5 cricketing trends of Indian cricket which need to be changed in 2020

By the looks of it, Indian cricket is enjoying a golden period. The senior team led by Virat Kohli is putting up a stellar show by winning every possible title in their vicinity. Besides, the domestic structure of the country’s cricket is earning praises from around the world. In addition to that, the most celebrated T20 league of the globe, IPL is churning out talented youngsters at will.

Considering all the above positives one can say that the future of Indian cricket is in safe hands. They are destined for more glories and championships in the coming times. Still, certain issues might take an ugly turn if the country doesn’t take preventive measures for the recently developing trends in Indian cricket.

Here is the list of 5 trends of Indian cricket which needs to be changed in 2020:

1. ICC championship drought

In the last decade or so the Indian cricket team has been taking giant strides towards excellence. They have been putting up exhilarating performances and entertaining the cricketing community with their brand of cricket. Especially their consistency in ICC events since their historic 2011 World Cup win is phenomenal.

To be precise they have made it to the knock-out stages 6 times in their last 7 ICC tournament appearances. Having said that they only won a single title in the last 8 years. In simple terms, they have a success rate of 16 per cent in the final lap of the global events which is poor considering the growth of the country’s cricket in the last ten years.

That’s why the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia is the perfect opportunity to put an end to their ICC championship drought. Virat Kohli’s men have the required ammunition to lift the title for the second time. Besides, it will also hold the Indian team in good stead for their future challenges. Otherwise, it won’t be long when the fans will start labelling them as chokers instead of Proteas.

2. Ignoring domestic talents

Currently, Indian cricket is enjoying the services of some of the most talented cricketers of the planet. Besides every now and then various new faces headlines the newspapers with their awe-inspiring acts between the 22 yards. Even the selectors and the team management have multiple choices to fill-up each position in the playing XI of the senior team.

All of this is possible due to the excellent domestic structure of the country’s cricket. It has also allowed the Indian team to pick a squad based on the format, type of conditions and type of opposition. However, in recent times the selectors have failed to reward the domestic talents. Even after putting up good performances in the domestic circuit the likes of Abhimanyu Easwaran, Priyank Panchal, and Shreyas Gopal are yet to receive a national call-up.

Also, the players like Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson, and Manish Pandey has been often neglected even after being selected in the squad. It’s understandable that the Indian team doesn’t want to experiment too much but these players should be treated in a better manner. In such untoward situations, these players can feel despondent and it can also affect the mindset of other domestic performers. So its time that they get their dues in the form of more opportunities.

3. NCA mishaps

In the last couple of years, the Indian team has become one of the dominant sides of world cricket. Some of the credit should also go to the country’s well-developed infrastructure which has played a big role in nurturing young talents. Especially the NCA (National Cricket Academy) which has been providing good support to the aspiring and current generation cricketers.

It has been one of the top cricket academies going on around the country and has given players like Yuvraj Singh, RP Singh, and Cheteshwar Pujara to the Indian team. Moreover, it also helps the Indian players with their training and rehabilitation programs. Unfortunately in recent times, the NCA has been hogging the limelight for all the wrong reasons.

Its functioning has been questioned by the BCCI and the former Indian greats. The players who have been deemed fit to play competitive cricket have suffered career-threatening injuries midway through the games. Wriddhimann Saha, Shardul Thakur, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are some of the names who have lost considerable game time due to the mistakes of the reputed institution. So its high time that the academy should be more responsible towards the cricketers.

4. Lack of trust in the core

With historic series wins in the last decade the Indian team has shown their consistent rise in the cricketing spectrum. In the process, they also shaped up some world-class players in the form of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin. All these players have successfully carried the baton passed onto them by the former greats and they might have to thank the team management who trusted their skillsets in the early days.

In short in every decade the Indian team has figured out the set of players who can carry the country’s cricket forward. It has been a fruitful exercise and has often given positive results. However, in recent times the team has not followed the norm and has started believing in their result-oriented approach. Though it has been a successful strategy it will not serve them well in the long-run.

Notably, the Indian team’s middle-order conundrum in white-ball cricket is the classic example of their poor planning. Before the 2019 World Cup, they tried several options to eke out a permanent solution but none of them were given a fair chance. In the end, the constant chop and change proved to be costly and still, the team is in search of a quality middle-order commodity. So finally the selectors and the skipper needs to fine-tune their plan i.e. to trust their core in every situation.

5. Need for change of guard in IPL

There is no doubt that Indian cricket has been hugely benefitted from the IPL. The league has served the purpose of a talent hunt program. Besides, it has prepared the country’s youngsters for greater challenges. Even the fans get their dose of T20 entertainment due to this seven-week carnival.

In all the IPL has been a great addition to the domestic structure as it is constantly supplying quality goods to the senior team. But looking at the league from a different perspective the cricketing community can point out certain flaws. One of them being the favourite tag attached to a couple of teams before the start of every season. In simple terms, the dominance of Mumbai and Chennai has a negative impact on the tournament.

In the last ten years both the teams have shared seven titles between them. Moreover, they have played the most number of playoff games in the history of the league. Though both the teams should be applauded for their consistency it is certainly working against the tournament as its unpredictability factor is on the wane. If the trend continues then the other teams will definitely lose their fanbase and it will not be a positive sign for the league.