Why isn’t Unmukt Chand playing?

Under 19 World Cup winning captain, an IPL deal, a good domestic season, a Pepsi commercial with MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, topped off with being included in the 30 man probable squad for the Champions Trophy. Unmukt Chand seemed destined for big things. 3 games into Delhi Daredevil’s shambolic IPL campaign, he was dropped.

Yes, he did not exactly set the tournament on fire; he scored 23 runs in 3 innings with 2 golden ducks. What those numbers don’t reveal is the manner of those dismissals. He was bowled first ball of the tournament by Brett Lee, and fell to a freak catch by Ricky Ponting. He looked good during his stay at the crease against the Royals. It is worth noting that he has probably never faced a bowler of Lee’s calibre. Where would he? Certainly not in Indian domestic cricket, where bowling in the 120’s on unresponsive wickets seems to be the norm.

Chand has potential; he scored a match winning century in the U-19 World Cup final, shepherding a tense chase. He has impressed someone as shrewd as Ian Chappell. Consider this, ‘He’s a very talented batsman and should also be consistently plying his trade at a higher level.’ Now he can’t even get a gig with the Delhi Daredevils.

If the IPL is about giving opportunities to young Indian players, why isn’t Chand playing? He isn’t going to become a better player warming the bench or batting in the nets. He needs to face quality bowlers and experience pressure-situations. In any case, the Daredevils aren’t exactly spoiled for choice as far as batting options are concerned. He looked the part in the CLT20, and that was on bouncy South African wickets.

While Warner and Sehwag seems to be the preferred opening combination for the Daredevils, there is no reason why Chand cannot slot in at 3 or 4. He will have the benefit of batting with Sehwag and Jayawardene, proven performers who have been there and done that. He is not quite the finished product, but facing the likes of Steyn, Lee, Nannes, Narine, Harris, Ashwin, Harbhajan and Johnson will make him a better player. In order to take your game to the next level, you need to face opponents who will challenge you, force you to improve and eventually bring out the best in you.

In the Pepsi commercial, Chand says ‘Main aap logon kay team mein abhi aa sakta hoon’(I can join your team right now). A good IPL might just catapult him into the Champions Trophy squad, and with India’s recent opening woes, he might even play a game. Good enough to be included in the list of the 30 best players in the country, but not good enough to break into a team that has lost 5 in a row. Delhi appear to be going down, Chand can be one of the bright spots of their campaign.

David Warner said, ‘I like Unmukt Chand a lot. He comes to my room often and asks me a lot of questions. We discuss how to deal with pressure situations and I tell him about my discussions with the Australian psychologist Mike Lloyd’. He wants to learn and become a better player. We already knew he had the talent and temperament. He has the shots, now give him a chance to show them.