In defense of my religion

Not once but innumerable times I have encountered this argument. Yet I know this is an undying question that lingers in the minds of many. Most recently, yesterday (February 1, 2010) I had gone to one of Chennai's best roof top coffee shops Casa Piccolo with a couple of my friends when this issue popped up once again!

The Hero Honda ad says it all. “Mein is bar nahin kheloonga. Stadium mein bait ke match dehkoonga. Janda bhi le aaoonga. Aur India India chilaoonga. Game ki tension mein nakhoon chabaoonga. Face pe thiranga bhi lagaoonga. Hockey World Cup India mein ho raha hai, aur mein apne team ke saarey match dekhne jaoonga. Aap aogey na? Mein inthazaar karoonga. Phir dil dho hockey ko..,” says Virender Sehwag. This ad shows the plight of India’s national sport hockey’s quest for recognition; attention from the likes of administrators, sponsors, broadcasters and fans. Sadly this is the situation for any other sports in our country with the only exception being cricket.

Now the issue is who we blame for the awful situation of non-cricket sports in the country? And how much of blame credit goes to the game of cricket? I have heard and seen many people arguing that cricket is just a money spinning game; the sponsors only want to put their money on cricket and no other sport. Here I want one to understand that the five pillars of a sport are players, administrators, sponsors, broadcasters and fans. And the cohesive function of these elements is necessary for a sport to gain popularity.

Let’s analyze the present state of cricket and hockey. The Players are doing reasonably well in both cricket and hockey winning a few tournaments. Also one can consider the fact that a sportsperson always put his best foot forward when representing his country. Fans for hockey are not many as compared to cricket, however we saw decently packed stadiums during champions trophy matches played in Chennai a few year’s back, where most of these fans are traditionalist. The fan following also has to do with the team’s performance. It is not always that a cricket match attracts the best of crowds. The seven home matches of IPL team Deccan Chargers in 2008 was a classic example of it, where empty stadiums marred the charm of Twenty20 cricket.

Next in line are sponsors and broadcasters. Sahara is the team sponsor for both Indian cricket and hockey teams. Most of these hockey tournaments are covered on television, if not ESPN – Star sports at least Doordarshan does. Here the money pumped in by ESPN and Nimbus for telecasting cricket matches are sky high compared to the sum offered to telecast a hockey match. And in turn a part of this sum goes into the development of the sport. Agree. This can only happen when the team is performing well. Performance on field will allow the administrators to approach broadcasters and demand more money for awarding them the telecast rights who in turn depend on various sponsors to earn some profit out of the venture. Now how does a sponsor like Sahara or Airtel or Nike decide to sign a deal or not? Deals signed with broadcasters depend on the TVR ratings that directly depend on the fan following of the sport.

In such a scenario, one can easily blame the other for the failure of the sport as a whole. So what do one do about it? Here the administrator is the nuclei, as they are the ones who are responsible to bring the other elements together and run the show.
Hockey India, the national board was blamed by the Indian hockey men and women team for not paying their dues. An issue that made the headlines for about a week came to halt when the team sponsor Sahara interfered to shell out Rs 1 crore from their pocket. The incident happening just a month before the World Cup is not a good sign for any sport. Making use of the situation to get some attention was UP Chief Minister Mayawati and Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company who made statements saying they will gift certain amount if Indian team wins the World Cup. All this can be avoided when you have strong administrators in place.

Similarly there was a blame game between India’s only Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra and the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) on the former’s name being left out of the list of participants for the Common Wealth Games in New Delhi in 2010. As a sports enthusiast, I stand clueless about India’s commitment to host Common Wealth Games in October, as the construction of the sports village near Delhi has reached just the half way mark. Not surprisingly the sports ministry and the Indian Olympic Association have maintained silence in this regard.

Coming back to cricket, the game was fortunate to have able and committed administrators in the likes of the late Raj Singh Dungapur, IS Bindra, Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar and Lalit Modi to name a few. Irrespective of the differences they had between them they always stayed committed to the game of cricket. It was Raj bhai, Bindra and Dalmiya who were instrumental in bring the World Cup to India in 1996. It was then the day/night matches were played to bring in more spectators into the stadium. Similarly it was during the Dalmiya region when India evolved as the financial muscle of world cricket. It was the combined effort of these great minds that brought the sponsors into the sport, made the broadcasters pay heavy sum for telecast rights. Similarly, though India on field didn’t win many matches, they had individual stars in Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly who kept the flag flying once a while. Some of the notable wins in the later 90s were the Titan Cup in 1996, Sahara Cup against Pakistan in 1997 in Toronto, Sharjha Cup in 1998. These apart, India always remained a strong side at home.

It was never a memorable start for Indian cricket to the new millennium which was rocked with match-fixing scandals, however the BCCI had proficient personality in AC Muthiah, then the board president who successfully dealt with these and made sure the new team was in place. It was during that time Sourav Ganguly was appointed captain, India got its first foreign coach in John Wright and lots of youngsters inducted into the team in the form of Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Harbajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh. Today each of them is a backbone of the present Indian team in their own right! Certainly a part of the credit goes to the Muthiah administration.

The present situation in Pakistan cricket is a classic example of how important is an administration in the running of sport. Too many internal politics and hate within is no good as cricket in Pakistan is next to being isolated.

From then to what Indian team is today, both on and off the field with a shrewd leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Lalit Modi is history. For any game to survive and later to become popular, a system needs to be in place. This can only happen if an able administration is in place. However, back to where we began, it is no fault of cricketers’ or the game of cricket – not only mine but India’s secular religion - to be blamed for the poor state of other sports in our country.

Australia – A Lost Outfit?

When was the last time Australia went into a tournament without the favorites tag? And, when was the last time they made a first round exit in a world cup like tournament? It sounds very unusual that we associate these questions with one of the most dominant teams the game has seen. For answers you should dig a little deep into the history books. Such was the ill-fate for Australia in this ICC World Twenty20 in England. Courtesy – a batting massacre from Chris Gayle and a disciplined team work from Sri Lanka.

Talking about history, if you are still wondering when, the answer is the Benson and Hedges world Cup in 1992 held in Australia and New Zealand. They lost four of their eight games in the league stage. Interestingly all four teams they lost to - New Zealand, South Africa, England and Pakistan qualified for semi-finals. Here is an exception to it –Australia lost the quarter-final matches against India in ICC Champions Trophy in 1998 held in Dhaka and in 2000 held in Nairobi (These two editions of Champions Trophy are knock-out style tournaments and Australia lost their first match, i.e. quarter-finals, to India on both occasions).

Coming back to the present, starting from two wickets in the first over by Jerome Taylor till the wide ball signaling a Sri Lankan win, nothing went right for the mighty Aussies. They appeared never in the competition as they never were aggressive with their efforts. Australia is known for their ability to fight back even in the rarest of possibilities, but in the two matches none of their middle-order batsmen tried to reconstruct the innings after the loss of early wickets, and the ones who tried doing so, were never playing a T20 style cricket. One felt that they lacked the skills to play T20 cricket as they allowed too many dot balls despite the need for quick runs.

Similarly during the second innings of both their matches, they allowed the opposition batsmen to dictate terms without fighting back. Against Sri Lanka they tried defending the total allowing Tillakaratne Dilshan to score freely, rather than attacking, an unlikely Australian approach. Against West Indies when Chris Gayle went berserk, Aussies couldn’t do much with their monopolized pace attack. Their shoulders dropped just half way through the second innings on both the occasions.

Undoubtedly Australia has lost their venom, venom in the form of match-winners like Glen McGrath, Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden. Though Ricky Ponting has time and again rubbished the fact that Aussies are struggling to cope with the retirements of these big men, only time will tell how much of it is true. The ‘Ashes’ is their next stop.

England Red Faced as Orange Ruled at Lord’s Green

The Dutch couldn’t have scripted their win better. An opportunity to play the opening match of an ICC event, the World Twenty20 at the Home of Cricket – Lord’s against the English, the men who invented the gentleman’s game in the midst of an orange galore of Dutch supporters. The opening match was indeed off to a contrasting start in more than one way.

First the weather was a dampener as the opening ceremony of this world class event had to be cancelled as the packed stadium waited with patience in sharp contrast to high-spirits, excitement, sporty and colors that signifies T20. Secondly the cricket story that unfolded at the Lord’s turf when one expected England to steamroll their minnow neighbors.

Another contrasting but a pleasing one to note was to see the Dutch supporters turning up in huge numbers for a cricket match while it is a familiar sight in a football or a hockey stadium. Overall it was a contrast within a contrast that where one expected an eye-catching opening ceremony and a one sided cricket match, the match was breathtaking making it up for the cancellation of opening ceremony.

The result has also proved that the lesser the number of overs the more are the chances for weaker teams like Netherlands and Ireland to compete with the stronger ones like India and South Africa. The shorter format lessens the importance of experience and textbook skills, thereby bringing teams closer to each other. The key for the T20 code relay on the ability of the teams to calculate a reasonable par score for a given conditions. Swift thinking and executing it in a short time under pressure is the need of the hour for teams to be successful.

The loss is certainly England’s black day in their cricket history but on the other hand, a Dutch win gives many a reason to smile. ICC is trying hard for years to expand and market the game in different parts of the world and will be delighted as one of their less fancied associate nation beat one of game’s stronghold nation in their own backyard. This means that ICC can hope for a day when 16 strong teams take part in the World T20 sooner than later.

What To Expect In This ICC World T20?

(Wrote this article before start of the tournament but never got the time to post it here.. and already have gone down in one of my predictions! Netherlands have convincingly beaten the home side by 4-wickets!!!)

Guys watching minnows' matches are no waste of time!!

Warm-up Again? The groupings are done in such a way that, with the exception of Group C – hoping that West Indies will put on a fight, the others pick themselves easily to move on to the next stage. England and Pakistan playing Netherland or India playing Ireland (I am just trying to be a little cautious after a bitter experience against Bangladesh in 2007 World Cup) or South Africa and New Zealand playing Scotland is a waste of time at least for the viewers. Upsets unlikely to happen, however have an eye on Ireland-Bangladesh game.

Momentum Matters: When commercialization took its ugly head in the form of ‘strategic time-out’ at the end of 10 overs in Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2, many feared if the rule may apply to international T20 matches. However, International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided against it giving batsmen a sigh of relief. Teams in IPL, more often than not lost the plot in the back 10 overs, especially losing wickets regularly in the 11th or the 12th over. But now one can easily expect 80-100 runs in the last ten overs.

Swing is King: Cricket in England and the art of ‘swing’ goes hand-in-hand. It is early summer and with favorable weather conditions, you can expect the ball to swing much, thereby making natural swing bowlers like RP Singh, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken and James Anderson more effective. Surprisingly its advantage India and not England or Australia who’s all five seamers Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Irfan Pathan and RP Singh have the ability to swing the ball to great extent.

Spinning Success: Not before the second season of IPL, spinners were looked upon as match winners in the game’s shortest format. Captains trying to open the attack with spinners and spinners bowling in tandem were a common sight in IPL. And spinners do take the pace off the ball; batsmen have mastered the art of hitting it against the spin but how about hitting it against the wind to clear the boundaries?

More Centuries : T20 was unknown before its inaugural world cup event in 2007. But now with the success of franchise model tournament like IPL, T20 is the toast of not only cricket fans across the globe but also the players themselves. Inaugural World T20 saw Chris Gayle set the stage on fire becoming the format’s first centurion but with greater exposure and experience expect more centuries this time.

High Scoring: 140 was considered the par score in IPL in South Africa, but with no ‘strategic time-out’ batsmen will have the momentum to score more in the back 10 overs. Teams scoring less than 160 will be asking in for trouble.

Bowlers outscore Batsmen among Indian domestic Players in IPL

Indian Premier League (IPL) largely dominated by players of international ranks is a domestic tournament with greater international flavor and appeal. Twent20 - a format projected as that of youngsters, oldies like Anil Kumble, Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist outscore youngsters. On the contrary it not without quality contribution from fringe Indian domestic players a team can win matches on a given day.

Proving their worth in the big league with their striking performances in alien conditions were a few Indian domestic players. However, one can note that bowlers have dominated the list as you can expect in South African conditions with only Manish Pandey, Naman Ojha and TS Suman being the batsmen to shine. BehindIndia has decided to list out the top 11 such players (in no particular order) and their performances during the second season of IPL in South Africa.

Manish Pandey (Age: 19, Bangalore Royal Challengers)

Matches: 5 Inns: 4 Runs: 168 Avg: 84.00 S/R: 142.37 Best Performance: 114*

The 19-year old arrived on big stage after being a part of the Under-19 World Cup winning Indian team in 2008. Although he got his chances in the far end of the tournament, Manish made the most of his opportunity to carve a niche for himself. His elevation to the top of the order allowed him to play his natural game and he took everyone by surprise with his blistering century against Deccan Chargers in the last league match. He showed maturity in handling big match situation by not panicking during his 48-run knock in the semi-final against Chennai. He is a sharp fielder too. Definitely a good prospect as it won’t be too long before he turns up in India colors.

Pradeep Sangwan (Age: 18, Delhi Daredevils)

Matches: 13 Overs: 46.4 Runs: 360 Wkts: 15 Econ: 7.71 Best Performance: 3/18

Sangwan was India’s strike bowler in the Under-19 World Cup after which he was picked up by Daredevils. He continued his impressive work from the first IPL season into the second. He was successful in proving breakthroughs in times of need throughout the tournament. He proved to be an effective first change bowler.

T S Suman (Age: 25, Deccan Chargers)

Matches: 12 Inns: 12 Runs: 237 Avg: 23.70 S/R:124.73
Overs: 15 Runs: 108 Wkts: 5 Econ: 8.00 Best Performance: 41* & 3/32

The Hyderabad player Suman was one of the big finds of this IPL. An aggressive player by nature, Suman provided cameos at the top and helped his team by breaking partnerships with his tidy off-spin.

Vinay Kumar (Age: 25, Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Matches: 11 Overs: 32.2 Runs: 271 Wkts: 9 Econ: 8.38 Best Performance: 2/30

The spearhead of the Karnataka team, Vinay Kumar made a big leap with an inspiring performance for Royal Challengers with smart depth bowling throughout the tournament. As in case of any bowler who bowls in the final stages Vinay too had good variations in pace and was effective in using bouncers as well.

Harmeet Singh (Age: 21, Deccan Chargers)

Matches: 7 Overs: 22.5 Runs: 192 Wkts: 3 Econ: 8.40 Best Performance: 2/23

A new face in domestic circuit, Harmeet didn’t do much throughout the tournament being the fifth bowler; however he played a significant role in the all crucial final. He stuck to the basics, bowled a good line and length without any experimentation and was rightly rewarded with the big wickets of Rahul Dravid and Mark Boucher thereby turning the match on his head. He also picked up a well judged catch running in from the third-man area to dismiss Vinay Kumar – a dismissal that sealed Bangalore’s fate in the final stages of the match.

Amit Singh (Age: 28, Rajasthan Royals)

Matches: 5 Overs: 17.3 Runs: 95 Wkts: 9 Econ: 5.42 Best Performance: 4/19

Amit was extremely impressive with his disciplined bowling with greater consistency in his line. He often managed to beat the batsmen with his variation in speed as he picked up two man-of-the-match awards for two 4-wicket hauls. He also successfully overcame the challenge of suspected bowling action. Playing for Gujarat, Amit has an impressive first-class record of 45 wickets in 15 matches.

Kamran Khan (Age: 18, Rajasthan Royals)

Matches: 5 Overs: 17.4 Runs: 124 Wkts: 6 Econ: 7.01 Best Performance: 3/18

IPL is known to though up new talents but the case of Kamran Khan is more fascinating. He was picked from obscurity by Darren Berry, the team’s director of coaching, in a T20 tournament in Mumbai. The young lad managed to impress his captain Shane Warne in the warm-up match and since then it has been a fairytale story bar being reported for suspected action. He was trusted with the responsibility of bowling the final over with six runs required and Sourav Ganguly on strike. He managed an edge of Sourav’s bat thereby taking the match to a ‘Super Over’. Again trusted with confidence of the captain, Kamran bowled a historical ‘Super Over’!

Shabad Jakati (Age: 28, Chennai Super Kings)

Matches: 9 Overs: 29 Runs: 217 Wkts: 13 Econ: 7.48 Best Performance: 4/22

The left-arm spinner from Goa is at last coming of age after toiling hard in domestic circuit for nearly a decade. He was given a chance to play for Chennai Super Kings after some good showing in the 2008 domestic season and he delivered the goods in his very first match itself by picking four wickets. He was consistently proving breakthroughs and a useful tail-ender as well.

Sudeep Tyagi (Age: 21, Chennai Super Kings)

Matches: 8 Overs: 19 Runs: 136 Wkts: 5 Econ: 7.15 Best Performance: 2/18
Tyagi was picked up by Chennai last year after impressive debut season but missed the inaugural IPL due to injury. However, he has made amends for his absence last year with some striking performances this season. Tyagi was economical most of the times and paired up well with Albie Morkel in operating the new ball. He provided early breakthroughs match after match and his first ball bowled of AB DeVillers will be an everlasting memory.

Rajat Bhatia (Age: 29, Delhi Daredevils)

Matches: 8 Overs: 21.4 Runs: 146 Wkts: 10 Econ: 6.73 Best Performance: 4/15

Bhatia is a veteran in domestic circuit and was aptly utilized by captain Virender Sehwag. Though being an all-rounder Bhatia was used more as a specialist depth bowler and he did the job with perfection every time he was handled the responsibility. His variation in pace and accuracy made everyone spellbound.

Naman Ojha (Age: 25, Rajasthan Royals)

Matches: 8 Inns: 6 Runs: 168 Avg: 24.00 S/R: 116.66 Best Performance: 68 Catches: 2 Stumping: 4

Trusted with responsibility of opening the batting with Graeme Smith, Ojha exceeded expectations scoring quick runs and taking away the pressure on Smith. He was consistent with the bat and was sharp behind the stumps. Being a small chap, he was able to clear the ropes with ease.

Preview - India vs New Zealand NBS 2009, First Test, Hamilton

Can Dhoni Men Conquer New Zealand?

http://www.behindindia.com/india-news-stories/mar-09/ind-vs-nz-17-03-09.html

Review - India vs New Zealand, National Bank Series 2009, 5TH ODI - Aucland

Jesse’s Day out as Kiwis Win

http://www.behindindia.com/india-news-stories/mar-09/national-bank-series-14-03-09.html

Preview - India vs New Zealand, National Bank Series 2009 5TH ODI - Auckland

Teams to Find Answers in Dead Rubber ahead of Test Series

http://www.behindindia.com/india-news-stories/mar-09/ind-vs-nz-13-03-09.html

Save Sub-Continent to Save Cricket

Take away sub-continent from the world of cricket, you have mere five teams playing Test cricket! Zimbabwe already in oblivion with many teams refusing to tour due to political uncertainty, Bangladesh on other hand is struggling to build a competitive team has an axe hanging over its test status. I am afraid, Pakistan may have well joined the bottom of the list, post Lahore.

It was always believed that sportspersons won’t be terror targets; sadly it is no more a joke. I feel sorry for the Lankan team being on the receiving end, though I am now happy and relieved that we still have a strokeful Sangakkara, magical Muralitharan and a dependable Jayawardane with us.

Aftermath of the attacks have caused a serious doubt in the minds of players taking part the in the lucrative IPL, though the league Chairman Lalit Modi has maintained that cricket is safe in India. Looking at the number of terror attacks since January 2008 one has to admit that the assumption can only be a myth.

I was there on the first day morning of the Chennai Test at the M.A. Chidambaram stadium; there were lots of talks a week before about the security after the Mumbai terror strikes. I felt that something was missing. It wasn’t usual. Slowly I realized that the boundary line was circled by armed commandos and not ball boys! The Chepauk appeared a fort. This is no kidding. Imagine 5000 policemen and 300 commandos were deployed for security during the Chennai Test.

Cricket has changed forever, at least in sub-continent. If this is any sort of an indication the way game will be played in future, then the government of India or that of any other sub-continent nation should seriously consider recruitment plans soon keeping in mind the amount of international games played. IPL is no excuse; on contrary it demands more security.

Team of security officials landing before every series and weighing the security at every venue will become a common sight. Packed stadiums, banging plastic bottles on chairs and Mexican waves were customary at every venue but now, I am afraid crowds might stay home because of fear.

In a cricket frenzy nation like India where cricketers get more attention than its politicians one would considers himself lucky if Sachin’s Ferrari crosses by; getting his autograph is even bigger but a more stringent security will mean that no common man will get to touching distance of their cricketing heroes. I feel pity for them being big time losers.     

Hereon cricket teams are not going to be comfortable touring Indian sub-continent. Neither there will be a sense of comfort nor assurance for the touring team, no matter how royal the security provided to them. Sponsors may back out fearing interruption during tours and cancellation of tournaments. A year back American billionaire Allen Stanford was flanked by all time greats Viv Richards and Ian Botham displaying billions of US dollars at a promotional event for Stanford Twenty20; now he is surrounded by cops for his involvement in fraud.

Clearly, world cricket is highly dependent on India to continue being its financial backbone. So for not one but many reasons, the game in sub-continent needs to be saved, if it has to aver its position as a global sport.      

Will Be Back Soon!!

India Tour Down Under - Preview

(Article dated December 23, 2007)

Lots have been said and written about the ‘fabulous five’ – Captain Anil Kumble, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman – touring down under for one last battle. The importance of ending their career on a high conquering the mighty Aussies, the last Indian tour where India tasted relatively huge success by leveling the test series 1-1, the question mark over the possibility of grabbing 20 wickets with not so experienced pace attack.

But for me, this Indian tour, a score line in favor of India is imperative for more than the reasons mentioned above. What will Anil Kumble and his exuberant Indian team will carry with them is the battle for rest of the world against the all conquering Australian team in their own land. I say this because this Indian team is the only team to challenge Australia consistently well and have managed to put them on mat more than a few occasions.

The last three test series between the two teams have resulted in some intriguing combat. The epic series in 2001 saw India stop the Aussie juggernaut of record 16 consecutive wins by winning the Kolkatta test match by 171 runs after being bowled out for the same number of runs in the first innings and facing follow-on. The match saw some Godly batting display by VVS Laxman, an aficionado of Australian attack. India rapped the series in Chennai with some deadly bowling from Harbajhan Singh., the Australians where blown out and lost the battle of minds as well as the skills.

The next series was in 2003-04 down under where one expected the visitors to lose 4-0. But that saw a fighting captain in Sourav Ganguly displaying a tiger like attitude to rattle the Aussie bowling on the way to his brilliant century enabling India to hold draw in that crucial first test at Brisbane. His innings certainly inspired his team to put on fearless show there on lead by Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Virender Shewag. The middle order batsmen fired consistently after solid opening partnerships match after match.

The third series was back in India where Australia conquered a test series on Indian soil after 35 years. This too was a closely fought encounter and could have well been 2-2 had the last day of Chennai test match not rained out.

The formula for India will be very much the same this time too. The first test on Boxing Day will be crucial as in case of any test series. Melbourne has never been a happy hunting ground for any visiting team and a draw here will be the key for a competitive series. India can snatch the initiative in Sydney by employing two spinners, enhancing their chances of taking 20 wickets. The third test will be very crucial once gain. Last time after a win at Adelaide they lost in Melbourne, this time the third test will be played at Perth. Honestly there are only two results possible – an Australian victory or a miraculous draw. If India can sneak through a draw then they have a realistic chance of an easy draw or even a win in one of their favorite ground in Adelaide Oval. Especially this Indian team will have happier memories of this ground having won here last time.

Anil Kumble will feel at ease with the situation that he is in, having seven of his batters in form. Sourav is at his life time best and his contribution and responsibility in the middle order will be decisive. Laxman has always been at his best against Aussies and the whole nation will hope he will continue his good showing this time as well.

There has been a lot of debate over the opening slot and I strongly believe opening with Rahul Dravid is a huge gamble. If the indications of India’s tour match is anything to go by then I will be keeping my fingers tightly crossed. He has always been the mainstay of Indian batting overseas and it will be no different this time. Losing him early will be a huge moral disaster for the players inside the dressing room. His loss will play in the minds of the batsmen to come thereafter and can affect their batting as well. Dravid’s sheer presence in the middle is more than enough to keep the opposition thinking and I strongly recommend not to open with him. Though he has been out of the team for almost a year now, Viru will be my choice as he can play mind games with Brett Lee and Co.

As kumble said, it’s vital that India should post totals of 400 plus in their first innings every time to give its bowlers a fair chance. Talking about the Indian bowling, my money will be on RP Singh. He has knack to surprise the batsmen with his pace and bounce. He is relatively new to Australian batsmen and the alien conditions will only help him his cause. Even Ishant Sharma and Pankaj Singh can actually be a surprise package as their height being their advantage. However, India will be missing the accurate seam bowling of Sreesanth for sure.

This series will be watched closely by rest of cricket fraternity. India has nothing to lose and have to showcase some fearless display of attitude and skill. An Indian win can certainly restore the hopes of other cricket playing nations of defeating Australia and bring the game of cricket alive which has been now dominated by Aussies for a long time.

Kirsten the Right Choice

(Article wrote a week after Kirsten's appointment as India Coach)

After controversial Chappell regime it took seven months of highly intense drama filled BCCI’s baffling administration, Ford crisis, captain’s frustration leading to overall pressure with undying media speculation has at last resulted in Team India having a new coach in Gary Kirsten.

Former South African opener will fit in as an excellent choice as he can be looked as a long term solution compared to various other names that did the rounds throughout the hunt. A reasonable and plain-speaking approach, in short as many believe a John Wright approach was required to handle the big names and also to understand the psychology of the Indian players. To say the least, this was a must after a bossy Chappell rule.

Kirsten will serve with distinction. A tactful person in nature he looks prepared to remain behind the scene. He was a thinking cricketer during his playing days and can be a good analyzer. Having Gary will actually end up being a big advantage because he has played a lot of cricket against the many senior players in the Indian team starting from Sachin Tendulkar to Yuvraj Singh and Harbajan Singh. Therefore, for sure he will be in a position to help these cricketers by letting them know how the opposition plan to counter them as he had been the part of south African dressing room planning one of these Indian’s dismissal.

Also another plus of Kirsten is he will be very much aware of the demands of modern day cricket and the physical and mental stress comes along with it.

Kirsten as a player never took things for granted, neither his place in the team nor his form with the bat. He worked hard for his runs so does he will as a coach. He also has this charm to induct a positive influence among youngsters and keeping them on toes.

Kirsten wasn’t a gifted batsman as he worked hard on his technique throughout his successful career and this will make him to show patience with some of the less gifted players. He played under Hansie Cronje for most of his career and a team was one of the top teams in the world which showed good aggression and competence. Coming up from such a background he can keep up the momentum going inside the dressing room.

Kirsten might not have coaching experience of a national team or even a domestic side but he has the ability to learn the nuance of coaching in a short span of time. Coaching an international team is not about teaching how to hold your bat grip or how to get your seam position right but it is about facilitating the players’ needs. And now if you think if he suits the best as coach, he is the most appropriate I feel. The credit should go to the coach selection committee comprising Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar and Srinivas Venkataragavan for entrusting Gary Kirsten with the job.

He will play his cards close to his chest in handling the team as a whole, the seniors, the BCCI and the Indian media. And he has already given us the glimpses of that by making himself available full-time from March, smartly avoiding the team’s tour of Australia. However, his presence as coach will be one more interesting phase in Indian cricket.

Kirsten is already into his first task meeting the team in Bangalore during the on-going third test verses Pakistan trying to interact with the players. After the Australian tour he will be presiding over the change in guard. And he has the brilliance, understanding and strength to take charge.

Dominant Indian Batsmen Silence Critics

At the start of the ongoing India-Pakistan test series there was enormous pressure and a little temptation among selectors and typical media speculation surrounding the inclusion of in-form Yuvraj Singh in the playing eleven. And with two days into the second test, the two men under the cloud Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman proved their worth for yet another time in the test team with some brilliant and breadth taking stroke play displaying authority on the field.

Sourav Ganguly before the second test said, it was his dream to score a century in his home ground. The stage was perfectly set for ‘the Prince of Kolkata’ with India already scoring 300 runs as he walked in. with less than an hour to go on the first day’s play, he played with caution and the next morning he made his presence felt with some trademark dada drives- Godly! - on the off-side. He wasn’t reluctant to put his bat to the bouncers as he pulled Shoaib Akthar and Mohmmad Sami for boundaries with ease.

If Sourav was ‘Son of the soil’, on the other end partnering him for the fifth wicket was VVS Laxman once again proved that he is ‘Lord of Eden Gardens’ as one of the banners in stands claimed. It is always a delight to watch Laxman playing his ‘very very special’ on drive against the leg spin and this time Dainsh Kaneria fell victim to his beautiful wrist work. The duo put on 163 run stand before Ganguly sacrificed his wicket trying to hit his trademark lofted six over long on to satisfy his everlasting fans who have undefined love for him.

Before all this the stage belonged to the Mumbai boy, well if your guess is Sachin Tendulkar it’s not. But it was Wasim Jaffer who stole the show on first day with elegant stroke play including 34 hits to the fence filled with attractive cuts and pulls and gorgeous drives on both sides. The flow of runs was never in question when he was at crease as he maintained a 100% testimony in punishing the loose balls for fours. Playing around him was Rahul Dravid putting on 136 runs for second wicket and Sachin Tendulkar adding 175 for the third wicket taking India to a position of strength.

The first day of second test was one of those rare occasions where Sachin Tendulkar when in full form was overshadowed by relatively inexperienced Jaffer. However, it was a pleasure to watch Indian batting dictating terms to the opposition.

If the exhibition at Kolkata is dominant, in Delhi it was efficient enough to make amends. Though few big names in the Indian batting failed in the first innings, Laxman and Dhoni took India to safety before captain Kumble along with the Hydrabadi made sure India take some sizeable lead in the first innings. Laxman silenced his critic with a help of patient and unbeaten 72 runs. After a deadly display by Indian bowlers led by skipper Anil Kumble, Wasim Jaffer provided India with a good start chasing a moderate total followed by Tendulkar and Ganguly show who did good for themselves by scoring handful of runs. Ganguly calmed the nerves in the dressing room by some aggressive batting taking India closer to victory before stumps on the fourth day.

As Test captain for the first time Anil Kumble draw lot of praise from the former captains including the ones in the team. His move to bring Sourav Ganguly to bowl with the new ball on fourth day morning was a master stroke fetching him two wickets. He shuffled the bowlers well as one would expect from him and his field placements were accurate.

And for Yuvraj, he might be at the form of his life but it is certain that it is not enough to open the doors in the playing XI. And the scenario was rightly articulated by Anil Kumble. "I think Laxman's knock was very crucial considering the circumstances. He's a fantastic player and his partnership with Dhoni was very critical for us. I don't know why there is always a sword hanging over his head. It's only a perception from those not within the dressing room. We [the team] know what quality he brings in and his role in the team is very crucial," Kumble said in a press conference in Delhi. Yuvraj has to wait a little longer.

Shouldering South Africa

The whole of cricketing fraternity might have zeroed-in on to the India – Pakistan One day series, where India already secured an unbeatable 3-1 lead or might watch Aussies bulldoze the Lankans on their way to 14^th test match victory in a row under Ricky Ponting’s captaincy; two short of Steve Waugh’s 16 consecutive wins. However on the other part of the world there is a gentleman cricketer piling on agony on his opponents match after match, series after series by scoring centuries one after the other.

Jacques Henry Kallis has just completed his 29^th test century, fifth this season in just four matches with an innings to go, unless otherwise South Africa complete an innings win over New Zealand. His last seven test innings reads 155, 100*, 59, 107*, 29, 186 and 131. He has been an unsung hero when compared to the likes of Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrict, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid or Brian Lara.

The start to his international career was an ordinary one, but Kallis blossomed into arguably one of the world’s leading batsmen with sound defensive technique, and array of cricket book stroke play under his armor. His all round ability with bat and ball and his catching as a specialist slip fielder is a metaphor to eagle’s eye. He is second to none in terms of consistency and rightly so he is trusted with the responsibility of walking in at the all crucial number three position after South African team management tried out various options.

Docile and unemotional in nature, he nailed down the No. 3 position in the South African batting order, and his quality of strokes scaled new highs since then. He has scored over 9000 test runs at a staggering average of 57.74 and also has 219 victims to his name.

A Kallis century tastes a sour flavor, tends to be a soulless affair with mileage taking primacy over bang-bang style, and he has never shown up that he is a selfish cricketer, has covered it up nicely by brining in balance between his interest in his average and his team's position. But whatever might be the case, he has propelled himself to the top of the all-time South African Test batting list.

Kallis until the emergence of Andrew Flintoff, was by some distance the leading all-rounder in the world game along side Sri Lanka’s veteran cricketer Sanath Jayasuria.

His competence with the ball is as good as his with the bat. He is capable of swinging the ball sharply at surprising pace off a relaxed run-up. He can easily clock 140Kmph taking the batsman by surprise and is very reliable in providing breakthroughs.

At the 2007 World Cup Kallis was South Africa’s leading scorer with 475 runs but was sacked for the Twenty20 World Championship later in the year for his style of play. He stood in as captain when Graeme smith was injured and lead the team to whitewash over Zimbabwe but lost the Future Cup against India 1-2. He has played some match winning and match saving knocks for his team over the years. Earlier this year he came to the party when the test series against Pakistan was tied 1-1 with the third test played at Newlands Capetown, he scored a crucial half century after South Africa was four down for 36 runs chasing a target of 161. Not just that, he bolstered his team’s attack in the absence of Shaun Pollock, picked up a match haul of 6 wickets also grabbing the Man-of-the-match award.

His consistency was aptly rewarded as he emerged ICC Test player of the Year 2005 and ICC Player of the Year 2006.

Kallis off the field is a humble person. He has established the Jacques Kallis Scholarship Foundation with the aim to combine the academic and life skills programmes of existing school structures with funding and mentoring support from him. In so doing, the Foundation will provide talented youngsters from all walks of life the opportunity to reach their full sporting and academic potential.

Jumbo Power

For once in the blue moon the selection committee of Indian cricket team has managed to save their faces by appointing veteran Anil Kumble as India’s Test captain. After lots of speculation doing the rounds following Sachin Tendulkar’s refusal to lead the Indian test team, the responsibility of a smooth transition of Indian cricket from older generation to the younger lot falls on the man who has a never say die attitude. The selectors made the right move honoring India’s highest wicket taker ahead of present ODI and T20 captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni who was tipped to be the front runner.

“Better late than never” said Kumble and exactly so, every Indian fan will welcome the decision with big smiles as we all know that he has won more matches for India than anyone else. Kumble highest wicket taker for India in both versions of the game was always under the shades of the big three of Indian cricket when it comes to leadership role. Kumble has cool headed shoulders, his feet firmly on the ground and he is a shrewd thinker of the game.

His determination and will power is unmatched. With broken jaws and plastered all over his face he came out to bowl 14 overs picking the priced wicket of Brian Lara for just four runs in the fourth test match played at St. John’s, Antigua in 2002. That was a heartening sight, a sight of a soldier taking the bullet blow still continuing to fight in the battle field. I still remember, the whole of India was speechless and sleepless as everyone was awaken that night to see Kumble battling it out in what was a drawn encounter.

Though the cricket fraternity seems to be happy with his appointment as captain, I must confess that the appointment for just a series is not a healthy signal. What does that mean? Are the selectors putting Anil Kumble on trial as captain or is that they think only one series is enough to groom Dhoni? It makes no sense to put someone of Kumble’s experience as captain for just one series. Instead, the selectors should have given the nod for the whole season, till home series against South Africa.

Kumble has an impressive record with ball in hand against the Pakistan and Australia. His strike rate against these two nations is slightly better at 58 compared to his overall strike rate of 65. He also commands respect from his fellow players and the youngsters in the team. He appears to be a silent guy but he is a great motivator and can have a calming influence over his team members.

Now while Kumble is happy about captaincy, Dhoni need not fuss over it. The leg spinner has retired from the One-dayers means he is no competitor for Dhoni to lead the One-day side. This will allow Dhoni to concentrate more on his test career as a player and lead the team in the shorter formats with a vision in mind. Kumble - Dhoni combo will be an interesting one as both of them are never short of positive energy and positive thinking.

Kumble and challenges go hand in hand; this time the challenge is to achieve equilibrium between past glory and the future hopes. Captaincy for Kumble also means, he will try and enhance his test career without doubt.

Now that Kumble has been trusted with responsibility, it is time to support him. It is clear that Dhoni will takeover from Rahul Dravid in the long run and Kumble, an ideal nominee, approaching the end of his career has one last but the tricky job on hands to engineer the transition.

Intense Encounter, Not for Weak Hearts

“Bigger than the Ashes” says former Australian pacer and present Pakistan Cricket team coach Geoff Lawson. Hearing that from an Australian who played a part in six Ashes encounters will tell you how intense India-Pakistan Clash is all about. Termed as ‘Mother of all encounters’, ‘Clash of two titans’ and more recently ‘Cricket war with no weapons,’ Indo-Pak series will make every heart beat to its rhythm.

The resumption of bilateral ties between the two rivals in 2004 and the frequency of playing against each other, certainly will not take away the prominence of this series. Try drawing a graph between emotions of the fans and tides in the Indian Ocean, you will not find any variation when the series is on.

India-Pakistan series has always been a defining and deciding series for many cricketers. And this series will be very much the same, especially from India’s point of view. The Indian team has been at the apex and nadir on world cricket at different times this year. They have managed to do the unthinkable twice; first, the first round exit in the World Cup and secondly, winning the Twenty20 World Championship at South Africa. Since the T20 triumph, there has been a huge debate over who should be in and out of the team. The senior pros have been under tremendous pressure to score big to keep their places in the team and the youngsters are ready to make every single chance count.

Last few months Indian cricket has been clouded by uncertainty with selection committee going nowhere with their vision. The players are feeling insecure and its growing rapidly with every sitting of the selection panel. The recently concluded Australian series has provoked the situation even more with the team lacking to put up a fight.

In such a situation, Pakistan tour will be of much importance in constructing the road ahead. With Rahul Dravid already in the sidelines for the first two ODIs there will be enormous pressure on Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. On the other hand, there are the likes of Dinesh Karthik, Rohit Sharma and S Badrinath waiting to grab their slots in the ODI team.

Sachin Tendulkar who made a mark in international cricket against the same opposition nearly two decades back will once again have to depend on this series to regain supremacy and silence his critics. Ironically, in 1989 he was drafted into the team at the expense of experienced Mohinder Amarnath. Once dropped Amarnath never played a test again for India. This time around Sachin might find himself in such a situation. Same will be the case of his opening partner Sourav Ganguly for whom fitness has always been a question.

Every time these two teams lock horns, it has been a battle between India’s batsmen and Pakistan’s bowlers. It will be no different this time. Pakistan will definitely miss the service of Mohammad Asif. Asif with his wily bowling has always troubled Indian batsmen ever since he made a comeback into the national side when India toured Pakistan last year. His four for in the second innings at Karachi settled the match for Pakistan as well as the series 1-0 in their favor. Since then, Asif leads the Pakistan’s pace attack.

That tour also defined a match winner in India’s RP Singh. Singh who made his test debut in Faisalabad bowled with good pace and bounce and control in a dead pitch, managed to climb four wickets in the first innings and five in the match ultimately earning the man of the match award.

Shoaib Akhtar, though doesn’t deserves to be in the team for his attitude, might be the difference between the two teams with his extra pace. Pakistan also has a decent batting line-up with Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik bolstering the middle order. Salman Butt who has been in and out of the team has always been a certainty when playing against India. Butt has three centuries in his career and all of them have come against their rival team.

On the other hand, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his deputy Yuvraj Singh will be leading batting charts this time. Yuvraj has been in sublime form since the T20 show and will be the backbone of Indian middle order in the absence of Rahul Dravid. Dhoni is another example of players who defined their careers in an India-Pakistan series. In 2004-05, after scores of 0, 12, 7 and 3, he became an overnight hero when he was promoted to number three, smashed the Pakistan bowlers around the park for his 148 in just 123 balls. His average against the rivals is also very healthy compared to his overall average.

Virender Shewag making a comeback into the team also serves special when it comes to playing Pakistan. He is the only Indian to score a triple ton in test cricket and that came against Pakistan. He also has another score of above 250 against them in the longer version and he is in long due for a big one yet again.

India and Pakistan have so much in common, the culture, language, food, and the passion for the game. The battle between the two teams had always been intense and the history says it all. How can one dare to forget the Javed Miandad frog jump, Amair Sohail – Venkatesh Prasad encounter in 1996 World Cup Quarterfinal, Miandad’s last ball six of Chetan Sharma, the bat and ball contest between Sachin Tendulak and Abdul Qadir in 1989 or even the most recent T20 bowl-out as well as Misbah-ul-Haq’s miscue at the hands of Sreesanth in the final.

A history, which has seen epic battles setting one nation in frenzy while the other morns. No doubt, cricket fans across the two nations will be glued to the television sets throughout the series. It doesn’t get any bigger than this!

Art of Winning Key Moments

After the Twenty20 World Cup high, Indians were expected to give the Australians a run for their money in the one day format. Having said that, one was little unsure what kind of an impact will the return of seniors will be on the team, on the field as well as in the dressing room. The expectations from the new captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni were high having seen his magical touch with the thinking cap on in the Twenty20 World Cup. But the question remained of how well he will be able to handle the three former captains in the side. Amidst all this a score line of 4-2 in favor of Australia hardly revels you anything, considering that India managed to have Australia on the mat many a times but failed to slice the initiative.

The sixth one day match at Nagpur provides you with more than one occasion where Australia seized the opportunity to bounce back and successfully delivered the knock-out punch. The first of those occasions was when India managed to grab four wickets with 121 on the board in 22 overs. Certainly at this point of time, the initiative was with India before Sreesanth spilled a costly catch from Andrew Symonds on two. This cost India a dear, the muscle man powered his way to his first century against India. This was his fourth score of above 75 in this series.

One of the other occasions in that Aussie innings was when Dhoni handled the ball to Yuvraj Singh, the over cost 15 runs. This happened after an excellent art of spin bowling by Harbajan Singh and Murali Karthik, both managed to apply the pressure by not conceding boundaries.

Neither captain has enjoyed the new rule of mandatory ball change after 34 overs. And this has undoubtedly taken a toll on Indian bowlers. India gave away 102 runs in the last 10 overs, 57 of them coming in the last five. Once again, for the third time in the first half of the match India lost the momentum.

Chasing 300 plus score India was blessed with a century stand from the most successful opening pair of Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. The pair added 140 for the first wicket from 25 overs. There on, once again India lost the plot by sending in Irfan Pathan in place of a regular batsman. And in the end overs, the required run rate kept mounting but Indian batsmen couldn’t find boundaries. In the end, India fell short by 18 runs.

Similarly, India got off to good starts but failed to consolidate in the matches played at Bangalore and Kochi. They had Australia at 90 for 4 from 17 overs and 66 for 3 from 16 overs at Bangalore and Kochi respectively. And both those occasions Aussies easily managed a score above 300, clearly shows inconsistency in Indian bowling.

The first ODI was a wash out, but in the second ODI five of the top six Indian batsmen got of to a good start but none of them managed to score a big one.

The Hyderabad ODI saw Yuvraj play a flamboyant knock, but his ton was overshadowed by Aussie brilliance. After 30 overs they had 140 on the board, but runs came thick and fast in the next 20. Aussies managed to pile on another 150 runs in that period.

Australia’s game plan for the Indian batsmen seemed to be the same throughout the series. The Aussie bowlers attacked the off stump channel of the Indian openers and were highly successful in doing so on most of the occasions. Their opening bowlers combined well to haunt the Indian top order getting early breakthroughs, followed by Brad Hogg with his wily spin bowling never allowed Indian scoreboard to tick.

Adam Gilchrist, in one of his columns for a daily before the start of the final ODI in Mumbai mentioned that this is a closely fought series unlike what the score line reads. He said that the Aussies managed to win the key moments. And he is right; they did manage to tilt the balance in their favor every time the situation was even.

India lost the ODI series, but not many Indian fans looked bothered, as all geared up for the much hyped one-off Twenty20 match. A version in which India was crowned World Champions only a few weeks ago, the onus was on the young Indian team to prove that was just for nothing.

Australia taking on World Champions. Now doesn’t that sound odd? Indeed it was and India proved it’s worth the comment by a convincing victory yesterday.

India outplayed Australia in two areas considered to be India’s nightmare. These are running between the wickets and fielding. Such a display has prompted the Aussie captain Ricky Ponting to say that they are willing to play this young Indian team more often in the future. A comment like this can create unwanted pressure and speculations among the Indian news channels, known for their no sense hype.

Spoon feeding them for a chance of speculation was young Robin Uthappa, addressing the pre-match press conference, he said, the dressing room atmosphere is lot more comfortable. What does that really mean? Well, no one knows, and all we have to do is wait for the high voltage Pakistan series to kick start.

Meanwhile, one should not forget the way Australians exhibited their brand of cricket. They have simply mastered the art of winning the 50-50 moments.

Inzamam - The Benevolent Servant of the Game

Pakistan tour of India in 2005, third test match at Bangalore, trailing by 0-1 Pakistan was under tremendous pressure of a second straight series loss to India in a span of one year beckoning. Winning the toss and electing to bat Pakistan lost their openers with just seven runs on the board, walked in the skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq with a cool head. Looking to occupy the crease with Younis Khan for his company, Inzamam started with a cautious fifty, there on he only varied his tempo and not the temperament. He exploded the Indian attack to all corners with some beautiful drives with sheer timing and his trademark back-foot cut. On reaching his 21st century, he was picking singles at will before Lakshmipathy Balaji trapped him leg before first ball of the second day’s play. But by then with Younis Khan, he had put Pakistan well on their way to a series-leveling win. And this is Inzamam at his best for you.

Inzy is a man of strength and delicacy. Powerful hitting should be no surprise, but his sublime touch when on song is remarkable for a man of his bulk. He hates exercising and often looks a passenger on the field, but with a willow in his hands he is Rahul Dravid of Pakistan – the Wall.

There are many other Inzy moments, the 1992 World Cup semi-final knock against New Zealand, the Multan one wicket win over Bangladesh, power steering knock of 122 against India in Karachi ODI where they lost by just 5 runs chasing 350 and a marathon knock of 329 against Kiwis in a test match. Each and everyone of his knock have one thing in common – a calming influence on the scoreboard and a breadth easy dressing room atmosphere.

He led Pakistan with dignity and was successful in earning respect from his boys as well – a rarity in Pakistan dressing room. He had a calming effect on the boys getting them to give their best every time they took the field. His above mentioned knock in Bangalore in his 100th test match brought out the leader in him.

He didn’t have a good physic; with his overweight body led to names such as ‘aloo’ he was a comic character on the field. Popular for his bizarre running between the wickets, he was good in compensating that with his willowy blows. He was the backbone of the Pakistan middle order for a longtime though never had the necessity to be a lone warrior. He was well supported by Javid Miandad, Salim Malik, Imran Khan, Saeed Anwar, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan throughout his career. He neither had the pressure as what Sachin Tendulkar or Sourav Ganguly or Rahul Dravid face from their fans.

His conversion rate of centuries into a match winning one is also very good compared to some of his compatriots with 17 out of 25 resulting in a win. However, his ODI record isn’t that great, showing a sense of under achievement. Playing 378 ODIs, most for a Pakistani, he only managed 10 centuries with an average a shade under 40. Though he had the potential to anchor an innings, he preferred playing lower down the order and was criticized by many former cricketers for not taking the leading role.

In a long career as his, hardly anyone can escape poor form. He was no exception. He was also dodged with poor form especially during the 2003 World Cup where he managed a mere 16 runs from six innings with Pakistan knocked out in the first round.

On the other hand, he wasn’t always under the good books; he also faced a fair share of criticism and clouded with controversy. He had a few spats with Shoaib Akhtar which resulted in some unrest in the team for sometime. And his last one year of international cricket hasn’t been good either. Defeat at the hands of Ireland sealed the World Cup for Pakistan in the Caribbean, an event overshadowed by Bob Woolmer death. The team was under immense pressure, with being blamed for Woolmer’s death and police enquiry, he passed one of the most difficult phases of his life.

He was also blamed for influencing religion within the team and the last one year one saw more of emotional Inzamam than anything else.

Clearly he shouldn’t be remembered for every thing that has happened in the last one year. For a career that spanned for 15 years it is natural that a stain or two happens to stick on. One has to salute the courage and the greatness in him to fight out all that he came across to sign off with a smile.

Tale of Two Unsung Heroes

Big shoulders and stylish stroke play are their common features. One is the opening bat; the other a strong middle order player, can relish any bowling attack on their respective days. Both playing for different teams, have been in and out of the team throughout their career.

The reasons are plenty; Mathew Hayden who made his debut long ago in 1994 was overshadowed by the presence of players like Mark Waugh, Mark Taylor and Michel Slater through most of his career. So was the case of our very own VVS Laxman who kick started his career in 1996 played under the shades of Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammed Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. Their agility on the field was always under the scanner and for the same they were in the side lines of the one-day team for most part of their career.

Everyone have their day of delight, a turning point rather sooner or later in their career. And for these two style icons, the chance to hog the limelight came in 2001 when Australia toured India under the captaincy of Steve Waugh.

Since the day Hayden landed in India, he slog-swept his way to glory by piling 549 runs in that series, then an Australian record for a three match series.

Landing in India, Australians where on a roll, on their winning streak of 15 tests and managed to win their sixteenth in Mumbai trashing India by 10 wickets. It didn’t take any time for ‘Haydos’ to stamp his mark as he steered the Australian first innings with a dominant century. Then he powered his way to a double hundred in Chennai in the final test with some fearless batting where the rest of his teammates struggled against Harbajhan Singh.

Matthew Hayden is 36, yet his eyes have the sharpness of an eagle, highly successful in dispatching the ball to all corners of the ground. It’s raining runs since his latest comeback to the one day team. He scored a whirlwind 181 against Kiwis, an Australian record for the highest individual score in ODIs just before the World Cup. That enabled him to book his tickets for the Caribbean tour. He scored three centuries ending the tournament as the highest run getter with 659 runs. He along with Adam Gilchrist made sure that their team drives in top gear every time they go out to bat. He is already the top run scorer ODIs for the calendar year 2007, way ahead of the rest in the list.

He also managed to top score in the recently concluded Twenty20 World Cup which was supposed to be a young men’s game.

All this came from a man who was dropped from both test and ODI teams in the year 2005 and got to play just two ODI since then till 2007. So what is Matthew Hayden’s Strength? Get a closer look again, you will find out that ‘strength’ is his strength. He is very strong in character, both mentally and physically.

Mental strength is VVS Laxman’s forte. He is no different from Hayden, used to many comebacks and managed to make it big the same time along with Hayden in the same series in 2001. His knock in that second innings of the Kolkata test match turned it all, once for ever. His majestic knock of 281 not just helped India to win that test and level the series but they went on to win the series by winning in Chennai as well. Doing so, he beleaguered Steve Waugh’s thought of being invincible Australians stopping the Aussie juggernaut of 16 consecutive test wins.

Hayden, part of two World Cup winning teams, Laxman was overlooked by the selectors should consider himself unlucky.

At his sublime best, watching Laxman play is something that every connoisseur of the game would like to. Wristy and willoy he can grace the cricket field with his wide range of strokes. He belongs to those rare breed of players who are good at hitting the same delivery on either side of the field. And when he does that even the opposition forgets that they are at the receiving end. His presence on the crease is a luxury and at time his stroke play even bettered Tendulkar’s.

Presently a regular in India’s test team when they play with four bowlers finds himself out when they opt for five bowlers. Whatever is the composition of the team that will not be the case when India takes on Australia down under in a couple of months.

His nickname is ‘Very Very Special’ and he stores his special for the Australians. With the tour of down under on the cards it will be no surprise if he makes yet another strong comeback. Watch out!

Indian Cricket in Safe Hands

Before the start of the tournament, no one including the players themselves gave a chance for them to make it to the knock-out stage of the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup. The reasons were many, considering that a new young team with a new captain, a team without the holy trinity of Indian cricket, lack of experience in this shortest format with just one game under their belt and the team’s unproven record of winning tournaments.

At the end of the fairy-tale journey, during the presentation ceremony, the winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said, “We were not tipped favourites, nobody expected us to reach the Super Eights or knock-out stage. And whenever the expectation is less, the determination is high.” Interestingly, that did turned out to be India’s strength.

The team played with no pressure, displayed some powerful but sensible batting, the bowlers stick to their basics, where they were highly successful in defending moderate totals every time Mahendra Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat and at last youthful exuberance on the field which was beyond belief. It was a team effort as the captain correctly pointed out that this team has no stars.

The team also had established players in Sehwag, Irfan Pathan and Harbajan Singh who were on their comeback trail. The trio was under tremendous pressure as everyone thought, if this short span of time on the field is the right stage for them to prove their worth. But what was unveiled out of them was a brave display. Pathan made a comeback with a maiden first over, carrying on from there he went on to bowl a match winning spell in the final at Johannesburg. Harbajhan proved decisive in the end overs bowling some deadly yorkers and getting crucial breakthrough. Sehwag was at his destructive best in the match against New Zealand and England showing signs of his best.

In Zaheer’s absence, this young bowler from Rai Barelly took the responsibility of leading the pace attack. Rudra Pratap Singh didn’t get any man-of the match award for himself but he was definitely India’s bowler of the tournament. He provided vital breakthroughs at the start of the innings in every match. Supporting him from the other end was Kerala express Sreesanth. He wasn’t at his best in the tournament but he did manage to bowl a match winning spell in that all important semi-final against Australia taking two wickets for just 12 runs in his four overs.

The batting line-up was missing the names of Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid for the first time since 1989 but that really didn’t have any effect with the willow. After their loss to Kiwis Indians were in a situation to win every match to take the crown. As a first step they did exceedingly well to knock the home team out and book a place in the Durban final. The mainstay of Indian batting was Yuvraj Singh. Seriously, I have never seen such a clean hitting in the last decade or so. He played no nonsense shorts but still managed to score over a strike rate of 200.

Gambhir at the top of the order was solid with his array of stroke play. He held the Indian innings together in most of the matches providing the team with good starts. One thought he has done more than expectations but he proved everyone wrong by storing his best for the finals. The rest of the batsmen chipped in at needy hours with crucial runs.

The English summer wasn’t a great one on the field for the Indians as there were a dozen of catches being spilled during the one-day series. Contrastingly, what we saw here in South Africa over the two weeks was a young Indian team with vim and vigor. Dinesh Kaarthik pounced on to the one at slips to get rid of Graeme Smith was stupendous. Yuvraj Singh, Rohit sharma and Robin Uthappa were accurate with their throws, hitting the stumps every time. Opponents nightmare, India’s joy; it just appeared as if Indian team was filled with Jonty!

When the whole of India wondering what to expect out of newly appointed ‘skipper’ Mahendra Singh Dhoni, he preferred to stay cool and enjoy the outing. Throughout the tournament he was outstanding with his decision making, even outsmarting the so called cricket pundits. Dhoni never allowed his boys to feel the pressure; he was constantly talking to his bowlers in crucial situations and backing them up irrespective of the outcome. His marshalling of resources captured everyone’s imagination, even his opposite number was no exception. Adam Gilchrist praised Dhoni for his brilliant moves in the semi-final saying, “I thought Dhoni captained beautifully tonight. He just chose the right times to bowl those bowlers in the last three or four overs.”

Overall it was a great team performance, probably the best in the last twenty years. Clearly, India displaying no fear as its captain, outplayed all other teams in the tournament, emerged deserved winners.

As in South Africa, Dhoni and his boys did not fail to make a mark on their arrival in India. “We are told that Mumbai is a city which is always on the move. See, my boys and I have brought the entire city to a standstill today,” he said during the felicitation at the Wankhede stadium. And they certainly managed to do so.

It was a great team performance, so was their home coming. Thousands of people lined up on the streets of Mumbai braving the heavy rain to welcome their heroes. But now the focus is on the Australian series, with the first of the seven ODIs starting tomorrow it will be interesting to see how Mahendra Singh Dhoni get his act together, specially when the big three are back. What will be the dressing room atmosphere? Will there be any kind of uneasiness among the players and if any, will that have any effect on the team performance?

One has to wait and see, as I am writing this article a day before the start of the first one-day battle at Bangalore.

However, the victory on the big stage has certainly given cricket fans a big sigh of relief that the future of Indian cricket is in safe hands of these youngsters who are willing to fight fire with fire.