Term Hindi: बागवानी
The Cricket Term: Gardening
In the sport of cricket, an abundance of terminologies and phrases are distinctive to the game alone. This peculiarity is what makes this historic sport thrilling yet complicated for new fans and followers globally. One such term that particularly stands out in its composition is ‘Gardening’.
Understanding Gardening
Gardening, also known as “pitch gardening”, refers to a practice conducted by batsmen during a cricket match. Despite the name, it has little to do about plants or greenery but pertains strictly to pitch care at a very individual level.
A batsman ‘gardens’ when they prod at the pitch with their bat (or sometimes their feet) in order to smooth over marks created by the ball’s impact. The purpose of this act is to hopefully hinder any unpredictable bounce or spin that could harm their future batting performance.
Purpose and Significance
The act of gardening serves two basic purposes:
- Psychological: Partly superstitious ritual, partly exercise in concentration, gardening helps keep the batsman focused on the task, calms nervous energy and quiets extraneous thoughts.
- Practical: By smoothing down rough patches & divots made by recent deliveries, gardeners try to limit natural variations in bounce which can make playing shots accurately more difficult.
Critics of Gardening
Gardening does have its critics. Some view it as time-wasting while others argue that once a bowler leaves his mark on the crease there should be no interference until he bowls again. It involves a good deal of judgement on the part of the batsman as well. A poorly executed ‘gardening’ process can even disadvantage to them by creating an uneven pitch that could favor the bowlers more.
Conclusion
Overall, gardening is tactical yet fundamental layer integral to Cricket’s gameplay. It acts as an interesting link between cricket and real-life gardening: both require patience, concentration and a gentle touch. Even though it has been outlawed in some forms of cricket due to time-wasting concerns, it remains a prevalent practice in longer formats of the game such as test cricket where it certainly adds to the complex charm of this traditional sport.
