Revamping T20 Cricket: The New Rules and Their Impact

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

T20 or Twenty 20 cricket has been a huge hit amongst fans and has revolutionized the world of cricket over the past couple of decades. Ever since it was introduced in 2003, it has given a new lease of life to many cricket associations through the franchise-based cricket model bringing in money that could sometimes fund a country for years. Indian Premier League, Big Bash League, Caribbean Premier League and others have changed the way cricket is followed and watched across the world. These T20 tournaments have not only helped bring more revenue but has also helped unleash new talent.

T20 was introduced to spice up the cricketing fraternity. With growing popularity, every governing body has tried to add more spice to their T20 tournaments, to make it more interesting and appealing for fans across the world. As a traditionalist who still loves watching test cricket, I found it very hard to take a liking to T20 and some of these new rules I believe can help revive the interest in other forms of cricket. Listing some of those rules that clicked with me and some that did not.

2 different team sheets: In IPL 2023, the captains can walk out with 2 different team sheets and can select a XI based on the outcome of the toss. This takes away the “Win toss, Win Match” trend in the IPL. This makes sense especially when the condition of the match is affected by the dew factor, making it easier for the team batting second to chase targets. Extending this rule to International cricket across all formats, especially One Day Cricket, would make a great difference. This rule would surely be a hit.

Impact Substitute: Each team can nominate a set of 5 players and choose to replace a player at different stages of the game like the end of the innings, the end of an over, the fall of a wicket, or when a player retires. Once the impact player is used, the substituted player can play no further part in the game even as a fielder. My take on this rule is that this takes away the benefit of having 2 different team sheets and also in many instances, an impact player who replaced a player who already got out, got a chance to bat again. This makes no sense. The T20 game is already spiced up and loaded in favour of batters. Interestingly, Big Bash League got rid of this change which was introduced in the name of “X-factor”. I believe this rule would be a great fit for test cricket, played over 5 days and with changing conditions, bringing this rule will increase the interest in Test cricket.

DRS for wides and no-balls: DRS or Decision Review System is now available for teams to review wides and no-balls. Earlier the teams were allowed to only review when someone is adjudged out or not out. The number of reviews has also been increased from 1 to 2. These changes make a lot of chance. T20 is a game of very fine margins and a wide ball or a no-ball can make a world of difference. But some more clarity on how to decide on the wide or no-ball especially when the batter moves around the crease would be very beneficial to the teams and the spectators. This rule should stay for sure.

DRS: Decision Review System aka Dhoni Review System
Image Courtesy: Wisden

I was also impressed with a couple of new changes that were brought in the Big Bash League(BBL) in Australia.

Power Surge: A separate 2-over powerplay that can be used by the batting team after the completion of one-half of the overs. This was a really interesting rule and kind of added uncertainty to the way the game was played. This rule was done away with. But I would prefer this to come back but for the power surge to be taken by the bowling team rather than the batting team to give it a little twist.

Bash Boost: This one once again makes the contest more interesting. The calculation is fairly simple whichever team has the higher score midway through the second innings gets a bonus point. This would make a good equation in the points table. A good contest will get additional points for the teams.

Some rules that would make test cricket and ODIs more interesting are something that I would like ICC – International Cricket Council to consider.

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Master Blaster Turns 50: A Tribute to Sachin Tendulkar

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

24th April has always been a special day for a long time. 50 years ago, this day a child with superhuman abilities was born in Mumbai and went on to capture the hearts of millions of cricket enthusiasts across the world and ruled the sport for 3 decades. He broke multi records some of which I doubt anyone would break in the near future. He changed the way cricket was played in India and inspired many to take up the sport and batting in particular. His name is Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

Photo Courtesy: Sachin Tendulkar Instagram

My first memory of Sachin was the 1992 world cup in the classic retro jersey. I was hardly 5 years old then so this did not feel big to me. But it was in 1993 that I took a liking to this genius when he bowled the defended 6 runs in the final over to lead India to the finals. I instantly took a liking to him. To me, he was everything. I remember when I played badminton against a tall opponent, my sir asked him if I can manage, I confidently responded that if Sachin a guy who was hardly 5 foot 5 inches can not only play Curtly Ambrose who was standing tall at 6.5 feet so could I play well against a taller guy as well. Such was the mark he left upon me.

My joy was unbound when my father took me to watch him live at the famous Chepauk – MA Chidambaram Stadium to watch a test match against Australia. To watch him take the battle to the dominant Aussies was extra special for a 9-year-old me. Over the years, my love and admiration for my hero went up leaps and bounds. There was a period where if Sachin got out, millions of TVs around the country would be turned off and when he played the time would freeze. I used to sit in front of my prayer room when he plays and would pray for him to score a century and lead India to victory when he plays.

Here is a glimpse of some of my favourite events featuring Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

Most Favorite Moment: A 22-year-old dream was fulfilled when Ravi Shastri screamed in the commentary box – Dhoni finishes off in style, and Sachin lifted the world cup finally after 5 unsuccessful attempts. I was going crazy at my friend’s place. Little did I realize that I was welling up and tears of joy rolled down my cheek.

Most Favorite Shot: Sachin can play every shot in the book. The classic cover drive on the up against Wasim Akram, the uppercut against Shoaib Akhtar, the pull shot against Andrew Caddik or the glance down to the fine leg boundary but the shot that stood out the most for me was his trademark straight drive. According to me, no one can play it better than the great master blaster. My celebrations went wild when I saw him play this shot from D stand MAC, the perfect stand for viewing this shot, the crowd just stood up and applauded the shot for sometime.

Courtesy: ICC Instagram account

Favourite Century: It is a hard task picking 1 from his 100 hundred. But to me, it would always be his century against Sharjah in 1998 which is famously known as the Desert Storm innings. He took the fight to the Aussies who were otherwise considered undefeatable. He believed in himself and single-handedly took India to the finals and scored another century to help India lift the trophy. 1998 stamped his authority as the best One Day International player to have played the game. Virat Kohli is the closest to the legend in matching his records and stands a chance to beat his ODI records.

Favourite Wicket: Sachin was pretty handy with the ball as mentioned in the introduction. He claims that he wanted to be a fast bowler and thanks to the MRF Pace Foundation, he quit that dream. My initial memory of him was bowling right-arm medium but then switched to Right Arm Spin. To me, the best wicket he took was that of Moin Khan on a flat Multan pitch that offered nothing for the bowler. This changed the course of the match.

Sachin dismissing Moin Khan of the last ball of the day.

Favourite Innings: This is a toughie but I am going to go with the innings at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) where he scored an unbeaten 241. What made this knock extra special is that he did not play a cover drive that entire innings despite being teased by the bowlers. It is very tough for a batsman to restrain for that long but he had the grit and the patience to avoid that shot that caused his downfall in the previous matches.

Sachin the Leader: Sachin never had a great tenure as the captain of India which is something that I wish he had. But no one is 100% and if it was not meant for him, so be it. But he carried along well playing under different captains. His input was keenly listened to by everyone on the team. Had it not been for him and other seniors, India would have not got its greatest captain in its Men’s cricket history, MS Dhoni. He conducted himself very well on and off the field leading by example for the younger generations. His recalling Ian Bell after being run out is one of the best cricketing leadership moments I have seen.

Happy Birthday to the Genius who taught billions across the world to dream and lead the way. May you continue to spread smile across the faces of your fans for many more years to come. SACHIN SACHIN will forever be ringing in our ears.

The Ultimate Rockstar

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

March 4, 2022, I felt a part of my childhood was taken away from me when the news of the passing away of the World’s best spinner, Shane Warne. People might argue with me on the title of best spinner ever, but I agree to disagree with them. When Healy or Gilly yell “bowling Shane” you know some magic is happening and more to come. Warne was a special cricketer and great analyst of the game who played the game with great pride and passion second to none. There is a lot to learn from Warne’s career and personality and here is my take on how he has left a lasting impression on the youngsters and professionals across the globe.

The Fan Moment: Though Warne made a huge mark on the cricketing circles with the Ball of the century to Mike Gatting, I started following Warne with more curiosity during the 1998 Australia tour of India. Sachin Tendulkar, the batting genius, whom I thought could play anyone on any given day made special preparations to face Warne speaks volumes of this wizard. I remember the first time I saw him live he dismissed Sachin cheaply for 4 and I cursed him for spoiling the day. Every time Warne bowled I used to bite my nails or hold my heart, because this genius could cause serious damage. Cut to 2004 Chepauk(MA Chidambaram Stadium) erupted in joy when he dismissed Irfan Pathan to move past Muralidharan to become the then world record holder. This shows the kind of respect and adulation that spectators and rival teams had for Warne.

Gone too soon, Warney…

A leader without the title, Shane Warne was easily the best leader who never captained Australia. It might have been partly because of his off-field antics but he never shied away from taking up the leadership role and speaking his mind to his captains. His captains speak so high of the inputs and ideas he brought to the table. For him, the title did not matter, winning as a team mattered which brought joy to millions of Australians. Every professional should think about what contribution do they bring to the team and the value they help deliver to the customer/users and not worry much about the title. By doing this, the title and the rewards will find their way to you.

“Part of the art of bowling spin is to make the batsman think something special is happening when it isn’t“

Shane Warne The planner and the executioner…
Courtesy: Cricket Australia. Not indented for copyright infringement.

Planning and Execution go hand in hand. Good planning should be backed up by an equally good execution to get the right results. Warne was good at planning and great at the execution of his trade. This video is a sample of how much he analyzes his opponents and plans his moves. The clarity of thought and the way he went about his execution were phenomenal. As professionals, we plan, create roadmaps but we also need to ensure that the execution and performers are empowered to perform the tasks. Execution should not be tied to the success or failure of the product. It is what you learn from the success or failure and how you build on top of it, which Warne did throughout his career.

Warne’s farewell test

KISS & Repeat – Keeping it simple, straightforward and repeat. Such was his bowling action. I might be right to assume that anyone who started bowling leg-spin mimicked his action. The reason, it was simple, straightforward and repeatable. When your actions adhere to this principle, it is easily understood and allows us to sense how people react to them. When we keep things simple, they tend to be robust, the probability of getting things right is high and there are fewer moving parts. In totality, simplicity leads to high accuracy, increased reliability, and higher productivity.

“Work hard, have fun and make history“

attributed to Jeff Bezos

Hard work was his mantra. Warne worked hard, in fact, he had to work so hard that he had to fight and take most of his wickets on pitches that did not suit spin bowling. Add to that he had to tussle with legends of the game like Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Merv Hughes, Jason Gillespie to name a few. More than 500 wickets on not so helpful conditions required hard and smart work. Warne had fun going about his job. He cherished every moment he played and loved entertaining the crowd. In the process, he ended up making history.

A champion is remembered. A legend is never forgotten. Warne will never be forgotten. Rest in peace Rockstar.

T20 and its after effects

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

“It’s raining sixes and fours at Panchkula – Tony Grieg”. This famous line was uttered by Tony Grieg during the ICL T20 tournament that was held recently. And it’s not true only with the ICL T20 but true for all the T20 tournaments. IPL has so far witnessed a minimum of 750 sixes and more than 1500 fours. This is a stunning figure. Sunil Gavaskar used to tell that his coach would ask him to go around the ground at least twice if hits the ball in the air during nets. But these days most balls are hit only in the air thanks to the shortest form of cricket.

The shots are being invented or rather being manufactured. The life of the bowlers has become even more difficult. T20 is more of a batsmen’s game. Nearly 450 runs were scored in the match between Super Kings and Kings XI in just 40 overs. So the run rate was more than 11 and over. Oops, this is really amazing. Boundary lengths were shortened for making T20 more interesting. But the balls are flying deep into the stands. Sometimes out of the stadium like the one Albie Morkel hit recently. Even the pattis(grandmas), aunties and girls of India have started sacrificing their MEGA serials for the sake of great action. This has put T20 above the test and ODI formats of the game in terms of viewership. And the support for T20 keeps increasing day by day. A chip over a short fine leg or a slog over mid-wicket draws a huge cheer than the one for the old-fashioned shots.

Will test cricket lose its charm because of this T20?? Will Hard Hitting be the mantra of cricket in future?? Will shots of players like Dravid, Sachin, Kallis, and Waugh which have been classical all life be remembered??

IPL 2 – A Talent Hunt

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

“IPL has changed the way the Indians play their cricket. It has created a winning attitude in them” – Andrew Flintoff

Yeah, it has certainly done the things that Freddie and many others say. It unleashed so many talents in India and also all around the world like Raina(Comeback platform), Y. Pathan, R. Jadeja(fielder par excellence), Team spirit ( Rajasthan Royals), Gony(overcame all personal problems), Shaun Marsh (find of the season) etc… I have named just a few. The main thing the IPL succeeded in was bringing crowds in larger nos. to the stadium which included ladies (can’t see many in test matches and ODIs). India all of a sudden became a strong team in ODIs. We had great bench strength which according to me is the greatest positive out of IPL 1. India has a reasonable backup for every player now. The crowd’s reaction was awesome. I am proud to be a part of the CSK fan base, a fan base that has been appreciated by players from all the teams for their support for quality cricket. (remember the reaction of the Chennai crowd after Pakistan’s victory in 1999).

So what can we expect out of IPL 2 as it has moved out of India??? It’s a simple small question which has many mind-blowing beautiful answers. I would like to focus on the thing which according to me is the biggest positive that will come out of IPL 2. The thing that I am talking about is adaptability. Yes IPL 2 is bound to act as a talent hunt according to me. What will happen to the Indian team once Sachin, Dravid and Laxman hang up their boots? India will be in need of players who can adapt quickly to foreign conditions. It is the biggest question right in front of us and this IPl is a good opportunity for us to test it. As IPL is organised in a short duration people need to adapt very quickly. this can be used as a test for certain players to prove their worth in bouncy pace tracks of SA(they seemed to be slow in the SA-AUS series though). Though I would miss the live action of IPL. I will still pray and support CSk or MI to win the IPL. Hope India finds more suitable, Stable and reliable talents this time also…..

There is also so much money involved… I am waiting to see any person who has slept in platforms to attend cricket trials (Kamran Khan)…. could he be the next millionaire?? Jai Ho……

Kapil’s Devils

Posted on by Karthic Vaidyanathan

As an Indian Cricket fan, I dedicate this blog to the Men who made Indians a great force in World cricket and stunned everyone. 25 years ago on this day 25th June, out of the blue India suddenly became a huge force to reckon with in world cricket. This World cup was a morale-boosting one for the nation. The Indian team was the underdog in the tournament. Not many would have expected them to even win 3 out of its 6 league matches let alone the world cup given they had won only one match against the lowly ranked East Africa back in 1975. The team did not win a single match in the 79 World Cup. The team consisted of a few all-rounders (Kapil, Madan Lal, Amarnath, Binny), a technically sound opener in the form of Gavaskar, and 2 dashers in the form of Patil and Shrikkanth. None of them were great heroes in the ODI arena then. They played according to the mantra ” Where there is a will there’s a way”. Kapil always insisted the team on fighting hard for success, which they achieved at last.

Heroes

It all started with the morale-boosting victory over the two-time defending champions West Indies on 9th June 1983 at Old Trafford. But India was then defeated by West Indies and Australians convincingly in the league phase(but India got a sweet revenge over the latter in the other league game). Then came the day that the whole Indian squad witnessed what’s called the “BEST INNINGS FROM AN INDIAN”. India’s team was struggling at 17/5 and then came an inning which can be termed as the perfect example of CAPTAIN’S KNOCK played by Kapil Dev, the chief architect of India’s victory. He scored a smashing unbeaten 175(Due to a BBC camera crew strike this epic knock had no video coverage sadly) and increased the confidence in the Indian camp with the help from the likes of Yashpal Sharma, Sandeep Patil, Jimmy Amarnath and others India went into the finals.

Old Trafford June 22: England won the toss and batted first.  the  Indian bowling England to score 213 (all out, 60 overs). Fowler (33 from 59 balls, 3 fours) top scored, and Kapil took 3 for 35 in eleven overs, with Jimmy and Binny taking two wickets each. In reply,  Yashpal (61 from 115 balls, 3 fours, 2 sixes) and Patil (51 from 32 balls, 8 fours) made half-centuries, as India reached their target in 54.4 overs, winning by 6 wickets in an upset victory over the Englishmen. Jimmy (46 from 92 balls, 4 fours, 1 six) picked up the man-of-the-match award for his all-round performance, which saw him add 46 runs to his earlier bowling success (2/27 in 12 overs).

The final was played in the mecca of cricket The LORDS on June 25th. Roberts, Marshall, garner and Holding ripped through the Indian lineup. The Indians were bowled out for a low score of 183 and Shrikkanth scoring the highest individual score of 38 for the match. This total is nothing considering the batting power of the Mighty West Indians. But the agenda was take the fight to the opponent for the Indians and no one forget the ball that got rid of Greenidge. What a snotter to start the defense. He left the ball expecting it to move away like the previous 3 balls but it swung in and took the bails. The great West Indian Viv Richards started to flourish with an array of powerful strikes. It took a stunning catch from the Indian captain to get rid of the great man and the man of the match Jimmy(in both semis and final) polished off the tail and the rest is history. However, the Indian bowling exploited the weather and pitch conditions perfectly to bowl out the best batting lineup of the era for 140 from 52 overs in return, winning by 43 runs and completing one of the most stunning upsets in cricket history, defeating the previously invincible West Indies.The joy and the celebration in the camp were great.

The proud captain lifted the trophy with great joy and pride. In two years’ time, India went on to win the world championship of cricket under Sunil Gavaskar. Let this inspire India to win more World cups.