Not releasing Zol for Ranji final is a backward step taken by BCCI

The Indian cricket board's (BCCI) decision not to allow India under-19 captain Vijay Zol to play for Maharashtra in the all-important Ranji Trophy final against Karnataka has drawn widespread criticism. Zol will, instead, feature in a three-day boot camp in Wayanad, Kerala, but despite the controversy there has been no response from the BCCI. After all, the board has its ways of dealing with such situations.It refuses to give any valid reasons or even consider that a decision may have its drawbacks.
Team coach B Arun said, "We will have a three-day boot camp and go through the same process that we did before the 2012 World Cup that India won. The focus will be on team building and understanding each other in an environment that will be non-cricketing."
"It's absolutely ridiculous," says former India captain Nari Contractor, who has attended many such pre-tour camps. "I can't fathom the logic behind not letting in-form Zol play in the Ranji final. Purely from the cricketing point of view, playing in Ranji trophy final is far more important than getting into these boot camps."
Former captain Bishan Bedi tweeted: 'Most shocking 2 confine Zol 2 U-19 camp when playing Ranji final wud B much better temperamental/technical preparation! bcci wake up kindly!!'
The idea of boot camps was first mooted by the Australian team way back in 2006. Cricket Australia agreed to the proposal of staging boot camps for team-bonding exercises. So peeved was Shane Warne that he said, "You don't need to build a camp fire in the outback to make yourself a better cricketer. If you want players to bond, I would lock them all in a pub and not let anyone else in."
Most of the boys of the India under-19 team have been together for the past one year, with captain Zol and Akhil Herwadkar playing their second World Cup. After playing and touring together all that time and building camaraderie, the boys need something cricket-specific and then a few days with their families before they embark for the World Cup in February to Dubai.
Former India players say that if out of a 19-day camp three days are wasted in a boot-camp picnic, the concentration of the players will suffer.
Former Services cricketer and national selector in the 1970s, late Wing Commander Bal Dani, once said, "All Services sportsmen are recruited primarily for sports and physical fitness, which is considered very important. It didn't necessarily reflect in the performance. Though cricketers from the Services were fitter, the skill level of Mumbai cricketers those days was much higher because they were mentally tough as they played tougher cricket, though many of them seemed less fit than us."
In a lighter vein, one could say that if boot camps and commando training sessions were so important for getting peak performances in cricket, the Services and not Mumbai would have won the Ranji trophy 40 times. England had a boot camp before the recent Ashes to boost the morale of players. All that was witnessed was a totally demoralized team that was crushed by the Aussie attack.
It will be a travesty of justice for the young Vijay Zol — who has done remarkably well in his debut season — if the BCCI doesn't see the larger picture and release him for the Ranji final. Maharashtra are in the final after 21 years. To deny Zol the chance to play such an important match is senseless.