“Endangered species: Please protect us.”
If this was the plaintive cry from the collective bowling fraternity across the country on Wednesday evening, it wouldn’t have been without justification.
The concept of an equal contest between bat and ball went flying out the window on a manic day one of the all-India inter-state 50-over tournament for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In Ahmedabad and Rajkot, in Bengaluru and Jaipur and Ranchi, where the group stage matches are being held, runs came thick and fast. Sometimes too fast.
Across the 19 matches, there were 22 three-figure knocks; 217 sixes were smashed, the highest List A tally in the history of the game was breached. Bihar’s 574 for six – let that sink in, 574 in 50 overs – comfortably shaded the previous best of 506 for two. There were two totals of more than 400, including Karnataka’s Hazare Trophy record chase of 413 for five, second in the all-time list only to South Africa’s 438 for nine against Australia in 2006. Ten 300-plus totals seemed almost incidental; what wasn’t, was that three of the four fastest centuries in 50-over cricket by Indian batters came within hours of each other.
ALSO READ: Round 1 of Vijay Hazare Trophy: All the records that tumbled on a historic day
Why would you want to be a bowler? Why would you want to run in, full of trepidation, knowing that no matter what you do, the ball is going to disappear? From the blades of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan and Devdutt Padikkal, sure, but also from the scything willows of Vaibhav Suryavanshi (what’s a 14-year-old doing, smashing a hundred in 36 deliveries and finishing with 190?) and his Bihar captain Sakibul Gani, who now holds the record for the fastest ton by an Indian, in a mere 32 balls.
Earlier this year, in a bid to redress the lop-sidedness in the 50-over game courtesy one new ball being used at each end, the authorities decreed that after 34 overs, the fielding side could decide which one of the two balls used hitherto would be the weapon of destruction for the remaining 16 overs. The idea was to bring two rapidly dwindling facets – reverse-swing and the impact of spin – back into the mix. In theory, it was sound, but practice has exploded the myth that bowlers will have a greater say in the last third of a one-day innings.
It is tempting to lay all the blame on the footsteps of the hapless bowlers. Why, for instance, don’t they add to their repertoire? Why can’t they become more skilled and versatile and better equipped to stop this carnage, instead of moaning about the unfairness of flat tracks, small boundaries, power-hitting batters and exponentially improved willows that are light but pack a sweet spot that would put a shot put to shame? How difficult could it be to bowl with one hand tied behind the back, right?
Domestic bowlers faced with existential questions
Admittedly, only the first round of matches has played out. In Groups A through D, each of the eight teams will play seven round-robin games while the six teams in the Plate division will contest five matches apiece. Perhaps, going forward, the batters will get bored and lose their competition with themselves. Perhaps, they will start pitying the bowlers and offer them a few freebies. Perhaps, they will be overcome by the complacency that comes from being able to hit through the line with impunity on surfaces where the ball comes ramrod straight and at a nice pace and height. But don’t hold your breath.
Not all these games are being played at grounds that host international fixtures. It is impossible for any single centre to have three, let alone four, grounds of international dimensions, which automatically translates to domination of the bat unless there is assistance for the bowlers in terms of seam and swing. Because of the weather at this time of the year in northern India – a fact conveniently overlooked earlier in the month when T20Is were scheduled for Mullanpur, Dharamsala and no-show Lucknow – no games have been earmarked for the northern heartland. Consequently, not even a 9.00 am start is of any help. Apart from the odd exception, white balls have stopped swinging for several years now, encouraging delighted batters to sing in unison: Let the party begin.
In keeping with the festive season, bowlers have come bearing gifts even if munificence isn’t high on their priority list. What, then, do we make of these records? Of these humongous numbers, of 32- and 33- and 36-ball hundreds, of 412 being chased down with a ridiculous 15 deliveries to spare? Should we get carried away by the grandness of stroke-production, or should we take them with a truckload of salt? The answer’s quite obvious, one would think.
As for the endangered species, well… Hope doesn’t always spring eternal.
