From: pvr@rice.edu (Narasimha Pvr)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.cricket
Subject: Problems with a vice cap at 19 (Re: Prabhakar and Tendulkar)
Date: 7 Apr 1992 03:05:43 -0500
Organization: CS Dept, University of Texas at Austin
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

In article <1992Apr7.142854.15733@uqvax.cc.uq.oz.au>, ccrob@uqvax.cc.uq.oz.au writes:

> In article <9204070247.AA21101@sawwhet.owlnet.rice.edu>, pvr@rice.edu (Narasimha Pvr) writes:

> > When one talks about SRT, people may have a small kid in mind and may object
> > strongly to making him VC now. But, he has an experience of 2 years and 4
> > months. If he came into the team at 22, people would've strongly consiedred
> > him as a candidate for the VC spot with the same experience. Somehow, people
> > attach more importance to age than experience.

> You must remember, though, that captaincy entails much more than cricket
> experience.

> Consider a situation where India is touring the West Indies. Azhar gets
> brained by Curtley Ambrose and must return home (a la Mike Gatting). You
> now have a 19 year old vice captain leading the touring party not just
> for the cricket matches, but for the *tour*.

Then, we will make sure that India won't tour WI until SRT turns 20.

Seriously, that will be a problem. But, perhaps, he will take care of the
situation with co-operation from other team-mates (I think SRT is the darling
of the team. About everyone seems to like him). Talking about cricketing
aspects of it, I think he can manage it decently (as I said above, he gets
along with Kapil and Manjrekar extremely well. Mainly Kapil will be very
helpful). Moreover, Tendulkar, though still 18, has 2 years and 4 months of
international cricket behind him. He played in around 17 tests and 32 ODIs.
May be I am biased as a huge fan of SRT, but I feel he has accumulated much
more cricketing knowledge in these 2 years than any ordinary cricketer would
do in 6 years. So, I feel he won't do badly as far as cricketing matters are
concerned.

> This 19 year old *must* have the respect of his peers, not just for his
> cricketing ability, but for his people skills. He will have to help select

The team-mates know Sachin is selected only for his cricketing abilities and
with a long-term goal in mind (i.e. having him as the next cap). Things will
just be different. His duties will be slighly different.

> teams. He will have to take his part in conflict resolution inside the
> touring party (every tour group has a clash or two). He will have to help
> track down the lost luggage. He's got to give speeches, answer phones,
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> maintain discipline etc etc etc.

Come on, that's the least thing you should be bothered about right now. As I
said above, he will not be treated as other VCs are. Team-mates know the
situation and I am sure they will be co-operative (as far as Kapil is
concerned, he seems to just admire Sachin. Moreover, he will not have any
grudge. Manjrekar can have some grudge. Given the present relations among the
two, it's unlikely. No other team mate (except, perhaps, Shatsri) has a reason
to have grudge). That shouldn't be a big problem.

However, he will have to play his role in team selections and maintaining
discipline etc with caution. But, after a couple of years, he will have formed
a ground and he will have enough experience in all the matters. The first 2
years can be tough. But the idea is to have him ready by the time Azhar is
removed. We wouldn't like to have someone as a transition captain (there is
actually no one who deserves it except, perhaps, Manjrekar) for sometime and
make Sachin cap then.

> Where is his captaincy experience? Does he have any (I don't know, myself,

He has absolutely no experience in captaincy. He was vice captain to Manjrekar
(when he was 17, I think) [Bombay colts-XI] or so. And he might have been the
captain of his high school team. But he did a lot of things without
experience. 

I am not suggesting that he should be made the skipper. I am only asking to
make him VC so that he will be ready for captaining India after 4-5 years.

> since I've only seen him in this country). I'm sure he has a great cricket
> brain. But has he been through the mill at Test level. Not yet he hasn't.

That he has a great cricketing brain (and is very enthusiatic on the field and
gives his 100 %) is what makes me optimistic about him being a good captain.
Moreover, India is facing a severe shortage captaining talent.

He has almost the same experience (in terms of # of matches) as everyone in
the team except Shastri, Azhar, Kapil, More and Prabhakar. There is no point
in having anyone in the first 3 as a VC if they are not captains.

Tendulkar has played in 17 tests (average is around 42). He played in all
the test-playing countries except SA and WI.

> Tendulkar is a fine cricketer, and will/may develop into a fine captain.

When shall he develop? IMO, we will lose a lot of time if we go for Manjrekar,
because SVM and SRT started their careers at more or less the same time. We
have to choose one of them _now_. We can't postpone the decision. To me, SRT
looks like a better prospect than SVM. So, I am for nurturing him from right
now.

> Brilliant batsman though he is, he still must mature like evrybody else.

But look at the way he has matured so far. Just four months back, he was
gifting away his wicket in unnecessary aggression. But on this tour, he made
685 runs in 17 onedayers at an average of 45.67. Though his test performance
is still not consistent (his average was just 46 on this maiden tour to Aus),
he is improving at a tremendous rate. So far, he didn't mature like everybody
else! Right from the age of 13, he always performed much much above his age.

As Sachin says, "cricket's a mental game and you have to be mentally tough to
hang on. The moment you relax, you are out of the game." At 18, he understands
the game so well and has a firm hold on the pulse of it. I think such
cricketers are very rare. He realized that "I just have to put my head down
and concentrate and the runs will come automatically" very soon in his career.

On the day after making 69, which almost won the match for India in the second
final of WSC, he said, "I played that shot through inexperience. But I'll make
sure I don't make that mistake again." He has a great ability to introspect
himself and correct very fast. Also, he is supposed to be very humble. If he
keeps up that quality, it will really help him later.

He has a burning desire to play well and be an all-time great, as echoed in "I
don't want to be just another member of the Indian side. My ambition is to
become the topmost player in cricket." He has great ambitions ("I know it's
not possible but I would love to be perfect in this game"). And he has a
remarkable head ("I will never forget that because of cricket I'm here. And I
will let nothing affect my performance. I get tremendous satisfaction from
being a winner").

These are qualities you hardly see in an 18-year old (or in a cricketer with 2
years of international experience and little first class experience). I don't
think Tendulkar has matured/has to mature like everyone else. He is just
different.

Moreover, the Yorkshire experience will really help him mature faster (in both
cricketing and non-cricketing senses).

> Prabakhar: Yes, he's got a temper, and talks on the field. But he's a
> good cricketer, has guts and gives 100%. He's exactly what India needs.
> (The Indian version of Merv Hughes?)

Interesting comparison!

> Just my thoughts - I could be wrong.

Just my thoughts again - I could be wrong too.

--------
PVR Narasimha Rao
Newsgroups: rec.sport.cricket