Why should cricket be batsmen's game alone. The shortest version of the game and probably the richest, Indian Premier League (IPL) has yet again proved that point but a bit harshly this time around.
It was assumed, by one and all, that Twenty20 cricket was for young legs. Even the great Sachin Tendulkar, who does not like to be kept out of a practice match even agreed and refused to be part of the Indian Twenty20 side, which could have benefited immensely with the sheer presence of the greatest batsman of all time.
The second edition of the IPL has given a new lease of life for aged or retired batsmen, who are considered not good for even One-Day Internationals after the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya (oldest but still the fittest), Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist and Rahul Dravid managed to play match-winning knocks mid-way through the IPL.
However, the same cannot be said about the bowlers. Glenn McGrath, who was considered as the best fast bowler in the world not so long ago is warming the Delhi Daredevils' bench so is South African speedster Makhaya Ntini, who would have been the first choice fast bowler for the Proteas, for Chennai Super Kings.
Even the not so old Ferveez Mahroof is making his presence felt from the sidelines giving short interviews during Delhi Daredevils' matches.
What makes only the senior batsmen click and not the bowlers is something hard to explain until and unless the likes of McGrath and Ntini are given a chance to prove their worth for the team.
Not that they are not contributing to the success of their respective teams. There sheer presence in the dressing room (dugouts) and their valuable tips itself will be a great learning curve for any young and aspiring cricketer.
But what the IPL-II itself is missing is the battle-royal between Tendulkar-McGrath or Jayasuriya vs Ntini or McGrath vs H Gibbs or even to see how McGrath, the champion bowler, will treat his former Aussie teammates Hayden, Gilchrist or even Andrew Symonds. Probably many die-hard cricket fans would have given anything away to witness such a spectacle.
McGrath and Ntini, who have always captivated the Indian fans with their sheer speed and consistency whenever they have toured India or played against us, will be missed sadly by the Indian TV audience even though there is a more than hundred per cent chance that both the aging warriors will surely be seen in action before the IPL ends in South Africa.
However, young Indian seamers, who have the chance of interacting with them, are sure to benefit the most and should count themselves very, very lucky to have come in contact with such legends of the game.
If only the shortest version was more kind to the ageing fast bowlers (the spinners seems to be having a merry time out there), the contest between the bat and the ball would have been breathtaking. Not that it won't happen in the near future.
Who knows if Mumbai play Delhi in one of the semis and Hyderabad play Chennai in the other, we might still see our wishes come true. So let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that the IPL is the greatest leveller of all.
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