Most big hits in the tournament are coming off cricketing shots
The IPL is once again living up to its motto of ‘talent meets opportunity’ as plenty of youngsters have shown what they are capable with both bat and ball. While clearly it’s too early to make any predictions, some will be in the frame for India sooner rather than later.
What’s been impressive about the batting displays is how most of the big hits that we have seen in the tournament have come presenting the straight bat rather than the crude slogs - which are more often the norm in limited overs cricket. Sure the boundaries could be extended a bit, actually more than a bit, but till the ground authorities realise that it’s a game not just for batsmen but also for the bowlers the boundaries won’t be extended.
There is plenty of room to extend the boundaries and make it a little bit easier for the bowlers, but is there a will to do that even at the ICC level. Go to any ground in the world and you will find that the advertising boards are at a good ten metres from the boundary fence. Then comes the boundary rope with its advertising cones which is another five metres inside the advertising boards - so in fact the actual length of the boundaries are brought in by as much as 15 metres at most, if not all grounds.
Fair bit of criticism
When I was in the Cricket Committee of the ICC, I had suggested that the bottom half of the advertising could be made of foam so that a fielder doing the divingsliding stop does not crash into the metal boundary fence and injure himself badly. Now, there is led electronic advertising boards, so it maybe a little difficult to have the bottom half of the board made of foam but surely the actual boundary can be increased and the field made a bit more level for the bowlers too.
Mind you, having said that, not too many sixes have just sailed over the boundary and fallen short of the metal fence but have gone beyond the metal fence - showing how powerful most of the hits have been. Still bowlers would appreciate any lengthening of the boundaries so that sixes will not be as regular as they are now.
The Indian umpires have come in for a fair bit of criticism for their decisions in the IPL but that’s one of the hazards of the job. The good decisions are seldom spoken about and glossed over as if it’s is expected and the bad ones are those that stay in the mind and public consciousness. The same is the case with wicketkeeping, where one dropped catch or missed stumping is remembered far more than the brilliant ones taken.
What the Indian umpires will have to do however is to look after their physical fitness. Just about every single Indian umpire on duty at the IPL has a belly that enters the ground before the rest of the body does and that’s not a good sight.
Not that some of the overseas umpires are slim and trim, but they get into positions for run-outs quicker than most Indian umpires do.
A bit of introspection and hard work during the off season will definitely help Indian umpires to get into better shape - which will not only help them get into positions for decisions quickly but also help them keep their concentration going longer.