Fab4 in T20

With Sourav Ganguly having a string of low scores in T20 comes to debate the point of the “older” generation playing T20.
A lot has been talked about VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid but the other member of the club Sourav Ganguly has actually not done much as well. It all brings on the question of whether the senior players can play T20. Sachin has yet to make a debut in the IPL and it would be wise to leave him out of the discussion {for the moment at least}. So what’s causing these players not to score?

There are conglomeration of factors. However, the most deciding factor of them is the “mental” mindset. We all know Ganguly can be explosive on any given day but the kind of mindset that T20 demands is a little different. In ODI’s too you have the field setup inside the 30-yard circle but it’s for a longer duration of time {15overs earlier-20 overs now}. So you can afford to play yourself in, even if that means using up and over or two. In T20 though, 1 or 2 overs can change the course of a match drastically. So there isn’t any time for them to settle down. Since, that has been their game play ever since they started playing cricket it’s quite difficult now the change it. VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid might not look T20 players but they have it in them to score at a brisk rate and they have done it in ODI’s too. But the “mind game” factor comes into picture which makes these great players, including Ganguly, look ordinary.

No doubt these players had opted out of the T20 WC2007 in South Africa as they felt that it was a young generation game. Has it all of a sudden become an “all generation” game. This question can only be answered by the BCCI. According to me, BCCI has made these players compulsory play the IPL just to give it an initial face lift. Considering the fact that most of these players are icon players just buttresses the fact.
Currently, the only batsman to look like scoring in the IPL T20 is Sachin Tendulkar. It may be because he hasn’t played a game plus to the belief {can be called as a fact} that he can do anything on the field makes it more likely. Sourav Ganguly follows in at second place but it’s highly improbable that he might have a long lasting impact with his batting. VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid seem like not making an impact at all.

However, with the drain of foreign players the second phase of the IPL might see the ‘fab4’ rise like a phoenix from the ashes