Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s observations about the game are always astute. Yesterday, after India chased down 350 yet again, the Indian captain said in the post-match conference that 350 might be the new 280. And so it certainly seems. While India’s chase at Jaipur seemed borderline boorish, yesterday was a more well-planned pursuit. This shows that it does not take a once-in-a-lifetime knock by Virat Kohli to knock down mammoth targets, it can be a clinically perfect chase too.
And there seems to be a method to the madness here. Both the teams got off to a sedate start in the first 10 overs (Australia scored 44, India scored 56) and then stepped on the gas. The other day at Jaipur Australia scored 46 and India was at 69 after 10 overs. It is after this stage that the effect of the new rules in ODIs started making their presence felt.
Five fielders inside the ring throughout the game (as opposed to four before), the use of two new balls, and the optional batting powerplay ensured that the batsmen have a field day while bowlers deliver balls only to be smacked by the batsmen. As Harsha Bhogle pointed out in commentary, ICC has reduced one powerplay to make up for one extra fielder inside the circle. However, this does not have such a profound impact on the game as much as the extra fielder inside the circle has. Moreover, the powerplay is taken by the batting team and they can go for it when the two batsmen are well set.
The growing popularity of t20 has also made batsmen more adventurous. Switch hits, Dil Scoops, shot over the keeper’s head, helicopter shots, sweeping fast bowlers, all these innovations have taken batting to the next level. And this has had an effect on batting in ODIs as well.
No wonder then there aren’t too many bowlers who are making a name for themselves. Earlier, most teams atleast had one bowler who could run through a side. Wasim and Waqar for Pakistan, Walsh and Ambrose for West Indies and McGrath and Warne for Australia. Today, there aren’t too many star bowlers around. The only names that come to mind are Dale Steyn and Lasith Malinga. This has a direct co-relation with the rules increasingly shifting in favour of the batsmen.
Two new balls have ensured that the ball won’t spin as much and become rough enough for reverse swing. The bowler is not only penalised for the no-ball he delivers, but even for the next one which is a free hit. The heavier bats have ensured that even mishits are going for sixes. And the extra fielder inside the circle means that the batsman only needs to clear the in-field for a boundary.
The game is not a contest between the bat and ball anymore. It has become a contest between the bat of one team and the other.