Tired and tested before IPL

Could some of the stars be feeling the effects of a long and draining season? DNA analysis the fortunes of players who are coming off hectic campaigns.

Squeezed into the cricket calendar just a fortnight before the World Twenty20 and at the end of draining campaigns that involved India, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia,  West Indies and England — countries from which the bulk of the stars come from — the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was bound to leave players jaded. While no player has experienced a complete burnout or a stress-related illness, there are indications that some of the players involved in tough international battles are feeling the effects of non-stop cricket in the second edition of the IPL.

Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Chris Gayle, Virender Sehwag, Graeme Smith, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir, to name a few, have come off international assignments and dived straight into the Twenty20 extravaganza.

The question needs to be asked if too much cricket during the season and the pressure to justify the big bucks in the IPL has led to some of these players cracking under the weight of expectation though most of them are battle-hardened campaigners. 

Dhoni & Co. had to fly to India after the one-day series against New Zealand and then flyout almost immediately to South Africa. Dhoni, Sehwag, Gambhir and Yuvraj haven’t enjoyed enough success in the first half of the IPL. On the other hand Anil Kumble, who is now retired and relaxed, has got a second wind and is jumping around and fielding like a twenty-year-old, while his bowling remains sharp.

Dhoni, bought by Chennai Super Kings for $1.5 million has made 165 runs at an average of 33 from seven matches, while Sehwag and Yuvraj, both icon players, have disappointed. 

Kevin Pietersen (Bangalore Royal Challengers, $1.55 million) and Andrew Flintoff (Chennai Super Kings, $1.55 million) were damp squibs. Kolkata Knight Riders captain Brendon McCullum too has crumbled under the pressure of captaincy and an extended cricket season.

Former India World Twenty20 manager-cum-coach, Lalchand Rajput said, “It’s all in the mind. Players have to adjust to the hectic cricket schedule these days and have to be professionals to the core. Under-performing players are under added pressure as they have been bought for hefty amounts and need to justify the monies spent on them.”
However, Rajput believed there was no cause for concern. “As far as Dhoni, Sehwag go, this lean patch is just a passing phase,” Rajput said.

Former Test cricketer Aunshuman Gaekwad agreed with Rajput. “Twenty20 is a short game and players have enough time to recover during the gap between the matches. And I think these are class players who can do well anytime and will perform sooner rather than later.” Gaekwad, however, said that too much of cricket can sometimes become tiring for a player. “I feel it becomes tiring both mentally and physically. You need a break in between with the amount of matches being played these days. Too much of cricket could be one of the reasons for some players not performing to their potential.”