Domestic Cricketers : ‘Great exposure’

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Players who don’t often get a chance to perform outside India were upbeat at the prospect of playing abroad in the second edition of the IPL. HT spoke to some of these players who are not household names, but are part of various teams. More... ‘Great exposure’ HT Sports Bureau, Hindustan Times March 24, 2009 First Published: 02:01 IST(24/3/2009) Last Updated: 02:07 IST(24/3/2009) Players who don’t often get a chance to perform outside India were upbeat at the prospect of playing abroad in the second edition of the Indian Premier League. They know that moving the tournament to England or South Africa means that the teams would travel with as few players as they can because of the cost factor. But instead of being bogged down by thoughts of missing out, the players are looking forward to the challenge of impressing the coaches. HT spoke to some of these players who are not household names, but are part of various teams. The following are excerpts of what they had to say: Sunny Sohal (Kings XI) I’m excited at the prospect of playing outside the country. It’s going to inspire us to perform better. As for the chance of the teams not taking the entire squad out there, I’m not thinking about it. Uday Kaul (Kings XI ) It’s going to be a great exposure. Everything, including the weather, conditions and wickets, is going to be different. It's going to be a huge learning curve for everyone. Karan Goel (Kings XI) It’s going to be a great opportunity for those who have not played outside India. It’s going to be a totally different experience. It will all depend on performance who goes out and who doesn’t. Umesh Yadav (Delhi Daredevils) I’ve never been outside India. If not for IPL, my wait to play abroad would have got longer. I haven’t thought about ‘what if I am left behind’. I feel I will go as team management have asked me to send my passport. Everyone will feel bad about not being part of the squad. Arun Karthik (Chennai Super Kings) It will be a nice experience for all youngsters. We have to get used to the conditions and adapt quickly. I am working hard to become a permanent part of the team, and npt thinking about being left out. Siddharth Chitnis (Rajasthan Royals) IPL is a platform for youngsters. Dhawal Kulkarni did well last year and got selected in the Test squad. I am looking forward to playing overseas. Playing on different types of pitches will be an experience. If I am left out, I will feel bad. Sourav Sarkar (Knight Riders) It’s simple. I’ve to impress the coaches in the training camp. It’s a big break and being a bowler, I’m looking forward to bowling in conditions which suit quick bowlers. LR Shukla (Knight Riders) The overseas aspect will add new dimension to the whole thing. About the competition to make it to the squad getting tougher, it’s something that the players have to live with. Ashoke Dinda (Knight Riders) Apart from looking forward to what is going to be a new experience, I’m also gearing up for the fight to seal a place in the team. Conditions may not suit quick bowlers because of the prerequisites of Twenty20 cricket like small grounds and flat tracks, but I’m ready to face the challenge. (With inputs from G Krishnan in Mumbai, Subhash Rajta in New Delhi and Atreyo Mukhopadhyay in Kolkata)

[Chandan]

Exposure to domestic cricketers are perhaps just the only silver lining I suppose. Akash Chopra seems to agree with all the above players in his column in Hindustan Times! Third Eye - Players will get to taste a new flavour Aakash Chopra Delhi Ranji captain MUCH LIKE the entire cricketing fraternity I'm happy that the IPL is , finally on. Even before the last edition finished, everyone, the people and the players, were talking about how IPL2 would be, so the BCCI and the IPL board should be applauded for pulling off what many thought impossible. Still, purely from a player's perspective, there are major changes ahead. No home, all away The charm of playing in front of 100,000 people at the Eden Gardens can't be replicated anywhere in the country let alone in the world. Every , time the KKR team anthem 'Korbo, Lodbo, Jeetbo' began, it was an indescribable feeling to watch everyone at Eden on their feet for it. Will that happen at the Bull Ring or Lord's? I'd be shocked! The adrenaline rush of winning a couple of games there will be missed, as also the hope of settling scores in home games if your team has lost one away game and got a mouthful from the crowd. England vs SA In terms of the tracks and weather, South Africa is the better option because the early part of the English summer is cold and often wet. It would be hard work for the batsmen as the ball moves around quite a bit. Too much movement in the air and off the pitch isn't ideal for the T20 format, so high-scoring run chases might not be the norm and teams might have to adopt a different approach to the game. Yet, in terms of crowd support, there can't be better place than England for an Indian cricketer. There's a huge Asian population there and they're passionate about the sport. The turnouts might not be the same in South Africa. Chopping and changes Logically teams would be forced , to prune their squads to more realistic numbers if they are to be stationed abroad for nearly two months, the costs of hotels and travel would be far higher than India. So, a lot of players might have to watch their teams play on the telly, much like everyone else. It would deny players, especially fringe players, the opportunity of sharing a dressing room with international stars. Others though, would have that rare opportunity to play at Lord's or Newlands, something that we, as players, just dream of. And at the end of the day a truncated squad is definitely better than a truncated tournament, or worse, none at all. We're just glad the show will go on. www.cricketaakash.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So like many players, even Akash Chopra is relieved that IPL this finally on this year!

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wat does Atul Sharma say?:P