Line & Length
R Mohan
India rule the roost in T-20 cricket
October 25, 2007
On the cricket landscape, Team India are atop the equivalent of a small hill's peak. There are still mountains to climb. Yet, times are so heady fans should have a great time following the ascent of their favourite team.
There really is no time like the present for Team India in which there is a convergence of the old and the new. Doubling the happy confluence of talent is the fact that the youngsters proved themselves once again to be champions of the most instant version by simply thrashing Australia in the sole T-20 encounter.
The Aussies still seem pretty clueless about the immediacy of the T-20 game. They still play it in the traditional style, with even the beefy striker Matthew Hayden waiting for the loose ball to slam out of the ground.
Contrast that with the way Robin Uthappa waded into the bowlers, walking down a few steps down the pitch to smack the ball as he pleased.
Asked ahead of the Mumbai game what was the difference between the two formats — ODI and T-20 — Ponting is said to have quipped "30 overs". The Aussies will probably go back to the drawing board and study the version in much greater detail before changing their approach. Ponting left out his specialist spin bowler, a move that betrayed what scant attention the Aussies have paid to the shortest version of the international game.
Meanwhile, India rule the roost in T-20 cricket, showing a depth of understanding of its priorities. Harbhajan Singh averaged a fraction above four runs an over in a contest in which the average scoring rate was above eight. This was a phenomenal performance that underscored the strategic importance of spin even in the shortest version.
Gautam Gambhir's brave batting was in direct contrast to the dithering of the Australian late order. The Aussies seem to wish to make some perverse point about Brad Hodge who they might wish to employ as a Test opener in place of the retired Justin Langer. But the batsman is so stodgy it is doubtful if he fits even into the scheme of ODI cricket of 50 overs a side.
This new version calls for bravery, perhaps even a touch of foolhardiness, at the batting crease, which itself is more of a launch pad than a base for batsmen. It's not possible to string together dynamic strokes by staying put with the back foot stationed inside the crease.
Uthappa's footwork and his eyesight in picking the line to hit through while on the move was a revelation. An ability to hit on the rise is a special gift that he utilises best. The fielding standards are so much higher it's difficult to imagine any of the triumvirate might nurse any hopes of making their appearance in this format. Also, the trio has no hope of matching the youngsters when it comes to handling the running between wickets.
It is as well that all three kept out of T-20 in a joint decision that has served the best interests of Indian cricket.
It would seem that to make the transition to the 50-overs format should not be all that tough. Team India can, however, rely on their newfound expertise in T-20 by treating the Power Plays as if it were a T-20 game and then switching down to last the 50 overs. The possibilities of reshaping the approach to 50:50 cricket are immense.
The key to India's sensational batting in T-20 is none of the top order betrays any fear of failure. Their talent at stroke making is explosive and they command a greater variety when it comes to finding routes to hit the ball. The stereotypical wristily clever batsman has been replaced by a more powerful version who is a creature of the modern age.
The effortless grace of a Yuvraj dismissing the ball for six on the leg side and the awesome power of a Dhoni blast down the ground as if he were a two-handed tennis player mixes well with the inventive ways of Uthappa and Gambhir. This Indian batting cocktail is a powerful one and we have not even seen Sehwag anywhere near his explosive best at a format that should suit him most.
Climbing the higher mountains might be a tougher task. But at least India knows now what it is to scale a peak, even if it is the smallest of three in cricket' strifurcated world of Tests, ODIs and T-20.
Republished with permission from The Asian Age
There really is no time like the present for Team India in which there is a convergence of the old and the new. Doubling the happy confluence of talent is the fact that the youngsters proved themselves once again to be champions of the most instant version by simply thrashing Australia in the sole T-20 encounter.
The Aussies still seem pretty clueless about the immediacy of the T-20 game. They still play it in the traditional style, with even the beefy striker Matthew Hayden waiting for the loose ball to slam out of the ground.
Contrast that with the way Robin Uthappa waded into the bowlers, walking down a few steps down the pitch to smack the ball as he pleased.
Asked ahead of the Mumbai game what was the difference between the two formats — ODI and T-20 — Ponting is said to have quipped "30 overs". The Aussies will probably go back to the drawing board and study the version in much greater detail before changing their approach. Ponting left out his specialist spin bowler, a move that betrayed what scant attention the Aussies have paid to the shortest version of the international game.
Meanwhile, India rule the roost in T-20 cricket, showing a depth of understanding of its priorities. Harbhajan Singh averaged a fraction above four runs an over in a contest in which the average scoring rate was above eight. This was a phenomenal performance that underscored the strategic importance of spin even in the shortest version.
Gautam Gambhir's brave batting was in direct contrast to the dithering of the Australian late order. The Aussies seem to wish to make some perverse point about Brad Hodge who they might wish to employ as a Test opener in place of the retired Justin Langer. But the batsman is so stodgy it is doubtful if he fits even into the scheme of ODI cricket of 50 overs a side.
This new version calls for bravery, perhaps even a touch of foolhardiness, at the batting crease, which itself is more of a launch pad than a base for batsmen. It's not possible to string together dynamic strokes by staying put with the back foot stationed inside the crease.
Uthappa's footwork and his eyesight in picking the line to hit through while on the move was a revelation. An ability to hit on the rise is a special gift that he utilises best. The fielding standards are so much higher it's difficult to imagine any of the triumvirate might nurse any hopes of making their appearance in this format. Also, the trio has no hope of matching the youngsters when it comes to handling the running between wickets.
It is as well that all three kept out of T-20 in a joint decision that has served the best interests of Indian cricket.
It would seem that to make the transition to the 50-overs format should not be all that tough. Team India can, however, rely on their newfound expertise in T-20 by treating the Power Plays as if it were a T-20 game and then switching down to last the 50 overs. The possibilities of reshaping the approach to 50:50 cricket are immense.
The key to India's sensational batting in T-20 is none of the top order betrays any fear of failure. Their talent at stroke making is explosive and they command a greater variety when it comes to finding routes to hit the ball. The stereotypical wristily clever batsman has been replaced by a more powerful version who is a creature of the modern age.
The effortless grace of a Yuvraj dismissing the ball for six on the leg side and the awesome power of a Dhoni blast down the ground as if he were a two-handed tennis player mixes well with the inventive ways of Uthappa and Gambhir. This Indian batting cocktail is a powerful one and we have not even seen Sehwag anywhere near his explosive best at a format that should suit him most.
Climbing the higher mountains might be a tougher task. But at least India knows now what it is to scale a peak, even if it is the smallest of three in cricket' strifurcated world of Tests, ODIs and T-20.
Republished with permission from The Asian Age
