Dear BCCI, how many more run-fests?

Another run-fest in Delhi saw India shatter record books as Abhishek Sharma unleashed his wrath on a hapless Afghanistan bowling attack in the third T20I. It only took 30 deliveries for the swashbuckling opener to slam a century as he blazed his way to the fastest hundred in T20Is (among full-member nations).

India’s victory was pretty much sealed in the powerplay itself with the Men in Blue crossing the 100-run mark within the first six overs without breaking a sweat. At the time of Abhishek Sharma’s dismissal, India were comfortably placed on 142/1 after 9.5 overs, well-set to cross the 270-run mark. 

However, quite surprisingly, the Men in Blue were restricted to 221/7 in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to a combination of some spectacular fielding and reverse swing employed by the Afghan seam bowlers. The second innings witnessed a similar script repeat itself as the hosts were skittled under the huge scoreboard pressure, getting bundled out for just 94 in 14.1 overs.

As a result, India completed another whitewash, registering their 12th successive T20I series win on home soil. The Men in Blue have been a dominant force in the shortest format since 2023, having won back-to-back T20 World Cup trophies, becoming the first team to achieve the feat.

During this period, they haven’t shied away from flexing their batting muscles with an abundance of talent at their disposal. Ever since July 1, 2024, India have recorded the most 200-plus totals in T20Is, having breached the mark 20 times, 11 times more than the joint second-ranked England and South Africa, who have nine such totals to their names.

Teams with most 200-plus scores since 1st July 2024

The bravado exhibited by the Indian batters has been possible both due to their big-hitting prowess and the pitches aiding the adventurous strokeplay.

During the same period (1 July 2024 onwards), Indian pitches have witnessed the most 200-plus scores (23), 13 more than the second-ranked Zimbabwe, where ten such totals have been scored over the past 26 months. 

Countries with most 200-plus scores since July 1, 2024

While the pitches have played their part, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has also gone a long way in changing players’ mindsets. The belter of tracks served during the tournament, which has continued to set new benchmarks in terms of run scoring every season, has helped India build a strong bench strength of some of the ruthless hitters of the cricket ball.

Moreover, the introduction of the Impact Player rule has given batters freedom like never before to go out and express themselves.

A similar pattern has been followed in the T20 extravaganza, which has witnessed an increase in the 200-plus scores over the last six seasons.

200-plus scores in IPL since 2021

The cost of continuous exposure to batting paradises

However, the overexposure to such good batting wickets also comes with its downsides, as witnessed during the recent tours of Ireland and England. Fresh from successfully defending the T20 World Cup title on home soil, India were given a wake-up call under the leadership of new skipper Shreyas Iyer, losing their first series against the Irish.

Things only went downhill in the following tour of England, where the Men in Blue were hammered 0-4, including their heaviest loss in T20Is during the third match in Nottingham by 125 runs.

Having scored runs for fun playing on good batting tracks in Asia for a year, the Indian batters found it tough to find a similar gear on the demanding surfaces in Ireland and England.

The famed batting lineup couldn't come to terms with the odd dimensions of the ground in Ireland along with the wind factor, while they fell prey to the fast-paced short-balls in England. As a result, the mind-boggling big totals were missing from the board, and the team suffered back-to-back series losses after having a run of 16 successive unbeaten series/tournaments. 

A similar pattern was seen during their T20 World Cup defence at home, where India’s only loss came against South Africa on a two-paced pitch in Ahmedabad, while they dominated on surfaces which suited their all-out aggressive approach.

Time to bring a change?

With the IPL scoring rates setting new benchmarks every season, the Indian players will continue to enjoy batting paradises and woo the crowd with towering sixes, which also serves the business of the game.

However, with the next T20 World Cup in Australia, where they are likely to face a different set of challenges, should the BCCI ensure players get accustomed to batting on not-so-batting-friendly pitches?

While the question might seem too far-fetched at the moment, it’s quite valid given their recent struggles. For now, the fans can continue to marvel at the six-hitting fests in India both at the IPL and international level.

But tomorrow, if the batting gets exposed again in foreign conditions, the fingers will be pointed at the very thing that they seem to enjoy. Hence, it’s about time everyone asks the BCCI: how many more run fests do they plan to host?