For India, T20-focus.sed plan not easy to ach1eve
MUMBAI: The growing global trend in cricket contracts is tor players to either have a hybrid or free agent deal. Botl1 give the a·icketcrsa lot more freedom to make their career choices. Only 18% of players globally belong to ·rradi· tional markets·, those with a home domestic or international con· tract. and almost all of them belong to Ind ia.
These are the key findings of a report by the Federation of Inter· national Cricketers· Association (FICA). The Men·s Professional Cr icket Global Employment Report released on Tuesday says 42% oftl1e players sign hybtid con· tracts and 40%have deals giving them freeagentsrarus.Almostall the remaining 18%- taking the top 100 oftheT20 Player Index as a sample group - belong to India.
These numbers show in which direction cricket is headed in this age offranchise T20 leagues. The contracts of India players with BCCI is a lso a marker when it comes to the national T20 team not excelling in global events. The Indian cricketer is unaffected by the shifting landscape of profes· sional cricket employment because his T20 commitments outside of internationals are 75
restricted to IPL Th is helps India field full·strength teams in bilateral cricket round the year. The rcporrshows Virat Kohli played 89 days of international cricket in 2018 and Risha bh Pant 75 days in 2021 with most of them coming from Tests. it helps BCC! regulate player workload as Indian players keep away from the mushrooming T20 frdnchise leagues.
But is their T20 vision being hampered as a consequence?
After the semi-final exit at the T20 World Cup, there's a demand in Indian cricket to wake up to the demands ofT20 cricket. There are calls for a separate team ,specialist captain, specialist coach, and selectors with a contemporary outlook. Given skipper Rohit Sharma·s workload, it won·r be a surprise if the national selectors na me a new T20l captain. lt may be easier said than done.
As per the FICA repott- lndian players arc not its membersbefore T20 cricket arrived, Tests comprised 22% of international marches in 2003. That dipped to 9%by 2021 with T201 matches ing up 71%of the calendar. T201s have eaten up the OD! space too and il has shrunk 78%to 19%.