'Vision 2020' has revolutionized Bengal Cricket, believes Deep Dasgupta
Deep Dasgupta has thanked Sourav Ganguly, then joint-secretary of the CAB, put in place the 'Vision 2020' programme to help young Bengal players receive top-class coaching. Players like Abhimanyu Easwaran and Ishan Porel have come out from the system and have represented India A.
Former India cricketer turned commentator Deep Dasgupta has thanked BCCI president Sourav Ganguly for bringing in the ambitious project of āVision 2020āĀ which has helped Bengal cricket to make decent strides in recent times. Back in 2014, Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) launched its ambitious āVision 2020ā programme with an aim to make the state a supply line of national team players under the initial guidance of legendary bowlers Waqar Younis and Muttiah Muralitharan. The basic intention was to try and produce players who would take Bengal cricket and ultimately Indian cricket forward.Ā Ā
āUnder Sourav (Ganguly) ā he was joint-secretary then ā the CAB put in place an ambitious 'Vision 2020' plan to help young Bengal players get exposure and top-class coaching. They roped in cricketing legends like Muttiah Muralitharan and V. V. S. Laxman for the project. The programme has provided tangible benefits in the past six years. You see players coming through the ranks, especially bowlers. Itās a startā¦,ā said Deep Dasgupta as quoted by Cricbuzz.
In recent years, Bengla cricket has shown immense potential as players like Abhimanyu Easwaran and Ishan Porel have come out from the system and went on to represent India A. This year too, Bengal players have shown exceptional form both with the ball and bat which has helped the state to the semi-final and they look set to stun Karnataka in the semis too.Ā
āIf you look at the performances since then, Bengal has made it to the Ranji semifinals once (2017-18) and emerged as the under-23 champion in 2019. In between, you had Bengalās current captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ishan Porel and Sudip Chatterjee representing India A as well. There is an upward swing in the results, so obviously it has made a difference. That said, it (the system) has to be dynamic; you canāt be rigid. You adjust according to the demands. A lot depends on the coaches and players available. You keep moving with the times and tweaking as and when required,ā he added.
Currently, Bengal are in command against a star-studded Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy semifinal where after posting 312 on the board, the three-pronged Bengal pace attack dismissed the batting-heavy Karnataka for a paltry 122 in 36.2 overs, their lowest total this season.