GQEBERHA: For a country that produces elite cricketers on an industrial level, the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) policies mean crowds around the world cannot hope to see the likes of Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah turning out for franchise-based leagues anytime soon. As it stands, players will have to retire from the Indian Premier League (IPL) if they want to play for overseas leagues. That's how Dinesh Karthik became the first Indian cricketer to feature for Paarl Royals in the ongoing edition of the SA20.
Vernon Philander, a commentator for the league, hopes Karthik is the first of many to showcase their skills in South Africa. "It's great to have him over," Philander, who played 101 international matches for the Proteas across all three formats, said in a select media interaction on Tuesday. "I think a lot of these youngsters, like Lhuan-dre Pretorius, might play in one of the IPL teams. They will learn a great deal and would have had great insight up front from a guy like Dinesh Karthik being in the same changing room."
When asked for a wishlist, Philander said Suryakumar Yadav is at the top. "I think Suryakumar would be right up there," he said with a smile. "Jasprit (Bumrah), without a shadow of doubt, as his skill set on these kinds of wickets would be phenomenal to watch in action. And then I think you want to see a guy like Kohli who has obviously built a massive name for himself over the last decade or so."
Away from the SA20, Philander had a word of caution for India's team management apropos Bumrah's workload. "His skills, the ability to shift his pace up and down, I think he has just been wonderful for the game," he said. "Overall, if you look at the amount of games that India plays, obviously over the calendar year, that load is quite massive.
"I think it's more about how the Indian management manages him. I would say, you look at a guy like Jasprit, and you want him to be playing all the key series, all the key tournaments. So they have to manage his workload in between tournaments."
India's chances will brighten if Bumrah is declared fit for the Champions Trophy, scheduled to begin across Pakistan and UAE in two weeks. On that ICC event, Philander reckoned that India, Australia, England and South Africa will be the four semi-finalists.