NAGPUR: What do you need in Twenty20? Powerful hitters, death over specialists, allrounders, crafty spinners and agile fielders. Pune Warriors have them all, but are languishing at the bottom of the table for the third year in a row.
On Sunday, they again lost a match they should have won. This time, the bowlers let them down when their batsmen fired. Things are clearly not working out for them.
On paper, they have one of the best squads but it's not working. Probably, because they are not utilsing their resources properly. They have the best domestic talents but most of them are just warming the benches. Pune have gone by the reputation instead of form.
Despite poor performance they continued with players like Ashok Dinda and Abhishek Nayar. Dinda was the star last season and deserved the long run. However, the rope has kept getting longer for the Bengal pacer, who is leaking too many runs. In 11 matches, Dinda has given 409 at a poor economy rate of 9.97. Allrounder Abhishek Nayar too has been a big disappointment. Despite a good Ranji season with both bat and ball for Mumbai, Nayar never looked in form. In 10 matches, Nayar has scored just 55 at a strike rate of less than 100.
Although they have the likes of Ishwar Pandey and Shreekant Wagh, Pune have not used them even when things were not working. Pandey was included in the probables for the Champions Trophy. He was the highest wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy this year but got to play only one match for the Warriors. Unfortunately, he made his debut against Royal Challengers Bangalore where Chris Gayle didn't spare any Pune bowler. Since then, he hasn't got a second chance.
Wagh was part of BCCI's bowlers' camp. He had an outstanding one-day tournament with Vidarbha where he created a national record. His tally of 16 wickets (4 matches) is the most by any bowler in Zonal one-dayers in the country. Former India left-arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi held the record with 15 wickets in 2000-01. With six teams in North zones, Sanghvi played one more match than Wagh.
Similarly, Jammu & Kashmir off-spinner Pervez Rasool too must consider himself unlucky. He had an excellent Ranji season and was picked for India 'A' side that played against the touring Australia. The 24-year-old bagged seven wickets in the practice match and eventually got the IPL contract. However, he is yet to get an opportunity to show his mettle.
Pune bowlers are not the only ones being ignored. Some power-hitters like Harpreet Singh of MP, Raiphi Gomez of Kerala, local lad Dheeraj Jadhav, UP wicketkeeper Eklavya Dwivedi and Bengal batsman Anustup Majumdar are yet to get a game. MP One-day and Twenty20 captain Udit Birla and Railways stumper Mahesh Rawat got a chance only in the last match. Clearly, Warriors need to get their act together.
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