'I Think It Could be Because of...': Dravid on Deteriorating Quality Of Part-Time Bowlers
Rohit and Kohli [Twitter]
Indian head coach Rahul Dravid believes that allowing 4 fielders outside the 30-yard circle has resulted in the degradation of part-time bowlers who had a long-standing reputation for bowling economical overs during the middle phase. The latest amendment in the fielding restriction was implemented in 2015 that allowed a maximum of 4 fielders to be out of the inner ring between the 11th and the 40th over.
As a result, this unfortunate change has severely hindered the ability of the part-time bowlers to bowl during the middle overs. Moreover, with only 4 fielders outside, it also meant less protection for the bowlers who are not used to bowling long spells.
In a conversation with India Times, Rahul Dravid shared his views on this intriguing topic and highlighted the amount of success part-time bowlers had before the rule was put in place.
"I think it could be because of the rule change. Suddenly you have gone from four fielders inside the ring to five fielders inside the ring. I think that has drastically changed the ability of part-time bowler to be able to bowl in the middle phase.”
Dravid recalled that during his playing days, a maximum of 5 fielders were allowed outside the 30-yard circle post 15th over. This gave the bowlers ample amount of cushion to work with as they did not have to ponder about going for runs. He later outlined the names of his teammates who were very potent with the ball during the middle overs despite being exceptional with the bat.
"If you remember and mention all these names (Sachin, Sourav, Sehwag, Yuvraj, Raina) bowling in this phase, a lot of these guys started when there used to be only four fielders in the ring.
Besides, Dravid also added that the use of two new balls from both ends has also driven the sharp decline.
"Partly, it is because of two new balls, you have got five fielders in the ring in the middle overs. It's not that they are not bowling in the nets, a lot of bowlers do try, they bowl in the nets. But if you don't get opportunities to bowl in the middle then it becomes very difficult to develop your skill."
In order to get around this complex problem, Dravid revealed that his primary goal for Team India is to develop quality all-rounders who can bat and bowl with the same intensity. As the World Cup looms large, their role will be absolutely paramount in driving India’s success rate in this marquee event.
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