Leadership Blues

As India’s next generation prepares to start the limited overs part of the Aussie tour, and hope for better returns than their Test counterparts, rumor mills and board meetings are abuzz in India deciding the future of Indian Cricket (and Cricketers). At the heart of the buzz are two things  - a vehement debate about the seniors and their roles in the near future, and second, the big question mark on Indian team’s leadership, MS Dhoni and Duncan Fletcher. Enough is being said and written about the former, and I feel that the latter needs a deeper look.

To start with Fletcher, his exact role with Team India seems to be a secret that is only known to Duncan, him and himself. After being on the assignment since May of last year, everyone seems to be at a complete loss about what to make of him. Gary Kirsten kept a low profile as well, but results spoke volumes of the significance of his contribution. Fletcher is turning out to be a coach with Gary’s low profile without Gary’s results, which is bad combination. So, what is Fletcher – the aggressive Coach known for making big changes and taking things by gruff of the neck – doing with a much more passive role on the Indian assignment? From face value, Fletcher hasn’t been in the press conferences owning up to the failures, or telling us what India is going to try and do differently – both things that one expects from the Coach. It remains to be seen how much of his placid role is of BCCI’s making – a fact that will vindicate some of the barbwire that he eventually gets, but it shouldn’t acquit him completely. Not by a long shot.

Yes, he has huge boots to fill, and yes, he is coaching a team full of demigods who are supposed to coach themselves, and finally, alas, he has very limited powers. However, if he cannot make personnel changes, can he not direct some changes within the batting order? If he is unable to coach the demigods, can he not do something about the general lack of energy on the field? Should he not be directing the research for opposition batsmen and setting up plans, so our bowlers aren’t trying to bounce out Ricky and bring him roaring back into form in the process? No matter what the Board-Coach relationship might be, tough questions should be asked of Fletcher and he deserves a short rope to prove that he is capable of helping India through a transition that is perhaps its toughest in 20 odd years.

As for Dhoni, he deserves some of the flak that he is getting, but that should all be to make him a better Test Captain, and not an attempt to oust him. Though he might decide to give it up anyway, I strongly feel that India needs him to continue with Test Captaincy.

Ships don't steer themselves to calmer waters. Indian Cricket is in a fix, and a much bigger predicament is up ahead with axing and/or retirements looming on the worshiped veterans. If we are in tatters now, we are heading for absolute dire straits.

Change of personnel, change of batting orders, change of guard and a change of attitude, all are likely and required. What India needs right now is a leader to hold it all together. India needs a leader to do two things mainly: one, galvanize the band of men towards a singular goal despite changes tearing things down around them, and two, enhance the dressing room atmosphere that instills confidence and not doubt. The Australian tour is the first time when India were accused of in-fighting since Dhoni took charge. True or not, these things only tend to surface when the going gets tough. At a time like this, fearless leadership that accepts the responsibility, and earns the respect to do the right thing is the need of the hour.

Dhoni has two things to address. First and foremost, he needs to find batting form in Test matches. Tougher nets or thorough technical coaching, he needs to do whatever it takes and be a contributor with the bat. It can come in terms of the time spent in the middle rather than handsome centuries, but he needs to be a better batsman even if it means redefining himself for Test innings. It’s not easy, but who said captaining an international side was a walk in the park? Nobody can have the confidence to lead men if their own performance is tanking. Period. 

And second, Dhoni needs to grow as a Test Captain. His shortcomings were really found in challenging conditions in England and Australia, where good positions were repeatedly squandered to go from a possible victory to a defeat, and sometimes utter humiliation. Attacking with bowlers is probably the biggest chunk of a Test Captain’s workload and that is where he has been found wanting. A change of mindset and game plan is required - Saving boundaries and hanging back to wait for opposition batters' mistakes, and backing up his own batsmen to scale any mountain, are the two things where he could start. The fact that he doesn't have to play oversees for close to two years provides the blessing in disguise to work on it.

At the bottom of it though is the question of intent. Dhoni looked resigned in Perth, on and off the field. Dynamic leadership and fearless decision making can only come from confidence, which in turn can only come from performance. India needs a confident Dhoni to carry Indian Cricket into the next era. Abandoning test captaincy at this juncture will only make things worse.

Yes, he has neither looked up to the task, nor shown the willingness to grind it out,

But if I had to pick a better man for the job, I'd look around and come up with zilch. 

Kohli's Struggles with Success

It shows on the field, comes out every time Kohli scores a big one or passes a landmark, and even in unfortunate press conferences. Kohli’s actions seem like an endless attempt to prove to everyone that he belongs. As if there is an eternal struggle in his mind, where nobody believes in him, and he is constantly lashing out at the world for doing that. It is ironic, because what he sees in the world might just be his own reflection.

Everything that he does comes across as a slap to the world’s face - “Eat that you ****** non believers!”. The body language betrays anger when there should be elation. And as much it baffles Arun Lal, I have to admit, it makes me question Virat Kohli’s belief in himself. He handles each accomplishment like it is yet another thing that he has proven wrong. Chest thumping that seems to overshadow the sense of purpose does not paint the picture of a person who knows he belongs.

The planets have conspired to present Kohli with the most beautifully scripted opportunity to be a significant part of Indian Cricket for a long time. He doesn’t have the world to prove a point to, only himself. He most definitely has the talent, and has certainly started his journey in the right stride, but that is only one side of the equation. 

Until Kohli can score a hundred and know that it is the only reason he is here, and embrace success like it is born out of brilliance and not wrenched from the hands of mediocrity, there will always be a gap between Kohli ‘the newbie’, and Kohli the Champion.

What Does the Adelaide Test Mean?

Dead rubber? Playing for pride? A chance at redemption? A last hurrah?

What!?!

For Australia, it is a chance to become the second team in as many tours to reduce India into a bunch of touring amateurs reminiscent of the 90s. It is a chance to mercilessly hammer in the last nail and jump start their journey back to the top. A rare chance for youngsters and veterans to come together in splendid harmony, and attempt to perfect a recipe that India has gone horribly wrong at.

 For India, it could be a lot of different things. To say that they are playing to salvage some pride will be making the understatement of the year, but without Dhoni, and with the rest of the team in disarray, what does it really mean to India? To the players who deep down know that they might never show up for another test for their country, what is it to them? For players who have doubts and questions, about ability or their roles in the team - mid-career for some and start-of-career for others - what does Adelaide mean?

For fans who know that this is the last peek at the ship before it completely sinks to the depths of history books, what does Adelaide mean?

I've fought with these questions in the subway ride this morning. The NYC crowd rolling in joy about the Giants’ victory last night, oblivious to Indian Cricket and the agony. God I envy them! As a fan, I can only dig deep within looking for Hope, and all I find is Grief. That's it, plain, pure and shining 24-Karat Grief. I'm disgusted by the thought that the so called ‘Golden era of Indian Cricket’ is over before it started! Like it was all a media scam. Did it even happen!?! Will our greats hang up their boots to disappointing ends of their glorious careers? What does Adelaide mean to them?

It isn't well if it doesn't end well.

For me, the Adelaide test is simply something to look forward to, before the cathedrals of Cricket make way for rock concerts arenas, and the monstrosity of IPL devours everything that is pure and holy. Last year I hibernated through IPL basking in the glory of the World Cup victory. Watching highlights of the final, blissfully unaware of cries and moans of Cricket as IPL beat the **** out of it.

Life seems to be stuck on that same highlights clip loop, thanks to the fact that India has done little else to be proud of since that fateful six by Dhoni. What will help me through the hibernation this time around? The thought, along with Australian Open and a one month old baby, is what keeps me up at night. Be afraid, the voice in my head says, be very very afraid.

Sorry I digressed. Back to the test which promises to be most senseless and the most significant at the same time, we might see India capitulate hopelessly yet again, and guts that feel completely tapped out right now will find another level, find more pain in there. But my greatest worry is, what if we don’t? What if there is a historic fight back? Would seeing Sachin and VVS score hundreds really make a difference? Yes, it would provide a last shot in the arm, before Indian Cricket collapses into a terminal coma, but would it replace this emptiness, this cruel knowledge of the approaching end?

What does Adelaide mean to us?

Bumpy Road Ahead for Indian Cricket

As Indian Cricket goes through the ugly postmortems, analyses and general denunciation, at the center of it all is a feeling of bafflement. We all have inside of us a person who is simply bewildered. How quickly can a team go from the highest of the highs, to the lowest of the lows? How can these batting legends be made to look like tentative amateurs? How can one of the best Captains in the world look hapless and completely disinterested?

How can India be so bad!?!

Well, successive defeats and heartless oversees performances seem to be the least of India’s worries. Recent embarrassments oversees have sparked larger discussions, as they should, across the Cricketing world on what Indian Cricket is going through and what lies ahead for them. A summary of what I have heard and read: It’s going through **** and a whole lot of **** awaits in the future.

Dhoni getting banned in Adelaide might be a blessing in disguise. After 7 tough defeats on the trot, it might be a good thing for him to be able to sit out and give his body and mind a bit of a breather. Mentally, it might help in providing a vacuum before the shorter version of the game starts, which he certainly is more comfortable with. Dhoni’s captaincy is under the hammer and inviting much criticism from all over, perhaps for good reason. With him out of the action, media will move on to other prey. Lastly, it is a blessing because I fear the selectors may need to start looking for a replacement to captain the Indian test side at some point in the future. This would be a good time for a dress-rehearsal.

On the other hand, the criticism that Indian selectors are getting has a couple of sides to it. If one thinks about the long term vision of the board, the barb wire is somewhat justified. However, coming into the series reports about India coming in full-strength were almost omnipresent. Nowhere were the selectors damned for picking Sehwag, VVS, Sachin and Dravid! I guess that’s the thing with being 38 years old. When they hit centuries it is hailed as pure class, and when they don’t the criticism is 38 times more. Now, it suddenly is all wrong and the selectors’ fault!

Phasing seniors out is to be a board decision, but when you have men of this stature, boards can find themselves handicapped as well. It all goes unnoticed when times are good. Unfortunately that advantage has been mercilessly washed away.

From the big three, I personally feel that Laxman was approaching the end of his career, but still had a year or two of Test Cricket left in him. That the last two oversees tours are going to speed up the process and put extra pressure on him, is very sad. I don’t think that Laxman will be dropped for the last test to make way for Rohit Sharma. I am not saying that’s the right thing to do, just that it is how the Indian selectors tend to think. With Yuvraj out of the mix for the ODIs, Sharma is a certain pick for the remainder of the tour. Laxman has had a long illustrious career, especially good against the Australians. This is his last test on Australian soil, if not the last test, and at the end of the day, I think he will have earned a last chance at redemption. Sharma in the meanwhile will be left to get his exposure of the Australian soil in the limited version of the game, and wait to debut back home in the near future.

Dravid is most likely going to retire soon as well. And yes, at long last, I fear Sachin might be close to the end of the road as well. Although Ponting’s sudden resurgence provides some impetus for Sachin to continue for some time, but playing at home for two straight years isn’t going to give these veterans much hunger. Hundreds will be scored on flat decks, records created, and Tests will be won and drawn at home, but tours to England and Australia hold a different kind of value for these guys. They have and continue to live in a world where greatness is measured in oversees performances. We can’t imagine seeing these guys play in England, Australia or the World Cup at 41 years of age, and with recent horrendous memories oversees, it seems that a sad goodbye to Cricket is inevitable and close for our batting Gods. They have one final chance at Adelaide to collect a happy parting memory.

Will Australia remember them for a historic fight back, or as Greats that visited as champions once, but were reduced to lesser men on their last tour?

To end where I started, Dhoni provides another, and perhaps the most interesting piece of the conundrum. The man who has been one constant in good times and bad is Dhoni. Players get injured, go out of form or get caught in scandals, but Dhoni has been the cement that held it all together. It was a long time coming, but finally at WACA it hit me out of the blue. Dhoni looked like he had lost his mojo. Whether it is the lack of support from the other 10, or his own short comings as a Captain and a batsman, or the seemingly never ending downfall of Indian Cricket after the World Cup triumph, it is definitely taking its toll and starting to show. He has already talked about retirement decisions for 2015, and if one of the versions has to take the axe before that, we only need one guess to pick the winner.

Personally for me, what has been most disheartening is to see the apparent lack of interest in Dhoni the batsman. He has come out and has almost looked bored. Disinterested. Can’t wait for it to be over. If Dhoni decides to hang his test boots along with the big three, it will be highly interesting to see how Indian Cricket weathers the storm, and rekindle the hopes in Indian fans’ hearts that we might again someday triumph at Lords or the WACA.

For now, it’s effigy burning time back home, field days for the media, criticism storms all over, tough questions…..and at the heart of it all, utter bewilderment. 

Stiff test for Dhoni the Captain, stiffer test for Dhoni the person

If one ever wondered where Test Cricket got its name, one only has to follow India’s tour in Australia. This beautiful version of the game tests the ability of the players to the truest level. Being in your element for an hour or a few lucky hits can’t win you games here, a player has to find the strength to sustain through the ebb and flow of focus and have the supreme skill and patience to slowly grind the opposition. Apart from the skill though, Test Cricket also tests the character like no other format can. Such are the tests and crossroads that MS Dhoni finds himself and his team in. It is not just a test for Dhoni the Captain, but also for Dhoni the person.

Two issues come to mind when we think of Dhoni in Australia. First and foremost is that he has painfully proved that he is a limited-overs Captain. Second, and what remains to be seen, is whether or not Dhoni can have it in him to accept, learn and take corrective measures. Yes, he has got an issue to address, but would he have the fortitude and attitude to accept it and adapt?

His shortcomings in the longer format as a Captain are embedded within the nature of the game itself. In limited overs, A, the field set is pretty much imposed these days with power plays, so aggression is not a choice but imposed, and B, saving boundaries tends to become the primary focus of the Captain. For a team like India where batsmen come to the party more often than not (on flat pitches, that is), Dhoni can back his team to win most games when the asking rate is 6 or thereabouts. Test Cricket doesn’t allow Captains the luxury to hang back, because batsmen are not playing for quick runs but for building partnerships. Dhoni is a T20 Captain who has grown to Tests and not the other way around. Hanging back and waiting for batsmen to make mistakes can win you limited overs games, but more often than not, this strategy takes Test matches away from you.

Why this is a huge test for Dhoni the Captain is because in places like Australia, England and South Africa, India’s batsmen cannot compensate like they do in India. And so, one sees performances that completely defy everything about Indian Cricket: its high rankings, Demigod batsmen and the general chest-thumping of its fans and commentators.

Furthermore, Test Cricket promises you drama on multiple levels. Apart from the Captaincy, this juncture of Dhoni’s career is also the stiffest test of Dhoni the person. Dhoni’s accomplishments as a Captain have come thick and fast, to an extent that it would take a long time to find another Captain in recent times that can measure up to his statistics. Thanks to the IPL wins, Champions League crowns, T-20 world championship, #1 Test ranking and even the 50 over World Cup win, Dhoni is on a pedestal like we haven’t known before. Commentators, fans, experts and almost everyone else has put him there.

When you spend a long time up there, it has got to start feeling like home. The true test of the person behind this captain will be having the ability to step down and take corrective measures. Yes, to attack with bowling is something he has to get used to, since he has spent bulk of his career captaining a side with severely depleted bowling resources. On tough oversees tours, it’s not just the ability to learn but also the speed with which it is accomplished that can decide the result. It is key to accept that there is something to be learnt though.

Does accomplishing a lot without failure robs the ability to take criticism? R Ashwin with 5 test matches, and Rohit Sharma with a grand total of 0 test matches; it is embarrassing that they are the ones sent out to face the press after an abysmal day of Cricket. The times when Dhoni did decide to come out, barely ever were the questionable decisions discussed, or the issue addressed.

India has gone from the highest of the highs, to the lowest of the lows in a blink of an eye. Dhoni the Captain, and more importantly, Dhoni the person needs to turn things around. On the field and off it.

Taking the issue by the horns is the call of the hour. Hiding behind amateurs and having a deep point is not going to cut it anymore. 

Shattered pieces of a Golden Mirror

Seriously, have we ever heard, or seen, or read about, or bloody imagined a greater anti-climax than the one served up by our savior, Sehwag?

Messiah. Revenge taker. English Beater. Baba Sehwag Dev. The Man!

The hype generated, especially by the Indian media, already had Sehwag scoring a triple hundred in each inning at Edgbaston.

Well, he missed by just a little bit.

Each test shows the surreal progression. The English have gotten better and better, and Indians have scaled depths of equal proportions. 196 in the first test, over 300 in the second, and now marching handsomely-all-trumpets-blowing towards an innings defeat, as an Indian fan, I shudder at the thought of the defeat margin in the fourth test.

Cook’s brilliant double, and Sehwag’s King Pair has perfectly embodied this tour for India. The visitors have gone into each game hoping for a fortune-changing performance that would rouse the sleeping lion.

However, Tests require eleven performances to come together in a perfect Cricket-symphony; they are not won or lost by one sparkling hurrah.

I had hoped that the stark difference between a 100 meter sprinter and a marathoner would dawn upon us after we bid farewell to our last gunslinger-test players. That it would come while they are still around is both a shame and a leveler, in perfectly balanced glory.

Great tests have always come about when two equal-ish teams created epic battles. Sometimes though, one team has to carry the baton and create dominant brilliance that overshadows everything.

So far, it seems, India made the trip for nothing. They could have played these matches from the comfort of their living rooms back home.

It was great while it lasted…..but friends, it is time,

We are not number one. They are.

Period.

Fading memories of Trent Bridge

The outrageousness of India’s defeat at Trent Bridge was actually predicted by Mirza Ghalib when he wrote “Dard ka hadh se guzar jaana hai dawa hona”. For the Urdu challenged, Ghalib was referring to the second test at Trent Bridge in India's current tour to England, when he wrote “pain can only increase to a certain point, beyond which you don’t feel it anymore”. Such was the brutality and ruthlessness of the English attack that the Indian Cricket Team disintegrated in perfect resonance, with the inflicted pain increasing a bit at a time till Sachin was given LBW, and then we were all comfortably numb.

England did everything right. If the victory at Lord’s was near-perfect, the Trent Bridge rout was one scripted by the Cricketing Gods. Slight hiccups were simply opportunities for new heroes to seize moments and continue the carnage, with the bat or the ball, at the top or at the tail. If Cook and Swann seemed to lose their incredible forms, others rediscovered theirs and more than made for all Brit shortcomings. Broad was a marginal selection at the beginning of the series. What a joke that looks like in hindsight! We would have to go back a long long way to find another Test player that could match his current purple patch. Bat, Ball or words, he is playing with them all with mind numbing brilliance.

Bresnan, another outside selection, couldn’t do anything wrong either. Kevin Pietersen, yet another out-of-form man has found his knick in the nick of time to deflate India. Bell, Trott, Anderson, Tremlett are all names in a long list of fine performances from England. The Cricket has indeed been near flawless from the hosts. They have truly and fully outplayed India in all departments and have registered two thumping victories to ensure that they will not lose this series. Glorious memories of 2007 can find another home; they were mercilessly washed away today.

What’s more, it wasn’t cheeky Cricket at any stage. It was bold and handsome, going for the jugular. Victory was never sneaked in by going after the tail while giving easy singles on the other end. England dismissed Sachin in the second innings, and Dravid in the first, before ripping through the tail like a knife through warm soufflé. India didn’t have a lone fighter stranded on one end as it so often happens.

Like the Cricket from England, my fellow fans, India’s defeat was just brilliant in its completeness.

It is also symbolic and morbidly ironic that India’s number one test ranking is being washed away in this fashion. One could argue that this is the last golden legion of Test Cricketers to have represented India. The only way we will see VVS, Sachin or Dravid back at the 2015 tour of England would be as commentators, spectators, umpires or all of the above. One wonders, once these greats hang up their boots and take up alternate professions, who will step up and be the next great Test Cricketer from India? Would any of our new crop go on to become a legend of such stature? Would this seemingly last league of extraordinary gentlemen take with them the last golden era of Indian Test Cricket?

Oh well! No matter how deep these gashes are, and how excruciating the pain may be, we have to cherish these dying moments of India’s reign at the top. We have to cherish these last batting stands by the likes of Sachin, Dravid and VVS. Each boundary, each forward defense, even the well judged ‘leaves’ are like last breaths. We have to live them to the fullest while they last.

Until the next jagging delivery by Anderson, or the precisely shaping outswinger from Broad, takes our breaths away….

A Caribbean Vacation

Ahoy Cricket, How’ve you been mate?

If flipping between the SL-England test and Ind-WI ODI gives me enough time to write this, there is something seriously wrong with today’s Cricket-planetary positions.

After wallowing in the hitherto-unknown bliss for over two months, and basking in the make-believe serenity that should follow after a World Cup victory, I feel I am ready to write again. I should admit though that writing about Cricket was a bit of a challenge. Like an old fountain pen that needs a violent jerk before it gets going again. I didn’t give up easily though, I was surely, miserably and flat-out defeated…..

After relentless attempts to follow IPL ardently, I am indifferent to report, that I have failed as comprehensibly as such failures can be. It didn’t take long for me to realize that a mortal human being can only follow a monstrosity of a tournament like IPL if it was being done for a living, in exchange of exorbitant amounts of money. And since neither of these applies to me, largely due to the painful reality of having a full time job to do unfortunate non-Crickety things, I figured that IPL will most certainly have to pass me by.

So, while I waited for the IPL tornado to pass, I started planning life beyond the Cricket World Cup. And all that soul searching also made me reflect back on simpler times when fans looked forward to Cricket. Back in the 90s when the human race hadn’t evolved enough to embrace Cricket twice a day, we waited and waited, sometimes for months, to see our boys in mild-tentative-blue back on the field. Now, things are quite different. Today, we don’t wait for Cricket, as our boys in bold-blue-and-other-shocking-color-combinations are playing about 500 days a year, as Cricket is fire-hosed down our throats sending us into a cathartic coma. Today we need to weed through and look forward to Cricket that fits our interests, from a big <expletive> basket of Cricket that is on offer.

For me it means waiting for tours like the ones to the Caribbean and England, watching Sri Lanka play test matches at the Lords, and shamelessly shutting myself out of Twenty20 extravaganzas.

Well then, after my longish rant, here is a look at our Caribbean vacation.

A quick look back

The first Indian triumph in the Caribbean went on to become more of an aberration than a fresh start for the sub continent teams. It was the magical year of 1971, when Sunil Gavaskar made his Test debut in the second test against WI in Port of Spain. Gavaskar wasted no time in announcing himself to the world by scoring 65 in the first inning, and an unbeaten 67 in the second to guide India to its ever victory in West Indies. The year 1971 continued its glory for India when immediately after the Caribbean tour, much like it is scheduled this year, India toured England and registered its first ever victory on English soil.

After that series victory in 1971, where India won one test match and drew the other two, it took India 35 years to register another series victory in the Caribbean. In the meanwhile, we toured West Indies 5 times, in 1975, 1982, 1988, 1996 and 2001, only managing to win two test matches and lost every single series.

Look no further

Considering the Test history in the Caribbean, India has fared relatively better in the ODIs. Though they have certainly dominated in the recent years, as India’s stock ascended into the Stratosphere and the West Indians invented new ways to implode every season. With Lara continuing to be the last good thing to have happened to Caribbean Cricket, this series, at the very least, provides yet another opportunity for the Windies to stir up the good ol’ Cricketing Love at home.

Things may have gotten a bit easier (or lamer depending on how you look at it) when India announced its squad for the tour. Some of our players need physical rehab, some need breaks and the remaining need surgeries.

The blatant truth of T20 Club Cricket being more important than International Cricket tours now looms on us like the mark of Death Eaters over Hogwarts. But that cynical story is for another gloomy blog, bottom line for now is that India comes to Caribbean with an outrageously depleted team for the limited-overs leg of the tour. Combine that with the largely-amateur WI performances and a gaping Chris Gayle hole, and what you have is really a not-so-promising limited overs Cricketing action.

Test Cricket that follows the five ODIs provides a glimmer of hope for watching some of our own greats back in action.  

Although depleted, India will look to press its dominance in their first international appearance after the mind numbing stupor of the WC victory. Apart from a number of fresh players, it will also be testing grounds for the new coaching staff.

Being the undisputed Champion means beating everyone, everywhere. Winning the cup shouldn't be a conclusion, and the Indians would want to prove it to be the beginning of a lasting reign at the top.

Would the Caribbean tour offer enough quality to keep the audience engaged, or would we have to wait until we travel further north to English soil?

Extras:

§         WI remains a country where Sachin has not scored an ODI century, and with him missing the ODIs, it may well go into the history books that way.

§         At 13.41%, India has the lowest Test Match winning performance against WI. This rate falls to 9.5% winning performance against WI in WI.

§         Gavaskar has a comprehensive record in WI, scoring 7 centuries and 4 half centuries in 13 tests, at an average of 70.20. This record created at the time when WI produced its most successful and dreaded fast bowlers.

§         The only other contemporary batsman who comes close to Gavaskar is Dravid, with 2 centuries and 10 half centuries in 14 tests, at an average of 70.00

§         With 25 and 15 wickets in 5 tests respectively, Harbhajan and Zaheer are the only current Indian bowlers to have a respectable record in WI. Others either have less to no experience, or have fared poorly.

How much is too much? - A biography of a dying hen

BCCI has a great thing going on right now. Match winners all over the team, number one test ranking, world’s greatest batsman in the side, one of the finest, if not the best, Captain, and now a World Champion one-day team.

And yet, they continue to put in the relentless effort to destroy it all.

It is sickening to see Indian cricketers perhaps being the most outrageously overworked employees in the world. Every conversation in this regard is quickly dismissed with one of two counterpoints: one, they are also the most highly paid athletes, and two, nobody is forcing them to play other league cricket. And I will be hard pressed to pick the more ridiculous statements between these two. Paying millions doesn't mean that the whole concept of workload goes out the window, and as custodians of the game, BCCI can't create sponsored leagues and sit back to say they are not forcing anyone to join. That BCCI power has been grossly abused with IPL is the biggest understatement of all time.

India had a great world cup, and it really isn't so hard to understand how emotionally and physically fatigued this team must be. Heck, I'm completely drained just by watching it on TV. I'm ready for a vacation, to soak it all in, bask in the glory and just recharge a tad. Well, no such luxury for our boys in blue. They barely get a couple days with families at home, if that, before trooping back to their base camps for our celebrated IPL, whose creation itself was borne out of revenge and not from a vision for developing the sport.

To further drive my point home, we can look at the Indian team roster for last 24 months. The World Cup was the first time when we played at full strength in forever, and that needed some pretty long-term planning. Our injury lists are ever growing, with more players going through surgeries and cricket-less recoveries every year. Between long-out-of-touch rehab periods they are simply losing time that can't be bought back with the BCCI billions. Their schedule is simply exacerbating these problems to new heights.

It reminds me of the children’s story about the hen and golden eggs, the one that apparently should be required-reading for all BCCI officials. It doesn't take a genius to see that instead of being nurtured for long lasting glory, the hen is being beaten to death with a sledgehammer.

It also pains me to think about the quality of cricket that athletes (both Indian and otherwise) will be able to produce on the back of a long World Cup. Would that even be fair to fans, let alone these cricketers?

BCCI has got to take a serious look at the schedule of this Indian cricket team and understand the whole concept of work-life balance. This unreal greed for money, milking Indian Cricket for every penny that it is worth, all that is already unbefitting of a non-profit organization, is simply undermining BCCI’s primary function of being custodians of the game of Cricket in India, and catalysts for its development.

Moving IPL to be a bi-annual tournament might go a long way in solving these issues. Not only would it keep Cricket fresh for audiences, it would also provide a realistic opportunity to get ICC’s nod for a calendar spot which would do wonders for the tournament and all Cricket boards.

Someone has got to ask the question, How much is too much?

A New Era Beckons

A Journey. Chest thumping. Arms raised in jubilation. Men on knees. Tears in eyes.

A dream realized.

India beat Sri Lanka to claim the title of Champions of the World in Mumbai yesterday. I had dreamt of writing these words for months. I had dreamt of witnessing this moment for my entire life. I was a year and 6 months old when India last lifted the World Cup, and shockingly, I am told, that food, sleeping and biting my Dad’s foot were higher on my list than Cricket. I was little, barely self-aware and didn’t know anything about reverse swinging Yorkers. Consequently, I spent my entire life hearing glorious stories of 1983, always wondering what it would be like to someday see the Indian team win it again! What was that National Pride like, when you conquer the world, and become Champions. Period.

The manner that the victory came in, was an apt conclusion to what has been a perfectly-scripted campaign for India. Apart from doing all the other incredible things, India consistently found new ways to win a Cricket match, never relying on a single individual, strength or performance. That to me has been the biggest reason why India deserved this title. The fact that the opening pair, that India relies on more than anything else for tight chases, departed right at the top of the inning, only to have the younger generation show their mettle and carry India over the line, was both poetic and symbolic. There is no doubt that all of India, and perhaps the world, would have loved to see Sachin score his hundredth hundred here but what eventually happened would have been a very close second.

This was also a game for redeeming oneself. We saw disciplined performances in all departments, with less sledging and more doing from India. This was best demonstrated in measured aggression by bowlers, and India’s extraordinarily spirited performance in the field. They certainly saved the best for the last by good measure, and batting efforts were in a similar breath. Save the winning runs, there weren’t any violent shots. It was a day for quiet grinding, measured risks and Cricket that befitted the moment and not the personalities. Ever since Yuvraj flung himself flat out to stop a certain boundary, there was no doubt, this was an Indian team that was here to win.

In barely four years as Captain, Dhoni finds himself at a curious stage of his still-young career, with very few things that remain unaccomplished. The man has seen India win numerous tough tours, reach the number one test ranking for the first time ever, won the IPL as well as the Champions League for Chennai, won the Twenty20 World Cup, and now to top this cake with the crowning jewel, he has led India to a World Cup triumph, one that came emphatically with a thump over long on, on his own bat. One needs incredible amounts of confidence to back oneself after a lean patch, to take on the responsibility on the biggest stage possible, the Final of the World Cup. Dhoni did. He came and he delivered.

Credit can not be taken away from Gambhir who also played an inning of his life. With the exception of the mindless charge to lose his wicket at 97, Gambhir was the cement that held the Indian chase together. With measured risks, quiet accumulation and handsome shots, Gambhir guided Indian recovery, first with Kohli, then with Dhoni. By the time he made his way to the pavilion cursing himself, he had already steered India to calmer waters. Victory was within sight. Knotted stomachs. Rumbles. Bitten nails. Tri-colors.

If India won like Champions, Sri Lanka lost like Champions. They were both graceful and fiercely competitive. Some questionable selection decisions might still linger in discussions, but nothing should cloud the fact that they did most things right when it mattered. Their fragile middle order was identified by everyone as the Achilles’ heel, and perhaps their top batters tried to shield it a bit too much, however, 274 was by no means an easy total. Jayawardane, once again, showed what a class act he is. Every batsman has his own style, and Jayawardane’s style seems to be about hitting boundaries that look so innocuous that the resulting runs come as a shock. The man plays a brand of Cricket that is perfect in its deft touch, grace and composed brilliance. What he produced yesterday was brilliant. To do it in a World Cup final is unreal.

It was a shame for Sri Lanka that an inning this brilliant still ended up on the losing side. Irony continued with two of the most celebrated Champions of Cricket barely leaving a mark on this game. Murali and Tendulkar didn’t live up remotely to their own high standards, but the inspiration their very presence brings to these two teams can not be questioned. It was just one of those days.

After six weeks of grinding that lifted each individual and made them all part of a team, an objective that was bigger than each one of them, Dhoni’s expression after hitting the six said it all. It was all too raw. Confusion. After Australia, Pakistan and now Sri Lanka, had we really done it?

Pandemonium. Delirium. Roars.

Silence.

India,

World Champions.

India 5, Pakistan 0

India, take a bow, and fans, go ahead and rub it in, because the semi final at Mohali was comprehensively, surely and squarely won by an Indian Cricket team that continues to invent new ways to win. This match produced many firsts, and a fifth, and totally lived up to the hype leading up to it.

India won an important toss and elected to bat even before Ravi Shastri had a chance to move the microphone closer to Dhoni’s lit up face. For once, Dhoni had announced to the world that he has slugged it out in the nets practicing the coin toss. Opening the batting, India’s intimidating, and arguably the world’s best, opening pair started the proceedings in typical fashion. Tendulkar being assured and watchful, and Sehwag being belligerent while treating bowlers like they were mere inconveniences between him and the boundary. Umar Gul totally lost the plot with a flurry of boundaries and Pakistan were gasping very early in the contest. And then came a young lad named Wahab Riaz to the crease, and the somewhat-frowned-upon-earlier decision of Afridi to play him in place of Akhtar was vindicated beyond anyone’s imagination, including Afridi‘s own. The pitch that had everyone engaged in damage-control looked like a bowler’s paradise for Riaz, who produced incisive bowling that Pakistan has come to be identified with.

Also worthy of mention was Saeed Ajmal who bowled with remarkable precision. To keep Sachin guessing for that long was brilliant for a pressure game. Ajmal showed how old-fashioned spin bowling can be a critical weapon in limited-overs Cricket, even in this 20-20 era. Though Ajmal might have been the victim of some hasty Captain-decisions on an occasion or two, overall Afridi had a pretty good day in the office. With the exception of losing the game eventually, he showed great Captaincy, and more importantly, uncharacteristic composure in the face of some absolutely outrageous fielding that had 6-year olds beaming back in Lahore, and which I believe was half caused by the incessant yelling from behind the wicket. While Pakistan’s bowling was delivering blows to get India’s famed batting skittled for a paltry total, Pakistan’s fielding fought back hard and kept them on the field for as long as they could.

In the midst of all this, Sachin accumulated 85 at an uncommon strike rate. To start the polar performance, Sachin tested the cardiac health of the entire nation by being referred to hair-tight referrals, on successive deliveries. Past that, he kept producing startling concentration-lapses to toss oh-so-make-able catches to the Pakistani fielders inside the circle. With the same startling frequency, Pakistani fielders determinedly kept dropping Sachin to the point where it simply became obscene. Throughout this madness, Sachin kept swinging promptly between being streaky and assured, continuing to keep fans clutching their chests. Eventually to end the misery, Sachin with pin-point laser-like accuracy, picked out the lone fielder inside the circle on the off-side where Afridi finally pulled off a low catch. Due credit should be given to Pakistani bowlers for keeping Sachin gingerly feeling the ball even after facing over a hundred deliveries. It was one of those days, and after 21 long years an inning was witnessed that visibly humbled a Master.

There were cameos from the entire batting order, but it was Raina’s innings towards the end that produced the critical 30 odd runs that would go on to catch Pakistan short. Throughout the first half though, Pakistan produced some truly incredible bowling spells. Ironically their star performer, Shahid Afridi, did not pick up a single wicket. Thanks to some exceptionally sloppy fielding, India racked up 260 on the board on a pitch that was starting to look more sluggish than rush hour traffic on the Long Island Expressway.

Pakistan’s response to India’s 260 was uncannily similar to India’s batting. It began with a fluent start, wobbled somewhat with a couple of wickets and was later seen suffocating horribly in a fetal position. The only exception that swung the game in India’s favor was that Pakistan’s lower-middle order did not bat through. Misbah, who actually hung in there till the end, did the drastic mistake of realizing too late in the innings that he wasn’t batting to save a test on the fifth day in Rawalpindi, but that this was a semi-final of a World Cup with an asking rate of more than 6 an over. Sadly for Pakistan, by the time Misbah took the initiative and started manufacturing some ugly and some handsome shots, it was too late and Pakistan’s life had been choked out completely. The other senior player, Younus Khan, was dismissed before he could complete the strangulation, though he too produced an inning that was painful to watch. Arguably the slow scoring rate, and the gross inability to rotate the strike, left batsmen like Umar Akmal to do too much. Fair credit must also be given to Indian bowlers for producing an unbelievably disciplined performance. Harbhajan and Munaf produced magical deliveries to claim key wickets at crucial stages, while Zaheer and Nehra found their vintage touch to work batsmen over. India’s bowling couldn’t have worked better even in a Bollywood-script for a Chak De cricket-remake. Each bowler picked up two wickets, bowled one of the fewest extras ever, while never pushing Dhoni to look at any of the part timers. Indian fielders did their part too, showing intensity that is supposedly only reserved for big games. No complaints from the Indian fans though, as it all worked out in the end, with Pakistan folding for 231.

Despite the wobbles and a labored 85 from their star batsmen, Indians brought home the game comfortably. With a sense of anti-climax, the end came less like a sudden head-trauma, but more like slowly sucking the life out of a Pakistani side that was expected to go down swinging. I had envisioned this game to be won or lost by the nerves, and it was, but rarely one sees the strange manifestation that we saw today. In the bowling department, youngsters showed great composure for Pakistan, while the experienced fast bowlers either completely lost the plot and got tonked all over the park, or did not make an appearance after bowling a couple. For captaining the side, Afridi showed uncommon calmness, and eventually turned out to be the only fielder who managed to hold on to a catch, but went wicket less after being the leading wicket-taker for his side. And finally, and perhaps most strangely, the batsmen either showed great composure only to get out playing appalling shots, or perhaps showed excessive calmness that became the very beginning of the end for Pakistan.

In two days’ time, the Indian team will show up in Mumbai to play a World Cup final in front of a home crowd.

A dream, a quest, a redemption, a salvation and a cracker of a game awaits.

Extra: Sachin beckons History
Tried as they could, the Gods could not manufacture the hundredth hundred for Sachin today. Perhaps it was better. It would obviously muddy the waters somewhat if Sachin had to look back at this patchy innings as his crowning milestone, and perhaps it is destined to be a little more poetic…

History has been dreaming of this day since her childhood, creating scrapbooks and dreaming dreams in daytime. History has put on her favorite dress and she sits by the window waiting. Sachin may come knocking any time. She has met him before. Many times actually, but something tells her that it is going to be different this time. Special. Magical. She continues to wait.

If there was a record for holding the highest number of records, or being the first to create ridiculous ones, or to break seemingly-insurmountable ones, Sachin would have his name written on all of them. Take a second and think about it. Beyond numerous scores in the 90s, this man has given us Ninety-Nine international centuries to savor. Mind bending. Ludicrous. Compared to other top batsmen that the world has seen, these stats go on to  show how many light years this man is ahead of everyone else. And, when Sachin goes on to produce his best year yet at this stage of his career, it just makes a grown man want to snuggle up in the bed and cry in joy.

The hundredth hundred will be special. If it comes as part of an effort to win the World Cup for India, at Mumbai in front of his home crowd, to achieve that coveted crowing jewel in his already stupendous career, it would be, like I said, just poetic.

For the rest of the team, it is time to win it, not just for Sachin, but for the nation that never ceases to dream.

Anatomy of a World Cup Rivalry

Disclaimer: Due to the sheer amount of research required, I started writing this article a day before India played Australia in Motera. When I was half way through tearing this up and eating it, Yuvi and Raina saved the game for us. So, parts of this write-up have been re-constructed, though the original was much better. 

Make no mistake; there is nothing healthy about the rivalry between India and Pakistan. Fans don’t hug each other after a game saying “it’s not about winning, it is about playing”. When these two Cricketing giants square off against each other, there is no fooling around. Victory is sweeter than any other, and defeat is simply soul-crushing. And when they meet in a World Cup knock out, well, there is not a pacemaker in the world that can make a fan’s heart race any faster.

Ask any Indian or Pakistani, and they would take a victory in this game over the final any day of the week, and twice on a Wednesday.

The fact that these emotions bring out the best in both teams is a testament, to Cricket as a great game, and to this rivalry as one of the greatest ever. Players from both sides feed on this energy and almost each one of them has better averages against the other side than they do against the rest of the world. I think it would be mighty hard to find another sporting rivalry like this one….and yes, not even the English and the Australians can match this passion.

Consequently, India and Pakistan have produced some of the most sensational Cricket games in the past. The record though is heavily skewed in favor of India for World Cup meets. However, that fact is a source of anxiety, as it is of pride, because Indian fans fear the day when the law of averages might catch up. Here is a quick look at the instances when these teams have collided in World Cups to send unidentified terrestrial objects flying in all directions.

1992 Benson and Hedges World Cup, hosted in Australia and New Zealand
Incredibly, it took four editions of the World Cup spanning more than 16 years before India got to play Pakistan for the first time on the biggest stage of the game. Up until this point India and Pakistan had always played in opposite pools, and despite progressing to the knock out stages on five occasions combined, they had successfully avoided each other. The 92 World Cup, being the rebellious tournament that is was, had just one group. This meant that every team would play each other once to decide the top four that progress to the next round. Arguably one of the truest tests for a tournament, this World Cup produced some remarkable Cricket. Though India did not qualify beyond the round-robin stage, the only two victories that it accomplished included one over Pakistan. Needless to say, that was consolation enough for Indian fans. While the only other victory came against Zimbabwe, India scored a comprehensive victory against Pakistan by 43 runs in a fairly low scoring, though competitive back then, group stage match.

India 216/7 in 49 overs (Tendulkar 54, A. Jadeja 46, K. Dev 35; M. Ahmed 3/59; A. Javed 2/28)
Pakistan 173 all out (A. Sohail 62, J. Miandad 40; M. Prabhakar 2/22, Kapil Dev 2/30)

Pakistan’s slow over rate, as it would go on to repeat, reduced the game to 49 overs. Sachin picked up the Man of the Match award, a feat that he would go on to repeat as well, for scoring a half century and taking one wicket. Miandad and Kiran More should have received the ‘Best supporting Actors in a Comic role’ awards, but we are still waiting for ICC to approve that category. Pakistan had nervy moments through out the tournament, but under the dynamic leadership of Imran Khan, they eventually came against all odds to claim the championship title.

1996 ICC Cricket World Cup, hosted in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
 After the adventure down under, World Cup returned to the Indian sub-continent, with order restored to the format with two team-pools. Once again, India and Pakistan found home in separate groups, perhaps because this time they were destined for an encounter with much more at stake. As the Cricketing Gods conspired, India qualified third in its group with Pakistan qualifying second in theirs, to set up a quarter-final showdown in Bangalore. The match produced the intense drama that we have come to expect every time these teams go out on the field. This was the famous game where Sohail dispatched Prasad to the extra cover boundary only to point his bat at the bowler to add that extra humiliation. What happened next is Youtube history that every Indian fan has watched over and over. This was also arguably the first time Prasad uttered a swear word. It was a game where India scored 57 in the last 4 overs – a late carnage unheard of in those days - with Jadeja giving the stick to Waqar Younis of all bowlers. India went on to win the game comprehensively to make it two in two.

India 287/8 in 50 overs (N. Sidhu 93, A. Jadeja 45; M. Ahmed 2/56; W. Younis 2/67)
Pakistan 248/9 in 49 overs (A. Sohail 55, S. Anwar 48; V. Prasad 3/45; A. Kumble 3/48)

Almost 10 years after setting the “maximum sixes in a tournament record“, Sidhu claimed the Man of the Match award for his 93 at the top of the innings. The game was also notable for Pakistan being penalized an over again for slow over-rate, and for being the game when Miandad finally said Goodbye to One Day Cricket. The crowd at Bangalore, and the entire Cricketing world, were once again treated to Cricket as dramatic as it can be.

India went on to infamously lose to Sri Lanka in the semi-final at Eden Gardens – a game that the Calcutta crowd refused to see the end of. Sri Lanka taught the world that aggressive shots might be an option when the field is up, arguably changed Cricket to become what it is today, and went on to become the World Champions for the first time.

1999 ICC Cricket World Cup, hosted in England
Cricket World Cup returned to its home in 1999 with super sixes introduced for the first time. This format was never a friend of India’s, but produced some interesting Cricket all along. Once again, India and Pakistan were in separate groups, and shockingly England and Sri Lanka got knocked out from India’s group in the first round. While the Brits lost interest and moved on to other things, the expat population in England kept this tournament alive. Pakistan qualified top of their group, surprisingly registering their only loss to Bangladesh. India met Pakistan in a Super-Six game at Old Trafford and once again batted first. The game was again relatively low scoring, but comprehensively won by India.

India 227/6 in 50 overs (Dravid 61, Azhar 59, Tendulkar 45; W. Akram 2/27, A. Razzak 1/40)
Pakistan 180 all out in 45.3 overs (Inzamam 41; Prasad 5/27, J. Srinath 3/37)

Prasad picked up Man of the Match for picking up a fiver in the seaming Manchester conditions, and Pakistan once again fell to their age old nemesis on a World Cup stage. They did take solace in the fact that India never qualified beyond the Super Six stage (partially due to the Points Carried Forward rule), while Pakistan made it to the final. They eventually lost badly to Australia, but for the sub-continent fans, the match at Old Trafford was etched in our memories.

2003 ICC Cricket World Cup, hosted in South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe
2003 brought the first World Cup to Africa, and it also was the first occasion when India and Pakistan found themselves in the same group in a two-group format. This time it was Pakistan’s turn to get knocked out in the first round, but not before they met India in an absolute cracker of a game. Given that it was a group stage match the stakes were lower, but one can never really have an India-Pakistan match up without razor edge tension. This was the first time that Pakistan batted first in a WC tie against India and Saeed Anwar produced one of the greatest Pakistani innings ever. His century was deflating and put a competitive 273 on the board. What followed is again, Youtube history.

Pakistan 273/7 in 50 overs (S. Anwar 101, Y. Khan 32; Zaheer Khan 2/46, A. Nehra 2/74)
India 276/4 in 45.4 overs (Tendulkar 98, Yuvraj 50, Dravid 44; W. Younis 2/71)

Tendulkar, as he was doing quite often back then, got out in the nervous 90s, but not before he produced one of his personal best in the World Cup history. To this day he recalls this inning as one of the most important ones he ever played, and deservedly picked up yet another Man of the Match award. Pakistan buckled under the relentless batting attack that India brought to the table and lost the game with more than 4 overs to spare.

This meeting was the last time these two sides met each other in a World Cup, because 2007 was quite a forgettable outing for both. And since I don’t quite recall what exactly transpired then, I shall now quickly and very smoothly move on to 2011.

2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, hosted in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
This year’s tournament presents us with the greatest India-Pakistan World Cup match. The only game that could top this one would be an India-Pakistan final, if we are lucky enough to see that some day.

Would this be another feather in India’s cap, or would Pakistan finally catch up with the numbers and hand us a WC defeat in our own backyard? Only time will tell. On paper though, India is looking pretty good. We are hitting form in all the right areas; we seem to be making the most of the already-limited bowling resources, while our batsmen have shared the workload nicely and most of them are looking in good nick. Pakistan on the other hand certainly brings a bowling attack that looks much better on paper, but a batting line up that is somewhat untested and a little shaky on either side of the Misbah-Younis dam in the middle. India would certainly want to get over that hump as soon in the innings as possible. Pakistan on the other hand would want to continue their consistent and relentless bowling attack to keep the Indian scoring in check.

The one thing that certainly stands out is the ability to handle pressure, where India has definitely fared better than Pakistan. Pakistan disintegrated grossly at the first sign of pressure when New Zealand brought the fight to them. India looks a little more battle-hardened than their Pakistani counterparts and should back themselves to be able fight back from the corner.

But as mentioned earlier, when these two sides collide, players feed on a whole other energy-reserve. It would be interesting to see how the younger players perform, because for the ones playing their first WC game against each other, they are about to witness pressure like they never imagined in their worst nightmares.

The entire Cricketing world waits, for arguably the greatest World Cup showdown in the history of the game.

For non-Cricket fans, this would be a good day to give this game a chance and convert!

The 'C' and the 'F' words

The beauty of this World Cup had been that despite the riveting drama, the bottom line results still largely followed Cricketing logic and predictions. So you kind of got the best of both worlds, gripping action without the loss of any of the stalwarts slipping on a banana skin into WC oblivion. All was working as planned by the Cricket Gods. Until the Kiwis set off manic scenes at the Shere Bangla last night.

So much has been talked about South African chokes that anything I say here would simply be kicking a horse that died in 1992. I shall do it anyway. SA, what the hell are you doing?!? When will you do justice to your own talent?!? This team goes on to prove the cliché that the most beautiful nose, eyes and mouth can't be put together to paint the most beautiful face. One's heart goes out to SA fans who endure through gruesome chokes that only feel like the worst one ever, until the next gut-wrenching one comes along in 4 years. Generations after generations rising up to fall similarly prove that its not the players, but the system that needs fixing. And I shall conclude my rant by plainly admitting, if I were an SA official, I wouldn't have the first clue on where to start. What makes the most confident Cricketers with stellar records, playing under a fearless bull of a leader, fall like a boxer who simply spent all 10 rounds punching himself in a corner? Your guess is as good as mine, mate.

Now that I got the disgust out of my system, I must also admit that all the teams that remain in the Championship, and of course their fans, will only be too happy to see the backs of the South Africans. But if the love of the game is applied objectively, we all know what a criminal waste of talent this is. At the moment though, it goes into the credit column for the rest of us.

Moving on to more positive things in life, a panda bear was born in a zoo yesterday. In other news, Kiwi fielders made Newton turn and throw up in his grave when they mocked and ridiculed the laws of gravity, while fielding like Roman Gods with wings and Indian ones with 10 hands, all morphed and black clad into a single super being. It wasn't just one dive, or a single catch. As the Pundits would say in technical jargon, it was the whole Enchilada. It was as if they extracted the Jonty Rhodes gene, mixed it with steroids and a splash of Red Bull, and spiked Kiwis' drinks with it. It was quite simply the best fielding display I have ever seen by an ODI side. This game should be a case study on how fielding alone can create magical victories out of thin air. Vettori was fearless and brilliant with his strategies, and the rest of the Kiwis were relentless until they instilled a sense of panic in the Proteas camp. What followed is Cricketing History, covered in the previous paragraph, and the latest entry to the Choking hall-of-fame that is head quartered in Johannesburg.

While ‘Choking’ and ‘Fielding’ were the highlights of the match served up to an ever-lively Bangla crowd, there is a lot else to be learnt from the experience, mostly for the South Africans, but also for the rest of us.

Intensity doesn't always have to be provoked by extraneous events, sometimes it can just be a part of the plan. Faith doesn't always have to be inspired from a flash of brilliance, sometimes it can just be a part of the player's psyche. And, Unrelenting effort doesn't always have to come at the brink of victories, sometimes it can become the method to victory, and eventually a way of life.

Greatness though, is not thrust upon. It must be earned. (Mr. Shakespeare, I beg to differ with you on that!).

Grit, Grind and a Pinch of Ugly Cricket

Cricket is a funny game. It serves you moments of despair right alongside moments of elation, both perfectly seasoned, and in the purest form possible. India were the favorites going into the quarter-final tie up with Australia, and did come out the winner. However, it wasn’t without some spectacular fighting from Australia on a pitch that was exclusively tailored for India, and intense, sometimes grotesque, drama which included a mad phase of the game when both sides’ objectives aligned and India worked just as hard as Australia, to beat India.

Indian bowlers put up a good show, and riding on some uncommonly good fielding, restricted Australia to what seemed like a fighting total. Ricky Ponting chose the quarter final match to storm back into form, and all Indian fans were left wondering why this man defies Cricketing logic to always show up for the party with India. Nevertheless, Ricky produced an inning that gave the Aussies a real chance, and also a lesson to the Indian batsmen on how to grind on this pitch to accumulate runs.

India came out with a Sehwag who just looked bored and out of sorts, and a Sachin who was the serene personification of assurance that he always is. After Sehwag was done with the formalities, Gambhir and Sachin put in the hard work to calm a billion nerves. Between sporadic blistering strokes were long phases of pure concentration and quiet accumulation that this game really demanded.

Then came a phase when Australia started to hang back a bit while waiting for things to happen, and India snatched the initiative and almost served the game back to them on a platter with caramelized onions and mint chutney. Kohli, Gambhir and Dhoni all departed playing irresponsible Cricket and we were down to our last recognized batting pair while still needing 74 runs to win. A billion stomachs were now starting to twist into knots.

However, out came Yuvraj and Raina to play the ugly form of Cricket that doesn’t make the highlights reel, but brings the game home for the country, and brings grown men on their knees crying, on the field and in living rooms. As I have written in earlier posts, sometimes the need of the moment is to play personality-defying blander-version of Cricket, where the objective is winning the game and not wowing the crowd. This was not a game that was won by soaring sixes or blistering fours. Had our batsmen tried either of those for too long, they would have most likely skied their shots with top edges on a pitch that only reluctantly delivered ball to the bat, and where kids were later seen building sand castles.

It was ironic that Australia managed reasonably well through the group stage, even being the only unbeaten team at one point, while Ponting kept getting criticism all along, internationally and at home. But the day Ponting showed up to produce a magnificent century became the day that the Aussies are booking an early flight home in almost 12 years. It is also ironic that it was Lee's wicket-maiden that put Australia into the driving seat, and it was a Lee over that leaked 13 runs to mark the beginning of the end for Australia. Two proven champions rose to the occasion, only to fall and walk away defeated. Like I said before, funny game this Cricket!

And finally, as the reality of this game starts to sink in, we now all wait for the semi final against Pakistan next week. A World Cup semi final against Pakistan…think about that for a moment. Few sporting events have commanded more respect in the history of mankind, not just Cricket, as this game will. To put it into perspective, take the insignificance of recent events like Sheila reaching adulthood and defamation of Munni, and imagine the exact opposite.

For India, the road only gets bumpier from here. We need Grit more than Flamboyance, Character more than Ego and nerves of reinforced steel.

The nation stands united today as a Billion names melt together to produce a single Identity –

Today; we are all Indian Cricket Fans.

A couple of unrelated Extras

PS: I have got to say, after the West Indian players conspired to humiliate me publically, the lower-middle batsmen of both sides vindicated my prediction for the India-Aus game. Those dogs in Manhattan can walk themselves for now, because I live to write another day :)

Finally, as I write this, the World Cup threw another twist and New Zealand gave us all a lesson on how to win a Cricket match simply by outstanding fielding. More on that tomorrow….

Until next time, Stay Classy, Indian Fans!

Paint Motera Red, and Bleed Blue

Having just finished picking the last bits of my pasta from what appeared to be a pool of butter at the bottom of my bowl, I feel totally ready to type out a Cricket-Write-Up that will effectively take my mind off the guilt of inhaling about fifteen hundred delicious calories in fifteen minutes.

A couple of somber thoughts: First, Soon after I predicted a mighty close game in the first quarter final, all West Indian players conspired against me to fall in a heap quicker than I could finish my shower to get back to them game. Well, the next time they predict an awesome blog from me, they have another thing coming!! And if they think I will go back to my old job of being a dog-walker in Manhattan, well then they may very well be right!

And, second, since I am not a professional writer but a mere mortal-blogger-soon-to-be-dog-walker, the law of objectivity - that apply to every journalist in the world except Sanjay Manjarekar - do not preclude me from writing shamelessly biased articles. Riding on this disclaimer, I write this blog as an ardent Indian Cricket fan, and not a blogger pretending to be an objective observer.

Let me now make a fresh start by plainly stating that I have been having recurring nightmares of waking up to a cricket-less morning after the World Cup, clawing at my bedroom walls in a mad rage until I am put down by my wife’s recently-purchased tranquilizer gun. Waking up to a World Cup sans India would be very similar, if not worse while saying Goodbye would be infinitely easier if we kept the trophy at home, and bid farewell to all visiting teams that return empty handed. And, since I don’t want to be falsely accused for the mysterious disappearance of the trophy on April 2nd around 7:45PM, the only alternative would be for India to win it at Wankhede. BUT to get there, they first need to run through Australia at Motera, a ground that was recently inducted to the awesome-sounding-stadium-name Hall of Fame, alongside WACA and Chepauk.

Having spent a few minutes on some well-directed research, I am sad to report that the statistics are not quite working in India’s favor. To start, Australia has already experienced playing at the Motera in this World Cup, during the rout of Zimbabwe where Mitchell Johnson produced figures of 4 for 19 in 9.2 overs, at the cost of some Zimbabwean batsmen who didn’t know what hit them until they arose from Cricketing Coma a week later to watch replays in slow motion. India hasn’t played here since Kallis and de Villiers gnawed on our spirit, obliterated our faith, and left all Indian fans with a severe stomach disorder in February earlier this year.

To draw any confidence from India’s performances here at the Motera, we have to travel back nine years to a simpler time, when Sanjay Bangar scored the only half-century of his 15-match career, as India overhauled West Indies’ daunting 324. Two of our most prolific run getters at this ground are now giving service to Cricket as an official at the Karnataka Cricket Association, and a barely-audible-commentator, in that order.

However, Pride needs not historic victories, but a single thought, and when one tries hard enough, Inspiration can come from within just as much as from Motera Stats. The fact that Yuvraj is hitting form at the right time should be reason enough for Indian fans to rejoice, and walk to our paan shops with swagger and heads held high. While Johnson and Tait can be a handful on their good days, Lee is the only bowler with a proven track record and perhaps the only one who would draw some preconceived-respect from our batting stalwarts. Aussie spinners are more likely to be sweating their palms than licking their chops, and if we can make early inroads, Aussie lower-middle order can be quite vulnerable against quality slow bowling.

Bottom line is, all stats and mind-games put aside, it will eventually come down to a day’s game of Cricket. As I wrote before, the lower-middle order of both sides need a serious-talk from coaches and their mothers about what their role needs to be. Cricket Gods know that India needs this talk more than any other team! These batsmen are most likely going to be the cogs where the buck stops. 

India has to come out with a plan and play responsible Cricket that is befitting of the moment, and not the personalities.

Don’t glare so much that you lose sight of the game plan, but don’t be so meek that you are rolled over. Just be Cricketers who show up in Motera to win.

It is time when Boys became Men, Men became Legends, and Legends became Immortalized.

Lights, Camera, Random Western Music, Cricket!

Who’d have thought that a tournament that produced the most predictable quarter-finalists, even down to the order, could be this eventful? This World Cup has produced some spectacular games, and thanks to balanced pitches coupled with some excellent bowling performances, and England, we have had games that were played both with a bat and a ball.

An incredible group stage has made way for a knock-out stage that looks every bit as exciting as a meteor sighting, or finding 50 rupees in an old jeans pocket (both events that happen once in a lifetime). We have four matches lined up that promise mouth watering Cricket action. While nations will dream and pray in unison, Cricketing skills and mental toughness will both be tested on the grandest stage for this great game.

Pakistan vs West Indies (Mirpur, Bangladesh): A tale of two inconsistencies

Pakistan should feel pretty good about a lot of things, their form coming in, top rank in Group A and playing West Indies in their first knock out to name a few. They were cruising to the cardinal mistake of peaking too soon, when a couple of strategically-brilliant hiccups restored sanity. They have historically been mercurial, but West Indies proved that they have been prescribed the same medication all along. Both teams have batsmen that are prone to mindless-spur-of-the-moment decision making that results in crucial game-changing-wickets, and leaves the fans breathing into a paper bag. Pakistan bowling clearly shows more promise, but their fielding and catching (and Kamran) provides enough variance in the mix to give us the sweet ambiguity that we search in all Cricket games (except the ones India plays of course!). West Indian bowling looks better than it has in the recent past and their fielding, though not great, will most likely edge out Pakistan’s.

I appreciate the odds being with Pakistan for this one, but my gut says that this game is going to be a lot closer than most are giving it credit for. Pakistan will have to dig deep to overcome their internal demons, while West Indies will continue to think that they can only improve from this point. The objective is to be more composed in the approach, but also not let the pressure of the knock out game consume you. I predict a cracker of a game to start the knock-out proceedings.

I would call this 52-48 in favor of the Pakistanis.

India vs Australia (Ahmedabad, India): The Grudge Game

India faces Australia in their quarter final, and if I were to compare this to other awesome events, I would say it is as exciting as a meteor sighting. (This is not a mistake, but an intentional repeated-use-of-phrase to test if you are paying attention.) For Indian fans, the wait for this game is like watching a horror scene where the unfortunate girl is just about to open the door, and you almost don’t want her to do it, and yet you kind of do. The anticipation mixed with anxiety and sweaty palms is a concoction that only a World Cup knock out match can provide.

Now, putting the objective hat back on, this game is being played on a pitch that has produced high scoring games in the recent past. Most people might think of that as an advantage for India, but I think it might be one for the Australians. I believe a turning wicket would have tipped the balance in India’s favor a bit more. India hasn’t played here so far in the tournament, which isn’t a great thing either. India should fancy their chances against a somewhat-lackluster Aussie bowling attack. Australia should return the favor by salivating at the prospect of a flat wicket, gentle medium pace of Indian bowlers and the quick outfield at Motera. This one promises to be a batsman’s game to win or lose, though the bowler who can make the most of a bad situation might actually end up being the hero in the papers next day.

I expect this to be a 300ish game with tempers flying and the ground turning into a pressure cooker. Mental toughness of the lower-middle order batsmen will be one of the critical deciding factors, as they very well might find themselves in a tricky situation of scoring quick runs while having to conserve wickets. Bowlers will most likely play second fiddle to our glorious batsmen.

I will put 55 on India and 45 on Australia.

New Zealand vs South Africa (Mirpur): Efficient Cricket meets Efficient-er Cricket

New Zealand has finally built some momentum coming into the knock out stage but can they really believe that they can overcome the mighty South Africans to reach the semis? I would doubt that very much. Though they will certainly put their game faces on and give it their best, South Africans might be the prevailing team here. South Africa is currently the top favorite to win this whole thing, and in my mind they have always been. A lot of write-ups declared India to be the favorites in the beginning and I wonder why. We certainly had shown good results in the recent past, but when it came to the consistency of winning 7 games in a row, we were always close second to some of our competitors.

This South African team is far from being chokers, they are an experimenting, believing and exceedingly skilled team that has made peace with the local conditions brilliantly. South Africa’s only worry would be to expose their middle order too early in the game. If Smith and Amla can see off the new ball, it is tough to think of any scenario where New Zealand can produce a win. New Zealand bowlers will be under immense pressure in the first 15 overs, and arguably that is where the game really might be decided. Once Amla and AB drop anchor, the Kiwi bowling unit does not bring enough penetration to the table to threaten the Proteas.

I would put 75 on South Africa, and 25 on the Kiwis.

Sri Lanka vs England (Colombo, Sri Lanka): In the Lions’ Den

England is coming off an absolute rollercoaster of a ride in the group stage. They have proven, as mentioned by many, that they are capable of winning any game from any stage against any opponent, just as much as losing any game from any stage against any opponent. Their biggest problem is that, barring a couple, no one has produced consistent performances with the bat or the ball. They have mysteriously been the only foreign team to have caught the bad-fielding virus that is prevalent in the sub-continent, while their catching has swung between schoolboy-amateur to down-right-shameful.

Sri Lankans know that they only have to stick to their tried-tested-cricket plan to oust the English. Their reliance on Sanga and Mahela has been talked about enough, but I think even if one or both of them fail, this team is still capable of putting together a respectable total against the English attack. Anything in the vicinity of 240 will challenge the Brits, and as they say, beating Sri Lanka in Colombo is defying both physics and history. A seemingly tall task for English by all indications. The only way there can be an upset in Colombo is if the English bowlers can restrict Sri Lanka to a manageable total. All English eyes are going to be on Swann to extract spin and bounce and give the Lankans a taste of their own medicine, and England will most likely play a second-spinner to try to repeat what they did against the Windies.

I would call this one 70-30, in favor of the Sri Lankans.