The IPL is just what the youngsters want
Most cricketers would say Test cricket is the cricket. But most spectators would now say it is Twenty20. That is the striking difference the administrators will be grappling with - how to keep the longer version of the game alive.
Cover drive, ball traveling along the ground, is past. It is reverse sweep, slog-sweep, inside-out shots that have come to dominate the game and make an impression on the audience. Hitting across the line would mean incurring the wrath of the coach. Not anymore. Technique is taking the back seat and the coaching methods will change dramatically in the near future.
I remember being slammed by Sunil Gavaskar whenever I played across the line. Today, the same Gavaskar, when commentating, exclaims ``what a shot!''. Well, nothing wrong. It is the fact of life and the times we are living in that Twenty20 has taken off in such a way that even Gavaskar is enjoying it. If Gavaskar has changed, why blame the spectator for opting to watch the slam-bang Twenty20 more than the traditional Test. Of course, I am sure that Test cricket will change. It will become more innovative with more and more batsmen playing more and more shots.
At my Complan Academy in Mumbai,I have introduced a special session for the kids to hone their skills in Twenty20. I don't mind telling them ``go and slog'' as long as they have their basics right. There is nothing wrong with Twenty20. There is a place for Twenty20 as there is a place for Test cricket too.
There was nothing with the Indian Cricket League when we promoted Twenty20 with the sole aim of entertaining the spectators and creating a set of players who would excel in his format. Today, I am so happy to see that opportunities are coming the way of the cricketers through the Indian Premier League.
Total Comments: 12
Read Comment | Post Comment
Posted : By manjushree
hmm ok..but it may loose the inrest of national cricket among the ppl of india..and future of our indian team will be very worst...becoz the players who r playing waginst one another how can play together..for single nation..it may take too much time.. so i dont think it may give bright future for .our india..if it possible. it may give only corores of money.nothing more than that..
Reply to this Comment
Posted : By Shyyamal Bhattacharjee
Dear Friends All overThese excitement, hype, and the euphoria that has been cretade will die very fast.Initially every thing to start with is fantastic and sensous, but over the period of time everything takes a back seat especially the instant stuffs.I.P.L. will help to make money fast, but will not sustain itslef in the longer runThe showcase of the game, the semi nudeness etc, are the slow poison injected into the game,These will not last long.Nudity never is appreciated and accepted in the long run.After all we are Indians with a strong rooted traditional values.That is allThanks RegardsShyamal BhattacharjeeBangalore
Reply to this Comment
Posted : By Manoj Nair
I have mixed feedback on Sandeep''s view. In fact we cannot forget some of the innings that Sandeep himself played in the one day format in the yesteryears. If someone played out those shots from Sandeep''s books today then they would as well fit well in all three versions of the game even today! One needs to have their basics cut out right to have any chance of success at T20. What T20 probably does is that it challenges the cricketers to think and force changes after every ball is played. It is all about taking initiatives and amending them over 120 balls which otherwise is a little over a session at a test cricket level. This requires some cricketing quotient, CQ. While T20 will stay and entertain the crowds, test cricket can definitely be made more interesting by modifying conditions of play that could force a result. For example, we could restrict one team no more than X overs and/or Y hours to ensure that one tests the other- its a time tested examination come to think of it. Might sound funny- but if we need to bring spectators into the stadiums then it doesnt matter what the sport is, it must be made competitive with focus on result orientation.
Reply to this Comment
Posted : By sg
People will get sick and tired very soon of so many slam bang matches
Reply to this Comment
Posted : By SanjayN
Actually, we haven''t had a 5 test series in India since the late 80s. There''s plenty wrong with T20, the main culprit being the dumbed down Indian fan that was born with the 83 WC win. As for Kapil Dev and Chandra being the heroes who swam against the tide, they are no different to the Modis and Bindras - power hungry people who simply want to make money. Unlike the typical thugs and cronies, kapil Dev tries to project the image of a philantropist, much like another fraud - Allen Stanford.Cricket is going to the dogs, atleast in India. Walk past one of the countless games being played by the youth of India and you will witness a host of chuckers. Pretty soon, we will see throwing legalised with the justification that we need to break into the American market. Anything is possible with a population that is so easily entertained by the embarrasing gyrations of Bollywood.
Reply to this Comment