So here is how the entire equation in India pans out. When you are not anywhere close to being in the wonderful Indian cricket team, then all the time you are dreaming about this coveted position. Some actually equate it to a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. To many others, it’s a rarity, truth be told. Then finally you make to the very cricket team most end up exhausted in their pursuit of, never decoding the tiniest of clues of how one could make to a position where no ‘contacts’ or ‘manipulations’ but pure work counts.
After all, it’s the Indian cricket team of all things- the doyen of cricket, one among the undisputed leaders in world cricket.
And above anything, an unbelievably talented cricketing force many simply dream to wear the cricket jersey of in their sheer unbridled passion.
Then comes the day, when you are on your way out, having made it to the place not many succeed reaching in one lifetime; a place where millions of minds and hearts, destinies and fortunes collide in a bid to savor the sweet taste of victory.
And in the end, what remains are just the records. The stats- right? Well, wrong. Very wrong.
What can be further from this half-hearted attempt to take cognizance of just what it is to be part of the massive Indian Cricket team, especially in the wake of the recent developments?
You can do a lot for the team even as an ex-cricketer. Take Sunil Joshi’s case for an example.
So here’s what you need to know:
When he would feature in the famous 2000s team of India, there were different minds and talents at play and yet, very few ended up as talents that perhaps didn’t get their due for what their talents epitomized.
One among them was the left-arm spinner and occasional big-hitting but technically sound man Sunil Joshi!
Above anything else, the appointment of Mr. Sunil Joshi brings back a smile and a candescence that once thronged the simple Indian cricket line-up during the Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, and Javagal Srinath -era.
He wouldn’t rush into the cricket field and was ever gentle, both on the 22 yards and the space he would occupy off it, with easy-to-spot simplicity and a very Indian-ized concept of trust, someone you wouldn’t think of twice before calling on an important duty down the order when runs were needed or when you simply had to help the team explore breakthroughs.
Now, the 49-year-old earnest and sincere Sunil Joshi is all set to helm perhaps the most important cricketing role in the current context of the men’s team: that of being the chief selector of the richest cricket board in the world!
Moreover, this is what an Indian news platform had to say about the precious development:
Harvinder was chosen from central zone and replaces Gagan Khoda in the panel. The existing members of the selection panel are Jatain Paranjpe (West), Devang Gandhi (East) and Sarandeep Singh (North). “We have picked the best guys for the job.
We picked them (Joshi and Harvinder) because they were clear in their views,” Lal told PTI.
Specifically on Joshi, Lal said: “We liked his straight-forward attitude. He is experienced also (having been part of the Bangladesh support staff)”.
The CAC had shortlisted five candidates for interviews — Joshi, Harvinder, Venkatesh Prasad, Rajesh Chauhan and L S Sivaramakrishnan — from a list of 40 applicants.
There you have it! Mr. Sunil Joshi- also an effective pinch-hitter, apart from being a fine cog in India’s lower-order- is suddenly the most important man in Indian cricket, as of now.