A Tale of Two Expats - John Dyson vs Tom Moody

Tom Moody, the former Aussie all-rounder and current Sri Lankan coach completes six months at the helm and with the team having played a decent number of matches during his current tenure, the time has come for us analysts to critically evaluate the progress made by the side. I would be using references of yet another Australian, John Dyson - Moody's predecessor as the Lankan coach, considering the fact that they scaled reasonably high heights during his stint.

Sri Lanka under John Dyson

John Dyson, the former Australian opening batsman took charge of the Sri Lankan team after the West Indies tour in 2003 replacing former captain Duleep Mendis. The situation of his appointment was really important, as the team was undergoing a metamorphosis, or lets say a transition. It was a time when greats like Aravinda de Silva hung up their boots and with such a task on hand, Dyson was successful in the creating a Team Sri Lanka, by bringing several key players together.

So, what exactly is John Dyson's contribution to Sri Lankan cricket ? Well here it is. The team developed a sense of character under this man. There was a special trait that this team had - fighting from hopeless situations and still coming on top, or at least trying to. A testament to this would be the way the team competed against the Aussies at home in the ODI series, even after getting a 3-zip drubbing in the Tests. But, reading deeper into those three tests, they managed to stay competitive, and it was only through sheer Australian brilliance and not lacklustre effort by the Lankans, that they managed to win the series. Another aspect of Dyson was that he imposed his personality over the team. The Lankans could relate to his way of thought - aggression and they always came hard at the opposition, which is to an extent lacking in this current team. There was something about these Lankans then, which seems to have faded away today. He also was successful in establishing a core group of players - Jayasuriya, Atapattu, Jayawardena, Sangakkara (later), Vaas and Murali, whose expertise and experience helped the team weather many a storm and also paved way for potential youngsters like Lasith Malinga and Rangana Herath. The trait of purpose-oriented cricket was seen, which is surely not there in this team. And more importantly, the Lankans managed to perform and perform well consistently, which by the end of his tenure was highlighted by their position in the ODI rankings - #2.

Sri Lanka under Moody

The Sri Lankans are no-doubt a side with immense talent. But, for a coach, channelising this very talent is important. Being a passionate supporter of their game, I somehow feel that Moody has failed to bring about that very channelization. The team looks very same and predictable. Maybe, most of us sitting at home were carried about their blistering performances against the West Indies, India and Bangladesh at home, only to be flattered to decieve two months later. There is a clear lack of a nucleus within the team. The think-tank seems divided. The consistency is missing. Yes, but one positive side to all this is that with Moody being a man with a vision, one hopes, the future should seem bright. Every team has gone through this phase of defeat, depression and disappointment - but the earlier they get out of it, the better it is. He is doing a good job so far of bringing together the gen-Y of Sri Lankan cricket, but somehow one feels that it is coming at the cost of the usuals. Certain decisions made by Moody and Co have to a greater extent have been baffling, to say the least. And, unlike the good old Dyson days, the Lankans are seeming more of a side that is looking to go through the motions rather than impose itself on the proceedings. It will be really interesting to see how the next two-three months hold up for this team, as they will look to forge ahead to newer and tougher challenges in Australia and New Zealand, which for me, will be "Break Point" for Moody. He either wins it from there on or loses the plot.

This post is in no way trying to undermine the coaching or man-management abilities of Tom Moody, but just aims to point out harsh realities and lessons to be learnt from this, by facing these realities. I really hope, along with fellow fans of Sri Lankan Cricket, that Tom Moody in some months will turn a hero and take Sri Lanka to the next level. For some, this post might seem pretty pre-mature, as Sri Lanka are yet to be tested against oppositions like Australia, England and New Zealand etc, but with regard to the recent performances of this team, I personally feel that the timing of this post is quite appropriate and justified. Opinions and counter-views - most welcome.

.....and not so good !!

(contd from previous post)

The Not-So-Good aspect of this post begins from the fact that 79 runs were not exactly the amount the team management was expecting from Ganguly, which eventually triggered his downfall and ommision from the Test team for the third test. But, coming back to the topic of "Not so Good", I hope you readers might have got what I mean. The Sri Lankans are going through a troubled phase with regard to their game. They have really failed to impress on Indian soil, and even as I write this post, it seems that they are down and out. Marvan Atapattu talked about carrying the psychological advantage from Chennai, but was evident was real mental scars of the 6-1 drubbing at the hands of India a month back.

As a keen follower of Sri Lankan cricket since 1996, I have several complaints. Starting from the ommision of Sanath Jayasuriya to the playing eleven. It was really baffling to see Sanath ayya being dropped out of the Test team. Maybe the selectors forgot his single-handed effort last year in Pakistan, where his 250 odd runs sealed the fate of the Pakistanis. I would be joking if the Indians do not suffer from Sanathophobia considering the amount of success he has had against India in both forms of the game. According to me, his presence in the field was badly missed by the visitors, and although they have one eye on the future, they cannot afford to compromise on experience. Secondly, the Lankan bowling attack seems teethless. This makes me pose a question to the selectors "On what grounds was Dilhara Fernando selected into this team ? And why is Lasith Malinga left out of the side ?" Perhaps, I may never manage to get answers, but if I had a choice to recommend some moves, I would inject some variety and aggression into the unit by bringing in Malinga. That guy has some serious pace and can really run through batsmen. I hope Lalith Kaluperuma is taking notes from this post.

Another concern I have regarding this team is the batting order. In all fairness to my good pal Avishka Gunawardena, the man does'nt belong to Test Cricket. He and his colleagues, barring a few good men lack basic techniques and need to go back to the drawing board and work on them, if they have to sustain at this level. The middle-order seems too brittle for my liking. The players are not playing as per the team situation, but there are blokes in that eleven who are playing for their own future. It is not good to be in such situations, as it doubles the burden on the player. Guys like Jehan Mubarak should be given a longer dig at the level to really understand if they deserve the place. It would be really unfair on him, if he is dropped after the series.

As I see it, they will surely make changes in the playing XI at Ahmedabad. Thilan Samaraweera could end up opening the batting with Kumar Sangakkara and Atapattu shifting down the order. As for the bowlers, I have a sneaky suspicion about Lasith Malinga replacing Dilhara Fernando, and maybe young Sanjeewa Weerakoon, the left-armer from Chilaw could be given a go.

The series might have lost interest from the Indian perspective, as they have already laid one hand on the trophy, firmer it might seem from this heavy 188-run victory at Delhi, but the match in Ahmedabad should be an interesting one. The Lankans will have good memories of Motera, as their solitary win on Indian soil in the tour came there in the 5th ODI. One hopes that the Lankans will take fresh guard, in literal terms and look to compete and not succumb as meekly as they did in Delhi.

So far so good....

Its taken two months for India to resurge as a formidable force in international cricket. These two months have seen moments of potential and promise, translating itself into performance. What is really interesting to note is that the winning habit has not dried down, but is soon rubbing onto the other form of the game too and today's win is a clear highlight of the very fact. The new combine of Greg Chappell and Rahul Dravid have been successful in developing a unit that has the ability and the potential to play both forms of the game and also take on roles and responsibility assigned to them.

The fact that was very interesting and encouraging to see as a fan and analyst of Indian cricket, was the sense of purpose that the 11 men walked out into the ground with. Perhaps, past teams from India have known to be the ones that prefer going through the motions and try and react to situations rather be proactive enough to create situations of strength. But, with a change in approach and a change in mindset, what we are seeing is a side with shades of Australianism or in simpler words - dominate and be ruthless. Characterwise, the team deserves full marks, simply because even when they looked a bit dry as far as the wickets were concerned, the bowlers continued to peg away and persevere and create chances, rather than wait for the sun to set and the batter making mistakes. Another fine aspect that one sees in this team is the amount of flexibility of talent available. This very flexibility is thanks to the forward thinking attitude of the coach and the team management and the great amount of faith shown in players like Irfan Pathan, Yuvraj Singh, Ajit Agarkar etc. Many critics would read into Irfan Pathan's promotion to open the innings as yet another "experimentation" tactic, but to be fair to Chappell, it was a clear ploy and strategy to upset the Lankan line of thinking and venture into unconventional methods that could well put your side on top at the end of it all. So, with clearly one eye on the future, Chappell and Co have shown that they are ready to delegate responsibilities to players, and to Pathan's credit, he has not let anyone down - except maybe himself, with regard to the missed century.

It is really good to see the team performing as well as it is now. After days of dejection, the moments of delight are slowly coming back. But, the problem that has plagued Indian cricket ever since times immemorial is consistency or the lack of it. The outlook of this team has been different, but can Greg Chappell and Co usher an era in Indian cricket, where consistency rules the roost ? Maybe, we are just getting to see glimpses of the C-factor coming into our game. Or maybe I am being too early to judge it, but for the record, India has been unbeaten at home this season - thus far. Right from the first ODI at Nagpur against Sri Lanka, to the last wicket taken at the Kotla, the Indians have looked like a side, that have been striving to hit their mark and improve everytime they take the field. Maybe, these short-term factors will lead to the larger issue of consistency. It will be really interesting to see if they can maintain this intensity and hunger when they take on better oppositions like Pakistan (next month) and England (in February).

A word of praise for Mumbai opener Wasim Jaffer, who has managed to fight his way back into the Test team. A man with immense talent and ability, Wasimbhai has been scoring heavily in the domestic games, and is rightly rewarded for his efforts. His 267 against Delhi for Mumbai in the Ranji opener was a strong enough indicator for his candidature, and it will be good to watch him bat against the Lankans at Motera. The world has a place for conspiracy theorists afterall. For we have been getting reports about his selection as "a Pawarful" blow to a replacement from the East Zone (Ganguly).

For the Indians, its time to forge ahead in their quest of excellence. After such a brilliant performance at Delhi, with expectations soaring large, it will be interesting to see how they turn up at Ahmedabad. Of course, as usual, they should leave complacency behind at the airport, as it has cost them matches in many, most recent being the last test match at Bangalore against Pakistan earlier this year. But, with people like Dravid and Chappell at the helm, what one can expect is an effort and an aim to improve from being better to being the best !

My Salutations to thou, Master - Of patience and perseverance !

Today, will go down in history as one of the more momentous days in world cricket. First, New Zealand chasing down a total in Christchurch, which once seemed tougher than scaling the Everest, but thanks to Scott Styris and Brendon McCullum, even 331 did not seem intimidating enough against the Aussies. But, more importantly, closer to every Indian fan's heart would be the Master, the Genius - here the titles do not seem enough, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, going past Sunil Gavaskar to scale the highest and toughest peak in International Cricket - Most Test Centuries. So lets join in the celebrations, by saluting the Master himself.

It was never a question of - Will he or wont he ? But, only a matter of when he would get it. It was 364 days before that Sachin hammered a 248 against a low-rated Bangladesh attack at Dhaka. I remember the great Sunil Gavaskar walking down the commentary box to the ground and acknowledging the feat. This time around, it was 22 men clad in white, and another million in anticipation, finally bowing to the great batsman after crossing the mark. I would rate this knock by Sachin, as one of the better innings he has played, simply because the manner in which it came by. After being in the critics' book since a long time for his self-defensive adaptation of Test cricket, the great man has finally shown the world, his ability to patiently and efficiently work towards an approach that qualifies as "workman" like, which is why this inning of his deserves plaudits. The time has finally come for analysts and fans alike, to come to terms with his approach in Test cricket, which could best be described as "Cautious Aggression". What really separates him from the best is the ability to translate perseverance into performance. After all, 73 hundreds in International cricket is no joke.

This inning is not merely a record-breaking one. It is one that has conviction attached all over it, with some strokes looking to silencing some mouths, who wrote him off. None bigger than a Pakistani astrologer, who predicted his retirement before the year. Maybe that man has got his stars wrong, afterall.

As emotions sweep through the country and the world alike over this enormous feat, satisfaction is something that lies deep within, for a man who has put Indian sport in the galaxies of the world. It will be surely interesting to see how many more does he produce in his already illustrious career. I am being an idealist, but I would pitch for 10 more in a career that should last for at least 4 years. For now, lets just sink in the moment and celebrate a day of achievement, and wish the Master and his bat many more runs in the matches to come.

Thumbs Down Kolkata !

It was one hell of an affair for the Indians yesterday. It was as though they were playing in a different country altogether. Maybe they were, because as political analysts in India feel, the Republic of Bengal is surely different from the Republic of India. It was something that was not expected at the Eden Gardens, but this team did not deserve such a treatment. It seems shameful to even expect the half of 95,000 going up in arms, when Charl Langeveldt castled Rahul Dravid, a sight which will surely make an Indian question - Should we ever play at Kolkata again ?

Have we ever come across seeing Indian spectators carrying South African flags, and in plenty ? It may have augured well for the spirit of the game, but in this case, it was more of a deliberate excuse to just turn up in huge numbers and show their disinterest for the match in which their local boy-turned-hero was'nt included in the team. Didn't the same Kolkata stand up in arms to congratulate Rahul Dravid when he smashed that 180 against Australia in 2000-01 ? Here, the same personality was booed, when he was making each and every move as skipper. Perhaps the 10-wicket victory not only bolstered South Africa's confidence, but in more ways than one, was a moral victory for the Kolkattans, for whom there is no life beyond Ganguly. Disgraceful is one word that could best fit for these pseudo-posers, whose line of thinking was "Yeh team Ganguly ke bina nahin khelega (This team cant play without Ganguly)" - a notion that has been proved wrong by the recent fortunes of the Indians.

The Republic of Bengal is surely not new to such incidents. The overcharged spectators of the City of apprent Joy virtually denied India a chance to play the finals of the 1996 World Cup after their abnoxious behavior forced the match referee to forfiet the match to the Sri Lankans. Their emotions overflowed yet again, when Pakistan toured here, and besides watching the cricket, they started taking their own shots at the visiting players, and the teams were forced to play in front of an empty stadium. The Kolkattans showed their side of unsporting behaviour yet again, more in a milder tone, when they booed Salman Butt, the Pakistani who guided his team to victory last year. So, with emotions literally seated in every chair of that stadium, it will be worthwhile for them settling down and perhaps then deserve a game, because with such a pathetic track record of emotional outbreaks, a cricket match between two evenly matched teams isn't something, which the Kolkata public deserve to watch. Perhaps they need to watch some home matches involving Bengal to bask in the glory of Saurav Ganguly.

This was only a result of a symptom that conjured post-Chappell-Ganguly saga. One did'nt have to be a rocket scientist to know what was in the offing. But, as an analyst, we much condemn such acts and not encourage them. Two days back, I came across a report saying the Bengal film industry protesting the exclusion of Saurav Ganguly. I for one feel that this is just taking the issue too far. If Ganguly chooses or wants to make himself felt in the team, let him score runs or take wickets, as he exactly did against Maharashtra at Pune and then get included, no one will question that. It seems atrocious that a rather dormant film industry of the country, earlier used to be a pioneer in its art, has to come down and protest outside the Taj Bengal just for Saurav being excluded. What are they deriving out of it ? Just a normal waste of time and money and value for the sport.

Perhaps, retrospect was something worth having at this point of time. India should have taken this emotive issue into consideration while scheduling the games. But, I do not blame them, as the spat between two individuals has turned into a national issue. It will surely be time to introspect and look back at the scheduling process and see if Kolkata should be included in future games, especially involving India. Its time the BCCI, which is based in Kolkatta gets strict with its own hometown and maybe to prevent history repeating itself, a 2-match ban could be a likely solution. Its time for them to learn and learn from their own fellow centres like Bangalore and Chennai - who have a rather simple and rational approach to cricket-watching - "May the best team win !" and those are two centres where I have not seen any brooding over lack of local players, and that maturity surely needs to sink into the minds of the Kolkattans. Its time they realise that the show has to go on, even if the lead actor (in this case Ganguly) is missing.

Reality does not bite, it stings. And trying to sting it back is not the ideal solution. For now, its time to take a break for the emotional sulkers of West Bengal and watch the action at the bull-ring of Wankhede Stadium. As I am going to be a part of this gripping encounter (I hope), I can promise, the Mumbaiyya crowd, cheering not just their hometown heroes - Sachin Tendulkar and Ajit Agarkar, but also Team India.

Time to move on....The Dravidian Era is about to begin !

It was a disappointing day for all fans of Indian cricket, as the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai turned into a watershed, quite literally. But, some off the field action, would surely have brought smiles to many an Indian fan, with Rahul Dravid being appointed the captain for the Test Series against Sri Lanka starting early next month. Having won the confidence of many including the selectors after successfully leading India to a near-whitewash in the one-dayers, Dravid now has the responsibility to accept the baton from Saurav Ganguly and push India into an even better Test-playing nation.

A question that arises from this rather forward looking move is - "What new will Dravid bring into this team ?". The answer is quite simple. While the approach of the side could be the same, as it was under Ganguly - aggressive, mentally tough and professional, the dimension Dravid-Chappell combine will add could be ruthlessness mixed with control. Having been there, seen it and done it for a few matches, Dravid, being an astute student of the game would have realized that with captaincy comes a great deal of expectations, internally, within the team and externally, goes without saying - the cricket frenzy public of the country. He announced himself with a tough decision that virtually shocked the nation - declaring the innings when Tendulkar was approaching his double-ton at Multan in 2004. But reading into the positives of it, it just goes to show that for Dravid, an individual is just a mere part of the eleven, and has to bind within the framework of the team-strategies. Such tough decisions could be match-winning ones, for all we know. It was time, Indian cricket stopped getting emotional with their decision making and looked at the bigger picture i.e. the team's interest.

At this very moment, it is important to pay rich tribute to Saurav Ganguly's stint as the national skipper, where India looked like a side that meant business. Although it may not be the end of Ganguly as a player, one perhaps felt that he was past his prime as a captain. Steve Waugh's idealist view of "a captain should be given a shelf-life for not more than four years" showed on Ganguly. The team's potential and results clearly overshadowed his own individual performances and reached to a degree of frustration both with the selectors and the public. His legacy as India's most successful skipper might have some high growth points to say, like the home series win against Australia in 2001, the tour to Australia and Pakistan in 2003-04, the tour to England in 2002, but where the graph goes down is India lacked that killer instinct to finish games all at once. The Zimbabwean tour comes to mind, where they batted themselves out of the game in Harare and also the West Indies tour, where they surrendered rather meekly. The team seemed to have possessed a lot of character during his reign. Some ghosts that have continued to haunt Team India during Ganguly's tenure were the controversies. Be it his own 'cowardly' attitude at Nagpur in 2004 or the outrageous tour of South Africa in 2001, his personality, many a time unintentionally ensured that the team was constantly at tryst with conflict, both internally and externally. For all one might feel, it was not that century against Zimbabwe, but the Chappell controversy that sealed his fate. I may be overly-critical of Ganguly - the player, but as a leader, he was outstanding. Even though he was a non-performing liability to the team as a player, he ensured that his leadership was a pure asset. As he finally gears up to return as a player, he has not only passed on the captain's armband to his former deputy, Rahul Dravid, but also a rich legacy of success, of a team that stood up and made themselves a part of every contest.

Which school of captaincy will Dravid belong to ? Whatever little I have seen of him, Dravid will ensure that India dont miss the Dadagiri. He might come across as someone, who seems friendly, as emotionless as a Roger Federer, but deep down within himself, lies a professional, a thorough one. Dravid will surely take the positives of his ex-boss and try to merge them with his own fresh ideas he has in store. Another aspect of Dravid that will be worth a notice will be that he would lead from the front. Captaincy would be just another responsibility for him over his already heavy shoulders, but knowing Dravid and having interacted with him, it should'nt ruffle him much. For now, life seems rosier than ever under Dravid and Chappell. It will be interesting to see if they can help India secure a good enough series win against the visitors. As of now, lets just learn to move on and usher the Dravidian era of Indian cricket.

(Image thanks to Cricinfo)

Amidst the by-lanes of Behala, someone awaits a return

As the cricket carnival approaches to its Mecca - Eden Gardens at Kolkata, anticipation and hope is something the city is living with. The Kolkattans, known for their undying passion for Indian sport, will surely be praying for their Prince - Saurav Ganguly, sometime soon. But, will their prayers be answered by all those concerned ? It is surely something worth digging into. The big question being asked by everyone around these days is Will Ganguly return or Should Ganguly return ? Its not an easy question for me to answer, as I try and put the logical reasons as to why he should or he should not be in this team, and the possible connotations of Team India and its life without and life beyond Dada.

Its been a sad month for sport, more precisely football and cricket - for it has lost two of its greatest leaders for their respective teams, coincedentally in similar fashion. Roy Keane, the talismanic midfielder, epitomised all that Manchester United was about, was sacked by the club for his unceremonious comments he made in public about Man United's performance, while Indian cricket seems unforgiving about its once-most famous Dada - Saurav Ganguly, who was shown the door momentarily, after his public spat with coach Greg Chappell. Seeing all this fracas of leaders in sport, all one can say is disagreements do happen, but in these cases they have only extended themselves to downfalls of two idols. Aged, aggressive and arrogant - sums both these personalities very well, but in Ganguly's case, would the Indian mindset forgive him for the Zimbabwe tour fall-out ? Or has Ganguly been the first of many victims of the Chappellian adage of "Perform or Perish" ? Such answers will take a while to find out.

How can Ganguly possibly return into the thick of action once again ? With age not being a criterion in India's selection policy these days (inclusion of JP Yadav is a precedent), what seems to be against Ganguly is not his potential or ability but performance. Ganguly has really struggled ever since the short-ball rule came into the lawbook and demanded him to adapt to that delivery, which due to his capacity or lack of it, has surely ignored it for his record, which boasts of nearly 16,000 international runs. Today in the Times of India, there is a conversation Saurav has had with his daughter which goes "Sana : Bapi, tumi khelchhona keno (Father, why are'nt you playing)" to which he replies "Dada : Aami bhalo khelte parina, tai (Only because I'm not such a good player)". For Chappellians alike, this may seem like a candid confession to someone close, but that is certainly not reality. I am not such a big fan of his batsmanship of recent days, but I still do maintain that he has something more to contribute to Indian cricket. With immense competition in the team for every spot at the moment, Saurav will have to surely do more past his Duleep Trophy effort for East Zone of a pair to open a window of opportunity to try and scrape into the team. Lets put it in a milder tone, all he needs to is to score runs and hope for the best, but at the same time, be prepared for the worst, as the Rainas and the Kaifs are on the run-hunt as motivated as Saurav himself is.

Somewhere down the entire dirty episode that brought the team closer, Saurav might just have gone a step further to drive home his point on Chappell, but the more experienced man that Greg is, he has taken a wider overview of things and quietly kept him out of his plans. To worsen his re-entry, a tennis elbow struck him, maybe not for long, as he showed glimpses of him being back to his best in his 114 for East Zone against North Zone. And more recently, all Dada has done is to show desperation to get back into the team, by pointing fingers at his colleagues' non-performance. Gradually, there seems to be a final tone of surrender coming through with statements like "I am ready to play anywhere". It will only be left to see if he does manage a look-in by the selectors for the Sri Lanka test series. A man, who was a vivant member of the selection committee meetings himself, has to now await these meetings for a very different reason. Perhaps, somewhere one feels that the Indian crest in Ganguly's shirt, is fading slowly.

As of now, it looks as if Sauravda will spend more time with his family than Greg Chappell. From a more individual point of view, Ganguly must surely be hoping for an injury or a string of failures, something this Indian team has not yet resorted to. But, knowing Dada, all that he wants is Indian cricket moving ahead - with or without him. It may sound a rather naive statement, but that is what sums up his praise for Rahul Dravid's newly found role as skipper. It will be a litmus test for India on the 25th at Ganguly territory i.e. Kolkata - which will surely miss its son, but an Indian victory at the Eden Gardens could prove a major consolation to Dada's absence. The old cricket adage of "Its not over until the last ball is bowled" applies to Saurav Ganguly's illustrious-yet-now-tainted career. The ball is in his court, the Chappellian ball - which has only three words to say - PERFORM or PERISH.

Sehwag's tryst with Number 4, Irfan all the way and Specialist streak-enders

It was not something unexpected from the rejuvenated men of Indian cricket. After a lacklustre performance at Hyderabad, clinical would be the best word to describe their efforts at Bangalore. The Indians were all over South Africa right from the first over and with some extremely mature heads over their shoulders, pouched the 2nd ODI at Bangalore with considerable ease. This post essentially will try at bringing out little observations in the form of snippets.

Sehwag's tryst with Number 4

This little snippet is inspired from the on-air conversation Robin Jackman and Ravi Shastri were having during the Indian run chase, about Sehwag's role in the middle-order. It seems like a dream come true for someone going back to the position he once started, but would it affect the team as such ? I for one do not think so. Gautam Gambhir has done all he could to convince the selectors about his potential in the shorter version of the game, especially after being branded as a "test" player. And if he does play in the team, the only position he could cling onto would be the opening berth, especially with Tendulkar showing glimpses off and on of his golden days. Ravi Shastri rightly hit the nail on the head by pointing out that "India have often lost matches because of initial top-order failures. If they can have someone with the experience and the threat of Sehwag, they are still in the hunt". Absolutely, I must say. The only drawback of such a potential move could only be as Jackman raised "Sehwag at No. 4 could potentially break-up one of the most dangerous opening partnerships (along with Sachin) in International Cricket". Whatever the consequences, if Chappell, Dravid and Indian cricket are comfortable with this very move, they should stick with it simply because they have a left-handed opener, who is as aggressive as Sehwag or as Sandeep Patil says "Gambhir is even more aggressive as compared to Dhoni !", so it evens out, as India have lost nothing and instead gained a specialist opener and more importantly, some hope and experience in the form of Sehwag in the middle-order. For all you know and think about, this could be another move of experimentation in Chappell's chessboard. So folks, as specators and fans of the game, all we can do is keep guessing until the next time...

Irfan All the Way...

After his reckless performances against Pakistan earlier this year, Irfan Pathan has grown and matured so much that his performances in these recent one-dayers (with the bat or with the ball) have virtually been indispensible. A perfect example of what being dropped out of the side for 3 games can do (Irfan was dropped mid-way in the Pakistan series). Hunger and motivation is the keyword. Kudos to the youngster for taking his repeated failures seriously and making an immediate impact. It wasn't all that rosy for Irfan, for he spent a good three to four weeks in the UK working on his game with Middlesex, and this short burst with the county has reaped loads of rewards to Pathan, both with the bat and the ball. What seems a significant progress is the amount of work he has done with his batting, which is proving to be an asset to the Indians. Batting at number 3 is not easy, and his very nimble footwork seems he's been doing it all his life. While the matches against Zimbabwe were a virtual walkover for the Indians, Irfan got the bucketfull of wickets and confidence he needed for the season. Everyone around knew what he was capable of it was only just for him to have delivered, as he righltly did. The media should shoo itself away from making boisterous comparisons to Freddie Flintoff just yet, as he comes across as a bowler, who could bat and anything he scores is an absolute bonus. But, from the more rational point of view, it is important for him to think like an all-rounder, who could be called on at times of calamity to contribute - both with bat and ball. It has been a truly memorable homecoming for the 21-year old, as slowly the promise is turning into performance, but in this rather cruel game of cricket, the need of the hour is getting it right consistently. And with him leading the hopes of many, it will only be a matter of time before he makes himself felt among the very best in International Cricket.

Specialist streak-enders

For this little snippet, I would like to draw a parellel between English soccer giants Manchester United and the Indian team. Any team maintaing a certain level of consistency, gets into a mode of invincibility. It was the Argentine David Nalbandian today, who got through Roger Federer to end his 35 match streak at Shanghai. Other notable expert streak-enders can be the Manchester United team, who saw through the epic 49-matches unbeaten run of Arsenal in 2004, and yet again brought an end to the 41 match-unbeaten league run of Chelsea on 6th November in 2005. So where does India fit in amongst all these great teams and individuals ? To put the records straight, India were instrumental in stopping Australia from a huge 16 match winning streak in 2001 at Kolkata. Here they are again, where the spirited Men-in-Blue caught South Africa short of their record equalling effort of 21 (Australia - streak ended by West Indies in 2003). A fine effort to highlight the relativity of invinciblity of a sporting side. But, as far as the Indians are concerned, they need to put together a streak of wins themselves to ensure that they surely are among the world's best and serious contendors for the title in 2007.

Watch out this space, as I will be putting together another string of snippets on Wednesday, after the Chennai match. The posting could be a little delayed, as I would be busy with academic commitments.

Its introspection time folks...

Its introspection time folks...

As they landed in Mumbai on 18th October 2005, an echo rebounded from all corners of India and Sri Lanka alike, on them taking home the Videocon Cup, the India vs Sri Lanka ODI Series. But, things changed from potential delight to a virtual misery, as they lost their practice match to a second-rung Mumbai Cricket Association XI. From likely conquerors to the conquerored, Sri Lanka's plight in their recent loss to India is truly worth a write.

A keen follower of Sri Lankan cricket that I am, this series should first be an eye-opener into the selection policy. Perhaps they can surely take a leaf out of the Indian book of introducing rookies into the side and blood them in first-up. With reluctance being the keyword, mainly due to their obsession in retaining the winning combination, the selectors have opted for results rather than future. This very series proved to be an eye-opener about the mentality of the two sides - one trying to put its past behind and build a new future, and the other harping upon its past glories by ignoring the tomorrow. The result should not be read into very much, but from the Sri Lankan perspective, it was time to end the year on a high - a series win in India is surely something worth success. Introspection is the keyword out here and its time Sri Lanka try and stare reality on its face rather than escape it. While Tom Moody might have enjoyed success against relatively weaker nations like West Indies and Bangladesh, a loss against India will surely put him on guard.

Another factor that eludes this cricketing team is homesickness. Maybe not so literally homesick, success is something they prefer leaving at home. Apart from successes in Zimbabwe and Pakistan in 2004, Sri Lanka has nothing much to write home about in their overseas matches. To be frank, Sri Lanka are the toughest team to beat at home (Australia and India included). When they are in their own den, God only knows what makes them such a different unit as opposed to when they are on their flight somewhere else. If conditions is something to brood about, then I feel sorry for them as Sri Lanka is hardly 55 minutes away from the Indian mainland. It seems rather surprising that such a superior outfit like Sri Lanka just could not compete in this series. As the Indian coach said "I think they've only played as well as we've allowed them to play", it seems true that the real Lions were at a prawl somewhere else. The lack of youth clearly showed in this unit, which has an average age of about 30. To put it straight, there is no lack of talent in the Emirald Island, but a clear sense of apprehension as to their belonging in the International Arena. The time has come for Sri Lanka to ask itself questions like "What next after Jayasuriya, Atapattu, Muralitharan and Vaas ?". Deep down its own conscience, the answer will take its own time. Youngsters like Upul Tharanga, Malinga Bandara, Pradeep Srijayaprakashdaran Champaka Kapudegara (the 19-year old middle order bat), Sanjeewa Weerakoon, Ian Daniel etc. should be given fair chances before their adaptability at the highest level is judged. Its really unfortunate that these guys almost in every tournament end up carrying drinks or being passengers and clear spectators. Talent is in no shortage in Sri Lanka....just that it is not coming through at the right time, which is my only concern.

Its sad to see the stooping levels of the much-talked about school cricket structure. A Royal-Thomas battle, which has a history of 126-years has more aura attached to it than the actual performance - something the administrators really need to look into. Kumar Sangakkara in an interview to an Indian news channel stated "We have one of the best base structures in cricket in the world", but sadly as I observe, the days are getting gloomier than ever. No doubt there is still some heart and passion in those matches, but the results are far and few to be worth a notice. Among the current crop of youngsters, Ferveez Maharoof comes up as a guy who has really roughed it in all levels, right from his Wesley College days. One of the main reasons this school cricket issue is being raised is to point to the bench strength or the lack of it in Sri Lanka as of now. Another reason it is in the downswing is simply because they are used to playing on flat, dull and slow wickets, that even the slightest movement in the air or off the pitch can deter the defences of the batsmen - a fact in itself that has come in way of Sri Lanka's overseas performances. Rather than sulking to harsh realities, a remedial solution would do wonders to boost the future of the Sri Lankan team.

Its time to don the thinking cap on for the likes of Tom Moody and Co. A leadership change would be a workable solution for Sri Lanka, as Marvan is slowly experiencing the law of diminishing returns. Kumar Sangakkara would surely come across as the likeliest candidate, as he is the more in-form batsman, who has the tendency to lead from the front as a player more often than not. All's well that ends well - maybe the slogan Sri Lanka might just be using to console themselves and recover from this big slump. Perhaps a defeat was all they needed to get their acts together and take a fresh plunge into the pool called "International Cricket". I hope Sri Lanka takes fresh guard for the Test Series after this defeat and re-establish themselves in this red-hot arena.

Embracing the Chappellway

Embracing the Chappellway

To the regular readers of this blogspace : I am very sorry for my delayed re-entry into writing about the game. Was held up due to some personal and academic work. I have also just started work on my first book "Sri Lanka Cricket : The Storyteller". I am back with my regular dose about the happenings in the game and hope to really rip it through this time, with regular daily postings about the wonderful game of cricket.

Today's content is dedicated to what has actually gone behind the making of the rejuvenated Indian team, that looks on the upswing these days. Its surely been strange that for three to four months since he took charge of 11 cricketers and 1 billion cricket fans, Greg Chappell had to devote more time bothering about what went behind the BCCI doors in Kolkata, and settling his personal dispute with the discarded skipper Saurav Ganguly, than talk, teach and play cricket. Having said that, it took him virtually no time to discard the faulty pieces and gather his forces back on the chessboard, when Sri Lanka took on India. In the beginning of the series, one expected a real tough home-test for the Indians, but the sublime confidence with which India played really indicated the short memory the team had about that disasterous tour to Zimbabwe. Was it more of Greg Chappell stamping his class and leaving a mark or just Sri Lanka being poor tourists ?

What seems really interesting and intriguing when you read into the mind of an Australian is not the amount of cricketing skills he brings into the game, but also non-cricketing factors like professionalism, toughness (both mental and physical) and most importantly discipline. Somehow I feel that it was more of "sticking to the basics" that won India the series with such a whooping margin than the 183* of Dhoni (as more cricket fanatics would fancy). I somehow fancy Indian cricket to rule the roost during his tenure because there is a sense of purpose that has emerged within this unit. Tough-decisions being taken have never been a part of an Indian curry, rightly called as emotional fools. But here is a sea-change one is witnessing, after the advent of Chappell where the mind, the heart and the body seemed to have synchronised pretty well. It was indeed important for the Indian coach to make an impression, especially keeping in mind the short public memory the Indian cricket fans have. A famous Marketing guru has stated the four Ps of Marketing - Price, Placement, Product and Promotion. Greg Chappell has brought the famous old 3 Ps of Aussie sport into India - Passion (unquestioned), Pride (playing for the country) and indeed Performance. Another famous slogan that Chappell has brought in his baggage from Adelaide seems to be "Perform or Perish". For once, we go beyond Zones to assess who is actually performing and who isnt. Some of the Indian regulars have surely been on the wrong side of Chappell and this adage has surely seen them on the sidelines ever since. Another key aspect of this management jargon means insecurity. But there is a positive side to it too. Insecurity for a player means more hunger and hence possibly more performance. The series win over the Lankans has highlighted, how subtle changes can bring about results.

One just needs to spend a little while in that confident Indian dressing room to guage what Chappellway actually is. Contrary to theorists, I would not assess a coach by his results. Tom Moody was hailed as Sri Lanka's future hope and look what has happened to his side. Maybe, we get too judgemental seeing the number of wins and losses. Times have changed and so have the demands of the game and the way it needs to be analysed. With development of a side given due importance, the future matters more than the present. With this regard, Greg deserves 100% for the young bench strength he has formed and more importantly blood them in to feel the heat and demands of the highest level. Perhaps, we would'nt have seen an RP Singh or Sreesanth for that matter steaming in against some of the most dangerous batsmen in ODI cricket. What really is impressive is the bunch of talent he has gone about choosing (thanks to the selectors also), have delivered. The Dhonis, the RP Singhs and the Rainas are tomorrow's India, and certainly from the way the management has handled them so far, their future seems to glow brighter by the day.

Having said that, it surely is too early to judge the impact of Chappell. By the time he finishes his first anniversary with Team India, looking at his report card would be interesting. It will contain a few scars, but hopefully with the charisma, the character and the confidence, the scars will fade away. Indian cricket is certainly on the brink, I say on the brink, simply because of the nature of its unpredictability. Consistency is the watchword and if Chappell commits himself to the levels of excellence he promised when he arrived, that word will surely have more than just one meaning...

Over to you Greg and Rahul.....

Magnificient Mahela, Dada's Day Out and Bye Bye Dambulla...

We witnessed one hell of an encounter yesterday. It was a contest worth watching and as an Indian fan, perhaps just taking my hats off to the fantastic twosome of Mahela Jayawardene and Upul Chandana who took Sri Lanka home from a position of fragility would be the best thing to do.

Yes indeed, they've done it again. From a position of hopelessness to the finish line, this will surely go into the history books of Sri Lankan cricket as one of their more memorable games against India. Mahela Jayawardene is someone who I rate high. It is indeed disappointing to see that a bloke with the amount of talent that is in him, often fails to tap it the right way. Inconistency was a tag that Mahela always carried with him and an average of just above 30 does no justice to the quality of batsmanship the Lankan deputy-skipper possesses. This inning by Mahela will indeed go down as one of his best simply because Sri Lanka, were all but staring defeat at its face. And while I rave about Mahela, how can I forget the contribution of Upul Chandana, who played an able ally to Mahela. It is indeed interesting to recount another famous win that these two were involved in and if my memory serves me alright - it was against England in the Carlton and United series in Australia - 1998, where Mahela scored 120 and Upul chipped in with a handy 50 and guided Sri Lanka past an impossible target of 300. Hats off to these bold young men. Whether Sri Lanka won or lost was utterly irrelevant, but the amount of fight these blokes showed was indeed an inspiration by itself and with the result ending up positively, its more of a benchmark for other teams to lead up to. Well played guys !!

For one man though, this game was more than a 50 over-ODI. Yes folks, the person in question is indeed Saurav Ganguly, India's "former" captain. But things did go well for him and one did feel that the stint at Glamorgan was the right tonic Dada needed to buck himself up for this day. His knock was pretty hard-working, but having come from a position of not-so-strong mental and emotional balance, this knock of 51 must have meant a lot to him personally and to the context of his future. Yes indeed there was a moment of pride, achievement and satisfaction when he tapped Dilhara Fernando for a single on 32 and became the only third batsman in the history of LOI to reach the landmark of 10000 runs. But all that moment of glory came down crashing to ground as he was particularly targetted by the Lankan batters - Jayawardena and Chandana when given the rather tough job of a fifth bowler. So, all in all, a not-so-particularly great day with the ball but that fifty with the bat has changed his fortunes tremendously and one really hopes to see the true colours of Dada unfolding in the days and matches to come.

Its parting time folks...yes, the time has indeed come for the cricketing carnival to move out of the rather picturesque and serene central Buddhist city of Dambulla to a more hectic and lively Colombo. The rest of the three matches i.e. (India-WI, WI-SL and the Finals) will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium, which is located on the outskirts of the capital city. Dambulla's exotica will be indeed missed, but with the action moving westwards to the RPS (more of Sri Lanka's den), the matches could well be more exciting with runmaking and runchasing a lot easier than at Dambulla. The pitch at RPS has always been a batting paradise, and perhaps the transition the batsmen would have to make will be on the bounce factor. The ball is likely to come onto the bat easier than at Dambulla, which will soon end the honeymoon the bowlers were enjoying down there. Scores of over 270 can be expected with the wicket showing shades of those in use in India and Pakistan. One really hopes that these games do not end up being extremely one-sided and even though we will miss the humdingers of Dambulla, I personally wish that India's true batting colours comes to the fore here.

A Job Well Done, Butterfingers and The Indian Connection...

Its always nice to finish a weekend on a high, and nothing satisfies me more than seeing my country win, well....albeit against the West Indies. Indeed it shrugs off my initial disappointment of not able to tame the Lankans, but professional as they were yesterday, they got their job done pretty professionally.

Here is the story - although I reckon it was a job well done, somewhere down the line I am confused between "well done" and "conviction". Yesterday's win was a much needed one for the Indians who always have what I term as "Season starting blues". I can only see them getting better and more confident as this tournament progresses into break points. As I saw it yesterday, there were two pitches at the Rangiri Stadium. One - when Dravid was on the crease and the other when all the other batsmen were. It was indeed one of those occasions where I got to see the rare sight (pretty much these days) of the Windies pace battery charged up and at the batsman, but as I said before, only Dravid with his high-class technique came through with hardly any sweating. Kaif showed promise at the top, but somehow doesn't fit my bill as far as the opening slot is concerned. Suresh Raina - well mate, fortune favours the brave ? Yeah, ask him bout that !! All in all, an "above-average" batting performance to say the least, but with the damage already done by some excellent bowling, chasing 178 wasn't much of an Everest to climb.

A word of mention about the bowling - looked pretty much in sync yesterday. Zak and Irfan got the ball rolling and the others pretty much followed. Maybe the fifth bowler could hold up for serious improvement, but all in all, it was a disciplined cum orchestrated effort (each bowler pretty much bowled for each other).

Dropped catches...a.k.a BLOOPERS was the order of the day for both Sehwag and the West Indians. When I diagnosed each of their problems, Sehwag's one looked to be impardonable - for his footwork was appalling for a fielder in the 2nd slip. But, as far as the West Indians are concerned, it was their best fielders who put down sitters. So much so for Ian Bishop and Tony Cozier raving about their catching in the Tests....Now, as far as I see it, this could be due to the floodlights in Dambulla, as Ian Chappell mentioned - they were of pretty inferior quality and badly placed. Chanders also pretty much conceded the lack of training under lights for the young Caribs as the cause of the butterfingers. Denesh Ramdin, Dwayne Smith and Ricardo Powell indeed have a point to prove as they take the field on Tuesday against the Lankans. As for Virender Sehwag, a kick in his backside could be the ideal medicine for his catching woes.

How many times have I seen this before ?? Indians (or certainly People of Indian Origin) having a big say against men of their same breed. Well folks, there were two Indians on debut who have in someway made some name for themselves. Narsingh Deonarine (pronounced in India as Narsingha Devnarayan) and Denesh Ramdin (pronounced in India as Dinesh Ramadin) showed their grit and determination in the middle as the batsmen around them succumbed to some quality Indian bowling. I look at Deonarine as someone in the Katich mould - attack when required and defend otherwise. If I had any criticism of Deonarine, it was perhaps the time he took for those 41 runs and threw it away when it was imperative for him to stay on, if Windies were to get anywhere close to 200. Ramdin also comes across as a cool customer (Ive seen him captain West Indies Under-19 in the World Cup at Bangladesh and he played a stellar knock of 72 against England in the Semis). His footwork as a wicketkeeper is perfect and a good gloveman was what West Indian cricket demanded post-Jacobs. With Ravindranath Rampaul and Ryan Ramdass waiting in the wings, it won't be long before the West Indies actually turn into the West "Indians". My second book, which I hopefully should be writing before the world cup will be on the contribution of these players of Indian origin in West Indies cricket and the titling is going on the lines of "Currybeans" or "Where East meets West"....

I will be back with my review of the 3rd ODI on Wednesday and hopefully with good catching, the Windies can force an upset against a much fancied Sri Lanka...

A Tale of Three Debutants, Feelin at "Home" and the Mauler from Matara

As I write this piece, I must admit that there are multiple feelings going through my mind. Disappointment and dejection (as an Indian fan) certainly tops them all, but some kind of satisfaction comes through as the people who I have bothered to know (Rahul Dravid, Y Venugopala Rao, Russel Arnold) in my brief stint as a cricket scribe played their small little part successfully in the first ODI at Dambulla.

Things didn't go well for India from the time they left the team hotel with batsman VVS Laxman complaining of a back spasm, but if it gives me another perspective, it was a born opportunity for guys like Suresh Raina and Y Venugopala Rao to carve a small niche for themselves in the game. Talent was indeed abundant in both of them, but the ability to rise to the occasion was relatively more with the Andhra batsman. Raina perhaps found himself on a sticky wicket (literally) when the great Murali just took a ball to measure the Ghaziabad lad, but he did manage to claim fame when his throw from Square Leg found the Lankan skipper wanting. On the other hand, YVR (as he is called) managed to show great girth, perhaps reinforcing the old batting adage of "Play the ball and not the bowler" - which was clearly evident when he played Murali with relative ease during his crucial 38. So as far as the Indians are concerned, there is some depth in the talent on display, and if tapped well, they just could be the spark Indian cricket needs at this stage.

Another youngster from the rival camp who caught my eyes was Dilhara Lokuhettige, the 25-year all-rounder from Colombo. Brave enough to open the bowling with Farveez Maharoof, Loku (following Sangakkara's call from behind the stumps) showed nerves initially when he was all over the strip against Virender Sehwag (most bowlers get intimidated by his sheer presence). But with Farveez giving Sri Lanka the perfect start by bowling out Sehwag, Loku's confidence was quite visible. The confidence translated into wickets of MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh (off some intelligent bowling) and his 2/31 off his 10-over quota on debut was indeed of high relevance in minimizing India to just a mere 205. But why this youngster deserves more praise is the way he came into bat and virtually threatened to win the game in one gulp. A sixer off Sehwag over long-on in just his third ball echoes the ability and relevance Dilhara had in the context of the game. Maybe his 21 was just the tonic needed to get over the slug when the hosts were at 112/5. As I sit and praise this youngster, I carry some expectations with me. I personally hope that youngsters like Dilhara are backed by the selectors and with opportunities to deliver, they do become a part of a new chapter of Sri Lanka Cricket under Tom Moody.

Oh yes, about feeling at home...Who would dare to think that this game was played in Sri Lanka ? I personally didn't do so. It surely reminded me of a stadium somewhere amidst the scenery of say an Andamans or Kerala. But folks it is Dambulla...some 4 hrs from Colombo towards Sigiriya. But what I actually meant by home was the amount of advertising that has come into this tournament (or anywhere India plays) from home. Right from HDFC Life Insurance to Gopal 123 Zarda, the advertising boards never spelt anything Sri Lankan (except for Dilmah..the official sponsors of the Lankan team and also the SLC Souvenir Shops). And this does'nt stop here. Wherever India goes, there is some money that follows. It is indeed interesting to see the widespread reach of India Inc. even in a neighbourly country like Sri Lanka, which perhaps could be the untapped virgin market these corporates are looking to get into and for someone who has been to Sri Lanka as a tourist, let me assure you that it ain't the worst place to get into.

Coming back to Cricket from a lil Kotlernomics, one would be foolish if he would discount Sanath Ayya's ("ayya" in Sinhala means big brother) brave cameo, which shooed the game away from India. It was one of the few knocks I have seen him play with a certain poise, level-headedness and ease, something different from his slam-baam-boom batting at the top. Sanath's injury at the start of the innings might surely have been music to Indian ears, but there was a lot of room in the concert for Sanath to change the tunes. I somehow echo the voices of the Ten Sports commentators (who I usually detest for various reasons) that the team needs to give a great deal of thought to Sanath's role as a middle-order player. There is a lot of scope for the Matara Mauler to be the finisher and perhaps give an extention to his cricketing career. But for now, "Get Well Soon, Ayya" is all I would like to convey to one of my favourite ENTERTAINERS - sure is one !!

There is a lot India needs to learn from Saturday going into Sunday, where they are a fancied lot against a weak West Indies team. But the order of the day is not to be complacent, as they must have been stung by now. Many Happy Returns of the Day to Greg Chappell, and we all hope that the team gives their coach a memorable birthday gift in the form of a big win !! Over to Dambulla for Game 2 !! (Review tomorrow)

Me with God...

Me with Rahul Dravid, the Indian Captain - during a function at Hilton Towers, 6th June 2005 when he was appointed the Brand Ambassador of Bank of Baroda.

Copyright © 2005 Venkat Ananth. All Rights Reserved

Destination Dambulla, A Bangla Apology and the Ashes rants

Its always nice to be back after a long break...just a few hours before India embark on their new cricketing season in Sri Lanka..

Many things transpired in the game during this eventful month and a half long break...

Firstly, Bangladesh were real impatient enough to prove no worth in my words of wisdom about their status in International cricket, but yeah....a win against the Aussies is no mean feat. I sincerely hope that Bangladesh cricket can really kick on from what they left at England. Cardiff certainly has some place in International cricketing history after all....as for individuals, Shahariar Nafees has really impressed me, both with his technique and his attitude towards the game, even though its a long way to reach the galaxy for the southpaw. Mohammad Ashraful...for once lives upto the expectations Ive had from him. A talent clearly possessed. Perhaps the next best thing to come from Asia. The English tour has also raised Mashrafe Mortaza's profile as far as I am personally concerned.

Now, from the minnows to the big-fishes (literally). It has been with great intrigue that I have been watching the English season (Bangladesh matches included) and also read the various musings by the resurgent English media. They have certainly grown in leaps and bounds through the past two seasons, bringing in fight (least expected), executed perfectly by Geraint Jones and Paul Collingwood at Lords (Natwest Series finals). The fright was also seen when they could'nt halt the Aussies in a pre-Ashes rampage. What is significant in all these events is that the Aussies have been clearly forgiven for their rather "Worst week in International Sport (Sydney Morning Herald 15th June 2005)".

The Ashes - To me the first Test at Lords, stands out for two impact moments. Glenn McGrath again proving a thorn in the English flesh and yet again the pre-Ashes hype counting for nothing as Australia romped to a huge 239-run victory. I ask the question - Did England deserve this amount of media attention after all ? With the "popularities" of players like Andrew Flintoff reported to be neck and neck with David Beckham, I feel that the Pom media went a step too far in projecting their "weapons". But, having observed the past, these are utterly normal pre-Ashes gimmicks with the win only for Australia on the field. Coming over to Glenn McGrath, I perhaps read the most fitting tribute ever to the great New South Welshman by fellow Aussie Ian Chappell where he said "McGrath has the discipline of Gandhi, the confidence of Mohammad Ali and the patience of Job." - Guess it just can't get any better than this. Hopefully the paceman can conquer newer numbers in the days and months to come.

Lets get closer to home now. Destination Dambulla (Sri Lanka) - July 30th 2005 - 1st Indian Oil cup ODI between India and Sri Lanka. With so much attention given to Greg Chappell ever since the minute he was appointed Indian coach, his first litmus test begins here. Will he mastermind a rather star-less, inexperienced Indian team to sweeter tastes of success ? We've got to wait and watch. It will certainly be a stern challenge for Chappell and Co to outplay and outthink the Lankans, but it isnt impossible - for there are some talented youngsters on show. Rahul Dravid wearing the captain's hat may just be the ideal dose Indian cricket needed after the Ganguly-saga and perhaps the emergence of a new Dravid-Chappell combine may just sign the future for Indian cricket, I feel. Coming back to tomorrow's duel between India and its southern neighbour, I feel it will be very important for India to put the result across to the Lankans, who are by far a superior ODI side (on current form, ICC rankings and at home). Having tasted early success against the Windies in the Tests, the spirit will be high and of course so will be the confidence. I can easily visualise a rather bouyant Sri Lankan dressing room before this game, even though they cant play the injured left-armers Vaas and Zoysa. Wonder if the promising youngster Pradeep Jayaprakashdaran might realistically get a chance to play. Sri Lanka will in all likelihood go with two debutants - Dilhara Lokuhettige (all-rounder) and Upul Tharanga (opener) and India might just choose to go safe but JP Yadav looks set to make a comeback into International Cricket after 3 years.

It should be an interesting battle, but I somehow feel the scales tilting towards the hosts. With a lethal weapon in Murali, it will not be how Indian batsman play the Lankan bowlers, but how they play Murali's 10 overs that will decide the outcome of the game. I will be posting my post-match review after the match tomorrow.

I have already started working on my first book "Sri Lankan Cricket : The Storyteller" and I am in my initial research phase and hopefully my fascination for the game in the Island can help in a quality output of facts.

The Bangla Debate

Perhaps, its not been the smoothest of journeys in Test cricket for them after all. Bangladesh in this four and a half years of existence in cricket's ultimate test, have often been on the receiving end of stinging criticisms from the cricket intelligentsia. With Javed Miandad joining the hard-talking Aussie bandwagon of Richie Benaud, Shane Warne and Kim Hughes asking for their exclusion from the cricket's elite, Bangladesh have a lot to prove for the patience and the assistance the ICC has been pampering them with. My views do coincide with those of the names mentioned for the plain reason that the young Banglas have failed to deliver in all but one match, that too against a Zimbabwe team which was as good as theirs. So is the ICC going wrong in showing too much of mercy towards a team that in the first place should not have been playing Test cricket in 2000 ?

So what exactly makes Bangladesh a side that never feels amused of what they are "achieving" on and off the field ? Firstly, the cricketing infrastructure they boast of is nothing but a reminder sent to the ICC to justify their Test Status. Yes, they do have a good Under-19 setup (they beat Australia to win the Plate in the Under-19 World Cup) but with these young boys exposed to a class above theirs, their future is bound to suffer. These 16 or 19 year-olds cannot become overnight stars in Bangladesh Cricket. They need to be playing at least 4 or 5 years of rigourous first class cricket to know what survival at the highest level is, and there is no point according to me to have a Bangladesh A side that merely has 8 or 9 of these 16 and 17 year olds who are judged by one knock they play. There needs to be a method in selection (as I have mentioned in my earlier post). Secondly, more concentration needs to be given to FC matches as a result of which the batsmen can learn to stay in the wicket for long and select playable shots. From whatever I learn, Bangladesh is perhaps an ODI-frenzy nation - a reason why 20/20 cricket has been replacing the corporate league there. Thirdly, I somehow feel that Bangladesh has a ready-market for ODI cricket and Test cricket is not something they needed to hurry themselves into. The dearth of results is purely because of the lack of ability to play the waiting game and since ODI cricket comes natural, they play one shot too many and let me be frank on this, Athar Ali Khan may quote Cairns, where they played the Aussie seamers well, but I somehow think that their batsmen are too good for quality bowling attacks. This is a serious food for thought as far as Bangla cricket is concerned. They need to stop portraying this rosy picture about the state of cricket there being healthy and look into harsh and lopsided realities that have affected their survival among the cricket's top teams.

During the first England vs Bangladesh Test at Lords, David Lloyd highlighted the fact that these boys can only learn by gaining experience. Within hours of their defeat, the call for a two-tier system came in from all corners. And this is something that I would keenly like the ICC to consider. My suggestion would be to have a second string of international teams like Bangladesh, Kenya, Zimbabwe, the ICC Intercontinental Cup Champion (currently Scotland), UAE, Uganda et al and let them compete against men of their own caliber, rather than making a mockery of competition and degrading Test Cricket. The cricket fraternity in Bangladesh seriously needs to quiz themselves if they "deserve all this wrath of humiliation and embarrassment" everytime they take the field ? The ICC High Performance team also has its work cut out as far as Bangladesh cricket is concerned, and one can only HOPE that things MAY improve.

I have always believed that the relation between talent and performance is quite distant. And as someone who has been observing Bangla cricket for long, I do reckon that as any other Asian cricketing nation, there is depth of talent in Bangladesh and it is high time the authorities give due credit to it. And it makes no sense for someone as talented as an Alok Kapali or say a Manjural Islam Rana to sit out tours after tours and gain absolutely nothing. Its time the Bangladesh Cricket Board work in the right direction of eradicating the existing vacuum of experience and use it to groom the players of tomorrow.

The ICC have given enough favoured treatment to Bangladesh and it only fits the bill that they constantly keep reminding them of what they have achieved and take measures which will benefit both cricket in that country and the cricketing world overall. Personally, I would recommend a 6 month to one year ban for Bangladesh from Test cricket, if they don't look to improve by the end of this year - as it will also give them the time to solely concentrate on their known forte - One-Day Cricket. I hope Bangladesh do well in the international arena, but if they dont, they sure have to bear the brunt of failures.

Saviour Shiv !

It so happens that in a team like India, where there is a Sachin Tendulkar - there is a need of a certain Rahul Dravid. The Windies aren't too far behind on this count. There is invariably a member of the team who demands limelight from the media but there is also someone who does things in a very sound, efficient and emotionless manner and yet contributes to the team's success. One such cricketer that comes to mind is Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who has saved the Windies from not one, not two, but many a humiliation. A phrase comes to mind, that best suits Shiv - "Cometh the hour, Cometh the man".

He may not be the best batsman to watch, because of his questionable side-on stance and weird movements in the crease, but at the same time, his batting set-up doesn't in anyway stop him from yielding runs during moments of despair for the Windies. One of the few things that makes his batting look worth watching is his timing - Shiv is perhaps one of the best timers of the ball in modern cricket. This is perhaps why I call him a man who is not perhaps as talented as the others, but turns his limitations into factors of success, something close to a Rahul Dravid. The recent Test against Pakistan, where Shiv played a match-winning role by making invaluable contributions of 92 and 153*, is really a testimony to the fact that Shivnarine is "The Wall of the Windies". He invariably ends up coming in at scores like 26 for 2 or 65 for 3 and a majority of the effort put in rebuilding and consolidation comes from Shiv. His partnerships with Brian Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan have in more occasions than one, won matches for the Windies from positions of sheer defeat. Who can forget his 69-ball century at Guyana against the Aussies in 2003 and also the one at Jamaica (104) in the second innings, which proved historic as the Windies chased down 418 successfully ?. He has also played his part in misfortune unconciously though, where his hundreds have not been duly recognized, mainly because of the teethless and a not-so-potent bowling attack that the Windies have had in recent days. But with a man of many moments like Shivnarine, all we can expect from him is cent per-cent effort. With Shiv in the middle, all one can expect is a calming influence on the dressing room.

Not everyone is a born leader and I may just include Shivnarine in that category. But, that doesn't stop him lead from the front and setting an example for the younger members of the team (he's made 695 from 5 matches @ 115.83). Shirking responsibility is not his cup of tea, and this was best seen recently when West Indies cricket had been going through nothing short of a depression, he accepted the job of a captain gleefully and more so, when the team had virtually no experience. This is Shiv - the responsible man, rather the passionate man - although he does little to reveal it. His captaincy reached a certain maturity level in Barbados, when he marshalled his rather limited resources brilliantly and the field placings also were apt for the situation. He may not be all that expressive, but he in his own way reflects upon what satisfaction all about at the end of the day. West Indies cricket is headed for better days, and with Shiv around either as a captain or even a player, what I can expect from this short-statured yet classy cricketer is nothing short of 100%. It would be great if a senior pro like Shivnarine Chanderpaul just happens to be the man that Windies cricket needed to pull them out of the rot they have been going through since half-a decade.

I have known Shiv and his wife Amy through regular chats - and thats it. In all my years of cricket-watching, I haven't seen someone as passionate as his wife who turns up to have a glimpse of every hundred he scores and invariably the first applause comes from Amy. Perhaps this quite ends up being a tribute to the old adage "Behind a successful man, there's a woman !". And as a friend of this great cricketer, Yes Folks ! I call him great, I would love to see him make runs regularly and meaningfully and if he can motivate the side into a more competitive outfit, I would tend to feel, he's achieved what he set out to.

Many Islands, One Man - The Passion Lives On...

He's a man who has seen it all and also done it all. He's been a batsman over the years, for whom record-breaking is not necessarily the most difficult thing on earth. A man, who exemplifies the passion carribean cricket is all about and can be aptly called "The Sole Voice of the Carribean" in their current era of decline. The man in question is none other than a Brian Charles Lara. Its been nothing short of a visual treat sitting at home and watching some of the innings he's played recently, but unfortunately to no avail.

Brian Lara is just knocking on the doors of yet another record - something ideally he would not like to associate with - "Maximum appearence in lost Test matches". If Pakistan do lose to the Windies in this first test, Lara pips Alec Stewart for this rather unwarrented honour - having involved himself in 54 defeats. But do they in anyway reflect the type of cricket the great man plays ? Yes. West Indies have over the last five years relied too heavily on Brian Lara and this is clearly reflecting in their performances these days. Apart from Lara giving his best with individual scores as bulky as more than 75% of the team score, it only goes to show the levels of responsibility the other batsmen take as compared to him. His recent centuries against South Africa and Pakistan respectively of 176, 196 and 130 (yesterday) have come at situations, from where West Indies could have slipped to shambles. These days, where his rescue acts have restored some respectability in terms of the scores, the ultimate tribute (winning the game) is something that has evaded him and evaded continuously. As for stats, West Indies have lost the last 10 matches, when Lara has played and the only Test they won was against Bangladesh at Kingston, where he scored 120. An unfortunate way to pay respect to the man who has epitomized the spirit of the game in the Carribean.

With age not on his side, Lara's contributions have only gotten meaningful as far as his stats are concerned. Its highly remarkable that a side loses due to its impotent set of bowlers despite the great man mauling the opposition bowlers. His performances during the hay-days of The Walsh-Ambrose partnership had a lot of worth - when West Indies played nothing short of supreme cricket. But, these moments of truth had to come one day. West Indies cricket is going through a trough which in more ways than one will be a Herculian task to recover from. And with Lara's days in International Cricket numbered (mostly till 2007 WC), it will only be the Carribean passion and love for the game that will guide them through to glory (if that can ever happen). Lara has been their saviour, a talisman to his own credit but a man who has seen both aspects of cricket - days of dominance through his performances and currently more days of anguish as he mourns the dormancy and decline that West Indies shows, even if he performs.

To end it all, Lara will of course be considered an all-time Great and rightly deserves to be, but sadly to his credit - West Indies have not been able to pay the right kind of tributes to a large pair of shoes, that can never ever be filled in the future.

His recent knock of 130 was one of the best counter-attacks I have seen since a long time. His 196 also comes close, but the way he took toll of the Pakistani bowling only re-iterates his excellence and greatness and the manner in which he shows no mercy to the bowlers. All I can say with completeness is the fact that while Lara continues to cash in and pull his side from possible and probable collapses, its time for the Windies to realize his importance and play with the spirit the man has been all through his life.

From Boys to Men : The Mental Graduation

As young Mushfiqur Rahim walked out through the member's pavillion at Lord's with his side struggling at 71 for 4, there were moments of introspection and questioning. Goosebumps was all I could feel within, as this brave young man strode out for perhaps his first of many tough days in his cricketing career. A 16-year old all geared up against a pack of English wolves is no mere joke and for all we know he might just be the prey they are waiting for. That is the moment a dream turns into a nightmare, an ambition falls flat. This brings me to my point of contention, something that Bangladesh cricket has always been "priding" about, mistakenly so I feel ! A question that only time can answer for cricket in general, and to be more specific in Bangladesh.

A touring party to England is something that most teams would stack up with more and more experienced players, but the policy in Bangladesh sounds otherwise. From literal schoolboys to should-be graduates, the team bears all. With first class cricket in the lesser nations like Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Kenya not close to what is considered as top-flight, these youngsters are nothing more than a stop-gap arrangement and one eye to the future is not a good enough incentive for these teenagers to perform, as their future depends on that moment. So to speak, Bangladesh could well create a world record for producing the most number of under-20 cricketers in a short span of just under 5 years. But, look at the stats - only Mohammad Ashraful and now Mushfiqur Rahim survive from that huge list. With only 5-6 first class matches under their belt, international cricket may not be easy lessons to grasp for these youngsters. There needs to be more thought when it comes to selection of these players. If I can remember right, Nazmul Hossain played his first One Day (FC) ever against New Zealand in 2004 and Enamul-Haque Jr made his First Class debut in a test match against England - these things have to be sorted out at the earliest for Bangladesh cricket to achieve a certain degree of consistency - both in their game and experience. Mohammad Ashraful, who is talked about in the cricketing circles as the Bangladeshi version of the Little Master, did virtually nothing since that debut century in Sri Lanka, but as 365 days in his life passed on, maturity and experience were the qualities he gained and now is perhaps the best Bangladeshi batsman on show.

Bangladesh and other lesser countries have always harped on their ability to produce talents. But most of these youngsters once dumped from the team, rarely make a comeback into the reckoning again. Take an example of Mohammad Sharif, who made his debut against Zimbabwe in 2000 as a 15-year old, thanks to the ambition of the authorities and today, his comeback seems more than doubtful. Their "A" team consists again of 18-19 year olds who are just about learning the tricks of the trade, and within no time - there is an assurance of a graduation.Its contemplation time for Bangladesh cricket, for their youngsters have nothing been a bait in the rod for the opposition to not only end their innings, but their career and their future in the game. Who knows ? Maybe Mushfiqur Rahim or Shahadat Hossain may just play the innings of their life to prove me wrong, but none can take away the immediate problem of inexperience - in the player and also the selection. Yes, raw talent on display is something the world looks forward to - no two words on that count, but a polished talent always stands out and leaves a mark that can be never erased.

Well - my words of encouragement for young Rahim as he played the Englishmen well today. But something for Ian Botham who has started the comparison bandwagon - Beefy, its too early to even start thinking of comparing Rahim to Sachin !

Reformers of the Game : On and Off the field (Part 1)

What can one say about these mighty Aussies ? Call them the "bad boys" for their effective use of the art of banter, or call them the reformers of modern cricket - the Australians have seen it all and done it all. This very image that the Aussies carry, has in a way contributed to their unparalleled domination of the cricketing scenario in the past decade, but as someone who has been closely monitoring the Australian success over the past few years, its nothing but innovation to the fullest, that has perhaps catapulted their image into one of the best sporting teams in the history of modern sport.

There have been instances in the past few years that have spilled black marks over Australia's cricketing image. Darren Lehmann's "racist" comments over a Sri Lankan player, the infamous spat between Ramnaresh Sarwan and Glenn McGrath and of course the Warnie pill episode had certainly sent a major alarm to Australian cricket, which in the past had its own side of integrity and professionalism. But, not forgetting their past, the cricketers themselves agreed on the Spirit of Cricket, which basically reaffirms the players' commitment to playing the game in the best of competitive spirit. That was it. Since then, the Australians have been in the news for all the right reasons, and kudos to them for ensuring that they ensured and abided by what they set out to do. Images of Adam Gilchrist walking infamously in the semi-finals of the World Cup reiterate the very fact that there is a reason and a realization that the bad-boy tag is momentary, the spirit of the game is permanent. A great degree of stress is being laid on their conduct both within and beyond the boundaries. As far as the cricketing aspect goes, they have set the benchmark for all other teams to follow and added to their outstanding on-the field cricket culture, the Aussies have inculcated and created a standard off the field, that has over the past few months, earned them the respect they deserve.

That was the mental aspect of it.....here's the cricketing one ! So far till date, I had only heard of English Premier League clubs make use of talent scouts and pick the right man for the right duty. But let me assure you one thing, this art of scouting has entered cricket too folks ! Thanks to the Australians. Come June-July 2005, the Ashes beckon, but for the Aussies its been their top agenda since 2003. Their scouts (Aussie players in England) have been on the job all through the English summer for two years and their inputs might as well turn out to be invaluable as they face a recharged English team. What sounds interesting is the fact that for these English counties, performance matters most, and to fulfill this very entity - they hire Aussie first class cricketers, without realizing how disastrous it could be for their national side. Simon Katich has been playing with Hampshire as an overseas pro since last year, and is a confirmed member of the tour party this summer. His skipper at Hants is none other than Shane Warne, and with his eyes firm set on 600 wickets, his bunny could in all probability be Kevin Pietersen, his county team-mate. The role of these players in England doesn't begin and end with helping their counties win titles, but also play a part in the success of the Aussies, whenever they will be around.

The Aussies have also introduced the "Result-Theory" in Test Cricket. Over the past 4 or 5 years, Test cricket has never been as boring as what it is made out to be - yet again thanks to the Aussies. With the Aussies setting the pace in Test matches with a run-rate of 4 to 4.5 runs/over in a day, its not only proved to be an entertainer to the crowds, but in its own way has had a major influence in Australia winning a huge percentage of Test matches by Day 4. The secret behind this quick-scoring is that after the batsmen have put a formidable score on the board (say 500 runs), the bowlers get enough time to pick 20 wickets, which more often than not turns out to be around about 2 days. As experience will also have its say in this, this theory has had its own back-firings (Remember Adelaide 2003 vs India). But with the success ratio higher on the winning side, and teams like India, England and South Africa also making their way into this path, Test cricket might not after all seem boring !

This quite brings an end to Part 1...Part 2 will basically cover topics like Team Management, Administration and Coaching

The Chappelldays have begun

Finally, after a month of deliberations, discussions and brainstorming, India's cricketing guru has been chosen to take over from where John Wright left - Gregory Stephen Chappell. Perhaps it was not a tough choice for the six-man Selection Committee, simply because his name had been echoed by Indian cricket's bigwigs ever since the Indians disembarked from their rather successful tour of Australia. The man who probably changed the tunes of the Aussie media by helping Saurav Ganguly play a knock that would in its own way decide the outcome of the series is now at the helm of India's cricketing affairs. An all time great in his own right, Chappell demonstrated the extent to which an individual could go to compete and more so win, with his rather infamous and controversial "underarm" advice and if anything this desire mixed with determination, discipline and dedication could only auger well for Indian cricket, which has been going through a trough as far as results are concerned.

Off the field, the individual is more known for his coaching acumen. Having a thorough knowledge of the game, Greg Chappell has written books titled "The Makings of Champions" and also has his own cricket coaching website Chappellway. Having coached South Australia to Sheffield Shield glory for the first two years since he was appointed, he realized where he belonged. Chappell, considered to be an acute thinker of the modern game, has finally reached out and more so given his full commitment to Indian cricket for the next two years.

How does Chappell benefit Indian Cricket ? Well for starters, his immense knowledge of the modern game will by itself be an advantage for the team. Secondly, with Chappell being a man of few but meaningful and sharp words, the tough decisions might well be on their way. Thirdly, the visionary that the man himself is, it would only be an inspiration to the entire dressing room to share it with such a great man. Unlike the other contenders, who were only bothered about the 2007 World Cup, Chappell brought out in his own way an insight into the future of Indian cricket dwelling on the long term goals rather than the short and immediate ones. A typical management jargon comes to mind here where the mantra is to "use the short term goals to achieve the long term ones" and if that is what is Chappellway, I feel Indian cricket is in perhaps the safest hands ever.

So come 15th June, India will formally have their new coach and with all that one can read between the lips, Indian cricket is headed for one of its golden era with Greg Chappell's reign. He has his work cut out, but from the early signs we are getting, the man knows what he is doing. His immediate task will be to unite this team, as it comes together after 3 months, which will invariably mean considerable rust which each player might be carrying and make sure that everyone is in both full fitness and good cricketing form before departing for Sri Lanka.

A word of praise for the BCCI (something rare these days) for making a quick and well thought after decision of Chappell's appointment as the national coach. The BCCI must also be lauded for its efforts in getting a high profile candidate for virtually the same price they paid for Wright and also the fact that they are considering to give him with powers that no Indian coach ever got.

At the end of the day, alls well that ends well and one certainly hopes that time evaluates Shri Gregory Stephen Chappellji by both his worth and his deliverance. After all its the transition for the good Indian cricket is making from a Naive New Zealander to a more Aggressive Australian.