It takes a large heart to surrender the captaincy just after a few games because it simply is not easy to accept that you have failed in something. However, Ravindra Jadeja chose to relinquish his captaincy of Chennai Super Kings after just 7-odd games. Yes, the consecutive loss during the earlier part of the tournament must not have helped either but still, it takes courage to admit your failure. Speaking from that sense, Jadeja does deserve applause for his decision. Suddenly, Indian cricket is blessed with fast bowlers. I will discuss Jadeja’s magnanimity and the emergence of fast bowlers.
Every player longs for captaincy
Every player will one day, want to captain his or her team. Be it in the local league games or international cricket or even at the IPL. Jadeja would not have been any different in this. The chances of him leading India in any form, unless as a standby, is quite far-fetched. The selectors seems to have chosen a few over the next 10 years. Rohit, Rahul & Pant are the front runners. In such a situation, it is next to impossible for Jadeja to lead India.
However, when it comes to IPL, he is among the seniors in Chennai Super Kings. When Dhoni decided to relinquish CSK’s captaincy, the obvious choice was Jadeja. I am sure Jadeja knew about this change few days or weeks ago rather than a day before CSK’s first game. CSK chose to reveal just a day before to avoid obvious pressure and needless questions to Jadeja.
Even his fielding let him down
So far so good. However, things did not pan out well for the new captain. 5 consecutive losses and poor form with the bat and with the ball placed an enormous amount of pressure on Jadeja. More than that, the one thing that Jadeja can be entrusted with blindfolded, failed him too. His fielding. First win against RCB would have lifted his spirits but mixed results after that game must have forced Jadeja’s hand. He could clearly see that captaincy does not really suit him and that he is better off concentrating on his game and helping his franchise win a few more games.
A statement from Chennai Super Kings read
“Ravindra Jadeja has decided to relinquish captaincy to focus and concentrate more on his game and has requested MS Dhoni to lead CSK. MS Dhoni has accepted to lead CSK in the larger interest and to allow Jadeja to focus on his game.”
He must have been aware that by this decision, he has ruled himself out of ever captaining India in any format. Nevertheless, it was a brave decision and it deserves good understanding on the part of everyone involved.
Fast bowling riches
Indian cricket is suddenly staring at fast bowling riches. This is something unprecedented. A few fast bowlers who can bowl in excess of 145 KMPH have emerged from nowhere. We all know about how Umran Malik is making heads turn and batsmen shudder. He is bowling his thunderbolts at 150KMPH consistently. He is likely to make international debut in the near future. It could even be at the World T20 in Australia.
Umran Malik is not the only fast bowler that India seems to have unearthed. There is Kuldeep Sen, the Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan Royals bowler. He is not that far behind Umran but with the fastest ball at 149KMPH, it is seriously quick. He bowls this quick in every game and is surely an exciting prospect for the foreseeable future.
Harshit Rana is just 20 years old. He has already made his IPL debut but is yet to play a first class game or List A cricket. The delivers at 145 KMPH consistently. With age on his side and a good physique, he can only get better from here on.
Akash Deep, the Bengal fast bowler is another who belongs to this exciting group. It also seems that Kamalesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi as back at their best in terms of pace. Much was expected of both of them after their exploits in the U19 World Cup but T20 cricket seems to have derailed their progress. Both of them were expected to make their debut within a couple of years of winning the world cup but almost 5 years hence, they are not even knocking the door. If this IPL has resurrected them to their best, well and good.
The usual suspects
Apart from the above clutch, the other bowlers who are making heads turn have already made their debut. Krishna and Saini. Krishna has got good control whereas Saini has got raw pace but lacks control. If only Saini can maintain good line and length at high pace, he will be virtually unplayable. He has all the necessary attributes for a fast bowler. Pace, height and high arm action.
Conclusion to Jadeja’s magnanimity and the emergence of fast bowlers
Let us hope that Jadeja’s confidence is not that affected that will hamper him when he plays for India. As for the fast bowlers, yes it is an exciting time for India but it all depends on how the BCCI takes care of such a rare breed called the Indian fast bowler. The board must monitor their diet, health, exercise, fitness and the ability to maintain high pace for a longer period. Also, the board must not rush them to international cricket where they may lose confidence and at the same time, must not delay their debut. The board must find the optimum time to blood these bowlers.
Perhaps, a few games against the weaker nations like Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh will give them confidence that they too belong to the highest level before going onto play the stronger teams in Australia, South Africa, England and New Zealand. Indian cricket has never had such a luxury of fast bowlers to choose from. The board must not stuff it up. I will have to appreciate the respective franchise for unearthing such bowlers from nowhere.
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