Mohali: Many Indian cricketers believe that the India Premier League (IPL) has made it tougher for them to beat visiting teams in Test matches and One-dayers in India.
However, since the IPL has made everyone rich, they do not want to openly express this opinion.
In the past, Australians, who are not used to such slow wickets like the one in Mohali, would have played their shots early and got out quickly; but in this Test match all their batsmen applied themselves very well to the wicket.
Shane Watson, after completing his century, even made it very clear that it was because of the IPL experience that he could bat comfortably.
"I've been so lucky to be able to come here so many times, especially recently, and really feel comfortable with the Indian surroundings; and the IPL has been the thing that’s really helped me feel comfortable. Because you’re playing for an Indian team, you start to understand how things work here a lot more, whether it’s the players themselves or the conditions," he said.
Watson added: "The IPL has made me comfortable with the Indian surroundings. I have amazing memories of the first edition."
However, top Indian cricket board officials and some former players believe that the IPL is only a Twenty20 event and that it cannot be considered as an event that will help foreign players get used to Indian conditions.
An Indian cricketer, currently in the playing eleven, hit out at this observation. "You may be batting only for a maximum twenty overs or bowl four overs, but they all train at different Indian venues and get a feel of the wickets. They also play every Indian bowler," he said, on condition of anonymity.
Excessive cricket due to the introduction of IPL has also resulted in many Indian pacers getting injured. Though Ishant Sharma was back in action after overcoming a hamstring injury, India is heavily depending on a fit Zaheer Khan. Unlike Australia and other countries, India does not have a big reserve of quality pacers.
However, conditions in Australia and even England will remain unfamiliar for the Indians as they will not be visiting these countries as frequently as other players visit India. Hence, most of these countries attack Indian players with their short-pitched deliveries as the potent weapon in addition to the fast and bouncy wickets.
In short, Indians can no longer claim to have home advantage in India.
