Kumble bats for letting young players 'have a crack' at overseas T20 leagues

India head coach Rahul Dravid may have stated that he is vehemently opposed to allowing players from the country to play in foreign T20 leagues in ways that could prove disastrous for the country's domestic first class cricket but his longtime former teammate Anil Kumble feels that it is something that could be tried out strategically. The debate has risen after India crashed out of the 2022 T20 World Cup to an England side that had players who are regulars in host nation Australia's Big Bash League.

England ended up making a mockery of the target of 169 that India had set for them, with openers Jos Buttler and Alex Hales chasing it down with four overs to spare and ensuring a 10-wicket win for their side. Hales had played 13 matches in the BBL for Sydney Thunder last season, scoring 383 runs at a strike rate of 148.44. While Buttler didn't take part in the tournament as he was part of the England Test team playing the Ashes around the same time, he is a regular in the IPL and frequently plays in T20 leagues around the world. Indian players, unlike those from other nations, cannot play in foreign T20 leagues unless they effectively retire from playing the sport in their home country in any manner professionally.

Kumble said that it won't be a bad idea to give a few young players chances to play in foreign T20 leagues ahead of the next T20 World Cup. "I think exposure certainly helps. It certainly helps any cricketer. We have seen that with the kind of development that it has had on Indian cricket. For example, the IPL, where overseas players come in and the kind of changes we've had in Indian cricket has certainly helped. And likewise, if you identify the brand of cricket that we are looking at and then identify these key young players who you believe need those exposures, then why not? I think that's important," said Kumble on ESPNCricinfo.

However, he also said that India will have to settle on a brand of cricket suited for the current times to find any success in the tournament. "The other thing that I also feel that needs to come into this team is the flexible approach to batting or the batting order. Because in T20s, I certainly believe there is no fixed batting order. You have to be flexible in the way you are going to go about using your resources. And yeah, in terms of giving an opportunity to a young player to go overseas and have a crack, then why not? I think it's important that you need to have everything that you need to do that come 2024, you are well prepared to take on a World Cup event.

"I think it will only benefit the younger players if they get more opportunities. And I think one thing that certainly needs to be addressed is batters coming on to bowl. Otherwise, you'll end up having this conundrum whether to go with five bowlers, six bowlers. I think if you have enough ability in the top 6 to give you two options, then I think it certainly opens up… you can pick and choose who you want at No. 7."