By Niharika Raina
New Delhi, May 4 (IANS) When T20 cricket was introduced, it was deemed to be a young player’s game, with the format regarded as too fast-paced for the veteran cricketers. But in IPL 2023, that adage has been flipped through veteran players putting in match-winning performances in what has turned out to be a standout theme of IPL 2023.
Like, Ishant Sharma continued his resurgence by defending 12 runs in the final over for Delhi Capitals against Gujarat Titans or Piyush Chawla shining with a spell of 2/29 against Punjab Kings, where rest of his Mumbai Indians bowling colleagues were being taken to cleaners.
Amit Mishra is turning out to be a crucial cog in the wheel for Lucknow Super Giants with his flight and dip while Mohit Sharma has been impressive with his off-cutters, slower deliveries at back of the length and holding his own in defending 12 runs in the last over against Lucknow.
Former India left-arm pacer RP Singh stated that the stellar performances of the four veteran bowlers in IPL 2023 has reiterated that knowledge and experience cannot be brought from anywhere in cricket and that it is earned only by constantly playing.
“I have been extremely impressed with their (Ishant and Mohit Sharma) performances. Apart from these two, there are others like Amit Mishra and Piyush Chawla who have shown that experience cannot be brought from anywhere. You gain experience only by playing the game and those players have shown that they can be trusted.”
“You cannot neglect a player only because they are a bit older in age and that we will give chance only to a youngster with a thought to groom youngsters. But people like Ishant, Mohit, Piyush and Amit have done well previously and are doing it now too.”
“In a way, I am not surprised by their performances too as all of them have the ability and their work ethic has been fantastic too. They focus a lot on their work and are hardworking too, the reward of which is being seen right now,” said Singh, an IPL expert for JioCinema, in a select virtual media interaction.
After Ishant’s ripper of a delivery bamboozled Vijay Shankar, it was called by Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling coach and legendary South Africa pacer Dale Steyn as the best knuckle ball he had ever seen. But he saved his best for the last, mixing wide yorkers and hard lengths to take out a dangerous Rahul Tewatia and lead Delhi to an improbable victory, where Singh believes Ishant’s experience came handy.
“The knuckleball from him was a really good delivery and completely took Vijay Shankar by surprise. He has been working very hard on his game. He has been reading the game situations, followed by bowling the right deliveries at the right time, and all of that comes from experience, which Ishant has shown. He’s playing, giving his best and is operating at optimum levels too.”
“When Rahul Tewatia was batting in the final over, we were talking about it in the commentary box that short of good length, outside the off-stump with point and third man pushed back will be a great option as his hitting range is between mid-wicket and mid-on. Ishant came in and bowled that delivery immediately to get him out, which showed that his experience can be counted upon to stop a rampaging batter,” he added.
Leading the wicket-taking charts of IPL 2023 has been a senior pacer too in Mohammed Shami. In Gujarat’s title-winning run in IPL 2022, Shami took 20 wickets, out of which 11 came in the powerplay.
In 2023, 12 out of 17 wickets taken by Shami have come in power-play, with his deadly spell of 4/11 against Delhi showing why he’s still a force to reckon with as far as bowling with new ball is concerned.
“When you have the experience, you tend to immediately understand what the wicket is doing and what the batter could do to counter the bowlers. Apart from a lot of things discussed in the team meeting, one of the most special things about Shami is that he doesn’t shy away from his strengths,” said RP Singh.
“He bowls just outside the off-stump and fetches some movement too, which shows that he introduces his strength area first and exploits the weakness of the batter in front, thereby making use of his rich experience,” he concluded.
It is widely believed that T20 cricket brings the exuberance and fearlessness of youngsters to the fore. But in IPL 2023, it is the veterans who are still showing that they are the best and can come out triumphant in tense match situations by tapping into their vast experiences.
–IANS
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