Sachin Tendulkar's 15-a-side inter-school concept in limbo

MSSA cricket secretary and treasurer HS Bhor said they have yet to receive a letter from the MCA regarding Sachin Tendulkar's 15-a-side idea for inter-school tournaments

Sachin Tendulkar’s 15-a-side idea for inter-school tournaments appears to be in limbo once again.

Sachin Tendulkar

It is nearly one-and-a-half months now that the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) accepted the legendary India batsman’s proposal. However, Mumbai Schools Sports Association’s (MSSA) cricket secretary and treasurer HS Bhor said they have yet to receive a letter from the MCA.

“We haven’t received any letter from the MCA in this regard. Until we get something from them, we can’t comment on the implementation of Tendulkar’s plan,” Bhor told mid-day yesterday. MCA’s Honorary Joint Secretary Nitin Dalal, meanwhile, told mid-day that the letter has already been sent to the MSSA. “We have already issued a letter to the MSSA as soon as it was approved in our Managing Committee meeting. In fact, we are awaiting MSSA’s reply,” said Dalal.

Tendulkar had approached MCA president Sharad Pawar for approval after the Technical Committee had rejected his plan. After some deliberation, the proposal was passed in the Managing Committee meeting on Nov 8.
The MCA had decided to send a letter to the MSSA to get their opinion as they conduct inter-school tournaments like Harris and Giles Shields.

During Tendulkar’s felicitation function last year, the record-breaking batsman shared his idea of 15 players getting a chance to bat instead of only 11. He wanted to see it being implemented at inter-school and inter-collegiate levels.

“When we have inter-school and inter-college matches, can we take 15 players instead of 11? The boy who leaves his home everyday for a match in the hope that he will do something, a lot of times doesn’t know whether he is going to play or not.

“Many a time, the wicket may be a turning track and having a third seamer makes no point. Sometimes there is only one seamer and there is a spinner bowling from the other end.

“In that, there is no fault of the poor 12-year old fast bowler but he is prepared to work hard for the entire year not knowing that he may not be picked,” Tendulkar said then.

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