Alex Hales comes with a big statement after Rahul Dravid’s ‘Indian players should play overseas leagues' remark

Alex Hales and Rahul Dravid: (Image Source: Twitter)

Following India’s crushing 10-wicket defeat at the hands of England in the 20-20 World Cup 2022 semi-final in Adelaide, head coach Rahul Dravid’s stressed the importance of the Indian players playing the franchise cricket leagues around the globe. Dravid felt that the experience of playing in different conditions would help the Indian players perform better in big tournaments such as World Cup.

"I mean, sure, there's no doubt about it, the fact that England… a lot of their players have come here and played in this tournament," Dravid said, "and it certainly showed. It's tough. I think it's very difficult for Indian cricket because a lot of these tournaments happen right at the peak of our season.

"I think it's a huge challenge for us. Yes, I think a lot of our boys maybe do miss out on the opportunities of playing in a lot of these leagues, but if you were to… it's really up to the BCCI to make that decision, but the thing is it's right in the middle of our season, and with the kind of demand there would be for Indian players, if you allowed all the Indian players to play in these leagues, we would not have a domestic cricket. Our domestic cricket, our Ranji Trophy, would be finished, and that would mean Test cricket would be finished."

Notably, 10 out of the 11 England players that played the semi-final match against India, have played at least one season in the Big Bash League’s history. Alex Hales, who opened the innings for England, is a veteran player in Australia’s domestic T20 league. He has been part of the BBL for over a decade now. Putting further weight on Rahul Dravid’s statement, Hales said that both the league as well as the Indian players would benefit from playing in franchise leagues around the world.

“It’s a shame that Indian guys don’t get a chance to play in different leagues,” he said. “It would be good for everyone, benefit them and benefit the leagues to have the best players in the world playing.

“ is a ground where I’ve played a lot of cricket in the past and enjoyed some success. To have that sort of mindset before you head out there on a big occasion probably settles the nerves a bit and gives you confidence that you can put on a performance like that.

“Anytime you get the chance to play in foreign conditions makes you a better cricketer and makes you understand those conditions. Hopefully going forward, they get a chance to play in different leagues. It’s definitely helped me, for sure.” England batter added.