The Indian Premier League is in the news for quite some time now. Be it the players' auction, the huge amount of money the players will be earning eventually or competition (or the lack of it) from the rival Indian Cricket League, the IPL, it seems, will hog the limelight for the next few months.
While those who are party to it are going great lengths to promote the new endeavour, those who aren't are quite optimistic as well.
Former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin talks to Bikash Mohapatra on a wide range of issues beginning with, you guessed it right, the IPL.
What do you think about the Indian Premier League?
I think the IPL is a good thing to happen. I feel it's good for both, the players and cricket in general. And, hopefully, only cricket should take centre stage; that's the most important thing.
I feel the game should always move forward. Earlier it was the same Tests and ODIs, now it is Twenty20; in the future it may be something very different!
But don't you think it will affect the international calendar?
No, I don't think it will affect the international cricket calendar, as it is only for about 45 days. They (ICC) might have to change the international calendar a bit to fit this, but I'm sure the board (BCCI) would have done the needful in this regard. So, I don't see it as a problem.
How will it affect a cricketer's commitment towards his country? Some (like Stephen Fleming) have quit international cricket to concentrate on the IPL.
Every player wants to play for his country. Yes, if they will be recognised for playing in the IPL it is good, but playing for your country is the ultimate honour for any player. However, if some feel playing in the IPL is the only big thing, I don't think it is right.
And I don't think Stephen (Fleming) quit international cricket to play in the IPL. I think he has been contemplating retirement for quite some time now.
Players who aren't even part of the Indian Twenty20 squad -- for that matter the ODI team --- like Sourav (Ganguly), Rahul (Dravid) have been given the 'icon player' status in the IPL
That's very ironical. Those players who aren't even in the present ODI team have been given icon status. But the franchisees, who have put in so much money, definitely want the best players to feature even though they aren't in the national side.
With a packed international calendar already in place, don't you think more cricket will lead to more injuries and shorten a player's career?
But they are getting so much money also. So they have to keep fit. It is like it happens in the Premiership and the NBA -- the players play in so many games all around, for about eight and nine months in a year, and still manage to keep themselves fit.
It is also being feared that excess of Twenty20 cricket will be detrimental to a player's technique
Not necessarily. If you are a good player, you should adapt to all types of situations in cricket. Which form of cricket you play in shouldn't matter. Similarly, if a player wants to play only in Twenty20 because he thinks his game is such, he is welcome.
But haven't Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh found it tough in Tests?
I think they (Yuvraj and Dhoni) will always find it difficult, especially against top quality bowling. They aren't technically correct.
They have to work on their technique if they are to become good Test players. In Test matches it is a test of patience and at the end of the day you are known as a good Test player -- a good ODI record is a bonus though.
The Indian team seems to be doing well
Yes, but I feel there's something wrong with the batting order. I feel there's no need to send Irfan Pathan at No 3 when you have good players like Rohit Sharma and Robin Uthappa for that spot. To be fair, you have to play your five best players in that order in the stipulated 50 overs. If they don't do well, then you don't deserve a good score.
I think the lack of consistency in the team's results is because they are playing with the batting order and also the right kind of bowlers are not being played together. The team has lost some matches that they were supposed to win.
And what do you think of Dhoni as a captain?
I think so far he has been doing a pretty good job and I hope he continues to do well. He'll gain more experience certainly with each passing game; every player who becomes a captain goes through such a phase.
