New Delhi: India’s T20 cricket prowess is now the envy of the world, especially with the changing landscape of the tournament being determined by the IPL.However, India’s back-to-back T20 World Cup victories have been built on the template generated by the IPL, namely high scores on batting-friendly pitches. However, this season’s Indian Cricket League has sounded the alarm that could sound a wake-up call against this approach.Monday’s match between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Ferozeshah Kotla in particular highlighted how batsmen can be timid in surrendering even when conditions are slightly bowler-friendly, and Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar On a bowling mission.DC fell to 8/6 in 3.5 overs and ended the Powerplay with the lowest score of 13/6 in the IPL. Somehow, their total limped to 75.Seeing the ball dominate the bat almost goes against the core marketing ethos of the format, but there have been games this season in Lucknow and Chennai that have made batsmen uncomfortable.Reaching 160 runs has become a tough task in Lucknow and the Chennai Super Kings batsmen were shackled by the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder in Chennai on Sunday.The surface involved is not a minefield. They are regular surfaces enough for a bowler to expose technical flaws in a batsman.India has played most of its white-ball cricket matches in the subcontinent in the past two years. The team will now set off for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa and the next T20 World Cup in 2028 in Australia and New Zealand.It is crucial that the wise men responsible for planning Indian cricket are not swayed solely by performances in high-scoring matches. The challenging conditions faced by Indian batsmen are still rare in T20 cricket, but they are an unpleasant sign.“It’s important not to get discouraged by these low-scoring games. The Curator must not feel pressured if his surface is producing low-scoring games from time to time. The selectors will observe how the batsmen adapt to the challenging conditions. Look at Virat Kohli, how well he bats in similar conditions. I believe voters will take note of this as they plan for the future,” said former state elector Dewan Gandhi.Admittedly, this is a worrying trend. India’s recent performances on Australia’s spicy pitches and India’s turning circuits are well-documented. These matches are more than just banana peels. They are likely to become the norm when the Indian team hits the road in the next two years.Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel put on a brave face after Monday’s humiliation and said: “The team does conduct training camps throughout the year. For the young undrafted players, it is a personal choice to decide that they want to train more. But I think, one should focus on technique and batting fundamentals. If you don’t have a strong foundation, you can’t sustain the power batting.”Ever since the IPL became a 10-team tournament, teams have downplayed their bowling attack. There are fewer active, established international bowlers and more inexperienced Indian bowlers. “This has to be taken into account when judging a batsman’s season. GT, RR, LSG and RCB look to have a relatively effective attack. How the batsmen react to these bowlers is key as you won’t get 250-odd favorable T20 bowling in SENA countries. The plan has to be for the ODI World Cup in South Africa,” said Deep Dasgupta, former India wicketkeeper and broadcaster.
