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Photo: R.V. Moorthy

Myriad hues On one side we have the best in the game across cricket-playing nations rubbing shoulders and on the other side we have scantily clad cheerleaders raking up considerable controversies

A few days ago in an interview, the legendary Pakistani all-rounder Imran Khan, quoted that the T20 format would burn out the bowlers quickly and would affect the defensive techniques of the batsmen. He still believes that test cricket remains the true test of a cricketer and unless a balance is struck between the formats the game will be affected.

The former Indian team manager to West Indies and for president of Andhra Cricket Association D.V. Subba Rao also airs a similar opinion. He points out that there is no role for the bowlers. “It is ‘slam-bang’ cricket and a slaughter house for the bowlers. A boundary over the ropes should be a rarity; a flurry of such boundaries diminishes the grace and style of the game. Improvisation of the game is necessary but the ‘cow shot’ should not be the mainstay,” he says.

He is also avers that in the T20 format, tensions ride high and the recent ‘Bhaji’ (Slapping of Sreesanth by Harbhajan after the match) incident is a clear indication of that. “The purity of the game is being destroyed and it is not cricket but just high-voltage entertainment,” he adds.

A current National Cricket Academy coach supports the idea of degradation of grace and class in the game. “At a recent cricket camp for juniors, I was surprised to see the young lads attempting the reverse sweeps and the scoops. Even before getting a hold over the basics, they tend to play the unorthodox shots, thanks to the telecast. But they do not realise that their idols like Sachin Tendulkar or Robin Uthappa learnt the game the copybook way. Innovation comes with experience. Instead of disseminating good and graceful cricket, the T20 format in the IPL is teaching the shortcut ways. But one good news is that the DLF IPL has provided the budding cricketers a huge platform to showcase their talent and is a financial boon to the promising cricketers,” he says.

On the other hand the DLF IPL has set aside all apprehensions and has scored a huge success on its maiden venture. Ruling out all scepticism, the IPL seems to have captivated the Indian audience on and off the stadiums. As per a survey by Set Max, the broadcaster of DLF IPL, the TRP (Target Rating Points) has soared up to 4.7, a dream rating, by the second week of the tournament itself. For men above 15 years, the TRP has reached a staggering high of 7.3. It has overtaken all the leading soap operas.

The Director of Centre for Policy Studies and cricket commentator A. Prasanna Kumar says IPL is symbolic of Indian youth power. “Change is the only permanent thing in the world. It is happening in the game of cricket and it has to be accepted. The game is evolving and today the verdict is clear, ‘India is the superpower in the world of cricket’. The board is cash rich and has the capability to open up new avenues for budding cricketers. All of a sudden, we are exposed to some young talents in the form of Jadejas, Nayyars, Tiwarys and Shuklas. Unlike the traditional format it is ‘slam bang’ or ‘hit and run’ cricket, but it has all the qualities of complete entertainment within the purview of the game, and that is nothing wrong,” says Prof. Prasanna Kumar.

But on the other hand, he cautions that there should be some intervention or check in the form of public audit to monitor the developments, or it would turn out to be the biggest commercial racket in sports.

“The concept of cheerleaders is another thing that the BCCI and the organisers should look into. There can be no better cheerleaders than the audience itself. It is only adding vulgarity to the nobility of the game,” says he.

A few young cricketers were of the opinion that the IPL does not give the kick, as it happens when the cricketers play for the country. “But club cricket is equally competitive and interesting and every cricketer has grown up playing the club cricket. Moreover, the game is more important. It is nice to see all-time greats like Symonds, Ricky Ponting, Virendra Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly and Shaun Pollock rubbing shoulders with new Indian talents like Virat Kohli, Abhishek Nayar, Lakshmi Ratan Shukla or Kalyan Krishna. IPL is a cricket ‘mela’ and the game is being played with great commitment. Whether we can make it to the test or ODI arena or not, we can surely try our luck in the IPL in the coming years,” they say.

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