India’s dismal performance and crashing out of the T20 World Cup have raised several questions. These questions are not only lined up on the performance of the players but the management of the players. It is alleged, and later even confirmed by the Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun too, that a small gap between IPL and the World Cup would have helped the players better.
The 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev too, shares the same views. He, too, believes that Indian players should have prioritized the international tournament. In an interview with ABP news, PTI reports that he said, “When players prioritize IPL over playing for the country, what can we say? Players should take pride in playing for their nation. I don’t know their financial condition, so can’t say much.” He further added, “I feel that first in line should be the country’s team and the franchise. I’m not saying don’t play cricket there (IPL), but the responsibility is now on the BCCI to plan its cricket better.”
Earlier Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah and bowling coach Arun also voiced concern over mental fatigue. It is very palpable that Indian players must be all worked up, as they have been traveling from one bubble to another since the mid of May. They played the World Test Championship final in England, then had a 5-match series with the hosts in England, and later participated in a month-long IPL. From there, they directly partook in T20 World Cup. Hence being fatigued must have played its part, but India did make a comeback towards the rear end of the tournament to win two matches with relative ease. However, it turned out to be not enough to qualify for the next round.
