"For the national team, mainly it's from India, and a few from Pakistan," Darlington told cricbuzz. "I haven't replied to anyone. It's not for me to decide. We are looking to develop our own players here. We believe we have enough talent."
It is a long-established fact that fulfilling the dream of being a professional cricketer in either of the two Asian nations is no mean feat. Besides the sweat shed on the field and sacrifices made on a daily basis, the need to be able to perform at the right time with negligible margin for error makes auditioning for India an arduous task.
To put the competition levels in perspective - the members of the Indian squad that has travelled to Zimbabwe and won all but one fixture so far isn't guaranteed a direct ticket to the main team. For the youngsters like KL Rahul and Barinder Sran, notable performances has perhaps only helped them go a little higher in the pecking order. They've taken a giant stride forward, but will need more such tours to grab their spot in the main XI.
While Darlington's stance is justified, it is interesting to see that these young aspiring cricketers view Zimbabwe as greener pastures. Problem of politics and caste system, unrelenting competition and even the lack of riches back home, are some of the reasons stated by them for making the outlandish request. Most hail from remote areas and see no clear route-map to their destination. The current, bleak state of Zimbabwe cricket perhaps, pushes these boys to try their luck and leave no stone unturned in pursuing their dreams. Full marks for the effort, certainly!
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