Indian cricket may still be in search of its next bunch of all-format superstars in the absence of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and the injury-prone Jasprit Bumrah. While the hunt continues, former World Cup winner Balvinder Singh Sindhu has come up with a rather “radical” solution for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to maximise the output of its ageing stars.
The grinding routine of international cricket is putting a heavy toll on the players’ bodies in terms of rest and recovery, and Sandhu feels that a set of specialist fielding replacements may be the solution to relieve senior stars of excessive fatigue.
“Youngsters think they are immortal until the body sends a bill. Then the smile fades, the eyes droop, and even Captain Cool looks like a tired uncle at a wedding.
“The magnets are the stars — Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah. Without them, this circus is just a cheap mela. Why kill the goose that lays the golden egg? But the Board doesn’t see it. They win IPL seasons, bilateral scraps—and lose ICC trophies. A nation starves for glory while its best players limp into finals like wounded soldiers,” wrote Sandhu in his Mid-Day column.
Sandhu posed his unusual solution to the BCCI for implementation on the domestic circuit and the IPL.
Specialist fielders for T20s
“Nobody buys a ticket to see Kohli dive at square leg. They come for a cover drive. Let substitutes do the fielding in domestic cricket, and remember, IPL is domestic cricket. Protect the stars, stretch their careers. However radical all this may sound, it is no rocket science, merely common sense.
“And please stop romanticising fielding. Diving catches look good in replays. They also send men into surgery.
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Urging the board to rope in specialist fielders in T20s, Sandhu insisted that international players may be exempted from the role while featuring in domestic games.
“T20 here should have specialist fielders. Six or seven of them. Let the stars save their bodies for batting and bowling. Even in domestic cricket, internationals should play without breaking their backs. Youngsters will learn, seniors will last, and the game will gain. The people in the corridors of power should think about this,” he added.
The Bumrah backlash
Recollecting the backlash ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah faced for his workload management and limited role during India’s Test tour to England earlier this year, Sandhu demanded that the board allows the player to present his case.
“Bumrah faced a storm for missing the recent Oval Test. He hasn’t told his side of the story. The BCCI, which controls when and where players can speak, must give him that chance. Till then, the grind continues. India’s best bowlers, batsmen, and ’keepers flogged like racehorses, patched up like machines.
