Children are a face of God. When they are young, they play with innocence, freedom and a remarkable ability to perform without carrying the burden of expectations. In cricket, particularly at the junior level, that performance should matter far more than the labels we attach to a youngster.
We often hear that a particular boy is “talented”. But what exactly is talent? If a youngster scores runs consistently, performs whenever he gets an opportunity and continues to progress through successive levels, the performance itself is the evidence of his ability. There is little need to search for some mysterious quality called “talent”.
The careers of Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar illustrate this perfectly. Their early performances did not remain isolated incidents. They kept scoring runs, faced progressively tougher challenges and eventually became world-class cricketers. Consistency transformed promise into greatness.
Hyderabad cricket has, unfortunately, sometimes been guilty of projecting youngsters in a hurry. A spectacular innings or two can create enormous expectations, and conclusions are drawn before a player has had enough time to mature. That can be unfair both to the youngster and to the system.
I remember Sultan Saleem, who scored 200 and 300 in school cricket, including the Basala Jha inter-school game against Alia School. Those scores were extraordinary for a young cricketer. But when the standard and pressure of cricket increased, he could not sustain the same level of performance. That example tells us an important truth: a big score is an achievement; repeated big scores are evidence of a habit.
That distinction is particularly important in selection.
A single outstanding performance should certainly be recognised. It may open a door. But it should not automatically determine selection at a higher level. A player needs time and effort to develop the maturity required to handle better bowling, stronger opponents, greater pressure and the expectations that accompany representative cricket.
This year’s performances by two of our junior cricketers should therefore be viewed as a glimpse of what they might achieve rather than as conclusive evidence of their long-term potential. Their subsequent performances will tell us much more. If they continue to score runs, that consistency will provide the strongest indication of their ability.
Runs in higher grades of cricket do not suddenly appear. They are generally built on a foundation established at lower levels.
M.V. Sridhar is a good Hyderabad example. He scored 11 hundreds in D Division cricket, followed that with a century in junior cricket and subsequently went on to score heavily in Ranji Trophy cricket. His progression demonstrated an important principle: scoring runs is a habit.
That habit has to be inculcated early. Whether it is a fifty, a hundred or even a triple century, the real question should always be: can the player do it again?
V.V.S. Laxman became a great cricketer not because of one memorable innings, but because of the extraordinary body of work he produced over his Test career. Jayantilal, Vijay Paul and Ambati Rayudu are among the Hyderabad cricketers who flourished because they repeatedly converted opportunities into performances.
This is where we need to be careful with the word “talent”. Talent without sustained performance is merely potential. Performance, repeated over time and against increasingly difficult opposition, is what establishes a player’s credentials.
Our junior cricketers deserve encouragement, but they also deserve honesty. We should not burden them with premature projections or create reputations that their subsequent performances may struggle to justify.
Selection is not about predicting who might become a great player. It is about identifying those who are performing and giving them the next opportunity to prove themselves.
Don’t confuse talent with performance. Don’t confuse one big innings with consistency. Let the runs speak.
In the final analysis, the simplest selection principle remains the most reliable one: score runs consistently, and keep scoring them.
