Abishek Porel, the current U-19 Captain of the Bengal Cricket Team was not included in the upcoming U-19 World Cup squad. The stylish left-handed wicket-keeper since then has scored three tons in four innings in Cooch Behar Trophy. He could have made it four in four, however, missed that by 15 runs against Hyderabad. Bibhas Das, one of the most recognised faces in the Bengal cricket circuit, who has also coached and mentored Abishek throughout his career, has thrown questions to selectors over the non-inclusion of this wonder kid from Bengal.
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“You just can’t drop someone from the team because of one failure”, Bibhas Das started his conversation like this. It showed disappointment and some anguish in his voice. “This boy has been performing throughout the year and past seasons as well. If you can’t judge a talent via that, you don’t need a selector. You can have a statistician and ask them to make a team via leaderboard sheets”, Mr Das went on to add.
However, Abishek went on to get a first-time call in the Bengal Ranji Trophy 27-men squad post recent performances. Though this somehow makes Bibhas Das happy, he would have loved Abishek to be on that world cup aeroplane. Meantime, the U-19 Indian world cup squad is also playing the U-19 Asia Cup to prepare for the World Cup.
“In Bengal cricket, the rule of thumb is that you get success in the age group level and then you make your way into the seniors. That is why I think the World Cup was important for Abishek. If this was Mumbai, I would not have been worried. Because players there get selected for Ranji trophy before playing major age level tournaments.”
Bibhas Das on why the U-19 World Cup was important for Abishek Porel
Although, he thinks Abishek’s main goal is to play for senior India. “If you can do well in the senior team, no one will remember what you did in the U-19s. That is why I think doing well in Ranji will be vital for his career”, Bibhas Das added.
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Abishek’s U-19 Challenger Trophy included 8(14), DNB, 15(17), 1(3), 54(75). However, Abishek was batting at No.6 and 7 throughout the tournament, except for one match. “I could not understand, why he was batting there. He always bats at the top of the order, Bibhas Das questioned management’s decision on his batting position.
Porel turned everything around in the Cooch Behar Trophy. His scores include 71(83), 36(39)*, 144(215), DNB, 102(103), DNB, 104(145), 85(88).
Meanwhile, Bibhas Das has questioned the Cricket Association of Bengal‘s Junior Team administration of what they did to push their brightest talent for the mega event. Although, he thinks it is quite wonderful what the senior selection panel is trying by promoting young talents of Bengal.
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Bengal has always been controversial about giving chances to “outsiders” while ignoring homegrown talents. Moreover, the last trophy Bengal won was at the U-23 level. Interestingly, it was the same group of players who managed to win the U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy for Bengal. Although, unfortunately, none of the players from that group got the chances they deserve at the senior level.
“The Administration needs to get it right. They need to get it right quick. We do not need left-out players from other states to fill our teams. Bengal is full of exceptional talents. We need to pick them and nurse them with good care.”
Bhivas Das on CAB’s love for other state players.
When asked about Abishek’s game, he added, “That kid is an all-rounder. You can pick him as a batter. You can pick him as a wicket-keeper as well.” However, he thinks there are no limits on improving. “He is a tall boy. So as a wicket-keeper he generally has a lot of ground covered. But, I want him to work on his footwork more. I will ask him to have a word with Papali (Wriddhiman Saha) on that aspect”, he told Sportz Point in an exclusive interview.
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Bengal has announced their 27-men probable for the upcoming Ranji Trophy. The team has 4 wicket-keepers. Shreevats Goswami, Shakir Habib Gandhi, Abishek Porel and Wriddhiman Saha are among them. However, when asked about the chances of Abishek Porel’s debut for the seniors, Bibhas Das told, “I am not sure for how many matches Saha will be available (due to National duties). But Abishek needs to be ready to dominate Ranji trophy if he wants to knock the doors of Indian cricket.”
