KSCA unearths diamonds from its system

When opening batsman Mayank Agarwal and left-arm paceman Sreenath Arvind excelled in India A's facile win over Bangladesh on Wednesday, it came as no surprise to the custodians of the game in Karnataka.For, thanks to their untiring efforts over a decade, Karnataka and its cricketers have enjoyed spectacular success over the last two years.

Two back-to-back Ranji Trophy and Irani Cup title triumphs form the rarest of rare feats while simultaneously underlining the tremendous strides made by the state since those heady days in the late 1990s when the likes of Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Sunil Joshi, Dodda Ganesh and others kept the state flag flying high.

"Twice in the past, during the 70s and 90s decades we contributed six players to the Indian team. The current team has the talent and potential to go one better and send at least seven players to the national squad," said former India wicket-keeper Syed Kirmani who was part of the 1983 World Cup winning Indian team that changed the face of the game in the country . Kirmani, while hailing the achievements of the current squad, called it the best ever.

However, it was not always so and the fact that so many of these young cricketers are on the verge of greater honours is a tribute to the system that has identified them and trained and polished them into an effective, glittering lot. Take the case of skipper R Vinay Kumar. In the late 1990s, KSCA, alarmed at the quality of juniors coming through the ranks, decided that the only way forward was to go on a talent hunt in the 1217 age group and from district academies with the state academy in Bengaluru as the apex body . Davanagere was one among the many districts where they cast their net and Vinay, son of an autorickshaw driver, landed up at the nets in a non-cricketing attire.

According to cricket consultant Makarand Waingankar ­ who was entrusted with the job of setting up the academy in 2000 ­ they permitted Vinay to turn his arm over at the end of the session but were so impressed with his potential that they not only admitted him into the academy, but ensured that he got the best of opportunities and facilities to train. Likewise, in Bengaluru, Arvind was over age when he landed up at the nets.But seeing his potential they opted to back him. "The thinking was that good teenage batsmen would need to bat against a better class of bowlers. He was taken as the bowler who would test them. At the same time all the guidance and coaching helped him improve by leaps and bounds," he said.

Just another case would show how KSCA's bosses put discretion to good use. A very young KL Rahul landed at the Mangaluru nets. He was below the minimum age of 12. But KSCA was so impressed with his intensity and sincerity that KSCA secretary Brijesh Patel made an exception in his case. The crucial years Rahul trained in Mangaluru before shifting to Bengaluru to pursue his college education made all the difference to his fortunes. Additionally the weekend inter-district camp matches gave a competitive edge to the training. More matches, more tournaments and hence greater exertion of pressure tested the temperament of the players. The better ones stood out and were put through intensive sessions in summer in Bengaluru under Frank Tyson, the legendary former England fast bowler.The rewards of those gruelling days are the Ranji Trophy wins and the remarkable successes of KL Rahul, Vinay Kumar, Robin Uthappa, Arvind, Agarwal, Manish Pandey , Karun Nair, Shreyas Gopal, R Samarth, et al. They along with Stuart Binny and Abhimanyu Mithun are proof of how extensive training, guidance and exposure could take talent places.

STATE PLAYERS IN INDIA

'A' SQUAD FOR BANGLA SERIES For One-dayers: Mayank Agarwal (24 years, righthanded batsman), S Arvind (31, left-arm medium pace), Manish Pandey (25, right-handed batsman), Karun Nair (23, right-handed bat, off-break bowler).Three-day match: Shreyas Gopal (22 years, right-handed batsman, leg-break bowler), Abhimanyu Mithun (25, right-arm medium pace), Karun Nair.