The ongoing edition of the Indian Premier league has seen some tremendous batting with the likes of Virat Kohli (smashing four centuries so far in this tournament), AB de Villiers hitting the ball all around the park, and not to forget David Warner, Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma’s exploits.
But if the spectators love the big hitting, one should not forget the kind of pain the bowlers are going through when seeing even their best balls going for a boundary or a six. In a bid to keep the growing domination of batsmen in check in the T20 format, India’s senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Thursday suggested a change in the rules to bring some relief to the bowlers in the IPl.
“Being a bowler, I feel for them as the game is in favour of batsmen these days. The boundaries are getting smaller as a result of which and bowlers are being hit all around the park. Fast bowlers still have the option of the bouncer but spinners suffer the wrath,” Harbhajan told reporters during the launch of mobile sporting application ‘Ballr’ here.
“In the current IPl season, the wickets have been really good to bat on, that is also a reason why we are having high scoring encounters very often,” he further added.
The 35-year-old also suggested that the boundaries in India can be elongated just like in Australia to stop the assault of runs in the cash-rich league.
“To counter the flow of runs, we (bowlers) can request the concerned people governing the Indian Premier league to make the boundaries a little bigger next year. In Australia, the boundaries are normally between 75 to 80 metres which in comparison to India is much bigger,” he said.
Bhajji also had some good words for in-form Kohli. The swashbuckling batsman has already made 865 runs in just 13 matches and is not far away from the 1000-run mark. He is the first and fastest to reach 4000+ run mark in 128 innings eclipsing Suresh Raina’s record of 143 innings.
Bhajji also feels that Kohli is playing in an all together different league compared to the other’s are playing.
“Well, his dedication to the game has been exemplary. He is batting in a different league altogether. He has set the benchmark higher with his fitness standards. Not only juniors, I believe seniors like me are now hitting the gym for extra workout following Kohli’s footsteps. He has been an inspiration for all of us with his training routines,” said the off-spinner.
Asked if he has any plans to tackle Virat’s onslaught, the Turbanator replied, “We have planned really well against him. We have got him out in both the league games and also won both the games against RCB.”
Heaping more praises on the RCB skipper’s consistency, Harbhajan said there is no doubt he will take Indian cricket to a whole new level in the next 10 years. “I have been working closely with him in the last 3-4 months. He is very hard working and always wants to be the best. He has already set a benchmark and is someone who will take Indian cricket to a different level,” he said.
When asked about his pick for the playoffs in this season’s IPl, Harbhajan said: “My prediction will be Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders and RCB.”
Harbhajan is also open to the idea of Day/Night Test matches. “Unless you try it out, you can’t really judge whether it will work or not. I have never bowled with a pink ball so I can’t really say how it would work for a spinner,” concluded Harbhajan.
Earlier in the day, Ballr, a mobile application, was launched. It connects to all major social networks, allowing users to play head to head on a daily basis.