Kolkata: It has been a topsy-turvy ride for Bengal this domestic season. An inspiring show in the Ranji Trophy has been followed by disappointing campaigns in both the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament and the Vijay Hazare trophy where Bengal failed to make it to the knockout stages.
Adding to this, there has been questions raised on Sairaj Bahutule’s coaching style and skipper Manoj Tiwary’s leadership. Amidst this turmoil, former Bengal batting great Gopal Bose said that competition must increase at grass-root level in order to produce better quality cricketers.
Speaking to SportsCrunch on the sidelines of an event on Sunday, Bose said, “I do not have much information as I haven’t been to the Maidan of late. But let’s say, there are 100 clubs in total, including both first and second division levels. There are 30-35 clubs in the first division and the rest in the second division. This system won’t work.”
After stunning the former champions Gujarat in the quarter-finals, Bengal were completely brushed aside by finalists Delhi as the Manoj Tiwary led side succumbed to a painful defeat by an innings and 26 runs in the semis.
Things haven’t gone in Bengal’s favour since then. After winning their matches against Odisha, Jharkhand, Tripura and Assam in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, things have gone downhill for Sairaj Bahutule’s team. They were pushed back by consecutive losses in the Super League stage due to which, they failed to make any more progress.
Losing their opening match in the Vijay Hazare trophy didn’t do them any good either. The team lost out on some closely contested matches in the tournament, and now, they have once again been eliminated from the same.
Further elaborating on his opinion, Bose added, “Having only two divisions won’t work. There has to be a minimum of five divisions. Competition at every level should increase. If there’s no competition, there will be no progress.”
A stylish right-hander in his playing days, Bose has served Bengal cricket for over a decade with his superior all-round performances.
Known for his ability to play a long innings, Bose scored 3,757 runs from 78 first-class matches with eight hundreds.
He was also a handy bowler, using his off-breaks to break crucial partnerships as he ended up with 72 wickets.
But it was his magnificent 170 for the Rest of India side in the Irani Trophy against Mumbai (then Bombay) in the 1973-74 season which brought him the reckoning for the Indian team. The be-spectacled batsman, however didn’t disappoint.
Opening with the legendary Sunil Gavaskar in his first ‘Test’ match, he shared a 194-run with the maestro and quite expectedly, he was selected for the tour of England in 1974.
However, even when he didn’t contribute as a player to the Indian team, he helped raise the stars like Virat Kohli, when he managed the Indian U-19 side which won the World Cup in 2008.