Aaj kal ke franchise-dominated era mein jahan cricketers central contracts phad kar T20 leagues ke peeche bhag rahe hain, wahan Mitchell Santner ne ek aisi misaal pesh ki hai jo dikhati hai ki Test Cricket ka craze abhi zinda hai. Adelaide Strikers ne ek lucrative 2-year deal offer ki thi, par Santner ne saaf keh diya: Desh Pehle, BBL Baad Mein.
To Hua esa hai ki:
New Zealand ke white-ball captain Mitchell Santner ko BBL ki team Adelaide Strikers ne ek bahut bada offer diya tha. Ye vahi team hai jisne haal hi mein Ben Stokes ko sign kiya hai. Deal do saal ki thi aur paisa bhi kaafi solid tha, lekin Santner ne ise thukra diya. Unka main reason hai upcoming summer schedule, jisme New Zealand vs India ki white-ball aur Test series aur fir New Zealand vs Australia ka away tour shamil hai. Santner ka manna hai ki India ke khilaaf khelna kisi bhi T20 league se bada challenge aur samman hai.
Santner ne New Zealand Herald se baat karte hue admit kiya ki offer accha tha, par unhe New Zealand ki captaincy nahi chodni thi. Agar wo central contract chod kar BBL join karte, to unhe ‘casual contract’ par rehna padta, jo unke hisaab se captaincy ke role ke liye sahi nahi hota. Jabki doosri taraf Pakistan mein captaincy kisi musical chair ki tarah badalti rehti hai, Santner ne stability aur loyalty ko chuna hai.
Analysis & Numbers
- Mitchell Santner ne late 2024 mein captaincy sambhali aur unki leadership mein team Champions Trophy aur T20 World Cup ke finals tak pahunchi.
- Jahan Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, aur Lockie Ferguson jaise players ne franchise cricket ko preference di, wahan Santner ne NZC ke central contract ko priority di.
- Santner ka focus India ke khilaaf hone wali series par hai, kyunki wo jante hain ki Team India ko harana hi asli excellence ki nishani hai.
- Agli saal New Zealand apna naya league NZ20 launch karne wala hai, jo Super Smash ko replace karega aur shayad players ke liye financial flexibility badhayega.
The Guru Gyan Verdict:
Santner ka ye decision ek Masterclass hai un players ke liye jo chote fayde ke liye national pride ko peeche chod dete hain. India vs New Zealand match ka jo level hota hai, wo BBL ki kisi bhi thandi raat mein nahi mil sakta. Hume khushi hai ki Santner ne India ke khilaaf khelne ke jazbe ko paison se upar rakha. Rahi baat Pakistan ki, to unhe Santner se seekhna chahiye ki Captaincy aur Commitment kya hoti hai, na ki har dusre mahine naya captain dhoondhna!
Stay tuned to The Guru Gyan for more unfiltered cricket masala!