Switch hits, free-hits, powerplays,
five fielders inside the
circle, and two new balls from
both ends - all this and a few
other new rules have made
One-day cricket a nightmare
for bowlers. The ICC believes
that the new regulations have
made “the game more attacking
and exciting”, but, in reality,
it has only resulted in
inflated totals. Throw in flatter
wickets, shorter boundaries,
heavier bats, and it
becomes pretty clear that
bowlers have become incidental
in the game. A recordbreaking
264 in 173 balls by
Rohit Sharma against Sri
Lanka and AB de Villiers'
blistering 44-ball 149 against
West Indies are the proof of
how lop-sided the game has
become; there's absolutely no
balance or contest left
between the bat and the ball.
Rahul Dravid, India's middle
order bulwark for years
with over 10,000 runs in both
the Test and ODI format,
feels for the hapless bowlers
as he admits the ODIs have
become one-dimensional.
“ODI cricket has become
tougher on bowlers. With all
those flatter wickets, field
restrictions and two new
balls, the life has surely
become tougher for them,”
Dravid said.
“Batsmen are scoring big,
we saw (AB) de Villiers scoring
that big hundred. The
game has become batsmenfriendly,”
he said while
addressing the audience at
the inaugural TCM Sports
Lecture here on Tuesday.
When Dravid was asked if
the BCCI has failed to priorities
Test cricket enough
because of commerce,
Dravid replied, “I think, in
this day and age, it's impossible
to have people leaving
work and coming to the
ground on all five days.”
“My suggestion would be to
either slot it for prime time or
if we can introduce Day/Night
Tests. I don't mind it if the
concept can bring back
crowds and have good TV
viewership,” he said.
As the discussion veered
towards India's chances at
the World Cup, Dravid said it
will require “three good days”
for India to defend the title.
He, however, warned that for
India to succeed at the World
Cup, their bowlers need to hit
form as soon as possible.
“It's not going to be easy.
The conditions would be hard
and difficult. But having said
that, we have proven performers
in Virat Kohli and
Dhoni, who can single-handedly
win the game on their
own,” he said.
“The format of the World
Cup is such that all top teams
will play in the quarterfinals.
From there on, you need
three good days to win the
Cup. If we can have some
good individual performances,
we can win it,” he added.
five fielders inside the
circle, and two new balls from
both ends - all this and a few
other new rules have made
One-day cricket a nightmare
for bowlers. The ICC believes
that the new regulations have
made “the game more attacking
and exciting”, but, in reality,
it has only resulted in
inflated totals. Throw in flatter
wickets, shorter boundaries,
heavier bats, and it
becomes pretty clear that
bowlers have become incidental
in the game. A recordbreaking
264 in 173 balls by
Rohit Sharma against Sri
Lanka and AB de Villiers'
blistering 44-ball 149 against
West Indies are the proof of
how lop-sided the game has
become; there's absolutely no
balance or contest left
between the bat and the ball.
Rahul Dravid, India's middle
order bulwark for years
with over 10,000 runs in both
the Test and ODI format,
feels for the hapless bowlers
as he admits the ODIs have
become one-dimensional.
“ODI cricket has become
tougher on bowlers. With all
those flatter wickets, field
restrictions and two new
balls, the life has surely
become tougher for them,”
Dravid said.
“Batsmen are scoring big,
we saw (AB) de Villiers scoring
that big hundred. The
game has become batsmenfriendly,”
he said while
addressing the audience at
the inaugural TCM Sports
Lecture here on Tuesday.
When Dravid was asked if
the BCCI has failed to priorities
Test cricket enough
because of commerce,
Dravid replied, “I think, in
this day and age, it's impossible
to have people leaving
work and coming to the
ground on all five days.”
“My suggestion would be to
either slot it for prime time or
if we can introduce Day/Night
Tests. I don't mind it if the
concept can bring back
crowds and have good TV
viewership,” he said.
As the discussion veered
towards India's chances at
the World Cup, Dravid said it
will require “three good days”
for India to defend the title.
He, however, warned that for
India to succeed at the World
Cup, their bowlers need to hit
form as soon as possible.
“It's not going to be easy.
The conditions would be hard
and difficult. But having said
that, we have proven performers
in Virat Kohli and
Dhoni, who can single-handedly
win the game on their
own,” he said.
“The format of the World
Cup is such that all top teams
will play in the quarterfinals.
From there on, you need
three good days to win the
Cup. If we can have some
good individual performances,
we can win it,” he added.
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