Citing the instance of India’s ODI vice-captain Shubman Gill playing for his side, Punjab head coach Wasim Jaffer said the presence of senior stars in domestic circuit will likely be a “motivating” factor for young cricketers. Gill will prove for Punjab against Karnataka in a Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match in Bengaluru from Thursday, and similarly other top stars akin to Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja are appearing on this round of the tournament.
“If you would like to be a world cricketer, and you would like to achieve success, that’s something kids must learn from these guys (senior stars) as how they go about their game. It is kind of motivating,” Jaffer told reporters here.
“In our case, if any teenager is coming into the side, he’ll see him (Gill) from close quarters. How he goes about his business, how he prepares, how he plays.
“When he’s within the hotel, how does he prepare himself. It is kind of a learning thing. I’m sure a variety of young guys in our side will likely be doing that,” he added.
While Punjab may have the services of Gill, they’ll not have left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh and opener Abhishek Sharma because the duo is a component of India’s T20I squad against England.
“We have now passed through that throughout the season. Even within the Ranji Trophy, we lost Prabh Simran Singh, Nehal Vadhera, Ashdeep and Abhishek as they were away on a Emerging tour. In reality, Abhishek hasn’t played even a single Ranji Trophy this season.
“We’re completely satisfied that they’re playing for India. But as and once they can be found, they all the time come and play, which is an excellent thing. And it (their absence) gives opportunity to the younger guys to come back and show their mettle,” he added.
Punjab are currently fifth within the group they usually are facing Karnataka in a must-win match, and Jaffer said it’s opportunity for the team to indicate their presence of mind under a pressure situation.
“Obviously, regardless of where we’re within the table, we’re playing against a robust team, Karnataka. The pitch here looks like a wicket which goes to provide you a result. It doesn’t seem like a flat wicket.
“You should play on a sporting pitch. But you have to look to win. We’re going with that approach. We have now got a really young side as well, but the great thing is that Shubhman is accessible. So, it’s an excellent opportunity to showcase their skill against an excellent team,” he noted.
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