'We Don't Play Any Other Leagues in Any Other Part of World': Uthappa Points Out Trick India Miss in ICC Tournaments

Robin Uthappa has pointed out a big trick the Indian team misses in the ICC tournaments and it’s the decision that the BCCI has taken to protect Indian Premier League as an entity. IPL is undoubtedly the biggest franchise cricket tournament in the world at the moment as other franchise leagues are lagging behind to compete with it. A big reason behind IPL’s massive success is the exclusivity of the Indian players who are not allowed to play in the other franchise leagues. The Indian cricketers need to announce their retirement from all formats of cricket in India to get a chance to play in other countries’ franchise tournaments.

Uthappa feels that Indian players not getting the exposure of playing in other countries’ franchise leagues has backfired for them in ICC tournaments.

“Well, yeah, I certainly think the exposure at the IPL and I think it is a trick that India misses out, especially in the ICC tournaments, because we don’t play any other leagues in any other part of the world,” Uthappa said after India lost the first two T20Is against West Indies.

Star players from England, Australia and New Zealand play franchise cricket all around the globe which allow them to get used to playing conditions and the hosts’ bowling attack.

The veteran opener pointed out that the other team batters’ got to know the tricks of the Indian bowlers in tricky conditions while playing alongside them during IPL for years. But it’s not the same case with Indian batters as they play and face them in home conditions only.

“And I think yes, it does well to protect the IPL as an entity, but I think it costs us at the ICC level. And I think those are the advantages that the accomplished players have against our Indian bowlers when they play them in bilateral or they play against them in ICC tournament. They have had so much exposure against them in the nets and playing against them in the IPL for years 3,4,5,6 years. So you already know what the bowler does, you already know what the batter does. So you have a lot of information,” Uthappa further added.

Hardik Pandya and Co. lost the first two matches of the five-match T20I series against West Indies as the batters looked unprepared for the challenge in the Caribbean conditions.