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IPL is letting talented newcomers learn from veterans of the game

Players like Suryakumar Yadav, Ishaan Kishan, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya, who are part of Team India today, were the outcome of the IPL.

When Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes were beating Indian spinners convincingly, it was being said that the Englishmen read Indian spinners well. But here I would like to give the example of Harbhajan Singh, who had taken more than 400 test wickets. No foreign player could read him properly because there was so much variety in Bhajji’s bowling. It was not possible for anyone to read him.

The same Harbhajan Singh was also the star of IPL and won the hearts of all by bowling brilliantly on behalf of Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. Every spinner today should learn from Harbhajan Singh. Today’s generation will have to develop such skills. In the last ODI series, Bairstow and Ben Stokes were seen hitting big shots against Krunal Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav. While these two batsmen belong to a class of their own, it had been a learning experience for Krunal and Kuldeep.

I would like to give an example of a tri series from the days when Sri Lankan explosive batsman Sanath Jayasuriya was in full swing. In the opening overs of Srinath and Prasad, he scored a lot of runs. But after that, Harbhajan Singh was brought out to attack and it was a maiden over for Jayasuriya. The world-class batsman had high respect for the world-class bowler and played him with caution. This player from Jalandhar always came forward in such adverse conditions and getting him into international cricket was a big thing.

The IPL is actually a very big platform. In the days when I played with Team India, if IPL had existed, it would have helped to improve my game. The experience would have been very useful. Today, the situation is such that the world first sees the spectacular performance of someone in the IPL, which helps the player come into the national team. The selectors get a lot of talent from the IPL pool.

Players like Surya Kumar Yadav, Ishaan Kishan, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya, who are part of Team India today, were the outcome of the IPL. They performed consistently well in the IPL, which forced selectors to pick them to play for the national team. Moreover, on the IPL platform, one gets the chance to play with veterans like AB de Villiers and Kagiso Rabada.

It is expected that a lot of talent will come out of the IPL this time too. Players should always keep making improvements in their game so they can perform better.

The author has played 18 ODIs on behalf of Team India and is currently a cricket reviewer for India News.

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