From Mohammed Shami to Ishwar Pandey – Renaissance of Ranji Trophy

Mohammed Shami

Many of us would have rightfully been startled by the maiden call up to the Indian Test team, which a lanky pacer from Madhya Pradesh recently earned for the upcoming tour of New Zealand. After all, the only place where the overwhelming majority of cricket crazy Indians might have seen this lad in the recent past was the IPL – and the one match in which he played and we still vividly remember was against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the last season of the cash rich Indian domestic hoopla.

This was one of the most lopsided IPL matches ever played, and remembered only because of the 30 ball century scored by a certain Chris Gayle against Pandey and his beleaguered friends from Pune Warriors India. Ishwar Pandey, like most of the other bowlers who had to face Gayle’s unprecedented fury that day, soon faded away into oblivion after failing to deliver anything ‘palatable’ in IPL V. And it is only after seeing Indian bowlers struggle for the umpteenth time in overseas conditions in the recently concluded South Africa tour that the national selectors have chosen to bring this youngster back into the spotlight for the imminent challenges in New Zealand, springing a pleasant surprise on many a cricket aficionado.

The key question here – why?

The nation’s faith in Ranji Trophy as a cogent tool to nurture fine young talent has long become a leitmotif in the culture of Indian cricket. Inspite of a series of renovations made in the structure of the cash-strapped Indian domestic cricket competition, Ranji Trophy has failed to earn even a modicum of genuine respect among the vast majority of Indian fans, who have inexplicably and irresistibly been seduced by the charm of IPL. And it is exactly this context which puts Ishwar Pandey’s selection in the limelight for the right reasons. Note the following -

1. The highest wicket taker of a thrilling season of Ranji Trophy would have otherwise gone unnoticed had the Indian selectors not been wary of the happenings in India’s fading domestic tournament.
2. The little known medium pacer, much like some of his other Ranji compatriots without any appreciable IPL glam quotient would have slowly faded into the wilderness of Indian cricket had this opportunity to shoulder the responsibility of the bowling of the national Test team not come along.

Ishwar Pandey

If at all Ishwar Pandey’s advent to the Indian team indicates something, it is that the selectors have started respecting the credentials of the Ranji Trophy far more than before. The ridiculously short-lived life spans that some IPL recruits have shown in the Indian team ought to have played a significant role in swaying the selectors away from the stinky habit of using the annual carnival as a talent pool for sourcing future players for the Indian Test team. Perhaps, after 8 straight defeats in the last nine matches played overseas, Indian selectors have finally come to terms with the fact that the Indian bowling camp is too fragile a segment to be experimented with, and that too using IPL ‘talent’.

A lesson must have also been learnt from the rousing reception that a nondescript Mohammed Shami Ahmed got from all across the world because of his impressive home and away performances since Test debut in November 2013. Hailing from Bengal, Shami’s Test credential would have never come to light, in spite of impressive Ranji performances, had Ishant Sharma not been kind enough to vacate a spot by bowling a 30-run over against Australia in October, last year.

Shami and Pandey – both bear similarities with respect to their astronomical Ranji figures and woeful IPL performances. However, while Shami’s Test debut occurred more due to absence of suitable contenders in the bowling unit, while Pandey’s call-up legitimately justifies the resurrection of the Indian think tank’s faith in the quality of the Ranji Trophy. One can only hope that Ishwar Pandey, along with a confident Mohammed Shami, can create headlines for the Indian team in the next two months and reinforce the quality that still lies entrenched in the old school cricket of Ranji Trophy.