Does BCCI need to look into scheduling keeping ICC tournaments in mind?

Does BCCI need to look into scheduling keeping ICC tournaments in mind? IPL 2023 ended on May 29 and WTC Final 2023 was scheduled to Start on June 7, 2023 in England.

Rohit emphasised why WTC Final couldn't be played in March (Images: ©CricCrazyJohns/Twitter)

It was yet another heartbreaking defeat for Team India in the WTC Final 2023. The mighty Aussies were simply too good for the Men in Blue as the latter crashed out by a whopping margin of 209 runs. This was India’s second WTC final defeat and their 8th defeat in an ICC knockout match since 2014.

Following their horrendous loss against Australia, a lot of finger-pointing has already started taking shape. As we speak, calls for a leadership change are beginning to grow louder and enraged fans are demanding answers from the cash-rich board on India’s poor form in the ICC tournaments. While many loopholes in terms of their strategy and squad selection are beginning to surface, there is one major flaw that is being overlooked here. BCCI’s scheduling has also come under the scanner as they have been found guilty of not providing players enough time to acclimatise to the different game conditions.

Read More: WTC Final 2023, Day 5, Aus vs Ind: India lose 2nd consecutive WTC Final; Aus win coveted Test mace

Different formats require different preparation; BCCI need to look into this aspect

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has a very notorious reputation for operating tight schedules ahead of major ICC tournaments. From a grueling IPL season to hectic bilateral series, we have seen several instances of how Indian players are rushed from one league/format to another in just a blink of an eye. This can have dire consequences for the Indian players who find themselves at a high risk of fatigue, burnout and serious injuries.

Besides, such a jam-packed schedule leaves them with very little time to assess and adjust to foreign conditions that in turn hampers their performance on the field. They may be world-class players but at a professional level, they all require mental preparation at the end of the day. The shorter format of the game may require a different level of planning and execution compared to the longer version. For instance, a bowler may only bowl a quota of 4 overs in the IPL but in a Test, the same bowler needs to have enough firepower to toil hard for several overs at a stretch which may be as high as 20 overs. Players do require time to get into the zone and the way BCCI is scheduling the games prior to such important events is leaving world-class players absolutely unprepared.

Read More: WTC 2021-23 Final, Australia vs India: Kishan’s batting skills give him an edge over KS Bharat

Jadeja, Rahane, Shubman & Shami played IPL 2023 Final (Images: ©IPL/Twitter)

Most Key players were involved in IPL Final a week ahead of WTC Final 2023

All the key players featuring the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami were already competing in the IPL final on May 29, barely a week ahead of the blockbuster WTC final on June 7. A mere 7-day gap is simply not good enough for the players to switch gears and get rid of their IPL hangover. Out of the 7 days, two days are spent on traveling and endless layovers which make the players very jet lagged. They missed a trick by not playing any practice matches against the County teams ahead of their mega encounter with Australia. And when they finally went head-to-head with Australia on June 7, the Indian players were caught off guard as they found themselves exposed to foreign conditions.

The deck was no longer like the one they were used to scoring on in the IPL. The pitch was slightly on the pacy side and the tall Aussie quicks made the most of the conditions to terrorise India’s shaky batting lineup. The Indian batters struggled with timing, shot selection and feet movement, all of which contributed to India’s embarrassing downfall. The Men in Blue also lacked penetration with the ball as our premium pacemen leaked a colossal amount of runs in the first innings which later proved to be a decisive factor in the game.

On the other hand, Australia arrived ahead of time to prepare for the WTC final and the much-awaited Ashes series. Steven Smith was already in England prior to his team’s arrival and was actively playing for Sussex alongside Cheteshwar Pujara to get a feel of English conditions.

It is high time for the BCCI to address this problem at the earliest as India have not been able to win a single ICC event since 2013. It has now become a recurring problem for Team India that haunts them as they build up to any ICC tournament. BCCI did something similar just before the commencement of the 2022 T20 World Cup where India played a busy 3-match T20I and ODI series against Proteas which surely would have been taxing for them. Winning bilateral series will be of very little importance if they continue to falter badly at the global level.

Read More: BGT 2023, IND v AUS, 4th Test, Day 5: Match drawn; India win BGT & qualify for WTC 2021-23 Final