’re playing a crucial role.
“For example, if a boy is playing well at the Under-14 then an Under-16 selector must make it a point to watch him, track his scores. If you feel that he’s good enough for U-16, then don’t hesitate to pick him. The general mindset is: ‘He should play only U-14 now.’
“We want to change that. If a U-16 boy has attended the National Cricket Academy (NCA) camp, then he should at least be included in the probable for the U-19 team the next season,” Vengsarkar said as quoted by the Times of India.
Vengsarkar further said, “The coaches should look to guide the youngsters, not indulge them. They must be encouraged to think on their own. During the breaks in a match (for lunch or tea), the coach must not speak to his players for more than 10 minutes. The player won’t be attentive after those 10 minutes.
“There’s no point in keeping on lecturing the boys for an hour. Junior coaches must encourage the captains of their teams to take their own decisions”.