Data should drive good competition in cricket – Rahul Dravid

Data should drive good competition in cricket – Rahul Dravid

The data, which is used in stat-based cricket to aid strategy and player selection, should fuel a good contest, said legendary Indian batsman Rahul Dravid.

“Cricket has always been stat-driven like baseball, but for the past 15 years we have gone beyond comparing averages and now use data to aid strategy and player selection,” Dravid said during a panel discussion. at the 15th MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.

The first-panel discussion on cricket at the MIT conference titled “Howzdata: How Analytics Is Revolutionizing Cricket” focused on how data analytics and machine learning are helping advance the game.

Former South African hitter and former India coach Gary Kirsten and former England women’s team player and current commentator Isa Guha were part of the panel discussion moderated by Alok Singh, director of Dell Technologies.

Topics ranged from how data is helping players train and stay fit to how scoring 4 and 6 have changed team decisions, similar to basketball’s 3-point revolution, according to a press release.

The panel highlighted how cricketers are using matchmaking to hit four and six to win more T20 matches.

“The days are not far off when people are going to turn down a single because the matchup allows them to hit a six on two or three balls,” Dravid said Thursday.

While appreciating the role of analytics, the panel recommended using relevant data to help improve performance and drive a good contest.

“The data should drive good bat-ball competition in cricket, not just for hitting four and six,” said the former India captain.

Guha commented on how the T20 format has made every ball an event. He highlighted how younger players now have better access to technology to help them seek the profile of opposition players and strategies to counter them.

As an announcer, Guha feels that the level data for the pre-and post-match presentations are only as good as what the teams are using for their match day preparations.

Kirsten talked about how the data is just an enabler and said final decisions still have an element of uncertainty as does the unpredictable nature of the sport.