National chief selector Sandeep Patil, who quit as chairman of the Mumbai selection committee in March this year, is concerned about the standard of Mumbai cricket
National chief selector Sandeep Patil, who quit as chairman of the Mumbai selection committee in March this year, is concerned about the standard of Mumbai cricket.
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Pravin Amre (left) and Sandeep Patil at Shivaji Park Gymkhana on Wednesday. Pic/Tushar Satam
Patil was announced as advisor to the Shivaji Park Gymkhana (SPG) Cricket Academy on Wednesday and was emphatic when it came to talking about city cricket — so emphatic that he asked questions himself and provided solutions: "What has gone wrong with Mumbai cricket? Why is Mumbai not producing more cricketers? Why has club standards dipped? Why has Mumbai standards in the Ranji Trophy gone down? If you just harp on the 40 times Mumbai have won the Ranji Trophy, you will not step forward. You have to win and always works towards a goal, which is achievable if set smartly. You don’t dream of playing cricket on the moon, you dream to play cricket at Shivaji Park Gymkhana and then you go to Wankhede Stadium which is a bigger place," said Patil.
Patil, is concerned about the club loyalty factor in today’s cricket. He told the cricketers gathered at the launch of the SPG academy: "I really consider myself very lucky to have played for SPG, Mumbai and India. It was an honour playing for SPG. I hope the next generation think this way. Loyalty is very important. Players change clubs for the sake of money and this is one of the reasons why Mumbai cricket has gone down. I request you, don’t do this. Playing for your club will help you and Mumbai too.” Patil played for SPG, Shivaji Park Youngsters and CCI.
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