Former India skipper Rahul Dravid on Monday applauded the ICC’s new Code of Laws related to the thickness of bats to be restricted and said the move is bound to have an impact on the game of cricket.
Under the new rule, the thickness of bats will be restricted to 108mm in width, 67mm in depth with 40mm edges in a bid to redress the balance between bat and ball.
“Yes, it (change in bat size) will have an impact. The results of the games will show the affect. Though the change isn’t very drastic as only few players use bats which do not come under new rules. It is a good decision,” said Dravid.
The former right-handed batsman, however, added that various factors come into play, besides the size of the willow, which influence the overall game.
“It is also about the nature of the pitch and the size of the boundary that matter,” said Dravid at an event, which was held to commemorate Indian women’s skipper Mithali Raj and former captain Jhulan Goswami.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) introduced oodles of changes in the playing conditions, with one of them being related to the edge and thickness of a bat. Batsmen like David Warner will now be forced to change his bat so as to comply with the new rules. Even MS Dhoni was spotted using a smaller bat in the first ODI against New Zealand.
Asked whether he would look to coach the Indian women’s team in future, the current India A and U-19 coach said that the women in blue already have the best support staff.
During the event, Mithali Raj also shared experiences of her childhood days and her cricketing career. She spoke about the advantages of having women’s IPL, saying: “Yes, it is a good idea. It will lead to having a big pool of players and will give a push to the domestic and international cricket.”
Mithali, meanwhile, lamented that she and her teammates do not have any visuals of the finals of 2005 Women’s World Cup, where she led India against Belinda Clark’s Australia at Centurion, though in a losing cause.
