MUMBAI: Former Indian cricket stalwart Dilip Vengsarkar has lamented the fact that inter-varsity cricket, which was a prominent avenue for talent discovery during his heydays in the 1980s, has lost relevance.
Speaking about how tournaments like the Rohington Baria Trophy and the Vizzy Trophy threw up some of the biggest names in Indian cricket, Vengsarkar urged vice-chancellors to improve the conditions of inter-varsity tournaments.
“Inter-varsity cricket is very important. I’ve been saying this for the last 15 years that it has to be revived, just like the city’s prestigious inter-school tournaments Giles and Harris Shield have been revived in the last three-four years,” Vengsarkar told Times of India.
Further, Vengsarkar urged the likes of Suhas Pednekar, Mumbai University’s vice-chancellor to help in the revival process of the tournaments.
“You need passionate people in the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to revive it. I expect a lot from Suhas Pednekar, Mumbai University’s Vice-Chancellor. He has seen inter-collegiate tournaments and is a keen follower of the game. He needs to effect the changes. It must get a proper place in the MCA’s calendar.” he emphasised.
The former Indian selector also admitted that there was an added pressure when playing in these leagues, with a lot of students and professors making their way to be part of the spectators.
“With a lot of people — students and faculty coming to watch the matches, there used to be a lot of pressure, especially while chasing a total,” he told the daily.
