ICC T20 World Cup: Nobody knows how the pitches will behave

Spring should have sprung, and there could have been bright, airy, sunny days, with the occasional passing shower, as the ICC T20 World Cup for men swung around. But, it has not been that simple. Aside from a few days in Sydney, this tournament has been played in weather conditions more akin to Dunedin than Dandenong. India have not yet had a match rained out, although they came perilously close at the Adelaide Oval against Bangladesh.

The other certain semifinalists, England and New Zealand have not had it so easy. England shared points with Australia when their Melbourne clash was washed out and New Zealand did the same against Afghanistan at the same venue.

And yet, these two teams are through to the final four, while Australia are knocked out of their party.

This has been a tricky time for all the teams, for white-ball cricket is not played in Australia at this time of the year. Literally, nobody knows how the pitches will behave, or what the conditions will do on any given day. “I thought my entire sunscreen will be used by now,” said R Ashwin, when asked about what this experience was like. “It’s hit me. I generally like cold weather.

I’ve been to England and played a lot of cricket there, but this has been very unique and different.

“If you are playing a Test match, you can warm up through the day, but playing T20 in this weather, not knowing what the surface will be like, how it will respond, what the weather is like, it’s been a new experience.”

Ashwin thinks deeply about his cricket, whether batting or bowling and when he is stumped, you sit up and take notice. “We’ve never come to Australia this time of the year. Generally, when it comes to the sport itself, conditions are king. So, you need to understand that this is what is being presented in front of you,” Ashwin explained.

“T20 is a sport where you need to adapt quickly. You don’t have the time or the bandwidth to be able to think, assess, and deliver. The time spans are very short.” India have played all but one of their games in the evening, Australia time, which is closer to primetime in India, usually on a pitch where the first game has taken place.

While it is understandable that India’s matches happen in a way that the ICC and broadcasters can maximise revenue, it also means that the circus is a travelling one.

“Some other teams have managed to stay in one venue and play there a couple of times, which the Indian team hasn’t had the luxury of doing and rightly so,” Ashwin conceded.

“There are a lot of Indian people around the country that want to watch the game, so it’s understandable.”

In the tournament so far, Ashwin has often bowled brilliantly without having the kind of numbers behind him that he would have liked. But, at what can be described as the fag end of his T20I career, the wily offie has proven his worth and shown that an old dog can learn new tricks if the attitude is right and the mind is open enough.

“As a bowler, you love to get wickets by the bucketful, but it might not be the necessary thing when it comes to T20 cricket in a particular game,” says Ashwin.

“So, you might have to deliver an over at 8 or 9 runs, and the next person might end up picking up a wicket. It’s simple as far as I’m concerned. That’s been my approach that’s given me success.”

In four matches in this tournament Ashwin has three wickets and has gone for 8.15 runs an over more than anyone else save Arshdeep Singh. While the wily offie knows that he might play a pivotal role to wins without registering the numbers, he is a proud man with a reputation to defend.

It won’t be long before Ashwin makes a difference in a way that is obvious, but even if he does not, Rohit Sharma, the captain, and Rahul Dravid, the coach, will bank on their investment paying dividends in all conditions, at odd times of the year, against all comers.