For a second year in the running the winners of the inaugural edition of the T-20 World championship India has been knocked out of the tournament in the second round, super eight stage.
The men in blue failed to win even a single super eights match in for the second season in succession, and just like their demise last year, it was the shot ball that saw them bouncing out of the championship.
Last year all teams exploited their weakness against the short rising ball with even medium pacer like England’s Luke Wright cashing in. The opponents of the Indians repeated the same dose this time around, with Australia, West Indies and Sri Lanka forcing them on the back foot with rising of the good length.
In the opening super eights match against the Aussies, the Indian far found wanting against the steep bounce and pace extracted by the likes of Shaun Tait and Dirk Nannes on the bouncy Barbados track.
Kemar Roach repeated the same dose and the men in blue caved in once again. Although the Lankans had to play them on a lower bounce track at St.Lucia the outcome of the match was another demoralising defeat.
But if not the on-field performance that has come under scathing criticism by the Indian media who feel that holding the multi million dollar Indian Premier League just a month before the World championship caused the downfall for the second year in running.
The cash bang and wallop of the IPL, coupled with late night escapades in promotional parties have nipped their progress in the bud.
The captain of the Indian team who led Chennai Super Kings to the IPL title barely a week before the commencement of the T-20 world championship admitted that the on and off field toil was a major cause of the adverse result.
Many in India believe that the Board of Control for Cricket in India BCCI, has to draw the line somewhere and determine the cost of the IPL on the quality of India’s performance in ICC world events.
The lure of millions of dollars has apparently blinded the administrators of the game in the most powerful cricket board.
Ironically the BCCI failed to realise for two years in a row that holding the premier event on the eve of the world championship will jeopardise their team’s chances of pulling off a decent performance in the event.
The irony does not end here, the popularity of the T-20 variety soared in India after their thrilling win over Pakistan in the final of the 2007 in Johannesburg in South Africa.
The Indians gave a grand welcome to the winners, and triggered a new wave of popularity for the instant format of the game.
After the formation of a rebel Indian Cricket League, the BCCI started the initiative of Indian Premier League.
The IPL has become increasingly popular in India, but the tournament runs for a duration of almost two months including hectic training and travelling schedule with players playing up to 14 games, besides the semi-final and final.
In such a scenario it is next to impossible to expect players to give it their all in another gruelling tournament that follows within day of the IPL.
With India’s appalling performance for the second year in running it is hoped that the BCCI would tinker its planning and come up with a balance between money & country, as nothing is bigger than playing and winning for your country.
A hundred IPL wins, equate to a single win in an international for your country, the question is the BCCI willing to budge?
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