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.

A Walking Saint, A Dehydrated Soldier and a Familiar Foe

India’s match against West Indies was, once again, a bitter sweet concoction that inspired both moments of bliss, and dashes to the washroom to throw up.

To start the proceedings, Sachin nicked a peach of a delivery to the keeper. The umpire stood there undecided, but the West Indians roared because without wasting a single nanosecond, Sachin had accepted his dismissal and already turned to start the lonely walk back to the stands. He didn’t need an Umpire to give him a reprieve so he could continue his quest for the hundredth hundred, that would be very un-Sachin-like.

Such is the adulation of this man in India, where his dismissal at 2 is venerated just as much as an unbeaten hundred.

The mini collapse at the top left India in very familiar waters, where two Punjabi lads had their work cut out for them. Kohli, once again, justified why people think he is a younger-tattooed avatar of Dravid, and behind all the shenanigans he simply plays solid Cricket. He is quickly becoming an indispensable cog in the Indian Cricket machine and the game against West Indies was another feather in his crooked cap.

And then there was Yuvraj.

After countless headlines-for-the-wrong-reasons it seems that the sheer Cricketing brilliance often plays second fiddle to the flamboyance of this man. This is the guy who is the fifth highest run getter in ODIs in the history of Indian Cricket, and is starting to sparkle with his bowling to top it. There is no doubt that he is one of the finest fielders we have ever produced, and at long last, he is starting to show the grayness of the hair that all of us have been waiting for. Fighting sickness and bad form, Yuvraj rose to the occasion to become the true match-winner that he is. A kicking-and-screaming Yuvraj can send six balls sailing into the stands in an over, and as we saw today, a grinding-and-persevering Yuvraj can steer the ship to calmer waters. His good form is not just a welcome twist, but a critical ingredient in the recipe for success for India.

And after all the grit and perseverance, we got to see the brilliant vanishing act that our middle and lower order is dazzling us with these days. They have all put in the hard work, got their heads together and simply pledged to play the bat-swinging brand of Cricket that undermines incredible starts, and leaves our confidence shattered at the end of the innings. Players like Sachin and Yuvraj are looking around and saying “Are you kidding me?”, while Dhoni continues to dish out well-concealed criticisms that mysteriously all start with “Well of course“.

We quickly need to find a way to do two things: one, bat for 50 overs no matter what, and two, make better use of the batting power play. The latter needs to happen no later than the 35th over when the new ball is taken (unless we are in firefighting-mode at this stage already!), and Yusuf Pathan has to wonder how long a couple of hundreds are going to keep the selectors leaning towards him as opposed to Raina. The opposition is already there to beat us, let us not try to do it ourselves!

We are here to hit boundaries, exhibit brilliant stroke play, send the ball into neighboring states and the crowds into brain-cell-killing-delirium.

But sometimes we need to play a subtle-and-almost-ugly brand of Cricket to save games.

Because say what you may, we are first and foremost, here to win the Cricket World Cup.

And rumor says it is time to buckle down!

Need for Spin

With the last game of the group stage fast approaching, Indian Cricket Management must be looking back and wondering if they made the most out of the games so far to fine-tune all moving parts of the team. I fear we may have missed opportunities to test-fire some weapons, and ended up shielding some of our high-risk areas instead of challenging them.

First and foremost, I feel that we should have tried opening with a spinner in one of the games, just to see how our spinners adapt, how the tracks respond, and perhaps evaluate if it is a potential option for the future. Almost every other top team has at least tried it once, some have even developed it as an alternative strategy, and besides, it is not as if our seamers have been giving us dream starts!

Furthermore, it just feels that we have held Ashwin back for too long. With a sluggish pitch and an associate team, there was a great opportunity to play him in Delhi, but the logic of having home-boy Nehra play instead just didn’t come off as a good idea to try in a World Cup. Nagpur added another entry to the list of wasted opportunities, along with registering our first defeat in the WC campaign.

Harbhajan has been blowing-hot-blowing-cold this entire tournament in terms of taking wickets, but the one thing that he has consistently done, is containing batsmen. I agree that it is not his primary function, but still, if Dhoni can get through ten overs rather cheaply, he will take it with both hands. That leaves us with a serious issue of not having a strike spinner for powerplays and crunch situations. Chawla has proven beyond doubt that he is not that spinner yet. And that again begs the question, why are we not giving Ashwin the much needed match exposure, to get him into the driving seat alongside Harbhajan for the knock out stages?

I am fairly sure that Ashwin will get a chance against West Indies (since it will be his home ground, and shockingly, that is how decisions are being made in the Indian team these days), but if he comes off rusty in that game, wouldn’t that be an issue that we forced upon ourselves?

The World Cup can not be played with a ‘one-match-at-a-time’ strategy, it has to be thought-out like a chess game. Grounds, opposition and conditions should all only create minor tweaks, and flexibility must never undermine the need of having a master-plan. And in this tournament, an integral part of our plan needs to be a potent spin attack which we have failed to develop so far.

Games are going to be won and lost in the middle overs, where we are just not creating the impact that we need. With four fielders on the edge and part-timers operating, we continue to invite trouble every game, while waiting for wickets to fall in our laps. Sometimes our mighty batsmen bail us out, sometimes they don’t.

It is about time we realized that the group stage is almost finished, and a single defeat now means the end of the road.

We can grab the initiative or go home. Well, in this case, stay home. But you know what I meant!

An Opportunity that went Begging, and Spunk that Turned to Doubt

Saturday’s match reminded us of how limp Indian Cricket can appear on days when their batting falters even marginally, and how easily top teams like South Africa can flatten our modest bowling attack to overcome double-digit required run rates. Here is my take at the things that went wrong and how they could cripple India’s march towards a second World Cup title, followed by a couple of very realistic options for India to solve all their Cricketing problems.

Once again, a poor death-overs display. Both in batting and bowling, we showed that we are developing a fatal habit of being unable to step on the gas in finishing stages. Our batters followed the age old three step Indian recipe of forward-defending dot balls, building pressure and finally losing their wicket to the catcher on long-on boundary. We rarely ever ensure that at least a single comes off every ball to keep the scoreboard ticking. We would rather have big sixes to send the crowd roaring. Or so we thought! Well the sixes never came and on the other hand our bowlers showed that being simple-straight-and-full is actually as complicated as brain surgery. Half volleys, wide outside off stump and full-tosses made a sorry list of deliveries we had on the menu for South African batsmen in the late overs, with Bouncers and Yorkers being miserably conspicuous by their absence. Though after years of exposure to this agony, fans are starting to cope a little better, but the question never ceases to ring - For the love of everything that is holy, why can’t we bowl Yorkers like they do?

No-aggression treaty with opposition sides during middle overs. It is time that we overthrow the rule of not having attacking strategies employed between overs 15 and 35. When the bowlers run in, the only other blue-man in the TV-frame is Dhoni keeping wickets. We have four fielders on the edge of the circle, and five that patrol the boundaries. Period. This is the field-set-up no matter who the bowler is, or who the batsman is. Our rare show of attacking Cricket is having one lone slip fielder that barely ever comes into action, while opposition batsmen simply nudge the ball around to pick up six easy singles every over. We need to realize that with a batting powerplay in hand, required rates of 10ish are quite easily manageable against our bowling attack. We have to stop waiting for things to happen, and Dhoni needs to attack a bit more. Initiative-less-Cricket is painful to watch, and it simply sets up a cruise for the Indian team to a lame defeat.

BCCI’s inability to recruit. Fine, I am just going to say it. BCCI’s inability to pay millions to, and arrange Indian citizenships for, Dale Steyn and Brett Lee is hurting us badly. Since it is painfully obvious that we won’t develop genuine fast bowling talent at home, I urge BCCI to double their efforts to get these boys smuggled to India as Daljeet Singh and Brijesh Leeladhar, so we can get on with our fast bowling. It is about time we put the BCCI-billions to good use! It has now become a matter of national security, and having these guys right there in India to play the World Cup is the perfect opportunity.

Sachin and Sehwag. These guys have seen enough to know that losing their wickets at any stage of the game is detrimental. Sehwag got dismissed in the 48th over against the Bangladeshis, and the remainder of the inning was a sad showcase for Indian batting. The start needs to be the end, as it seems that the only way we can put insurmountable scores on the board is by being zero wickets down at the end of the inning. So, getting out is hereby prohibited by BCCI law for Sachin and Sehwag. And since we don’t really need batsmen other than the openers, it also provides that ever-elusive opportunity to finally play Ashwin in the side!!