After the new set of rules was applied in cricket by the governing body International Cricket Council (ICC) which further included the thickness of the willow, as the former skipper for India Rahul Dravid revealed it would eventually leave a considerable impact on the gentleman’s game soon.
“Yes, it (change in bat size) will have an impact. The results of the games will show the affect,” Dravid was quoted as saying by PTI after speaking on the sidelines of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (FICCI) programme .
(Read Also: Old Foes Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli are Friends, Again!)
Pertinently, Dravid, who has been known as ‘The Wall’ was speaking at the event, in a bid to felicitate India Women’s team captain Mithali Raj and fast bowler Jhulan Goswami, who rendered services while donning the national jersey.
The rule was introduced to witness evenly poised contest of the bat and ball, as the critics were of the view that batsmen are enjoying the fair share in the game.
Following the restriction, over the thickness of the bats, the batsmen are bound to carry the bats which would have 108-millimetre followed by the depth of 67-millimetre and the edges of the willow are further supposed to be not more than 40-millimetre, according to the new Code of Conduct.
Promptly, the law got proposed by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) which subsequently dictates itself as a custodian for the rules of the game.
However, the India A and under-19 coach, Dravid believe the change would affect a handful of players who were using the heavy bats which included gloveman Mahendra Singh Dhoni followed by skipper Virat Kohli from India.
“Though the change isn’t very drastic as only a few players use bats which do not come under new rules,” Dravid added.
Dravid feels the distinct bat-sizes has had influenced the game while hinting it would be an exciting contest to watch out for between the two genres.
However, the Indore-born 44-year-old Dravid hailed the decision of the cricketing administration which is based out in Dubai.
“It is a good decision,” Dravid maintained.
During his top-flight cricketing career, the promising top-order batsman Dravid had further played a significant part for the national side whenever team demanded from him.
Dravid, who represented India in 164 Tests, scored 13,288 runs at an average of 52.31 reiterated the pitches are supposed to play its role and which would further depend on the length of the boundaries on each side of the ground.
“It is also about the nature of the pitch and the size of the boundary that matter,” Dravid concluded.
On the other side, Australian Vice-captain David Warner, who was an advocate of the heavy bats, has to obey the set of rules apart from other rules ICC has introduced in the gentleman’s game owing to the playing conditions.
The batting mainstay for India women Mithali, who led her side against Heather Knight-led England in the grand finale of the ICC Women’s World Cup in July, was also available at the function – to discuss further domestic set-up and women-based Twenty20 competition of Indian Premier League (IPL).