Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar sent a blazing message to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) calling for the protection of bowlers. He suggested to BCCI that the boundary ropes be pushed a little more back, especially at smaller venues. He also pointed out the gap between the fence and the advertisement board where the stands begin.
His message came after the clash between Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rishabh Pant’s Delhi Capitals (DC), where SRH clobbered 266 runs for seven, out of which 125 runs were scored in the power play at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 20.
Increase the size of the boundary at every ground: Sunil Gavaskar
"I wouldn't suggest any changes to a cricket bat because they are all within regulations, but I have been saying this for a long time, increase the size of the boundary at every ground. Look at this ground today, there is enough space to take it back a little more by a couple of metres. It can often prove to be the difference between a catch and a sixer. You can push that LED or advertisement boards even further so that the boundary rope can go back by 2-3 metres and that will make a difference. Otherwise, the bowlers are the only ones who will suffer," Gavaskar said after the match.
‘I wanted to use a stronger word, but no’
Nearly, losing his calm, Gavaskar reckoned that the power-hitting in T20 cricket may get boring eventually. He cited a lack of contest between batters and bowlers.
"What we have been seeing in T20 cricket over the last few days is that this is batting like the coach tells in the nets, 'This is the last round,' and everybody starts swinging their bat around bang, bang whether they get out or not. It's enjoyable to a little extent, but after that it gets...not so exciting. I wanted to use a stronger word, but no," Gavaskar added.
In the ongoing 2024 IPL, a team has scored over 250 runs five times. The SRH have crossed the threshold of 250 runs three times while Shreyas Iyer's Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have done it once each. From the inaugural season of the IPL in 2008 to the last edition of the cash-rich tournament in 2023, only twice did a team manage to score more than 250 runs. The numbers clearly reflect how the dynamics have tilted heavily in the favour of batters.
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