Emulate Dhoni: Vengsarkar to NE cricketers

Chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar has said that cricketers from the North East would have to come of age to secure a berth in the Indian team and they would do well to take a leaf out of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s book, who, in spite of coming from a small town, had made a mark in world cricket.

Vengsarkar said there was no dearth of talent in the North East, which was evident by the inclusion of players from Assam into the national U-19 and U-16 teams, but somewhere they had failed to retain the momentum just when it mattered most.

“In recent years, I have seen a couple of good players, especially from Assam, but after a few good performances, they sink into oblivion, which is unfortunate,” said Vengsarkar, who was at Guwahati for the opening match of the Indian Oil Cup between arch rivals India and Pakistan.

“There can’t be any other criteria than your performance on the field that would enable you to don the national colours. For the players of the region, the immediate goal should be to play well representing their respective states and then for the East Zone squad,” he said.

“If you perform, there is nothing that can stop you from making the cut. There can’t be any other reason, which is barring the region to produce any international cricketer till date,” stated Vengsarkar.

It is ironical that Assam, which boasts of several decades of cricket history and has, till date, hosted as many as 13 international matches, has failed to produce any cricketer of national standing.

The former Indian skipper also said that the Assam Cricket Association, being the dominant force in the region, has a greater role to play in making the North East a force to reckon with in Indian cricket.

“The fact that many talented players are coming out from smaller cities should motivate the players here to work that bit harder. Success does not come easy,” he asserted.

It may be mentioned here that in recent years, paceman Abu Naschim Ahmed, who eventually joined the Indian Cricket League, was the only player to manage a berth in the East Zone team, though he could not find a place in the playing eleven.

The chief selector categorically said that at present there were no such players in view from the region, who could immediately make it to the big league.

When asked whether he was happy with the facilities on the ground, the former stylish middle order batsman refused to make any comment.

Source: The Assam Tribune

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