Gujarat cricketers the next big thing for Team India?

During the last Test match played at Motera in November 2012 India v England Saurashtrarsquos Cheteshwar Pujara was the lone player from Gujarat in the playing XINine years down the line against the same opponents three Gujarat playersmdashPujara Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patelmdashwere in the XI while Hardik Pandya was in the squad It is perhaps for the first time that four players from the state of Gujarat are part of the Indian Test teamIt should also be noted that Gujarat skipper Priyank Panchal was released from the Indian team as a standby player after the second Test at Chennai One can count in Ravindra Jadeja as well He would have been in this group had it not been for his injuryMeanwhile Krunal Pandya and Jaydev Unadkat are trying to reclaim their place in the Indian limitedovers teamsLooking at the number of players Gujarat is churning out which include cricketers from Baroda Cricket Association BCA Saurashtra Cricket Association SCA and Gujarat Cricket Association GCA it is soon becoming a powerhouse as far as supplying cricketers to the Indian team is concernedThere are some Indian states where one or more cricket associations are handling the affairs in the area earmarked in their constitution So what is BCA SCA and GCA doing right ldquoAs part of our preseason preparation we conduct a G1 tournament which is played between teams from Baroda Saurashtra and Gujarat We have oneday T20 and twoday matches for all age groups We mutually decide where and when to hold it for our regular players to participaterdquo former Gujarat Ranji Trophy coach Vijay Patel told midday on Thursday Test of skillsldquoIt provides good exposure to our playersmdashthe regulars as well asmdashplayers on the bench It tests their skills against different players and selectors get to see where their players stand and what the teams lack It is a tournament all the three associations mutually decide to play whenever there are no BCCI matches scheduledrdquo SCA president Jaydev Shah saidShah the former Saurashtra captain felt the boom in infrastructure with Ahmedabad having the worldrsquos largest cricket stadium and Rajkot boasting of a Lordrsquoslike media centre and practice pitches have been instrumental in tapping talent ldquoItrsquos all processdriven at SCA The selection is fair and transparent Ever since I took charge I have emphasised on playing matches and more matches Exposure is very vital to players and it is a great tool for learningrdquo said ShahBCA chief executive Shishir Hattangadi the former Mumbai captain said the focus on districts has worked wonders for Baroda cricket ldquoWe have several talent programs matches and facilities now to ensure players donrsquot have to travel two to three hours to hone their skills It is all available in their vicinity We have tried to make facilities more accessible Also the systems we have in place ensure no talent goes unnoticed The focus is very much on unearthing new talent and then grooming them at our excellence centre in Barodardquo said HattangadiChange in attitudeAccording to Patel the emphasis on overall development of players has led to a change in attitude ldquoWe have a professional setup now with specialist coachestrainers and analysts There is a lot of focus now on fitness as it is one of the main criteria to get selected for the Indian team So development begins from a young agerdquo said PatelShah was proud of the fact that the money is channelised well to improve their cricket ldquoWe are not here to handle cricket but to improve cricket I am glad that cricket is progressing really well in our staterdquo he concluded