Team faces questions around captaincy and fast-bowling combination ahead of IPL 2021

Sruthi Ravindranath02-Nov-20203:37

Aakash Chopra: Rajasthan Royals’ bowling attack didn’t have enough

Where did they finish?
They finished last, with six wins in 14 games and a net run rate of -0.569.What went right?
Jofra Archer’s brilliance with the ball – and at times with the bat – throughout the tournament, along with some outstanding individual performances from a few batsmen and spinners.An in-form Sanju Samson got their campaign off to a rollicking start with two big wins. Rahul Tewatia came along and produced the innings to remember from IPL 2020. They were on the top of the table one week into the tournament, and there were questions about whether they were missing Ben Stokes at all.However, their campaign derailed a bit from there, with four consecutive losses, before reviving with a superb chase led by the young Riyan Parag against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Later, there was a masterclass from Stokes against the Mumbai Indians in a tall chase. He played another match-winning innings against the Kings XI in their penultimate fixture.Royals have been a side known for promoting young Indian talent, and there was some of that time around too. Kartik Tyagi – whom they picked in the last auction – and Parag provided a glimpse of a bright futures.What went wrong?For one, they never got their batting order right. The inconsistency in their performances, to a significant degree, could be down to the constant chopping and changing. They never quite settled on an opening combination until the very end, trying five different combinations at the top.A few questionable captaincy decisions also hurt them at crucial moments in a few matches – for instance, bowling Jaydev Unadkat instead of Archer in the penultimate over against the Royal Challengers when the Royals had 35 to defend, and not giving Archer another over in the powerplay against the Delhi Capitals when he had picked up two early wickets. Steven Smith had a dull season with the bat, to boot, so having him as captain meant the other overseas options such as Tom Curran, David Miller and Oshane Thomas got few or no chances at all, especially after Stokes’ arrival.Key numbers Archer finished with 20 wickets in the tournament while the other seven fast bowlers in the side tallied just 21 Tewatia finished the league stage as the only Indian player to score over 200 runs and get 10 wickets in IPL 2020 Star performersNeed early wickets? Want to rattle a set, experienced batsman? Want to keep the opposition quiet in the death overs? Call Jofra.Fast bowlers, in general, had a great tournament, but Archer was on a different level. He carried the team’s bowling load single-handedly, impressing in the powerplay and at the death alike. He bowled regularly in excess of 145kph, used the bouncer to full effect and nailed the yorkers consistently. He conceded just 4.34 runs per over in the powerplay – the best in the period this season; in fact, he has the best economy rate (5.35) for a fast bowler in this phase in the IPL overall (minimum 100 balls bowled).Tewatia was a revelation for the Royals this season. The superb comeback he staged in the match against Kings XI made oppositions wary of him in the games to follow. Still, he was the complete all-round package for the Royals – he was explosive with the bat and also had good returns with his legspin on a few occasions. He racked up 255 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 139 and finished with 10 wickets. After the Royals crashed out with a loss to the Kolkata Knight Riders, Smith conceded that there was not enough support for Archer and Tewatia, especially from the top-order batsmen.What needs immediate fixing?A change in captaincy – albeit unlikely – could possibly help them. If the mega auction does happen before the next season, they can look to rope in an Indian captain. They have one of the best overseas units in the tournament so having an Indian captain could help rotate and utilise their overseas options more effectively.They are also in need of an experienced Indian or an overseas fast bowler to bowl alongside Archer, especially at the death. Tyagi, although quite impressive at times, is a tad too inexperienced to share the load, while the likes of Unadkat, Ankit Rajpoot and Varun Aaron were expensive.

KKR played out 72 dots in all, which is the second-most in an IPL innings

Bharath Seervi21-Oct-20202 – Mohammed Siraj became the first bowler to bowl two maiden overs in an IPL match. He bowled his first two overs without conceding a run and picked up three wickets – Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, and Tom Banton – in that period.4 – Four maidens were bowled by the RCB bowlers – two by Siraj and one each by Chris Morris and Washington Sundar – a first in IPL history. Not more than two maidens were bowled in the same innings before this.72 – The number of dot balls played out by the KKR batsmen in this innings, which is the second-most in an IPL innings. The highest is 75 dots, also by KKR against CSK in Chennai last year. The previous most dots by a team in a game this year was also KKR – 57 dots against the Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi.ESPNcricinfo Ltd84 – KKR’s total is the lowest non-all-out total for a team batting first in the IPL. The previous lowest in a full 20-over innings was the Mumbai Indians’ 94 for 8 against the Rajasthan Royals in 2011.3-8 – Siraj’s figures in this innings – the most economical figures of IPL 2020 (minimum 12 balls in the spell). Incidentally, before this match, Siraj’s IPL career economy rate was 9.29, the worst among 92 bowlers who had delivered 100-plus overs.2 – Runs scored by KKR’s top-three batsmen, which is the joint second-lowest for a team in the IPL. The lowest is three ducks by the Deccan Charges’ top-three against CSK in 2009.4 – Wickets picked up by RCB in the first four overs of the innings. Only once before had they achieved this – against the Mumbai Indians in 2017.

Allrounder hits the ground running in first first-class innings since Pakistan Test six months ago

Andrew Miller06-Feb-2021For a few glorious overs, either side of an acceptable time to be waking up on a weekend in the UK, the 2019 BBC Sports Personality of the Year was just threatening to go loco once again; and give all of those disenfranchised voters of his, a rare chance to see him in full flow once more, back on the same rival terrestrial TV channel where so many of them would have witnessed his heroics in the World Cup final at Lord’s. Alas, it wasn’t to be in the long term, and by approximately 7.20am GMT, Ben Stokes had holed out to a juggling Cheteshwar Pujara at deep midwicket during the first Test against India in Chennai, causing a wave of the sort of early-morning disappointment more usually associated with the realisation that you’ve forgotten to buy any milk.While it lasted, however, Stokes’ 82 from 118 balls was invaluable and calculated – a formidable display of mind over matter from a cricketer, lest we forget, who had not played a first-class innings in exactly six months since been granted compassionate leave during the Pakistan series in August, and whose absence from the Sri Lanka tour meant that he had been permitted just five days of post-quarantine acclimatisation for Chennai’s heat and humidity.”I bowled, batted and did a lot of running,” Stokes said of his unconventional preparation back in England. “That was pretty much it. Physically, it was making sure I was ready for the Test match, with workload in my body when it comes to the overs. And to be honest, having been around [for] a while and understanding what was best for my game from a batting point of view, I just made sure that I didn’t overkill too much. If I felt good and felt like everything was going alright, then I’d just come out of the nets.”Related

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When compared to the exhaustive sang froid of Joe Root at the other end, there’d be a temptation to wonder why Stokes felt the need to get so rowdy so soon, particularly in light of Root’s bold assertion at the close of the first day, that England needed “600-700″ to be competitive in this first innings. Sure enough, they did manage to bat into the third day of a first innings for the first time since Graham Thorpe made a century containing a solitary boundary in Lahore in 2000-01, but they still seem destined to end up on the marginally shallower side of that ambition.And yet, there is a proven method in Stokes’ madness these days – not least against spin, for which his aggression has its foundations in a defence every bit as rock-solid as Root’s. The confidence of his stride to the pitch of the ball may contrast with Root’s predominantly back-foot approach, but there are few bats in world cricket that look broader at the point of impact than his.Ben Stokes took on the sweep shot when the ball started misbehaving out of the rough•BCCIBut unlike Root, whose game is built around release shots – predominantly on the sweep – Stokes’ defence has a violent element of attack factored into it. That’s not to say it’s infallible, and for the first hour today – one pick-up for six aside – he was kept broadly in check by his most familiar Test nemesis R Ashwin, who has dismissed him seven times in nine previous encounters, more than any other bowler. He had two other key moments again today, a flick off the glove that landed safe on the off side, and a fierce return catch as he drilled hard back through the line.However, Stokes’ confidence in his base does mitigate those moments when he decides to put the hammer down – such as in a thrilling second hour, when the left-armer Shabhaz Nadeem dragged his line wider outside off, and started spitting some vicious lifters out of the crumbling footholes. It was the earliest evidence of Root’s assertion that this pitch would break up over time, but it also meant that for the left-hander, conventional entrenchment was suddenly fraught with danger.Stokes’ response seemed skittish at first, but it was replete with game-craft – not least his innate understanding with Root at the other end. A brace of boundaries in the morning session was the sum of the captain’s intent, as he focussed on working the singles and letting his team-mate drive the agenda.”Things didn’t really change for me until those couple of balls in an over spat out of the rough at me,” Stokes said. “And so I took a decision that, ‘Right, I’m going to put the pressure back onto him as a bowler with balls that have done that’. I had to decide I’d rather get caught at deep square in the way that I did, as opposed to going back into my shell and being a bit defensive and spooning one up to short leg. I thought I might try and take a few runs with me before not the inevitable happened, but before I got out.”And Stokes did so with burgeoning confidence. Out came his sweeps – a very different beast to the surgical instrument that has carried Root to 644 runs in three Tests this year. A flog clean out of the rough against Nadeem, high over deep midwicket; a rifled reverse sweep for four one over later and another next ball to rush through to his half-century.Ben Stokes’ 82 from 118 balls was invaluable and calculated – a formidable display of mind over matter•BCCIWashington Sundar was treated with little more respect when he entered the fray, as Stokes rattled along to 63 not out at lunch, more than two-thirds of England’s runs in a wicketless morning session. He might have been tempted to wind it back thereafter, but with Root at that stage looking as entrenched as any England cricketer in history – and no doubt grateful for someone else to borrow the limelight after more than 1500 minutes of batting this year already – the opportunity to drill home the advantage was too good to turn down.Such are the reasons why Stokes is revered by his peers as the ultimate team man. He will play any given situation with the requisite tenacity, whether that means clinging on for dear life for sessions at a time, flogging quick runs in pursuit of a declaration or something in between, as was the case today – a calculated upping of the pressure from a position of obvious dominance.And by the end of his first red-ball innings since the opening Test against Pakistan in August, Stokes’ first thoughts were not for any missed milestones, but for the net effect his efforts had had on England’s victory hopes.”I’m obviously happy after a couple months away, it’s always nice coming back in and spending some time in the middle,” he said. “But the most pleasing thing that we’ve started the tour off really well and I don’t think we could really have asked for anything better. Win the toss, bat first and we’re still batting on day three, so we’re really pleased.”

A look at the form in the first half and the challenges ahead for the top four teams on the points table

Gaurav Sundararaman15-Sep-2021The IPL resumes on September 19 with its El Clasico, Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians. A lot has happened since it came to an abrupt halt in early May after the growing number of Covid-19 cases in the tournament bubble. Players have pulled out due to fatigue, workload management and injuries. Not only will there be some new faces, but the remaining 31 matches will also be played at different venues – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah – as opposed to the first half of the IPL, which was played at four venues in India.The second half of the IPL is vastly significant not just for the franchises but also the players and the various international teams as the men’s T20 World Cup will be played in the UAE and Oman from October 17. ESPNcricinfo runs a comb through the eight teams identifying not just the strengths but also the areas they need to work on.Related

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• IPL 2021: Rishabh Pant to continue as Delhi Capitals captain

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Delhi Capitals

Squad changes from first phase
In: Shreyas Iyer, Ben Dwarshuis, Kulwant Khejroliya
Out: Aniruddha Joshi, Chris Woakes, M Siddharth
Strengths
A strong start in the first half has ensured Delhi Capitals are now favourites to make the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Two further victories will assure them of that prize. Despite the absence of regular captain Shreyas Iyer (who is back having recovered from shoulder surgery), Capitals’ batting did not suffer with the opening pair of Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan adding 512 runs at a run rate of 9.25 and a handsome average of 64. It was in the powerplay phase where Capitals sealed the deal in most games. They also displayed adaptability in terms of conditions by winning in Chennai, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. They boasted the best performing spin attack in the competition during the first phase.2020 UAE strategy
Their bowling was their strength last time around. Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada were crucial to their success as was the variety provided by spin twins Axar Patel and R Ashwin.Challenges for 2021
While Avesh Khan emerged as a match-winner during the first phase, the rest of the Capitals fast men struggled. They took just nine wickets at an economy of 11.17, which was the second-worst among all teams. Avesh’s success meant Capitals could afford to leave out Nortje but expect him to be back in the UAE. The other issue will be picking between Steven Smith and Shimron Hetmyer for the middle order, which will be reinforced by Iyer’s return. Last year in the UAE, both Shaw and Rishabh Pant, who will continue as captain*, had struggled. How they fare this time could decide whether Capitals win a maiden IPL title.Potential XI: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Steven Smith/Shimron Hetmyer, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Avesh Khan

Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians will kick off the second phase•BCCISquad changes from first phase
In: Josh Hazlewood
Out: Jason BehrendorffStrengths
If not for a Kieron Pollard blinder in Delhi, Chennai Super Kings would have been sitting on top of the table with six wins from seven matches. Having finished in the bottom half in 2020, MS Dhoni’s team surprised everyone by shedding their usual conservative approach to batting. With an unmatched depth – Deepak Chahar slots in at No. 11 – Super Kings scored at a rate of 9.47 between overs 7 to 16. A lot of credit goes to the opening pair of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis who set strong foundations upon which the likes of Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja could build big totals. On the bowling front, Chahar and the spinners were the key playmakers.2020 UAE strategy
The UAE was not a happy hunting ground for Super Kings last season. Injuries, absentees and lack of practice meant they peaked too late. Hardly any of their moves worked because virtually everyone was out of form. This time around they have been practising for over a month and would look to keep faith in what has worked in IPL 2021 rather than going back to what worked in previous seasons.Challenges for 2021
The form of their fast bowlers – Lungi Ngidi, Josh Hazlewood, Shardul Thakur and Dwayne Bravo – will be crucial for the multiple-time champions to extend their good start. There will be pressure on Suresh Raina too, who has managed 123 runs in six innings at an average of 24 with a solitary half-century. If Raina can perk up the middle order with some impactful cameos, it will ease the burden on the finishers.Potential XI: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Ambati Rayudu, 6 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Dwayne Bravo/Josh Hazlewood/Imran Tahir

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Will Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore make it to their second straight playoffs?•BCCI/IPLSquad changes from first phase
In: Tim David, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, George Garton, Akash Deep
Out: Finn Allen, Adam Zampa, Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson, Washington SundarStrengths
Contributions from Harshal Patel, Glenn Maxwell and Devdutt Padikkal showed that Royal Challengers Bangalore were no more dependent on just Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. The franchise has also got some attractive replacements who have the potential to be X-factor players.2020 UAE strategy
That revolved around Yuzvendra Chahal and Chris Morris, both of whom played a key role in the last IPL. Chahal will be hurting after failing to make the World Cup squad, but he remains the lead spinner for Royal Challengers and his form could once again be a key factor.Challenges for 2021
Can Royal Challengers qualify for the playoffs as they did last year? Perhaps, if they find the right balance in the absence of Washington Sundar, who is recovering from a finger injury picked up at the outset of the Test series in England. For a like-for-like replacement, they might have to look at their overseas contingent, which will force at least one more change. Also, in case Harshal’s cutters fail on the faster UAE pitches, the team will need to find the right bowling combination without losing momentum.Potential XI: 1 Devdutt Padikkal, 2 Virat Kohli (capt), 3 Rajat Patidar, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 Shahbaz Ahmed, 7 Kyle Jamieson, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Mumbai Indians

And which batter has the highest Test score away from home?

Steven Lynch17-Aug-2021Joe Root twice survived hat-trick balls during his unbeaten 180 in the Lord’s Test. Has anyone else managed this? asked James Hampshire from England
Joe Root entered on a hat-trick in the second Test against India at Lord’s, after Mohammed Siraj dismissed Dom Sibley and Haseeb Hameed with successive balls in the 15th over of England’s first innings, and later faced up to Ishant Sharma’s next ball after he’d removed Moeen Ali and Sam Curran in his previous over (the 111th).The only other man known to have to faced two hat-trick balls in the same Test innings is Mohammad Ashraful, during Bangladesh’s match against India in Dhaka in 2004, when he thwarted Irfan Pathan on two separate occasions during a defiant 60 not out.In Bridgetown earlier in 2004, Brian Lara did something very similar. In the 17th over of West Indies’ second innings against England, he survived a hat-trick ball from Andrew Flintoff, although the wickets had actually fallen in the first innings. Not long afterwards Matthew Hoggard really did take a hat-trick, with the last three balls of the 21st over. Lara faced his next delivery – the first one of the 23rd – and prevented Hoggard taking four wickets in four balls, which some people call a double hat-trick. (Thanks to Charles Davis for his help with this one.)Was India’s tail in the Lord’s Test, with the four fast bowlers at Nos. 8-11, the worst in Test history? asked Ivan Sowry from New Zealand
This is very difficult to work out, as there are some Test sides – notably in a country’s early matches – where Nos. 8-11 have very few runs. India’s late order at Lord’s did look pretty flimsy on paper, with Mohammed Shami (Test average 11) at No. 8 in the first innings – although it must be said that Shami and the others made a nonsense of this in the second. But I also remember an England team, against New Zealand at The Oval in 1999, which had the worst tail anyone could remember – Andy Caddick (final Test average 10.37) at No. 8, followed by genuine No. 11s Alan Mullally (5.52), Phil Tufnell (5.09) and Ed Giddins (2.50).Shiva Jayaraman, one of the hard-pressed ESPNcricinfo stats team, crunched a few numbers for recent first-class cricket, although he did warn that lack of detailed data for first-class matches meant he couldn’t go back very far. But he did manage to come up with a statistically worse last four than India’s at Lord’s. Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj had 2476 first-class runs between them before the game, at an average of 9.30: Pakistan’s last four in their Test against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi in December 2019 – Usman Shinwari, Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah – had previously amassed 1043 first-class runs at an average of just 8.34.Some earlier games might well beat this: for example, none of South Africa’s team in their inaugural Test, against England in Port Elizabeth in 1888-89, had ever played a first-class match before.Don Bradman scored 6996 runs in Tests and was run out only once. But which player scored the most Test runs without ever being run out? asked Jamie Stewart from Australia
The man who made the most runs in Tests without ever being caught short of his crease is the great Indian allrounder Kapil Dev, with 5248: he was never run out in 184 Test innings, another record. Next comes the former England captain Peter May, who was never run out while compiling 4537 runs in Tests. The current South African opener Dean Elgar is not far behind – he’s so far made 4347 runs without being run out.You’re right that Don Bradman was run out only once in his 80 Test innings – against England in Adelaide in 1928-29, beaten by a return to the wicketkeeper from the covers. The fielder was 46-year-old Jack Hobbs. Two batters have scored more Test runs than Bradman while being run out only once: Alastair Cook made 12,472 in 291 innings, and Chris Gayle 7215 in 182.Hanif Mohammad’s 337 against West Indies in Bridgetown remains the highest Test score by a batter away•PA Photos Which batter has the highest score away from home – I know Sachin Tendulkar made his highest score in Bangladesh? asked Venkata Praveen Puvadi from the United States
The highest score of Sachin Tendulkar’s illustrious Test career was 248 not out, against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2004-05. But there are a number of higher scores by batters in away Tests: biggest of all was Hanif Mohammad’s epic 337, in more than 16 hours, for Pakistan against West Indies in Bridgetown in 1957-58.Don Bradman made two triple-centuries away from home, both at Headingley – 334 in 1930, and 304 in 1934. Eight other batters have completed Test triple-centuries outside their own country.This excludes performances in Tests at neutral venues, mainly Pakistan’s matches in the UAE. Azhar Ali made 302 not out in a day-night match against West Indies in Dubai in 2016-17, while AB de Villiers hit an unbeaten 278 for South Africa vs Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in 2010-11.Is it true that Lord’s has hosted more Tests than any other ground in the world? And which grounds hold the corresponding records for one-day and Twenty20 internationals? asked Sunit Kumar from Sri Lanka
The just concluded match between England and India was the 141st Test to be played at Lord’s since the first one there in 1884. That is indeed the record: three other grounds have staged more than 100. The Melbourne Cricket Ground has so far held 113 Tests, Sydney 109, and The Oval 102.Lord’s is, however, well down the list when it comes to one-day internationals: there have been 67, fewer than 13 other grounds worldwide, including The Oval (74). Right at the top of the list is the Sharjah CA Stadium, which has staged no fewer than 240 ODIs. Sydney comes next with 159, then Harare with 154 and Melbourne 149.The UAE also leads the way when it comes to T20Is, although this time it’s the Dubai International Stadium that is top, having staged 62. Next come Mirpur with 49 and Abu Dhabi with 48.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Covid-19 was bad enough, but mixed messages and indifference on the part of the BCCI have made matters worse

Shashank Kishore07-Jul-2021Until February 2021, Chetan Sakariya was known mainly for his performances in domestic cricket with Saurashtra. Before that, Sakariya, the sole breadwinner in his family, juggled between helping his uncle run his stationery business and trying to make a name for himself as a cricketer. He made his first-class debut in 2018. In March 2020, he was part of the Ranji Trophy-winning Saurashtra team. Sakariya’s share of the prize money was “big” but it paled in comparison to his INR 1.2 crore IPL deal with the Rajasthan Royals in 2021. Sakariya has now been picked in India’s limited-overs team for the Sri Lanka series.”People are saying stop IPL [because of the pandemic]. But it has helped families like ours,” Sakariya told ESPNcricinfo recently. “My father [who died in May this year] was down with poor health. Had this tournament not happened, I couldn’t have afforded treatment for him. Now, I can think of my sister’s education. Or building a house for the family in Rajkot.”Related

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Sudip Gharami, the Bengal batter and Sakariya’s opponent in the Ranji final last year, has been in lockdown for a better part of the last 15 months in the absence of top-flight cricket.Like Sakariya, Gharami comes from a family with modest means. As a kid, he used to play with a bat his father had fashioned from processed wood. The money he earned from the Under-23s for Bengal was just about enough to build a small house for his family in Naihati, around 50 kilometres from Kolkata. He admits to worrying about finances but is even more hassled about the lull in his still-nascent career.”It has been difficult for everyone, but some of us, who don’t live in Kolkata but in the suburbs or villages, have been affected more,” he says. “There is no proper place to train here. I stay with my relatives and train in Kolkata. That has been tough this year.”Money is an issue, but it isn’t the biggest thing for me at this stage of my career. I am not a contracted player anyway. But yes, not playing properly for a year is tough. I have now signed with East Bengal, and I hear that this year we will have a full season in Bengal. Last year we only had the one-day matches and T20s. CAB [the Cricket Association of Bengal] has arranged for vaccination for everyone, so once that happens, it will be best for everyone.”Sourav Ganguly’s promise of prioritising first-class cricketers remains just that, a promise•BCCI‘Passing the parcel’ of accountability
Sakariya and Gharami. Two players whose lives, and livelihoods, follow a similar track. Until one gets an IPL contract and the other doesn’t. It’s the story of many others in Indian cricket: between 750 and 800 players feature in any men’s domestic season on an average; barely 10% of them get an IPL team.The differences in salaries has been stark since the IPL began; the pandemic has made it worse, by wiping out chunks of the domestic calendar. Last season’s men’s calendar featured only the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy. And the IPL. No Ranji Trophy, which forms the bulk of a domestic cricketer’s match time, and income. The women’s calendar – in urgent need of a facelift anyway, especially in the absence of multi-day or Under-16 tournament – too was shortened, with only the one-day competition held.The coming season looks more promising, with the BCCI announcing a lengthy calendar from September 2021 with 2127 matches – men’s, women’s and age-group categories included. The players’ response, though, has been muted. They want clarity on compensation for the missed domestic tournaments. And those who haven’t been paid for the matches that were staged last season want that issue sorted too.When he took over as BCCI president in November 2019, Sourav Ganguly had said that one of his priorities would be to introduce central contracts for domestic players. Eighteen months on, nothing has moved. In June, the BCCI announced the formation of a three-member apex panel to investigate the issue of compensation “at the earliest”. Three weeks on, no one knows who the members of the panel are, and what the solution is. A senior player described situation as a game of “passing the parcel” between the board and the associations.

“It’s a misconception that those who have government jobs are paid handsomely. That said, we are still much better off than many hundreds of cricketers who don’t even have a job to fall back on”Chhattisgarh allrounder Vishal Kushwah

Until the 2017-18 season, the domestic players were paid in two instalments: a flat match fee and a bonus calculated on a pro-rata basis based on the BCCI’s Gross Revenue Share (GRS) – essentially its non-IPL revenue from media rights, team sponsorship rights, apparel sponsorship rights, series sponsorship rights etc. This would be paid the following year after the accounts were ratified at the annual general meeting.Since 2018, though, the GRS component has been added to the match fees, leading to a near 200% hike. The players now get INR 35,000 per day for a first-class game and one-dayers, and INR 17,500 for T20s.The problem, though, is the need to calculate and ratify the GRS component, exacerbated by the absence of an AGM over the past three years, first because the BCCI was run by the Committee of Administrators and then because of the pandemic.”Sometimes there are delays in the invoices coming from the associations to the BCCI, and there have been delays because a lot of state associations had not adhered to the BCCI constitution,” a BCCI insider explained. “I think some players received money on time because their invoices came on time; players from some association faced difficulties and delays. Some new associations didn’t know what to do.”Saurashtra won the Ranji Trophy when it was last played, in 2019-20•ESPNcricinfo LtdWhere the grass is greener…
Some players have been exploring other avenues. Yes, players who are within the system, the system of the richest cricket board in the world, are looking for opportunities elsewhere.Vishal Kushwah, the Chhattisgarh allrounder, featured in the limited-overs competitions in 2020-21, and even trialled with a few IPL teams – without luck. While he is employed with the auditor-general’s office in Raipur, the lack of a cricketing income led to him looking for opportunities in the UK.”It’s a misconception that those who have government jobs are paid handsomely,” he said. “That said, we are still much better off than many hundreds of cricketers who don’t even have a job to fall back on.”He is now with Colony Bay Cricket Club on a five-month contract that pays him £ 1000 a month, “just about enough” to get by. “The club has given me an accommodation, but all other expenses are mine. It’s not easy to save from the contract, but at least my essentials are taken care of,” he said. “I have loans to pay back at home, so I thought at least this will give me something to keep going. My employers have been kind enough to grant me leave, although a portion of my time in the UK is on leave without pay.”Ravi Yadav, the Madhya Pradesh left-arm seamer who entered the record books when he became the first to pick up a hat-trick in his first over on first-class debut, used his fees from his debut season to build a cricket academy on the outskirts of Firozabad, his hometown (in Uttar Pradesh).”I spent my savings of the past two years to build a small facility,” he said. “I don’t have a job outside of cricket, so I need to find a way to run my house not just alongside my cricket but even afterwards. I am [almost] 30. I only play days’ cricket. Last season, I wasn’t picked for the T20s or one-dayers, so there was zero income.

“What is disheartening is the association asks us to contact the BCCI and there is no one in the BCCI to tell us where we stand. All we want is a point of contact with regards to domestic cricket. I don’t think that is asking for too much”Anonymous domestic cricketer

“The lockdown came and my academy shut down, so that income stream was cut off too. I’ve struggled to make ends meet over the last 18 months. Hopefully, things will improve.”The announcement of a proper season offers a glimmer of hope to the less privileged of these cricketers. The prospect of two new teams being added to the IPL and the impending mega auction before it could also serve as motivation for many.”When we keep playing regularly, you tend to ignore certain aspects,” Kerala allrounder Jalaj Saxena said. “I had personally worked on the mental aspect, in the absence of match practice or a regular season. When you go on to the field, there are so many emotions you go through. When you’re bowling, you’re at times anxious to pick wickets. When you’re not scoring runs, you’re eager to get in that one big score. Sometimes, when you let emotions rule, it gets difficult. There are breathing techniques I have practiced that have made me calmer and helped me make better decisions.”I am a lot more relaxed now. Sometimes, emotions and performances don’t go hand-in-hand, so you have to detach yourself. I’ve practiced yoga every day in this period, it has helped me connect with each and every part of my body.”Until December last year, Saba Karim, the former India wicketkeeper, was the one-point contact for matters relating to domestic cricket in his capacity as BCCI’s general manager – cricket operations. More than one player has said that his departure has led to a disconnect between them and the people in charge.”What is disheartening is the association asks us to contact the BCCI and there is no one in the BCCI to tell us where we stand,” a senior player said. “All we want is a point of contact with regards to domestic cricket. I don’t think that is asking for too much.”Domestic contracts are a reality for players in most top cricket-playing nations. However, the sheer volume of players and associations they deal with on a regular basis makes BCCI’s job that much more challenging.But the BCCI has pulled off more challenging tasks in the past, like moving an IPL season to South Africa in under three weeks, or finding ways to even fit in the remainder of the IPL season in the UAE amid a crammed international calendar and the pandemic. As a number of players have highlighted, it perhaps comes down to – that word again – intent.

Anderson is unique because he gets movement all the time without losing one of his regular deliveries

Ian Chappell29-Aug-2021When the Indian side has a batting collapse, they don’t do it by half measures. They were dismissed at Adelaide Oval for a paltry 36 and then at Headingley for a miserable 78. Both were monumental batting disasters and they occurred in the space of just eight months.At least India have the minor consolation of knowing that on both occasions they nicked a lot of deliveries rather than playing and missing, and were brought undone by some very good bowling.The collapse at Headingley was engineered by a master of his craft. James Anderson is the best at his art; his ability to control swing in both directions and disguise his intentions is masterly. The remorseless way he sets up batters with the skill of a seasoned copper makes him an unstoppable force on his day.Related

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Anderson’s longevity, and the fact that he achieves consistent movement without periodically losing one or other of his main deliveries, means he’s unique as a swing bowler.I had the pleasure of watching close up as Bob Massie conducted a masterclass in swing bowling at Lord’s in 1972. He captured 16 wickets on debut – eight in each innings – and mesmerised the English batters with prodigious swing.There were other occasions when Massie consistently swung the ball and troubled batters but his Test career was over less than 200 days after his Lord’s epic.Anderson has done it successfully for 166 Tests, with no end in sight to his swing-bowling supremacy. India’s top order may have been humiliated by a 39-year-old taunter, but it’s easier to accept when you succumb to a champion.The big wicket that really put the skids under India was that of their captain, Virat Kohli. This was the seventh time Anderson has dismissed Kohli in Test matches, and despite knowing how the ambush was planned, Kohli was unable to avoid such a deftly laid trap.On my retirement, a number of cricket enthusiasts gleefully reproached me, “Gee you got out to John Snow a lot.”My response was, “At least I was getting out to one of the best.”Not that it’s any great consolation, but Kohli will have similar sentiments. It also stands to reason that Kohli, as the biggest danger in the Indian line-up, is going to be regularly confronted by Anderson unless Joe Root misplaces his captaincy marbles.It’s not much fun being bowled out for 78 in a Test match, as I found out at Lord’s in 1968. At least Australia had the excuse of batting on a damp pitch after a rain shower sent water scuttling down the Lord’s slope onto the uncovered pitch.After being bowled out so cheaply, India’s only recourse was to hit back quickly and effectively. In those situations a bowling leader needs to stand up and propel himself into the contest.Western Australia had a superman in that category and he donned his cape in the 1976-77 Gillette Cup semi-final as Queensland chased a mere 78 for victory at the WACA ground.Before WA went out to bowl, their captain, Rod Marsh, exhorted his troops: “There’s a big crowd out there, let’s give them some entertainment.”Brushing past his captain, Dennis Lillee turned as he reached the dressing room door. “Don’t worry about entertainment,” he exploded, “let’s win the [adjectival] match.”It’s one thing to say it, but Lillee did it, quickly sending Viv Richards and Greg Chappell – the two opposition champions – on their way as WA charged into the final.In India’s case their response was a disaster. Kohli’s opening choice, Ishant Sharma, bowled a horrendous first over and England were quickly on their way to a huge total. Sharma was a strange choice in a situation where early wickets – Root’s, especially – were essential to India’s hopes of containing England’s lead.Having produced an amazing comeback to win the series after a disastrous collapse at Adelaide, India are now faced with a similar mountain to climb following the Headingley debacle.

His Test aggregate of 1708 in 2021 is the third-highest ever, but his numbers are even more astonishing given the general mediocrity around him

S Rajesh28-Dec-2021There is little doubt that 2021 has been a dismal year for England in Test cricket: they have lost more matches (nine) than they ever have in any previous calendar year. At the heart of this debacle has been the batting: an average of 24.13 runs per wicket is the lowest for England in any year when they have played at least 10 Tests, and the second-lowest with an eight-Test cut-off. Not only has 2021 been a terrible year for England’s batters, it has been tough for batters in general: the average runs per wicket is the second-lowest its been in the last 40 years.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn the midst of these batting lows, Joe Root has gone ahead and amassed 1708 runs, the third-highest ever by a batter in a calendar year. His aggregate is 802 runs more than the next-highest in 2021 – Rohit Sharma’s 906 – and 1178 more than the next-best from his own team: Rory Burns’ 530. Never before in Test history has there been such a wide gap between the top two run-scorers for the year, whether for the same team or overall among all teams.