Dravid sets out the blueprint for junior cricket

December 02, 2015 01:11 am | Updated March 24, 2016 01:18 pm IST - NEW DELHI:

He was a paragon of perfection at the crease and the Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi Memorial Lecture by Rahul Dravid on Tuesday brought out the parent and teacher within him.

“I believe in junior cricket passionately,” he said.

“Youngsters being reported [for faulty action] upsets me. Age fudging needs to be stopped. The overage business is dangerous and toxic.

“Indian cricket must re-introduce children to the game. We have to develop well-rounded adults. There is a world outside cricket,” said the former India captain.

“We need to have a clear, detailed plan; a blueprint for our junior cricket. State associations could use a portion of their funds to run free camps at government schools for their children.

“It is an opportunity for us to reflect on issues that affect Indian cricket. We need the wisdom of our elders and the energy of our young cricketers to do what is best for Indian cricket.”

In the presence of the Indian and South African teams, former India captains Bishan Singh Bedi, Ajit Wadekar, Sunil Gavaskar, K. Srikkanth, Mohd. Azharuddin, Anil Kumble, and former Test batsman Abbas Ali Baig, and Sharmila Tagore, wife of Late Tiger Pataudi, the suave Dravid called for committed measures to promote the game.

“We are blessed with great resources, financial and human. We have to keep our cricket fresh and inclusive. There are challenges from other fronts.

“It is not surprising to find football more attractive among juniors.

“We need to have strict guidelines from the Board for junior cricket in terms of technical aspects.

“A nine-year-old bowling from 22 yards is not good. Let us have rolling substitution in junior cricket to ensure bigger participation by restricting batting and bowling options.”

Striking a note of caution, Dravid, 42, observed, “parents feel cricket means lot of time away from home. Things are changing dramatically in big cities.

“Cricket is not the first game anymore in big cities.”

Dravid, sweat dripping down his forehead, paid tribute to Pataudi and termed him, “incisive, analytical and objective.”

The Board secretary Anurag Thaklur promised to take Dravid’s ideas forward by adopting this speech as the blueprint for improving junior cricket in India.

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