AUS vs IND: IPL helped India play fearlessly - Shivlal Yadav

The IPL gave Indian cricketers the platform to be bold and aggressive which helped them clinch series win in Australia, believes former India off-spinner Shivlal Yadav.

Shivlal Yadav...“The future of Indian cricket looks really good thanks to these gutsy cricketers.” - V. V. SUBRAHMANYAM

The Indian Premier League gave Indian cricketers the platform to be bold and aggressive which helped them clinch series victory in Australia, believes former India cricketer and former BCCI president, N. Shivlal Yadav.

“I must say it is because of IPL, this young brigade has been playing such fearless cricket. Hats off to the likes of Washington Sundar, what guts he showed in such demanding conditions,” Shivlal told Sportstar .

Lalit Modi must be given credit for conceptualising the tournament, according to Shivlal.

REPORT - Thrilling win for India

“Can anyone deny the fact that someone like left-arm pacer T. Natarajan would have waited for another four years if he were to go through the grind of first-class cricket to stake his claim for an India berth. It is IPL performance for Sunrisers Hyderabad which pushed him to stardom,”Shivlal, who has also served as manager of the Indian team earlier in Australia, said.

“Whether anyone likes it or not, IPL has come to be the biggest cricketing event in India which is helping young talent to dream big. It is indisputable that IPL helped these young talent to take on the best cricketers and get the right kind of exposure. This is what helped them stand up in the historic series win Down Under. The future of Indian cricket looks really good thanks to these gutsy cricketers,” he said.

'Outstanding win'

Former BCCI senior selection panel chairman M. S. K. Prasad said the series win against Australia was an “outstanding victory.”

“Especially after the humiliating defeat in the Adelaide Test. Added to that the team has played a major part of the series without stars. This showed the mental strength of this new generation of players like Siraj, Vihari, Gill, Shardul, Washington etc,” he said.

“I am extremely happy and proud to say that myself and my colleagues played our part in unearthing this new talent and groomed them to this level that they have played an important part in winning the series against Australia in Australia,” M. S. K. said.