It’s quite a general trend in human life. Whenever something odd happens in life, we tend to go after the soft target- those who have already received so much criticism for a particular reason in the past. You know, it’s the easiest thing to put your finger on something that has already been on red alert in previous years. IPL is one of those aspects when it comes to the Indian Cricket Team’s Test decline in the last 12-15 months.
Having lost the opening Kolkata Test, India stand on the verge of putting egg on their face to face another home series defeat in successive years. Irrespective of a draw or defeat in the ongoing Guwahati Test, India will experience their second Test series defeat at home in the last three attempts. There is a chance of them losing the Test and potentially facing a home Test series defeat in successive years- something which they have never gone through in the past.
Now, the finger is on the IPL for India’s Test decline. Give me a break!! You may not love the franchise tournaments as I don’t, either, or you may hate the T20s as many do, but that doesn’t mean you will be blind and keep putting the finger on those uninvited guests for India’s CURRENT Test decline.
I can’t get my head around how the IPL affected the skills of the Indian players featured in Test cricket. Funny!! I have been searching on the internet for the last 24 hours to see if there are any posts where any IPL franchise member, an IPL committee member, or anyone associated with the IPL teams asked the BCCI selectors to pick any of their star players in the red-ball side. There is no such instance. But why would it be?
Why will an IPL franchise want their star performer to go and grind their technique and mindset in the five-day format? They will actually want these players to fly in various leagues around the globe and catch new skills, which they could use next time they turn up for the franchise. It’s the BCCI selectors who wanted their IPL stars to feature in the Test matches for India. So, the anger should be on the selection committee and not on the league.
Stop dreaming of being an all-format player if you can’t balance Test and T20s in 2025
India have enjoyed an excellent 12-year period at home in the longest format, when IPL was peaking. Does that hamper the players’ skills in the Test matches? No, not at all!! Marco Jansen, Tristan Stubbs, Aiden Markram, or Kagiso Rabada are regulars in the IPL for the last couple of seasons. Didn’t they do well in this series, apart from Rabada, who has been injured for the last two weeks? Let’s go back!! David Warner- one of the vital members for the success of IPL- is one of the essential members for Australia’s Test side at home or away.
Let’s not blindly make the IPL or the T20s a soft target. That could have been done till 2015 or before that period when the format was new and hard to balance for various players. If standing in 2025, players can’t balance out the shortest and longest formats, then stop dreaming of being an all-format player for your national side. It’s a different recipe and not for that individual.
The two shots that Dhruv Jurel and Sai Sudharsan played in Guwahati on the third day were nonsense. Those are totally needless, and I hope they know the mistakes they made in that situation. India and their current generation of players need to increase their skills against the spinners. That means you have to prepare well in the seasons. I also feel for the selectors. What will they do if the same successful players who have had a successful domestic stint can’t get runs in the international arena? It’s the players’ job to make the shift from being called ‘the upcoming star’ to ‘the current star.’
Cosmic Devotion” by Label Priyanka Mallick Shines on the Virtual Ramp at London Fashion Week
The selectors and the committee, or whoever is sitting at the higher rank, should look to their domestic red-ball tournament. Some of the games are ending in less than two days due to the surfaces. This is another issue they need to take care of. Try to make better surfaces from the domestic circuit, where the ball will start to spin from the third day, and that will increase the skills of the batters and the bowlers.
Making IPL the soft target won’t work in 2025. It could have been in 2015 or before, when the format was new to many players. If you still have not been able to adjust, then just admit that you are not good enough. There are better players around the globe.
