Published: Oct 12, 2011, 01:09 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 15, 2014, 05:11 PM (IST)
By Rohan Kallicharan
It pains to admit that there was a glaring absence in my daily routine. For one that has long argued, and continues to, that there is too much T20 cricket in the schedule. I missed the Nokia T20 Champions League on Sunday night; in short, the teams involved ‘dialled up’ an absorbing and highly-entertaining tournament.
Gone were the increasingly-annoying gimmicks and ridiculous sponsorships of the IPL; there were no strategic time-outs named after a guy called Max, catches were catches even if some were ‘kamaal’, and a six … well it was a 6! Equally, Danny Morrison did not have cardiac surgeons on constant alert waiting for him to collapse either through heart failure or lack of breath, and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan was taking a well-deserved break … probably at the expense of Karbonn, DLF and Citi. Did I omit Mike Haysman? If so, it was on purpose, as the editor would not approve of bad language!
Instead, the excellent cricketing brains of Ian Bishop, Ian Chappell, Sunil Gavaskar, and even KumarSangakkara were given the opportunity to display their knowledge calmly and rationally, whilst Ravi Shastri, somewhat subdued by his standards, and Harsha Bhogle were always ready to add a bit of colour and branding as necessary.
For viewers, it was a rare opportunity for the cricket to do the speaking, as should always be the case. Whilst I have been slightly mischievous in my thoughts on the IPL and its commentary team, it is a serious point that I am trying to make. I abhor the over commercialism that is the IPL, and the fact that it so impacts on the ability to enjoy the spectacle from a cricketing perspective.
When I turn on the television, like any viewer I am looking for the expert insight of the commentary team, not a display in which they are spending so much time either looking for the opportunity, or ensuring that they don’t forget, to mention the sponsors, they fail to actually recognise what is being played out on the field. Essentially, I am watching the cricket because I want to see the world’s best in action, and not because I want a constant diatribe of sponsorship messages which I will ignore anyway. Far from being a sponge which will absorb it, I simply turn off to it.
Given the distinct impression that the broadcasters have been focused on the cricket over the last three weeks, I have been able to do likewise, and the players have delivered, from the preliminary stages through to two thrilling semi-finals, and a fabulous fielding effort by the Mumbai Indians to overturn Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Sunday’s final.
As a West Indian, I watched the progress of Trinidad and Tobago with great interest, and whilst they were unable to repeat their heroics of 2009 when they reached the final, they performed very creditably, this without their two biggest stars, Messrs Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, who were unable to play for their home side due to contractual rules obliging them to play for their IPL sides. That is a debate for another time.
Ravi Rampaul, his last-over meltdown against New South Wales withstanding, put in several high-calibre performances, confirming his transition from no-ball specialist and liability to penetrative and controlled seamer. Sunil Narine was one of the finds of the tournament, and whilst the West Indiescontinue to look in vain for a pace attack, which is even the merest of shadows to what has gone before, they may eventually end up with a highly effective spin duo of Narine and Devendra Bishoo.
From an Indian perspective, there will perhaps be some disappointment at a time when Indian cricket is crying out for new heroes, that Virat Kohli was the only Indian amongst the top 24 run scorers in the tournament. The bowling statistics are similarly worrying, although Harbhajan Singh showed glimpses of a return to form, and Abu Nechim was impressive in his control in pressured situations.
Given that a minimum of 21 Indians had to play in the tournament, it is quite sobering for their supporters as they look ahead to a packed winter schedule. With the odd exception, the likes of MS Dhoni, Gautham Gambhir and Suresh Raina looked exactly what they are; talented but exhausted cricketers bereft of confidence after the England series and desperately in need of a rest before taking on the West Indies and a crucial tour to Australia.
The stars of the tournament were largely those that one might have predicted beforehand. Chris Gayle, as so often, thrilled, but failed to deliver when it mattered most in the final. Tillakaratne Dilshan, replacing the injured AB de Villiers was impudent and inventive, and Jacques Kallis was Jacques Kallis … consistently excellent with bat and ball, but unable to inspire a place in the final. South African readers might identify with that.
Several young players impressed, but unfortunately for home supporters, many of those were from the overseas teams, the Australian contingent from New South Wales, David Warner in particular, and South Australia in particular putting in some impressive batting performances, only to encounter Gayle, Kohli and Dilshan on two magical nights in Bengaluru. Arun Karthik provided a rare Indian bright spot with that unbelievable last-ball six to defeat the Redbacks.
Not for a minute am I trying to belittle or overly criticise Indian cricket. They are the ODI World Champions, have consistently been competitive in T20 Cricket, and were justifiably ranked as the No 1 team in Test match cricket until the disastrous events of the summer. However, the ridiculous schedule placed upon them by the BCCI has left several senior players nursing injuries or running on empty. Selection policy has not allowed some of the younger players to develop in the way that they should have. Just as any commercial organisation needs to factor in succession planning, so do great sporting sides, and this has to be a massive area of concern to Indian supporters at this particular point in time.
Champions League finished, there is a ‘massive gap’ of four days in the schedule before battle commences with England gets under way on Friday with the ODIs.
Fortunately, when those ODIs commence, a catch will still be a catch and a six a six. We can only hope that it serves up similar entertainment to that provided by the Champions League.
(Rohan Kallicharan, son of the legendary batsman Alvin Kallicharan, is a West Indian cricket enthusiast based in the UK who played at under-19 level. He is now a Recruitment Professional who writes about the game in his free time. He is a columnist for All Out Cricket Magazine. He also has own sports bloghetoreahamstring.co.uk)
