Sachin Tendulkar has backed Harbhajan Singh’s suggestion of including more bowlers in the International Cricket Council (ICC) to keep the right balance between bat and ball.
It all began with the ICC’s tweet, in which it hailed the pair of Sachin and Sourav Ganguly for accumulating over 8,000 runs while batting together. Taking note of that, Sachin responded that the runs could have been much more had the new fielding rules been implemented then.
Tagging Sourav, the icon had tweeted: “How many more do you think we would’ve been able to score with the restriction of 4 fielders outside the ring and 2 new balls?”
Sourav responded: “Another 4000 or so ..2 new balls..wow .. sounds like a cover drive flying to the boundary in the first over of the game..”
Harbhajan Singh Telegraph file picture
Harbhajan reacted thereafter, as he said the game is quickly tilting in the batsmen’s favour and that something needs to be done for the bowlers too.
“At least few more thousands runs easily..such a bad rule this is..need few bowlers in @ICC to keep th balance right bitween bat and ball.. and games become more competitive when team scores 260/270 now days everyone scorning 320/30 plus and getting chased as well often,” the distinguished off-spinner wrote on his Twitter handle.
Supporting Harbhajan’s views, Sachin said the rules and the pitches nowadays “need to be looked into”.
“Couldn’t agree with you more Bhajji! Even I feel the rules and surfaces both need to be looked into.”
Harbhajan then replied to Sachin, saying: “100 percent master hope @ICC listening.”
According to the current fielding restriction rules in men’s and women’s ODIs, only two players are allowed to remain outside the 30-yard circle. Two more fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle after the 10th over and it remains the same until the 40th over.
In the final 10 overs, a maximum of five fielders are allowed outside the circle in men’s ODIs, while only four are allowed in women’s matches.
Dig at Greg
Harbhajan, meanwhile, took a dig at former Australia captain and India coach Greg Chappell, who recently spoke about the finishing skills of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
During an interaction on Facebook, Chappell recalled an India-Sri Lanka ODI in 2005 — the year he took up the coaching offer — and said he had challenged Dhoni to hit along the ground when the latter was smashing everything to all corners. Chappell said he always challenged Dhoni to “finish games” for India and the wicketkeeper-batsman would then have a broad smile on his face whenever he got the side past the finish line.
In his response to Chappell’s comments on Dhoni, Harbhajan tweeted: “He asked Dhoni to play along the ground coz coach was hitting everyone out of the park. He was playing different games #worstdaysofindiancricketundergreg.”
Chappell’s tenure as India coach ended after the team, led by Rahul Dravid then, had a forgettable World Cup campaign in 2007. Upset by Bangladesh in their opening game and then losing to Sri Lanka brought about India’s early exit as they couldn’t even make the Super Eight stage.
