Different league

Sir — Mukul Kesavan seems to be unhappy with Twenty20 cricket. He thinks that it is just another form of entertainment (“Cricket as spectacle”, April 24). The Indian Premier League has certainly got Kesavan’s goat, but the reason for his unhappiness remains unclear. Is Kesavan irritated that the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi now has better amenities? Or was he disappointed with Akshay Kumar’s spectacular stunts? It could also be that Kesavan hasn’t taken a liking to the rules of T20 cricket. Why else would he describe the game as one in which “the batting side has the insurance of ten wickets over a measly twenty overs whereas the poor bowler can’t bowl more than four overs, no-balls are penalized by free hits and the slightest deviation down the leg side constitutes a wide”.

Kesavan’s complaints about T20 cricket are certainly exaggerated. However, in a free country, everyone is entitled to express his opinion. The fact is that the modern world spins around money. And if this version of cricket is yielding handsome returns — for the players and administrators — in a legal way, then where is the harm in it? It is true that Test cricket is what real cricket is all about. But that does not mean that one can be dismissive about T20 cricket. It must be remembered that purists had expressed the similar concerns when one-day cricket had started. Kesavan describes the bowlers in T20 cricket as ‘extras’. But if the bowlers cannot pick up wickets in their quota of overs, then it is their fault, not the game’s. I can only that Indians will enjoy this new version of cricket and that T20 would soon become as popular as one-dayers and Tests. Every novelty has been ridiculed by critics in the beginning. T20 is no exception.

Yours faithfully,
Abhinaba Chatterjee, Burdwan

Sir — I was really shocked to read what Mukul Kesavan had to say about T20 cricket. Everyone in India is aware about the quality of cricket that has been played in the IPL so far. Nearly every match has been competitive, and the crowd has been treated to some top class cricket. To tell the truth, the format the league follows is also a challenging one.

No matter how much money or glamour is involved in the IPL, there is no doubt that it will become a cricketing success. So much so that it wouldn’t be surprising to see European countries take up cricket in the future. Kesavan seems to think that it will be difficult for the IPL to replicate the “traditional partisanship” of the EPL. However, if Manchester United fans can root for a Christiano Ronaldo, why can’t the people of Calcutta support Brendon McCullum when he turns out for the Kolkata Knight Riders? Kesavan has also declared T20 to be a batsman’s game. But there is a bit in it for the bowlers too. Look at how Ishant Sharma or Manpreet Singh Gony has performed so far. Indians should be proud that the IPL has turned the world’s attention towards cricket in India. The league would do a lot of good to the game as well as the players. As for Kesavan, he just sounds like snobbish Britons who have realized that the game that they discovered has changed forever.

Yours faithfully,
Chandrachur Das, Calcutta

Sir — Mukul Kesavan’s piece reflects the mood of the serious cricket-lover in India. The IPL is all about money, glitz and only a bit of cricket. It is a joint venture of wealthy businessmen, filmstars and the rapacious Board of Control for Cricket in India to earn more money. Expectedly, preserving the true spirit of the game isn’t a priority here. So IPL is all about cheering leggy blondes, celebrity guests and cricketers fighting for a trophy in the middle of the Indian summer. Little wonder then that the spectacle has not found many takers among fans who understand the game and know that cricket should be treated differently from corny potboilers.

Yours faithfully,
Shivaji K. Moitra, Kharagpur

Sir — The T20 cricket league in India has proved to be a huge hit. Schoolchildren and even busy executives have taken time off from their respective schedules to watch the matches. The league’s popularity has a lot to do with the sensational reporting in the media. The propaganda will benefit only the sponsors and businessmen, and not the fans. Unfortunately, the IPL has jeopardized the future of the game by prioritizing commerce over cricket.

Yours faithfully,
R. Sekar, Visakhapatnam

Sir — The world of cricket continues to amaze its fans and critics alike. Undoubtedly, the game today has been turned into a successful product with a huge following. Five-day cricket is now a thing of the past, simply because people do not have the time to enjoy the longer version of the game. It thus became imperative to truncate cricket to keep its popularity intact.

The number of tournaments in the international cricketing calendar have also increased. As a result, it is getting difficult for the big stars to play throughout the year in each and every match. However, they face no such problems while playing T20 cricket. The shorter duration allows the players to play as many matches as possible. Critics may rail that in this innovative form of cricket, players seldom follow the ‘correct’ style. Yet it cannot be denied that its unorthodox character has made T20 cricket a far more exciting proposition than, lets say, Test cricket. The IPL, no matter what the critics say, is not a threat to cricket. It is here to ensure the longevity of this glorious game.

Yours faithfully,
Pranab Hazra, Asansol