Opinion Caribbean lesson
Why IPL heroes failed the world-class test...
It was past midnight in India when M.S. Dhoni,after losing to Sri Lanka,led his teams slow march off the field in Barbados and out of the 2010 World T20. Televisions were switched off in disgust; fans rubbed their eyes in disbelief. The men who seemed capable of reaching every possible cricketing high during the Indian Premier League just last month suddenly stumbled while wearing the India blues. How,during the long flight to the Caribbean,did the Indians lose the Midas touch that repeatedly showed while turning up for their franchise,was the disturbing last question before sleep.
Before touching the obvious reasons for the sudden slump like the IPLs killing schedule,late-night games and wee-hours parties a more basic question needs to be addressed: is the IPL a stern enough test,one guaranteeing success at the international level? Indias last two World T20 campaigns have amply proved that it isnt. When it comes to popularity,hype,brand value,TRP or even media attention,the IPL has no parallel or precedent; but it doesnt have quality of the sort that would get it a cricketing ISO. A cap on spending,and restrictions on the number of foreign players,means all the playing XIs have weak links that can be exploited for easy runs and cheap wickets.
Revisiting a few Indian batting performances in IPL will result in a change of perspective about those big scores plus explain their failure at the World T20 tournament.
Yusuf Pathans 100 from 37 balls against the Mumbai Indians was memorable; but not many remember the bowlers he faced. Of those 37 balls,26 were bowled by Ryan McLaren,Ali Murtaza and R. Sathish,bowlers nowhere close to getting into their respective national T20 sides. The three conceded 75 runs to Pathan.
M. Vijays 56-ball 127 against Rajasthan Royals is said to be the knock of IPL-III. But as it turns out,33 of those runs came from the 9 balls he faced from a modest medium-pacer with one first-class season behind him: Sumit Narwal,who finds it tough to retain his place in the Delhi team. Besides,Vijay scored 26 from the 11 balls he faced from part-time offie Yusuf Pathan. Dhonis 29-ball 54,during a tense chase at Dharamsala,turned the tide for eventual champions Chennai Super Kings. Twenty-four of those runs came from the 8 balls he faced from Irfan Pathan,a bowler who hasnt found a place in the India A-team.
Gautam Gambhirs highest score of 72 came against a Kings XI Punjab bowling attack which featured Pathan,Sreesanth,Yusuf Abdulla,Piyush Chawla,Yuvraj and Ramesh Powar. Things take a dramatic turn,especially for an opener,when the bowling attack instead has names like Dirk Nannes,Shaun Tait and Mitchel Johnson pacers who dont hold back during the short four-over spell in T20 cricket,and regularly touch 150 kph. Nannes and Tait are IPL regulars; but in the IPL they arent quite in august company. Other national teams too have quality bowling line-ups,and waiting for weaklings to bowl is futile. Besides,with the boundary ropes not quite pulled in and the outfield not lightning-quick,the IPL superstars dont have the perks they are used to.
Missing at the World T20 is also the hype that escalates everyday cricketing achievements to historic heights. Exaggeration and drama isnt far away when wannabe models and Bollywood strugglers anchor pre- and post-match shows. Embedded commentators give credence to their hyperbole; reputed former players-turned-IPL coaches write syndicated columns plugging for players from their franchise. Thats why Suresh Raina is called the best young talent in the world,Virat Kohli a future India captain and Shane Warne calls Yusuf Pathans century against the Mumbai Indians the best knock he has ever seen. That last coming from a player who was part of probably the greatest team the world has ever seen.
The IPL,omnipresent with all its mobile phone links,3-D big-screen experience,YouTube tie-ups and games playing on a loop on television,makes even cynics and sceptics,at least for a moment,marvel at what are in the end modest cricketing shows. With the packaging so bewitching,the content becomes secondary. It isnt just the fans who are waylaid by the make-believe world of the IPL; the players get conned as well. Those heady 45 days give them a false sense of security that suddenly fades when they face a bowling attack dominated by card-carrying members of Club 150 kph. The result is,like the fans,the players too end up rubbing their eyes in disbelief when faced with reality.
sandeep.dwivedi@expressindia.com
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