West Indian great Brian Lara feels that the IPL has become the biggest platform for the younger players to showcase their talent.
In an exclusive interview with The Hindu, the 54-year-old Lara, who is now on the Star Sports TV commentary panel for the on-going IPL, shared his thoughts on the tournament and other related issues.
“Oh! IPL is great in terms of unearthing talent. I like young fast bowler Mayank Yadav. Four years ago, it was Umran Malik of SRH. It is good to see India produce so many young pacers.
“They should be groomed and considered for the longer version of the game,” Lara said.
Growth
“The game has grown every single year of IPL. It is a wonderful product of the BCCI.”
“There is a major difference every year in the IPL. The sequence of par scores are always increasing. What is happening in PowerPlay is something really special,” Lara added.
“The two-bouncers per over rule is interesting. It helps the bowlers sort out the batters who are not comfortable with the bouncer. But, it has also not stopped the run scoring.”
Question for the players
On criticism that IPL ends often too close to commencement of major events like World Cups, Lara felt it was more a question for the players.
“But, if I were playing, I would like a break from playing cricket before a World Cup. I believe team bonding is important before any World event,” Lara said.
“But, again, the IPL window as such doesn’t allow any scope for such things. Still, the players, captains and coaches love togetherness. They don’t get straight into a World Cup without getting to know each other better. Again, every single team suffers from that,” he explained.
When asked whether players are forced to change their natural game in the IPL, Lara said: “I can’t say that about the younger players for they are so eager to come and dream of playing in the IPL.”
“I am enjoying my commentary after my stint with SRH as head coach. It is very exciting though playing is something that came naturally to me. It is a great ‘family’ out there on Star Sports,” he signed off.
