India A: A concept that is changing country's cricket philosophy

VIJAYAWADA: In India’s run of success, one of the things that goes unnoticed is the way the team finds players who fit into the scheme of things without much fuss. During the last couple of years, this graduation from domestic to international cricket has been smooth and the India A set-up deserves credit for becoming a feeder system.

Opener injured? There are at least two ready to fill in. Hole in the middle-order? There are players ready for the highest level. Fast-bowling all-rounder? Here you go. Mystery spinner? No worries. Wicketkeeper has niggles? There is one ready to step up. This is what the A team has been doing, providing players.

“The aspiration and challenges set for a lot of India A players is to be all-weather players, all-situation players, all-condition players,” said India A coach Rahul Dravid. With virtually no emphasis on results, Dravid has set parameters for the players and given them opportunities. The process is yielding results. In the off-season, players are exposed to conditions in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, while also playing at home.

“It has gone well, considering the number of games we play. We are not really judging these games according to results. We want to see how the younger players shape up. Hopefully, we are giving them enough exposure to different conditions. If they get a national call-up, they will hopefully be more ready than they are by playing just domestic cricket,” Dravid said.

Though the A team concept has existed for a long time, the senior India team management and the A team working towards a common goal is a fairly new development. “We are giving as much exposure as possible. At this level, you also get the opportunity to try out players, who the selectors are looking at. In terms of positions and those kind of things, we are looking ahead with what sort of player the Indian team might need in a year and-a-half,” the former India batsman added.

Players who get dropped or suffer injuries go to the A team, and the door is never ever shut permanently. Rather, opportunities are provided to rectify mistakes in case someone is dropped on form. “A lot depends on why the players are coming back to this set-up. Sometimes, they are here because they had injuries and are making a comeback. Sometimes, they are dropped for lack of form. Sometimes, players get dropped for no fault of theirs because the ones they had replaced come back. You need to keep them ready. It is important for the selectors to see where the player stands and for us to give them a feedback if they are really coming along in the areas they needed improvement. We have seen it with certain players, who perform consistently and keep knocking on the door and perform when called up,” Dravid added.

Communication with selectors is the other significant change Dravid has brought about. “One of the things I’m really interested in is the flow of communication with the selectors. We keep throwing ideas, chatting, we keep looking for different things and they are open to it, even with scheduling. And of course it is very difficult to schedule A series because of the stress factor. Players have to play for their state sides as well. We are aware of it because the last thing you want is pull them out of the Ranji season. It should be given as much importance,” he said.

venkatakrishna@newindianexpress.com