Those of you who have been following the live telecast of the World Twenty20 on ESPN, like yours truly, just can’t have missed out on the Reliance chote match bade sapne advert that keeps popping up. The kids come in and declare their dream - from solid bouncers, to sixes, and even a googly.

And then, the second-last of the kids that appear says his little dream - ‘ek diving catch’. Shows how much of a priority fielding is, to us. And if yesterday’s match is any indication of the importance of fielding, India would know that it needs to produce hawks who rule the turf.

India’s ODI side has a fielder or two that might be tagged good, but not great. Yuvraj Singh comes to mind, as does Dinesh Karthik. Suresh Raina, although a brilliant fielder, hasn’t been able to cement his position. Dravid is just fine in the slips, and Zaheer Khan looks trimmer. But it’s evident - we don’t have a class fielder at this level that can compete with a Collingwood or a Ponting. A stupid yet effective way of verifying this is to compare their laundry with the average Indian point fielder’s, if runs and stats bamboozle you.

It’ll tell you, that over the years, we just haven’t run around in the field.

Not that we don’t have Indians who are brilliant fielders, but they just haven’t stuck around long enough for us to notice, although Mohammed Kaif was probably the best one among the lot. And he could bat too.

With the focus on Twenty20, and even ‘minnnows’ like Bangladesh demonstrating exceptional fielding capabilities to give them a chance against the more talented side, India were absolutely forced to pick a younger side who would blow up a big laundry bill. This, of course, wouldn’t have been possible if the Gangulys and Tendulkars were in the playing eleven, so it worked out just well for Team India.

But here’s the dilemma - with such energy, enthusiasm and adrenaline on the field, where are we headed? Remember, now, that Dhoni is skipper and he’ll be looking for a young side who can be birds of prey over the grass, on the lookout for anything that looks like a run-out or a meal. Rohit Sharma yesterday demonstrated what good fielding could do - while Smith had edged it to Karthik (so it really was a chance), Sharma had capitalized and pulled off a dismissal from nowhere. It was Justin Kemp, the man who single-handedly destroyed the Kiwis only the day before. Kemp was in excellent nick, and though it was tentative, it would take something special to get him cheaply.

When you see the replay - something in blue was suspended in mid-air, parallel to the ground, the bails are off and the green monster a yard away - that was something special.

It is beyond doubt that Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly would definitely be back in the ODI side for the series against Australia. And then, what of the likes of Sharma and Karthik, who pulled off stunners last night? It isn’t fair that they’re left out - perhaps it’s just unfortunate that the senior trio are overflowing with talent and experience, and hence a no-comparison for the kids.

If I were the BCCI, I’d be in a huge dilemma at this stage - youth or experience. I’d say both, even if it means having Ganguly or Tendulkar sit out a few unimportant games. Then again, when does India play unimportant games ever?

What the BCCI must do, however, is groom these younger players into becoming fine cricketers. Rohit Sharma and the likes must not be remembered as class Twenty20 players. They must go all the way and become class cricketers - the kinds who can kick ass in all forms of the game. Mentorship is extremely, extremely important, and at the risk of repeating myself, especially for the next generation of Indian cricketers.

For now, though, we need a coach. Who’s filling the God-forsaken vacancy?