KL Rahul's promotion is a warning for both Rohit and Pant

Strange though it may sound, but there seems to be a kind of method in the madness that is Indian cricket.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India while announcing the squads for the November to January tour of Australia in all three formats has definitely awarded form and fitness. Along the way it has also sent very strong signals to players and their lobbies about the future of the game in the country.

Topmost on the list would have to be the selection of K L Rahul as wicket-keeper and vice-captain in both the 50- and 20-overs formats. In fact, so strong is the backing of Rahul's form and fitness that he is the lone glove-man for the three-match ODI series which are scheduled to follow the three T20 internationals and four Tests.

There is no doubting Rahul's competence with the bat as well as his leadership abilities that has seen a dramatic turn-around by his franchise in the Indian Premier League. But keeping wickets in the 20-over game and the longer version is quite a different kettle of fish. Statistics show that in T20s, on an average, less than 15 percent of the deliveries go through to the wicket-keeper even though the person behind the stumps must be supremely fit and agile to counter the "wides" as well as the edges flying off the bat.

Rishabh Pant's performance behind the sticks and in front has been rather sedate if not a tad disappointing. And his injury that forced him to yield the gloves to Australian Alex Carey could not have come at a worse time.

The saving grace for the Delhi youngster is his selection as the Test stumper alongside veteran Wriddhiman Saha. A special performance there ahead of the Bengal gloveman could still find Pant pushing for a place in the ODI squad which sees action only in January 2021.

Mumbai stalwart Rohit Sharma finds himself in the wilderness due a left hamstring injury which will be "monitored" by the Team India's medical team as well as the selection panel led by former Test spinner Sunil Joshi. But leaving no doubts about the leadership race, Sharma has to remain content, if he makes the cut at all, with playing purely as a batsman and possibly pushing him out of the succession race.

Barring some miracle, new ball exponents Ishant Sharma and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar would be lucky if they ever come into consideration for the Australian sojourn. 

The pace battery is well stocked with new additions like Mohammad Siraj to the Test and Navdeep Saini across formats. Then there are the four "net bowlers" biding their time in the wings, much like Saini did in the 2019 ICC World Cup in England and improved by leaps and bounds thanks to the exposure.

Yuzvendra Chahal may be justifiably peeved at his exclusion from the Test squad but seems to be in the lead spinner for the limited overs affairs where he could very well be partnering newbie Varun Chakravarthy even as Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja jostle for the all-rounder's spot.

Subtle message going out from the BCCI and its selection team with an eye on the future. And if the signals are received right, an improved performance from those in the firing line would only do Indian cricket a world of good.

Slowing pitches make power-plays the decider in IPL 2020

The death overs are where batsmen go for broke and bowlers try their level best to limit the carnage. The Indian Premier League 2020 has seen a very different scenario unfold when the first half of the cricket tournament was more batsmen oriented but as the competition moves into the second phase, its the bowlers that are calling the shots.

Of the grounds in use in the United Arab Emirates, Sharjah is the smallest and witnessed as many as 62 sixes being smashed in the first two games it hosted. But thereafter things seemed to have quietened down so much that teams are looking at hitting more fours than sixes given the danger involved in the latter effort.

Abu Dhabi has its own story since the square boundaries are humungous making it tough for all - fielders need to cover more ground while batsmen must look to run two's and three's rather than go for broke and try smashing boundaries. 

Fitness is being tested all round!

Dubai is a similar tale though the ground offers its own set of challenges. The most pronounced is the position of the flood-lights, making the television commentators to refer to the venue as a ring of fire. The large ground is as challenging as neighbouring Abu Dhabi but perhaps a little less intimidating for both fielding and batting sides.

One thing, however, is pretty noticeable in the 13th edition of IPL - chasing is not easy at any of the three venues making the coin toss vital. The pitches, which showed a greenish tinge at the start, have now turned a dull brown and the ball seems to grip the surface making stroke-play rather difficult.

To break the shackles in such a scenario, both bowlers and batsmen need to be aware of the "handicaps" and play well within their limitations. Chasing down targets has been tough, to say the least, unless there is a superlative performance by one or more of the players.

Hence the new ball and first six overs of power-play, with its inherent fielding restrictions, become absolutely vital for all teams as they jostle for positions in the points table in the second phase of the league. With matches coming thick and fast, teams have little time to recover and reload as the competition for the top four slots hots up in the desert sands.

The hard, shiny ball seems to come off the pitch better and enables batsmen to go ahead with their strokes. But as the game wears on, so does the pitch and it has been more than evident that quality spinners can clamp the brakes on run-scoring.

Since the scenario appears pretty much similar in either innings, and very little visible effect of the dew that settles in the latter half of the games, teams batting first are able to defend scores around 165 with some smart bowling.

Franchises may now need to redraw plans and go on attack from the very start since run-making gets tougher with an older ball. Scores close to 200 may now be the exception with ground conditions settling down and players becoming aware of the idiosyncrasies of each venue.

If the bowlers found the going tough at the start, batmen will have to hitherto carry the burden since conditions have changed within a month!

Betting shadow taints all IPL 2020 performances

The desert sands of the United Arab Emirates are pretty known for courting cricket controversies. Not for nothing was international cricket banned in Sharjah, along with, of course, Toronto and Singapore, till Pakistan and Afghanistan decided to shift home base.

Now the Indian Premier League 2020 has added more colour and glamour to the otherwise rather desolate venues in Dubai and Abu Dhabi apart from Sharjah, which has been peppered with lofty hits all over without respite.

But the report by a player of "corrupt approach" is bound to put the anti-corruption unit of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in a tizzy. 

All those involved with the IPL 2020 - players, officials, broadcast crew - are "imprisoned" in a bio-secure bubble. How secure is that bubble may be put to test now since outsiders have been able to breach the barriers and establish communications with playing members of the grand league.

It was bound to happen, given the number of "betting" sites that are among the promoters / sponsors of the event. Hardly any surprise that television broadcast is plastered end-to-end with offers of big prizes for correct selection of players for the day.

Really sad that while players are sweating it out in the oppressive desert heat, young and old included struggling to give their best, betting should cast its ominous shadow over the event. Inevitably, all performances will be put back under the microscope and re-evaluated, which in itself takes the sheen off the IPL.

Not that the BCCI was unaware of the dangers lurking in the desert sands of UAE, given the past experiences, but there seemed to be little option but to go ahead with the event hoping the bio-secure bubbles will keep everything at bay.

Unfortunately for BCCI and world cricket, that does not seem to have worked. And now it will be huge question mark over everything related to IPL 2020.

Young talent thrives on the opportunity that the league provides but if there is loss of credibility, as is bound to happen if secure bubbles are breached, what hope for the future? BCCI needs to seal the fortress before the leaks bring it all crumbling down!