Sunday, October 11, 2009

Why Indian teams not performing well in CL?

After Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils tasted defeat in their first matches, it was the turn of Hyderabad Deccan Chargers yesterday to start their Champions League campaign with a loss.
Though it was a last ball thriller but a loss is a loss at the end. It has also put Adam Gilchrist'S side in a spot of bother like the other two Indian teams in the 12-team event. Now it is paramount for the top three teams from IPL to win their remaining group matches to give them any chance to stay alive in the tourney. The question to be asked is why Indian teams performing below par till now? Is it because of the unexpectedness about their new opponents? It is definitely a difficult task to bowl or to bat against someone whom you haven't faced before. But it is as difficult for the visiting sides as it is for the home teams. To add to that, IPL teams are riding on two important factors: playing on the pitches that best suit their style of play and the other is showing their prowess with crowd backing them.
Another reason for their average performance could be underestimating the other teams. But it seems something difficult to digest as all the sides participating in the competition are the champions of their respective domestic competitions. And to underestimate any one of them could be ominous.
From underestimating the opponents to surprise by their skills could be another thing. We shouldn't forget that India is one of the last countries if not the last where T-20 cricket started much later than the other cricket playing nations, especially with the advent of Indian Cricket League (ICL).
ICL both surprised as well as opened BCCI’s eyes. It is only then the visionary like Lalit Modi saw the money behind this short format of the game. Though, he has time and again pointed out that the concept was there in his mind since 1996 and he closely observed the English Premier League- the top domestic football league of England- before sowing the seeds for IPL. But once it started, it was grabbed by both hands by the public and the players. There are n number of T-20 tournaments that were organized after the IPL and that gave enough exposure to the players to hone their skills in this version of the game. So getting surprised by the opponent’s skills is also something difficult to swallow.
I think all the teams also know the fact that; complexion of a T-20 game can be changed in any over or by any cameo. Even one over spell or few balls from the middle of the bat is enough to change the course of the game. So it has become imperative for the home teams to put the disappointment in their bags for a while and concentrate on the only chance they have. Otherwise, they will carry other stuff in their bags together with disappointment.

7 comments:

  1. Who are other performing teams in the CL.

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  2. All the other teams participating in the tournament such as Victoria Bushrangers, Cape Cobras, Somerset CCC etc have won their respective matches. In fact, Cobras have already moved to the next round.

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  3. Not much of a cricket buff...
    Read d article...dropped in for congratulatory message...
    So plz pardon my ignorance and incapability to appreciate an article based on sports. ( I know,shame shame.. :( ).
    Needn't say a word on ur writing skills, which has always been impressive, right?
    Congrats! :)

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  4. nice analysis.... t-20 needs to be put in better perspective by the cricket world... a lot of the teams hv started taking success as granted by considering it only a slam-bang version of the game....
    this is a more intensive article than the first one.... great work.... keep going :)

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  5. hey dis is yamini... shahista is my blog.... and by the 'first article' i meant the one on munaf nd sreesanth....not the 'wall' one.... just wanted to specify.... :)

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  6. hey hi yamini...thanx for the comments...i made the correction as well...:-)

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