Utilisation of skills must in T20: Sandeep Patil

Successful and failed moves are part of cricket, but what is becoming increasingly obvious is that in the Twenty20 version, identifying players for specific tasks is critical to the end result

Utilisation of skills must in T20: Sandeep Patil

Successful and failed moves are part of cricket, but what is becoming increasingly obvious is that in the Twenty20 version, identifying players for specific tasks is critical to the end result

Strategy breaks have been a talking point right through this edition of the Indian Premier League. Some captains have welcomed it, others haven't, and still don't think much of it.

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Experiments have turned out to be masterstrokes for some, like the decision of Rajasthan Royals chieftain Shane Warne to drop Yusuf Pathan down the order and yet see stupendous success from the batting monster.

On Monday night, Mahendra Singh Dhoni proved that a bit of self promotion is not a bad thing in Twenty20 cricket and Deccan Chargers, whose dip in fortunes has been near-inexplicable, paid dearly.

Meanwhile, Harbhajan Singh couldn't emerge successful from Mumbai Indians' experiment of having him bat at number three. He has been flourishing lower down so I couldn't see a gain in that move.

Successful and failed moves are part of cricket, but what is becoming increasingly clear is that in Twenty20 cricket, identifying players for specific tasks is critical to the end result.u00a0 A captain just cannot go in with the notion that a good player can bat well anywhere in the order. While basic skill remains a significant factor, utilisation of those skills is the key.

From Indian cricket's point of view, it is good that the selection for the World T20 is over and done with. Selection pressure can get to the best of players. If you are human, you are bound to have selection for your country at the back of your mind and I suspect some players were not in the best frame of mind during this tournament.

Bowlers in the spotlight
It's something which not only can ruin a player, but also mess up his team and I am glad that the players can now perform freely. I am sure cricket fans will see natural ability come shining through. There were few questions raised about whether the second edition of the IPL would be a hit in another country. Well, the bowlers are only too happy to have their time in the spotlight. You can see by the comparison of scores of both editions of the tournament. Last year, runs were scored in buckets. This year, there's a good harvest for the bowlers too and that's because the tournament is being played on tracks which offer some juice for the bowlers.

Critics have been trigger-happy about the IPL, but we must concede and celebrate the fact that our cricketers are getting exposure to foreign conditions. Inability to cope with alien conditions was the bane of Indian cricket. If recent away performances are anything to go by, we have weathered the storm. And the IPL will soon prove that we are home and dry.

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