By Yajurvindra Singh The most popular form of cricket in the present the T20 remains to be fully appreciated by players as well as coaches and those who support them.
The traditional style of cricket in the very beginning was very similar to T20.The batter was expected to strike the ball whenever it was possible to do so with every delivery.This was considered to be the most effective way to demonstrate the strength, courage and ability.
Village cricket was the perfect location to showcase one’s abilities and the ball being thrown off of the pitch was an exemplary display of brilliance.
Education and good judgment gradually took over and batters learned that the best combination of defence paired with offense is a better choice than the wild hitting style of the past.
The game then took a totally different route, and for consistency and successful, one had to be cautious about overcoming the initial uncertainties like the conditions that relate to the surface, bounce, and movement due to the environment and the conditions that prevailed.Understanding and respecting the variations of the bowlers was another important aspect to master.
The extravagant fashion of hitting with power was thrown out of the window of top-of-the-line batters, and only the tail-enders and inefficient players were seen to be doing so.
Batsmen were reluctant to take risks and playing in reckless way was considered a crime and the ability to master technique patience and concentration was the only thing that was valued.
The rapid pace and the change in the lives of people across the globe quickly played a major part in the how cricket as a game was perceived.It was seen as boring, slow and never-ending.
The crowds began to decrease and cricket was losing its luster even among its fervent fans.The younger generation needed excitement and cricket was not delivering it.
The England Cricket Board brought in a One-day league which was held on Sundays, and many of them were played between counties.
The limited-overs games began bringing fans back to the field and television brought about a total revolution in the popularity of cricket as entertainment.
The T20 was first introduced in 2003 and soon became a hit.India was not completely accepting of this format until they won the first T20 World Cup in 2007.Since that time and with the introduction of the Indian Premier League, the T20 format has grown exponentially.
Cricket has developed a unique fan base that has caught the interest of young boys and girls and even the spectrum of older people as well.
The T20 is simple to follow and ends with certain results in the final.
They are trying to find out the most efficient way to play is are the players and coaches.
At first, one viewed it as a form of play that would require young fast and fit cricketers in order to be successful.The most powerful hitters were considered to the more sophisticated players who could juggle subtle positions and big hitting.
This has now given way to batters who play in all directions of the field and bowlers who might not possess the speed or turn but who do have a range of deliveries to their name.
The T20 game strategy for teams is changing quickly as more and games are played.
Cricket has never in its history witnessed such a revolutionary and disruptive movement.The batters are producing amazing strokes, and the bowlers are throwing deliveries that no one thought possible.
The problem for everyone is to know the best time and place for these new ideas would be most efficient.
The Asia Cup being played in the UAE currently has revealed the progress T20 cricket has been able to make since last year, when the T20 World Cup was played there.
Big and powerful hits from batters as well as the speed of bowlers was considered to be essential skills needed by players to succeed.The West Indies did showcase this through their players and team performance over the years.
But, it is easy to see the change that is taking place quickly.
The Afghanistan team is already in the Asia Cup caused one to raise an eyebrow.
Their players are strong built and are able to kick the ball over the crowd easily.The reason they have an advantage over the other teams is that they’ve got among their skilled and proficient fingers and wrist spinners too.They have the ability to take on the most skilled players in this style of the game.They have proven this by beating Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in their group games.
They now appear to be an imminent threat to India and Pakistan too.
The Indian T20 team however appears to be in an impasse.It is important to recognize the Indian think-tank’s goal of strengthening the bench.But this has resulted in an abundance of players to choose from.
The three stalwarts and well-known batters in Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli.They are guaranteed to be in the top 3 positions in the batting.
This is purely because of their repute earned through their previous masterful performances in all styles of the game.
But, the question that one is uncertain about is whether or not they possess the mental and batting abilities needed of the modern-day T20 player.
In the match against Hong Kong, Suryakumar Yadav displayed a variety in his stroke play, and in, he played in all directions of the field.The experience of watching him made one wonder how our tried and true and renowned batters have slipped up.
While one might like Rishabh Pant over Dinesh Kartik however, one must be impressed by the former for the manner in the way he has changed to the T20 style of bat.He realized that he required to adapt in order to become successful and he did it very well.
One is slowly gaining understanding of the changes needed to play T20 cricket.However, understanding what is required is a long way off.
(Yajurvindra Singh was an former India cricketer)
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