I Have A Few Questions
The air in Bengaluru was rarified last night as it offered no resistance to the cricket ball which flew in all directions. I was dumbfounded beyond measure and so was the crowd. Was this the cricket I had played. Was it the same sport with a bat in hand and a ball to throw. Was it the same sport where hitting in the air was not game. Was it the same sport where sixes were few and far between. Was it the same sport where bowlers were not easy meat. Was it the same sport where patience was a virtue. Was it the same sport where players were cricket fit and not beefy musculars. Was it the same sport where calm was practised rather than mayhem.
Busy Record-Keepers
There were a horde of such questions in my mind as I witnessed an amazing batting performance first from a brilliant Sunrisers Hyderabad and then by a defiant Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Though RCB fell short, the record books were forced to be rewritten and the way the sport is progressing it won’t be long that a new record is created shortly. The last one created lasted just a few days. The record-keepers surely are in for a busy season.
A Rampaging SRH
SRH killed their own feat of 277 runs in 20 overs just a few days ago, by amassing a mammoth 287 runs on the back of a scintillating ton from Travis Head, the Maverick Australian southpaw and a pulsating half century from the soon to be white ball legend, South African Heinrich Klassen. RCB did their best and fought valiantly with help of a sublime innings from Dinesh Karthik, only to fall short by 25 runs. RCB losing their 6th game in 7 matches, virtually done for the rest of the tournament.
My Answers Are Coming
This post however is not about the astonishing statistics of the match but about the answers to the queries I have raised. What has changed so alarmingly in the sport that it is pushing the limits of cricket that one had never imagined, is an interesting subject to dwell upon. The answers lie in both the physical and mental aspects of the game.
The Physical Preparation
Physical preparation these days is about building strength through a calibrated training schedule, overseen by experts round the year. The power behind the shots we see is a direct fallout of the rigourous training sessions players go through in building a strong core, strong forearms and a tough upper and lower body. The training in the nets too is not all about getting technically sound and correct, but it is more about shot making. How to dispatch good length balls to the stands, let alone the half volleys and the low full tosses.
The New Skills
Focus is also on innovation and developing new shots, angles, stance, however crazy it may look. Gone are the days when batters took time to settle in, gauge the bounce in the wicket and get used to the sight of the ball. Today, right from ball one, players are able to dispatch bowlers to the cleaners. There are no sighters required.
The Clarity of Mind
The mental aspect has played a major role too. The fear of failure is being completely washed away by psychologists and mental coaches in the team. The batsman is more belligerent, fearless and audacious to say the least. The reputation of the bowler hardly bothers him. The surroundings, the crowd and the pitch too, just don’t seem to fluster the batter one bit, as if he is fed by a programme, which takes over the moment he arrives on the crease. They look to play the ball more in the air and back themselves of clearing any ground in the world. The self belief is simply unflinching. The pumping adrenaline and the robust heart is no longer prepared to pause and take a step back.
Bowlers Developing Their Own Arsenal
The poor Bowlers, though are having a harrowing time, are not sitting and cooling their heels either. They too are working hard and trying to find ways and means to unsettle this modern batter. The bowlers have added several variations to their arsenal and on their day, with the help of a slightly friendlier pitch, have turned the tables on the fiesty power hitters. The bowlers like batters are working hard both on the mental and physical aspect of the game to bring a sense of balance in the sport which in no uncertain terms has tilted in favour of the batters.
The days ahead are going to be interesting and I am sure we all would be keenly watching how the journey of this not so gentle sport, unfolds.
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