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.....