In modern cricket, the balance between bat and ball is once again in the spotlight. Sunil Gavaskar Expressing deep concern over how heavily the game is now in favor of the batsmen in the T20 era.With massive scores becoming the norm in the ongoing IPL 2026 season and a total above 250 no longer considered safe, Gavaskar believes bowlers are being given little protection. The former Indian captain pointed to smaller boundaries, tighter fielding restrictions and the increasing power of modern bats as the main reasons for the growing imbalance.Writing in his column for Sportsstar, Gavaskar specifically questioned the current interpretation of the wide bouncer rule. According to him, fast bowlers are unfairly penalized when the short ball goes over the batsman’s head.Gavaskar wrote, “A ‘wide ball’ is a call for a bouncer barely going over the batsman’s head. It is like asking a fast bowler to bowl with one hand tied behind his back.”He argued that while there is plenty of room in the grounds to push back the boundaries further, the tighter rules are instead putting more pressure on the bowlers. Gavaskar suggested that fast bowlers should be allowed a bit more margin when bouncing.He added, “If this rule can be adapted to allow a margin of one foot, the length of the bat handle, above the head in your batting stance, it will give the fast bowler some relief and encourage him to fire some more.”Gavaskar also reviewed the earlier era in limited-overs cricket when bouncers were completely banned. He recalled how lower-order batsmen were promoted as pinch-hitters because they knew the bowlers could not attack them with short-pitched balls.“This is not to pat myself on the back, but when I took over as chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee, other members supported me in bringing the bouncer back into the format, albeit one per over per batsman. The pinch hitters disappeared. More importantly, the bowlers got one of their weapons back.”The batting great further questioned why bowlers should face restrictions when batsmen are free to shoot as they wish.“You don’t ban a batsman from playing any shot, do you? So why stop bowlers from trying all the varieties they have?” Gavaskar said.The former opener also directed his appeal to Sourav Ganguly, urging the current ICC Cricket Committee chairman to consider measures that could restore some balance to the game.“So, Sourav Ganguly, when you chair the next ICC Cricket Committee meeting, spare a thought for the bowling community as well,” concluded Gavaskar.
