Cricket purists who lamented the fate of Test cricket in the face of a spurious burst of Twenty20 leagues need not fear. If anything, judging the trends of Twenty20, through a consistent progression of matches in the IPL, it has become apparent that even in the slam-bang version, the basic tenets of cricket are not only being utilised in good measure but also, have become integral for teams that want to make it to the top.

IPL owes much of its success to two significant moments in Indian cricket although one came much ahead of the other. The Indian Cricket League propelled the BCCI into action mode and while the latter took their time, the result has been a money spinner, even before it was a cricketing success on the field. Contrary to popular notions, the BCCI-led IPL coincided with the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa and not a result of it. But that team India led by an exuberant man for the future, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, certainly helped further the cause of the inception of the IPL to the level of success it has achieved thus far.

T20 undergoes sea change of perspective!

Even as the IPL gathered momentum steadily in the boardroom, none could have predicted the extent to which it would captivate spectators and sceptics alike. The conception suggested success but numbers can often be a deceptive factor. In light of that, this was essentially a calculated gamble bordering on developing a monopoly game though its outcome in terms of how the game would eventually pan out was akin to a lottery, much like the tag Twenty20 has had to live with in its short duration.

Almost everything about the Twenty20 game seems fast paced both, on and off the field. The BCCI, which for long maintained that its lone stand and meted out a step motherly treatment towards Twenty20, stating it a non-essential to the Indian cricket culture, is now reaping the rewards of not only adopting it but also, patenting the first-of-its-kind Twenty20 league of international players within its domestic set up. (The ICL would perhaps prefer the acknowledgement but since their inception has not materialised within the official fold, they would have to be marginalized for the briefest of moments. Approval will come in due time as has the acknowledgement.)

At the beginning of the IPL, commentators suggested each match would be a case of lottery, not knowing which team would come out on top. But we are at the mid-stage of the tournament and the patterns have been astonishing at the very least. Even for teams that have lost their way, they had a pattern in their winning as well as losing ways. It also explains why they have been able to come back in the tournament whereas teams that never got off the blocks have continued to remain in the doldrums.

For starters, teams like Delhi Daredevils have emphasized on the basics of any cricket match, having specialists in the side – explosive openers at the top (Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir) and miserly strike bowlers (Glen McGrath and Mohammad Asif). The Rajasthan Royals have been a tight fit unit with master strategist Shane Warne at the helm with specific roles for specific players, contrast to what was earlier believed about a laissez-faire batting order and bits-and-pieces players. Chennai have a strong think tank under a disciplined coach Kepler Wessels and an innovative, thinking skipper in Mahendra Singh Dhoni. That has helped them tremendously to regroup and hold their nerve against the Daredevils and hold up the rampaging Kings XI Punjab with grit force.

In stark contrast to preconceived notions, it has been the bowlers who have pulled back matches from the brink and not allowed the batsmen to enjoy their flippant attitude supposedly afforded by the concept of Twenty20. Laxmipathy Balaji was not the exception. He is the norm. Bowlers will play a greater part as the scorching heat takes its toll on the dust bowls bringing the spinners and slower variations into the game plan. Just like batsmen who have failed repeatedly with one too many flamboyant and miscued shots, bowlers have not been spared by teams for taking a resigned approach in the high intensity game.

The most essential aspect of surviving a Test match is the quality of the partnerships. Teams that have forgotten how to build partnerships in their quest for individual brilliance find themselves rallying in desperation at the bottom (underachieving Deccan Chargers being a poignant case in point). Twenty20 is a short and fast paced game. But the merits in preserving wickets and consolidating the innings with the additional facet of counting for the generous over or two cannot be discounted.

But the tenets of cricket that have weathered wars, continue to make their point. This is the changing face of cricket. But contrast to antagonistic notions, Twenty20 is only an enhancement and not a threat; not until the day money wins the battle between the cricketer’s true passion to prove his mettle (which will always remain the Test) and the entrepreneur’s vested interests to fill his pockets at all costs. There are patterns. The trick is in funneling them towards the game’s larger interests.