Time for radical rethink?

Team India’s comprehensive loss to T20 giants England is as good a time as any for some much-needed introspection

The Indian Premier League is credited for India’s wealth of talent and commercial prosperity, but never should it be forgotten that it’s a domestic cricket tournament played on flat Indian tracks and there are only four international players in playing XIs. When pundits say Indian players are competing with the best, they might not be completely right. The BCCI should seriously consider allowing their contracted players to be part of overseas leagues. Probably, allowing them to be part of Australia’s Big Bash for starters. To say that India were outplayed, outwitted and outgunned by England in the ICC World Cup T20 semi-final at Adelaide yesterday would be far too kind. Sure, they did well to reach the Last 4, but they were expected to.

Also read: ICC T20 World Cup 2022: England crush India by 10 wickets, will meet pakistan in finals

Well crafted half-centuries by Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya took India past the par-score mark. And even though England could have been expected to go past 168, the kind of show Rohit Sharma & Co dished out on the field en route a 10-wicket shellacking, was amateurish. Even though the T20 game can be a bit of a lottery, to lose by 10 wickets means there is something seriously wrong with the bowlers.

The Indian Premier League is credited for India’s wealth of talent and commercial prosperity, but never should it be forgotten that it’s a domestic cricket tournament played on flat Indian tracks and there are only four international players in playing XIs. When pundits say Indian players are competing with the best, they might not be completely right. The BCCI should seriously consider allowing their contracted players to be part of overseas leagues. Probably, allowing them to be part of Australia’s Big Bash for starters. Despite organising the IPL unfailingly since 2008, India haven’t won a T20 World Cup in all these years. If this isn’t an eye-opener about our T20 stocks, nothing is. Clearly, that market is down!

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