‘At 34-35, a player loses that extra thing that made him special over the years’

Yet, chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar backs Sachin Tendulkar, who is having a bad run in the CB Series, and tells Nihal Koshie that no one should expect to get an India cap on a platter by virtue of being young. Excerpts...

The domestic season is drawing to a close. Last year you had said there’s no ‘exceptional talent’ in the country. Do you still stand by that statement?
By ‘exceptional talent’ I meant someone like Sunil Gavaskar or a Sachin Tendulkar or a Kapil Dev. We’ve one of the best domestic structures in the world that throws a lot of talent year after year. However, they have to be spotted and groomed properly. With the top players busy playing at the international level all the time, it’s difficult to assess the players at the first-class level. Talented players need to be tested against top quality players too.

Could you name a few youngsters who have impressed you?
Ajinkya Rahane, Sahil Kukreja, Virat Kohli, Tanmay Srivastav, Pradeep Sangwan, Rajat Bhatia, Mohnish Parmar... There are quite a few.

Suddenly we are seeing a lot of fast bowlers, but how do we fare as far as spinners go?
Piyush Chawla and Iqbal Abdulla, both highly rated at one point of time, seem to have lost that spark...

They haven’t lost any spark. It’s just that they haven’t got enough opportunities to show their worth. Though Piyush is ready, Iqbal has some way to go.

Don’t you think the fast bowling revolution in India is killing our traditional strength — spin?
Well, the current focus obviously is on fast bowling, which was not the case earlier. Mind you, fast bowlers play the most crucial role in winning matches abroad. I think spin has taken a hit

due to the spurt in one-dayers. Now, there is the Twenty20 format too. It could ultimately sound the death knell for spinners.

How would you rate Ishant Sharma?
He has tremendous potential and is improving with each outing. At present he is our main strike bowler. However, we will have to wait and see how he develops over a period of time.

Will you stick with the Rohit Sharmas, Robin Uthappas, Suresh Rainas if the young side fails consistently?
We don’t believe in young or old. It’s their form and fitness which is of paramount importance. A player must earn his place in the team, not because he is young. He has to prove himself on the 22-yard strip. He won’t get half-volleys because he is young. Mind you, it’s a tough game out there in the middle and no inch is given free at any point of time.

Your selection committee has taken some bold decisions. Will Ganguly and Dravid find a place in the ODI squad again if the youngsters fail?
As I said earlier, it’s form and fitness that matters. As far as Rahul and Sourav are concerned, both have fantastic records in ODIs too and they do stand a chance as long as they are playing well. The youngsters, however, bring in energy and their overall fitness level is definitely better. But at the end of the day the team is selected purely on merit.

What about Sachin Tendulkar? His one-day form hasn’t been that great of late. He is already 34, and he isn’t among the fastest on the field. Is he holding up a place that could go to a youngster?
He had a great one-day series against Pakistan at home. Besides, he was the highest run-getter in the recent Test series in Australia. He has not lost even one percent of his class or fitness. Every cricketer, when he reaches the age of 34-35, finds it difficult to convert good balls into runs which in his youth he would have caressed to the boundary. The fitness routine too becomes tough to follow and in the process he loses that ‘extra thing’ that had made him so special over the years. I know for sure that Sachin is due for a big one very soon.