Delhi Capitals’ Kyle Jamieson and Bengaluru’s Suyash Sharma and captain Rajat Patidar during a dust storm (ANI Photo/Rahul Singh) NEW DELHI: India’s T20 cricketing prowess is now the envy of the world, especially as the IPL dictates the changing landscape of the format.However, India’s back-to-back T20 World Cup triumphs were built on the template generated by the IPL, which saw high scores on batting-friendly pitches. Yet this season’s IPL has sounded a warning that could set off alarm bells about this approach.In particular, Monday’s match at the Ferozeshah Kotla between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru showed how batsmen can shy away from surrendering when the conditions are slightly bowler-friendly and the likes of Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are handling the bowling duties.DC were reduced to 8/6 in 3.5 overs and finished the Powerplay with a record low IPL score of 13/6. They somehow limped to a total of 75.It almost goes against the basic marketing ethos of the format to see the ball dominate the batsman, but this season has also seen some matches in Lucknow and Chennai that have been uncomfortable for the batsmen.Getting to 160 became a difficult task in Lucknow as the Chennai Super Kings batsmen were shackled by the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder in Chennai on Sunday.The surfaces in question were not minefields. They are common surfaces on which there is enough for the bowlers to reveal the technical flaws of the batting.The Indian team has played most of its white-ball cricket in the subcontinent in the last two years. The caravan will now move, with the 2027 ODI World Cup to be played in South Africa and the next T20 World Cup to be played in Australia and New Zealand in 2028.It is imperative that the wise men entrusted with the planning of Indian cricket are not swayed by performances in high-scoring matches alone. Challenging batting conditions in India are still a rarity in T20 cricket, but they serve as unpleasant pointers.“It is important that these low-scoring matches are not discouraged. The curator must not be under pressure if his surface has produced a low-scoring game here and there. Selectors see how batsmen adapt to tough conditions. Look at Virat Kohli, how well he has batted in similar conditions. I am sure the selectors are keeping that in mind when planning for the future,” said former national selector Devang.It’s an undeniably worrying trend. India’s recent performances on spicy Australian pitches and spins in India are well documented. These matches are not just banana peels. They are likely to become the norm when the Indian team goes on the road in the next two years.Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel put on a brave face after Monday’s humiliation, saying: “Those franchises hold camps throughout the year. It’s a personal choice for young uncapped players to decide what drills they want to do more. But I believe one should focus on technique and fundamentals of batting. You can’t sustain power hitting if you don’t have strong fundamentals.”Ever since the IPL became a 10-team competition, teams have weakened their bowling attacks. There are less active, established international bowlers and more inexperienced Indian bowlers. “One has to take that into account when judging a batsman’s season. GT, RR, LSG and RCB seem to have comparably strong attacks. The key is how the batsmen respond to these bowlers, as you won’t get more than 250 suitable T20 innings in SENA countries. The planning must be for the ODI World Cup in South Africa, ex-governor in India, Deepkeeper, Deepwick.
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