Following Team India's crushing defeat to England by 10 wickets in the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final, many concerns have been brought up, including whether or not Indian players should be allowed to play in foreign leagues.
Issues over Indian batters batting conservatively during powerplay overs were also brought up. Many people believe that the team lacked a pacer who can bowl at an express pace.
Wasim Akram, a legend of Pakistan cricket, has observed that many of the young Indian seamers bowl much slower in international matches than they had in the IPL while taking the example of Avesh Khan.
“Something I noted about Indian bowlers during Asia Cup. They drop pace post IPL.” Akram said on A Sports.
“For instance, Avesh Khan was bowling consistently at 145kmph but after one season of IPL they play the pace drops to 130-135 kmph. So BCCI need to check the reason behind that because he got paid some 12-13 crore Indian money,” he added.
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He also stressed the significance to set a financial ceiling for youngsters so that they don’t lose their drive to enhance their capabilities.
“I think IPL need to have a pay cap for young players so that they understand bhook hoti kya hai, what it feels to be hungry. If I was earning Rs 24 crore a month then I don’t think I will work that hard once IPL is done. The culture we come from, hum khud ko dheela chhod dete hain.”
Waqar Younis, who was also part of the discussion, made the observation that modern pacers often forgo speed in order to make the ball swing, which shouldn’t be the case for someone whose speed is his primary asset.
“I don’t know exactly why they are dropping pace but when I used to play and then worked as a coach, I always emphasized on bowling quickly. If you are quick then bowl quick, that’s what Wasim and I did throughout our careers. If you have pace, you learn the other bits. But if you slow it down and swing the ball, then somewhere T20 cricket and modern-day coaching is at fault for that. I don’t know what’s being taught in the Indian camp but pace matters,” Waqar said.
Wasim continued the discussion by saying that Imran Khan, the former Pakistan captain, used to hand him the ball even when he was exhausted, adding that doing so helped him bowl faster and build stronger muscles.
According to him, with the introduction of T20 cricket, the attitude has changed among young players.
“Back when I was young and was playing a drawn Test match, the general idea was to rest your frontline bowlers but Imran Khan bowled a four-over spell with all his mights and asked me to do the same from the other end. That’s because when you are tired you use all your energy to bowl fast, you increase your speed as it strengthens your muscle. The more you bowl, the faster you get. But nowadays the general idea among bowlers is that I have to bowl 18 deliveries and leave but that’s not how it works,” the legendary pacer said.
The summit clash of the T20 World Cup 2022 will see Babar Azam and his men take on England on Sunday (November 13) at the MCG.
(A SPORTS INPUTS)
