Spending time as BCCI's TRDW head helped justify chairman post, states Dilip Vengsarkar

According to Dilip Vengsarkar, it was his time as the head of the BCCI's now defunct Talent Research Development Wing (TRDW) that helped him spot all local talents. Hence, he was able to do justice to the chairman's post of the board’s selection committee. One of his bigger finds were none other than Indian’s current captain Virat Kohli. It was during an Emerging India team's tour of Australia where Vengsarkar spotted a feisty batsman who, according to him, was ready to open the innings on the chairman's call. 

"I have watched a lot of U-16 and U-19s as TRDW chairman and watched Virat a lot during his junior cricket days. So when I became chairman of selection committee, we picked him for an Emerging Tour of Australia. I was there and when I saw him bat, I knew he is ready for big time cricket," Vengsarkar told PTI in an exclusive interview.

"You can never be sure whether someone will go on to play that long [15 years]. What I saw was an exceptional talent and if you have an eye, you would know which players are more likely to succeed at the highest level. You need to have something extra. Virat had that," the former India captain said.

He further stressed that it is a selector’s job to be able to have the eye out for recognising talent. Vengsarkar, who loved Kohli’s attitude, found pride after selecting him for a place in the national men’s team. The former cricketer was always convinced about Kohli’s exceptional talent.

"...every selector must have courage and conviction along with eye for talent. If you are convinced about someone, you have to back him to the hilt. That's what good selectors do," he added.

"I don't think anybody pressurised me. I was convinced that I had picked a guy who had exceptional talent at that point of time. I knew he was a tremendous player who needed backing."