The art that cricket is

Modified Apr 10, 2012 11:24 IST

The batsman takes his guard at the crease; helmet, pads, elbow-guard, essential protection – all in place. The bowler marks his run-up. The fielders steady themselves in the expectation of leather chasing them after coming off the batsman’s willow. Meanwhile, the batsman assesses the situation, field settings, checking for a mid-off and deep cover, if the 3rd man is up inside the 30-yard circle, looking out for any vacant spaces in the on-side. The bowler sizes up the batsman in his mind, like a wily hunter sizing up its prey.

The bowler runs in full steam, the batsman’s eyes focused on him, the bowler takes the final stride and bangs the ball in, short. The batsman fully focused, rocks on to the back-foot and pulls it, dispatching it from its presence. The fielder at deep-mid wicket runs in full stretch and makes a diving effort to stop a certain boundary. Then next delivery, the bowler goes fuller in length, on middle and off, and the batsman is left with no choice but to defend it. The battle continues as one competitor tries to gain the upper hand over the other. The bowler with all his guile and tricks, tries to outfox the batsman, the batsman on the other hand with his mind focused on the task, fights every inch of the way, trying to crack the code and answer every question that the bowler poses to him.

In this whole competition between bat and ball, there’s an art involved. But, it’s not just the art of holding the bat properly, taking a proper steady stance and playing the ball on its merit. It’s not just an art of positioning the seam correctly, pitching it in proper places and length while bowling at some pace, of looking to get that proper loop while trying to spin the ball. There’s another deeply attached art to all of it.

What does the batsman do when the opposition has decided to wreck and pepper him with consistent short-pitched bowling, with fielders standing right under his nose, waiting to pounce on the slightest chance presented? “Do I go on the offensive and try to just destroy the bowler’s plan against me? Or do I hold my temptation and fight it out by staying put at the crease? Will taking risks bring my own downfall, or am I only going to increase the bowler’s confidence by going with the wind and playing the waiting game?”

On the other hand, a bowler (pace bowler/spinner) too, faces such a dilemma when he is under attack by the opposition batsman. “Should I try and bowl anything different or should I go on with whatever I am doing right now?”

Similarly the fielders too find themselves at such crossroads when the tension floats in the air. “Do I attempt a direct-hit to run-out the batsman, or do I contain myself and avoid the risk of conceding overthrows?”

The most complex part of the whole scenario is that neither of them has that much of time to decide what to do or which option to choose.

These are the situations, these are the moments that no coaching manual across the globe can simulate and teach. And that is where the art of instinct kicks in. It is the cricketer himself in the middle who has to decide what would be best suited for the situation.

Yes, cricket apart from the being the customary bat versus ball contest, is an art of Instincts. It is this art of instincts, that brings out that extra percentage of effort from the player. It is this art of instincts with which the batsman decides whether he has to attack the opposition or not. It is this instinct with which the bowler decides on how to deal with the batsman’s onslaught and with which the fielder decides how to affect the throw. It is this very art of instinct that will make a cricketer’s mind tick and bring out the unorthodox in a do-or-die situation. And it is this art of instincts around which the strategies, plans, patience and tenacity revolve and depend.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about how committed you are to playing the game, but how committed you are, to winning it.