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.
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.
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