For so long now has the IPL been the hot ticket to fame and fortune that it is easy to forget traditionally it was the English county season that attracted the best.
In the 1960s, Tiger Pataudi led Sussex, while in the 70s, Farokh Engineer (Lancashire), Bishan Bedi (Northamptonshire), Venkatraghavan (Derbyshire) and Dilip Doshi (Notts and Warwicks) honed their craft in England.
Roughly a tenth of all Indian Test players have played county cricket. Sunil Gavaskar (Somerset), Kapil Dev (Northants), Mohammad Azharuddin (Derbyshire), Ravi Shastri (Glamorgan) played too. In the pre-IPL days, the money was decent and the experience crucial.
The ‘Golden Era’ players — Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman — all had stints. Zaheer saw his season with Worcestershire in 2006 as the turning point in his career. He confirmed his status as a world-class bowler and was hero of India’s last series win in England, in 2007.
In 2011, India lost 4-0 to England; in 2014 it was 3-1. The big disappointment three years ago was Virat Kohli whose weakness outside the off stump was ruthlessly exploited by James Anderson and company. Kohli was quoted as saying recently that he would love to play in England before the 2018 tour.
“Say for a month or a month and a half (to) get used to playing in those conditions, understand how the wickets behave in that particular phase of the year.”
County cricket was seen as the finishing school in the days when a player was contracted for the whole season. Then the governing body in England recognised that even a short spell by an overseas player could be beneficial to the teams. It would be for the players too, especially ahead of an England tour.
In recent years, a crowded schedule and the IPL have meant that few Indians have shown an interest in playing outside country. But with India playing in South Africa, England and Australia over the next 18 months, the finishing school is looking attractive again.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravi Ashwin, two men who will have a big impact on India’s matches have signed up already, and a couple of other names are being discussed too. “I want to improve as a player,” says Pujara, and that is straightforward enough. He credits his improved technique — he made over 1000 runs last season and two more centuries in the recent Sri Lanka series — to his experiences there.
It is a tribute to the recent professional mindset of Indian cricketers as well as an acknowledgement of the competition for places that they are looking to England to give themselves and the team an edge. India might be the No.1 team in the world, but not in all conditions and all countries. That is something the current bunch is keen to address.
A middle-order batsman who made a triple century has not played again, an opener who was out of the team and recalled from vacation ends up man of the series with two centuries, India’s most experienced fast bowler, with over 70 Tests (and still in his 20s) struggles to find a place. Newcomers are threatening the established like never before. No one can afford to relax or take his place in the team for granted.
It is a wonderful position to be in. But it’s not unique. This was roughly the state of affairs in 2011 when M.S. Dhoni led the team to England and Australia, expecting to win the four-match series in each country. India lost eight Tests in a row, and the Golden Era came to an end.
India are keen that history does not repeat itself. There is only a month’s gap between the end of the IPL and the start of the English tour next year. On both the previous occasions, acclimatisation was a problem. Modern teams are not given enough matches to familiarise themselves with the conditions.
Perhaps there is a call for seeing that some players are given leave of absence from the IPL to play county cricket. They might have to be compensated for the loss in earnings. But it might be worthwhile for a couple of batsmen and bowlers, especially the medium pacers.
The acknowledgement that following victories in Asia, Indian cricket is up for tougher times ahead is welcome. While India reiterated their traditional image as tigers at home and lambs abroad in the early part of this decade, it was sought to justify that approach. “It is enough if we win at home. No team wins abroad consistently,” went the refrain.
Kohli is turning that on its head. “We are not looking at Test cricket now as home and away any more. We are just looking at them as Test matches and we want to win anywhere we play,” he said after the second win in Sri Lanka.
There is something refreshing about this.
