Groom young talent

Sri Lanka thoroughly deserved being crowned the T20 champion in Dhaka on Sunday. Having been inured to finishing second or so in several ICC events in the past 18 years, the islanders planned their triumph splendidly in the final, outplaying India in every department of the game. This triumph was also a most fitting tribute to two champions over the years — Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.

Having sailed through the prelims and semi-final comfortably, Team India was destined to be second best. Squeezing out the advantage of bowling first on a pitch freshened by some rain, Sri Lanka had an iron grip early on, despite the best efforts of Virat Kohli, who played like a dream.

Yuvraj is being pilloried and rightly, for his scratchy 11 runs off 21 balls. He was so far out of tune with these compelling new-age T20 demands that he simply gifted the match to the opposition. A redoubtable performer in the shortest format, and a past master in limited-overs cricket, he may be well on the other side of the peak now.

Known for its sentimental attachment to stalwarts, Indian cricket tends to move on much later than most cricketing nations. The latest T20 World Cup should be another cutoff point as it appears the time to groom more youngsters is here. Nothing can be taken away from the contributions of veterans, but there is a time to move on in sport, particularly in a distinct young man’s game, which T20 cricket is.