Transition seems inevitable in the longer formats. Falling Test standards, home and away; defeat in the only ODI series in Sri Lanka, a first in 27 years. While the ICC Champions Trophy is round the corner, several stalwarts are in the autumn of their careers in the 50-over format. Amidst this uncertainty, 2024 was also the year when India embraced T20 batting to its fullest. While the senior team was wrapping up a series in South Africa after the World Cup triumph, India’s T20 season had already started with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). The major takeaway from the 133-match tournament was most batsmen discovering new methods and ability to hit big shots. DNA dynamics The seeds of the tectonic shift were sown with the introduction of the Impact Sub Rule in SMAT in 2022. The BCCI’s quest to boost the IPL’s entertainment factor may have been a reason. Since then, scoring rates have swelled by an astonishing stretch with the entire system buying into the philosophy. Muscle memory has begun to dictate instincts, …