India vs Australia 2013: Talk of new ODI rules taking the sheen off the stunning batting displays

Virat Kohli in action against Australia

It’s only fair to address the buzz brought about by cricket experts to ex-cricketers and the players themselves that the new ODI rules is unfair on the bowlers and is rather creating an imbalance between the bat and ball. Yes, new ODI rules have injected another dimension to the game and primarily, the new ODI rules are exploited by teams (India and Australia) that have incredible batting lineups. Having a look at the other two series’ in progress at the moment, the one between South Africa and Pakistan in the UAE and the other between Bangladesh and New Zealand in Bangladesh and I suspect, there isn’t a lot of fuss regarding the same.

Why?

Yes, after the game yesterday, Dhoni himself went on to say that “He didn’t know what can be done to curb the runs down” but then, his bowlers haven’t bowled well is the underlining point that needs to be accepted with the chin held high. Feeding the likes of Watson and Bailey with half-trackers isn’t going to add any justice to his case.

In the 3rd game of the series in Mohali, when Australia required 44 runs to win off 18 balls, Ishant was clobbered for 4 sixes in the anti-penultimate over of the Australian innings and do you think that the new ODI rules played a part in it? NO.

The outright factor surrounding all of this is that, you got to have either one of your fine-leg, third-man, mid-on or mid-off inside the 30 yard circle and considering the way modern day batsmen manufacture runs, it’s difficult to be decisive about which fielder out of those 4 you’re going to have inside the circle. But still your bowlers need to hit the right lines and lengths and before that, need to bowl to the field given by the captain.

Analyzing the way Ashwin operated yesterday in Nagpur, he largely bowled from around the wicket to Bailey and Watson and the field that Dhoni provided was predominantly a leg-side field as well and in the end, Ashwin’s tactics of bowling outside the leg-stump proved futile. The ploy to cut down on the amount of room given to the batsman outside off-stump is actually back-firing for both India and Australia’s bowling line-ups. Bowlers are trying to bowl a stump to stump line but end up getting picked away over mid-wicket and mid-on.

Bowling and Batting performances from both India and Australia have been directly proportional to each other. Horrendous bowling has been cashed upon by the likes of Bailey, Kohli, Finch, Dhawan and Rohit Sharma.

Personally, I am enjoying the way batsmen are innovating and making optimum use of that extra fielder inside the circle and on the other hand, bowlers are being tested more than ever before with the new ODI rules. What T20 cricket has done to the mindset of the batsman is, it’s the no. of scoring shots that count and not the amount of dot deliveries that proved costly in big chases before the new ODI rules came into effect. If you’re chasing 350+ like India have on a couple of occasions, you ideally would need 100 scoring shots compounded with 40 4′s and 10 6′s.

Kohli has been difficult to bowl to and just continues to extend his rich vein of form that has been non-stop since his ODI debut in 2009, Bailey is making a case for himself as well, Finch is a pinch-hitter, matured Rohit Sharma can never be detracted for the kind of quality strokes he can play, Dhawan is a swashbuckling southpaw who can play shots all around the clock, Watson is a bowler’s nightmare when he gets those booming lofted shots going so, when you have such dynamic batsmen in the two teams, it’s only fair that you applaud them, irrespective of the difference that the new ODI rules might have created.

Bowlers and fielding captains, step up to the plate and stop lamenting about the new fielding tweaks in place. Resurface the yorkers, find a method to bowl during the slog overs, poor bowling on any day will be made to pay. Mind you!