The Cricket Journal

Reviving the blog...

2009-02-15T06:12:00.000+05:30

Well, I am trying to revive this blog - which could not be updated because of reasons of unavailability, busy work/study schedule and admittedly, a lack of interest in doing so. But, as newer issues and various events over the past two months have got me back to hooking myself into cricket, I shall make them well known soon.

Regards,
Venkat

Musings of an Irate Mumbaikar

2008-04-28T00:46:00.003+05:30

"Dekho Dekho Dekho Kya Hai Mumbai..."

"Rukti Na Yeh Chalte Jaaye Mumbai..."

"Haare Naa Yeh Jeete Meri Mumbai..."

"Lakhon Ko Yeh Paale Aisi Mumbai..."

"Bharat Ki Yeh Shaan Meri Mumbai..."

This is usually how my day begins, with Taufiq Qureishi's drums and Vijay Prakash's soothing vocals taking over the lyrics. And, if you ask me how it ends these days, "Oh man ! Mumbai is a crap team, when we have Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra, how the hell are we going to win matches ?". Thats not all, there is a burning desire to just take the next flight from Delhi, land into the newly-furnished Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport and drive straight to the Wankhede Stadium, don the blues and take the field. Even as I am writing this post, and Gilchrist is doing a Barry Bonds by smacking a home run every delivery, there is a resigned fate on the face of the Mumbai "Indians" (as much as anyone, I do not approve of this name). But, its now been four times in a row now and for a team that fetched the highest amount in the franchise auction, I must admit, it is turning out to be an investment in vain.

Having said that, is there a connect between the city and the team ? How can it be, when eleven of your local stars are plying their trade elsewhere - for example, a Mumbai-fan has to take efforts to know who Siddharth Chitnis is, as it appears, nothing more than a rookie offie who hasn't done much to show. Compare that with the more experienced Ramesh Powar, who is with Mohali these days, unfamiliar territory indeed for someone who's grown up on the docile wickets of Khar Gymkhana. Similarly, Ajit Agarkar - who might well be SRK's best budget buy, and Rohit Sharma, who was himself flummoxed when he was supposed to don the shade of light brown instead of the blues. And who do we have instead ? People, who have no association to Mumbai, do not know the city's cricketing culture and even, the spirit of the city. Harbhajan Singh, who seems like Tendulkar's best-mate after the great man saved his backside following the Symonds issue, and what do Mumbaikars get from the temperamental offie ? A slap. Robin Uthappa, a Bangalorean is still okay. You then have an Ashish Nehra, who is still remembered for that one spell and his endless list of injuries. It was a big risk to take, especially on someone who hardly played any cricket all season.

Harbhajan Singh's slap on Sreesanth is not just a slap on Indian cricket, but a bigger slap on the city he's representing. Sachin Tendulkar, despite being provoked time and again over his career span, prefers to raise his bat and time it down the ground for that illustration we prefer watching over and over again. Cricketers in Mumbai, might have their eardrums filled with "Bat and pad close together", but never with "Haathala Uthavun Kanakhaali De". In the past, Mumbai cricketers and captains have always felt proud to wear the lion-crest, but this time the sudarshan chakra is flying where it is not supposed to. They ensured that with power and position, came a responsibility, a big one. Harbhajan, with his innocuous past carries no credibility in captaining this team. But when you're Sachin's best crony - things become a lot easier.

To blame this team for the depths of insipidity they have achieved would be a little too unfair, but even before things began on the cricket field, the auction room was where the mind-games were won. And to pick a team which consisted largely of Sachin loyalists wasn’t surprising but given that every team in this competition would have picked a winning combine – Mumbai lagged far behind on that front. They seemed adept in extending that large pampered family within the national set up, and at the same time picking some strange have-been choices in Sanath Jayasuriya and Shaun Pollock. The affluenza did not begin or end with Sachin Tendulkar, but almost seemed like an epidemic, when Harbhajan did not shy away from bringing down his buddies in Dominic Thornley (team-mates at Surrey) and Nehra. In many ways than once, it was a doomed strategy – one that lacked conviction and smelt of mediocrity at best.

On the leadership front, Mumbai were found wanting again. Tendulkar’s groin injury has not helped their cause, but it is his smart way of dealing with the situation that has. When Niranjan Shah, the BCCI Secretary, proudly announced that Sachin will not be fit for the Kanpur Test, but will play in the IPL – the buzz-birds had their final say. But, with four games in, Tendulkar has defied the worst conspiracy theorists. It was the moment for him to come out, and battle hard, but he chose to stay away to prevent further damage. If not now, then when ? If Mumbai are out of title contention by mid-May, will we be in a position to put up with the “He was preserving himself for the international commitments” crap ? MS Dhoni, displayed immaculate leadership when he chose to keep wickets to Murali and Jacob Oram despite a bruised finger. He meant business.

At the end of it all, Mukesh Ambani must realize that money cannot win you trophies. Money could have done something only if he invested it in the right players. Let’s admit, Mukesbhai, you were wrong this time. No one will remember if Mumbai or the then Bombay won 37 Ranji Titles, for it fails to match the aura of the IPL. Mumbai fans will ultimately come to terms with the fact that, their team was not built for winning, but to keep two men satiated.

An event, in search of the process...

2008-04-06T16:31:00.003+05:30

A defeat in sport can be a good lesson for everyone involved. It is the benchmark of where you as a team or an individual, were, are and can be. It is also an opportunity to turn things around and put up a brighter performance in the next outing. With the Indian cricket team though, a defeat is a reminder, if not a reflection of the way the game has forever been in the country's history - an event and never a process. What brings me to describe Indian cricket this way is the glorified importance we in the media give to sporadic victories here and there.

Great teams are great teams because they manage to achieve a percentage of unmatched consistency. That is perhaps the differentiator, if not the USP of a great team ! In football, to win a league, teams need to win a larger chunk of the matches and come May, the team with maximum wins is more often than not crowned champions. This is precisely why the Indian cricket team and by and large, the way cricket is run in India baffles me. Has India dominated world cricket on the pitch consistently for a period of time ? You do not become World No. 1 by winning a one-day tournament in Australia. With my vivid knowledge of Indian cricketing history, I can't think of a definite period when Indian cricket has risen to the ranks of the modern Australian team to achieve the sort of consistency and dominate the game per-se. Ajit Wadekar's team of the early 70's tried to, but before they could pr0gress further, the 1-os soon got reversed. They won the World Cup in 1983, when Kapil Dev's men conquered the West Indies, only to lose the home series 3-0 to the same team almost immediately thereafter.

We sung the praises of this Indian team in Australia, and fairly so. They managed to raise the levels when it mattered, especially after being subjected an early thumping. The way we finished off the tour by polishing the hosts in the one-dayers could have suggested something more, perhaps a higher level that India could have striven to achieve. But, as we are used to it by now, complacency has always been Indian cricket's 12th man. Before South Africa even arrived in India, Anil Kumble must have licked his fingers about the prospects of grabbing twenty wickets in a series yet again, only to realize that South Africa, through their repeated travails to the sub-continent have become far better equipped to handle spin bowling than any other non-Asian nation. If not that, from a team perspective, it would have been just a case of - wear the whites, cross the boundary line, turn up, pick wickets and pack your bags with the trophy within our grasp. And with the bigger balloon, the IPL floating above the players' heads, it was not surprising that they had their minds elsewhere when they were subjected to facing a recharged Dale Steyn and Co.

A team aspiring to be world champions in all forms of the game, will be willing to compete irrespective of the surface, opposition and conditions. They will not succumb to external pressures, instead focus on the job in hand. Thats what South Africa seem to be like these days. Having spent a year on finding the right combination that could win in all conditions, Mickey Arthur and Graeme Smith have finally managed to put the jigsaw pieces together and form a unit that has results to prove its ability. They won in the dustbowls of Pakistan, had answers to questions that the meek Bangladesh posed of them and now the win in Motera. The way the South Africans have managed to apply themselves and finally come out on top is a lesson for teams like India to see. South Africa, thus have turned out to be the most consistent team since the start of the 07-08 season, now on course to winning their fifth consecutive Test series, previously having overcome Pakistan, New Zealand, West Indies and Bangladesh. This is perhaps the march to being World Number 1 and not winning the twenty20 World Cup, beating a hapless Pakistan team at home, losing 2-1 to Australia and now, a test down to South Africa.

What India need from here on is perhaps establishing a process, a roadmap of sorts that will take them to the destination they desire to reach. Greg Chappell and Rahul Dravid meticulously followed the catchphrase - the "process" but unfortunately, it was reduced to nothing short of a mockery by the Indian cricket media, where the word became a way to marginalize Chappell and his vision. Gary Kirsten has a job in hand, most certainly. The process needs to be brought up all over again, keeping in mind the long-term ambitions of the team at large.

Not obnoxious after all !

2008-03-01T13:11:00.002+05:30

The hue and cry over Matthew Hayden's comment has reached its optimum - perhaps keeping in line with the theme of the summer - anything coming from the mouth of an Aussie must be treated like Al-Jazeera's coverage of the Iraq War. A tad obnoxious to begin with. As a matter of fact, in my previous post - I talked about how Harbhajan Singh has been elevated to this epitome of Indian racialism or the Indian truth - but I wonder why no one is talking about his performances in Australia, which have been below par for all the sympathies he has been getting from the public and the jingo media. Thats where the coverage goes crooked - no one is willing to question his place in the team ? Why ?

In a Hindi channel recently, one of the experts pointed to the fact that Muttiah Muralitharan has been himself struggling to bag wickets in Australia. So, it is assumed that Harbhajan struggle too ? What has he done after landing in Australia ? Picked wickets ? Or made slanderous or libelous statements against the Australian team or some persons in particular ? What was that all about ? And what does he get ? A lucrative IPL contract from a man who heard him foul Symonds from the other end ! As an Indian myself, Harbhajan is almost an irritant. If you are in your senses, you wouldn't want him to succeed and pick wickets. An obnoxious character indeed.

We rejoiced his apish celebrations in the Canberra game - but why didn't anyone question it ? Did the Sri Lankan fans do abuse him ? They wont. They are the nicest set of fans to watch cricket with. Yet, the man has the heart, or the lack of it to put his tongue out and go on a savage bush-run. To sound frank, it was supererogatory. Again, obnoxious - for the jingos, it must have been something gratifying - the onset of a new Indian team that doesn't bother to tow the line where it is needed.

So Haydos, I am with you on this - you hit the nail on the head when you called him a "little obnoxious weed." Well done mate. Someone had to do it one day, keeping in mind his nuisance value to the Indian team.

PS: I am not racist, and neither is the statement.

Ushering a new domestic tournament

2008-02-02T12:50:00.000+05:30

Last year, in May, I happened to visit Sidath Wettimuny’s house at Queen’s Road, Colombo. During my brief 45-minute chat with the man, he came across as a grand visionary, someone who knew what exactly Sri Lankan cricket lacked and also promised to fill the gap, if given the chance. And indeed, he did as the SLC decided to shake-up the interim committee.

The first signs of Wettimuny’s immediate influence has been seen when the SLC decided to go ahead with a more regionalised form of the domestic one-day tournament. He told me in May ’07, “Well, Venkat, if I get the chance, I will do something about our domestic structure. I hope to create an identity for teams, something that every young Sri Lankan kid aspires to play for.” And that’s how the Basnahiras (North & South), Wayamba, Khandurata and Ruhuna were formed. Well, to translate, Basnahira refers to Western Province, Khandurata is Central Province, Ruhuna is Southern Province and Wayamba is Uva Province. The names have changed and perhaps have given the tournament a more local flavour, which was lacking earlier. A lot of Sri Lankan corporate houses and conglomerates also chipped in to rake in the moolah for this dream turning into a reality. The crowds didn't quite pour in, but it still is a start.

Chaminda Vaas captains Basnahira-North, which to the best of my Colombo geography must cover areas like Negombo, Ja-Ela (where Dilhara Fernando hails from) and Wattala (Vaas’ hometown) while Basnahira-South, led by Tillekaratne Dilshan comprises of players from the Colombo-City/South-Colombo Districts of Panadura, Ratmalana.

Is provincial cricket the way forward for Sri Lanka ? Kumar Sangakkara gives his verdict in his column for Cricinfo. Muttiah Muralitharan also told me in the affirmative, when I asked him during an interview, he said, “It looks like it. Provincial cricket is the only way our cricket can move on.” Ranjit Fernando, the global voice of Sri Lankan cricket, also reckoned it would do wonders for Sri Lanka if they sustained this tournament.

In a way, provincial cricket is a necessary evil for Sri Lanka. As Wettimuny reckoned, “There are about 144 votes with the clubs here. And everyone who wants power, registers their clubs just before election.” This model gives Sri Lanka only six teams vying for the honours instead of the 20+ clubs that play the first class competitions. Also, the best players from the clubs qualify for the Provinces – so there is no below-par talent playing. And most importantly, the sheer experience of rubbing shoulders with and against the likes of Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan, the Jayasuriyas and the Jayawardenes would only enrich the youngsters or the fringe players.

It wouldn’t be unfair to say that Sri Lanka Cricket have identified the right sort of format to take their cricket to the next era. Personally speaking, there is a lot of talent in the island-nation, but unless it is given the right sort of opportunity and the platform, things cannot take off. For a start, the administrators have struck a positive note – the problem though is, to sustain the good show.

Impressive India !

2008-01-22T10:28:00.000+05:30

"What a win !", that was my first reaction after India pulled off a deserving victory at Perth. Events at Sydney might have just spurred them, but it was a thorough cricketing performance that won them the game, and not emotions of outrage or revenge.

Firstly, winning the toss and batting first was a bold, bold decision at Perth - going by some of the devilish pitch-games played by the ever-so-hostile Australian media. Now, having won the toss - they had a job to do that is to bat well and they did put up a reasonable performance. Runs on the board was always the key and 330 was not a bad score to be honest, especially with two inexperienced Australian openers. And then, keeping the Aussies to around 220 was an admirable effort.

Secondly, the hosts played like saints and not their usual sinners image. There was less noise behind the wicket, except for the odd "C'mon Symmo" chant from wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist. Shows the amount of difference a week can make to a team whose image was tattered to pieces among their own populace. And this makeover, I hope came at the right time. The sledging went out of the book, and all one could see were smiles exchanged. I have not seen a more naive Australian side in the past 10 years. That won't please John McEnroe one bit.

Thirdly, we saw the young Indian bowling attack come of age. Irfan Pathan might have just swung the game for India and as much as Ricky Ponting seems touchy on this subject - Australians have a problem against quality swing bowling. They lost the Ashes in 2005 to Simon Jones and Andrew Flintoff rather than Ashley Giles' mundane left-arm-over-the-wicket line. RP Singh's stint with Leicester early in the English summer seems to have helped him mature into a dependable bowler and not to forget the most improved bowler on view - Ishant Sharma. The vicious spell he bowled against Ponting was critical and it was a refreshing sight to see an Indian bowler make a the world's best batsman look like a first-class debutant. Ponting hopped, skipped and jumped and at his own admittance, claimed that "I was not good enough to see through his last over". Way to go, Ishant !

Lastly, before I forget - one of my close friends remarked the other day that India have picked up this recent trend of performing on responsive wickets. I could'nt agree with him more. Johannesburg 2006, Delhi 2007 and now Perth 2008. Now, the key is to pick 20 wickets on really barren - rather "unresponsive" tracks and prove that they weren't a flash in the pan at Perth. Adelaide will probably bring some back nostalgia of the previous tour, but emotions should be kept at check as India must remind themselves that there is a Test match to be won.

This is so not cricket...

2008-01-11T22:54:00.001+05:30

I don't quite know if it is right for me to indulge in writing such posts, but controversy has been the theme of the week and I don't quite mind indulging into one myself.

It was almost that all those media throries came knocking on my doors again. Call it lack of objectivity or sensationalism or even for that matter selective reporting, the reportage of the Sydney Test highlights each of these factors. There were plenty of things that were forgotten - especially India's bad batting. Barring two players in the media, there was hardly any highlight of what was a rather abject Indian surrender. It was almost that Steve Bucknor became the most hated personality in India after Narendra Modi, Mark Benson playing Jinnah and Harbhajan Singh was worshipped as if he was the apostle of all truth in Gandhi. This bullcrap is going on since a week and everytime I switch on the TV sets or read the newspapers, all I see is some erratic statements coming from India's new Shakespeare - Sharad Pawar or his comrades.

Why can't Indians also be racists ? If you ask me, we are racists of the highest order. How does one justify calling our fellow Indians from the North East as "chinkis - to suggest their mongoloid features or triple (a popular term in Mumbai derived from Triple Schezwan)" or for that matter, even using offensive terms against the minorities ? We still do live in the class mentality, where an upper-class Brahmin beats a Dalit almost to death when he tries entering a Temple ? Our famous perverts rape foreign tourists with an assumption that we are a superior race to the famously referred Goras. These sort of issues baffle me, not what Harbhajan said or did not say on the cricketing pitch. There is an acute sense of hypocrisy that prevails through the Indian mind when it comes to racism. Perhaps, they don't yet know what it means. What is even more surprising is the clean chit we give ourselves as not being a "racist state". I mean, there is this entire feeling of "Oh, how can we Indians ?" when it comes to being called racist.

The scope of analysis in the Indian media has stooped to a bad low that one of the news channels actually had the guts to balance Nayan Mongia with a man of such high repute as Shashi Tharoor, cracking the year's first big joke. There is a big wave of self-pride that has crept in and everyone has forgotten that the Indian batsmen failed to play 70 overs to save their backsides. That was the bottomline. Had they drawn the game confidently, would the media be crying foul ? Doubt so. And to the best of my modest cricketing knowledge, they had no business to surrender as haplessly as they did with just two overs to go. People argue about why did they slump to 210/7 (umpire's fault) and I answer, with three wickets in hand and not being able to bat out 2 overs is a crime. And then we have primetime shows on mainstream english channels with questions like "Should India withdraw the tour ?", "Are Australia playing fair cricket ?". And then a barrage of highly opinionated Indians wasting their time and money on sending SMSes to these television channels. What began as a stupendously serious effort on the part of the media to create public opinion on the issue, took an ugly trivial turn. Why ? Chomsky's first filter. The enormous or awesome power of the media to influence the public on an emotive issue is most certainly a good way to earn a healthy revenue. So what looked like a serious issue was dumbed down horribly to suit the media's needs. Audaciously enough, one of India's oldest newspapers carried their SMS poll results to justify the BCCI's actions, claiming "We told you so. Thank you readers." What sort of bullhockey was that ?

And then the other question that has crept up gradually - who runs cricket - the BCCI or the ICC ? Its a fairly complex issue to be honest. Indian cricket has grown beyond its sporting self to become a commodity, something like the Premier League in Football. So, its fantastic to come up with terms like "Hell yeah ! Money Talks man". Sharad Pawar, also the Union Agricultural Minister, talks about pulling out of the Tri-Nations in Australia if Harbhajan Singh is not exonerated of the racism charges against him. Thats like holding someone in ransom. I mean, who knows what exactly happened. Cricket must go on, and irrespective of whatever happened, the game is a mammoth compared to one individual. And none, I repeat none of the Indian media have even thought about citing a similar instance that happened in the West Indies, where Dwayne Bravo accused Graeme Smith of racially abusing him in 2005. Both of them were let off after inconclusive television evidence. Instead of constructively pursuing what could be an important precedent in the Bhajji affair, all they did was to go after personalities a la Bucknor, Benson, Procter and Ponting.

Is bastard a racist word ? Whoever asked the Indian manager to look up the dictionary and pronounce it to the media. That was something uncalled for. The unsporting crowds at the Wankhede Stadium often resort to using the term in an outrightly derogatory manner, but is there any action taken against them ? And why are we justifying what Harbhajan said or did not say, the term "monkey" - and for all you, who don't know about racist chants - MONKEY is a racist term irrespective of the usage and the sport. Or, as conspiracy theories are flying all over, I am tempted to defend Harbhajan by saying that "Ponting cant score a run of him to be honest" and thats something the Aussies have often used against people they don't quite dominate. On the other hand, it would be easier to say that the Aussies target players with acute temper problems, and Harbhajan falls under that category for sure.

This cannot be the cricket I knew, watched and wrote about. What we need to remember is that there is a Test match to be played at Perth and we need to come out of the psychological shell of persecution and denial and play some hard cricket. Everyone knows whatever happened at Sydney, but it is only fair to suggest that India go out and vent their anger, frustration in the middle and not at ICC meetings in Dubai. And the turn of events over the last week has unfortunately and unfairly increased the already existing burden of winning a match on this tour. It's only a matter of time that the breeze blows the other way and if India fail to put up stronger performances, the same who stood up will desert them.

Of Muppets and Jokers

2007-11-12T16:11:00.000+05:30

Selectors are indeed a bunch of 'muppets'. And most often, the guy who tops the list, is a joker. Marvan Atapattu's jibe about the state of cricket in Sri Lanka, holds true not only for that country but elsewhere too. In a country, where cricket is in the hands of the Government, through interim committee and who-nots, the swamps will always be on the greasier side.

Atapattu's statement must be taken in the holistic aspect and not by the words or the adjectives used in them. The way cricket is administered in all sub-continental countries provides an ideal breeding ground for these clowns to emerge higher than they ever would. If Sri Lanka has an Asantha de Mel, India's answer to the clown would be Dilip Vengsarkar or even Pakistan has a Salahuddin. But, the situation in Sri Lanka is even more crass, because the Minister pokes his dirty hands in selection, not that, this never happens in either of the two countries mentioned above.

Atapattu's inclusion for the tour of Australia is itself an interesting case. A man who was practicing hard with the 'A' team before leaving for England to play a handful of games for Lashings against Village teams, was somewhere a stark contradiction to what top cricketing nations look for in terms of form. Sri Lankan cricket is somewhere a reflection of a stagnant system, not willing to take risks at apt times. Has there ever been a transition period in Sri Lanka's cricketing history ? Not that one is aware of. But, in those terms, Sri Lanka have been blessed with talented incumbents to replace the old guards. But today, there is a massive crack in the system, where a minister is more concerned about calling the shots than create a healthy infrastructure for sport in Sri Lanka. And here is the same man, who extended de Mel's duties for one more year. A filthy confrontation that is taking Sri Lankan cricket, 5 years backwards.

So, is Rahul Dravid's omission from the Indian squad against Pakistan. Call it a personal propaganda, or a public fallout or even some damp politics, one might never come up with a satisfactory answer. And, where has Indian cricket seen a man, willing to put his career on the mat, come out in the open and rant about the gross activities that happens at the top ? What prevails in India is a post-independence hangover of embracing the system, than expose it. Dilip Vengsarkar is a great example of a man who smells of arrogance and an agenda. Everything he does comes with a larger manifesto than logic. How would one justify Sehwag's in the ODI squad else wise ? Phasing out, rotations or resting, terms that sound convincing, come with a darker underlying metaphor. Or even the fact that Mohammad Kaif has been relegated to permanent captaincy of the India A team. As much as we accuse Sri Lanka of not being risk-worthy, Indian cricket is still lying in the same mosquito pond ! Quite unfortunate, indeed.

Call them goofuses or buffoons or anything else...selectors won't change. They are here to destroy the system, and till they achieve that or come close to doing it, the strings wont be chopped.

Racism, Jingoism and Beyond

2007-11-01T18:02:00.000+05:30

Yes, its been a while since I last hit up a blog. Just thought I'd say Hi again ! Taking some time off work to come up with a piece might seem difficult, but blogging is something I do not intend to give up all at once.

Racism is something that I want to be slightly tightlipped about. What has race to do with a batsman who just knows to tonk bowlers all over the park ? I think sport is one place where only performances and results ultimately and eternally matter, not the origins, the color of the skin or for that matter your appearances. The Indian crowd certainly did not give this a thought, when they repeatedly abused Andrew Symonds for God-knows-what ? The crowd at Wankhede has always been a bit of a let-down, let alone the monkey-chants. Is Mumbai a racist city ? Maybe yes. Something in the 'Hitler' mode of Aryan-pride ? A South Indian wearing his "lungi" around the streets of Matunga and Chembur was denounced in the late 60s, and if that wasn't enough, the whole wave of anti-North Indian agitation in the last decade just compounds this theory. I mean, Mumbai, we aint racist bastards ! Oh, also imagine playing cricket behind closed doors, as what happened in Kolkata, after Shoaib Akhtar ripped India apart ! Do we want this, I hope not. Yes, Mumbai comes in with a tinge of rotten apples, but bringing it on a sporting platform, is a crime, maayte ! All said, Andrew Symonds might just be thanking India to give him the sort of treatment, and knowing the Ozzies, such experiences make them tougher than ever before. So, all Indians, expect a heavy summer with "Curry"-filled verbal diarrhea, as soon as India land in Austraaaya.

Jingoism is again something that I can let myself loose on. What exactly is jingoism, the term sounds funny, but when practiced it is, to put it plain - patriotism taken to an extreme i.e. chanting India about 500 times during the match. Does one lose perspective if he/she is jingoistic ? Yes, they do. I don't know if this was a post-twenty20 phenomenon, but it is certainly uncalled for, especially when emotions are flying as hard as Roy Keane's tackles. But, thats what Indians are known for ! Yes, be a good fan of Indian cricket, wear that expensive piece of blue clothing, take your kids to the game, etc etc, but to live 24x7 on this whole thing, might just be dangerous to say the least. Cricket is a sport, where nothing is to be practiced in the extreme, thats where we differentiate ourselves from other rowdy sports like football and rugby. With Pakistan having arrived already, these 45 days will perhaps give jingoism a new name, or even a new-wave. What I dream of one day, is when Indian cricket fans would turn more knowledgeable than emotional, more welcoming than rude and indeed more enterprising than ever before. No one wants to see their country lose, but it isn't wrong to put two hands together and applaud the better ?

The beyond part is a bit vague, considering my Sri Lankan loyalties. Alas, we lose our frontline wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara for the first test against the Aussies at the Gabba. There will be certainly an air of expectancy when Murali does everything - be it breathe, bowl, bat, field. Twelve years and the man is back on Australian soil. He need not worry much these days, because PM Howard's election chances are diminishing by the day. He's got other things, including Mr. Kevin Rudd to worry about. Unfortunately, he might have to put up with some stiff chants like "You never bowl with a straight arm" or "The Chucka", or the Aussies might have come up with something even more lethal. The earlier he takes the 9 wickets, things might just settle down for the offie.

I will be back next week, hopefully (fingers crossed) and bring out some more interesting tit-bits on things related to the game, or rather going beyond the races and jingoism !

Blasphemy at the Bullring...

2007-09-25T21:00:00.000+05:30

It started off as a riveting FA Cup final against two top-flight teams in England, with ten shots on goal from either side and not one at the back of the net. Constant ebbs and flows, periods of dominance and indeed a couple of nails going missing, the 'Bullring' witnessed it all. The twenty20 World Championship finals in South Africa lived upto its reputation and gave a perfect representation of what a cricket match between India and Pakistan is like - tension, pressure and finally the euphoria. India, deservedly earned the right to be coroneted Champions, but Pakistan gave their mighty best and can go home with their heads and morale on the higher side.

Amidst this enchanting moment, lies a truth, albeit a bitter one. In the post-match interview, Shoaib Malik, the Pakistani captain made a highly controversial remark, which makes you go berserk. In his typical broken English he said, "I want to thank everyone in Pakistan and wherever the Muslim lives all over the world". A dampener to what was a thrilling finale. The man did not have the heart to congratulate his winning counterpart, which smelt of rotten, if not sour grapes. Its highly unfortunate that we had to witness this moment, because in sport, the identity matters, not the religion. This is exactly where Shoaib got it wrong. Whoever says it was a slip of a tongue, it was not, remember the casual pause he took while he said "and...Muslim..." ! It comes across as a very well thought out statement, made out of fear of a backlash back home in Pakistan. Or, to put it straight, Shoaib doesn't believe in the national identity. Malik assumed that every Muslim sitting in whichever part of the world is a) a Pakistani and b) supports their cricket team. Which, unfortunately is factually incorrect.

This is what veteran Indian journalist Mr. B.G.Verghese had to say on this issue. "I think it is sad that he made that statement. The Pakistan team played very well. It was a hard-fought contest, very sporting, but somewhat spoiled at the end by an unnecessary comment, which tends to bring about a communal polarisation." He added, "It seemed to suggest the state of mind, the fear of reactions at home for all the wrong reasons. It is really unfortunate of him to have made that reference. Muslims of the world have nothing to do with the game, it's just a game. The reference was jarring and uncalled for." He spoke to CNN-IBN (Source : IBNlive.com)

This debate takes me back to an incident in Pakistan in 2004, where a student from the prestigious LUMS, during an interaction with the Indian team on tour, had his guts tangled to ask Irfan Pathan, if he would play for Pakistan. Pat came the reply from Irfan, “Proud to be an Indian. No chance to play for Pakistan." Why these regressive mindsets at the first place ? As A.R.Rahman put it so neatly in an interview to NDTV's Walk the Talk sometime last year, "I am an Indian first. And then a Muslim." Thats where the difference lies, no assumptions, just clear thoughts based on realities. Having studied Pakistan with a great degree of detail, this assumption is clearly unwarranted though not surprising. India still is one of the most populous Muslim countries in the world, Messer’s Malik.

There is no place for religion in sport and vice-versa. And its high time the ICC take this as a case to enhance their code of conduct where there is no direct reference to religion in any interviews. If cricketers do not know to maintain restraint over issues that can just charge up wild emotions, they better not talk about it. Or if they do want to make themselves heard, put it in such a way that does not offend the members of the community from other nations. Alas, Shoaib Malik in all his foolhardiness chose the wrong platform to make these jarring statements. In front of the Indian media, in front of the Pathan brothers and indeed, in front of the international media. Though, I would tend to suggest that the Pakistani media would choose to ignore if not forget what he said, for they'd still be conducting a detailed post-mortem of the game. So, going with the cliches, it is Chak de India, but for the not-so-cliched, mind your language, Mr. Malik !

(PS : This is an emotionally charged article. Blame me for being jingoistic, I do not really care. If Malik could get away with crap, I believe, so can I !)

Of rattled responses...

2007-08-23T20:47:00.000+05:30

Of rattled responses…

Timeline of events :

August 20, 2007 : The “rebel” Indian Cricket League announces the signing of 44 Indian domestic players and six foreign cricketers from Pakistan and South Africa. On the very day, Abdul Razzaq, the Pakistani all-rounder announces his retirement from international cricket, in protest of his omission from the twenty20 World Cup squad. Several young talented cricketers, who represented India at various age-group levels join the ICL in possibly lure of money and an opportunity, risking their India future.

August 21, 2007 : The Board for Control for Cricket in India, reacts in its typical knee-jerk fashion announcing an increase in the per-day fee for players participating in its domestic tournaments. The prize money for winning teams increases almost 7 times. But, having lost what Kapil Dev claimed to be the “cream of the country” to the ICL, this was nothing but on expected lines. Also, the Pakistan Cricket Board follows its neighbour in stating that players who leave their shores to play in the ICL will face a life-ban. The BCCI, sticking to its diktat, sacks Kapil Dev as the Chairman of the National Cricket Academy. And Erapalli Prasanna’s role as Spin Coach with the Karnataka State Cricket Association comes to an end. Since India’s best off-spinner defected to the ICL as a Board member, this again was not a new development.

August 22, 2007 : The ICL makes claims of trying to rope in John Buchanan as the chief coach in the camp to be conducted for its recruits at this resort called Mayajaal in the outskirts of Chennai. The camp is expected to begin from August 29.

August 23, 2007 : The say of intense drama, to say the least, as both parties share the limelight, the BCCI a tad more. In a dramatic development, the BCCI announces its response to the ICL by launching the “PROFESSIONAL CRICKET LEAGUE” – based on the ICL format one presumes. According to a television channel based in Mumbai, Lalit Modi, the BCCI’s vice-president was scheduled to meet the IMG (International Management Group), a sports-event management company that organizes the famous Tata Open, apart from others in India. The discussions with the IMG would revolve around the format of the event. The television channel also claimed that the tournament will involve a mix of domestic and international cricketers. The TV rights would be awarded to aspirants through a bidding process and money being central to the event itself, every team would have a sponsor who would be contracted for five years. And the biggest bombshell dropped by that channel was a subber carrying “Its official. It is Gavaskar versus Kapil”, probably because Sunil Gavaskar is likely to head the PCL or whatever. How credible is that, one doesn’t know? I somehow agree with a television commentator who made a valid point about the manner in which the BCCI is reacting to this whole ICL as lending it more credibility than it probably should have got.

On the other hand, the ICL perhaps won the mind-games today to an extent when Bengal’s Sports Minister came out in support of the rebel league and made a statement allowing the organization to use the Eden Gardens to stage their games. Subhas Chakraborty, the minister in question, spoke to NDTV, a television news channel in India and said, "Whatever facilities we have, we will make available to the boys who have been punished, particularly by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).” (Source: Cricinfo) Chakraborty, if one can recall was supposed to contest the CAB presidential elections last year, but his comrades intervened and was asked to pull out, and eventually the current CAB President Prasun Mukherjee won the race. And the premise may seem a bit anti-Sharad Pawar, as Subhas is known to be a strict Dalmiya loyalist.

What these responses and muddling have done is to bare the BCCI’s inability to handle situations of crisis. For all we knew about Sharad Pawar’s statement in his typical, “ICL is only veteran cricket. People will not come to see them play”, the ICL have reacted and threatened to deprive Indian cricket of some really talented cricketers. And this ego-battle is likely to continue, having taken note of how the BCCI has reacted to this new commercial venture.

Why does the BCCI have time and space for these sort of ventures that hardly cater to the development of cricket in this country ? I mean, if they stood by their cause, they better stick to it ! How many promises did Sharad Pawar come to the helm with sometime late 2005 ? How many have been fulfilled ? Where is the CEO? Where is the professional system that he and his team were about to bring? Or may be he has done it, by including the word “Professional” in his new attempt to capsize the ICL. For now, it wont be wrong to say as my professor in college would, “You are heading for a major disaster in life, font 18, bold and underlined.”

Go and ask the people on the streets and they’d say, “Boss, I don’t care. As long as Indian cricket is not moving forward with these steps, I just don’t bother”. Are these public mudslingings taking Indian cricket forward ? Is this Professional Cricket League or whatever they call it going to make India the number one in International cricket ? Why is there a drastic interest in twenty20 cricket in a country that called it names at the first place ? Is this the beginning of the end of Indian cricket ? I don’t know. But as far as I am concerned, apathy is what I am beginning to develop towards the game in this country.

The Follow-on tirade

2007-08-15T20:13:00.000+05:30

The Follow-on tirade

A lot has been made of Rahul Dravid’s decision to not enforce the follow-on in the England second innings of the Oval test. The media, the former players’ union and the public at large have come out with their judgement on the “What should have been ?” and the “What could have been” of Dravid’s decision of batting on. To me, all these rants and raves look retrospective. The popular mindset, including mine and the others who couch along and stare the television felt that India should have enforced the follow-on, but rightly so, the public does not run the eleven on the field. And similarly, the former players have had their days at leading the team, and now, critiquing the current lot seems a very good occupation, sigh !

I had a very fierce argument with one of my relatives the other day about this decision. I was of the opinion that Dravid should have stuck England in on the fourth day morning, as I felt that “the pressures of playing in a follow-on situation are something different by themselves” and 319 runs were indeed daunting. He brought out his experience of watching the game for over three decades and in defence of Dravid said, “Boss, he did it right, he had to secure the series first.” After that is done, I ask myself, what looks prettier when my grandchildren revisit this tour, a 1-0 win or something bigger, by which I mean a 2-0 win. Of course, there are pros and cons to everything one does and says. And I do back my belief that Leeds and Kolkata do not happen every now and then.

Was it defensive captaincy or smart captaincy ? The answer to this question might be as complicated as the context itself. As usual, there was a slight tinge of complacency that had crept into the team by the time Monty was given out. It didn’t need a nuclear scientist (the rocket has taken off) to make out that the bowlers were lacking the intensity upfront. Their deeds smelt of the “chalta hai yaar, we have to just bat for a while” attitude. Now, that was wrong. A stroll in the park was all they thought and set-out with, but it turned out to be a planless effort. If the Indians were petrified with the thought of Michael Vaughan and his team putting 450 runs on the board on a fourth and fifth day wicket, Jerry would be laughing. Yes, knowing that we Indians do not chase down totals that seem innocuous (go back to Barbados 1997, when India crumbled with 120 to get or for that matter Chennai 2001, when India huffed and puffed with a target just over 150 against the Aussies), Dravid might have decided to take the other route.

Today, some section of the press came out with this rhetoric about Zaheer Khan making a statement saying, “I was not tired.” And one of the lesser-watched English news channels started tinkering with a possibility of Zaheer being a divisive force in the team. Questions like “Is he going to play the ODIs” propped up. An act of shameful seduction by the Press Trust of India, and with the Indian players so pathetically poor in media relations, they give out such ambiguous answers that become subject to personal and material interpretation. Obviously, they might have asked stupid questions like, “Did Rahul inform you ahead of taking the decision ?”, or more likely, “Zaheer, were you tired ?”, to which Zaheer would have said “No.” After all, he cant make himself sound stupid by saying, “Oh. Yes, I was tired after bowling X number of overs.” If that were the answer, question marks over his fitness would have just popped out of nowhere. This whole incident is nothing short of being dramatised and cashed in upon.

Utter non-sense I say. A man who ended up with 18 wickets is the matter of discussion in a totally non-existent context. Zaheer’s statement was perhaps misconstrued, misinterpreted and played with accordingly to suit the press’ needs. There was no damning need to make this a major issue.

It is so easy to sit and comment. I made the blunder of vehemently putting forth my point, but I think I justified it with facts, history and situations, unlike the media, which is just going hammer and tongs about something that “never should have been” under the scanner. Now you have one answer to the question posed right upfront. In the meanwhile, the tirade just continues...

Bikini Cricket : Not so skinny after-all

2007-08-10T11:19:00.001+05:30

Bikini Cricket : Not so skinny after-all

Twenty20 cricket is coming of age, most certainly. After four years of realizing the phenomenon, a game that started off as twenty overs of slam-bam-whack-shack cricket is increasingly becoming a tactician’s trial and a captain’s test. It still reminds the boys or the men to cling on to the cliché of “stick to the basics”, but there is a lot beyond just that. Four years of constant experiments and investment has indeed paid off, so much so that teams are opting to be the meticulous over the callous.

People often say that it is a different ball game altogether, and twenty20 certainly is. The rules are pretty much post-modern that mostly seem daunting to the bowlers and perhaps tempting if you are batter. But what gets lost in all of this is the method. After generating enough curiousity and achieving its material objective, twenty20 is becoming a thinker’s game, more than any branch of cricketers. Yes, the rules are slightly different and rightly so, after all this is Bikini cricket. A front-foot no-ball costing two runs makes the bowler think more than twice before planting his giant strides forward as a free-hit beckons, where the batsman can be out only one way – run-out. The boundaries are brought in, so that the runs are in the game and angles start playing a big part in field-setting. Instead of the usual banter about this game being a batsman’s business more than a bowler’s toil, twenty20 takes care of every dimension.

The big twenty20 finals day in England was a much needed lesson to people playing this game or even the captains of the various teams heading to South Africa. There are finer trade secrets, which were revealed by some of the English players, most notably Jeremy Snape who won this championship twice with the Leicestershire Foxes in 2004 and 2006. One of the more fascinating findings was the role of a dugout in the innings. As you know, twenty20 has taken to this footballesque concept of a dugout or a bench, where a few of the team members are seated, along with the coach. As Geraint Jones walked out to bat for Kent against Sussex, Jeremy quite rightly said, “If someone is in the dugout, he is not just there to sit and watch the batsmen play. The dugout is all about warming up – getting used to the atmosphere, knowing where exactly the runs may come from and which bowlers to line-up. You start playing your innings from the dugout. Plan it there and execute it in the middle.” These were quite startling at first glance, but as one got more into the game they seem more practical than just mere commentary points.

The other important component of a successful twenty20 line-up is the spinner. A dying art, the purists might claim, is indeed coming to life in this version. While following twenty20 cricket, right through its inception to what it is today, the spinner has had plenty to say as far as the direction of the game is concerned. They could either become a target of slaughter for the batsmen or may dictate the pace in which the game goes. The theory doing the rounds at the moment in England is, “slower the bowler, slower the pace of the game”. In a twenty over match, it is so easy for the players to get carried away by the quick pace of the game, and this is where the spinner comes and slows things down to a large extent. Martyn Ball, who recently retired from First-Class cricket, was a master at this during his twenty20 days with Gloucestershire. Nayan Doshi, the son of former Indian spinner Dilip Doshi, played a very crucial part in Surrey’s making of a very good twenty20 side. The left-arm spinner is the leading twenty20 wicket taker in England with 53 scalps in, and would have been a sure fit in any international team designed for this version. India might have missed a trick or two at not even considering him, or even England for that matter. Graeme Swann of Nottinghamshire is another such example and even Murali Kartik, the forgotten spinner in the Indian books, bagged a consolation fiver for his county Middlesex recently. If one had a closer look at the recently concluded twenty20 Cup in England, the spinners bowled boldly at the death, showing enough courage to face the onslaught. So, a batsman’s game, says who ?

As a captain, if you thought your plate was full and heavy, think again. The clock ticking over at the bottom-right of the electronic scoreboard indicates the allotted time within which the twenty overs have to be bowled. If the last over is not bowled within one minute of the allotted time, the fielding side is automatically handed a penalty of six runs to be added to the batting team’s total. No monetary cuts, no over-reduction, just six runs that could turn pivotal to a team’s result on that day. Will this ensure a bit more responsibility on the part of the captain to get his overs bowled on time? No one knows. But with the six runs at the back of his mind, it could just trigger a willingness to get the job done and dusted before the clock decides to beep.

One of the basic queries regarding twenty20 cricket is why teams resort to playing specialists. The term “twenty20 specialist” is a slightly inexplicable term, because the general consensus is that if someone can play Test cricket or even one-day cricket, he should be able to adapt himself to twenty20 cricket, which is a justified argument. But, the twenty20 game has seen a lot of evolution, and the players who have been successful in this short version of the game have to put up with tags of specialists. Ian Harvey of Australia, twenty20’s first centurion is by-far the best in the category of specialists and an ideal twenty20 cricketer - someone who opens the batting, has a dash at everything, comes back bowls his four overs with a lot of variation in speeds, mix-ups, lengths. For instance, South Africa does not play Albie Morkel, Johannes Van Der Wath and Roger Telemachus in their preferred one-day team, but they sport the dark-green stripes for the Proteas in the twenty20 competition. England has named a squad for the twenty20 World Championship filled with players who do not play Test or ODIs for them. Luke Wright, Darren Maddy, Jeremy Snape and James Kirtley (who specializes in bowling at the death) are all considered “twenty20 specialists” and rightly so. Though only time will tell how this novel concept of specialists will turn out to be, and it’s first big laboratory is South Africa.

Twenty20 cricket might be entertainment alright, but along with keeping that E-factor in mind, teams must not compromise on the way the game is played – from the dugout, in the mind and on the strategy-board. All this theorizing may sound complex at first reading, but unless teams could learn from characters like Jeremy Snape, theory could just remain that. Yes, at first go, twenty overs sounds a decent run out for the teams, but as the twenty20 game has evolved and progressed, there is just a lot more method to it than the crowds and the cash.

(More to follow, India’s taste of Twenty20 cricket)

Its time for Bikini Cricket

2007-08-10T11:19:00.000+05:30

Its time for Bikini Cricket

“Twenty20 [twen-tee twen-tee, twuhn-tee twuhn-tee] – noun, adjective - Noun- a version of cricket introduced in England in 2003, specifically to bring in the English family of mom, dad, kid and dog to the games. Also refers to a version of cricket played between two sides over 20 overs each. Twenty20 cricket is typically characterised by a football style dugout/bench and on-field cricketers wired to the commentary box. Adjective – If its cricket in England, it is Twenty20 (as Sky Sports calls it these days).”

That’s how you’re thick and fat Oxford Unabridged would describe twenty20 cricket. I choose to call it Bikini cricket. Ask me why, and I have a metaphorical answer to it. If limited-overs cricket was known by the colloquial as Pyjama cricket, stripping it a bit more would reveal nothing more than a Bikini. Another analogy could be a common term in Bollywood – the Item Number. Enough of the explanation, time to move on to the core of this game.

As mentioned before, this rather short and cute version of cricket was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board in 2003 to bring in the crowds as they felt cricket was a dying sport in the country. More so, because cricket in England was and is believed to be an Elite sport. Involving the masses was critical for cricket in England. The administrated resorted to a game that was designed and packaged to entertain. Four years old today, Twenty20 cricket has hardly looked back since then. In fact, it’s grown beyond expectations. It has managed to do what it set out to – pull in the crowds, with some whack-whack entertainment and emerged a big cash cow for the ECB and other cricket Boards since then. And with the ICC looking in to include Twenty20 as a formal cricketing version and a World Cup to acknowledge its impact, Bikini cricket is here to stay.

After seeing the impact and the interest this carnival generated in England, other countries did their bit to initially experiment and later adopt this product. South Africa, in 2003-04 was the first country outside of the United Kingdom to take up to it and today, twenty20 cricket is considered to be a big hit there. Sri Lanka led the way as far as the sub-continent is concerned with the inaugural edition in 2004. Bangladesh re-launched their much-famed corporate league as their version of twenty20. Pakistan followed suit with the ABN-Amro Cup in 2004, almost converting the cricket field into farms and zoos, with teams named as Lahore Lions, Rawalpindi Rams, Karachi Dolphins, Sialkot Stallions etc. One area where the Pakistani edition scores over other Asian countries is where they ensured that their stars took part in the tournament. I remember watching Inzamam-Ul-Haq taking guard for Multan Bears (aptly named one would suggest) and Shoaib Malik playing for Sialkot Stallions. Australia played their first domestic twenty20 tournament in 2005 with KFC as their main sponsors. Sir Allen Stanford’s vision gave the West Indies a sighter of what Twenty20 cricket really meant to the world. Crowds pouring in, drums back in motion, the atmosphere in the Caribbean were nothing short of a carnival. These teams have in most ways seen the twenty20 as a major area to revive the lack of public interest in domestic cricket.

Whilst other countries associated and affiliated with the ICC gradually started realizing this fantasy into a reality, India, the game’s sleeping-yet-overactive commercial giant saw this as a major infringement to their ambitions. Former BCCI Presidents, across factions made statements like “Tomorrow someone will start a 10/10, does it mean we start that too ?” and “Twenty20 is not real cricket.” One might not blame them, as after 75 years of the Board’s existence, they do not have a system that can call itself World Class, beginning with the top of course. And one of the highlights of India’s withdrawal syndrome in this case is that India played its first twenty20 International in South Africa (Johannesburg), even before they staged a domestic twenty20 tournament, which is rather bemusing. To confound this a little further, India won that game, thanks to Dinesh Karthik late heroics. And budge, they did ! To growing pressures within the ICC, where their always-trusted Asian “fraternity” supported the ICC’s Twenty20 vision, leaving India as the loner ! India hosted its first ever Twenty20 domestic tournament in 2007, an absolute shocker by itself. Even though state associations in India have managed to capitalise on the twenty20 waves through the Bradman Cup (played in Bangalore annually and hosted by KSCA and the ANZC) and the DY Patil Invitation 20/20 Cup (played in Navi Mumbai at the DY Patil College Stadium), the Board never took this seriously.

The Indian Board, by their own admission did not have a fantabulous response to the event, especially with the domestic season almost over and most national players just having returned from that infamous World Cup exit. Drooping public interest in the game might have been one of the causes, maybe. But some however, chose to make amends by their participation and eventually, a young Tamil Nadu side led by Dinesh Karthik ran out as worthy winners. And to not have it televised was an acute disaster by itself. The Board could have searched for better excuses than saying, “Our contract with Nimbus only extends to Ranji Trophy matches.” and if one is not mistaken, the deal was struck to promote First Class cricket and not to discriminate between the versions. The reluctance of the Board to tow the global line meant that a women’s twenty20 match between Asia XI and the Africa XI was the first international of the kind to be played on Indian soil.

Internationally too, twenty20 seems to have made its mark. The Asian teams have not really seen the potential of the game, but the Australians, the South Africans, the Kiwis and the English don’t mind a twenty20 international or two wherever they go or whoever visits their land. Again, shorter boundaries, more hits to the fence, and three hours of full-fledged action. The boring jerseys take a break as New Zealand tried putting on their Beige sleeves and sporting the retro moustached look. The Aussies gave their long-spellings a break by trying something different in the Ashes Twenty20 clash last year. Gilchrist got rechristened as Church, Clarke as Pup, Ponting as Punter and so on and so forth. Quite refreshing indeed.

The purists may deem this form of the game as an absolute nonsense and they do have their right to, having seen many an intriguing contest between bat and ball. But, as I mentioned earlier, Twenty20 is here to stay, be a nimble ant and take little baby steps towards giving cricket a modern look. However, I still am of the firm belief that while cricket can be played in Pyjamas, or as I say Bikinis, the Whites and the Baggy caps will and must go nowhere.

(More to follow, on why twenty20 cricket is not as easy as it looks)

Dude, Whose the coach yaar ?

2007-06-07T19:50:00.000+05:30

India has been known to be a country of suspenses and surprises. Some of the more recent ones include - "Will Tulsi finally die ?", "Will the Gujjars stop fighting ?" and well, something more relevant to me - "Dude, who will be the next coach yaar ?". The former two have got decent and satisfying answers, but the last of the three questions is going nowhere but to Timbaktoo as far as the Indian board is concerned.

As I entered the Chinnaswamy Stadium for the Afro-Asia Cup games, there were some young men in their 20 somethings engaging in a serious debate about India's next coach. In Kannada they conversed through and through and when it stopped making any sense to me, one of the guys raised a question that seems to puzzle every Indian fan, and even the Board officials. One guy suddenly stood up and in a typical Indian fashion popped up this question to his mate, "Dude...just tell me who will be the next f***in Indian coach." And spontaneously, his friend replied, "We wont know until the BCCI decides." Was that the answer I was looking for ? Not quite to be honest. And as soon as he tried pacifying his friend, a man who knows everything about this process emerged from nowhere - Sunil Gavaskar. And what more than these two guys giving their lungs a run for their money by screaming "SIR, WHO WILL BE OUR NEXT COACH ?". Known for his ducking, Sunny gave their concerns a major slip and left the question to destiny and the BCCI.

I seriously do not understand the process the BCCI has initiated for the appointment of the next coach, for there is not one. Some of these officials travelled to Bangladesh with an intent to watch our heroes return home with glory and some revenge as it was being advertised as. Drifting from the post, NEO Sports carried a pre-series advert with the copy as, "It takes the whole of India to beat Bangladesh". Aptly so, it reflects the shoddy state of Indian cricket. Coming back to this coach-crunching, Niranjan Shah made heavy statements like "Whatmore has a bright chance of becoming the coach of India, but we will see." A fortnight later, he is out of the fray. Thats the level of indecision that is doing Indian cricket more harm than good. And now, its down to two men, with relatively meek credentials for perhaps the toughest assignment concerning the game - Graham Ford and John Emburey. I have my own take on these two "gentlemen".

To begin with, lets bisect or trisect Graham Ford's coaching abilities, stints and achievements. The man has not played international cricket for South Africa and is presently the director of coaching at Kent County Cricket Club in England. He had a very successful tenure as the coach of the South African team, when he took over the reins from Bob Woolmer as soon as he was sacked after the 1999 World Cup. Almost all the Indian media have been ranting airwaves and print-space about how good a coach he was - especially tickers on prominent news websites and channels carrying a copy saying "South Africa won 9 out of the 11 series when Ford was coach". Thats blind reporting for you. There is a dark side to this man, especially because he was in charge when Hansie Cronje was involved in the match-fixing saga of 2000. Now, to say that Ford had no knowledge about the happenings would be clearly stupidity. He has come out and denied his stake in the imbroglio, but thats what you do when you are in the race for the Indian job. As the coach of Kent, all he did was to import talents from South Africa in the form of Andrew Hall and Martin van Jaarsveld, who have been scoring rather heavily. I have not yet come across a quality homegrown talent to come out of the county since he took over some years back. If you say Geraint Jones is one, I am afraid it sounds bulls*** to me. Oh, how can one forget the disastrous stint he had with Kwazulu-Natal Dolphins, a state franchise in South Africa, where he resigned after a year ? Thats about it about Ford - he comes across as an ideal candidate for the BCCI. A man who can shove things under the carpet supremely.

Now its over to John Emburey - in some people's words an average spinner who was rather lucky to play a decent number of games for England. Yes, everyone is honoured to be a part of the Indian coaching setup, but this man in his fifties is honoured to the tee. His coaching report card shows just red and more blues. What the hell are his credentials ? A coach who got relegated with the counties he managed like Northamptonshire and Middlesex ? If thats what we need, get him ! And the man has begun his PR ever so efficiently. He spoke to a news channel in India and made tall claims like "If I were given the job, my immediate priority would be to help India get to the No. 2 spot", something that every coach has on his quotesbook. He furthered his claims by saying, "I have taken note of whatever happened before and I am willing to work with the players and its all about exchanging respect". Again a claim with castles in the air than realizing the ground reality.

Oh, did I say India have missed the bus already by saying a no-no to Whatmore ? Oh yes, they have big-time. During my research interviews for the book I am working on Sri Lankan cricket, the interviewees felt that Whatmore was the best man-manager in the business today. And the strong foundations he laid in Sri Lanka have been expanded into towers today. He brought in Alex Kontouris with a clear vision to help Sri Lanka improve its fitness and the testament to that would be injury-free Sri Lankan bowlers playing today. If our post-mortem of the World Cup was going anywhere, these two areas were of utmost priority for India as a cricketing team. And I am afraid, by ducking out Whatmore for whatever reasons it could be, India have surely taken three steps back in the coaching market. Yes, he spoke out of turn, but who does'nt ? And the Indian media, who are occupied with TRP/Readership boosting sensationalist moves, declared him as the next Indian coach even before his name came up officially. And the Board fell for the heapload of crap published by the media.

And lets dwell into this crisis a bit more. I read somewhere that the Indian team for the tour of England and Ireland will be named on the 12th of June. Maybe that date would change soon. Our so-called coaches selection committee meets on the 9th of June to hold "discussions" with the two candidates. So expect a week more for the final outcome to sneak out. So here we are going to have a man, who does not know who he is going to work with, till he is appointed and will virtually have no say in the selections, for he does not know the potential of an RP Singh or a Rohit Sharma and goes by mere reputation and newspaper reports and all that is going to end up in is UTTER CHAOS !

Look at the Sri Lankan scenario and you feel ashamed of being Indian cricket. They have invited top level Australian coaches to take their cricket forward and we guys are still held up with some names that should'nt have come up at the first place. Be it Terry Oliver or Trevor Bayliss - these guys know their cricket much better than Graham Ford and John Emburey. Thats where the difference is. And thats where the difference is going to show in the next four years.

As I sign off, I will also ask the same question those two guys did, "Dude...just tell me who will be the next f***in Indian coach ?"

'A' Team Concept - Needs a look in !

2007-04-02T21:58:00.000+05:30

Sans A Team, India Benched - Hindustan Times - 2nd April 2007
Once upon a time, when the world of Indian cricket was a happier place, India A tours were the way ahead. And once upon a time wasn't so long ago either. For instance, in the time that Sandeep Patil became a more or less regular India A coach, after leading Kenya to the 2003 World Cup semifinals, 17 players from A tours went on to play for India, others played for India again. And most (see the box for the roster) did well enough.

Suddenly, despite all the talk of "processes" and the "need to groom youngsters" that we have been hearing these past two years, India do not seem to have a proper, dependable bench strength. Why? For starters, the world’s richest Board doesn't seem to want to spend time and money on organising India A tours anymore.

Strangely, in the year that the BCCI reportedly broke the billion-rupee barrier in revenue, India had just one A tour, to Australia, in July 2006. So how are fringe players supposed to prepare for the Indian team, or be ready to step in at a moment's notice if they are not being given the experience?

"It is a serious problem," says a top BCCI official, who did not want to be named, as his views, if aired publicly, would not be appreciated within the BCCI. "There was an imbalance last year, when there were three under-19 tours (to England, Pakistan and New Zealand) and only A tour to Australia. This imbalance began when India won the u-19 World Cup in January 2000, but at 19, most boys are too raw and will suffer if thrown into international cricket."

So why didn't the Board do more? "The problem is that the Board depends on reciprocal arrangements, so a five-year plan for A tours is the need of the hour. Somehow, that hasn't happened." Well, the planning has to start somewhere, so why not at the BCCI meet over April 6 and 7?

"I think the BCCI has no choice but to organise as many A tours as possible if they want Indian cricket to succeed," said former India cap Ashok Malhotra, who has been both a National Selector and the India A coach."While three-four years in domestic cricket makes you street smart and gives you experience, you need to play outside India to be groomed for international games. So the real yardstick is India A tours. The likes of Gautam (Gambhir) and Aakash (Chopra), Irfan (Pathan) and others have come up through the ranks, that way. From u-19s to A tours to India."

The Board official agreed. "All our focus is the India team. The training methods and physio are focussed on those 15. The other players are not in that system, so they suffer when thrown into it. There is a feeling within the Board that we should have a larger pool of players who will travel as much as the seniors and gain experience.”

If it doesn't, then there's trouble ahead. "I'm really worried that Indian cricket will go the hockey way," said Malhotra. "We will stay obsessed with Pakistan and gradually be left behind by the others."

This was an article written by Hindustan Times Sports Editor, Kadambari Murali.

I had my own take on it. It was posted through an e-mail to the author.

Hi Kadambari,

I came across your article on the A Team concept today and would like to make my observations regarding the same.

The A team concept is undoubtedly critical for a team's future. But as we all know, this has just been shoved in India. My observations are regarding other teams who have approached this concept with a very open mind and are implementing the same to ensure that at any given point of time a pool of players are available to step up to the upper level i.e. international cricket. I am working on a book on Sri Lankan Cricket, and this concept has been exploited to the tee by that country. Having understood that their level of first-class cricket isn't the best in the world, Sri Lanka Cricket has been very active in the creation of A Teams and Developmental Squads. Whilst other teams were busy focussing on the World Cup, Sri Lanka A and Bangladesh A quietly played a series in Sri Lanka, whereby people who were omitted from the World Cup squad were handed an good run to impress the selectors all over again, if the situation of impending retirements has to arise. And the results of the successful A Team execution in Sri Lanka are there to see. Russell Arnold, who was missing from the scene for not less than 15 months, went through the grind of second team action to force his way back into the national scheme of things. Similarly, one of Sri Lanka's emerging one-day bats, Chamara Silva played his last game for Sri Lanka in 2002 in the Natwest Series before he came through the A Tours of New Zealand, India, West Indies and Bangladesh. The whole idea of an A team is perhaps based on the lines of a "Reserve XI" in football clubs, which is the way it should be. I suppose every team should have an A team which must play at least 75% cricket in every calender year, so that come the new season - the selectors are not faced with an eternal conundrum so as to make inflammatory statements like "We have no talent." Perhaps teams like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa do not need this sort of a back-up team as they churn out world-class talent year in and year out. But, to recount this, Hashim Amla made his way back to the SA team thanks to his dream run of centuries against a New Zealand A team. And perhaps, these teams send follow the Developmental Squad system - whereby they send 15 young players to countries where conditions are foreign to theirs, probably with one-eye on the future. And another way these teams do this is by sending them to participate in County cricket. Micheal Clarke played for Hampshire way back in 2004 and similarly Cameron White has been with Somerset for the past year. I reckon this could be the way forward for international teams to develop their talents. I also read an article yesterday suggesting that Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh are participating in a triangular Developmental Squad limited-overs trophy in Bangladesh. Why isn't India playing that tournament ? Was the World Cup such a big shock for Indian cricket, that it cant move on ? Or do we not have simply any talent as Vengsarkar once famously said ? I really wish we had participated in that tournament, with Sharad Pawar's India Blue team, because not only does it give them a good know-how of the conditions before that BIG, I mean BIG tour of Bangladesh, but also throws some names in the selector's notepad ! Why are we not a proactive nation when it comes to developing talents ? Or do we depend upon our great National Cricket Academy in Bangalore to produce some really World Class talent ? Or do we have enough money, that talent matters no more. All of these are absolutely unanswered questions.

And guess what ? Sri Lanka Cricket has taken an absolutely progressive step by awarding CONTRACTS for their A Team players and have a coach on contract - Chandika Hathurusinghe. We do not need to look at Australia to learn our systemic improvements. Look down South, and you'll have all the solutions.

I really hope, someone of your calibre as a cricket writer can help me and the country find out about the overall failure of the Board in taking such futuristic initiatives, so as to benefit Indian cricket.

Regards,

Venkat Ananth

Looking back in Anger

2007-04-01T13:46:00.000+05:30

Call it a disgrace, a disaster, a debacle or perhaps even the death knell, no word in the Oxford English dictionary can perhaps stand up to describe India’s performance in the World Cup 2007 in the Caribbean. It was certainly a rude shock to a nation that expected its cricketers to go past the first stage, at least. India’s exit from the World Cup has certainly raised several questions, which to the best of my knowledge will remain unanswered, as that’s the way our system works – specifically, the BCCI.

Yes, this is a game of cricket – aptly described by purists as one of “glorious uncertainties” and frankly speaking, India was at the receiving end of the adage. But what followed the exit is more interesting than the short stay in Trinidad itself. The public ire against the team the day after was well documented by the media, without realizing that it was they who ballooned expectations into dreams and when shattered, shirked responsibility for the same and turned into bashers. Some of the images that we saw was indeed natural, but could have been avoided considering the fact that it was just a game of cricket and not a war that we lost.

Greg Chappell attributed this loss to a “collective failure” and I somehow can’t stop myself from calling it a systemic failure. It is all well to sit and criticize the team for their shocking performances, but at the end of the day – the BCCI has not yet come forward and taken equal blame for their role in this debacle. People are still keen on completing their two-year terms, without realizing that the future of the game is in question. On expected lines, Sharad Pawar came out the next day and rubbished claims of his resignation by calling it “an utter nonsense”. And, as per my observations, the BCCI is looking for scapegoats, who they could deflect the blame on. First they took an aim at the senior players, followed by the media and realizing that both parties were not standing up for themselves, blamed it on the World Cup format. What Ricky Ponting stated the other day, might evoke some instant reactions from eternal patriots like Sunil Gavaskar, but by doing that, they are running away from the grim reality of Indian cricket. Has Dilip Vengsarkar come out and put his papers yet ? Why ? As a Sharad Pawar loyalist, he’s getting his due mileage.

Perhaps, in hindsight, the appointment of Dilip Vengsarkar as the Chairman of Selectors was a move directed at chopping the wings of Greg Chappell. The very objective with which Chappell was drafted in as the coach was defeated, when they realized that the “free hand policy” had to be chopped or may be to satisfy some of Pawar’s detractors. That is how the BCCI functions anyway. If we go back to Kiran More’s stint at the selectoral helm, Greg Chappell was given enough autonomy to choose the team he felt could win matches, rather than external compulsions. Reading between the lines, Ganguly’s return also smells of Pawar’s intentions to mute Chappell’s growing influence within the team. But to Saurav’s credit, the man redeemed himself. When the time was ripe to take some harsh decisions, the BCCI turned into lambs. This is where we lost the World Cup and not against Sri Lanka. Veteran cricket writer Rajan Bala equally vindicates this claim, as Greg was disappointed with the make up of the World Cup squad. For a man who used to regularly come out and frankly state “Ignore youth at its own peril”, he was given a squad of old men, who had no more bones left in them to match the standards set by other teams. I am not saying if Suresh Raina or Mohammad Kaif would have won India the World Cup, but if selected back then, they would’ve certainly given their 200% on the field, where India looked absolutely hapless. And the way the Indian selection system functions, even crystal ball gazing would not predict our future.

Culturally and in cricket, we still suffer from the colonial hangover. Foreigners are perhaps ridiculed for whatever they’ve done and we associate ourselves with everything Indian, without realizing that we lag by 10 years than where they are. Which is why it seems easier to blame a Greg Chappell or an Ian Frazer for the World Cup loss than one among our own? What can Greg Chappell do if he’s presented with a bunch of perennial chokers? What can he do if his words have no weight age among selectors? What could Greg Chappell have done if the system turns against him than stand by him? And it seems extremely convenient for the media to turn him into a villain when the team loses and fail to credit him during the more successful days. That’s the double standards that we Indians are known for. And now, there are talks of an Indian coach. And the possible candidates – Sandeep Patil and Mohinder Amarnath. An Indian coach has always been known to bring some regional bias into his operations and this time it would be any different. After all, an Indian coach would have understood the system by now, enough to exploit it skilfully. I have nothing against them, but from what the past says – we’d be changing them like underwears. If great sporting teams like Manchester United have the guts to stick with Sir Alex Ferguson even after a trophyless season, I am sure Greg Chappell can be treated similarly. Coaches do not come with magic wands, sigh.

The media is another active participant in this whole game. The news media have just succumbed to their own expectations and cricket journalism in this country has never hit such a low. The debates in the mainstream news channels and newspapers are quite primary and do not seek credible solutions from their experts. When some channels flashed news about Sachin Tendulkar’s possible captaincy move, all they did was display statistics of his previous captaincy record and not a single channel, I repeat, not a single channel questioned the credibility of these reports. Some of the panelists for their discussion shows reflect a lot of dumbing down. For example, having a Sharad Pawar loyalist on any show means the BCCI keeps mum about some issues and justification of their claims or lets say, some actors and actresses. All of these augur well for the TRP. The well-respected Indian cricket intelligentsia is almost kept in the dark. And where is the objectivity? Yes, India is out of the World Cup – so what? The show must go on. This is where the English channels are placed relatively better than their Hindi counterparts. People like Madan Lal and Yashpal Sharma do not really lose their sheen as World Cup winners, but their opinions cater to the most basic and primary instincts of the audience, more simplified than others. The Hindi dozen brings in former cricketers, presumably from Delhi to analyze the game and their analysis revolves around “Should Gambhir have gone instead of Uthappa?” C’mon guys, mature up!

The advertisers play their part in building this hysteric balloon that we all are so used to. Pepsi have come up with a jinxed campaign and ever since their ads were on air, Team India is seeing a Billion Blues than otherwise. Personally speaking, I am not against celebrity endorsements one bit, as they have the right to it, but only after they realize that cricket comes first. Every cricketer in every country does it. Be it Adam Gilchrist for Castrol, or Muttiah Muralitharan for Lanka TVS – but for them, cricket comes first. Barring a few good men here, it’s the other way. If I am not mistaken, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has close to 15 products in his pocket. Why can’t these guys come up with the same performances on the grounds? Reality is that, they somehow like living in their own myths!

Indian cricket somehow needs to stand up and stare reality in its face. That’s the only way we can move forward. Getting rid of the coach and the captain would be a knee-jerk reaction on the parts of the power men. Instead of these peripheral issues, address the more integral one. To conclude, I’d rather be a Manchester United by sticking to Sir Alex Ferguson than a Real Madrid who regularly change their nappies !

Down Under the Doldrums...

2007-02-20T20:03:00.001+05:30

Defeat and Australia do not share the same equation when it comes to sport, not least the game of cricket. But, their Trans-Tasman rivals, New Zealand would have a different viewpoint on this aspect. Having successfully chased totals of well over 300 in consecutive matches, the Kiwis have rubbed some serious salt on the already existing wounds of the Aussies. The defeat means that the reigning World Champions relinquish their No.1 spot in the ICC ODI Rankings to incumbent South Africa and fly into the Caribbean with rock-bottom confidence and their pride at stake.

Its not common that an Australian outfit would surrender to their own problems this meekly. But thats the sad part of it. After having had a fantastic summer in Test cricket, the sort of confidence or call it arrogance that did them in came to the fore in the CB Series finals, where they failed to beat England, their little fancied rivals, not once but twice. Injuries is only one part of the problem. Not having the likes of Andrew Symonds and Brett Lee hurts for sure, but with a majority chunk of the Chappell-Hadlee squad being the World Cuppers, defeat was certainly something that could've been avoided. So where is the problem, are they over-estimating their own worth ? Or have other teams raised their level of intensity to match the Aussies. Well, its a vicious circle to which only time will have the answer for.

Ian Chappell in his column in Cricinfo writes, "Thanks to a dangerous mixture of arrogance and stupidity during the Commonwealth Bank Series, Australia fiddled rather than found their best combination." I would tend to agree with him on this, especially since it was a final of a major tournament at home, and any captain would've preferred fielding his World Cup combination minus Lee and Symonds to see how they handle big-match situations. It was really disappointing from a more Australian perspective, since they are known to do such things. Sadly, this attitude extended itself to the Chappell-Hadlee series, and the results are there to be seen.

If you ask me a couple of areas where the Aussies are going wrong, my view would be in terms of selection. What on earth is the best Australian fast bowler in the summer, Stuart Clark doing by playing for New South Wales in the Ford Rogers Cup ? He should probably be in the flight to Jamaica. Such selections are more of the touch-and-go kinds, but the Australians are feeling his absence for various reasons. The bowling line-up that will probably feature in the World Cup is going for 340 and 350 runs respectively in the two matches. Where is the mean and the miserly attack the world would be in awe of ? According to me, the second area of concern would be the lack of quality spinners in the line-up. The whole world knows the fact that the wickets in the Windies aren't the same as probably three decades back, and this team has only one spinner named - Brad Hogg. And as irony would have it, he's had to sit out the bulk of the Commonwealth Bank series doing twelfth man duties. Oh yes, the fielding bit - its just getting from bad to worse. We have been used to the Aussies setting high standards especially when it comes to fielding, but these days the sheen has come off a fair bit.

The only the saving grace at this moment today, is the batting line-up. Yes, there could be some cracks emerging there too, but as of now it is looking good with several in-form batsmen. The top-order seems to have gelled properly, with Gilchrist and Hayden leading the way. Ponting at three seems daunting for many an opposition and to consolidate the domination - Hodge, Hussey and Clarke. Shane Watson's injury-marred progress as an all-rounder is a concern but apart from that, Australia's best chance of hiding their blushes would be to put good scores on the board and HOPE that the bowlers defend it ! After all, an unbeaten 181 from Haydos wasn't good enough to see them through the Kiwis today.

It is certainly back to basics time for the defending Champions. Ideally, they would have preferred avoiding this situation from arising, but now that it has, finding answers and solutions is the only way ahead. Mike Hussey claims the spirit of the squad being intact, which sounds superficial for starters, but with the Aussie teams, you never know. Having dug a hole for themselves just ahead of the World Cup, only confidence and not over, only common-sense and not stupidity (as Chappelli would have it) can help Australia resurrect their worst slump in almost over a decade.

A Slap on Indian Cricket

2007-01-25T20:36:00.000+05:30

It was exactly a week ago, when the whole of India came together to fight its image, pride and global identity through Jade Goody's antics against Shilpa Shetty in a television show. Exactly three days back, an irate Indian fan showed how intolerant a country we can be when it comes to foreigners. It may have been a slap on Greg Chappell for not including any Orissa cricketer, but the larger issue here is how choosy we can be when it comes to race and identity. In fact, Biranchi Maharana, the culprit is as good or as bad as Jade Goody, as going by what he says, he "chose Greg Chappell because he was Australian". Through the uproars last week and this incident barely 72 hours ago, India has taken one step forward and five steps back.

The incident should not have taken place in the first instance and now that it has, it reflects poorly on Orissa as a secure state and its public's frustration over something they do not control. If I remember right, the Chief Minister of Orissa, Naveen Patnaik was rated as the best CM in a poll conducted by a television channel. This is not the first time that an Australian became a casualty in the state. Perhaps, the Oriya public are somewhat allergic to Aussies, for reasons they themselves know. Circa 1997 was when an Australian missionary Graeme Steins was charred to death by certain extremists of the Bajrang Dal who were against Christian conversions.

Security is another concern that bewilders me. We take extreme care to protect our superstars like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, but do we really care about the support staff ? Or is it just too foreign for their liking ? The Orissa Police may have been embarrassed through this incident, but it certainly raises questions about intentions of the Government. In 2005 and 2006, I witnessed this whole security affair myself at Pune and Mumbai. At the Taj Blue Diamond Hotel in Pune, some of the senior players of the team were walking through an intense security cordon, surrounded by cops on four sides, whereas younger players like Suresh Raina and RP Singh were left unguarded. Not to mention, Ian Frazer and Greg Chappell. Even during the 3rd test against England in Mumbai, the situation wasn't any different. Why this double standards when it comes to this team ? Is it because they are foreigners and should be treated differently ? The Board alone knows.

Another issue that was exposed through this barbaric act was the state of Orissa cricket. Honestly, I couldn't care any less if a guy from Orissa is not playing for Team India. Yes, Orissa has been playing some decent cricket for a while now, but how many of their cricketers have it in them to play for the country ? The answer is none. Some of them came, promised and faded away. Debashish Mohanty is in most ways the torch-bearer of Orissa cricket, but what has he contributed to Indian cricket ? Sanjay Raul was another guy who managed to don Indian colors, but did he do anything significant ? No. Shib Sunder Das was perhaps the most impressive cricketer to come out of that state. However, he too faded away after Wasim Jaffer and Deep Dasgupta grabbed their chances in the West Indies-England tour of 2002. Since then Orissa cricket has been languishing in the Plate League, and having qualified for the Elite Division for the next season, it is upto them to get noticed and satisfy the likes of Biranchi Maharana. To add on, Ranjib Biswal from the Orissa Cricket Association had a stint as a national selector from the East Zone. If he himself couldn't identify enough talent in that state, how can one irate maniac ?

To sum up, the wild demeanour of one individual shouldn't be the benchmark for judging a state or a country. A banner by some Orissa fans in the match at Cuttack yesterday which said "Greg, We are Sorry" is a reflection of how the people of Orissa and India see this incident as. One hopes that such incidents won't be repeated all over again. It is indeed an eye opener for many - the administrators, the fans and the security authorities. For now, with India having won the game at Cuttack, the wounds of the slap might have healed, but one cannot hold back himself by calling this act as a "slap on Indian cricket" !

My Second Coming Too..

2006-12-20T18:49:00.000+05:30

Raving about Saurav Ganguly's determination and grit does not stop me from apologizing to my readers for the lack of substance that was visible on the blog. I was handling some major professional and academic assignments that did not make it easy for me to slot in time to write on the topics. I am sure, in the coming days and weeks - the blog shall see a splurge of articles on various issues, largely concerning Asian cricket.

Cheers,
Venkat Ananth

The Rebirth - Ganguly's Second Coming !

2006-12-20T18:00:00.000+05:30

This time last year, the sacked Indian captain Saurav Ganguly was yet to recover from the saga that perhaps stunned Indian cricket - his sacking. Speculations were rife over his future and instead of gearing himself for his cricketing assignments, the man was facing mordacious balderdash from the Indian media. Sympathy surrounded him and even his daughter couldn't refrain herself from questioning his non-presence in Team India. Somewhere, the prowess conflicted itself with the hunger and things did not work his way. Time decided to move on and so did Indian cricket. Change did it for him, perhaps.

Today, life has indeed come a full circle for Dada. Change did it for him, again. The selection committee's decision to include him for the South African tour did raise many eyebrows but having seen the first Test, Dilip Vengsarkar was spot on ! There were shades of freshness in the way he went about his business, having seen the dynamics of what Team India missed due to his absence. There was a certain method, largely unassociated with the Ganguly game. The pair of eyes were lensed with a never-before determination and application followed. The flamboyance took a back-seat and all that he'd learned or unlearned in the past 10 months was put into practice. To be on the franker side of the divide, I was quite skeptical of Ganguly's selection, let alone inclusion. But thanks to a string of big scores for both Bengal and East Zone, he put himself on the selector's notepad, and then it was a mere formality. This was the Ganguly I was expecting, not the one who lived on his past laurels or political proximity or for that matter the captain's job ! The difference is the mental psyche with which he approached the game. For a world-class player who was on the wane, talent was never going to be an issue. If any, how he took the setback in his stride and worked his way in shows the mental effort on the part of Saurav. For people who feel that Ganguly's selection is the biggest slap on Chappell's face or ego, think again. In hindsight, such tough decisions could define Indian cricket.

I for one recall a newspaper report, highly Kolkattan by nature, talking about how Dada used his privileged club membership at East Bengal during these beleaguered times to return as a fully fit cricketer. However degraded the Indian football league maybe, the emphasis on fitness in football is n-times more than what these cricketers go through. Injuries formed another cloud in his sky, with claims of "tennis-elbow", but he saw it with the straight face of the bat and proved himself all over again. During his pre-sacking days, merit distanced itself from the man and there was an environment of change that he found uncomfortable dealing with. The coaching staff, the administration and even the functioning styles of these two entities was something he could not handle, and as Chappell says, "We felt that a time off from cricket was the best thing for him." Even during the county stint at Northamptonshire, under Kepler Wessels, Saurav did not exactly set the County circuit on fire, but at least ensured that he resorted to better regimens of fitness and emerged a much focused cricketer. To be honest, I don't think Saurav would have learned more in his 10 years of International cricket than this 10 months in virtual hibernation.

As a cynic, I made this statement not so long ago to my friend "You do not make comebacks at 33", but Ganguly proved me wrong. If his contributions start gaining more meaning within the setup, it won't be before long that he would have booked his ticket to the Caribbean. For now, the passion seems to be back, the hunger for success is well on its way up the graph and the desire to claim this re-birth with both hands on an all-time high. Cynically speaking, Saurav has proved no one wrong, including Greg Chappell but proved him right. I am sure his colleagues Zaheer Khan and VVS Laxman will agree. Scores of 51* and 25 will remain longer in public memory than some his earlier knocks. After all, along with Team India, it was Saurav's grit, patience and determination that won the first Test.

Why John is (W)right !

2006-10-27T10:21:00.001+05:30

Why John is (W)right !

As soon as it was launched, I managed to pick up a copy of Indian Summers, the memoirs of John Wright’s stint as the coach of Team India. I wouldn’t call it the most authoritarian work on Indian cricket, but with the premise being largely personal, it gives us a worm’s-eye view of how cricket is seen by outsiders. It makes good reading for the understanding of how the system functions, the chaos, the politics and the power. Wright reinforces the commonly held belief of a defunct zonal selection system stronger than ever and even as I say, it is time to rid it off – question marks have risen over a few selections for the Champions Trophy, especially one pertaining to Sreesanth.

To be very frank, I read this book as more of a journey than a mere turn of pages – where John tried to remind me about some of the key moments of his tenure, through a lively description of the games, which makes interesting reading. I have myself resorted to some criticism of Wright’s stint, but this book gives an in depth insight into how he had to fight the dark holes of the Indian cricket system and yet delivered. I find it hard to believe that towards the latter part of his time as the Indian coach, he was at the end of some rather unwanted criticism from the media, public and of course the “former players union”.

After reading the work, John Wright has quite aptly listed some problems that need to be sorted out sooner than later if Indian cricket has to make it to the next level. It certainly did not need a book to remind our moneybags about the state of Indian cricket. When John writes about an unknown person (possibly a journalist) from Kolkata calling him to inform his appointment as the Coach of India, it was a shocker – it sounds aghast to see no levels of professionalism from the Board. Second incident involved not giving John a contract. I mean how on earth can you hire, especially a foreigner without giving him a contract to work under? Sounds absurd, but that’s Indian cricket for you. Often, the off-the field wrangles generate more interest than the matches we play in. Oh and yes, the fact that he had to put up with the mega Board elections by doubling up as Manager and coach for one home series shows how dependent the system is on votes and loyalties. What’s worse, it was his first series as coach of the team.

I remember interviewing a former media manager of the Australian team, Jonathan Rose and he made a very valid point when he said “Your cricket team is a mirror image of how your Board is. Cricket Australia believes and practices professionalism thoroughly and so does our team”. Put it in the Indian context and you’ll probably fill a page with question marks. Professionalism does not merely mean install a CEO with strings tied over his head. In the Indian context, it seems hard to define. It may not also mean having a website. It could probably refer to building a conducive environment where everyone is taken care of – the players, the administrators, the fans, the officials. Cricket Australia practices this to the T. How shocking is it to know that common fans like you and me form just 10% of a ticket sales during a one-day international in India ? Ask where the rest of the money goes, and the answer is “loyalists, police commissioners, big politicians” etc ! Oh, have you heard of truck owners being managers of a cricket team ? Probably yes! John Wright mentions about a Maharashtra heavyweight, who became manager of the team, but by profession was a truck owner ! Why don’t we get it ? We need a full-time manager, someone in the mould of a Michael Tissera from Sri Lanka, Steve Bernard from Australia or even Goolam Rajah of South Africa. These guys have been around for ages ! Wright sees it as an award for the loyalty shown by the association towards the powerhouse, which to a large extent is true and unfortunate. I may draw some flak from the BCCI for this, but both me and John Wright know that we are correct.

How about opening another can of worms ? The selection system ! Mention it and you get thoughts like “Arghhh…they did it again !”. Here too, Wright makes valid points worth notice. He says that selectors discuss about who not to select for hours together rather than who to select. The North-South divide often makes more talking than Team India ! The Zonal system was, is and will always be prone to bias, especially with the reputation of the association at stake. But is this the way we select champion teams ? The answer is a loud NO. The pressure on these selectors, often middlemen, is absolutely inevitable. For example, if Kiran More was asked a question on dropping Sreesanth, he’d probably give the same boring answer saying “He is certainly in our minds for the future. We have decided to rest him”. Its time the Indian public gets tired of this shutout and there is a need by the media to create public opinion about the professionalization of the selection system. This has been the demand ever since eternity though. But who wants to lose out on votes ? If their player does well, it means approval from the association and hence a big fat job in the Board. Who says it’s a tough job ? John Wright doesn’t !

Oh ! And who can forget the brigade of former cricketers. This seems like an obsession all over the world, but the brigade is much much stronger in India and the subcontinental countries. They become best friends when the team is succeeding and turn their backs on you when things go haywire. How can you function in such a system ? Some of these guys have coached the team before and hence try and suggest things and maybe boost their candidature, but unfortunately they cant ! its more of an ego problem than anything else. Some of the fiercest critics of Greg Chappell now have been these television experts and its so absurd seeing them change weather from the last six months, when the team has turned out leaner than before. If they knew what to do with the team, why don’t they make good coaches ? It becomes so easy to say “Sehwag should have batted like this, played a shot like that” but did they do it during their tenure ? No ! And yes, seeing a foreign coach as a white-skinned-man who has come to make India his own and some of these experts bringing the strong jingoistic claims of a need for an Indian coach is often seen. I do not know if these airwaves will stop sometime, but that’s the problem in a democracy – you often get away with whatever you say ! I mean how could you condone Sanjay Jha’s public outcry of Chappell last October by calling him a “Godzilla” ? Atrocious, I say !

John Wright may have not given us the results we desired or expected from him, but has certainly shown us the way forward. I used to call him the “Naïve New Zealander”, who believed in going about the job in his own way, his own pace, but this book brings a no-holds-barred approach from the man, which should be lauded. It’s a must read for fans, who look at cricket beyond the 11 demi-gods and are willing to know the harsh realities of the system here. This is not advertising of any sort, but a genuine recommendation from a critic of Wright himself. Its time this book finds a place in the library of every cricket association and the bookshelf of every Board member. That’s the only way Indian cricket can quite “literally” move forward !

Extraaa Nonsense : Where Cricket Weds Crap

2006-10-25T09:44:00.000+05:30

Extraaa Innings is back on air ! This seems to be the nth time I am making this statement, but all thanks to Sony Entertainment Televisions's ridiculous policy, it wont stop until the 2007 World Cup is over - thats an assurance ! The only difference this time is that the crap has got crappier and Mandira and Charu have become too inane to switch on the TV sets. Its time cricket gets rid of these elements who seek gracious time to punch their visibility and seek roles. I mean, let cricketers analyse the game not some airhead chicks who did not know what cricket was unless they were offered a ransom by the television channel. Oh, and what on earth is someone like Rohit Roy doing there ? I tend to think he's an absolute disaster at whatever he does (refer Nach Baliye last year) and his constant concern at Dada's exclusion from the team just adds a bit of murkiness about the whole guy.

Now lets get to the show. There is this audacious tarot card reader, who always seems to get it wrong. This was the same lady who predicted India's win in the World Cup of 2003, and the rest is recorded history. Alright, they have the astrologer there, but what dominates the conversations is questions like "Will Mandira have a good Bollywood future ?" ! Holy heavens, are we watching a cricket preview show or weird attempt at trivializing the game ? Absolute rubbish ! Oh and the Maruti ride with Mandira and Charu, seems quite misplaced. Such visuals at best are condemnable, one feels ! How can the Indian audience, the so-called intellectual audience which knows to measure trash and sense accept such a comical approach to cricket ? Shocking!

What is even more unnerving is the India element. I mean, the high emotional ground these anchors gain when they chant the word "I-n-d-i-a", which to a large extent, pisses me off ! It gets too emotionally wound up, that a semblance of objectivity is almost cancelled at the first go, which is absolutely unfortunate. Compare this with a Channel 9 or an ESPN-Star Presentation and you'd probably know how inanely designed show this is. No doubt there is some element of patriotism in these shows, but where Extraaa Innings distinguishes itself is through the use of absolutely unrequired "in-studio jingoism". That brings me into questioning the use of female anchors for cricket. Sexist, as it may sound to readers, I do not feel the need for oomph in cricket and especially when these so-called anchors read through a whole chunk of Cricinfo updates all through the night and come up with questions that sound rather stupid. Oh, no doubt it is one more shot at bagging a Bollywood role for all you and I care (and it sounds better than casting couches too). Mandira's use as an ad-doll also seems rather stupid. All she does is lend her squeaky voice to some of the ads that sponsor segments. I bet, she might have come up with 50 "brought to you bys" in one episode. Her cleavage or whatever she seems to wear attracts more attention than what she tends to talk - such is the low sinking nature of cricket presentation these days. I am sure the Harshas and the Wilkins' must be tearing their hairs apart (if any).

Charu Sharma, who started off as a promising presenter has also a huge part of the blame to share. He was perhaps seen earlier as a man who could restore some sense into the proceedings, but as it has progressed from time to time, Charu has fallen into the trap of bringing in these emotional rants about India and more or less wraps his thoughts with a degree of plasticity. Even in his show the Fourth Umpire, he morphed his thoughts with some elements of extreme patriotism, which exposed his credibility to analyse matches as an expert. Its getting to a stage where, the viewer can almost predict the script given to him, which makes it dull ! Beating around the bush is his forte, he talks too much about things that are absolutely inconsequential to the match and he whatever he talks makes sense only to him ! I mean who gives a f*** if he spent his childhood days in Rajasthan or Sikkim, as it does not justify a good cricket match. He's just nailed himself on the presenter front. As someone who was seen as a decent competition to Harsha, Charu has just taken five steps back ! If he has to get any closer to Harsha, he better get out of shows like Extraaa Innings and the Fourth Umpire. The only time I found him to make sense was during the couple of tennis tournaments he did for Star Sports and Ten Sports respectively. Though, that jingoistic element didnt get off him, especially when he made repeated remarks about Sania Mirza, he sounded effective if not pleasing.

Its time cricket presenting takes a serious step forward. We do not need ladies who just make appearances to attract the cricket-watching male or twist their libidos during a cricket match. All we need is a host of good analysts, who take the viewer beyond the happenings of the game and put in real perspective in whatever they are talking. Bias is as inevitable as Mandira showing off her cleavage, but if these hosts can keep the bias away in their homes, it will make cricket watching a good experience. We need to learn from other countries with this regard too. Cricket presentation is serious stuff. Cricket itself is entertainment, but more importantly its a sport. If we are equating cricket to entertainment in the real sense, we are wrong. Cricket is more unpredictable than what could happen in a prime time daily soap. It can never wed entertainment. But, as Extraaa Innings has proved over the few years its been on air, cricket is made to wed crap and crap of the highest order !

Statutory Warning : Please switch off your television sets from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm to avoid this show. Ignorance of this warning could lead to a mental disorder that would take years to get out of !

All Opened Up !

2006-10-22T11:40:00.000+05:30

Yes folks, the Champions Trophy is up and running. Despite the certain reservations I have had about the intentions behind the tournament, it is slowly moving towards a climax that would rather seem unpredictable. With 8 teams vying for glory in this tournament, it now seems very difficult to pick a definite winner ! Some of the results that the tournament has witnessed has surely justified the nature of one-day cricket, which is now "On-the-Day" cricket. Australia succumbed meekly to some intensified West Indian pressure, while Abdul Razzaq's gusto finish made all the difference between a bigger setback and a victory for Pakistan. Pundits have gone through the various permutations and combinations to see who goes through from their respective groups. It will be a case of luck, on-the-day performance and calculations that will take four of the 8 teams through.

More on Champions Trophy to follow...

Voila...ICC Champions Trophy 2006 Beckons !!

2006-10-01T12:06:00.000+05:30

Finally, the drought of a big tournament has ended ! After spending 10 years in wilderness, it is now India's turn to play host for the 5th edition of the Champion's Trophy. It is indeed ironical that the country which mooted this concept in the first place gets its due after the tournament has managed to create a niche for itself. When it started off, perhaps the intentions of the ICC were sounding straight and clear - to create a common platform for all teams and use this to catalyse their future. But now after 8 years, things have taken a 360-degree turn and its more of the commerce that rules the roost and not competition. Its not been a smooth ride after all, considering the marketing and endorsement chaos of 2002. Perhaps, those were the first signals of a long and well-planned commercial venture the ICC invested into four years back then. It may not completely turn into a farcical event just yet, but faces a pretty bleak future in the days and years to come, especially with the invasion of 20/20 being a good money-spinner for the Boards and the ICC.

As far as preparations are concerned, India has been on the dot, since the very day the clearances by the Government and subsequently the tournament was announced. But what should seem murky, is the law that the ICC has chartered, which does not allow "sponsored" stadiums to host any ICC-oriented matches. Which is why quality stadiums like the Chinnasawamy Stadium and the Chepauk have felt the ditch this time. Having said that, it does give an opportunity to other good stadiums in the country to prop up their standards and create an international feel about them. With Mohali being voted as the best stadium in the sub-continent and listed as one of the four centres for the Champion's Trophy, expectations will surely reach the limit, and it is about time Indian stadiums realize the need for recognition, especially in spectator management and hardcore infrastructure. It will give an opportunity for these stadiums to be rated and know where they stand on the international radar. Another positive to come out is the revival of the Brabourne Stadium at the Cricket Club of India, Mumbai. It has been 11 years since the last game was played there and a place that used to be regarded as the Lords of Asia, will soon bear the new look, with bucket-seats and floodlights simmering over the action ! Perhaps an indication of how tradition can merge itself with the needs of change, especially in the new age.

One of the major grudges that foreign teams have when they come to India is the business of traveling. To some extent, their grievances have been looked into by the BCCI and the ICC while the selection of the venues. The tournament will bear a more Western look as teams will shuttle between Ahmedabad, Mohali, Jaipur and Mumbai, cutting across four states that figure in an almost straight line on the political map of the country. So lesser connecting flights, more time in the nets and more action is all that this edition promises. To be on the franker side, I perceive this tournament to be a rough one for teams that are traditional strugglers in the sub-continent. Mainly because the wickets during this part of the year in India will probably assist slower bowlers as the season has not yet got underway and with constant rain in places like Mumbai, the curators may have just compromised a tiny bit on the nature of the pitches. It should be a traditional sub-continental pancaked belter, but also expect some sharp turn and tennis ball bounce if you are a non-Asian team.

Evaluating it critically, one of the main problems of this tournament is the lack of focus of some teams when they especially play this tournament. Australia have mentally resigned themselves to playing the Champion's Trophy to avoid huge sanctions and the signals coming from their side is very clear. The Ashes forms about 95% priority in their minds today - which clearly is a reflection of their mindset about the tournament per-se. England have named an experimental squad for this series, ensuring that their key players will be rested before the Ashes. Which is exactly why I said earlier, that this tournament is losing its competitive value and teams are participating in it just to get a share of the ICC revenue pie and be happy. Not that this tournament has proven to be a great platform per-se for teams going into major series etc. West Indies won the last edition, with a great amount of luck one would feel, but they have failed miserably to kick on from then. New Zealand (2000) is perhaps the only team that considers this trophy a holy one, because of its failure to win major tournaments and the same would hold true for South Africa in the inaugural version in 1998.

Add to that the inappropriate timing of the event - when most teams have just begun their seasonal cricket, barring England. I would not be surprised one bit if certain teams fail to fire as they normally would and expose the rust they have acquired by not playing enough of match-oriented cricket. This turns into a positive for some others who would capitalize on these matches as practice games for bigger tournaments in the future - especially considering high-intensity series like the Ashes. Do not be surprised if Australia get rated as the favourites, but get knocked out of the group stages or the Semis, they have a larger task on hand at home ! And remember, big teams win bigger trophies - a reason why Australia in the Champion's Trophy have regularly suffered in at the hands of teams they would otherwise decimate.

All in all, this tournament promises to be an entertainer, with the likes of Mandira Bedi always "charming" the screen and the likes of Kapil Dev stuttering some straw-hat English. With the marketers of the tournament doing a good job, especially with the advertising, it is of no doubt that cricket turns entertainer for a month. The format seems to be a bit skewed, but it only adds to the drama and the anxiety of cricket lovers. On a personal note, I back the form teams, two from the sub-continent to make the Semi-Finals, whereas the other teams may just struggle to tie two ends together here, partly due to focus and largely due to the conditions. For India, its a big tournament - one that can provide their World Cup charge some impetus, a direction, which will reinforce the faith and the belief that many of us have laid on our team. But, from the 8 teams in the race, may the best horse win !

A Roar of Revival ?

2006-06-24T19:16:00.000+05:30

A Roar of Revival ?

The roars of warning are clearly out. Having beaten England comprehensively in the 3rd and final Test at Trent Bridge, the Sri Lankans have already sounded the alarm of resurgence. At last, there seems to be a conscious effort to raise the standards of their cricket every game and it won’t be before long that these efforts will be translated into notable results. Tom Moody’s one-year in charge of the islanders has finally seen a high-point. A test win away from home is not the easiest thing to achieve for an Asian team, barring Pakistan, but as they did in 1998 at the Oval, such victories have had their own say in galvanizing and rejuvenating the spirit in the Sri Lankan camp.

A major question that might torment the average fan of Sri Lanka cricket would be, if this is just a phase or is it real transformation they have shown from the previous 6 months ? To start off, in the past 6-8 months of Tom Moody’s tenure, he had nothing much to show in terms of results, except for a few wins here and there, that too against teams like West Indies and Bangladesh. They had a forgettable tour of India, where putting 300 runs was a mammoth task by itself. Then came a tour to New Zealand, where resistance was visible to an extent, but not worth an outcome. As the pundits of the modern game claim, a tour of Australia is a toughening experience, for both the team and the individual player. It surely rubbed off in Bangladesh, where they surprisingly encountered competition from the home side, before a string of mistakes from the home side gifted the Lankans with two wins. One perceived the loss to Bangladesh in an ODI, as a low point in their journey towards a successful metamorphosis, but then the even bigger loss to Pakistan ensured that Sri Lanka go through a month of introspection before the English tour kicked off.

Here they are now with a new blood of spirit flowing through their veins, a new wave of confidence taking them through to the shore and a tough side, for whom results are just a matter of extending this exuding confidence to its logical conclusion. Having fought off a brave English challenge and perhaps achieving the unthinkable by drawing the first test might have played catalyst to this revival. A loss without fight at Edgbaston did not faze them one bit as they virtually saw through a hapless position to rout England at Trent Bridge. Maybe, this is just the beginning. Surely, Tom Moody & Co have a lot more to offer to the world.

As for the positives from whatever has transpired in Sri Lankan cricket this summer, firstly, Mahela Jayawardena’s appointment as captain as surely infused a sense of innovation and youth to this team. He is by far their best batsman at the moment, and as far as his short stint as a captain is concerned, it looks astute to the tee. Secondly, the coming back of Sanath Jayasuriya from retirement has surely had its say in reinforcing the faith and the belief within the camp. The young brigade of Sri Lankan batsmen in Chamara Kapugedara, Upul Tharanga and Michael Vandort now have a senior figure in a mentoring role to look up to and his presence in the dressing room will surely be a big enough lift the team was looking for. Lastly, for once Sri Lanka has shown signs of playing as a team, rather than relying too heavily on individuals like Vaas, Muralitharan and Jayasuriya. There is a sense of responsibility that has creeped into this team, which can only usher a good future.

Most teams only need a small yet meaningful win to trigger their revival. There are stiffer challenges ahead of this Sri Lankan team at the moment leading to the world cup. It will be imperative for them not to get too buoyant about their achievements and lose the plot when it matters. It wouldn’t be too incorrect to say that Sri Lanka are peaking at the right time, but what will test them is maintaining this good run of form. The test series against South Africa at home will prove to be another examination for this promising bunch of Sri Lankans. And, the tri-series to follow will be a test of their consistency and form.

Sri Lankan cricket has quite often flattered to deceive. With a rich wealth of raw talent in their wings, it is time they deliver against quality opposition. Beating teams like Bangladesh and West Indies might win them a series, but will only result in insecurity of belief when it comes to playing the best. One surely hopes that Sri Lanka can overcome their odds, whatever little they might have at the moment and become a force to reckon with, come West Indies 2007!

Sport's Poor Old Cousins

2006-06-11T10:42:00.001+05:30

It has indeed taken four years to remind the world about what one sport can do in bringing everyone together. While the World Cup in Germany has done more than enough to grasp and glue the viewers' attention, other games are quite perceivably falling behind. The other day, I got an SMS from my mate, who wanted updates from the tennis match between Nadal and Lubijic ! Unfortunately, the tennis fan in me took a backseat and it took me no time to put my football jersey on, and that poor friend was perhaps distraught me being naive to the courts ! Another fine incident that I can personally relate to was the choice between the slack cricket match between India and the West Indies or the gruelling encounter between England and Paraguay. Obviously, being an English fan, my hands held sway from the remote and cricket got termed into a lagger, of course with no regrets.

It must be known that apart from the Olympics, the World Cup has a larger appeal. The Olympics is more of a worldwide phenomenon and automatically the 200-odd countries participating in them have their people gripped with anxiety, enthusiasm and passion. But, football unravels a different yet charming story. Having put through the grind in the qualifiers, 191 teams try and vouch for the 31 vacant spots in the Finals (the hosts are automatic qualifiers). And once these teams qualify for the World Cup, there is a telling hysteria that grips their respective nation. A hysteria that blends itself with an acute amount of anxiety and an equal amount of expectation. And what more, the marketing of the game has been done in a professional and immaculate manner that even the non-qualifying nations have a large say in the viewership charts. For example, even with cricket being the number-one sport in the sub-continent, there are little takers for the ongoing India vs West Indies matches as compared to the FIFA World Cup in Germany.

Another question it raises is about other sports - like tennis, cricket, golf and the second most popular sport after football - F1, vying for their share of viewership ? The worst affected sport seems tennis. I am sure given the current hype and hoopla about Germany, France's very own Roland Garros seems a smaller place to be in. Tennis in its own way has given birth to many a rivalries, and none bigger than the emerging one between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Be it the off-court mouth-slinging or be it the intense baseline battles, this contest has surely exceeded expectations and promises to enthrall its takers. Another sport that would feel the heat would be F1. Apart from football and to an extent tennis, F1 has a large following all over the world and will surely lose its ground to football when it comes to viewership. And if the race collides with some of the matches, it will have a few loyalists glued to the TV sets, but there is a heavy chance of defection of passions to football ! Cricket, most certainly bites the dust in the sub-continent, with India's tour of Windies going hand-in-hand with the kick-off timings at Germany. It will be a challenge to red-card this immense sense of euphoria that has surrounded the world.

This World Cup will surely be the grandest of them all. And five matches down, it is already becoming a World Cup - where goals will be scored, players will be booked and of course as proved by Trinidad & Tobago yesterday, unscripted stories will be written. It has surely achieved its goal in galvanizing the world through its motto of "Its time to make friends" ! The FIFA World Cup 2006, even though in its initial formative stages has left a huge unerasable mark on the viewer that only threatens to grow as the tournament moves on...

'Ali' Unplugged

2006-06-03T11:53:00.000+05:30

‘Ali’ Unplugged :

South African cricket has given the world some truly legendary personalities. One of them is Dr. Aron ‘Ali’ Bacher. Having represented his country both as a player and an administrator with immense success, Dr. Bacher was in India as a consultant to a South African based company for electronic scoreboards – ‘Stellavista’. Venkat Ananth caught up with him at the Coffee Shop of the Cricket Club of India, Mumbai.

Venkat : Dr. Bacher to the present generation is a chapter from a story book. I, for one haven’t seen you play, but as far as I know, Dr. Bacher was one of South Africa’s best captains of all time. How do you look back at those years as the man who pioneered South African cricket ?

Dr. Bacher : I played around 12 Test matches for South Africa between 1959 to 1974. As a captain of the South Africans, we played Australia in a four-test series in 1969-70 and thrashed them 4-0 at home. Apart from these international matches, I represented Transvaal for 14 years in the domestic competitions. And, I was one of the youngest captains in the first class scene in South Africa, until Hansie Cronje took charge of Free State at the age of 19 or so.

Venkat : You were an astute captain during your playing days and one of the best known administrators cricket has seen. Was management natural to you ? Or you learnt the art as you progressed during your cricket ?

Dr. Bacher : Yes. I did enjoy being a leader. As a schoolboy, I always wanted to lead people, in whichever sport – cricket, tennis or soccer. I was always seen as someone who liked motivating the lads and enjoyed helping people during tough times. I think leadership can be put down as an ingrained quality within me.

Venkat : Your first brush with a major controversy was the organizing of the Rebel tours during the 1980s. Twenty-five years on, do you in anyway regret for doing so ?

Dr. Bacher : If I could take you back to the scene in the 80’s, there were very restrictive laws. The blacks would oppose tours and most often than not, the organizers would be put behind bars. We always were living with this false sense of security, because we thought that everyone was happy with these games being played. When the Gatting rebel tour occurred in 1989, the then President of South Africa, FW de Klerk announced some amount of freedom of speech and expression. That’s when the blacks came out in numbers and protested the tour. Yes, in retrospect, I would’ve thought twice before organizing such tours.

Venkat : The match-fixing will be the biggest yet irremovable blot on South Africa cricket. Does the ghost of 1999-00 still come back and haunt you ? Do you feel things could’ve been handled much better in this regard ?

Dr. Bacher : When this match fixing saga came into the fore, I took immediate action by setting up a commission of enquiry under Edwin King. It was indeed a moment of national shame and a big moment of shock when Hansie Cronje confessed to it. The entire issue was handled to the best of our abilities. We were transparent, especially when we allowed cameras to take pictures of the proceedings. I drew a lot of criticism for not defending Hansie Cronje during this time, but as the managing director of the board, I had to stand for credibility. My personal view regarding the match fixing episode was that it was not only in South Africa that this was going on, but all over the sub-continent.

Venkat : What are your personal views on the Boje and Gibbs controversy ? Are you of the opinion that they should visit India and co-operate with the investigating authorities ?

Dr. Bacher : I am very confident that Nicky Boje was not a party to match-fixing. In my personal interactions with Nicky, his body language was very confident and did not give me indications to suggest he was guilty. As far as Gibbs is concerned, he admitted to match-fixing and subsequently, the Board did the right thing by handing him over a ban of 6 months. I am not very happy with the way the issue has been handled by both the boards. I feel that both Governments should step into the matter and resolve it as soon as possible. I can empathize with Herschelle and Nicky, as they could be subject to intense media harassment to go with the police and investigating authorities in India.

Venkat : How and to what extent do you feel that the World Cup in 2003 has helped South Africa, both in cricket and non-cricketing terms ? Was it the ideal tonic the game could’ve asked for to boost its popularity ?

Dr. Bacher : The entire country was charged up and galvanized during those two months. There was immense unity between all the ethnic communities in South Africa. Although, the majority of the crowds who came to the cricket were whites, the coloured (includes blacks and Asians) preferred to watch it on television. The very fact that such an event graced our country has surely been a catalyst to cricket’s popularity.

Venkat : Cricket, as a social phenomenon in South Africa has gradually progressed from a rather white-centric sport to a mass and now raceless sport. Are coloured players like Gibbs, Amla, Prince, Ntini etc, soon turning into role-models for the youth in general and writing a new chapter in South African cricket ?

Dr. Bacher : Not really. I would have liked to see more blacks at the top i.e. international level. Hashim Amla is surely one for the future, but as far as the black players go, Makhaya Ntini is certainly the number one today. I hope our team one day is filled with several top quality coloured players in order to reflect the true racial balance that South Africa is actually made up of.

Venkat : What are your views about the current domestic structure in practice in South Africa ? Is the reduction of teams a good way to increase the competitiveness ?

Dr. Bacher : I do not think the reduction of the number of teams has helped in increasing the competitiveness. Today, with so much of international cricket being played, the key players i.e. players who represent South Africa hardly play domestic cricket. I personally feel that is one of the better ways to increase competitiveness. If I went back to my playing days, every South African cricketer represented his province. And each and every match I played in the span of 14 years was absolutely competitive. Unless the Kallis’ and the Pollocks step up into the domestic scene regularly, I do not think the standards can be raised.

Venkat : As a former Chief Organizer, what would be the ideal advice you would give to your West Indian colleagues ?

Dr. Bacher : Firstly, they should avoid comparing our (South Africa) World Cup to theirs, mainly because of the difference in the region. They can leave their mark by producing facilities of international standards. I often wonder how the West Indies produce truly great cricketers with such poor facilities. I am sure that by improving the overall infrastructure and with the carnival-like atmosphere that already exists, the West Indies could give the World a tournament, which they are unlikely to forget.

Venkat : What future do you see for African cricket ? Especially with Zimbabwe in a turmoil, Kenya – lack of proper domestic structure/new administration ? Is South Africa, the big brother playing an active role in the diffusion of crises and promotion of cricket in the continent ?

Dr. Bacher : As far as Zimbabwe is concerned, it is nothing but a self-inflicted conflict. Kenya is a totally different case altogether. As the Development Officer of the ICC, I initiated a process where Kenya acquired an official One-Day International status. What followed later was disheartening. They were hardly given any exposure against the top teams inspite of being World Cup semi-finalists.

Venkat : How do you see South African cricket in the next 10 years ? Can you see some shades of your captaincy in Graeme Smith ?

Dr. Bacher : Graeme Smith comes across as a young and dynamic personality with a lot of character and determination to do well for his country. He has made some mistakes on the way, but that’s the advantage of being young. One hopes he could learn from them and become a better leader and cricketer in the near days to come. And as far as the future for South Africa is concerned, it looks very bright.

Venkat : South African sport in general has taken a notch ahead when it comes to organizing World Cups. How do you think these events will change South Africa’s image in the world ?

Dr. Bacher : It has been very positive thus far, though the biggest is yet to come. The only reason why we have been successful enough to host these World Cups is that we have good infrastructure, good facilities like airports, hotels etc. and of course stadia of international standards. Cricket and rugby have most certainly helped change South Africa’s image in the minds of the people, but the most-awaited and the biggest event will be the Soccer World Cup in 2010.

Venkat : Franz Beckenbauer in an interview last week talked about the power of football channelizing African nations together. He said “There is only one language they speak, there is only one power that brings them together.” Do you think cricket can also share the mantle and becoming a unifying force for African nations one day ?

Dr. Bacher : Not quite. I cannot see cricket making the same amount of impact as football has done in the continent – primarily because it is only a few countries like Uganda, Namibia, Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa that have taken up to the game. It will certainly make its mark as a popular sport and grow in a few countries but not on an overall scale.

Venkat : Any memorable incidents on and off the field that you would both look back at and feel proud about ?

Dr. Bacher : The unification of South African cricket is right there at the top. That would be the biggest and the proudest moment for any South African cricketer, past or present. Subsequently, organizing the Cricket World Cup in 2003 successfully was a great way to sign-off.

Venkat Ananth

venkz86@gmail.com

The Battle of the Royal Lions (Sri Lanka's Tour of England)

2006-04-20T19:34:00.000+05:30

After a rather unconvincing performance against Pakistan at home, Sri Lanka embark on a tough tour to England that might well decide the direction they are taking in international cricket. They were tamed to submission by Pakistan and struggled gradually as the tour progressed. Having played the top teams in a brief period of 6 months, Sri Lanka's report card does not sound encouraging. Losses to India, New Zealand, Australia, Bangladesh (one match) and now Pakistan in the ODIs was something Tom Moody and Co would prefer forgetting as Sri Lanka aim to undo the mistakes they did in these matches. And to be frank and blunt as a writer, Sri Lanka do not appear a Test side to me. They keep repeating the same mistakes and this has cost them dearly. Playing teams like Bangladesh regularly (2 series in a gap of 8 months) is taking Sri Lankan cricket nowhere, as performances in these matches flatters to only deceive later. In my humble opinion, I would rather see Sri Lanka play teams like Pakistan, India, England regularly than the Bangladeshis and the West Indians. This is a preview in the typically 'Deano' fashion - a SWOT analysis.

Strengths

There are obvious signs of improvements in this Sri Lankan team, but unfortunately they are not long-lasting. I would tend to think that apart from being mighty in the spin department, their batting seems to be a certain strength. Kumar Sangakkara's progress indicates an obvious growth in stature as their best batsman, followed by Mahela Jayawardena and Tillekaratne Dilshan. If they can score massive runs against the bowling attack that England boasts of, they are sure to create positions of strength. The squad seems stacked with batsmen, who are inexperienced and if guys like Tharanga and Vandort can realize their potential, the void created by the retirement of Jayasuriya will somehow be unseen. The relatively inexperienced bowling seems to be maturing with every other outing and if they can capitalize on the conditions they are presented with, bowlers like Vaas, Maharoof, Malinga, Kulasekara, Zoysa and Fernando could prove a handful. Utilizing the conditions will be the key to their success. Besides, the spin attack of Malinga Bandara and Muttiah Muralitharan seems potent enough to create pressure situations, which the team can cash in on. Who can forget Murali spinning the Oval one-off Test of 1998 on its head with a match haul of 16 wickets. So, if they can start the series well, there is no doubt that there is some quality in this Sri Lankan line-up, good enough to disturb the England team.

Weaknesses

Weaknesses are in plenty to be honest. The inexperience might just as prove to be a weakness as it is a strength. The openers' spot seems a major concern for me. Tharanga and Vandort might not be technically adaptive to the conditions in England. Kumar Sangakkara might have to play saviour time and again by coming in situations that might probably be avoidable. The openers will be under pressure to bat well everytime they go out to bat and if they succeed in evading this pressure, they would have done their bit to the team's cause. The role of Tillekaratne Dilshan is a question mark. He has a decent technique to go along with his wide range of strokes and if Sri Lanka can push him up in the order, it will do good to their totals. But, from his side, he has to curb his natural instincts of playing one shots too many and put a tag on his wicket, which has been a continual problem with him. The bowling line-up somehow comes up with a tag of 'inexperienced'. Apart from Vaas and Zoysa, the bowlers look naive. There is a uni-dimensional look to this bowling attack. The sameness should ideally be masked by picking a bowling line-up that consists of Vaas (angle), Maharoof (accuracy), Malinga (action and pace), Malinga Bandara (leg-spin) and Murali (off-spin). All in all, there are plenty of loopholes in this Sri Lankan squad, the earlier they are plugged, the better would be the chances of tasting successes in England.

Opportunities

There are plenty of things the Sri Lankans can learn from this tour. Having picked Prasanna Jayawardene as the second wicketkeeper, it will be important for the management to play Sangakkara purely as a batsman, due to the unavailability of Marvan Atapattu. If Sangakkara can purely concentrate on his batting, it would help both his and his team's cause as runs flowing from his bat are invaluable. Mahela Jayawardena gets a golden chance to cement his position as the skipper of the team. One hopes that he can manage to lead by example and with Atapattu's cricketing career in doldrums, cashing in on these limited opportunities would be the key. There is a great scope for improvement in this Sri Lankan team. They need to get their combination correct before every match and march on with a belief that they can be more than competitive against a strong opponent.

Threats

There are plenty of threats looming around Sri Lanka and the most important one would be their opponents. Having won the third test convincingly against India at Mumbai, England will surely be drenched in confidence and besides, the return of their regulars like Vaughan, Trescothick, Simon Jones and Stephen Harmision does not send encouraging signals to the Sri Lankan camp. Another problem that they could face would be adaptability. The earlier they get going in England, the better it could be for the Sri Lankans, which possibly means winning all their tour games and being match fit as they go into the Tests.

There was a time when the English board refused to acknowledge Sri Lanka's credentials as a Test side, and just as the Royalties had their way, the 1998 win changed their vision towards the Island nation. Since then, Sri Lanka have been playing one test extra each time they visited England (2 in 2002 and currently 3) and more importantly in quality venues like Lord's, Edgbaston and Trent Bridge. Sri Lanka can surely look to impress their case further by putting up performances that can stand out and get noticed by not only England, but the rest of the world, if they have any intentions of transforming themselves into a force to reckon with for the near future. As a fan of Sri Lankan cricket, I am sure that the boys will come up with the goods and push England to the limits if not shock them as they did in 1998.

Squaring-up in Style

2006-04-20T12:34:00.000+05:30

After all the extravaganza associated with the first ODI, it was business time in the DFL Cup. The first match appeared to be more of a contest between a jaded Indian team and their relatively fresh counterparts. India went into this ODI with a plenty to do and importantly, maintain that unbeaten series run they have been on since the Sri Lankan series at home.

Rahul Dravid won the toss and elected to bat on a wicket that more or less was the same from the previous game, except for the unevenness in the bounce. Batting first on this wicket is always an advantage as runs on the board and the pressure of chasing can get to the best of teams in the 4th Innings, considering the earlier match. India made one change to their line-up, bringing in Sehwag for the inexperienced Uthappa, while Pakistan chose to remain unchanged.

Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid opened the innings for India on expected lines. The initial overs were played with a great degree of circumspect and following that dry spell where no runs came off the bat, a spite of indifferent bowling from the Pakistani bowlers, some overpitched and short and wide deliveries allowed the Indians to set the tone for the score they were aiming at. Sehwag particularly took toll of anything pitched up to him and bowled on the stumps and as he grew in confidence, he started freeing his arms and left the Pakistani bowlers clueless at times. Having finished the powerplays on top of the situation at 100/0, Dravid and Sehwag laid a perfect platform for what looked like a score in excess of 270. Pakistan did manage to eventually break the partnership, when Afridi bamboozled Sehwag with a peach of a delivery at 138, with Sehwag having made 73. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was sent to up the ante at the fall of Sehwag, but with two spinners bowling from either end, taking the pace off it was always going to be a tough task in hand. Dhoni's innings got underway thanks to some unorthodox strokeplay, the finest paddle sweep one can ever imagine (a shot hard to describe) and in an almost nonchalant manner, he reached his fifty. Dravid looked solid as ever and adding some crucial runs with Dhoni. However, India did miss a trick by not timing their final charge to perfection. With wickets in hand, there was scope to start the acceleration at around 36 overs, but it did come a bit late. Dravid, in his bid to accelerate, played on one from Rana Naved as he left for a gutsy effort of 92. Dhoni followed him to the pavilion after scoring 59. Pakistan seemed to get back in contention having picked two good wickets quickly. Yuvraj then showed the way by belting Mohammad Asif for 20 runs in an over that included 3 fours and a majestic six. However, his brief cameo was ended by Rana Naved in the very next over, and India's hopes of reaching a total of 280 began seeming a distance away. Through some hare-paced running and last-overs frills, Suresh Raina and Irfan Pathan managed to guide India to 269 runs, a total one felt comfortable with considering the nature of the wicket and the weather conditions to follow.

History does not back Pakistan when it comes to chasing totals. But having been there and done that in the last game, Pakistan would have approached this total in the orthodox way of chasing, i.e. keep wickets in hand and make the last 10 overs count. Imran Farhat and Shoaib Malik started off the innings for Pakistan. They came down heavy especially on Irfan Pathan and got off to what can be considered a reasonable start. However, the batsmen looked edgy at times and that is exactly what led to the first wicket - Imran Farhat adjudged leg-before to Pathan for 8. Imran Farhat would consider himself unlucky, as the ball from Irfan seemed to head down the leg-side. Pakistan decided to put their chase at stake by promoting Shahid Afridi up the order. He barely managed to survive in the middle as Irfan Pathan managed to get through his defences with a perfect in-dipper. Having lost two wickets in quick succession, the need of the hour for Pakistan was to rebuild and then consolidate. In the meanwhile, Sreesanth from the other end was bowling impeccably constantly hitting the corridors of uncertainty and keeping the batsman on his toes. Ajit Agarkar's introduction gave India their third wicket. It was one of those rare occasions where Ajit was getting his shape and swing to go beautifully. Younis Khan edged one to Dhoni for 5 and Pakistan in dire straits. The skipper walked in and along with the set batsman, Malik, had to take charge in the middle. As their individual innings progressed, there was a certain calmness to this batting. They looked at ease on the wicket and it would only be a spell of brilliance from the bowler or the fielder that would dislodge them. That is exactly what happened as Shoaib Malik holed out to a spectacular catch by Yuvraj off Powar's bowling for a well-made 45 and this wicket seemed to have drained the gas off the Pakistani batting. The wicket of Malik triggered a collapse with Mohammad Yousuf, Kamran Akmal and Abdul Razzaq going down cheaply. The skipper, in the meanwhile chugged on and brought up his 83rd fifty and 12th against India. He seemed to find an able ally in Naved ul-Hasan Rana, who struck meaty blows to help raise the dampened spirits. This late order charge by Rana yielded a 50 run partnership with Inzamam and for once in the game, India were made to think. Irfan Pathan virtually sealed the fate of the match, when Rana skied one to Venugopal Rao, who took the catch just centimetres from the boundary line. The writing gradually seemed to appear on the wall. Inzamam was finally run out for 72 and what followed was a celebration beyond description, Rahul Dravid running for a 100 m Olympic gold was a sight worth seeing. The coffin was sealed when Sreesanth picked up Rao Ifthikar Anjum at 218, with India emerging worthy victors by 51 runs.

It was a tournament for the skippers. Rahul Dravid was named the man of the match for this game, while Inzamam bagged the honours for the man of the series. All in all, an excellent effort by both teams to take time off their busy schedule and play two matches for a noble cause. Both teams will be embarking on overseas tours next, with India leaving for the Caribbean and Pakistan heading off to England.

PS : It was a new experience at writing a fully authentic match-report. It was purely done on an experimental basis. I do not know if I have justified the way it needs to be written.

The Purple Patch

2006-04-16T11:22:00.000+05:30

If ever India needed to reinforce some faith onto their fans' minds, it was done with a great degree of arrogance. I know some people who constantly sulk about the Ganguly episode, but the rapid strides that Indian cricket has taken after the phased ouster of the former skipper is absolutely commendable. Greg Chappell may be seen a villain in Kolkata but overall he has all but sealed his stature as the 'Guru' in the rest of the country. His record as Indian coach speaks volumes for the transformation this team has gone through since he took over in May 2005. India were among the bottom few of the ICC ODI Rankings when the Aussie took over and after some initial hiccups in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, he and the boys seemed to get their acts together. Since then, India have been unbeaten in four bilateral ODI series so far. Its a new page in Indian cricket that was waiting to be written since a long time. A page that has writings of ruthlessness, dominance and enthusiasm, words missing in the context of Indian cricket in the recent past.

There were two important things to come out of the series. Firstly, a large percentage of this squad have surely confirmed their way to the 2007 Caribbean World Cup and secondly, the seeds of youth sown in the Sri Lanka home series in October is finally reaping great rewards. Yuvraj Singh has peaked at the right time, nearly rounding off a season of glory, one in which he has played a larger role in India's successes as an ODI team. MS Dhoni has gone through a 360 degrees turnaround since that hundred he got at Jaipur against the Lankans. He has gradually perfected the art of finishing (Chappell has earmarked him for the Micheal Bevan role). Raina seems to be maturing and plugging the hole that once eluded India of many games, the crucial no. 5/6 spot, which inevitably went to VVS Laxman. His contributions as a fielder have also been worth noting. The only area of concern that Greg and Rahul will look to sort out by the earliest would be Sehwag and Kaif. Both of them should ideally be rested and brought back for the West Indies tour. Having said that, yesterday's win highlighted that this team has moved beyond individuals. I would tend to agree with Deano, who claimed that "Even Australia would find it tough to beat India at home".

The area of real improvement has been the fast-bowling unit. Still at its growing stages, the identification of potential strike bowlers was essential as the tried and tested like the Nehras and the Zaheers would usually get injured and inexplicably, the bench strength would be close to null. A conscious move was taken by Chappell to blood young pacemen into the team and the returns are here to see. Sreesanth's bucketful of wickets at Indore exemplifies the very fact that opportunities as much as hardwork are the key to success. Munaf Patel has been bowling exceedingly well in the Tests along with Sreesanth and Irfan Pathan but the larger picture suggests that the team management is looking ahead to breed a cocoon of fast bowlers. Irfan's growth as a batsman has surely helped his make-up as a bowler. Having been through a consistent success pattern as a batsman, he now thinks like one and his bowling seems to go through periods of troughs and crests, but contributes largely to the team's success. The spinners have come off according to expectations as well. Harbhajan fought through a rough patch and pulled it off with a fiver at Delhi, while Powar may soon prove to be a handy utility player India has always been searching for. Yes, after four series at home and in Pakistan, one might quite conclude that the inexperienced bowling has exceeded certain expectations, but seems to be heading in the right direction as far as the larger future of India is concerned.

For now its a big leap forward as far as Indian cricket is concerned. India are now ranked #3 in the ICC ODI Championships, at a sniffing distance behind South Africa. India is certainly on a roll, as they were back in 2002. It will be imperative for the Indians to leave complacency at their backyards and move forward with a larger goal in mind. It surely is great to see success finally making their way to Indian shores, after a quiet and inconsistent 2004-05. One surely hopes that these smaller tournaments (in importance) can be the perfect entourage to attain the biggest one !

From 'Chokers' to Chasers : A meteoric transition

2006-04-07T20:58:00.000+05:30

Not so long ago, the term 'choking' was as synonymous with the Indian team as Sachin Tendulkar. If I remember right, it came to serious light when India last toured Zimbabwe for the triangular series, and it was a case of 'yet-another-final, yet-another-failure'. One did not have to be a nuclear scientist to theorize India's inverse relation to pressure. It seemed as though a phobia was wading through the minds of the eleven men in blue. The rot had to be stemmed to pursue greater success in the ODIs. India's inability to cope with the larger demands of chasing targets surely made its way onto Greg Chappell's priority list. For once, there was a transparent acknowledgement of the problem by the coach and to change this perception was going to be a daunting task.

Chasing, to say was never India's forte. They had showed spells of brilliance off and on, but consistency, while reacting to the scores set was never there. There was a Natwest Series final, where India did more than enough to chase down 324, but in dark contrast there was the Asia Cup, where India stooped their way in pursuit of 230. Such was the inconsistency and a larger vulnerability of Team India to targets. The only problem that seemed to have engulfed the Indians in the past was their inability to finish matches. There were times when India would put themselves in positions of superiority during a chase, and due to reasons they best know, lose the entire plot. If anything, finishing games was one area where India have been found wanting. It needed serious redressal, simply because in situations like a World Cup semi-final, they may have to chase, purely out of compulsion.

Here we are, 20 games on and India seemed to have got the better of their mindset by successfully and consecutively chasing down 15 out of these games, thereby setting a new record. For starters, India has never been a part of a streak or a spree, so to say but with this sudden paradigm shift in thought and mindset has surely made a strong statement in Indian cricket. When Greg Chappell started off his reign as India coach, he was hounded by media and public pressure of India not being good chasers. And to his credit, he acknowledged the existence of this very problem and sought immediate remedial measures to correct it. He used the Sri Lankan home series to bring about, what now seems like a transformed thought and as a spectator it was a path-breaking move to consciously understand the frailties of the team and correct it by setting simulated situations. From there-on, India have seemed to have perfected this very art of chasing.

A large share of credit for this sudden reversal has to be given to the youngsters in the team. There is a greater acknowledgement of responsibility and application within these boys and that has surely worked to their credit. The presence of a new steely resolve has only strengthened the mindset of the team and the victories are a tribute to that very change in direction. Pressure, to this Indian team seems to be an enzyme that only made them more determined and more responsible and the results are there to see. In the past, with India reeling at 90 for 5, the common tendency was to switch off the TV sets and conduct a post-mortem about an Indian loss, but now a distinct sense of belief has re-emerged both within the team and the public mindset. And another point of satisfaction and celebration is the fact that each chase has its own heroes. be it Yuvraj Singh in Pakistan, Mahendra Dhoni against Sri Lanka or Suresh Raina in the ongoing series.

"Old habits die hard", they say ! But having seen India's transformation in the recent past, such phrases will remain phrases. For now, it seems as though India have visibly done away with their unwanted habits of wilting to pressure, but it will be equally important for India to start looking at setting targets and winning matches than only chasing them. Chasophobia if I may call it, is surely a thing of the past and has translated itself into a red-hot chasomania. If anywhere India need to inspire themselves, it the Test matches. They may well have lost the game at critical moments, but they only need to look within their dressing room to find an inspiration to correct their wrongs. The adage of "I don't care how they come, as long as they come !" is the new buzzword among the Indian cricket fans. Be it by batting-first or by chasing, an Indian win enthralls the masses. One hopes that this massive streak of run-chases will surely take Indian cricket to new heights in the near future.

Missionaries of Charity ?

2006-04-04T13:07:00.000+05:30

Mixing business with noble intentions is the latest mantra of the BCCI. As India and Pakistan head to Abu Dhabi for the two-match DFL Cup, a greater cause will take center stage. Sport is often noted to be a wound-healer, and on this occasion cricket will play the medium and catalyst to provide relief to those affected by the Kashmir Earthquake. It is indeed heartening to know that there is a certain amount of social responsibility that both the PCB and BCCI are showing and none better occasion to start off this endeavour than the Abu-Dhabi tournament. For once, the age-old mindset of the money going straight into the Board's kitty has taken a sidestep and the revenue generated through this event, should in all likeliness reach the President's Relief Fund. As per reports, the overall-revenue from the first ODI could be as much as 10 million USD and with Percept D'Mark bidding successfully for the in-stadia rights for close to 4 million USD, it would seem as if cricket has finally decided to contribute its share to a cause. Moreover, the players from both teams have come forward to donate their match-fees for the cause.

As the BCCI makes its gradual transformation from being run as a typical Indian public-sector unit to a more privatized and corporatized version, innovation in thought and action is well on the cards. This renewed mindset could not have come at a better time for India, as they seem to do well both on and off the field. India and Pakistan certainly carry a larger social responsibility on their shoulders as they head off to the UAE. They not only make up as ambassadors of the country they represent, but also the game they play. The 'giving-back-to-the-society' notion seemed to have gripped the Indian sub-continent. As the tsunami waved through the island of Sri Lanka, it was the cricketers like Muttiah Muralitharan and Kumar Sangakkara who took it upon themselves to reach out to the victims and try and heal the grave wounds of calamity. It is certainly a step for both the Boards in more ways than one, as there is no better way to show solidarity for the cause than cricket.

All this comes with a but, a big one at that ! For BCCI it might be considered as a good marketing move to take cricket to identified "markets", where the game has yet to leave its imprints. An aggressive step in its own way, Lalit Modi and the BCCI have outlined several 'overseas' venues where cricket might not yet be that popular, and tapping the ethnic Asian community is crucial to the positioning of cricket in that country. This is precisely why India is slated to play about 30 one-dayers against Pakistan in venues like Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Canada, US and the Middle-East in the next 5 years. Another proposal surrounding this 'overseas' theme is where India play some of their home matches abroad. I somehow tend to disagree with this aspect, simply because losing out on the strong and existing market would hit the BCCI badly. It is within India itself that the marketing of the game needs to improve and a shift in focus from the original statements could prove a bit harmful at a later stage.

Another thing that concerns me is the official status of such matches. Maybe the official status was kept with a larger marketing perspective in mind, considering that a large audience would pool in for an India-Pakistan one-day international than for a desert-carnival. But will charity or the cause have any impact on the way the games will be played ? Its hard to answer it at this stage. But having accorded official ODI status to these games, the onus now is upon the teams to maintain the same levels of intensity and competitiveness they would had they been playing in Karachi or Kolkata for that matter. That for me should define the directions these 'charity' matches would take in the future.

I am glad that there is finally a recognition of a larger responsibility by the BCCI to its fans and the society in general, unlike the past, where elections defined responsibility. Such events must be encouraged in the near future and provide that one chance for our cricketers to understand the larger human interest. To conclude, one hopes that two spirited games of cricket is all that the Kashmir quake victims deserve to bring a smile on their faces. We also hope that the 22 men on the field, in blue and green do enough to try and undo the mental scars of this intense calamity.

Random Scribblings : Yuvraj’s Day Out, England’s struggle and Breaking the Goa jinx…

2006-04-03T18:37:00.000+05:30

It was one of these matches where it was a contest between momentum, form, confidence and weather. Having pulled-off a nail-biter at Delhi and a comprehensive run chase at Faridabad, the Indians looked like a side on a roll and it seemed as though England had to pull out several tricks out of their kitty to get through this in-form Indian side. As India powered themselves to 294/6 in 50 overs, it almost looked as if England marooned themesleves after conceding 98 off the last 10 overs and victory seemed as far as a trip back home. It was a convincing victory for India by 49 runs and if I may say, already have one hand on the TVS One-Day Cup. Here are some musings about a game took India to their seventh consecutive ODI win…

Yuvraj’s Day Out

Dominant is one word that comes to mind while describing Yuvraj Singh’s knock of 103 today. As he walked into bat, it almost looked as if India got back to their struggling ways as they were nailed down at 130 for 4. On a pitch that did not quite accommodate well for the batters, the timing and strokeplay that Yuvraj Singh showed were nothing short of exemplary. The knock typifies an ideal one-day knock, where the first half included a much required rebuilding act and he found an able ally in young Suresh Raina to help him in this endeavour. There were very notable signs of marked improvement in both the technique and attitude. As the inning gained momentum, he stepped on the gas and his other 50 off only 24 balls vindicates the shift in direction. As the inning approached its carnivalesque stages, Yuvi was quite happy to power the team to a more-than competitive score of 294. As an observation, this was one of the better centuries by Yuvraj purely because the manner in which he commanded the situation and the overall maturity he showed were surely good indications of things to come for the future. Hopefully this purple patch would lead to a possible extension in the future games to come !

England’s Struggle

England might have enjoyed their brief stint at Goa, but on the cricket field, they looked a totally silenced unit. Jadedness, mental fatigue, travel and above all the unforgiving conditions at Goa might have played their part in preventing England’s much-strived for success. Another knock-out punch was delivered to the England management when they discovered this morning that Kevin Pietersen was down and out, thanks to a stomach bug. Added to their woes, bowlers like Sajid Mahmood did not give an account of their international belonging as he was at the receiving end of both the weather and the rampaging Indian batsmen. They could do nothing right today, even when playing Irfan Pathan as it was not his in-dipper but slower delivery that found four English batsmen wanting and only Paul Collingwood gave them a semblance of fading hope, but hope nonetheless. England will surely have to raise their game if they have any intensions of competing in this series. Kochi is not going to get any cooler and it will be important for England to adjust to the nature of the different centers. The must-win days have arrived for England and can Kochi mark their revival ? Maybe Freddie Flintoff and Duncan Fletcher might have better answers to that question !

Breaking the Goa jinx…

Goa will always be known as the Football capital of India, though it competes with Kolkata and Kochi for that standing. Cricket has always played second-fiddle in this picturesque destination and it was important for India to win at the Furtoda ground to boost cricket’s popularity in the state. Ask any Goan to name some sportsmen and names like Bruno Coutinho, Alvito D’Cunha and Noel Wilson might supercede the likes of Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni and Irfan Pathan. Only guys like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar might have their popularity sky high over footballers here. And the results of India at the Nehru stadium might have played its part in this selective memory. Today’s victory was the first ever one by India at the Nehru stadium and perhaps their previous losses should hopefully be a thing of the past. One hopes that apart from winning the 3rd ODI, the cricket and the cricketers have won over the hearts and minds of the Goans.

Kochi is also a football city in many ways, boasting of more football clubs than cricketers and incidentally, the 4th ODI will also be played on a football ground ! As long as India keep winning, the fans won’t mind where they come, on a football field or a cricket maidan.

From the Indian perspective, the Kochi ODI might seem more like a decider. India would be keen to settle the issue at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi and get on with their constant eye on the future and try more youngsters in the last 3 games. It will surely be a test of physical and well as mental stamina and with a lot at stake, India might look the better of the two teams. England have surely drained themselves, but cannot afford to drown at Kochi. Incentives of a series win and a possible series comeback throng the teams as they head to Kochi, and it will be interesting to see which of these intentions prevails.

For now, its over to Kochi for the 4th ODI.

Will the Prince charm us again ?

2006-04-02T10:56:00.000+05:30

"Who would have thought I would ever make it here after all that has happened?" Capriati said afterwards.

"Maybe dreams can come true."

This is what Jennifer Capriati, the US tennis star had to say after winning the 2000 Australian Open, in what has been touted as one of the best ever comebacks in International sport. There is one man in India who could gain a lot of heart from this story. As Saurav Ganguly has been dumped to seclusion by events that not only demoralised the person but also Indian cricket in general, is he the man Dravid and Co are looking back to, for answers to their top-order woes ? Several scoops in the media seem to tow that line !

Even though India has been performing consistently and winning matches, the top 3 or 4 have not been much of noted contributors. India has been struggling with batsmen getting in and once they looked secure and safe at the wicket, a rash shot follows and they end up taking the long walk back to the pavillion. This rot needs to be sorted out as soon as possible and the answer lies in the selectors and the team management's hands. In an interview to CNN-IBN, Dravid catagorically stated that the lid has not yet been put on Ganguly's career, and if newspaper report in the DNA is to be believed, Ganguly might just get the nod in the immediate future (could be tomorrow when the team is selected for the rest of the ODIs or the upcoming West Indies tour). These angle of opinions that have lingered about for a while predicting Ganguly's comeback for quite sometime may finally get their due justification as constant failures from the likes of Gambhir and Sehwag has prompted the selectors to look eastwords.

The BCCI is strongly considering bringing back India's latest 'Forgotten Hero'. Call it coincidence or what ? Both of India's apparent heroes belong to Kolkata ! It is nothing short of a revelation that Ganguly's name was discussed in every selection meeting and his brief and frequent meetings with senior Board officials might just prove the much needed catalyst for his inclusion. For the records, Ganguly has not exactly set the domestic circuit on fire, but has certainly made meaningful contributions to help his side end up on the winning side. His aggregate of 203 from 5 matches at a healthy average of 50.75 is an additional incentive to move his inclusion and certainly satisfies the criteria of merit set by the team management. The ball is surely in Ganguly's court it seems. Will he be ready to put that extra yard of effort on the field and keep up to the standards set by the young brigade of Yuvraj, Raina and Kaif ? This is where he might lose out to youth. At 33, age is not doing him any good, but on pure form and quality, Ganguly should still haunt the selector's minds.

The demands of international sport is such that past experiences have to be forgiven if not forgotten. To an extent, there has been a great deal of exaggeration about the Ganguly episode and the war of words from both sides have not in anyway helped the cause. Besides, the media has chosen to up the tempo and gain more mileage by adding fuel to fire in this clash of minds. As a professional, one expects both Greg Chappell and Saurav Ganguly to bury their hatchets and get on with the job in hand. If Ganguly fulfils the requirement of any domestic cricketer pushing his claim in Team India, he should be given equal credence ! Having said that, if Ganguly's name indeed falls into the team squad sheet in the immediate future, he will have to take fresh guard at the crease and grab any opportunity with both hands.

With a lot of emphasis on youth these days, one somehow feels that experience tends to get submerged and with India going through a rough phase with respect to Sachin Tendulkar's injury and the woeful top order form, the selectors can do no wrong by looking upto the tried, tested and now 'Forgotten' man of Indian cricket to heal these wounds. Maybe the time has come for a change of heart, and a change that will keep the best interest of Indian cricket in mind, and restore the much needed experience among these bundles of youthful energy.

PS : This is not a personal change of heart, but a pragmatic amalgamation of facts and opinions. I still back Chappell in his methods and will continue to praise him for the good he has done so far with India, but at the same time, its my opinion that we cannot afford to miss out on experience at tough times and if we need someone to look up-to, its surely Saurav Ganguly. Maybe one can hope a fairy-tale ending to this unanswered saga of Indian cricket !

Random Scribblings : India Em-'Powar'ed, India's Youth Policy, Raina's Chase and the Official Biker...

2006-03-31T18:47:00.000+05:30

Having snatched victory from the jaws of a certain defeat, India went into this game as a confident side, knowing what they wanted to do. The onus was surely on England to create a feeling about themselves that they could compete in this form of the game against the hosts. With Powar replacing RP Singh (a good move in my opinion because the latter looks nothing but a 'dibbly-dobbly' guy with some pace), strategy prevailed and two-spinners on this dusty Faridabad wicket, would be quite a task for the Poms to handle. In the end, India prevailed in what looked like a nervy encounter and quite worthily, taken a 2-zip lead in the 7 match ODI series. Here are some musings from the Faridabad encounter...

India Em-'Powar'ed...

At last, one feels that the hunt for India's compatible second spinner in ODIs is seemingly over. Ramesh Powar was handed a perfect opportunity in the 2nd ODI and even though he could not grab a catch (Strauss on 27) off his own bowling, he surely grabbed his chance as a part of this side. India in the recent past have tried several others like Murali Kartik and of course the old warhorse Anil Kumble, but the recent loss of form for Kartik and Kumble's aged make-up not in Chappell's scheme of things at the moment, it was an important game for the Mumbai offie. What makes Powar an effective ODI bowler is his variations - in line, length, trajectory and indeed speed. Early wickets do help any bowler for that matter, but an impeccable line and length coupled with patience is what saw Powar through. It was imperative for him to perform today purely because of the fact that his showings in the last four games he played were'nt encouraging enough. I always believed that he has a crucial role to play in Indian cricket and add his lusty batting at the lower part of the innings and Powar seems a invaluable player. Perhaps the dawn has just begun with this stellar performance and Faridabad. Knowing Ravan (a nickname his Mumbai team-mates have given him for his huge fetish for food) he has a cool head on his shoulders and one certainly hopes and wishes that he be given regular chances to prove his mettle.

India's Youth Policy

Persistence with youth seems the way ahead for Indian cricket. And indeed, this way is leading to smoother roads. At 92/5, most of us 'fickle-minded' Indian fans would've written the team off. But thanks to some young thought processes and indeed unquestioned talent, there is surely a sense of belief emerging not solely from the player himself, but also the fans. I do not quite want to be an Economist, quoting statistics about the youth in India and stuff, but as far as cricket is concerned a team with an average age of 25 is surely worth a mention. The emergence of a 'young brigade' so to say has had an immense impact on India's recent successful one-day run. This is a side, that at least appears to have rid away with the concept of 'Choking' and a testament to this fact would be the last 14 out of the 16 wins coming through chases. With Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, RP Singh and of course Irfan Pathan coming through the ranks successfully, age is slowly getting out of the equation. That of course highlights the difference playing two seasons of first class cricket can make to a young cricketer. Thus far, thus good and as an observer of the Chappellian comrades, the policy of blending youth with a touch of experience is the only way Indian cricket can take the 'Giant' leap into the next level.

Raina's Chase

The situation was pretty precarious when this young man walked into bat. With India reeling at 80 for 4 and later 92 for 5, it almost needed a near-miracle to pull it off. It was a fascinating inning played by Suresh Raina today and what was more pleasing than seeing the young man seeing the chase through the last ball. There are 3 Ts that most experts look out for in a young player - Talent, Temperament and Technique and add another T when it comes to Raina - Timing/Touch. It was indeed an encouraging sign as a cricket watcher to see Raina get his timing spot-on when batsmen as good as Flintoff and Pietersen (earlier) were struggling. Responsibility often gets the best out of you as a person, and Raina for sure succeeded with greater burden of pressure. His shot-selection pretty much summed up his innings, that one might describe as one with class, yet a tinge of cheekiness. He picked his spot as and when he desired and what better time to get a boundary than the first ball of any over. Believe you me, it eases the pressure for the rest of the 4 or 5 balls. Being involved in a match-winning partnership and producing a virtual chase of his own would probably do him loads of good and I surely hope that the Team Management look after this chap with a great degree of care and even though it is too early to say, let me put my hand up and predict him to lead India one-day !

The Official Biker

He's India's man behind the stumps, an important part of the batting line-up and that apart an added responsibility has been ushered onto Mahendra Singh Dhoni - the team's official biker. For the second time today, MS Dhoni took the victory lap on Suresh Raina's brand new TVS Apache. And let me tell you, its not a bad idea to do something that would please his sponsors (He is sponsored by TVS). For a man who often publicly professes his passion for biking, its a responsibility he sure would be thriving on ! And who knows, 2 rides gone, 5 more to go. Lets hope Dhoni gets the last ride !

Over to Goa for the 3rd ODI !

Random Scribblings : The Delhi Debacle, Sweep-o-mania and Bhajji's Coming at Last...

2006-03-28T19:58:00.000+05:30

Delhi played host to what seemed like a contest between England's momentum and India's recent one-day international form. It seemed like a keen contest from the time England won the toss and inserted India in, but little did they know that their purpose would go unrewarded as their batsmen fell like nine pins in a bowling alley. Here are some snippets from the 1st ODI that are worth a mention...

The Delhi Debacle !

It all seemed done and dusted when England were riding themselves high at 116/3. As the game was heading towards a particularly known direction i.e. an England win, I decided to swap channels and check out a rather intriguing contest of ball and bat between Pakistan and Sri Lanka ! Five minutes and two overs later, the England score read 117/5. The match had already turned on its head, quite literally - with Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff falling in succession. Then it was Jones, then Blackwell, then Collingwood, Ali and lastly Plunkett. It was only a spell of imagination that stung England and quite badly so. The collapse might just prove a bit costly and will remain as a scar had to erase in the coming few matches. And it was the second consecutive time that England failed to chase a low-score against India. The previous occasion was at the Oval back in 2004 (Natwest Challenge), when while chasing a similar score the English team faltered badly. So, at one end of the globe we see bullions of runs being chased successfully and at the other, scores around 200 is becoming a major mess to contend with. Long live the man who hailed cricket as the "game of uncertainities" !

Sweep-o-mania

The strong fetish of sweeping just can't get off the system of the visiting teams against India. For them, somehow it turns into a success recipe, for reasons only they'd know best I guess. Today, the shot got rid of at least 4 English men (Flintoff, Jones, Blackwell and Prior) and a more decent way of smothering the spin needs to be looked at. It seemed like a computer game whereby the bowler exactly knows what the batsman is going to do next and pitches the ball in areas, where at best the strength could also hail his downfall. This obsession of the batters has to change quickly, whereby the risk element is reduced and they play free cricket. Dean Jones in his commentary stints has stressed on the importance of finding targets (a term used for boundary-riders in Australia) and has always maintained that it could be achieved by playing simple risk-free cricket. For now, it looks as though another bug has creeped into the English system. The earlier they get rid of it, the better and secure they might seem. That does not quite mean taking the shot completely out of the game, but using it selectively according to the situation ! As spin-friendly tracks await the Englishmen, it would be interesting to see how much of sleep they would be losing over the s-w-e-e-p !!

Bhajji's coming at last !

India's confidence man is back at last ! One could almost sense the fact that Harbhajan Singh was just a spell or so away from being back to his best ! He bowled with a lot of intensity and guile in the Third Test at Mumbai, but sometimes wickets do not play justice to the fact that the numbers in the confidence meter were just rising. And today, it reached its optimum best ! Of course an early wicket played its part in easing his nerves and the tough times had ended for good ! The entire make-up of the man looked so different. His approach to the wicket was smoother than recent times, the ball was leaving out of his hands much better and the overall outlook at its best. It should not be so ironical that England have been at the recieving end of Harbhajan (his first 5-for came against the Poms at Mumbai on 3rd Feb 2002). But, this one would be worth remembering for both Bhajji and his fans, as he won the game single-handedly with both bat and ball. Having seen him bowl today, one can certainly see brighter days ahead of him ! As far as England are concerned - "Bhajji has hit the dance floor, finally"

Thats all for today ! Watch this space for more random scribbles after the second ODI at Faridabad !

The Battle of the Blues

2006-03-24T10:50:00.000+05:30

In just three days from now, the battle will resume again. This time in coloured clothing and white balls. Yes folks, it will be one-day time from the March 28 and going by the high-intensity cricket played in the Test matches between India and England, it will be a keenly-contested contest, one hopes. It will surely be a contest between a team brimming with confidence (England) and a team that knows what forgetting the bad games is all about (India). With England's 'nothing-to-lose' mindset, nothing is at stake for them but the ODIs for India come at a heavier price - keeping their unbeaten series run in the ODIs thus far since october.

India will start as unquestioned favourites for this series, but one might argue that they did so for the Tests as well. It was upto England to raise their intensity of cricket to match upto the Indians and so they did to, what they might equate to a series win, having been through all the pre-series problems. This time around, it will be a different level of challenge for a team that is not known to trouble most teams in the ODIs. To start off, their recent form against Pakistan comes as a boost for the Indians and having seen some of their players in the recently concluded Tests, it will be bunch of boys whose awareness about the opposition might have just gone a little higher. India does have its own share of problems with Sachin Tendulkar nursing a shoulder injury. But having said that, a problem brings itself an opportunity. For someone like Venugopala Rao or Gautam Gambhir, the call-up to the squad might not have come at a better time. The onus will be on them though, to grab this hint of opportunity and translate it into their destiny, perhaps ! There is something about this Indian one-day team. They seemed least perturbed, though highly disappointed after the Test series loss to Pakistan and their ability to claw out of difficult situations should be commended. It must be noted that India's rich vein of form in the ODIs has surely help mask its undoings in the Tests and if history repeats itself as it did in Pakistan, India should surely come out on top. One need not be an Einstein to figure out if surprises will come England's way and knowing Chappell and Dravid's determination to innovate and 'experiment', several players would be put to test. So, it would be fair to say that the 'Form is with India but the confidence with England'.

On the other hand, England have surely taken a leaf out of India's book in terms of a wink towards the future, and the quite immediate one - World Cup 2007. They have gone with a horses for courses philosophy with guys like Vikram Solanki, Owais Shah and Sajid Mahmood having played here for England A in the Duleep Trophy a season or two back. And more importantly, they are the men in form. Gareth Batty, Vikram Solanki and Sajid Mahmood have entered the squad through sheer merit on account of their strong match-winning performances in the recently concluded England A tour of West Indies. It will be interesting to see how they match-up to the conditions and the weather especially in some of the unusual centres in India, like Kochi which will be nothing short of a scorcher. But, they have a confident leader in Andrew Flintoff, who has eased into the demands of captaincy quite well. The Poms will surely be welcomed by flat pitches and their ability to post big totals will have to come to the fore if they intend to succeed. These pitches can be unforgiving for the bowlers and somehow I tend to feel, this is where England would struggle. There may well be a sameness about their attack and I find it surprising as to why a bowler like Monty Panesar has been sent home, after all the good work he did in the Tests. If England do believe in wearing the underdog tags, they might be able to spring a bigger surprise on the punter's bets - India.

Flexibility of thought and action would decide the outcome on Indian pitches. After the near whitewash of the Sri Lankans and the tough grind against the Proteas', it would not be wrong to brand the Indians as clear favourites by a long mile. But, it will also be imperative for them not to let complacency creep into their systems as it did in Mumbai in the test match and go out their and play the game with a sense of meaningfulness, purpose and intensity. The last time the English were here, India managed to succumb to the pressure after leading the series 3-2 and the visitors drew the series at Mumbai. This time around the teams are different, the centeres are different and of course the form !

One hopes to see a highly competitive series of cricket and this would be only justified if the better team wins. Both teams are young in terms of age and spirit, but the team that holds its nerve in the testing conditions coupled with good catching and fielding will come out on top !

For now, let the battle begin !

A View from the North Stand....

2006-03-23T22:52:00.000+05:30

Barmed by the Army

Oh well, as I made my way through the 'F' Block in the North Stand at the Wankhede Stadium, surprise was the first emotion that went through me, as I could all but bump into a swarm of the British Barmy Army fans. It was a pleasant one as well, as for once, I happened to watch cricket with a bunch of highly knowledgeable persons. It was a great sight to see so many fans travel all the way from England/Wales to watch their country play, braving the weather and the pathetic infrastructure of the Wankhede stadium. It felt pretty lonely out there to be an Indian, but gave me a perfect opportunity I was looking for to discuss some good county cricket (something I follow religiously) and of course, flaunt the pride I carry with Manchester United (highly unpopular among the fans there of course though I managed to find someone with the same leanings).

Where is the comfort ?

Someone actually remarked about the inferior state of infrastructure, particularly the seatings of the Wankhede Stadium. He asked me "You guys have so much of money, why don't you spend it in improving the stadium ?" and to a large extent I do empathise with him, having come all the way from England just for this game and this is what we welcome our 'guests' with ? Another British spectator went to the extent of rating the stadium as the "worst" he's ever been to, having seen cricket all over the world. Unfortunately, one must admit, Indian cricket has been too busy about revenue-making than actually bothering to allocate it. It is about time the administration takes the question of spectator comfort seriously ! The Mumbai Cricket Association need not look anywhere outside for inspiration, just up north at Mohali. The way the spectator has been treated there is nothing short of exemplary. Dean Jones has gone on to rate Mohali as the number 1 venue in the Indian sub-continent, for its hospitality, the stadium and ground and the pitch of course. As someone based in Mumbai and a regular spectator at the Wankhede, I must confess, its much better off to watch the cricket at home than the Stadium, with some good snacks and of course comfort at its best. One hopes that by the time the ground hosts another match, such issues will be addressed and Mumbai will also throw its hat in the ring to claim some accolades.

Of Bloated Egos

A British-Indian based in London remarked about the electronic scoreboard at the Garware Pavillion End, which was nothing but an advertising spot used by the Mahindras. He asked me "Does this Anand Mahindra have a big ego ?" and that left me wondering if our corporates have resorted to cricket matches to flaunt their prowess ! There was a scroller in the scoreboard, which constantly, if not very regularly reminded what the Mahindras stood for and beyond a certain extent, it just seemed a pointless exercise. Of course, there were mentions of Anand Mahindra winning the Businessman of the Year and the taking over of British Telecom by the Mahindras, but one somehow felt that they were overdoing it, jumping over all the lines of publicity !

Definition of Appalling

If ever the dictionary got a chance to describe the shot Mahendra Singh Dhoni played, a few words like appalling would do it best. It was nothing but a display of mindless and reckless cricket by the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman, and as it turned out to be, his dismissal proved costly under the circumstances. Maybe I would lose many friends here, but it won't be wrong to say that Dhoni is still very much a one-day specialist. Test Cricket is not meant for nuts that crack easily and Dhoni, somehow has not yet learned the grind and the mettle required to answer the tough questions, test cricket poses at you as a batsman. I would stick my guts out and say that Dinesh Karthik got a raw deal at the hands of the selectors and perhaps should be back in the reckoning, bouyed by Dhoni's lack of maturity as a batsman and butter-gloves as a keeper. Of-course, Dhoni is a phenomenal one-day cricketer, no-body denies it, but as per the requirement of the game, talent, technique and temperament are imperative to the makings of a quality Test batsman. Dhoni seems to have a decent blend of the two formers, but certainly lacks on the latter.

P.S : This post is in no way undermining the ability of Dhoni, but just questioning his makings of a Test cricketer ! As a footer, I'd like to quote Navjot Singh Sidhu here, "To Err is Human but to repeat the error is foolishness" - hope Dhoni's listening !

Awakening a Generation !

2006-03-18T17:59:00.000+05:30

Awakening a Generation…

"Do the words “nayee dagar naya safar mera…” from Rang de Basanti ring a bell in our ears ? Yes, they do. Loud and clear, as it could be the closest expression that describes the present state of Indian cricket. Indeed, they have embarked on a new journey of excellence the driving force behind it has been the Wall himself, Rahul Dravid.

As we have gathered here to celebrate the century of tests for the Indian skipper, his initial footings in International cricket deserve a mention. Playing his first Test match against England at Lords, considered to be the ‘Mecca of Cricket’ in 1996, Dravid went on to score 95 and since then looking back has never been a part of his dictionary. That was the starting point of a journey that would be most cherished by Indian cricket. His first century of 148 runs at Johannesburg in 1996-97 was a treat to watch for all cricket fans, and the bricks of an unbreakable Wall were laid. He has then gone on to score 21 Test centuries and in the process of doing so, is the only cricketer to score a hundred in every Test playing nation. His average of 58.16 is envied by many nations and his presence on our television sets is a strong reassurance of our hopes. This unfinished journey has a long way to go and going by his consistency and performances, it would to fair to say, that a place amongst the all-time greats is just a mile away.

My mind dates back to September-October 2005, when Indian cricket languished under a barrage of controversies and, it wouldn’t be wrong to say, that our cricket had hit an all time low. The country looked up to its crisis man, yet again to reignite and reinstate the spark that was needed to resurrect its present and reassure the future. As the transfer of the captain’s armband took place from Saurav Ganguly to Rahul Dravid, the country was gripped with a bright ray of hope and a bucket full of expectations and all he asked for patience for deliverance. The man promised, performed and delivered. A resounding 6-1 one-day series win over Sri Lanka, marked his arrival and ushered the Dravidian Era of Indian cricket.

The elements of leadership always existed within Rahul, but the timing of acquiring the mantle deserves credit. As the management gurus would put it, the traits of a leader have to be identified, nurtured and then must be handed over the responsibility. The identification stage was done way back in 1996, when he was leading the Board President’s XI side against the visiting South Africans at Kochi. The nurturing process began with his stint as Saurav’s deputy from 2000 and today, the process has reached its logical conclusion, with his appointment as Captain. He was given stop-gap opportunities and surely demonstrated his leadership capabilities in these few matches and being a part of the learning curve for him, it proved to be a successful arrangement for the team.

As a captain today, Rahul Dravid’s leadership is nothing short of inspirational. His leadership style is highly reflective of the team’s mindset of mixing aggression with a degree of control and cautiousness. As a leader, he comes across as a man with a larger vision, in the form of the long-term future and success of Indian cricket and a focused mission that is the game on hand. Such exemplary definition of goals is what leads to initializing and continuing a process and he repeatedly talks of the commitment to the process of team-building, irrespective of the results at the end of the day.

Another important facet of his leadership is the way the individual goals are blended with the team goals. Yes indeed, individual goals are important, but channelising them in accordance with the team’s approach is what leads to a successful unit. His decision to declare the innings in 2004 with Sachin just 6 short of a personal score of 200, virtually shocked the nation, but when one reads into it, 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 have surely played their part in taking Indian cricket forward.

To put it straight, Rahul’s influence on the dressing room is impeccable and enormous. The team has recognized and acknowledged the talent and shaping up the right attitude is what Rahul and Chappell have set out to do. There is a greater sense of belief within the team. Who could believe that India could chase totals of 270+ repeatedly to win matches, when a stigma of ‘chokers’ accompanied them just a while back ? A few years ago, with India reeling at 190 for 5, many fans would have written the team off, but now, the new approach and leadership has led to a greater steel and belief in their own individual abilities, and this is the one of the main reasons for the resurgence we are witnessing now. Another important area, that defines the dressing room climate is confidence. What Dravid brings to the dressing room is sheer confidence. Along with the runs from his bat, he adds confidence to the dressing room, as the symbol of hope and reassurance. Today, it is great to see the youngsters in our team like Sreesanth and Munaf Patel derive strength from this confidence and perform better. Desire is another factor that Dravid’s men thrive on. It is really heartening to see the a great amount of desire to perform, irrespective of the results. Rahul has played his part in creating these levels of desire among his players and the hunger has surely rubbed onto the results. And lastly, as a leader, it is important to empower the team. What we see today as Team India, is nothing but an extended family of individuals. There is a huge emphasis on team spirit and for shaping it up for the larger needs of the team, the credit goes to Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell.

Another notable dimension to Dravid’s leadership qualities, is the fact that he believes in leading from the front. One of the recent examples accentuate it – Putting the team’s interest in mind, Rahul Dravid decided to open the batting in Pakistan, sacrificing his usual No. 3 spot. It was a great example that was set by him and such instances of bravado and courage, rubbed off to the other members. His stature as a captain is surely respected by one and all. No wonder, at times when the boat is uncertain of the weather, it is the captain to whom the crew looks upto. His gradual progression as a captain, has surely succeeded in instilling some of his guiding principles on to the players like determination, discipline and dedication. His performances along with the consistency, have surely given the right sort of direction to the rest of the team members and more importantly, have translated into India’s performances in the recent past. These are some of the reasons why, Rahul Dravid is the man we look up to, when adversity stares us straight on our faces.

The sudden emergence of a new generation of Indian cricketers is surely a food for thought, and it would be fair to say that Rahul’s vision for the future has started bearing ripe fruits already. Opportunities are the key for any cricketer to express his talent and get noticed and it is indeed heartening to see this phenomenon happening under the leadership of Rahul Dravid. And what is more delightful than seeing these young bunch of talents making their mark by delivering to their captain’s needs ! The youth to an extent form an integral part of any cricketing side – mainly because of their approach to the game, the extra degree of exuberance they bring into the side along with the fresh legs and approaches of course. Rahul has done exceedingly well in tapping and nurturing talented players like MS Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Sreesanth, RP Singh and Munaf Patel by giving them the right platform to bring out their skills and talents. For now, it would surely be safe to say – A Generation Awakens !"

The Big One

2006-03-17T19:09:00.000+05:30

Me with the England skipper Andrew Flintoff at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai
Picture taken on 16th March during the Felicitation Function of Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble for their respective achievements.

Venkat Ananth

Of Two Horse Races....and Emergence of the Third Horse !

2006-02-10T22:37:00.000+05:30

It was a welcome break to divert some attention from the ongoing off-the-field ramblings in the India-Pakistan ODI Series. For starters, a cricketing nation that I follow as close as my own took the field against the might of the World Champions in their own lair. It was VB Series final time at Adelaide and to be fair, it was a really gripping encounter, which eventually the least-fancied team in the series won. After a success vacuum in ODI's for Sri Lanka against India and New Zealand, it was almost certain that they would finally hit gold somewhere, and no better place to do it than Australia.

It was an ideal game for the Lankans, as they won the toss and chose to bat first, perhaps a priority in their strategy. Having done that, the onus was on them to post a challenging score for the Aussies and let the bowlers ease into the situation. They seemed pretty comfortable with the entire surrounding of a major final. There was a clear indication of intent as Marvan Atapattu strode out to bat with Sanath Jayasuriya. Positivity flowed from both bats and after a lean patch, as Mark Nicholas summed it up "the cover drives were back !". Kumar Sangakkara, playing the role of the propeller of the Sri Lankan batting scored a fluent 83, putting the Aussie bowlers to the cleaners. And this knock proved to be decisive for sure. Youngster Chamara Kapugedara played the catalyst in Sri Lanka reaching a more-than respectable score of 274.

From the moment Sri Lanka scored 274, it seemed like a mission impossible for the Aussies. Considering the gameplan of the Lankans, the introduction of slow bowlers like Malinga Bandara, Murali and Dilshan, it for sure looked like a task beyond them. And it indeed turned out to be that way. Tillekaratne Dilshan, showed the world why he was such an impact player on the field - effecting four run outs and one catch. The Aussie hope was fading apart, one by one, players returning back to the hut and a lone warrior fighting his way to glory was Micheal Clarke, who himself got run out as the last wicket. There were three attributes, this entire Sri Lankan performance was revolving around - intense self-belief, positivity right from the outset and indeed deliverance from the players. The entire team looked like a different bunch of boys when they came out to field.

This win augurs well for the future of Sri Lankan cricket. To beat Australia for the first time in a VB series finals since 1997/98 (South Africa had beaten them at MCG) itself is a task worth appreciating. As Marvan Atapattu remarked in the presentation "Everybody before the start of the series thought it was a two horse race (referring to Australia and South Africa). But here is the third horse, in the finals and winning it". Those words reflect a great sense of character in the Sri Lankan dressing room. To be in the finals is one thing, and to win it is a totally different thing altogether. The second finals to be played at Sydney Cricket Ground could well have a tag of history attached to it, if Sri Lanka wins, that is. It will be their first VB Series, earlier known as the World Series of Cricket and a recognition of the feat would be none less than winning a World Cup or lets say a mini-World Cup. One hopes for the future of Sri Lankan cricket, that they deliver a similar if not a better performance at Sydney, a ground where they have felt homely in the past three encounters, amassing well over 300 in as many matches, a mini-fortress of sorts.

For Australia, it will be an interesting challenge to come back from behind. One felt that they missed McGrath (he's with his wife, who has a recurrence of breast cancer) . Buchanan and Co, would take this loss, as one of their off-days. The utter miscommunication among the batters was a reflection of it. So, the men in gold have to get to their drawing boards and plot their way into contention for the trophy. All one can say now is that Sri Lanka have one hands on the VB Series already and Sydney would decide if they can snatch it away, or allow the Aussies to smell some much-needed blood and taste the champagne.

An outcome not 'just' yet, Obstructing the field and an 'A n B' show

2006-02-06T19:41:00.000+05:30

It was indeed an absorbing day of cricket we had from the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan - cartographically, Peshawar. It was a case of swinging pendulums off and on, but as the end reveals, it swung towards Pakistan not without a paper (Duckworth/Lewis method) attached to it. With 18 runs needed and 18 balls left, many emotions might have left their mark on individuals - delight, dejection, doubts and indeed satisfaction. But, the implications would be stronger. Does this loss to Pakistan raise another finger over the Chappell-Dravid combine ? Or does it mean we weren't good enough to get 'em ? Or the scars of previous matches are still lingering over the Indian minds ? There are many such questions this game has raised, and indeed the next four matches will try to provide us with suitable answers one hopes.

Try asking any Indian fan about what he thinks about the outcome of this game, and he'd answer you skeptically. To an extent, I do reflect his opinion, but another way of sorting this would be to objectively look at the situation and react to it. Pakistan looked the more comfortable side on display today, and deservedly were awarded the game. This brings me to a question concerning venues. How on earth did the PCB decide on playing at Peshawar at this time of the year, when the sun sets early, and with virtually no light there ? I am not a fan of the 'rotational' policy the cricket boards adopt to give various centers a good enough look-in. It would have indeed been a better idea to have all these games under-lights as it masks the advantages and disadvantages of an external factor like the D/L Method coming into play. Even though this game does not provide a good case, matches played in New Zealand in the winter are severe examples of win-the-toss, bowl-first, and while chasing and get Duckworth and Lewis into action. Lets not call it an excuse or a cover-up for India's follies, but something worth a think for the cricket authorities i.e. the cricket boards and the ICC.

Apart from the Duckworth/Lewis method, another new visitor made his way into the scoresheets - a dismissal by the name "Obstructing the Field". Inzamam Ul-Haq was given out obstructing the field, when he tried to protect himself from a Suresh Raina throw from mid-off. It was really wierd to see a batsman get out in this fashion. Unlucky he might consider himself to be, the wicket really spurred Indian hopes at that point, only in dismay. If my memory serves me right, Rameez Raja was the first ever batter to be dismissed and now has Inzamam for company. In accordance with the law, I feel that 'obstructing the field' and 'handling the ball' are the most bizzare forms of dismissals ever known in the game. Nobody complains, as long as it adds a tinge of thrill to the drama.

It is always a good sight, when one sees youngsters perform. And, there is no bigger platform for a youngster from either India or Pakistan than a cricket match between these two countries. Today it was the A and B show - I think I got it right ! - Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt showed the world, what difference sticking to basics can do. Mohammad Asif, however inexperienced he may be, masked it all and bowled, what I consider as one of the best ODI performances in the last one year. His 3/30 off 9.4 overs paved the way for Pakistan to strangle the Indian advance to end with, and his impeccable line and length posed many a question to the Indian batsmen, which they simply failed to answer. This lad is here to stay folks.

Another nemesis of the Indians, Salman Butt was on the prowl again. He did more than a reasonable job with his 101, setting the contest up in Pakistan's favour. I quite enjoyed his delightful strokes, his straight drives were too good for a line and the composition of the knock was exemplary. He was cautious at the beginning and as he discovered the lopsidedness of the Indian attack, stepped on the gas, and carved his way to the century. A key factor that Rameez Raja brought on commentary was competition. It is really intriguing to see what competition can do to an individual - motivate you to perform better, or just deflate you and hang up your boots. With Imran Farhat breathing down his neck, a brilliant performance was required, and Salman was upto the task. It is also interesting to know how certain players have a liking towards certain bowling attacks. Salman seems to have his hands full on the men from across the border. All his hundreds have been against India (Kolkata, Jamshedpur and now Peshawar) and seemingly followed Saeed Anwar's footsteps - the knack of scoring biggies against the Indians. Coincidence or what ! I hope in the coming matches, Salman plays well and keeps us fans entertained with his wristy drives.

Thats all for now, will be back before and after the Rawalpindi ODI.

Over to the coloured days...

2006-02-01T18:38:00.000+05:30

Karachi played host to what was an expected outcome. After seeing 10 days of test cricket in the lurch, Pakistan for one showed the world how a home series should be played. Defensive, their strategy might be called by many cricket analysts including me, but at the end of it all, they might just flaunt their result to prove its effectiveness. As an Indian, most of my readers from across the border might feel as though its just another sulk, but as a cricket lover, a result - no matter who got it was all I was waiting for. Lets hand it over to Pakistan for all they did in the last four days to demonstrate how Test cricket should be played.

Credit should go to the deserved, and in this case it was the Pakistani think-tank. To be very fair and frank, the batting credentials of the Pakistani team was never in doubt, except maybe for the openers, but the way the men-in-green came out and batted surely deserves a great mention. They were indeed stung by the brilliance of an Irfan Pathan hat-trick first thing in the morning, but overcoming hopelessness into a position of strength, largely to Kamran Akmal's continued heroics by and large shows the faith and the mental attributes of this team. It seems a ready outfit now, raring to have a crack at tougher opponents and ready to grab success by the first knock on the door. The second innings was where Pakistan showed their true colours. No one ever doubted their talent, but finding the right time convert it into performance was the key, and they made sure to knock India out of the game by the earliest, eradicating that one ray of hope that could turn into a miracle, as its happened in the past. And, this was the future of Pakistan cricket on display. The Mohammad Asifs, the Kamran Akmals really stood up to the challenge, when most of us doubted Pakistan's chances due to the absence of skipper Inzamam. All that one can say after seeing this performance from Pakistan is, that the future holds good and continuing this rich vein of momentum into the future would be the biggest challenge for Woolmer and Co.

These India-Pakistan series provide a great scope for some horses to turn into heroes. This time it was the turn of Mohammad Asif. This Sheikhupura-born lad reminds me of a fully hair-grown Laxmipathy Balaji steaming to bowl in 2004. The lad has the potential to be one of Pakistan's best emerging talents. The subtle deception in pace that he has, along with the nagging line and length he bowls surely had some Indian batsmen searching for their off-stump and it is about time that he is given more exposure and experience in this form of the game. But, it will be upto him to transform himself from an unknown quantity to a strike bowler ala Irfan Pathan. If he can keep his recent success in check and use it as a precedent to move forward, nothing..I repeat nothing can stop this man from becoming a top-bowler in International cricket. For all one can see, its early days in his career and I hope he does'nt fall into the Mohammad Sami school of cricket.

For now, the whites can go for a much deserved wash. Both teams, especially India need to gather some positives quickly to move into the ODI series. If Ashes is all about tests, an India-Pakistan series is surely all about ODIs, however the purists may pose the "TEST CRICKET IS THE REAL THING" theory. Yes, both teams are playing good cricket but besides the usual attributes of pressure, competition and on-the-day performances, it will now be a different challenge for both teams to adapt quickly to this form of the game. The team that does it earlier surely holds the edge. India, one hopes will turn into a totally different unit, with fresher pairs of legs on the way while Pakistan have to do repeat the right things over and over again to make sure they do not lose the contest. I do not know who to give the edge in this contest, as it seems too close to call. If I have to make a call between both teams, I would go for India to bag it, on a purely intutional basis rather than analysis, but in my good cricketing senses, I would surely put Pakistans as the heavier wieght between the two. If India do win this series, all will be forgiven for the Test series loss, but if it goes the otherway, I am sure the country will be back with their theories and opinions about the team. So, India has everything to play for - the Hutch Cup, Pride and reinforcing the faith of them being a quality side.

This post may seem Pakistan-centric, but carries the true sentiment of a cricket writer, however biased or unbiased as it may be !

Oh Moin...Get a life

2006-01-28T22:03:00.000+05:30

"Whatever may be the real reason, the fact of the matter is that Shoaib Akhtar literally exposed Sachin's present-day ability against quality fast bowling during a spell that will certainly be remembered for long."

My first reaction to this statement : Utter Crap.

Analysis : Remember Moin Khan ?? The chap who Sachin got on the third day of the Multan test with a googly he'd remember all his life ?? Yes folks, he is the same beleagured wicketkeeper from Pakistan who now knows what it feels like to be dumped. And who is he talking about ? Another character from Pakistan who presents himself as a case of mood swings (let alone reverse swings). I do not know how much this spell of Shoaib Akhtar will be remembered for him grabbing Sachin's wicket. Shoaib's spell in the Indian first innings would only be regarded by many for bringing some life into a rather dead contest - Nothing else. Period. But, rather than the wicket, what this article has done is exposed Moin Khan's naked analytical skills, filled with a sense of prejudice and bias - totally uncalled for as a writer.

This beginning-of-the-end theory has been posed by many in the recent past, and seems to conveniently pop up, as soon as Sachin fails ! Give him a break guys. After all he's the proud custodion of many a record, few would come close to shatter. Yes, he is indeed beginning to age, and it is showing in his performances, but that does not signal or hint towards any decline. The hunger, the humility and the desire to score runs is still within him, and a hundred sooner than later should be good enough to bay these looneys off. This lame article by Moin has brought the walking debate into question again. Gilchrist found a way out to clear his conscience by walking, and it was not something new. Greats like Sachin and Lara have always carried themselves with the highest integrity and pointing fingers at someone who upholds it, itself is a baseless venture. Although personally, I am not in agreement with players walking by themselves, what it brings about is an honest assessment of one's own integrity. As they say, if the player is sheepish enough to grin after he survives the umpire's call, another decision comes soon enough to haunt him. India still wont forgive Steve Bucknor for the call he made against the Little Master at Kolkata, when he was going all guns blazing. Where was Moin then ? Searching for the tunnel path towards the Pakistani team ? Sachin is as good a player of fast bowling as he was way back in 1989, and someone who himself was a joke against pacers has no right to comment over the issue. Such comments are to be respected no doubt, but with the same sense of judgement, only to be rubbished.

The second character involved in this printed drama is Shoaib Akhtar ! Oh Moin, what has he done for Pakistan over the years, so much so that this spell of his will be remembered for a long time ? He has played 30 odd test matches in about 7 years, an appalling record by itself and all we see is an injury sidelining him for at least a test in every series, except England (2005) and Bangladesh (2003). I still cant notice the change in Shoaib, that the whole of Pakistan is raving about. Its just that the English batting was too brittle to withstand his pace on flat-beds and now, see his performance against a better batting side - virtually anything to show. I think every cricket fan - Indian or Pakistani will rather choose to remember the three fours hit by Dhoni off Shoaib than the wicket of Sachin. It had the birth of an emerging star in International Cricket written all over it. Three brutal strikes, and the bowler gave in. Those 18 runs off Shoaib were more precious to India than the 14 by Sachin. Shoaib needs to prove and pass the litmus test. Apart from 4-5 Test Matches, I cant remember any being won singlehandedly by Shoaib. So, its time for his "supporters" to zip their mouths and let the boy doing what he is good at.

And Moin bhai, a piece of advice for you ! Please be objective in your analysis of any player, not emotional. The time has come, when we need some genuine cricket experts like Wasim Akram to run the show and not emotional fools, if I may say, like Moin Khan.

Sowing the seeds of improvement

2006-01-26T21:54:00.000+05:30

Its been some time since I have posted something pertaining to Sri Lankan cricket. As Tom Moody and co finally seem to get their act together in Australia, I felt it the right time to write about their gradual upward movement in the improvement graph. I would tend to think that a tour of Australia was the right sort of tonic this team needed to get out of the rot they were going through earlier in India and later in New Zealand.

It is indeed satisfying to see Sri Lanka come out of their blues in a positive fashion. What really was impressive to see from the Lankans was the attitude and character they showed throughout the VB Series. In India, it was really disturbing to see them repeat mistakes over and over again. I mean Sangakkara getting out mistiming the hook three times in 7 games was not called for and was a true reflection of the mental state of the Lankans - just to see the tour through. Similarly in New Zealand, where the conditions and the opposition surely got the better of them. So, what is it that is taking Sri Lanka to new and newer heights in Australia ?

Firstly, the emphasis of the team management is purely on improvement and nothing else. Sri Lanka can learn a lot from this tour purely on how to better their own standards previously set. I am reminded of the Indian policy of trying newer talents in the highest level, and if anything Tom Moody has taken some leaf from Greg Chappell's book to test the bench. Youngsters like Akalanka Ganegama and Nuwan Kulasekara were sheer unheard quantities, but the very fact that their feat in the domestic competitions have been recognized and opportunities given subsequently shows the confidence they have on their youth. This was surely the kind of shake-up Sri Lanka cricket needed if they wanted to get going and has vindicated the amount of faith entrusted on them by the authorities. Non-performers like Upul Chandana and Avishka Gunawardena have been shown the way out. And more importantly, there is one eye on the future, which has given them a new leash of spirit needed to bring about the desired improvement.

There is clearly a sense of purpose within each and every individual as he strides out onto the field - something that clearly was lacking in both India and New Zealand. The mindset towards approaching the game has totally changed, and for the good. And the familiarity with new rules has alarmingly increased. The Lankans were pretty much dull with their knowledge of the Super-Sub and Powerplays, but with so much of international cricket being played with these rules, the bug has finally caught with them. Its good to see the tact the Lankan strategem is using in applying these rules. Malinga Bandara is being more than a handy super-sub and as their knowledge of the rules are getting better, so is the progress. Conditioning of the team under these new rules might have come late, but the psotive is that the process has begun.

It may not be the experience of Jayasuriya that they lacked in India, but the support factor. Their tour to India was in a way a reflection of an environment they werent used to playing in. But, as we know, Australia has been a haven for Sri Lankan support. With expats pouring from the island to Australia, one thing they can expect is sheer support. Wherever they have been going, thousands of Sri Lankans leaving their work at bay have been coming to grounds to support them. Nothing bigger than a large contingent of your countrymen to back you during difficult times. This has surely gelled with the Lankans whenever they have been to Australia and perhaps why they have been a major thorn in the Australian camp.

Although they have a fair bit of work to do to "get there", the journey of improvement must continue. Having beaten Australia in Sydney is perhaps the biggest morale-booster, but the most important thing will be to maintain this performance consistency. Yes, it was a big achievement considering the phase they were going through, but they cant stop there. It will be really interesting to see if that win acts as a much-needed catalyst to revive the Sri Lankan fortunes in International Cricket. I am personally very optimistic about their future, but for me, improvement is the key word to success for Sri Lankan Cricket.

Say "Green" please !!

2006-01-25T19:51:00.000+05:30

Dear Readers,

I am very sorry that I could not regularly update my blog. I was held up due to several academic commitments. However, I will try my level best to contribute regularly and keep you guys posted about the state of the game.

To be very frank with you all, I have not been following the recent India's tour to Pakistan with the same vigour and anxiety as earlier. The reasons could well be over-playing, the pitches and of course projects. But, whatever little I have seen, the sights do not cheer me at all. Bowlers toiling hard to get a dot ball, the pitch beyond all pre-series promises and indeed the sub-standard state of the pitches. That brings me to a very elementary question in today's post - Is too much of Indo-Pak cricket boring afterall ?

My answer would be yes. We are overplaying each other. It almost seems as a routine to play each other every year. Yes, it sure does loads of good as far as the treasures of the Boards are concerned, but as we play each other too often, the quality of cricket has surely gone down and hit its lows. The intensity has gone down, although the traditional exchange still lives on. I came across an article in a Mumbai afternooner, which said that at Lahore, over 15,000 seats were given for free, which provided a stern reminder to the administrators of the game, to leave considerable gap between two India-Pakistan series. The next day, we hear an announcement by the BCCI and PCB chiefs, that the two nations will play each other every two years, and that for sure was music to my ears. Following the Ashes model was the best we could have done to preserve the intensity and quality of cricket between the two nations.

All said and done, since the tour is going on, a few comments over the happenings so far. Whatever we are seeing, as genuine cricket lovers is a sight to forget. Two games gone, over 2000 runs scored in 6 innings is not something that cricket should be proud of. The wickets in Pakistan have come under immense scrutiny by everyone concerned, and it is time we get what we deserve - consistently good contests between the bat and the ball. The hype and the hooplah created over the faster and greener pitches before the series seems nothing more than a balloon waiting to be busted. Or, if there is room for conspiracy theorists in this small world, one must say that the "fear" of losing a Test series at home to India, has motivated Pakistan to prepare such flat as a pancake wickets. I do not know how credible this strategy is, but considering the long-term of Pakistani cricket, it is taking a step backwards. I do not know who to blame for the pitches debacle - the PCB, the curator or the Faisalabad Cricket Association (if such a thing exists). But it sure is about time someone puts his hands up and takes responsibility for the deplorable levels of cricket we have seen. This is not Test cricket by any stretch of imagination.

But all will be forgiven if a good wicket is produced at Karachi, for it plays host to the decider. All indications and reports point towards a green-grazer. If these reports are indeed true, it is an encouraging situation to be in, as we could see a better contest between both teams. Another key aspect to remember with regards to Karachi is that it is a port city, nearer to the coast. For Indian fans, trace your way to the Wankede stadium to get an idea of how the conditions might be. So, do not be surprised if the ball swings early-on and in the evenings due to the moisture in the air and the breeze. It will be interesting to see the combinations of both teams. Harbhajan Singh will most certainly make way for Saurav Ganguly in the side. Ganguly's recent domestic form with both the bat and the ball have been encouraging, and in such given circumstances, he could be more than a useful seamer. For Pakistan, I back Umar Gul to make the cut, ahead of Mohammad Asif and Faisal Iqbal and Imran Farhat for Inzamam and Shoaib Malik respectively.

Given the importance and the end-result associated with this game, one really hopes to see a humdinger, much on the lines of Chennai 1999. So, all is set for Karachi and the umpires to play and I really really hope that the curator finds some grass from the General's garden to give us all a sporting encounter and one to remember.

A Tale of Two Expats - John Dyson vs Tom Moody

2005-12-15T20:03:00.000+05:30

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 !!

2005-12-14T22:36:00.000+05:30

(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....

2005-12-14T21:40:00.000+05:30

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 !

2005-12-10T18:06:00.000+05:30

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 !

2005-11-26T20:15:00.000+05:30

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 !

2005-11-22T20:21:00.000+05:30

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

2005-11-20T22:48:00.000+05:30

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

2005-11-20T19:47:00.001+05:30

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...

2005-11-18T20:42:00.000+05:30

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

2005-11-17T20:12:00.000+05:30

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...

2005-08-04T12:35:00.000+05:30

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...

2005-08-01T09:20:00.000+05:30

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

2005-07-31T10:53:00.000+05:30

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...

2005-07-29T21:59:00.000+05:30

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.

Destination Dambulla, A Bangla Apology and the Ashes rants

2005-07-29T17:09:00.000+05:30

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

2005-06-02T10:37:00.000+05:30

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 !

2005-05-31T08:47:00.000+05:30

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...

2005-05-27T22:16:00.001+05:30

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

2005-05-26T23:27:00.000+05:30

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)

2005-05-23T20:09:00.000+05:30

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

2005-05-21T12:17:00.000+05:30

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.