IPL taking a toll on traditional cricket skills

It started with a sumptuous pull over midwicket. Then came an authoritative lofted shot, on the rise, over mid-off. The next three shots were vintage Kohli, threading the gaps in the point and cover region, forcing fielders to dive this way and that in vain, and on one occasion, reducing them to the status of mute spectators.

The over, the second of the game, went for 21 runs. Kohli had the early bragging rights in a high-profile battle, and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the electric start they desired. The former India captain looked in a belligerent mood, stepping down the track and hitting Mohammed Siraj for a mighty six over long-on in the next over.

The Kohli of old would have subsequently prepared himself for the long haul, entering his risk-free accumulation phase. But that’s not how Kohli, or any other batsman for that matter, is expected to operate in the present T20 climate.

It would have taken some courage from Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill to give Rabada another over immediately. But he would have banked on his champion bowler, as well as Kohli’s refusal to take his foot off the pedal. And the call was vindicated.

After a wide and an inside edge onto his pad, the batsman came down the pitch, moving towards the legside. The ball was short and followed Kohli into his body, cramping him for room. All he could manage was an ugly attempt at a pull, resulting in a top edge that was duly gobbled up.

Kohli’s struggles during the final phase of his Test career, which eventually resulted in him walking away from the format, are well documented. His weakness outside the off-stump was noticeable during his 13-ball innings on Thursday as well, when Siraj had him groping more than once.

The current trend in the IPL, where a total of 200 is just the start of negotiations, doesn’t allow any sighters. Watching the likes of Priyansh Arya, Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Kohli would have thought that he had to follow suit to remain relevant in the modern T20 game. In other words, he had FOMO (fear of missing out).

No fear, no care

It’s this trend of all-out attack from the word go, uncaring of consequences, that’s at the heart of the situation where one day, a score of 264 is chased down with more than an over to spare, and two days later, a team finds itself at 8/6 in less than four overs.

Discretion is not an option, and respect for a great bowler is an archaic concept. Nobody can be spared, even a legend like Jasprit Bumrah. It’s understandable when a batter of Travis Head’s calibre hits him for a straight six that travels more than 90 metres. But when a rookie like Salil Arora feels confident enough to smash a no-look six off him, one needs a second look.

Figures of 0/54 in four overs won’t flatter a part-time bowler; for someone like Bumrah, they are almost unthinkable. This is the bowler who played a huge role in India winning back-to-back T20 World Cups, so it’s not as if he is unsuited to the format.

It all comes down to the conditions provided in the IPL. As another legend Muttiah Muralitharan put it candidly after the game in question, a fairer contest between bat and ball, as opposed to one between bat and bat, would not be to the liking of broadcasters and sponsors, who believe, rightly or wrongly, that crowds come to watch just fours and sixes, and don’t care much about a quality spell from a fast bowler or spinner.

Venues like Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium and Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium have seen plenty of top edges and miscues going for six, forcing bowlers to scratch their heads.

Murali said that the bowlers have no option but to grin and bear it, trying to find ways to minimise punishment and hope for the best, as one can go for big runs in this format despite bowling well.

Bumrah is a prized national asset and needs to be protected. It’s obvious that the Mumbai Indians team management and owners would like to make full use of their biggest weapon, but with the team languishing where it is on the points table, one would wish that Bumrah is rested if and when his team falls out of playoff contention.

Skewed playing field

Another innovation that has played its part in defanging bowlers is the Impact Player rule. When a team can call upon an extra batter, either to pump up the scoring rate or in the case of a collapse, there’s no incentive to play a bit circumspectly at the start to prevent that very collapse. It’s like an insurance policy that, instead of prompting someone to be more responsible, allows them to be more reckless.

In all the promotional features about the IPL, the heroes are invariably batters, and the highlights packages are generally full of fours and sixes. The broadcasters have paid a king’s ransom for the IPL’s media rights (while dragging their feet and haggling over the FIFA World Cup, which is less than 40 days away) and would like to squeeze out every penny. They would know best what sells and are loath to take any chances with their money. Relative unknown bowlers such as Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain may have a good day and would be feted for a few hours, but as the saying goes, one swallow doesn’t make a summer. It’s well nigh impossible for a bowler of any kind to be successful in every match.

The T20 format is such that the value of a six is disproportionately high given the short duration of a game. A batter can swing and miss on four balls of an over, but if he hits the other two out of the ground, a return of 12 runs off six balls will be considered a good outcome for the batting side. It reduces the significance of some other skills, such as running between the wickets, which used to be a key characteristic of a great white-ball batter in years gone by.

Murali also opined that spinners in T20 cricket are now scared to flight the ball or try to spin as they are wary of the inevitable big shot. It takes some courage to bowl with loop, and not everyone possesses it.

The longer the current trend continues, the quicker will be the demise of several cricketing skills one had taken for granted.