New Delhi, Oct 25
Delhi U-19 men’s team coach Rajeev Nayyar said he has requested the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) to set up a two-week camp for improving their fielding and fitness for the Cooch Behar Trophy.
He added that the association has assured him of time for having a camp ahead of the red-ball competition starting on November 26. The development comes after Delhi had a disappointing Vinoo Mankad Trophy campaign, where they finished at the bottom of their group.
“These kids have not grown up yet. They listen to their coaches. A 16 to 19-year-old kid listens. So, I had time and spoke to the officials. I said, ‘See, it’s Diwali, and there are more holidays in between, like Karva Chauth.’ I told them that I want a camp for one to two weeks.
“We are lacking in fielding and fitness, so we will work on it, as well as do match simulations, because when you play practice matches, you are playing against each other, and you have already played against each other before. We are not playing friendly matches against other states. We will be playing intra-squad games because we don’t have time. I told them this is better.
“The rest is up to the DDCA officials - the final call is theirs. It will be as per what they say. Whenever the camp is set up, I will share my playing experiences of 20 years with all the players,” Nayyar told IANS in a free-wheeling chat.
Nayyar said fielding and fitness would take priority over skills whenever the camp happens. “When a kid plays cricket, I first check whether he is fit or not. If he is fit, then he will bat, bowl and field. Secondly, I will look at his fielding. Fielding is very important because even after making 100 runs, if you give away 10 runs in the field and drop a catch, that batter can go on to score a hundred.
“So, skills come later, and that’s why I was thinking that this time, God willing, we will get a camp of two weeks, and I will work on our fielding and fitness. After that, skills work will continue, but I will pay more attention to fielding and fitness.”
Nayyar wants his players to use the camp to identify their own weaknesses, so they head into the four-day competition without any glaring flaws. “Being a coach, no matter how the team is, I have to share my experiences and keep the players motivated, because we are in a very good pool. We have Himachal and Chandigarh.
“Our first match is against Punjab at Ropar. Then we have a match in Hyderabad, and then a match against Rajasthan. There are five good teams. But we don’t say their team is good and our team isn't. We will say our team is better than theirs.
“I always tell the kids to believe in themselves. You have to believe in yourself. You are the best. When you walk onto the ground, you shouldn’t have any flaws. Errors should be rectified before the match, in the nets.
“If there is a camp, players should tell us, ‘Sir, I want high catches. I want slip catches. I want short catches. I am weak against left-arm bowling, off-spin, or the short ball.’ I just want the boys to practise a lot so that there are no weaknesses when the Cooch Behar Trophy begins.”
The request for a longer build-up to the Cooch Behar Trophy comes after Delhi were left short of preparation time for the Vinoo Mankad Trophy. The side opened with a commanding chase of 339 against Gujarat but then lost to Himachal Pradesh by 35 runs and were routed by Karnataka by 198 runs.
Their match against Jharkhand was washed out, and a five-wicket defeat to Chandigarh left them at the bottom of the Group E table. Nayyar said the team had only a brief period to come and practise together, before playing for the age-group tournament.
“In the elite stage, all the teams were good – Karnataka, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and Gujarat. But our start to the season was good. We won the first game against Gujarat by chasing 339. I was so happy with such a good start, because I had been a coach with the UTCA team before, and then I was the coach of the Ranji Trophy team.
“When I got the responsibility of coaching the under-19 teams, I understood that this is the phase where we get to know whether a kid will play for India or not and whether he is focused or not. In the under-19s, players can get to play for India in the World Cup as well. That is a very important tournament for them.”
He also felt the washout against Jharkhand proved costly. “In the remaining four matches, we had to win the fourth game. They batted first and scored 280. But what happened? I mean, with VJD, we needed 80 runs in 10 overs. We should have changed that. But, unfortunately, by the time we had 230 runs, it rained heavily.
“So, we missed out on that game. If we had won that match, we would have got two points, and we would automatically have finished third, ahead of UTCA. This happened because they won two matches from the fourth game onwards. If we had won the fourth match against Jharkhand, we would have got the two points as well and finished third. That was it.”
With the Cooch Behar Trophy next on the calendar, Nayyar stressed the importance of red-ball cricket in young players by stating that the IPL alone would not take them into the Indian team. “I was in Delhi and had a word with the officials, because I know a lot about red-ball cricket. I have played more than 100 matches.
“But nowadays, players are not interested in playing four-day games. They just love to play T20s and are more interested in it because they are only watching the IPL. But we have to make the kids understand that red-ball and first-class cricket are very important, because the IPL alone won’t take you into the India team.
“How many people get to play for India? In the IPL, they perform well. They are selected for India’s T20 and one-day teams as well. But India’s Test teams are selected on the basis of four-day matches. See, if you know how to play a four-day game, you can play one-day and T20 cricket easily.
“But for those who only know how to play one-day and T20 cricket, the longer format is difficult. There are very few kids who are able to play T20, one-day, Test and four-day games. It is very difficult to play all of them, but it is not impossible.”
Nayyar said Delhi’s talent pool had thinned since his playing days but credited the DDCA for taking the initiative to create more playing opportunities. “At one time, when I used to play Ranji Trophy, there were 10 Test players in the Delhi dressing room who had played for India. It is not like that now. But there is potential.
“The DDCA is doing a lot for the players. Now there is the DPL, which is just like the IPL. I am very thankful to the president, Rohan Jaitley Sir, who has done such a great job for the kids and the officials as well. I was watching all the games. Every year, the DPL is improving.
“When players are getting everything from the association, they have to give back to the association as well. This is very important. It is a very good platform. I am not blaming the academies, but kids go to an academy, bat, bowl and come back home.
“There are only a few kids who have made their own schedule: I have to run in the morning, I have to go to the gym at this time, I have to train in the evening, and after batting I have to field. I am not just talking about Delhi, but most of India. I have hardly seen an academy where someone makes you do fielding,” he concluded.
