No shorts in cricket, please; it will ruin the game

The traditions and culture of cricket that made it a gentleman’s game with a all encompassing aura are being threatened by ill conceived innovations. The latest move that is under consideration is to introduce shorts as part of a cricketer’s uniform. Several seasoned players have made it known that they are against this new idea. It will make the players look ridiculous. But the idea has not been ruled out and is still under debate.

First it was the multi-coloured clothing that replaced the elegant white uniforms. That happened due to media tycoon Kerry Packer whose objective was to rope in a bigger TV audience more than upkeeping the tradition. It was initially ridiculed and termed “pyjama cricket” but later it was tolerated by the purists and accepted by others. Then in the IPL we saw cheerleaders wearing mini-skirts dancing on the boundary lines. That too was a change that did not fit in with the ambience of cricket. It was an American concept that is completely out of place in cricket and totally incongruous in India. Now the latest idea being discussed is to have players dressed in shorts.

Cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal was recently asked about his views on players wearing shorts. He stated very emphatically that it would ruin the game’s image. Apart from that he also brought up a practical problem that could arise. “As cricketers we have to often dive and slide to stop the ball while we are fielding. Trousers help to protect our legs and knees when we execute such moves. Despite wearing trousers we sometimes suffer lacerations and bruises on our legs. Imagine what will happen if we wear shorts. Injuries will increase and become unbearable. So I am not in favour of this move at all,” he retorted.

Those who want to bring about the change argue that cricket is often played in hot weather. In England it is a summer game and in India which has now become the world’s epicentre for cricket, almost always the temperature is warm. The IPL is played in the peak of summer when the temperature is about 40 degrees or more. So shorts would afford the players some respite from the heat.

But the counter to this line of thinking is the fact that football is a winter sport in England and Europe. If the Indian subcontinent is the home of modern day cricket, then Europe is the home of modern day football. The EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A are the most important leagues in the world. Matches begin in August and are played even in the winter. So should footballers dress up in overcoats, hats and woolen trousers to play football?  If that idea seems ludicrous, then cricketers in shorts would look preposterous too.

Besides, batters and wicket-keepers prefer trousers because they have to wear pads. The straps of the pads and the velcro binding on them would cut into the flesh and result in skin abrasions if they do not wear trousers.

Already the rules of cricket have been modified to such an extent that what we see nowadays is vastly different from what it used to be when Test cricket originated. Players like the Nawab of Pataudi or M.L. Jaisimha or Abbas Ali Baig never played white ball cricket. How would they have coped in modern times? Would our famous quartet of spinners Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrasekhar and Venkataraghavan have succeeded in the present days? The cricket they played was quite different from the cricket that we are seeing nowadays.

The endless chopping and changing of rules, formats and uniforms have introduced new complexities into this game. Those who love the pure form of cricket have had enough. They do not just love cricket but also its old traditions.

It used to be a gentleman’s game played at a slower pace than football or basketball. That itself was its charm. Cricket does not have to imitate the other sports. The old traditions must be kept alive. This game had an elegance, style and intelligence which set it apart from the rough and fast paced sports. The latest idea of having players play the game in shorts, if put into practice, may be the last straw on the camel’s back. The old lovers of the game may turn their eyes away from such an ungainly sight and stop watching cricket forever.