CHENNAI: Former Australian pace legend Glenn McGrath believed that the IPL starting from March 22 would be exciting as usual. All teams have a fresh look with their new acquisitions. Chennai Super Kings as usual had bid well and have assembled a quality side.
McGrath seemed particularly interested with the Delhi side with whom he was associated with for a while. Delhi have the likes of KL Rahul, Mitchell Starc, Faf du Plessis, T Natarajan, Axar Patel, Tristian Stubbs, Karun Nair, Mukesh Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristian Stubbs, Jake Fraser-MCGurk. They will be coached by Hemang Badani, who is a successful coach in the T20 format both at the domestic and International leagues.
''Delhi team looks good. They have many experienced guys (Starc, Faf). After seeing the names in the squad, they could be considered dark horse of the tournament,'' said McGrath, who is in the Director of Coaching at the MRF Pace Foundation and in the city impart training along with head coach M Senthilnathan.
Jasprit Bumrah, one of the big names in the IPL has been away from action since January this year and his return in IPL is likely to be delayed, as per reports. Bumrah's back injury has sparked serious concerns about his long-term future, with former New Zealand pacer Shane Bond cautioning that another setback in the same area "could be a career-ender". Bumrah is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Several fast bowlers like Imran Khan and Dennis Lillee had suffered injuries and later decided to cut their pace and relied on movement and swing to prolong their career. ''I am not sure whether he will be effective if he cuts down on pace. He should continue to bowl the speeds that he normally does. Playing all the formats is tough. He needs adequate rest. And a bowler knows best how much rest he should take. He knows his body well. I feel even while bowling for longevity sake he must be used in short spells,'' suggested McGrath after a video analysis session.
''If you take the India vs Australia Test series Down Under, you take Bumrah out of that series, it could probably be very one-sided. I know the scoreline was 3-1, but if he had been fit to bowl in that second innings in the last Test, you just never know. But he's the type of bowler that's unique,'' added McGrath.
Some of the top fast bowlers in the world have been requesting ICC to lift the saliva ban that came into force just after the Covid pandemic. However, for McGrath it is not the issue of saliva but other foreign ingredients like mint in it.
''I think it's not so much saliva that's the issue. It's if there's sucking on mints (sweets) or other things. And that's the issue. I have no issues with using saliva on the ball, as long as there's nothing else being used first,'' said McGrath.
India did well to win the Champions Trophy. It was an all-round performance with Rohit Sharma leading by example in the final. ''Yes, I think they did really well to win the Champions Trophy. They were the team to beat. The Australian team had their chances in the semifinals. Obviously, we had a few of our bowlers out, but the pitches took spin. India played well,'' said McGrath.
India, after 50 years, played four spinners in the Champions Trophy. ''I think bowlers have to bowl well. At the start of T20, when it first came about, everyone said it was going to be the death of spinners. But the spinners showed, even in the shorter version, T20, they can do well. Over here on spinning tracks, it's a little bit more in their (spinners) favour. But you see bowlers like Josh Hazlewood, Jasprit Bumrah, they still bowl in good areas, good length and they bowl well. So if it's Test cricket, one-day cricket, or T20 cricket, it comes down to execution. Executing your plan and bowl where you want to bowl. So it's still about control. And the bowlers that have the better control, I think will still do well,'' said McGrath.
McGrath is a player who is keen that one must gate the basics right as a player and captain. He is in favour of the left-right combo with both bat and ball at the top of the order should be followed by teams in the IPL.
"But I think if you do the basics very well, the teams that can do that and maintain that and handle pressure, are always going to do well.'' he said.
A former India player commented that India is not doing well in red ball cricket. So what India needs to do to improve its red ball cricket to match with that of white ball.
''There's quality players there. There's no doubt about it. To me, Test cricket needs India strong at Test level. I think they've got the batting line-up. They've got the bowlers. I think they're just around Bumrah. They have to make sure their second-tier bowlers are quality and just be able to manage it. The top three Test teams, I think, really are Australia, England and India.
Virat Kohli and the boys, they all think Test cricket is still important. They still hold Test cricket in high regard with the respect that it deserves. Hopefully, they can get the formula right,'' opined McGrath.