New Delhi: India’s T20 cricket prowess is now the envy of the world, especially with the IPL changing the landscape of the format.India’s back-to-back T20 World Cup victories, however, were built on the IPL-developed template of high scores on batting-friendly pitches. Still, this season’s IPL has thrown a caveat that may sound alarm bells on that approach.Monday’s game between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Feroz Shah Kotla particularly highlighted how batsmen can surrender timidly when the conditions are a bit bowler-friendly. Josh Hazlewood And Bhuvneshwar Kumar Doing bowling duties.DC were reduced to 8/6 in 3.5 overs and ended the Powerplay with a record IPL low score of 13/6. Somehow they limped to a total of 75.It goes against the basic marketing ethos of the format to see the ball dominate the bat, but Lucknow and Chennai have also had some games this season that have been uncomfortable for the batsmen.Reaching 160 has become an uphill task in Lucknow as the Chennai Super Kings batsmen were bowled over by the likes of Mohammad Siraj, Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder in Chennai on Sunday.The surfaces in question are not mines. They are regular surfaces with enough for the bowlers to expose the technical flaws of the batsmen.The Indian team has played most of its white-ball cricket in the subcontinent in the last two years. The caravan will now move on, with the ODI World Cup to be played in South Africa in 2027 and the next T20 World Cup to be played in Australia and New Zealand in 2028.It is important that the wise men responsible for planning Indian cricket are not only influenced by performances in high-scoring matches. Difficult conditions for batsmen in India are still rare in T20 cricket but serve as ominous omens.“It is important that these low-scoring matches are not discouraged. The curator should not be under pressure if his surface has produced a low-scoring game here and there. Selectors look at how batsmen adapt to difficult situations. Just look at Virat Kohli, how well he batted in similar conditions. I am sure the selectors keep this in mind when they plan for the future,” said former national selector Devang Gandhi.This is undoubtedly a worrying trend. India’s recent performance on spicy Australian pitches and turning tracks in India is well documented. These matches are not just banana peels. In the next two years, when the Indian team hits the road, they will have a routine.Delhi Capitals captain Akshar Patel put up a brave front after Monday’s humiliation and said, “Franchises hold camps throughout the year. It’s a personal choice of the young uncapped players to decide what they want to practice more. But I believe you have to focus on technique and batting fundamentals. If you don’t get a strong foundation of powerful hitting, you can’t last.”As the IPL has become a 10-team competition, teams have weakened their bowling attacks. There are less active, established international bowlers and more inexperienced Indian bowlers. “This has to be kept in mind when judging a batsman’s season. GT, RR, LSG and RCB seem to have relatively powerful attacks. How the batsmen react to these bowlers is the key as you won’t find more than 250 favorable T20 pitches in SENA countries. The plan should be for the ODI World Cup in South Africa,” said former India wicketkeeper-turned-broadcaster Deep Dasgupta.
