SHILLONG, Nov 12: One of the finest wicketkeepers ever produced by India and a member of the country’s 1983 World Cup team, Syed Kirmani stressed on the need to find cricketing talent in Meghalaya right from the school level.
Kirmani who in Shillong to attend a programme later, also visited the office of the Meghalaya Cricket Association at Polo Grounds on Friday, and expressed his happiness that the BCCI is now open to inviting various states including Meghalaya to compete in the Ranji Trophy which, according to him, will further strengthen and promote cricket in the state and the region.
Reacting to a query on how cricket can be popularised and players of international standards can be produced from football dominant Meghalaya, he said that any exercise should begin from the school level, and inter-school tournaments should be held as talents are find at this level. He added that any talented cricketers are further nourished and encouraged by the right coaching facilities and amenities.
Stating that he is open to setting up a cricket academy in Meghalaya if stakeholders are willing to support him on the project, the former cricketer went on to add that young budding cricketers here who possess the right talent must be handled by the right coaches.
“ You would not want coaches who have just passed level 1, 2 and 3 courses and have not played cricket. But you will need to invite experienced cricketers who have represented the country and can be a role model for young cricketers,” he added.
Speaking to The Shillong Times during his one day visit to Shillong, Kirmani lamented that the performance of the Indian team in the ICC T20I World Cup was not upto expectation and as a cricketer, he did feel bad about the end result.
He said losing is part and parcel of the game and you cannot be a winner all the time. “Nobody and no team can be on top all the time and eventually, the fall has to come. Bad form has to come and right now we are going through a run of bad luck, something that falls on every individual and team,” Kirmani said.
He went on to say that while the West Indies had once ruled cricket for two decades, everyone knows where they presently stand at the international level.
Kirmani said that the great game of cricket has its glorious uncertainties, but cricket lovers in India can get emotionally lost and they expect India to win every match. He also said they expect players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to score centuries all the time.
“How is that possible?” he questioned while recalling that the Indian team in 1983 had no facilities, no coach and no physiotherapist and even though the BCCI was the poorest board at the time, his team still won the World Cup by defeating the mighty West Indies.
