By Clifton Ross

INDIAN High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr K. J. Srinivasa has lauded the revolution of the young cricketers from his country, while crediting the progression and continued development of cricketers across the Caribbean, along with a few Guyanese who have managed to forge careers playing in Asia.
During a one-on-one exclusive with Chronicle Sport yesterday at his Commission, the diplomat who is also an ardent cricket supporter and fan, praised his team who created a bit of history after beating Australia in a thrilling comeback Test series.
The focal point of the Test, according to the Commissioner, was the performances of the team’s young core of players, who stepped up after a number of their premier stars picked up respective injuries prior/on tour.

According to Dr Srinivasa, it was the hunger and desire to win, exhibited by India’s junior ranks, which buffed his level of respect.
Although faced with inexperience, playing away from home and missing a number of big stars, the likes of all-rounder Shardul Thakur, spinner Washington Sundar, Rishabh Pant and stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane, all overcame issues ranging from racism to overly aggressive bowling in order to seal a 3-wicket win in the 4th Test.

What can the West Indies learn from India?
The High Commissioner, speaking on the comparisons between West Indies cricket and Indian cricket, highlighted a few varying points which arguably give distinction to the levels of cricket played by the two nations.
While the West Indies have been playing themselves back into the world with a new-look, young team, Dr Srinivasa was adamant that the lack of any number of credited ex-international players being a part of the selection process, as well as the executive office is a huge plus for the stability and progression of any cricket board.
He added that West Indies structure is very good and has been increasingly getting better but believes more emphasis needs to be placed on ensuring that top-performers are selected based on their performances.

The diplomat was also firm on giving players a fair chance to have that taste of international cricket. In the case of the West Indies, who have been known to discard players after just a few games, they need to exercise more patience with their young players and put more trust in their abilities – something he said played a huge role in India’s success overseas with their “second-string team”.
Commissioner Srinivasa further echoed that having tried and tested former players sitting in key positions such as; coaching, selection panels or any hands-on areas of cricket is an invaluable resource, as it creates a disciplined environment for upcoming players to properly mature and understand the logistics of cricket.

West Indies contribution to Indian cricket
The ‘Caribbean Boys’ as they are referred to around the region by fans, have been a storied team in world cricket, both home and away; being among the most respected nations in history and arguably one of the more competitive opponents of the Indians.
Speaking on the heavy West Indian input which has somewhat played a role, especially since the birth of Indian Premier League (IPL) in continuing the relationship between the two nations, the High Commissioner credited the Windies players for helping to make tournaments like the IPL one of the biggest to date and arguably one which will go down in history.

He believed players like legendary West Indies opener Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine and others have all played a role in the development of Indian cricketers.
Thanks to the cunning of the Windies bowlers like Narine and the revolutionary batting of someone the calibre of Gayle, Dr Srinivasa said the Windies influx has helped Indian players the likes of a world-class batter in captain Virat Kohli and a bowler like spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who made his name in IPL before forging a solid international career, all comes courtesy of playing with a few star international players over the years; including their Caribbean mates.

Another huge plus between the two sides is that outside of cricket, most of the West Indies players and Indian cricketers are good friends. The Commissioner was firm that those off-field relationships were key reasons for players from both sides learning and expanding their respective games, just by simply enjoying each other’s company outside of the game.
On the topic of the newest batch IPL kids some of whom hail from Guyana, in Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul and Sherfane Rutherford, Dr Srinivasa, who played cricket during his college days; described the Guyanese/Windies players as highly talented and saw bright futures ahead, should they remain dedicated to their craft much like the young Indian squad did, which piloted them to memorable upset over a strong Australian side.

The diplomat also explained that due to the strict policies of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), it will be difficult to see any influx of Indian cricket stars in Caribbean Premier League (CPL) or in any other T20 franchise tournament other than the IPL.
He, however, praised CPL for the strides it has made and has ranked it among one of the top franchise T20 events around the world.
However, the Commissioner believed that should the tournament manage to up its already strong marketing game to a much higher level and keep its top players in or around the national setup, West Indies cricket could easily shoot back to the top of the hill, especially in T20s.
The West Indies recently lost their ODI series against Bangladesh after losing the first 2 games in the 3-match series playing a second unit after their stars opted out for COVID-19 concerns.
The visitors failed to make 150 in their 2 games and looked totally out of sorts, prompting the Commissioner to believe that it was totally a matter of self-confidence which proved to be their downfall.

He noted that it was important for such a young side to find their confidence early and remember the basics which they would have perfected in order to even get selected for international cricket. He adding that he expected the team to regroup before that tour culminates.
In closing, Dr Srinivasa was hopeful that West Indies and India could have some junior competition with the U-19 teams from both nations engaging in a series, a move he said will open up the floodgates to more developmental routes for both countries as well as their younger generation of cricketers.