What cricket can teach us about attitude and guts

After many months, Candid Minds is back into action. Please read this writer's essay "What cricket can teach us about attitude and guts" in Calpine Blog, the Official Blog of Calpine Group.

Kanpur loss: India needs to make some hard decisions

You need to chase down 304 in an ODI, your opening batsman makes a 150 and still you lose then it is time for some serious introspection on your game plan and strategy. In the first ODI of the Gandhi-Mandela series at Kanpur, India was on the brink of a victory, but still lost by 5 runs. There could be many reasons for a loss, but when one of them is poor team selection, then questions are raised on the captain and the team management. The Kanpur loss makes a case for such an analysis.

Rahane has no place in Indian ODI team: Ajinkya Rahane is one of the most talented batsmen in India today. Time and again he has shown his worth in the Indian test team. With such brilliant show of talent in the test arena and with some scintillating batting performance for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, Rahane made it impossible for the selectors to ignore him in the Indian ODI side. However as the Kanpur ODI loss shows Rahane’s inclusion in the playing eleven creates a lot of problems for the line up. If he is not playing as an opener, which is improbable as long as the right hand-left hand combination of Rohit Sharma-Shikar Dhawan plays well, accommodating Rahane could cause imbalance to the team. If he is made to play at No.3 then you need to move down Virat Kohli from that number, which is undesirable owing to Kohli’s brilliant performance over the years at that number. At the same time if Rahane is moved further down, he may have to bat in the death overs, where he may have to start hitting from the first ball itself, which a player of his style may find difficult to adopt. Before the start of the Kanpur match, Dhoni had also hinted at the possibility of not considering Rahane in the playing eleven.

Kohli at No.3: Virat Kohli has the highest average while chasing. At Hobart against Sri Lanka in 2012, at Nagpur against Australia in 2013 and at many other successful Indian chases we have seen the No.3 batsman taking his game a notch higher. While Kohli has such a good record at that position, it is silly to remove him from that position in order to accommodate Rahane. In the match at Kanpur one could also see how disturbed Kohli appeared when he was not sent in to bat at No.3. During the season of 2002, Indian had experimented similarly with the batting position of Sachin Tendulkar whereby he was removed from the opening position and was made to bat at No.4. The strategy was reverted after a short span as no particular benefit had come to the team from such a move.

Dhoni at No.4: As Shiamak Unwalla argues in his article in Cricket Country, Dhoni is no longer the finisher he was in the past. It is quite visible nowadays that Dhoni’s finishing abilities are on the decline, as seen in the Kanpur ODI. However it is would be foolish to assume that his days as a batsman are over. Again coming back to the example of Sachin Tendulkar, we have seen that in the latter part of his career, the legend adopted a new style of batting, quite different from the dashing style he had had in the former years of his career. Similarly Dhoni’s position now in the team would be more of the anchor that teams need in the middle overs. Dhoni himself has shown his interest to bat at No.4, from where he can control the pace of the game. He is one of those batsmen who is good at finding the gaps and making singles and doubles, a skill much needed in the middle overs of an ODI.

Binny’s place untenable: It is a shame that India’s quest for an all-rounder ended with Stuart Binny, who can at best be described as mediocre. One can hardly fail to notice the fact that Roger Binny’s position as a national selector when his son Stuart is in the probable list is a matter of conflict of interest. And when you consider junior Binny’s record in the international matches he has played so far, you cannot help but think that he is in the Indian team only because his father is a selector. If he is the bowling all-rounder then he should at least be able to economically bowl his full quota of 10 overs, if not taking lot of wickets. If he is the batting all-rounder, he should be able to play a match winning innings with the bat. But as of now he hasn’t shown any particular talent in either of the department. It is high time India move on and find an all-rounder who has the abilities to become a match winner.

Dhoni has always been known as a person who adapts well with the changing circumstances. He also has the services of Ravi Shastri, often considered a walking example of practical wisdom, as the Director of the team. They both need to come together and find solutions to the problems so that India could turn the tide and get back to winning ways.

Hit by the Lodha bouncer, can BCCI get back to its feet?

The decision of the Lodha committee to suspend Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) for the next two seasons and to ban Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra for life from participating in anything related to cricket has been a well directed bouncer that has hit the BCCI right on its head. Had any wise men ever reminded the BCCI of the famous adage ‘a stitch in time saves nine’ during the IPL spot fixing scandal, a lot of embarrassment could have been avoided. But when the establishment itself becomes part of the problem, there cannot be a lot of valid options left for it to take. 

The moment BCCI allowed its President to own an IPL team it invited trouble. Anyone with a little common sense would know that it is a matter of serious conflict of interest. But the then President N. Srinivasan was adamant and always tried to brazen it out whenever it was pointed out to him. His son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, for all discerning eyes, was the real authority of Chennai Super Kings and was always seen with the team, even on the ground. But when the allegations of match fixing came to light and aspersions were cast on Meiyappan, CSK claimed that he has nothing to do with the team and he was only an enthusiast. The CSK owners even made India and CSK Captain MS Dhoni to make the same claim. Now that the Lodha Committee has found Meiyappan to be involved in betting, his father-in-law’s position as Chairman of ICC has become highly untenable. The logic behind such a position is simple – N Srinivasan is the owner of India Cements that owns CSK. His son-in-law, who for all practical purposes was the owner of the team or was assigned the role of ‘Team Principal’, was found involved in betting, which by extension puts the owner of the India Cements under the scanner too. In view of the Lodha committee decision BCCI has to take action against the teams and if one of those teams is owned by the Chairman of ICC, how can BCCI take disciplinary action against it? 

During the initial phases of IPL, while the discussions on the structure and compostion of the IPL format were going on, some laws in BCCI rule book were twisted to allow the President of BCCI to own an IPL team. There were no questions asked and a group of people did this as they wished. It was highly improper for the BCCI President to own an IPL when it was the prerogative of the BCCI to make and amend rules for IPL, when it has the sole responsibility of running the show. Now that the Lodha committee has come down heavily on Srinivasan’s CSK, he is trying to distance himself and the team from Meiyappan, thereby paving a way to retain his ownership on the team when it will get back to the IPL fray after the two year suspension period. Such an act of impropriety must be stopped or else IPL and BCCI run the risk of bringing further disrepute to the game.

Opinion pieces in newspapers and blogs and discussions in social media and visual media will keep on explaining how much important it is for N Srinivasan to step down from the Chairmanship of ICC. But those who know about how the BCCI works will expect nothing forthcoming from the organisation. Here is an organisation that is accountable to none, answerable to none, an organisation that works based on the whims and fancies of the governing council, a body filled mainly with self-serving politicians and some self-obsessed businessmen, who have no particular love for the game of cricket, but only a keen mind to identify opportunities to make profit. What credibility and accountability can we expect from such an organisation?

One of the biggest anomalies in the administration of cricket in India is the existence of politicians and businessmen in the BCCI, who hold sweeping powers to control and influence the game in India. It defies common sense when we see fewer cricketers in the various committees of BCCI but many politicians of different hues in them. It is one place in India where politicians of different ideologies come together and share a great rapport. At present we have BJP’s Anurag Thakur as the Secretary of BCCI and Congressman Rajiv Shukla as the IPL Chairman. It is high time for the BCCI to bring in reforms in their bylaws to include more cricketers in the committees. Cricketers are in the knowhow of what is required for the advancement of the game. They would know more about the requirements of budding cricketers. They know the technical details of the game, about who the coaches should be, what type of pitches are needed for the new generation of cricketers to sharpen their skills and what all things are required to keep the current players fit and healthy. It is a poor argument that cricketers would not be good administrators. There are umpteen numbers of examples to prove that argument wrong. Professional sports bodies around the world had and many still have players as able administrators managing the affairs efficiently.

If one tries to find out the reason why India never sends its cricket team for Asian Games one will find that the Indian government has no say as far as the commitments of the Indian cricket teams are concerned. BCCI is the sole representative body of Indian cricket and it is an autonomous body that has no relation with the Government of India. It is a shame that cricket, the greatest national unifier, is not owned by the government or the people of India, but some independent body called BCCI that elects its members from among members of its own regional cohorts.

Contrary to the opinion that many detractors of IPL hold about it, this writer believes that IPL is inherently a good initiative for the budding cricketers of the country. By way of IPL matches, youngsters of our country are getting an avenue to rub shoulders with the best in the world - to compete with the best and to gain valuable inputs from the best. While trying to rectify the flaws in IPL, we must guard against throwing out the baby with the bathwater. BCCI must change and come clean, trouble makers must be jettisoned and people with love for the game must be given a chance to bring back the reputation of the game that it lost due to the fraudulent exploits of some unscrupulous forces. 

Image Courtesy: The Hindu

Who will win Cricket World Cup 2015?

It is an overused cliché that cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties and hence anyone who predicts the winner of a cricket world cup may have to swallow the humble pie once the tournament reaches its climax. However, without making a prediction on the winner of the tournament, this writer aims at analysing the chances of the eight test playing nations competing in the tournament. 

India: Let us start with India, the defending champions will play once again under the charismatic leadership of MS Dhoni. There is no doubt that India will have a very tough task ahead in defending their title. With the kind of team India has, with weak bowling and out of form batting, it will find it extremely difficult to face even average oppositions. Indian bowling has never been particularly strong, but the current crop of bowlers is appalling as far as discipline and abilities are concerned. With the absence of Ishant Sharma, fast bowling department of Indian bowling is awfully weak. When Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is a pretty decent bowler, it can’t be said about either Muhammad Shami or Umesh Yadav. Lack of consistency would be a major handicap for both of the bowlers. Their lines and lengths are wavered and their inability to master yorkers or slower balls, vital skills in an ODI bowler’s armoury, will definitely put them under the sword against quality batting. 

It is yet to be seen how much purchase spin bowlers get in Aussie and Kiwi pitches. Though wrist spinners have had some good record in those pitches, finger spinners rarely had good times there. Therefore it is highly unlikely that Aswin, Jadeja or Axar Patel will have big say in the affairs of a match. 

Indian batting line up is also in tatters and with the exception of Rohit Sharma and may be Rahane and Raina, no one is in the thick of their forms. Dhawan and Kohli are struggling, Rayudu is at best a mediocre operator and captain MS Dhoni appears past his prime. And if Stuart Binny is the best all rounder in India, then you know India is struggling quite terribly in that department. All in all, if India survives the first knock-out stage it will be a real wonder, but you can never completely write off Dhoni’s men.

Australia: Australia will always start any world cup as one of the favourites to win the cup and when the tournament is played in their backyard, they become the hot favourite to win the championship. It is yet to be seen if Australia will begin the tournament with Michael Clarke as captain as he is still unsure to play owing to the injury he suffered. The opening combination of Aaron Finch and David Warner will threaten any bowling side in the world. Steven Smith is in the form of his lifetime, Glenn Maxwell can blast away any attack with his unconventional style of batting, Mitchell Marsh can use the long handle well in the slog overs, James Faulkner is the best finisher among the current crop of players, wicket keeper-batsman Brad Haddin is as resilient as ever and if Shane Watson and George Bailey find their form then stopping Australia from scoring big will be extremely difficult. 

When it comes to bowling Australia has one of the most deadly combinations of fast bowler including Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, all three who can bowl at 145kms/hr and above. The two Mitchells have been at their top form and when they get the support of the pace and bounce of Australian pitches, they would be a handful. Though the spinning department with Xavier Doherty is a matter of worry, it could be so that Australia may even never look at playing him in the eleven. With Smith and Maxwell bowling their part time spinners well, Australia may look at using them as the spinning option. All-rounders Watson, Marsh and Faulkner add more firepower to the Aussie attack, not to mention the importance of brilliant strategies formed by the astute manager Darren ‘Boof’ Lehmann. 

South Africa: On the sheer basis of talent there is no better team to win the world cup than the Proteas. It is another matter that the most important thing that they have to fight off to emerge as champions is their own ‘choker’ image. In world cups they have had many a slip between the cup and the lip, starting from 1992 when they played world cup for the first time after many years of Apartheid. However things could be different this time around under the fiery captaincy of the one and only AB deVilliers.

One of the biggest headaches for bowlers around the world in this world cup would be how to tame the batting power of South Africa, and particularly the explosive, innovative and unstoppable AB deVilliers. ABD, as he is often called, is perhaps the most dangerous batsman of the present day. When he is going, nothing, absolutely nothing seems to be able to stop him. There is no challenge for a bowler in cricket world cup 2015 greater than stopping ABD. Add to it the brilliance of Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, David Miller, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy and the new kid on the block, Rilee Rossouw, you have the most dangerous batting line up in the world.

When it comes to bowling, South Africa has the best opening bowlers of the day – Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. The pace and bounce these two fearsome men generate will test the best of the batsmen. Supporting them would be Vernon Philander, Kyle Abbott, Wayne Parnell, Imran Thahir and Aaron Phangiso. The high standards they set on their fielding would mean that an opposition team will get 10-15 runs short than they would have got against any other team.

Sri Lanka: “Let’s do it for Mahela and Sangakkara” would be the war cry that Sri Lanka would be making in this world cup. This would be the last time that the legends, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara would be playing World Cup for Sri Lanka and their team will do everything to give them a great farewell by winning the world cup. For the past few years, Sri Lanka has played a lot of final matches but was not able to finish off at the winning side. Last two world cups, they played the finals but lost at the last pitstop. When in 2007 Australia denied them the cup, in 2011 it was India.

Under the new captain, the super all-rounder Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka is a formidable side. Other than Mahela and Sangakkara, they also have the experience and skill of Dilshan to call for. Add to it the youthful spirit of Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne and Dimuth Karunaratne, they have a very strong batting line up. 

Bowling will be spearheaded by the inimitable Lasith Malinga, who will be supported by Nuwan Kulasekara, the all rounder Thisara Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Rangana Herath and others. However one weakness that would affect the Lankans would be the lack of precision in bowling with the exception of Malinga. Herath and Senanayake are good spin bowlers, but at the wickets in Australia and New Zealand, they both are unlikely to be effective.

New Zealand: It was in the year 1992 that a very brave Kiwi by name of Martin Crowe took his team to the cusp of glory when it played Pakistan in the semi-finals. But they fell there and were not able to make it to the finals of World Cup till now. Now is there chance to make immense and put their hands on that coveted cup. When the Kiwis take the field under the spirited leadership of Brendon McCullum, the cricketing world would look at them with great hope. Their captain is in top form and on his day he can tear apart any bowling attack in the world. Add to it the young, champion batsman Kane Williamson and the very talented Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill, the comeback man Grant Elliot and the Aussie-turned-Kiwi Luke Ronchi, New Zealand is a champion batting line up. And we haven’t still mentioned about the whirlwind batsman, Corey Anderson, the all-rounder who till recently had kept the record of the fastest hundred in ODIs.

Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne, Nathan McCullum and the ever so young Daniel Vettori will manage the bowling attack. The fast bowlers of this side can test the reflexes of many a batsman with their speed. The guile of Vettori, perhaps the greatest left arm spinner of our times, is renowned all over the world. If New Zealand can really get together and put their best efforts, they can be the world champions this time.

England: Under the captaincy of Eoin Morgan, England will play this world cup with an intention to leave behind their ordinary world cup record and to emerge as a new champion of world cricket. They have swashbuckling opening pair of Alex Hales and James Taylor. They would be followed by Joe Root, Ian Bell, Moeen Ali, Gary Ballance, Ravi Bopara and Jos Buttler. 

English bowling is also strong and under the leadership of James Anderson they boast an incisive attack that also includes Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan and James Tredwell. Though they are good side, recent form doesn’t give a lot of confidence to their supporters. But one can’t never write off the Englishmen either.

Pakistan: Pakistan is the dark horse in this world cup. It has always been an unpredictable team, which could win from an awful position and can lose from a favourable position. Under the captaincy of Misbah-ul-Haq, the finisher par excellence, Pakistan boasts a good batting line up that includes Shahid Afridi, Ahmed Shehzad, Nasir Jamshed, Umar Akmal, Younis Khan and an army of un-tested, new batsmen who would be raring to go and show their strength.

However, though Pakistan is generally known for their strong bowling line up, in this world cup it is pretty weak. In the absence of Saeed Ajmal, Pakistani bowling would be spearheaded by Wahab Riaz. Giving him company would be Rahat Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Ehsan Adil and Sohail Khan. But what opponent batsmen would really fear in this Pakistan line up would be the fast leg spin of Shahid Afridi.

Pakistan has really been handicapped by the absence of many of their important players, noted among them would be Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Hafiz and Junaid Khan.

West Indies: Like Pakistan, West Indies is also an unpredictable team. The absence of their key players Dwayne Bravo and Keiron Pollard, however, would affect their tournament performance. In the absence of those two key players, greater responsibility would come on the shoulders of Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels and Darren Sammy. With the kind of firepower that the above mentioned batsmen can generate, West Indies can always threaten any opposition.

Once upon a time West Indies bowlers had intimidated batsmen around the world with their pace. But today it is a thing of the past and the West Indies bowlers no longer generate a lot of fear among the minds of batsmen. Under Kemar Roach and Jerome Taylor, they still have some pace, but not the sharpness to threaten batsmen. However in limited over matches they can be quite handy and we could write them off only at our peril.

Bangladesh: The Bangladesh Tigers have often defeated bigger teams in world cup tournaments and outside. Though they emerged as a good team a few years back, they no longer have the firepower to be considered a giant killer. Bangladesh experimented with many captains and in this world cup they play under the captaincy of Mashrafe Mortaza, when two other former captains, Sakib al-Hassan and Mushfiqur Rahim are also in the team. Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah are also key players in the team, but the fortunes of the team would depend mostly on how Sakib will show his all-round performance.

Though he might end up having egg on the face if he resorts to prediction in a world cup cricket tournament, this writer would predict the four teams in the semi finals. Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. From there on it would be anyone’s game and the team that gets two good days will become the champion. As an Indian cricket fan this writer however hopes that some miracle would happen and India would defend their title. In the end, let us stop with another cliché, may the best team win.

In praise of Michael Clarke

There has hardly been a great leader who achieved his greatness when propitious circumstances served him opportunities in a platter. It has always been adversity that made great leaders, for only adversity could stretch a mind’s tenacity to its limit and test its strength and resolve. 

How Michael Clarke conducted himself during these adverse times for cricket established him as a leader of unique qualities. Cricket world plunged into enormous sorrow and grief after the passing of Phil Hughes after a rare accident in the cricket pitch took him away from cricket, away from this beautiful world. Together with the friends and family of Hughes the whole cricketing fraternity went into mourning and it was the able leadership of Michael Clarke that allowed not only his teammates and his country, but the whole world to grieve appropriately and then to gain a balanced perspective of a young life lost due to a freak accident.

Clarke grieved openly, sometimes cried inconsolably, sometimes hid his face behind his hands and allowed words to flow unabatedly like water that flow down from mighty streams, purifying everything coming its way. The mentally mighty Australian captain, who can often be seen sledging opponents and bravely facing raw pace and bounce of world class fast bowlers on a cricket pitch, was seen crying unhesitatingly for a mate he called his “younger brother”. Such an uncontrolled outpouring of emotion by the captain allowed other of his teammates to candidly express their emotion in its entire enormity. 

It is always heartening to see big, strong men giving vent to their emotions openly with little regard to long held general assumptions of the world of expecting nothing but stoic attitude from manly hearts when confronted with personal losses of catastrophic proportions. It would require a man of enormous moral conviction and robust mental strength to bare his soul in such a tremendous fashion at a time when the whole country in general and the cricketing fraternity in particular were greatly affected by the death of a young man full of promise and talent. 

If the need of the hour was the emergence of a genuine leader to take everyone forward at such a distressing time, then that was exactly what we got in Michael Clarke. He was able to channelize the combined grief of the cricket community towards the celebration of the beautiful life of Philip Hughes. He acted as a pillar of strength to not only his mates in the team but also to the immediate family of the young Hughes. What was required of a great leader was to take charge at such a delicate hour and to guide everyone to emotional and mental stability, and that was what exactly he did.

Great leaders are always good at intelligently using words in their speeches to arouse fervent emotions in their people. Modern human history has abundant examples of such speeches. “I have a dream speech” of Martin Luther King Jr., “Tryst with destiny” speech of Jawaharlal Nehru, “We shall fight on the beaches” speech of Winston Churchill are but few glorious examples. In following such magnificent models Michael Clarke gave an emotionally charged speech during the funeral ceremony of Phil Hughes. In his eulogy of his “younger brother”, Clarke spoke about the omnipresent spirit of Hughes acting as a custodian of our great game of cricket. By invoking the words of condolences made by greats of the game and by the many cricket fans across the globe he unified the cricket fraternity and used the occasion to give glowing tribute to the game of cricket that gave so much to the lives of the cricketers and to the entertainment of the fans. 

Even at the height of his grief Clarke didn’t forget to put his arm around Sean Abbott, the unfortunate bowler whose fatal bouncer felled Phil Hughes. He famously told Abbott, “Sean, when you feel like getting back on the horse mate, I promise you that I will be the first to strap on the pads and go stand up the end of the net to hit them back at you. It’s exactly what Hugh Dog would want us both to do.” It is the forte of only a strong leader to keep such immaculate composure and presence of mind at such a terrible time to not lose sight of what is imperative to be said and done.

Michael Clarke won great sympathy and admiration for how he behaved during this terrible time for the cricket world. Not only did he show incredible leadership skills during this difficult time but also as an ambassador of this great game he ennobled cricket to a much greater level, where the game has few rivals. For this incredible act, we, cricket lovers of the world, owe Michael Clarke.

Dear Hughesy, we will never forget you

Today would have been a day when a young man, full of life and a great passion for a game he loved and played, would have cut a cake and enjoyed his 26th birthday in a far off countryside in Australia. But fate had other plans and in a tragic turn of events a freak accident ended that spirited life in its youth while he was playing his favourite sport.

No, no, no, this was not how our great game of cricket was meant to be. It was meant to spread joy and delight; often accomplishment and triumph, though at times, physical pain and sorrow of defeat, but never fear and dread of death. However on that fateful Thursday, a day that the cricket world will forever remember mournfully, a fatal bouncer shattered all those good things one associated with the game of cricket. 

Phil Hughes was that typical countryside boy who took to cricket with great hopes and aspirations. The boy who was brought up in a banana farm, amidst hordes of cattle, had the audacity of self belief to dream big. And when that boy showed massive talent in his trade he was immediately selected for national duties by a cricket country that is famous for late bloomers in cricket, given the enormous vault of talent it holds. In his second test appearance itself Hughes made history by becoming the youngest batsman to hit hundreds in both innings of a test match. In his ODI debut he hit another hundred and become the only Australian to hit a century in his debut match. Though he was often in and out of the Australian team, there was never a doubt in his talent and experts were always of the opinion that the little lad from Macksville was destined to greatness. Hughes was all set to return to the Australian side against India as a replacement for his long time mate Michael Clarke when tragedy struck.

Like all other cricket lovers across the world, this writer was also hoping that Phil Hughes will win his fight for life and will get back to playing cricket at the highest level. But it was not to be and like all other true lovers of the game this writer was also shattered by the news of Hughes’ passing. This writer also joined with cricket fans the world over in grieving and mourning the bereavement of the young cricketer who was not only respected but also loved by his friends and family and those who got a chance to play with him and against him.

During these extraordinary times in cricket, we also need to spare some thought for Sean Abbott, whose bouncer resulted in this freak accident. The tremendous outpouring of sympathy and support for the young bowler showed the unity of the cricket family. This writer is sure that the young man would be getting psychological help from Cricket Australia to overcome this awful tragedy.

Though we must not give kneejerk reactions to this tragedy it is important that ICC review all the safety equipments used in cricket. This great game can’t afford to have another of this tragedy and all involved must make sure that Phil Hughes’ martyrdom doesn’t go wasted. We must never forget Phil Hughes, the gentleman in this gentlemen’s sport, who laid down his life playing a game he loved the most.

Some pride left to salvage at The Oval

The euphoria that swept through the cricket loving minds of the nation after India’s historic win at Lord’s has changed to grave disappointment after terrible losses at Southampton and Manchester. Team England was going through a very lean phase when India reached that country to play a very rare 5 test series. Their captain Alistair Cook, once a prolific batsman, was staring down the barrel. The ominous bowling duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad were far from their best. Retirement of Graeme Swann left the team high and dry without a quality spinner. Mr. Dependable of the English team, Ian Bell was almost looking like he forgot how to play long innings in a test match. Matt Prior, the daring keeper-batsman was not in his original self either. However at Southampton, everything changed for England and there was a remarkable revival, which saw Cook and Bell getting back their form, Anderson and Broad getting back to their best, part-timer Moeen Ali effectively taking the place left vacant by Swann of an attacking spinner, Jos Buttler, who replaced Prior, batting with great purpose and intention and Gary Ballance continuing with his supreme form, some calling it the “form of his life time.”

In the meantime from the pinnacle of pride at Lord’s, India stooped down to a nadir of ignominy at Old Trafford. If the injury to the hero of Lord’s Ishant Sharma was not enough of a blow to the Indians, they were humiliated in the Anderson-Jadeja row. When it was prudent to report the incident to ICC, India and its captain MS Dhoni took the issue to ludicrous levels even after the judge made the decision that neither Anderson nor Jadeja was guilty in the incident. By taking the issue too far, Dhoni was only distracting himself and his team from their real focus. The incident should have reached its closure once the judge had made the decision and India and its young players, most of them playing their first test series in England, should have re-focussed their attention to the test match.

Other than Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, and to some extend captain Dhoni, no other player in the Indian squad seems to have got things right in England till now. Of course there were some flashes of brilliance from Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane at Trent Bridge and Lord’s, but they too seem to have lost the touch as they reached Southampton and then Manchester. Comeback man Gautam Gambhir didn’t fire in his comeback game at Old Trafford and was dismissed cheaply in both innings. His penchant for fishing deliveries landing around off stump and swinging away seems to be intact. Cheteshwar Pujara, the worthy successor of the great Rahul Dravid, seems all at sea in England. The technically sound Saurashtrian has hit a lean patch and is finding unwonted ways of getting out, not to mention the many wrong decisions that went against him. Virat Kohli, inarguably the best batsman in the present Indian line-up, finds balls in that corridor of uncertainty too hot to handle. By now his inability to come out of that technical flaw of edging balls outside off stump would be troubling him big time.

If there is one Indian batsman who has been consistent in the whole series then that is MS Dhoni. Though the Indian captain is not known for his batting prowess against a moving red cherry, he made some useful contributions in the middle order. However his wicket keeping in the series leaves much to be desired. Many an outside edge has escaped between him and the first slip, mostly because of his failure to go for the catches by diving to his right.

Except for his quick fire half century at Lord’s, Ravindra Jadeja has been an abject failure in the series. He may have many triple centuries in domestic cricket, but he is inchoate while playing a moving ball in conditions as in England. His slow left arm bowling can at best be described as average. Ravi Ashwin, the more experienced among the two spinners, bowled just 14 overs in the Manchester test match. Dhoni doesn’t have a lot of confidence in him – the reason why he was warming the benches in the first three matches. Even when he is asked to bowl, Dhoni puts defensive field for him and asks him to bowl a defensive line. Pankaj Singh, a late bloomer in Indian cricket, lacks the incisiveness required at the higher levels of cricket and hence toiled hard for wickets. Only comfort being Varun Aaron – with his pace, he appears to be on the track, at least for now.

May be it is unwise for us to criticise this team so early for their lack of results. May be it is because we expected a lot more from this young team. It is not always easy to fill in the shoes of the stalwarts like Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag and Ganguly, the fabulous five of Indian cricket. It is not easy either to match the quality of Kumble, Harbhajan and Zaheer. Those who were pretty vocal for the forceful removal of the aforementioned greats, to replace them with the youngsters, should show more patience.

The Oval beckons India to get their act together and salvage the pride and the test series. 15 August is a remarkable day for an Indian team to start a fight to win a test match against the English. The freedom fighters of this great nation had fought for regaining the pride of the nation and its inhabitants; Dhoni and Co. would also be fighting on a different pitch tomorrow almost for the same purpose – to regain some lost pride.

(This piece first appeared in the cricket website Cric News Guru. You can find that original article under the heading OPINION: Some pride left to salvage at The Oval from that website.)

The Waning Dhoni Magic

Gone are the days when anything Dhoni touched on the cricket field turned gold. He was not always lucky with the toss, but for him that didn’t often matter either – it was always his style to salvage matches for India from points of absolute defeat. May it be his unique batting prowess or may it be his exceptional ability to read match situations as a captain, he always had that Midas touch in everything he did. But as they say, all good things must come to an end one day and it seems that the proverbial end is getting nearer for that Dhoni magic. If it is really not the end, certainly the magic is waning, and waning in an alarming rate for him and his team.

It had become a habit to the media and his fans, including this writer, to keep on boasting about the Dhoni’s magic as a captain. His decisions were always right, or in the medium term they turned to be right later, like persisting with Rohit Sharma in the team. However if one analyse how he made the decisions in the ongoing New Zealand series then one can find that they were mostly un-Dhoni-like. The most glaring of them all was the decision to promote the in-form Virat Kohli to open the innings and to put Ajinkya Rahane at No.3 in the 4th ODI at Hamilton. It defies logic why he made this obvious tactical error, when Rahane is an established opener and Kohli batting extremely well at No.3. And if he was really serious about trying out Kohli as an opener in the place of struggling Shikhar Dhawan, then why did he revert to using Dhawan as an opener in the 5th ODI at Wellington?

Every expert of the game, every fan of the Indian cricket team is scratching their heads, quite  unable to understand why Ishant Sharma is still in the Indian XI. Time and again the fast bowler (if he could be called so) has failed miserably and as Sunil Gavaskar had pointed out, Sharma is not all learning even after this many games to his credit. Even after playing so many matches for the country he hasn’t perfected bowling yorkers or slow balls at the depth. It seems that even a haircut can help him to better concentrate on the areas he aims to bowl at - but he is in no mood to change. It is high time to jettison him from the team and to advise him to play domestic cricket to get better, though chances seem to be less even for such a turn around.

Dhoni’s favourite spinner R. Ashwin is going through a bad phase in his career as well. There is no doubt that he is a talented cricketer and a thinking player. However as his personal coach Sunil Subramaniam says, many technical flaws have crept into his bowling. He has put on a lot of weight and he is not putting his body behind his deliveries and is bowling only with his spinning fingers, without any body involvement in it. He should also be made to go back to the domestic circuit, work on his technical flaws and come back as an effective offie. His batting has improved by leaps and bounds, but he and his captain must be careful about not losing his bowling prowess while he works more strongly in improving his batting. There are many bowlers who have committed this mistake - Irfan Pathan is a case in point. Even when Ashwin is struggling a great deal, Dhoni is not ready to try out Amit Mishra and the leggie has been travelling with this Indian team for a very long time without getting any match.

Dhoni’s CSK team mate Suresh Raina is another batsman who is struggling big time. Dhoni’s liking for his CSK team mates is well known, but he should not get tied down with them. It’s imperative that he thinks beyond them and look for other options. Vijay Sol and Sanju Samson are playing well in the under-19 level, Cheteshwar Pujara could be given a chance in ODIs too, Stuart Binny is another option he has got. When Dhoni gave a chance to Stuart Binny in the 4th ODI, we thought that the all rounder will get an extended run. But he was dropped from the team in the 5th ODI and even in the match that he played, he was not given a chance to bat and when he bowled, it was only for one over. These are not things that we associate the brave captain Dhoni with and these are surely signs of his withering  magic and waning self belief as a captain.

MSD was the kind of batsman who, when he was in the crease any target was achievable. He had the knack of pulling out India from every trouble, mostly single-handedly. But suddenly that ability is also missing from his batting. Yes he has been scoring runs recently, but his batting efforts are not yielding the same results as before. He is still making runs and doing everything in his hands to win matches for India, only that he is unable to work out the magic and bring success to his team. He is constantly getting out during a chase without completing his task, which is again quite un-Dhoni-like.

When one takes into consideration that the cricket world cup next year is in Australia and New Zealand, it is a matter of concern that the Indian team, the reigning Champions, are appallingly out of contention, if they are going about their tasks in the present day fashion. However it is also true that we cannot find a better captain that Dhoni now, as the world cup is round the corner. This writer still believes that Dhoni is the man. If Dhoni can get more flexible with his tactics, he can bring back the glorious days of this Indian team. We can only hope that Dhoni will someway get his magic back, which clearly appears waning now.

Ashes Drama to Resume Tomorrow - Stage: Adelaide Oval

After the first part of the Ashes drama at Gabba, Brisbane, where all the protagonists played their parts well, all is set for the second part of it, this time the stage is Adelaide Oval and it starts tomorrow. High octane performance by the actors Michael Clarke, David Warner, Mitchell Johnson, James Anderson, George Bailey and others made sure that there was not a boring moment in the first test match. Mentally debilitated after the heavy loss in England, the Aussies were licking their wounds and were preparing well in anticipation for a pay back to the English. They walked the talk when they crushed England mercilessly and gave a tremendous blow to the confidence of the Englishmen.

Apart from a brilliant contest between bat and ball, there was utter chaos in the Brisbane test, with war or words between the players of the two teams often crossing the limits of gentlemanly behaviour. The now infamous “get ready for a broken f*****g arm” taunt from Michael Clarke to James Anderson was the tipping point of the whole controversy. If the Australian public has trained their guns on Stuart Broad (remember the banner at Gabba that said, “Stuart Broad, I know what you did last summer”, in reference to his refusal to walk after he nicked the ball while batting at Trent Bridge), the players have Anderson on their radar. It is sure that the sledged and bruised England will certainly seek vengeance and will come back hard at the Australians. A mouth watering contest is on the cards and the batsmen on both sides can expect a flurry of short pitched deliveries aimed at them from the fast bowlers of the other side.

Before the start of the test England has certain issues to sort out. First of all they will have to find a replacement at number 3 for Jonathan Trott who has left the team because of a stress related illness. There is every possibility that Joe Root will be promoted to that number as he is a much better player than to languish at number 5. If he was good enough to play as an opener in England, there is no reason why he should bat at number 5 in Australia. In that case there is a need to find a batsman at number 5. There is every chance that Root will be replaced at number 5 by his Yorkshire teammate, the Zimbabwe born, Gary Ballance, who would make his test debut. England also has some problems in the middle order as the charismatic Kevin Pietersen is terribly out of form. Though his good form will be just one innings away, England has been looking for that one innings for quite some time. The bad form of swashbuckling wicket keeper-batsman Matt Prior is another big worry for the visitors. If his dismissals in the first test are anything to go by, then he is completely out of sorts. English captain Alistair Cook, who is capable of making big test scores, isn’t completely in his brilliant self and his fellow opener Michael Carberry is a newbie, who is only trying to find his feet in the test arena. However the most important challenge for the English batsmen would be to negotiate the pace and bounce of Mitchell Johnson, who has vowed to continue with his short of length bowling approach.

In the bowling front too England has many things to worry about. The off spin of Graeme Swann had been one of the main reasons why England attained their supreme status in test match cricket. However he has been low on confidence recently and was not at his best in the Gabba test. In fact his offie counterpart in Australian team, Nathan Lyon had been a much better bowler in the last test. Swann gave lot of room for the Aussie left handers to swing their arms and received much lesser spin on the Gabba wicket than he usually gets. Stuart Broad was brilliant at Gabba and showed that he was not perturbed by the unruly crowd that was baying for his blood. But Anderson was not at his best and he was not able to swing the ball in Australia as he was in England and it should be a matter of worry for the English. A much greater worry is the absence of a third seamer who can support the new ball bowlers. Chris Tremlett was rather weak in the first test and hopefully England will replace him with Tim Bresnan.

However all is not lost for the visitors yet and they can overturn their fortunes if they can apply themselves. Cook could always play a captain’s knock anytime and his appetite for big runs, playing long innings, is well known. KP is a batsman who can turn it on anytime and if he gets into his hitting mood then he can blow away any attack. Ian bell had been the anchor around which other players batted in the summer edition of Ashes in England. The little Warwickshire right hander is a brilliant player who is capable of a long test match innings. Anderson, who had been the target of the Australians, particularly the Aussie captain, would be all fired up and on his day he is a handful with the swinging red cherry. The lanky Englishman Broad can trouble the Aussie batsmen with his steep bounce and could well be England’s answer to Mitchell Johnson.

All in all cricket enthusiasts are looking forward to seeing an awesome test match, where fire will be met with fire, bouncers with bouncers and words with words. The on-field umpires and the match referee will surely have a tough match on their hands. May the best team win.

Greedy BCCI Has Tarnished Image of a Great Man and a Great Game

Had it been not for the enormous passion with which we Indians adore the game of cricket, BCCI would have been an organisation that is observing its 15th odd death anniversary by now. But because we are passionate followers of cricket we mostly only glance over and often easily forget the many audacious misdemeanours of BCCI, bringing the game into disrepute and tarnishing the image of very many great servants of the game. 

The recent decision of the BCCI to bring in a two match home series against West Indies by cutting short the South African away series with the intention of having Sachin Tendulkar’s 200th test in Mumbai is an attempt to fill in its coffers by cashing on the Tendulkar mania in the country. By taking such a unilateral decision BCCI has prevented the cricket lovers the joy of watching a mouth watering contest between India and South Africa. Such a decision has also given a chance to the Tendulkar bashers to claim that BCCI has given him an easy opponent on his request to play against in his 200th test. Any observer of the game who has had the privilege of watching the game of Sachin Tendulkar all these years would certainly dismiss it as a ridiculous assumption, but this is enough to tarnish some image of the great man. It is a known fact that the financial power of BCCI, which it uses at its will every time, has been the result of the heightened popularity of the game in India after Sachin Tendulkar almost single-handedly put India as a force to reckon with in world cricket. When BCCI, not to mention Indian cricket, owes so much to the great man, at least it can resist from doing anything that would put blemish on the image of the great man.

Nothing like an Ashes test match, they say; any cricket match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan would be quite exciting as well and there had been some very competitive cricket whenever India and Australia met in test matches. However a long test match series between the top ranked test team South Africa and the top ranked one day team, the defending world champions India, would be equally exhilarating to behold. Many have the opinion that the present team is the strongest ever in the history of Indian cricket. A test series against the Proteas at their home would be a perfect stage for the present Indian team to test their skills and evaluate by themselves how strong or weak they are. How the likes of Dhoni, Dhawan, Pujara, Jadeja and others would fare against the fiery Dale Steyn’s pace, bounce and swing is something the whole cricketing world wants to see. Future generations would judge the present Indian team on the basis of how they play the South Africans at their den.

By curtailing the length of the test series the BCCI has curtailed such a magnificent opportunity for the players as well as the enthusiasts. It is quite obvious that BCCI is not focussed on improving the game in India or the development of the players’ skills, but only on making more money and thereby amassing more wealth and gaining more financial clout in the cricketing world. By unilaterally reneging on the promise made to Cricket South Africa on a longer test series, BCCI has also showed once again to the world what a nauseating bully it is. At home the BCCI bosses work like autocratic rulers preventing any attempt by the government to bring in transparency in its affairs and internationally they act like rogue states, insensitive to the aspirations of other cricketing nations and dismissive of the generally accepted norms of international conduct.

When IPL spot fixing scam was revealed to the world, there were allegations that some of the BCCI officials have also coalesced with the spot fixing agents. There was huge public anger against the BCCI officials and public opinion was hugely in favour of bringing in more transparency and governmental control into the working of BCCI. But as time went on all those protests died down and we got back to where we started. It is imperative that someone takes this responsibility and rein in the BCCI, otherwise its greed and avarice will tarnish the image of the game in India, the same way its recent action has somewhat tarnished the image of the greatest Indian cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar. 

We, the citizens in the Republic of Sachin, strongly and unequivocally condemn BCCI’s decision to curtail the test series between India and South Africa and the resultant dishonour it has brought to the image of Sachin and the image of India as a cricketing nation. When it is about Sachin Tendulkar, Cape Town would be the same as Mumbai and his 200th test match appearance, indeed a historic moment, will be celebrated with the same enthusiasm by his millions of fans, wherever in the world that may happen.

The Ashes – Australia in SOS Mode

The third Investec Ashes test will start today at Old Trafford, Manchester. There has never been such a weak Australian cricket team in recent living memory. This team is a far cry from those days of Australian glory when their 11 member team consisted of Hayden, Langer, Ponting, Waugh twins, Martyn, Gilchrist, Warne, Lee, Gillespie and McGrath. 2-0 down already and looking down the barrel with the struggling batting side even before the start of the third test, the Aussie coach Darren Lehmann has given the SOS call and has invited his former team mate Shane Warne to help his boys with the mental side of the game. 

The main cause for the recent slump in form for the Australian cricket team is their poor batting performance. With the exception of Captain Michael Clarke there is no one in the team who could be called world class; and even he is struggling with his form. Shane Watson, the burly all rounder, seems all lost with his batting form. Three out of four times he was out LBW in identical fashion to the seamers. Each of these times he planted his left foot down the pitch and got into a tangle when he tried to play around it. There seems to be no end to his woes if he doesn’t find a way out of this technical flaw which has suddenly crept into his batting. His opening partner Chris Rogers has got his task cut out as well. At Lords, which is a home ground for him as he has been playing for Middlesex in the English county cricket since 2011, he was not able to make an impression. When in the first innings he missed a full toss from Swann and was out LBW, in the second innings he missed to read a straight one from the same bowler and was out bowled. Usman Khawaja, who replaced another struggling batsman Ed Cowan, was able to get some good runs in the second innings of the Lords test and he will be looking forward to carry his good performance to the third test. Phil Hughes is a talented batsman and always appears quite confident against the pace bowlers, but against the turning ball he is not quite as good. Steven Smith is a confident cricketer, but his ability to play a long innings that is required in test matches seems doubtful. Brad Haddin is a fighter as he showed in his second innings batting at Trent Bridge, where he took the team almost to a famous win.

Australian bowling headed by the never-tiring Peter Siddle is nowhere near those Warne-McGrath times. James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc are talented bowlers but lacked consistency in the matches they played. Ryan Harris made a good comeback in the Lords test and he will have to give Siddle a good company if the Aussies have to come back into the series. Though Ashton Agar had a dream debut with the bat, where he scored 98 runs at Trent Bridge, his bowling leaves much to be desired. 

The Old Trafford pitch will aid the spin bowlers in turning the ball as the days progress. To make use of this turning track, England has already recalled left arm spinner Monty Panesar. Australia could follow suit and can include Nathan Lyon, their front line spinner into the team. The off spinner is widely considered as the best spinner in Australia today and it would be foolish not to make use of him when he is already in the squad. As Pattinson is out of the Ashes with an injury, Australia can always play two spinners in the final eleven. With so many right handers in the England team it would not be a bad idea to continue with the left arm spin of the young Agar.

Extraordinary times require extraordinary decisions and these are extraordinary times for Australian cricket. It would be an inspired decision if Australia calls back David Warner, who has been out because of his rude off field behaviour. If bad off field behaviour could be the reason for not taking a good player in, then the great Ricky Ponting wouldn’t have been picked in the Australia team at all. If Steven Smith, who is down with a back injury, is not able to attain match fitness today then Australia will be able to accommodate Warner in the team without dropping Rogers. If that is the case then the two southpaws will open the innings and Shane Watson could come at number 6 in the place of Steve Smith. As mentioned earlier, as all top order batsmen of England, except Alistair Cook, are right handers, Michael Clarke can always decide to roll his arm over. He is a formidable left arm spinner and with the ball turning away from the right handers, he could be a handful in the turning Old Trafford pitch.

If Ashes has to live up to its name, then Australia has to come back strong and offer a good fight against the English. But it won’t be that easy against a formidable English side in their top form. In a turning track at Old Trafford it would not be a lot of fun to face the spin duo of Swann and Panesar. James Anderson, England’s highest wicket taker in tests would be looking forward to swing the red cherry both ways in his home ground. If the Aussies pull up their act together and fight hard it would be an interesting third test in the Ashes, otherwise it will slip into one of those boring, lopsided affairs similar to what we witnessed at Lords ten days back.

Credibility Crisis Rocks the Great Game

As this writer has been preoccupied with some official tasks he has not been writing any essay in his blog for the past two months. However the credibility crisis that is rocking the game he loves the most has left him with no other choice but to express his views through his blog. It is a sad state of affairs that some unscrupulous players have brought disrepute to the great game by their personal greed and avarice.

It appears that this has been the chance that many detractors of the game of cricket were looking for to come down heavily on the game. They are out with their knives and attacking the game with opinions that call for a ban on IPL or even a ban on the game of cricket as a whole. It is a shame that three players, who were made famous by the game, have been instrumental in bringing ignominy to the gentlemen's game.

In cricket, as in any other profession, nothing can substitute personal integrity and discipline in defining how successful a person could ever become. We have many an example in cricket, where the lack of the previously mentioned qualities has become the undoing of a player. Therefore, when news of the spot-fixing scandal was breaking on news channels, with the images of its three protagonists flashing on television screens, there was a sense of déjà vu for all of us. 

Yes, there was a sense that we have seen it before, we are seeing it now and we will see it again in the future. That BCCI didn’t take strong enough actions against players who were found guilty on spot-fixing allegation last season of IPL has resulted in the repetition of the crime in this season too. Many in the country doubt that the bosses of BCCI are not very much interested in protecting and enhancing the image of the game but in utilising the popularity of the game in filling their coffers and in usurping greater power. It is high time that the government take steps to flush out all those in BCCI who are not cricketers. As of now, the committee is dominated by businessmen and politicians, some of whom haven’t even played galli cricket. What good can anyone expect from these men to cricket in India? 

Being a commercial heavyweight, India, and as an extension the BCCI, wields enormous power in international cricket. We have seen many occasions where the BCCI had resorted to arm twisting tactics to bring the international cricket under its control and to make the ICC change rules and laws in accordance with its whims and fancies. Because of this there is a general discontent against BCCI among many cricket associations around the world. They are surely going to use this opportunity to slam the BCCI for its lack of transparency and its inability in preventing corruption and fixing cases.

This writer had the privileged opportunity to read Gulu Ezekiel’s biography of Sachin Tendulkar, Sachin. The various instances depicted in the book of the love for the game, personal integrity, commitment and patriotism of the Master Batsman had given goose bumps to him. The way in which he overcame not only fearsome opponent bowlers and lack of talent in his team but also treachery and betrayal of some of his team mates, is a matter of pride for every citizen of this great nation. Much like Tendulkar, other players of his generation like Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and VVS Laxman are also men of great personal uprightness and commitment. It defies human understanding how players who have had chances to share dressing room with such legends can stoop this low and cheat their own teams for a few bucks.

This is not the time to cry over the lowering standards of integrity of the players and do nothing. It is imperative for the BCCI and all the franchisees of the IPL to provide all assistance to the Delhi Police and the Mumbai Police in their investigations on the spot-fixing scandal. If the players are found guilty then they should be given immaculate punishment which would act as a deterrent to future players from indulging in fixing matches. The scandal that has come to the fore appears only to be a tip of the iceberg. It is very important to go deep to the roots of this issue and identify the places where the rot has happened. If the whole system is flawed, it should be corrected as soon as possible before people’s mistrust on this great game would put its future to jeopardy. 

Why Sachin Tendulkar Should Not Retire Now

Amidst the cacophony of diverse voices baying for the blood of Sachin Tendulkar, this writer, a self-confessed emotional fan of the great man, would point out some facts by which he would like to tell why this is the not the right time for Sachin to announce his retirement. When the instinctive Tendulkar-bashers and the so called pundits of the game are burning the midnight oil to come up with logical points to prove why Tendulkar should retire now, this writer would try to counter them with his own style of reasoning, which is an assortment of logic as well as emotion - without some emotional discourse, what is an Indian? 

First things first. One of the main arguments that the pundits put forward to say that it is high time for Tendulkar be asked to retire by the selectors is the fundamental philosophy that no one is bigger than the game. Now, let us face it, let us face the truth – Sachin Tendulkar is bigger than the game, period. The popularity of the game soared to magnificent proportions in India during the 90s only because of the great man Sachin Tendulkar. People flocked to the cricket stadium not to watch the game, but to the see the young prodigy at work; they left the stadium en masse the moment he got out. For a generation of Indians, including this writer, he has been a role model, a symbol of courage, dignity, hard work, perseverance, righteousness and an embodiment of a never-say-die attitude. For them he has been the living model of an emerging India after the opening up of the economy to global competition, confident and brave, competing in the global stage to make a name of itself. When he scored runs, the whole country rejoiced, when he got out cheaply, the whole country despaired. Millions of poor people in the country found a little redemption from their sufferings when the Little Master scored hundreds. When he scored runs against the English, people felt centuries of British domination of India is getting avenged, when he scored runs against Pakistan, Indians felt he is fighting a brave battle against the arch rivals for all of us. When his father passed away during the 1999 World Cup, the whole country mourned and when he got back to the team and hit a century few days after his bereavement all his countrymen praised the strength of human spirit that he showed. It is not a matter of ignominy, but a matter of human triumph that a mere mortal became bigger than the world that made him. And it is not the first time in the history of mankind that someone became bigger than his/her field of activity. Indian politics did not define Mahatma Gandhi, he defined Indian politics; pop music did not define Michael Jackson, the ‘King of Pope’ defined pop music; English drama did not define William Shakespeare, the great playwright defined English drama. 

The Indian team is going through a transition phase after the retirement of the greats Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. This is the time that the youngsters in the team need someone who can groom them and this makes it extremely important that Tendulkar remain in the team. If the detractors of the man come with an argument that he is not scoring runs and in such a circumstance how sensible it would be to retain him in the team, it must be noted that no one in the current Indian team is scoring consistent runs. Sehwag, Gambhir, Kohli, Yuvraj, Dhoni have all scored cheaply in the current series. 

It is again not that lot of great talents in the domestic circuit are knocking the doors of the Indian team to get in and take the place of Tendulkar. Names of Ajinkya Rahane, Subramaniam Badrinath, Mohd. Kaif, Manoj Tiwary, and Suresh Raina are going the rounds as the probables for replacing Tendulkar. All these players have got chances to play international cricket, but none has shown strong batting technique while playing against international bowlers, not to talk about about foreign match conditions. So it is not that there is a long queue of prodigious talents waiting for their entry in to the Indian team prevented only by the presence of Tendulkar in the team. 

Sachin Tendulkar still puts more efforts in constantly improving his batting skills and in rectifying technical glitches than any other of his teammates. It shows the commitment of the man and his determination. Even the great Sunil Gavaskar didn’t put a lot of effort in practice sessions during the fag end of his career. If about age being a factor, 37 test centuries in total have been made by 17 batsmen after they passed the age of 40. Englishman Jack Hobbs made 8 of them after he passed the age of 40 and he is also the oldest to make a test century at the age of 46 years and 82 days. So there are batsmen in the world who have defied age and hit test hundreds, notwithstanding the talks about reflexes getting poorer as you get older.

The retirement of the great Ricky Ponting, a contemporary of Sachin Tendulkar, has come as a shot in the arm for all those who call for the retirement of the great man. But one must note that the condition of the present Australian team is completely different from the condition of the present Indian team. Though the Aussies lost their recent test series against the Proteas, they are still a strong batting side. Michael Clarke is at his topmost form and is making lot of runs at will (this calendar year Clarke scored four double hundreds, a first time in the history of the game, even Sir Don had hit only three double hundreds in a calendar year), Michael Hussey, as always, is rock solid in that middle order, David Warner and Ed Cowan are good opening batsmen, Shane Watson is a brilliant all-rounder, already being compared to the great Jacques Kallis and the new comer in the team, keeper-batsman Mathew Wade has already shown he is not any bad with the bat. So the retirement of Ponting is not a serious setback for the Australians, but only a matter of natural transition. Therefore a comparison of Ponting retirement with Tendulkar’s is not correct in any way. 

At a time when the Indian cricket ship is sinking at a fast pace it is not 'Tendulkar-like' to jump off it, escape and look to save only his life. Many times the great man has single-handedly carried the whole weight of the team, like Atlas carried the earth on his broad shoulders, and rescued the team from many an ominous situation. The great Sachin Tendulkar has been a fighter, many times a lone fighter for his country, and one can hardly find him retiring now with this team in big trouble, unless of course he is forced to make such a decision by the team selectors who might humbly ask him to do it after convincing him that it is good for the team. And he always did what is good for the team, didn’t he?

Courtesy: Mohandas Menon for the statistics, the busy statistician found time to reply to this writer’s request in Twitter

Image Courtesy: PTI

The Very Very Special Batsman Calls it a Day

The man who played the greatest test innings by an Indian will no longer demonstrate the magic of his flamboyant wrists in manoeuvring a cricket ball through the gaps to send it to the fence. VVS Laxman, one of the most stylish and prolific batsmen test cricket has ever seen, has called it a day leaving behind a legacy that few cricketers can hope to emulate.

If there is one test innings that has ever changed the course of the cricket history of a nation, then it is the 281 of VVS Laxman against the Aussies at Eden Gardens in 2001. After following on to a world beating Aussie side under the leadership of the charismatic Steve Waugh, India won the test match after a dream innings by VVS in partnership with the great Rahul Dravid, which saw the famed Aussie bowling attack of Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz falling apart. That innings and the resultant win revolutionised Indian cricket and made it a force to reckon with. This writer has fond memories of watching that epic innings from the comforts of his home. It was a sort of an innings that was never seen before, where the great Aussie bowlers appeared to be mere university level bowlers in front of VVS. He played them to all parts of the ground at will and it appeared that he was not going to get out at any time. One whole day he pulverised the bowling and got out only in the morning session of the fifth day of the test match, by then the match was under Indian control.

VVS Laxman was the most feared batsman by the Aussies, who gave him the name Very Very Special, an interesting extension of his initial VVS. Once Brett Lee quoted Steve Waugh as saying, “if you get Dravid, it’s great, if you get Tendulkar, it’s brilliant and if you get VVS, it’s a miracle.” As a part of the renowned big three of Indian batting line up along with Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, VVS made 17 centuries in his test career at an average of 45.97, in which 6 centuries were against his favourite opponents, Australia. Many a time he had to bat with the bowlers of the team and in every such occasion he handled them with prudence and got the best out of them for the team. VVS has been a saviour to the team in many occasions in test match cricket and his services would really be missed by the Indian team in the future. A gentleman to the core, VVS Laxman is a role model for the youngsters in the country who showed how to be aggressive on the field, yet calm and composed off it. 

Thank you very much VVS for your many very very special moments for Indian cricket and world cricket and you will always be remembered as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the game. Thanks for the memories.

As Boucher and Lee Retire, Cricket loses Two of its Finest Fighters

This week, which is on its way to its end, has been one in which cricket has lost, through retirement, two of its finest fighters – Mark Boucher and Brett Lee. When the Proteas star wicketkeeper-batsman retired because of an unfortunate on-field accident, the Aussie speedster announced his retirement on account of his inability to come out of his recurring injury issues. Two fierce competitors, Boucher and Lee, made the game of cricket richer with their talent, dedication, determination, and above all, with a never-say-die attitude, which could be a real source of inspiration for the future generations of cricketers all around the world.

When a freak accident at Taunton ended one of the greatest careers in cricket, South Africa lost one of its strongman, not only behind the wickets, but in their total game, for Mark Boucher was not just a wicketkeeper, but was the heart beat of the team whenever they were faced with a daunting challenge, a stiff opposition, an impossible target. Boucher’s eyes got hit with the bails while he was keeping in one of the practice matches against Somerset. Cricket enthusiasts will remember with great delight many occasions where the individual brilliance and marked doggedness of this diminutive keeper-batsman pulled out his team from certain defeats. May it be about playing an innings to snatch victory from the clutches of the opponents or batting out a day to hold out for a draw, Mark Boucher was always there with a resolve matched by few of his peers. Mark Boucher holds the record for maximum number of dismissals in international cricket with 999 scalps, with 555 coming in test matches, followed by his nearest rival Adam Gilchrist with 416 dismissals. He holds the record for the fastest century by a South African in ODIs and his unbeaten 50 against the Aussies at Wanderers in that famous ODI chase of 438, remains as one of the greatest episodes of international cricket. 

Brutal pace and soothing smile have rarely combined in a fast bowler as have in the New South Welshman Brett Lee, undoubtedly the most loved Aussie in India, next only to the great Steve Waugh. Express bowling would never be the same in international cricket as one of its greatest proponents Lee has called it a day. Four ankle surgeries and a persistent shoulder trouble have made it impossible for the unassuming and affable fast bowler to continue in international cricket. A bowler known for his genuine air speed in bowling, Brett Lee had been instrumental in making Australia one of the best cricket teams in the world. He partnered with the legendary Glenn McGrath and made the lives of batsmen difficult for more than a decade. Fast bowlers hunt in pairs and Lee and McGrath dismissed batsmen of all nations with their guile and skill. Known for his fierce competitive spirit Brett Lee was one bowler who always gave his all, may it be bowling, fielding or batting. This writer enthusiastically remembers how Brett Lee clean bowled Andrew Flintoff with a brilliant in-swinger in a crunch situation at Trent Bridge in the Ashes series of 2005. When most of the other Aussie players were thinking about an inevitable loss as Flintoff was taking the attack on to them, Brett Lee was not ready to go down without a fight and bowled a dramatic spell of supreme fast bowling. Though in the end the Aussie lost the match, Brett Lee won the hearts of all those who watched the game. 

Now that the great careers of two of the finest fighters in cricket have ended, cricket columnist and writers are busy writing eulogies for Mark Boucher and Brett Lee and let this piece be one in the same league from this humble writer, for he spent many of his leisurely time marvelling at these great players scripting their own chapters in cricket history. 

Get well soon Mark Boucher, all the best Brett Lee.

Gentlemen, thank you very much for the memories.  

Image Courtesy: Cricket World

Congrats Sachin Tendulkar on Your 100th Hundred

I congratulate my hero Sachin Tendulkar on achieving the unachievable landmark of 100 hundreds in international cricket. One could be reasonably sure that this landmark would never again be achieved in the history of this great game, at least not in the lifetime of this generation. Your dedication, discipline and hard work have made it possible for you, not to mention the God-gifted natural genius you have.

You have been an inspiration to a whole generation, to rise above mediocrity, to confront the greatest of challenges with iron heart, to thrash down idiotic criticisms of ordinary men, to march ahead of the naysayers’ negative opinions and to win over the world with confidence, courage and grit. You epitomised India’s rise as a major force to reckon with in the world stage by your single handed dominance of the world’s most ferocious bowling attacks of our generation. You made those detractors of our country to stand up and notice, to respect you and thereby our country, you are one of the greatest sons of our nations and without any doubt the greatest exponent of Indian cricket, the greatest of them all.

May you continue many more years, bringing more joy to the millions of Indians, making more tons and bringing more triumphs. For the moment let us, your die-hard fans, bask in your glory, for you have brought us more joy, confidence and pride than any other single man in this universe. Thank you very much Sir.

Cricket Now a Much Poorer Game as Rahul Dravid Retires

And then what we all dreaded was confirmed to be true - Rahul Dravid has called it a day and he has declared his retirement from international cricket. A man who stood like a wall when his team mates, many a time, fell like nine pins will no longer wield a bat and saunter on to a cricket field to calm nerves and to fill hopes in the minds of thousands of Indian cricket lovers. I bow my head in profound respect in front of a man who has been more than a mere batsman, for he was a gentleman to the core, a real master of the game and a great role model for a whole generation.

The great man had always been in the shadows of one performance or one man. When he made 95 on test debut against England at Lords, his performance was overshadowed by the century on debut by Sourav Ganguly. When he revived Indian cricket’s fortunes at the Eden Gardens in 2001 with a hard fought 180, it was overshadowed by the epic 281 by VVS Laxman, one of the greatest innings in the history of test match cricket (this writer considers that innings of VVS as the greatest test match innings he has ever witnessed). And all through his career he was perpetually under the shadow of the greatest cricketer of his generation Sachin Tendulkar. However it must be said that he carved a niche for himself in world cricket, for there are few better than him at No: 3, often considered as the most difficult of all batting positions.

Just take a look at some of the records that the great man possesses. Second highest run getter in test match cricket; only Indian to score four centuries in a trot; with a tally of 210, he has the most number of catches by a fielder in test matches; he has been involved in most century partnerships in test cricket (88) and the most awesome record among all, he has faced 31258 deliveries in Test cricket, more than any other batsman in the history of the game.

When he walks on to the shades of international cricket he will be remembered as one of the greatest champions of the art of batting, a true legend, and an embodiment of patience, discipline, consistency, dependability and what not. The great game of cricket will be a much poorer game, now that Rahul Dravid has retired from it. But it could be said without any doubt that his name would shine in the annals of the game always. Thank you very much Rahul Dravid for being a role model for all of us, who have looked up to you for inspiration to weather down calamities in life as you often did when you went out to bat for the Indian cricket team as a real wall, as the great wall of India. We salute you.