Had it been 10 years back, I would have cracked it (T20 format) easy," was Rahul Dravid’s caustic response after a rare Royal Challengers win in the Indian Premier League last season.
In that one line, Dravid probably said it all, not just for himself but for his old friend Sourav Ganguly as well. The two stalwarts of Indian cricket, who incidentally are icons of Royal Challengers and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively, are finding out that time has probably run out for them when it comes to T20 cricket.
The two supreme batsmen have just not been able to keep pace with the blitz of T20 cricket and the IPL has brought in nothing but humiliation, which the two probably didn’t deserve at this stage of their careers.
While Dravid has been replaced as RCB captain by the maverick Kevin Pietersen, KKR coach John Buchanan is adamant that he doesn't want Ganguly to be the sole authority of his team.
The bottomline is that the two team managements simply don't want Dravid or Ganguly to be automatic choices in the squad. In the world of 'perform or perish', there's no place for players just because they form an emotional connect with the fans of a particular city.
The tournament being shifted to South Africa has only helped the owners' cause and a couple of slip-ups on the bouncy tracks of South Africa will surely mean the end of the road in the IPL for Dravid and Ganguly.
The 'icon' tag, though, doesn't weigh so heavily on the Little Master. Sachin Tendulkar was nowhere near his best in the last IPL, nor did his team, Mumbai Indians, make the semifinals. But not a finger was pointed at Tendulkar.
It has probably got a lot to do with the belief that Tendulkar can do whatever he pleases. The Mumbai maestro has made it clear that he won't play international T20 cricket but there's bound to be a burning desire within to show the world that this is child's play for a man with 85 international centuries.
Sachin, though, has nothing to prove, but a couple of other icons have.
The world knows how dangerous Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh can be, but this IPL will test the leadership abilities of the duo.
A true icon has to be an inspiration for the team and that's exactly what Kings XI Punjab and Team Delhi are looking for from these two. Sehwag has shown glimpses of being a good captain, but in this tournament, he really has to assume the role of a mentor.
There are young players like David Warner and Manoj Tiwary, who will look to Sehwag for inspiration and it's up to the Delhi dasher to put them on the right track.
The IPL, in a way, will prove whether Sehwag has the spark in him to be long-term deputy for MS Dhoni in the national side.
Yuvraj, on the other hand, is not a tested captain. While every Indian still fondly remembers Yuvi's exploits in the T20 World Cup in South Africa, Kings XI supporters will hope to see the maverick left-hander shape up into a tactful leader as well.
Yuvraj has a canny coach in Tom Moody to help him and the IPL may well see the birth of a Yuvraj, who is not just a brilliant batsman and a superb fielder, but a true icon as well.
Source: TOI
In that one line, Dravid probably said it all, not just for himself but for his old friend Sourav Ganguly as well. The two stalwarts of Indian cricket, who incidentally are icons of Royal Challengers and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively, are finding out that time has probably run out for them when it comes to T20 cricket.
The two supreme batsmen have just not been able to keep pace with the blitz of T20 cricket and the IPL has brought in nothing but humiliation, which the two probably didn’t deserve at this stage of their careers.
While Dravid has been replaced as RCB captain by the maverick Kevin Pietersen, KKR coach John Buchanan is adamant that he doesn't want Ganguly to be the sole authority of his team.
The bottomline is that the two team managements simply don't want Dravid or Ganguly to be automatic choices in the squad. In the world of 'perform or perish', there's no place for players just because they form an emotional connect with the fans of a particular city.
The tournament being shifted to South Africa has only helped the owners' cause and a couple of slip-ups on the bouncy tracks of South Africa will surely mean the end of the road in the IPL for Dravid and Ganguly.
The 'icon' tag, though, doesn't weigh so heavily on the Little Master. Sachin Tendulkar was nowhere near his best in the last IPL, nor did his team, Mumbai Indians, make the semifinals. But not a finger was pointed at Tendulkar.
It has probably got a lot to do with the belief that Tendulkar can do whatever he pleases. The Mumbai maestro has made it clear that he won't play international T20 cricket but there's bound to be a burning desire within to show the world that this is child's play for a man with 85 international centuries.
Sachin, though, has nothing to prove, but a couple of other icons have.
The world knows how dangerous Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh can be, but this IPL will test the leadership abilities of the duo.
A true icon has to be an inspiration for the team and that's exactly what Kings XI Punjab and Team Delhi are looking for from these two. Sehwag has shown glimpses of being a good captain, but in this tournament, he really has to assume the role of a mentor.
There are young players like David Warner and Manoj Tiwary, who will look to Sehwag for inspiration and it's up to the Delhi dasher to put them on the right track.
The IPL, in a way, will prove whether Sehwag has the spark in him to be long-term deputy for MS Dhoni in the national side.
Yuvraj, on the other hand, is not a tested captain. While every Indian still fondly remembers Yuvi's exploits in the T20 World Cup in South Africa, Kings XI supporters will hope to see the maverick left-hander shape up into a tactful leader as well.
Yuvraj has a canny coach in Tom Moody to help him and the IPL may well see the birth of a Yuvraj, who is not just a brilliant batsman and a superb fielder, but a true icon as well.
Source: TOI
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