A Global Showcase for Scandals, Scams and Shame

As Indians, we have seen our fare share of scandals and scams. But we now live in a highly connected world, and our scammers need to evolve as well to keep up with this evolution of technology. Scandals and Scams in India are no longer a third-world page-10 news that no body cares about, and ones that are easily swept under the carpet. India is constantly under a microscope and everything we do is talked about in all corners of the Investing world.

So, in this environment, how big of a risk is it to host global sporting events such as the Cricket World Cup? The recent ticketing fiascos go on to show how grossly mismanaged the easiest of the things can be. One would imagine that selling tickets might be one of the simpler things to accomplish in organizing an event. But no sir, Bengaluru Karnataka, arguably one of the better organized and run domestic Cricket boards in India, is the latest victim to some good old fashioned mismanagement. As reported by a Karnataka Cricket board employee, Income Tax officials rang the doorbells at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Friday morning to conduct an ‘inquiry’. These sleuths were on to something! Due to the last minute running around, the board officials requested them to come back later, but the inquiry could not be postponed under any circumstances!! After a lot of jostling, the tax officials yielded in return to 20 tickets to the Sunday game. Justice comes in many different flavors apparently.

And between the bribes, Corporate Hospitality, Sponsors’ shares and BCCI sahebs, there is no one who can put an accurate number on the tickets that can be sold to the poor general public. There have been utter chaos on internet ticketing sites, and people beaten to pulp at the stadiums while trying to buy tickets in person. These events come in the wake of yet another lethargy-induced-debacle resulting in Kolkata losing its highest profile WC game. All this happens when the World media has anchored in India, watching, observing and reporting.

Commonwealth games gave us a perfectly good example too of how naked we can really be when looked at from an outside perspective. NY Times ran three cover stories showing some pretty embarrassing pictures of the utter chaos that supposedly was the preparation for CWG. It is good in a way, you might think, because bringing these issues out in the open might push the authorities to take action and set examples. But alas, the events get over, the global media leaves, and what is left behind are lengthy court proceedings that go from page 1 to mid sections, and then eventually slip off the newspapers altogether. Then comes another global event, and another time for reflections.

What the Indian Government needs to realize is that apart from the routine embarrassment, these global revelations of corruption and mismanaged Government agencies are having much more far reaching impacts. India’s economy has shown recession-defying growth in the recent years, and there is no secret that a big part of this growth rides on the strong influx of Foreign Direct Investments. New York Times ran a story yesterday on how the foreign investment in India has dipped by a staggering 31 percent in 2010. A third of it, gone! Investment houses and the big-sharks have repeatedly cited our recent scandals as primary reasons to start pulling money out of this volatile market. The fiascos at CWG are mentioned right along with the recent wireless 2G scams as well as Vodafone-Hutchinson episodes. The simple fact is that when a foreign investor’s faith in the basic Government structures is shaken, there are serious repercussions.

Global events are meant to be advertisements to showcase a country’s sustainability, potential and stability. But it is a double-edged sword as we are beginning to see now. When you invite the world to your home, you better make sure that things are neat and tidy.

A 31 percent dip in direct investments is not a laughing matter. And the part that these globally-ridiculed gross mishaps play in redefining a country‘s image is not either.

India can boast of economic growth and sky scrapers at length. But until we get our act together like a true economic powerhouse, we can’t strive to become one.

With great global events comes great responsibility.

The Mundane, The Surprising and a Broken Television: First Impressions from the World Cup 2011

Part 2: Visiting Teams

Among the visiting nations, Australia is starting to look better and better. They were quite efficient in dismissing Zimbabwe with most things working out well for them, and their act against NZ was almost flawless. Watson is in the form of his life, Clarke is showing good technique in handling spin bowling and the fast bowlers are packing enough firepower and working exceedingly well as a unit. Though there is plenty of room for the rest of the batsmen to find their fluency against slow bowling, especially in the absence of Hussey, and lacking a front line spinner can not be stressed enough as a serious drawback for the Aussies.

The other thing that is a major worry for them, and what makes for juicy news, is their Captain's well being, both mentally as well as with batting form. There have been enough outbursts in the recent past for both his mental calmness and ability to lead to be questioned. People close to him have continued to show faith in him, and he has received sufficient support from the team and the board. But the broken TV incident seems to be the icing that takes these worries to the next level. The most surprising factor is really the nothingness that provoked this reaction. There was no bad umpiring decision, or a horrible shot selection or even a personal slur from the bowler, it was simply a freak throw from the deep that found the bails with Ponting inches short. Moreover, this was a game against Zimbabwe in the very early stages of the tournament. Nothing to panic about. And yet, a long frustrated-self-mumbling walk and a broken TV later, we wonder if there is something else going on with good ol’ Ricky boy.

Moving on, New Zealand finally had something to look back on other than the horrors of their recent past, but Australia spoiled it again for them. They should feel good about their win against Kenya, but they are kind of back to square one after their ordinary outing against Australia. Against Kenya, Bennett showed that laser-like accuracy is a much-rewarded quality in the sub-continent conditions. Nathan McCullum opening the bowling brought back fond memories from 1992, but fails to be a penetrating option. They would probably have hoped for a better exercise for their batters in the first game, but bowling first deprived them of the opportunity with Kenya imploding for a paltry total. NZ has tried some different things which shows an open attitude and approach towards solving their problems, but very few things seem to be working out for them. Their batters especially the top 4 have to find form quickly if they want to extend their stay beyond the first round.

England looked like amateur school kids on the field. With utter chaos, lack of communication, dropped catches and over throws...they pretty much found every single way to mess things up and invented new ones. What followed though was quite the opposite. They chased down a tricky target with a well thought-out, serene and professional batting performance. Contributions came from almost everyone involved and not from a single handed miracle, though Strauss certainly stood out as the pick of the English batsmen. There could be the argument of the Dutch bowling attack being sub par when compared to some of the other ones the English are going to encounter. But one thing is for sure, they have got a heck of a lot issues to sort in a short time. The game against India on Sunday is going to test them a lot more than what the Dutch did. Broad, Anderson and Swann will go in with a lot of responsibility on their shoulders, and the rest, well they will have to find a way to hold on to catches and somehow try and keep four fielders within the circle!

Watching West Indies play is like visiting Purana Kila, reflecting that it used to be a place where Kings lived, but is now in ruins with nothing but graffiti on its walls. South Africa made easy work of West Indies even when at one stage it looked like we were going to have match at our hands. SA will be extremely happy with their performance, with the exception of Amla and Kallis not getting in the thick of things. But considering the work load that these two batsmen have had recently, it is not entirely a bad thing for others to get an opportunity to carry the innings. And boy did they carry it well. AB continues to show us what a class act he is, while Imran Tahir seems to be a new addition to an already potent bowling attack. This is a team, like in every edition since 1992, that looks like the most balanced side and sure contenders to win it all on paper. Can they believe it though? We will find out soon enough.

So, of the notable visitors, South Africa definitely seems to be the pick of the lot. Kallis provides them that sweet balance to carry formidable attacks both on bowling and batting sides, be flexible enough to carry three specialist spinners (!), while still continuing to be one of the best fielding sides in the world. In the calculating spinner that he promises to be, Tahir is just what the Doctor ordered for them to play a World Cup in the sub-continent. Demons of the past notwithstanding, they should last deep into the tournament. Australia, despite some bad press recently, has a lot of good things going on and they certainly are a close second to SA in my books. England and New Zealand have to sort out a lot more problems than these two.

I certainly did not want to be biased against the associate nations, but the write-ups are really based on performances rather than being influenced by the test playing-minnow divide (That is my story and I am sticking to it).

We should take another look at the teams in about a weeks’ time and try our hand at some predictions to keep things cooking!

The Mundane, The Surprising and a Broken Television: First Impressions from the World Cup 2011

Part 1: Sub-continent/Host Teams

As I type these words, South Africa is cruising towards a comfortable victory against the West Indians, and day six of the World Cup is drawing to a close in the sub-continent. A fleeting thought of despair crossed my mind, and for a second I reflected that despite the slow-moving early matches, time seems to be flying by. We would soon be watching the World Cup final and thinking about the four years of emptiness that lies ahead of us. Well, let us for now take solace in the fact that it is still early days in the World Cup and the crushing vacuum is more than a month away. Plenty of time to line up rehab or whatever else it is that we are going to need.

So, back to business, we have finally seen every team in action at least once and it is time for some ‘first impressions’!

With a quick glance across the scorecards and points table, we don't see any surprises at all, and unlike the previous WC, this one seems to be shaping up nicely, checking all the expected boxes and promises to set up some pretty interesting scenarios. However, if you look between the lines, there are enough little surprises to spice things up as well.

All test playing teams have come through their initial games against the associate nations, having stamped their authority at worst, and knocked the daylights out of their opponents at best. From the sub-continent all the powerhouses - India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka look in fine touch, with Bangladesh showing enough promise to keep things in balance.

Among the Asian giants, Pakistan seems to be the side with least number of issues to address. They did well in all departments and walked away from the match with very few question marks. Losing their openers cheaply turned out to be the perfect platform to test the middle order that has been a bit of a worry for the Captain. Things worked out so well that Younis and Misbah indeed batted at 4 and 5, despite contradictory comments from their Captain just a day ago. Umar Akmal showed great touch down the order and one-upped his brother in this match. Overall, four solid half centuries look a lot more promising than one huge hundred. Pakistan batting looks solid, with Razzak and Afridi not even tested yet. Bowling too came off with very few flaws, with Afridi getting a five-for which will do a world of confidence for Afridi the bowler, as well as Afridi the Captain. This team is not just a dark horse, but looks very much the front runner for being in the semi-finals. It will be interesting to see how they hold up as a unit against tougher tests.

Sri Lanka likewise produced a comprehensive performance in their thumping victory against Canada. The batters got plenty of time in the middle, with Sanga and Mahela both showing excellent touch. Dilshan got his routine half century at the top, and even the lower order batsmen showed enough grit to post a total which was simply out of the league for Canada. Bowlers did their part as well with each one being in the thick of things and chipping away with a wicket or two. It must be noted that both Pakistan and SL played weaker associate teams, but minnow or not, these teams still batted for 50 overs and there was enough form on display to promise that these teams are more than likely to hold water against tougher oppositions also.

India was perhaps the only team that faced an opposition that can’t really be called a minnow (especially at home). Some definite questions were raised for the bowling department. India‘s fifth bowler is a definite worry for Dhoni, though that issue was somewhat eclipsed by Sreesanth in the opening game. Both Yuvraj and Yusuf were handled well by Bangladesh, and were scored against at a fair clip. India is going to have to figure out the fifth bowler issue because in the sub-continent, it is these middle overs when the opposition drops anchor and builds the partnerships that will set up the final slog. If India allows opposition batters to bat through the middle overs while scoring at run-a-ball without losing too many wickets, the Indian batters will certainly have their hands full in either inning. On the other hand, Sehwag’s promise to spend more time at the crease and the sublime form can more than compensate for all of this, and more. It is India’s incredible batting talent that will always keep them in the hunt. Especially with Sachin, Sehwag, Gambhir, Kohli, Dhoni and Yusuf all showing good knick coming into the tournament, it is quite a level field for the Asian giants.

Collectively, their ability to handle spin bowling, their adaptability on slow pitches and good form promises a long stay in this tournament for all these three teams. They should all comfortably make it into the quarter finals. Whom they might face in the first knockout game is a conversation for another day.

I will post a part 2 of this write-up where I will take a look at the visiting teams and evaluate what is working and what isn’t.

Until then, peace in the middle east!

Posting Comments

All, as pointed out by my friends in Pittsburgh, the link to post comments was not working with Internet Explorer. The issue is now fixed, and you should be able to post comments in the full page interface (instead of the more convenient, albeit malfunctioning, embedded interface under the post).

The blog is still working better with Chrome and Firefox, but IE should also let you post comments now.

Thanks to Pitt gang for bringing this to my attention. Here I was thinking that everyone simply agreed with everything I said :)

Shoutouts - Part 1

Shoutouts is going to be a new (and hopefully ongoing) topic on this blog where I will commemorate, honor, ridicule or simply mention noteworthy tidbits from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. I have a memo going on my phone where I keep a list of everything that I find worth writing about, and a blog will be posted as soon as I have enough of these. (And you thought that boring-internet-less subway rides couldn’t be useful?)

So, in this first installment, here are some Shoutouts going to:

All of you!! For helping my blog cross the 100-hits mark! Last time I checked, we were 118 (not out). (I must confess that maybe 20% of these are just mine, but hey it is 100 nevertheless). Thanks to everyone who has visited my blog a second time. For folks who only came once and not again, I wish you would give this another chance. I promise I will step it up :)

Harsha Bhogle. If there was anyone who wasn’t yet excited about the World Cup, then Harsha’s ‘WC Daily Video Blog’ is just what the Doctor ordered. Harsha’s violent hand movements will stir you out of hibernation and shove you right into the World Cup mania. It takes some focusing and healthy eye muscles, but you will get used to it.

The Dutch. How about Netherlands scaring the senses out of the English!?! A day after I wrote at length about the low level of skill shown by the associate nations, the Dutch took it personally and came back to almost produce the greatest upset in WC history. Thanks to some very sensible batting (and some very nervous hitting) down the order, the English dug out of the hole. However, these insanely close defeats for the associate nations hurt just as much as the big ones. For folks who missed it, well you really missed it!

Munaf Patel for finally bowling Yorkers that weren’t full tosses on leg stump. And the honest smile. One just can’t see Munaf smiling and not feel that he is the real thing. Never thought I’d say this, but You go Patel!

R Ashwin for the crooked cap he wore all through the warm up game against Australia. About time we got some rapper-ishtyle in Cricket. Go Ashwin-homeboy!

New Zealand for continuing to deal in shock-therapy – coming out of a string of extreme defeats and dive right into extreme victories (that gave them an-unheard-of NRR of over 7.0!!). Both of these make for great records, but one wonders if it is doing anything for this already-disillusioned side. 

More importantly, spare a thought for people suffering through the Earthquake that hit the beautiful city of Christchurch. Our prayers and thoughts are with them.

Geoff Boycott for returning to the sub-continent as part of the commentary team. Though he can’t talk about his favorite Prince-of-Calcutta anymore, just listening to his seriously-Yorkshirish commentary brings back warm and fuzzy memories. He is as good as ever, and having him commentate on games is one of the best experiences to cherish in this tournament.

Madan Lal and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan for being conspicuous by their absence in the WC so far. We could all do with some painfully-plain-saying-like-it-is commentary. You both are being sorely missed. 

Boundaries for Books. Reliance Life Insurance and Room to Read Foundation joining hands to promote Literacy campaigns is just a great effort that all of us should get involved with. This is an initiative where Reliance will donate Rs 25000 for every six that is hit in this tournament to help create libraries and provide books for disadvantaged children. While the batters (and bowlers) are doing their bit by hitting sixes all over the place, you can get involved by visiting www.roomtoread.com/worldcup. 

I hope to keep posting newer versions of ‘Shoutouts‘, but what I would really love is to hear tidbits that all of you found interesting. If you have anything to add to the ones I posted, or have others of your own, feel free to leave comments. Peace out for now!

Will the real fast bowler please stand up?

Having seen Bangladesh seamers work up pace north of 145Ks in the opening game, I am distressed that India might be the only test playing nation in the world without a bowler who can bowl consistently in the healthy 140s. So, first, we certainly don’t seem to be developing the talent that we have, and second, and perhaps more disappointedly, we seem to have mastered a system that destroys genuine fast bowling talent at first sight!

Most Indian fast bowlers that hurled 145Ks at the start of their careers have steadily and surely come down to early 130Ks, without a single one who has reversed the trend and actually developed and increased his pace (except perhaps Kumble who retired as a genuine Indian fast bowling option). When it seems that one of them is trying, they go down with a severe case of ‘Obsessive Compulsive No-Ball Disorder’ or get injured in the process and then go missing in action until they are seen two years later at the IPL auction.

It can’t be the lack of resources, because say what you may about BCCI, the one thing they are absolutely awesome at is making money. If that money is not being put to good use in terms of developing talent at home, then BCCI is simply failing its fundamental duties as the custodian of the game of Cricket in India. (In addition to being criminal since they are supposedly a non-profit organization!).

This World Cup will prove beyond doubt that India’s only weak link is its non-penetrative fast bowling attack. Most games start with a healthy leaking of runs by our opening fast bowlers, some fiery stares at the batsmen with the occasional ‘L for loser’ signs, and just general chaos until spinners can come to stop the bleeding. Lets face it, our average spinners are more bankable than our first-choice fast bowlers and, when push comes to shove, Dhoni has not been shy to show his confidence in the slower bowlers.

On a relatively good ‘Bowling’ day, Bangladesh can get a score in excess of 280 (without being bowled out), and God forbid, a bad day towards the business end of this tournament could easily mean a comfortable victory for the opposition, and the end of World Cup dreams for India.

This is a flaw that threatens to completely erase the massive advantage that India has by virtue of its power-packed and perhaps the best-in-the-business batting line up! One wonders, if only we had a world-class bowling attack, India could just drunk-drive through this World Cup?

This should be used as a wake-up call by administrators to put together a long-term vision for Fast Bowlers in India. It is not going to produce instant results, mind you, but along with commitment to the issue and the required investment of resources, we also have to be patient. The BCCI think-tank (if such a thing exists) needs to find the best bowling brains locally and in the world and create a well-nourished training program that finds, conserves and develops genuine fast bowling talent in India.

With Dhoni-Kirsten & Co. having tackled most issues already to take the side to unprecedented heights, there will never be a better time for India to strive to become the home for world-class fast bowling, and in the process create a lasting reign as undisputed World Champions.

To Minnow or not to Minnow

There have been heated debates about ICC’s decision to pare down the next installment of the World Cup to 10 teams at the cost of some of the associate nations. Some have refrained to comment, while some have gone on to say that this decision will take the ‘world’ out of the ‘World Cup’. Some ask “Does every World Cup have to start in this ‘extended warm-up game’ mode where the minnows can show up only to be humiliated with ridiculous score-lines?”

It still had that one-off upset romance in some of the previous instances of the World Cup, but since that is all but ruled out in this installment, we need to question whether we are truly being fair and doing justice to the associate nations.

With this World Cup, have we come to a point where the widespread adoption of Cricket needs to find alternate avenues, other than including associate nations in the World Cup? Is asking these nations to participate on the biggest stage, only to hope for that one upset match that can justify their presence, helping or hurting?

On one hand, a World Cup that is 43 days long, with most people feeling that the real action only starts in the knockout stages, is providing an experience that is too start-stop in nature and asking a lot from the fans. It doesn’t result in a cohesive tournament that can engage global audiences seamlessly. And in the meanwhile, it probably is producing games that are too lob-sided, not too commercially viable and not providing a whole lot to the unbiased fan (which for this discussion is a fan from neither playing country).

To have less-prepared teams play each other almost exclusively, and then throw them into a tournament once in four years where they are suddenly pitted against the big dogs can not produce good Cricket. The objective shouldn’t be about including or excluding these nations from World Cups, but to help them develop their Cricket to a level where a match between Australia and Canada makes a lot more sense, both commercially as well as in terms of providing good Cricketing experience to fans. So the debate shouldn’t really be about whether we are taking the ‘world’ out of the World Cup or not, but about how we can develop talent across the world so that tournaments grow ‘naturally’ and not superficially.

Perhaps working out a process where players from associate nations can get assimilated into some of the domestic leagues in test playing nations may provide an option worth looking into. These players need exposure to top-class Cricket in order to lift their own game, and giving them this exposure once in four years isn’t helping. We can not lock them all up in a cocoon, only to let them out once in four years and expect them to wow us with upset victories. And when that doesn’t happen, we can’t simply turn around and question their very existence.

Apart from the insensitivities, euphemisms and the nuances, there needs to be an objective process that eventually develops both a short-term solution and a long-term realistic vision. ICC can then work on facilitating the resources that are needed to realize the vision, rather than being hostage to the commercial demands of the stakeholders.

And most importantly, the communication of these decisions has to be managed just as delicately as the discussions that lead up to them.

The Curious Case of Wicket-to-wicket Bowlers

There is something about the straight-line no-frills bowlers that I don’t understand. These are the guys who are the most consistent of the lot and they keep things simple by bowling a tight line and length. Their variations are fractionally slower ones, and ones that move away ever-so slightly. They cost about 5 runs an over or thereabouts and usually are not in the thick of things per se. They pick up maybe a wicket or two per innings.

Are these the unsung heroes of One-Day cricket? Why isn’t  there talk about the incredible value that these simpletons bring to the Cricket field? Munaf and Ravinder Jadeja are the two recent such bowlers that India have produced. And, both I think have earned great confidence from their Captain. However, both have managed to swing in and out of the Indian side. Jadeja eventually crushed under the weight of his ordinary batting performances, and the continuing inability to bat in tough situations down the order just negated the incredible value he brings with his bowling. These are not the guys who turn the ball a mile, or bang in swinging Yorkers (but then who does in India?).

In short, this breed of bowlers are not the rings-and-bells trigger-happy Clint Eastwood’s of International Cricket. They don’t have blond streaks, tattooed arms or rocker-hair. And hence, alas, they are never the headline-makers until they produce a single-handed match-winning performance. But we fail to understand that the bells-and-whistles with most other characters come at a cost of high volatility.

With the exception of Zaheer, I can’t recall a single Indian bowler who has consistently produced impact-full bowling performances in the last year or so. Munaf has a career economy rate of less than 5, and has an incredible average of under-30. This is a record that is better than most other bowlers that have made the rounds recently not just in India, but internationally. And yet, Munaf can never feel assured of a place in the Indian side. And Munaf is just a name in a long list of misfits like Scott Styris, Angelo Mathews and others who are never ‘talked about’ for their bowling, that is consistent, effective and trite all at the same time.

What is it that makes us fascinated with bells and whistles so much that we fail to see the rudimentary building blocks that produce great wins?

Blow hot-blow cold Firepower over plain old bland consistency? What are we thinking?

Don't read too less into It!

The recently concluded, first World Cup match between Bangladesh and India spoke volumes as much about things to expect in this world cup, as it did about the individual teams.

First, Commentators, especially Sanjay Manjarekar, have got to take a step back and evaluate their roles as ‘unbiased’ and ‘neutral’ narrators. Comments like ‘the crowd would be foolish to expect that Bangladesh would be better than India’ are not likely to get them into the good books of any purist, leave alone any Bangladesh fan or a non-Indian in general. These guys have to stop bellowing their own horns, which seems like some toxic byproduct of India’s recent success in both forms of the game (notice my clever use of words to ignore Twenty20 as a valid cricket version). Commentary should help a Cricket fan to relate with Cricket and the match at hand. We don’t need arrogance disguised as ‘expert comments’ to get through what promises to be a riveting Cricket World Cup.

Second, Teams playing in Bangladesh have got to get down to business and prepare as well as they possibly can. Especially teams from outside the sub-continent. These are pitches where stroke makers come to die, and the slow and low pitches here are going to be mighty helpful to the slow bowlers from the home side. They showed in the first game that they have enough talent in the batting department to deal in scores above 250, and this should be a wake-up call for England and South Africa to say the least. I won’t go on record to say that Indian bowling attack was at its best, but with Zaheer, Bhajji and Munaf producing below-5-runs-an-over performances, you have got to give credit to Bangladesh batters (and Sreesanth) to score in excess of 280. With Sehwag on song, the scorecard paints a different picture for the pitch. However, this was by no means a belter, and India’s 370 will prove to be an aberration (and a display of uncommonly controlled-aggressive batting by Indians). Foreign teams playing in Bangladesh - be very very wary of the Bangladesh hospitality - their cricketing skills as well as the pitches.

Third, India’s bowling has showed some pretty ominous signs of not being able to penetrate. The nature of the sub-continent wickets has been talked about enough, but is it too much to expect beyond-ordinary performances in the ‘cup that counts’ that comes only once in four years? After all, it was in these conditions that Steyn produced the performance that would go on to bring him the ‘Performance of the year’ award. Our bowlers have got to dig in deeper and find the inspiration to produce impacts. With the bowlers not in supporting role, no team can lift the World Cup. India can not ride on their batting performances for 8 matches in a row, and that is a problem that Dhoni and the team management has got to figure out. At this stage, we can not go out hunting for fresh fast bowling talent, but to go in with two specialist spinners can also be a huge gamble. Whatever they decide to do, one thing is for sure, the bowling problems will need to be worked out soon for India to fancy their chances in the knockout stages of this tournament. This mediocre bowling attack needs to step up because not everyday the batters are going to put 370 on the board. And even if they do, not everyday would you be against teams that don’t have big hitters for the home stretch that are capable of hitting their way out of any 11-an-over situation. And one loss to a 300-and-above score will be enough to shatter the confidence and take away the cozy place that India finds itself every time the batters put up a good show. If they ever arrive at a place where they don’t feel that their batters are going to get them out of jail, or a place where they feel that even the best batting performance from the top 5 might not be enough, I shudder at the thought of where the inspiration is going to come from.

Fourth, On the other hand, India’s batsmen, the ones that got a chance to bat today, have shown excellent temperament and form to intimidate most oppositions in the tournament. The indications that Sehwag has figured out the only flaw in his game is as if all our prayers have been answered just in time. If this man can extend his average stay on the crease just by 20 deliveries, the opposition sides are in for a very very tricky situation. In addition to Sehwag, in home conditions, these guys can put together insurmountable totals and the batting order that India boasts today is quite a handful for most bowling attacks visiting. To say that the number two batsman in the world doesn’t even have a confirmed spot on India’s lineup is almost ridiculous. But it is true. We finally have a rich problem to solve and I bet Dhoni would rather think about this one than the issues that captains of the past have taken on.

Finally, the fact that this world cup is going to be about slow bowlers has been mentioned enough as well. But quality fast bowling will prevail no matter what the pitch has to offer. I expect the Brett Lee’s and Steyn’s to create an impact in this world cup. But what this match showed us in sufficient detail is that games are going to be won and lost in the overs between the power plays - when captains are trying to operate with part timers, trying to get through the overs before the spearheads can come back on or operating on the mutual no-aggression treaty. That is where the teams are going to be tested. Teams with solid middle orders, the right mind-set, and teams with good first-and-second-change bowling options are the ones that are going to last deep into this tournament. These conditions are not going to be easy and it will take grit. Ability to handle slow bowling and the ability to shut out the raucous crowds are going to be the required-skills.

Pull up your socks people, the World Cup is under way!