Representational image of Indian players ahead of ICC T20 World Cup match | Photo Credit: Getty Images
It was always easy to write disparagingly about T20 cricket, viewing it as an interloper that lacked nuance and sophistication. For cricketing snobs (like me) who believe that Test cricket is the highest form of the game, and “the most subtle and refined sport known to mankind,” (to borrow a line from Ramachandra Guha), this The ridicule kind of came naturally.
It was highbrow v lowbrow, with the suspicion that there was no common ground – and that there shouldn’t be one. In other words, the two shall never meet. Each was kind to the other. The writers of the old play found in it elements of fairness, purity, and an innocence that never really existed, certainly not always. But the myth was useful, and it served the sport well.
The authors of the new game also found consoling myths. They talk of equality, meritocracy, democratisation, the hypocrisy of the ‘code’, sports bringing nations together. It was inevitable that T20, the new kid on the block with less baggage to carry would be seen as the future of the game.
harmony prevails
Yet there is a commonality that goes against the purported intention of T20 being different from satisfying more of the senses than the longer game. There’s also an overwhelming number of matches, mostly forgettable, mostly forgettable. Kings and Giants and the super-something or other that is constantly playing around the world – no name stands out, no team stands out – means it takes a special bent of mind to keep up. What you don’t remember may not be worth remembering anyway.
Even the most ardent fan is often confused – did Chris Gayle make his highest score for RCB or did he play for one of the other 27 teams? Matches inspire statistics and then sink into them. A limit is a limit is a limit. Aesthetics is for losers.
And then comes the World Cup in Australia. Fifteen years after the first tournament, T20 looks a different game. Swinging with purpose has been replaced by swinging with hope for the batsmen. Ghostly looking bowlers for sacrificial lambs have become aggressive and confident. Ordinary players who fit into teams in all three formats of the game are being replaced by T20 specialists playing a completely different sport. Ability in the 50-over format does not guarantee that a player automatically fits into T20s.
a breed apart
There will be similar faces across formats, but T20 specialists will soon be of a different breed. Two factors contribute to this. The flip side of the potential for forgetfulness promoted by the large number of matches is the opportunity to abstract away what works and through retaining what does not work. There is room for experimentation in franchise tournaments around the world.
The second reason is, of course, money. It doesn’t guarantee success, but it does attract more creative players and coaches. Earning more money in less time has been the dream of mankind, and sportspersons are no different.
The format is in flux, and if the World Cup is any guide, it is in a most interesting phase. Two former champions, the West Indies and Sri Lanka failed to qualify for the tournament. The first fortnight saw pleasant upsets, and possibly the biggest T20 match of all time when India defeated Pakistan. This, thanks to a one-man display of classical batting range. Virat Kohli’s 82 off 53 can be compared to Sachin Tendulkar’s double century, the first in One Day Internationals, which showed us that the possibilities are not yet exhausted in traditional strokeplay.
Greg Chappell wrote that Kohli’s batting legitimized this format. This is especially interesting because Kohli is the only player who is crazy about Test matches. Both meet in him like they don’t meet in any other player.
This may be a minority view: but World Cups played between different countries have a texture and quality that cannot be matched by inter-club rivalries. And probably not even in a bilateral series.
This could prove to be the best of the T20 World Cup, as the teams preview the direction the format is headed technically and strategically. And, if all goes well, it could even be the end of inequality.