 Precocious talent
The most thrilling moment of the recent Challenger series was the dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar in the final by young leg spinner Piyush Chawla. With an insouciance rare at that level of cricket, he went round the wicket and bowled a googly, catching Tendulkar completely off guard, as he tried to make room for an attacking shot square of the wicket on the off side. Chawla will surely relive that extraordinary moment all his life. The sound of ball hitting stumps was completely engulfed by the collective sigh of a crowd impatient to watch the
Little Master make amends for his two earlier failures.
Chawla took three wickets in all for 49, his other victims being Yuvraj Singh and M S Dhoni, a fantastic beginning for a teenager. He impressed one and all with his spinning ability, variation, control and positive attitude, besides showing
glimpses of athleticism on the field.
The only batsman who enjoyed attacking Chawla was
left handed opener Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan - my brother's son, before someone else points out - who utilised his solitary opportunity in the tournament well to win the match for his side. He was severe on both Chawla and the other impressive India B bowler Sreesanth, whose pace and fire won him a berth in the Indian ODI squad for the first two one-dayers against the touring Sri
Lankans.
The Greg Chappell effect was much in evidence throughout the tournament. Meritocracy seemed to be the order of the day and the young stars of the future gave an uninhibited demonstration of their capabilities in every match of the tournament. The depth of talent on view was a revelation, dispelling the myth so assiduously built over the years by vested interests that the cupboard in Indian cricket is bare.
Naturally, a young spinner like Piyush Chawla must be nurtured and carefully groomed. There is always of the danger of exposing him to the harsh realities of international cricket too soon, and in the process killing the golden goose. At the same time, it is difficult to resist the
temptation to showcase such a precocious talent. Imagine how potent the Indian Test attack could be if bolstered by a genuine talent like Piyush Chawla's to support the medium pacers and Anil Kumble, plus maybe an off spinner or a left armer to boot!
V Ramnarayan
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