When the T20 World Cup was to be staged in India, we all knew who the overwhelming favourites were! Yes, it were the hosts. India have changed the way T20 cricket has been played since the inception of IPL. The lucrative league has infact been a dream for many or it can be considered a stepping stone towards getting that Indian jersey.
Amidst the pandemic, Indians were in danger of losing the hosting rights for the World Cup but BCCI made sure that they have the rights and the World Cup is staged in the UAE just days after conclusion of the IPL's 2nd leg. Did they think about the players? Answer is a resounding NO!!!
Just two games into the World Cup, Indians are on the cusp of getting eliminated from the competition and only a miracle can save them from hereon. It seemed their opponents were more determined than the Indians. Two shambolic performances within a week have left fans shell shocked who can now just hope and pray for this team.
Lets take a look at what went wrong.
If one observes closely one can see that the schedule of this team was not at all what a player wants amidst this pandemic and bio bubble scenario... An IPL was staged in April-May which was cut short because of the pandemic. They then travelled to England to play the World Test Championship final against New Zealand who were there in England since a month and had played 2 games against the home team whereas Indians didn't play a single game and went into the final against a fully prepared Kiwi side and lost the game convincingly. The team then played 4 Tests against England where they couldn't play the 5th Test because their coach was found Covid positive and there was no time for them to reschedule the test as they had already planned the 2nd leg of IPL which was round the corner and so the players had to leave England immediately to play the 2nd leg of the IPL which was successfully hosted in UAE. The team for the T20 World Cup was selected on the basis of the IPL performances. The IPL final took place on 15th October and the T20 World Cup's Super 12 stage started on the 23rd. BCCI managed to squeeze in 2 practice games ahead of the WC even after playing so much T20 cricket 3 weeks prior to the World Cup.
India faced Pakistan in their first game and were humiliated by 10 wickets. This loss came against all odds. Pakistan had never beaten India in a World Cup game before. Panic buttons were pressed and Indians made changes in their next game against NZ. Batting order was tinkered as well. This is not how you go into a do or die game in a World Cup and as a end result New Zealand defeated India by 8 wickets.
Indians are almost knocked out of the World Cup and the question still remains. How are a formidable side like India facing an exile so early in the tournament ? Is it because of the fatigue ? Is it because of the scheduling ? It is actually because of the BCCI who just wanted to mint money without even thinking about the players!
England Cricket Board deserves a pat on the back considering the schedule that they have had this year and how they have managed the workload of the players... They were scheduled to play 17 Tests this year. Some of them were rested for the Lanka series while the others for India series while the rest of them rested during the Pakistan series at home. The motive was to keep everyone fit for the World Cup especially the ones who play all the 3 formats and this is the reason why England are decimating their opponents now. On the contrary, BCCI didn't think about the players. Their main motto was to complete the IPL as lots of money was at stake and even more to be earned. They didn't think about the players who are humans too and need rest. It's just that nobody is going to talk about it looking at the pay cheques that they get.
Jasprit Bumrah in the post match press conference did talk about the problems that they face mentally with the fatigue and the bio bubble. He even mentioned that mental fatigue creeps in when you are doing the same thing again and again and again.
BCCI has announced a 10 team IPL next year onwards which means more players, more matches, more money minting. Add to it the players fatigue as well. This will keep getting worse if no one speaks about it. Indians will keep getting humiliated in the ICC events but then an IPL win won't define how good an International T20 player he is or how good a team this Indian side is as they would have nothing to show for when it comes to the T20 World Cup.
If one has been following the T20 Cricket World Cups closely one will get to know that since the inception of IPL, India hasn't won a single T20 World Cup. BCCI has earned a lot of money though but will Indian Cricket Team be as successful as BCCI with the kind of approach that BCCI has? Only time will tell. Few years down the line this is going to be a circus nobody wants to buy tickets to. Such legendary individuals but nothing to show as a team. This might haunt them for a long time to come. We can only hope and pray that things improve soon.
