There has been a lot of debate over the amount of cricket Indian cricketers having to play a lot of cricket over the past few months, and having to travel a lot because of the tight schedules. And viewing it from a broader perspective, it's not only about India, key players from other international sides are complaining too, taking the Indian Premier League into account as well. Well, yes, if travelling too much over short spaces of time is stated as one of the reasons for players tiring down, I don't think one would really disagree. But it is certainly not too much of cricket that has resulted in the lack of form. It is in fact the lack of something else that has got to do with how badly India have messed up over the last month or so.
India's performance in their current series against England is a fine example of the fact that what is being referred to as too much cricket is not really too much of quality cricket, to be honest. All right, if you want to hold BCCI responsible for scheduling the IPL right after the end of the World Cup, or rather call it a smart move to prepare for India's upcoming overseas tours, it is entirely your choice. Test cricket's number one side was dethroned in a matter of weeks, but really, did they prepare well enough? Is the board doing them any favours by promoting more of twenty over-cricket? Just spare a thought.
Twenty-over cricket, to be frank, no matter how huge amounts it is played in, does not give enough chance for all the squad members to get enough match practice to prepare themselves for full international tournaments. The final of the Ranji trophy took place in early January, and none of the main players was really bothered, or perhaps might not have had enough time to play some first-class cricket abroad, because of the so called 'tight schedules'. It is imperative to be test-ready, and not just having played enough cricket of all sorts, before going into a test series. The West Indies tour could have helped just a bit more, had India sent a full-strength squad there. And if not that, the ones who had been rested, should at least have been playing first-class cricket in some part of the world.
Another major reason why England succeeded is the fact that they have, over the years, managed to preserve the tradition of the highest level of the game. Most analysts actually criticised their statement before the ICC Champions trophy just prior to their Ashes tour, that they were more concerned about their Ashes preparations than the mini-world cup of cricket, and things got even worse after they got a 5-0 thrashing in the Ashes followed by a much-expected disastrous performance at the Champions trophy. Though their approach was not the best from a futuristic point of view(with the world cup just months away), that is how much importance they give to test cricket. It's not just because they were playing their old rivals, but it is the same attitude they always have before any test series.
So, the next time, regardless of whatever kind of cricket you are going to play, make sure you have all your bases covered.
India's performance in their current series against England is a fine example of the fact that what is being referred to as too much cricket is not really too much of quality cricket, to be honest. All right, if you want to hold BCCI responsible for scheduling the IPL right after the end of the World Cup, or rather call it a smart move to prepare for India's upcoming overseas tours, it is entirely your choice. Test cricket's number one side was dethroned in a matter of weeks, but really, did they prepare well enough? Is the board doing them any favours by promoting more of twenty over-cricket? Just spare a thought.
Twenty-over cricket, to be frank, no matter how huge amounts it is played in, does not give enough chance for all the squad members to get enough match practice to prepare themselves for full international tournaments. The final of the Ranji trophy took place in early January, and none of the main players was really bothered, or perhaps might not have had enough time to play some first-class cricket abroad, because of the so called 'tight schedules'. It is imperative to be test-ready, and not just having played enough cricket of all sorts, before going into a test series. The West Indies tour could have helped just a bit more, had India sent a full-strength squad there. And if not that, the ones who had been rested, should at least have been playing first-class cricket in some part of the world.
Another major reason why England succeeded is the fact that they have, over the years, managed to preserve the tradition of the highest level of the game. Most analysts actually criticised their statement before the ICC Champions trophy just prior to their Ashes tour, that they were more concerned about their Ashes preparations than the mini-world cup of cricket, and things got even worse after they got a 5-0 thrashing in the Ashes followed by a much-expected disastrous performance at the Champions trophy. Though their approach was not the best from a futuristic point of view(with the world cup just months away), that is how much importance they give to test cricket. It's not just because they were playing their old rivals, but it is the same attitude they always have before any test series.
So, the next time, regardless of whatever kind of cricket you are going to play, make sure you have all your bases covered.
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