Love him or hate him, there is no denying the unabashed honesty of Gautam Gambhir. The former WC-winner and current KKR coach lambasted the ICC on a specific rule that, he personally believes, has led to the demise of the art of spin bowling in white-ball cricket, especially ODIs.
The rule in question is the option for teams to opt for a second new ball halfway through their innings, as per the needs and requirements of the bowling team.
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Gambhir embarked on a spirited talk with Ravichandran Ashwin on the RR spinner’s YouTube show ‘Kutti Talks with Ashwin’, explaining how he is of the firm belief that the option to change balls in-between innings has led to rendering finger-spinners useless for the most part in the ODI format of the game.
“The worst thing that has happened in white-ball cricket is the introduction of two new balls. The reason why I say that is because you have taken away the entire skill of a finger spinner from a game, whether it be a left-arm spinner or an off-spinner,” exclaimed Gambhir to Ashwin on his YouTube talk show.
“You have got two new balls, and five fielders inside. How do you expect a finger spinner to get anything out of the surface, and be included in the playing 11? That’s the worst thing that’s happened in white-ball cricket.”
Gambhir doubled down on his belief, as he went on to state that the rule had even cost two of the best finger-spinners of this era, R Ashwin and Nathan Lyon, a shortened white-ball career.
“I’ve said it everywhere. This rule has taken away two of the best finger spinners in the world, who should have played more white-ball cricket, you (Ashwin) and Nathan Lyon. The reason why you guys didn’t play was because there was nothing for you, against all these odds on a flat track with power hitters on a shirt boundary, and with DRS as well,” reinstated a spirited Gambhir.
But, who is to blame for this perceived downfall? Well, Gambhir chalked a part of it up to the biggest official body of international cricket, the ICC.
As the years have rolled on and the prominence of the shorter format of cricket has taken precedence, there seemingly exists no time for the timeless art of spin to be mastered, in an era of hard-hitting and swashbuckling cricket.
The KKR coach voiced out the ignorance of the ICC as a reason behind the decline of the art of spin, calling for the body to recognise the same and bring about change in the future.
“The job of the ICC is to promote every kind of bowler who wants to become a off-spinner or a finger-spinner.”
“Tell me how many youngsters want to take up the art of bowling spin now? No-one, because they know that they have no future in white-ball cricket. If it would be my way, I would get rid of this rule of introducing two new balls in white cricket. I think it is the worst thing that has happened in cricket,”
“I think the ICC has messed up. Hopefully they can change it going forward and have just one ball used for the entire 50 overs of an ODI match”.
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