Post IPL 2023, no rest before big Test

With next to no preparation time between the T20 league and the WTC final, recovery could be an issue for Rohit and Co.

Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma (R) and head coach Rahul Dravid

CHENNAI:  On the night of March 22, 2023, after the loss against Australia in the third and final ODI at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma was posed with a familiar question. Given the number of injury concerns the national team has, will WTC final-bound players be rested during the Indian Premier League (IPL)?

Sharma, back then, had made it clear that the franchises will have the last word as they "own the players". While saying that players could opt out, Sharma had indicated that he was not expecting it to happen. One of the things they probably could have hoped for was that should some teams get eliminated sooner, the players of those teams in the WTC squad could get some relief. Cut to May 15, 2023, the tournament has gone in the opposite direction.

After the game between Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad, the play-off spots are still open for most teams; at least seven have a mathematical chance of qualification. The third and fourth places are likely to be decided in the last round of league games. As a result — barring Axar Patel, Mukesh Kumar (reserves), Jaydev Unadkat (in the National Cricket Academy racing against the clock) and Cheteshwar Pujara (already in England playing county cricket) — the majority are likely to stay till the end of the tournament.

The first set of players from the eliminated teams are likely to travel to England on May 23. However, depending on which teams qualify for play-offs, there is a high chance that at least half the squad will remain till the final on May 28. The bottomline is that, as a group, the Indian team is likely to have a week at best before they take to the field in the summit clash against Australia at The Oval. Meanwhile, of the 17-member preliminary Australian squad, only four are a part of the IPL. While some are playing county cricket, others are currently a part of the three-day camp in Brisbane. They, too, are set to travel to England by the end of next week.

From an Indian point of view, to get ready, physically and mentally, for the all-important clash, there are a number of factors they will have to deal with starting from the switch in formats, cricketing conditions, time zones, weather, fatigue and more. Former chief selector MSK Prasad believes that the biggest challenge for batters would be adapting to the format mentally, cutting down the shots they have been playing in IPL.

"The temptation to play those big shots, to carry on what they have done here. With white ball, you just have to hit through the line, don't bother about the swing which is contrary to this (UK). They might find it a little tempting to go for the shots even in those conditions. Which is a big challenge. They need to quickly adapt. You will have to contain yourself, restrict those shots and play according to situations," said Prasad.

The other challenge, according to Prasad, was getting back together as a group after the high-intense clashes in the IPL where a lot of strategic meetings and thinking goes into the T20 format. Meanwhile, the form of some of the batters in the IPL, like Sharma, has not been upto the mark. Prasad calls it a blessing in disguise as they could put it behind immediately after the league, if their team doesn't qualify and focus on the task in hand. "Whether it is Virat (Kohli) or Rohit or Ajinkya (Rahane) they have done this in the past. They are all seasoned cricketers... Maybe for a younger player that would be difficult, for someone like Virat, Rohit, it is not a big issue," he said.

Prasad went ahead and said that among other things, the team management could have and probably still should consider taking Hardik Pandya. "If I am in that position, I will convince him to play. Physically. mentally, technically and tactically he is in fantastic shape. Such people will bring in only positive energy. I don't think anyone is in as good shape as Hardik is today. They have to try and as it is a one off game. He is in the best of shape compared to any other Test cricketer," said Prasad.

Recovery key factor

With only a week at hand as a full squad in England before the game, recovery will play a vital role, given that the players could be on the field for 90 overs a day across multiple days. From playing in 40 deg Celsius Indian summer, they will be moving to an entirely different weather pattern after a long tournament. "Physically and mentally they need to focus on individual player protocol. The strategy is different, weather conditions, time zone, sleeping patterns, food and other variables all have to be taken into consideration and start recovery well ahead," said Ramji Srinivasan, the Founder Director of Sports Dynamix.

"They should focus on perfect recovery protocols to prevent any injury during the match and increase the efficiency of the players. If they have any niggle, it has to be addressed right away, addressing any sort of injuries or mental and physical fatigue before embarking on the flight. Support staff have to play a very important role in this," said Ramji.