Why Indian cricket must invest in youth now

The date was the 15th of November. The year 1989. India were playing Pakistan in their own den.

Never a small game when you are playing your arch-rivals, no matter in which part of the world, regardless of the importance.

Under such a scenario, India decided to do something out of the ordinary. They put their faith in a 16-year-old sensation who had already made a bit of a name for himself back home but was completely untested on international waters.

Thus began the cricketing journey - amidst apprehension, fear and dare I say a touch of pessimism - of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, in the chill of Karachi against the spice of four fearsome quicks.

The initiation was tough, but once the rust was shrugged off, pure iron emerged, and over the course of the next 24 years, Tendulkar changed the landscape of Indian cricket.

Fast-forward to the present day and it is interesting to note that Indian cricket and its administrators face a similar scenario - a skepticism to blood youth at a time when they seem ready, but the fear is that if the investment does not pay off, they could pass into oblivion.

At present, the cricketing setup in India is perhaps one of the best in the world, but one issue has been plaguing them for a while: the question of who it will be to take the gloves once MS Dhoni leaves the scene in limited-overs cricket.

The selectors, it looked like, were willing to invest in youth by roping in Rishabh Pant, but then after a spell at the top level, they reverted to Dinesh Karthik as the back-up.

That call begs one important question: was Pant given a long enough rope to prove his mettle at the top level? Was giving the young man 2 T20Is enough to show he did not belong at the international level - or that he did?

This is where the Tendulkar example could have been implemented. Despite average returns in Pakistan, he was picked for future overseas tours to England and Australia and at the conclusion of those tours, he had already emerged as one of the best young players in the world.

Could India have not picked Pant against Sri Lanka and perhaps given him an opportunity in the final two ODIs after knowing the series was in the bag?

Why not eat the fruit when ripe?

Just over four years ago, KL Rahul was piling up the runs on the domestic circuit and ahead of the selection of the side for the trip Down Under in late 2014, former India captain Rahul Dravid was of the opinion that because the right-hander was in such sumptuous form, it was perhaps time for him to be selected for the tour.

"He has scored over 1000 runs in the domestic season, looks in really good form with twin hundreds in the Duleep final, so if you are going to give a youngster an opportunity, it's good to pick him if he's in good form and actually playing well," Dravid was quoted as saying at the time to ESPN Cricinfo.

The selectors, it seemed, were listening to Dravid's words and included the Karnataka right-hander for the tour.

The result: Rahul scored his maiden Test hundred in only his second Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground and had made a name for himself by delivering away from home on his maiden trip.

It was no doubt a gamble that the selectors took, but it paid off.

It is now up to the present group of selectors to also not shy away from making such bold calls, as India prepare for more overseas assignments in the coming months.

While it does look like Rahul will join Murali Vijay for the tour to England in July 2018, it would not harm anyone if young Prithvi Shaw is given his maiden call-up for that trip.

In nine First-Class matches thus far, Shaw has scored five centuries at an average of 56.

At the ongoing Under-19 World Cup, where he is also the team's captain, he has already caught the attention of many a stalwart of the game watching proceedings in New Zealand and the selectors could gamble upon him for the tour to England.

The selectors must understand that while going back to tried-and-tested players may not be a wrong option, but keeping an eye on the future was also equally important for the progress of Indian cricket.

Else, instead of nurturing prodigies and converting them into geniuses like was the case with Tendulkar, we might be left behind with what might have been in the case of prodigies, who shone at all levels, except the highest one.

There are exciting yet interesting times ahead for Indian cricket.