Players see lighter side of Twenty20

With Sachin Tendulkar and other big names of Team India making their appearance along with a bunch of hopefuls eyeing the upcoming Bangladesh tour, the inaugural Twenty20 tournament knockout stage starting Sunday has gained in stature.

And the players who have tried and tested the new version through the zonal rounds are enjoying the fun associated with it. Tamil Nadu’s skipper S Badrinath for one. “We have played five games and done well. It’s really fun. There is not much time to think,” said Badrinath on the eve of their match against Bengal. But Badrinath agrees that the format is loaded in the favour of batsmen. “There is not much on offer for bowlers. But a batsman can really develop a range of shots, as one has to go after the bowling from the word go.”

But Bengal’s captain Manoj Tiwary begs to differ: “It’s a wrong notion that it is a batsman’s game. If one can bowl well here, it will stand him in good stead in the 50-50 format,” said Tiwary.

Fast bowler Ranadeb Bose has an interesting take: “People want entertainment; they want to see 4s and 6s. But this format can never be an yardstick to judge a player’s ability,” he said.