tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2009:/beyondtheblues//142 2009-11-03T05:10:23Z Life in India's domestic cricket Movable Type 3.34 tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2009:/beyondtheblues//142.13480 2009-11-03T05:00:21Z 2009-11-03T05:10:23Z

The presence of players like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman in Ranji matches inspires players young and old to stay motivated, and of course helps Generation Next stay grounded

Aakash Chopra

Professionalism is what professionals do © Getty Images

Hi guys The first round of the Ranji Trophy features a lot of big names. Rahul Dravid will turn up for Karnataka against the Mohammad Kaif-led Uttar Pradesh, Zaheer Khan for Mumbai and VVS Laxman for Hyderabad among others. The mere presence of these names makes these matches very important. Players in their respective teams get a first-hand account of what it takes to be an international cricketer. Dravid, for instance, is invariably the first man to get into the team bus, Laxman is ever so calm before going in to bat, Zaheer and Ashish Nehra spend countless hours working on their core muscles even while their team bats, and so on and so forth. ]]> These guys maintain a very high standard of professionalism regardless of what they are playing and this professionalism rubs off to team-mates and opposition alike. How can you not be punctual when Dravid is on time, how can you not spend more time training when Zaheer is working on his fitness even after a hard day of cricket? Another thing these guys ensure is that every other player keeps complacency at bay. You want to be at your best to compete against the best. In any case, a youngster wants to go that extra yard to leave an impression on the big guys. Their showcasing of skills also works as a coaching manual of sorts. I vividly remember watching Laxman score a master-class century in a Duleep Trophy game against North Zone. His sense of timing and balance was a treat. Similarly, watching Zaheer or Nehra make the ball talk is a lesson for every budding pacer. While some players enthusiastically turn up for their respective states, others find the domestic grind far too gruelling. The facilities on the domestic circuit are not a patch on those provided for internationals or even for the IPL. Some younger guys are quite unhappy about travelling to obscure places by “cattle class” or staying in “not-so-posh” hotels. One such cricketer, whose place is secure in India’s shorter format, made his unhappiness visible to all and sundry when he was told that his team’s next match was on the outskirts of Maharashtra. Well, this attitude could possibly spur him on to perform exceptionally well and seal his place in Team India in all three formats, but frankly it had a detrimental effect on the rest. After all a first-class team invariably has players who are state greats but possibly never don India colours. That’s when the presence, however occasional, of a Dravid or a Laxman becomes ever so important to keep things in perspective. It inspires players young and old to stay motivated, and of course helps Generation Next stay grounded. Ciao tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2009:/beyondtheblues//142.13374 2009-10-27T02:59:46Z 2009-11-03T05:10:23Z

Hello friends, Imagine this - There are two nets and about 15 batsmen queuing up for a few throw downs. Quite chaotic, you might think. Before you start racking your brains let me tell you that it wasn’t some kind...

Aakash Chopra Hello friends, Imagine this - There are two nets and about 15 batsmen queuing up for a few throw downs. Quite chaotic, you might think. Before you start racking your brains let me tell you that it wasn’t some kind of competition or a coaching session. It was the scene at the nets every morning of our T20 tournament. There were four state teams playing in the two morning matches at two adjacent grounds but at the same venue. All teams shared the facilities right from the dining area to the lavatories. Only the dressing rooms were not shared as makeshift dressing rooms (a covered seating area) were erected for two teams at the adjacent ground. The scenes at the nets were quite interesting both on the eve of the match and every morning. Firstly, batsmen were not allowed to use spikes while batting for the fear of ruining the surface. Well, would they tell the same batsmen not to wear spikes during the match? Then, since there were only two nets to accommodate players from four teams, none of the batsmen would get more than a few balls for throw downs. Is it the ideal preparation for a match? Yet, a set up like this definitely helped in building up the camaraderie between players from different states. Sharing the same net for throw downs meant that a bowler from Punjab was bowling to a player from Delhi and Haryana along with bowling to a batsman from his own side. You might wonder why the batsmen didn’t have a hit in an open area? Why were they crammed up in just two nets? The early morning dew makes the outfield quite wet. And of course, bats tend to spoil if played with a wet ball. Please don’t get me wrong I’m not blaming the hosts because there’s only so much they can do. The infrastructure is not meant to accommodate so many cricketers at the same time. Then every state team had five matches in six days. At times the team which played the game in the afternoon, finishing at 5pm, was back at the ground at 8.30am the following morning to play their next game, staring at 10am. The teams which had back to back morning matches had it easy but only just. The morning match would finish at 1pm, with the next match scheduled for 10am the following day, sparing less than 24 hours for the player to rest and recover. Also, we all realise that a T20 game doesn’t require as much effort as a fifty over game. But then why don’t we see other T20 leagues and tournaments around the world getting over in a week? Another problem along with high fatigue levels, perhaps leading to injuries, is that there’s hardly any time to recover. The loss which should hurt is not that bitter and the win is not that sweet either! After all there’s another game to be played in less than 24 hours. How long can you mull over a loss or celebrate a win? Nevertheless, I’m tempted to call this T20 tournament a ‘carnival’ not because it lacked the seriousness of a tournament but for the environment it created. Ninety players from six states assembled every day, ate together, shared stories and renewed friendships. One rarely gets an opportunity like this. Ciao tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2009:/beyondtheblues//142.13257 2009-10-19T07:40:58Z 2009-11-03T05:10:24Z

Ideally the T20 tournament should happen after the domestic one-day tournament, which is just prior to the IPL. That would not only be a natural progression from one format to another, but would also provide the much required practice for the IPL

Aakash Chopra

Coloured clothes can wait © Cricinfo Ltd

Hello friends The season for Delhi, like most other states, kicks off with the domestic T20 tournament starting Tuesday. I, along with my peers, am expecting the IPL teams to keep a close eye on the tournament. Good performances here might translate into a contract with a franchise and a chance to play in the coveted IPL. Ideally one would expect the batsmen to be hitting big shots and innovating in the nets, and the bowlers to bowl a lot of yorkers and slower ones. But a visit to our practice session would prove you wrong. We’re practising in white clothes and with the red ball. Most batsmen are playing proper cricket, leaving balls outside off stump and trying to hit along the ground as much as possible. The bowlers are also doing what it takes to succeed in the longer version of the game, bowling longer spells, practising to maintain a teasing line just outside off stump. “Are we missing something?” you might wonder. ]]> Well, the fact is that the Ranji Trophy starts within a week of this T20 bash. While everyone understands the importance of bagging an IPL contract, the importance of performing in the longer format isn’t wasted on the players. They know that to cement a place in the state side they must do well in the Ranji Trophy. Admittedly the performances in T20 would be taken into consideration, but they will take a cricketer only so far. His season is going to be judged by what he did in the longer format. The performances in the longer format are rewarded by selection in the zonal side to play in the Duleep and Deodhar Trophies. Doing well there brings a player another major step closer to realising his ultimate dream of playing for the country. Moreover it would be a little tough to change gears so drastically after the T20 tournament gets over. One can’t be expected to slog everything for two-three weeks while preparing for the T20 matches, and overnight develop patience and temperament to succeed in the Ranji Trophy. Ideally the T20 tournament should happen after the domestic one-day tournament, which is just prior to the IPL. That would not only be a natural progression from one format to another, but would also provide the much required practice for the IPL. But in case the BCCI just has to plan the T20 tournament before the start of the season, a good idea would have been to hold this tournament at least two weeks prior to the start of the Ranji Trophy. This arrangement would have given ample time to the players to prepare for both formats equally and independently. Cheers tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2009:/beyondtheblues//142.10079 2009-03-21T12:46:14Z 2009-11-03T05:10:24Z

Dear Readers, As promised here are the answers to some of the questions you'd asked. Posted by: Chintan Shah on February 24, 2009 11:00 AM Hi Aakash, I’m a big fan of your articles on Cricinfo. I was trying to...

Aakash Chopra Dear Chintan, We used to follow a similarly formatted schedule earlier i.e. playing a one-day match a day before the longer version. But all this changed when the Elite and Plate divisions were introduced in the Ranji Trophy. The old zonal system continued for the one-day tournament, though. Hence, it isn’t possible to hold both formats in the same week. I won’t be surprised to see the Elite and Plate divisions introduced soon in the shorter format as well. Yes, I completely agree that there could be more matches in the Duleep trophy. Posted by: Angi on February 24, 2009 11:20 AM Dharamsala is a beautiful place - wonderful scenery and locations. I'm a bit curious to know one thing: when did you first debut in the Ranji Trophy? I mean, did you represent your school teams first and then some clubs - basically, how did you get noticed? Dear Angi, I made my first class debut in 1997 against Services. Yes, one needs to play for the school team, then some club and eventually in age-group tournaments for the state. One must do well enough in the age-group tournaments to get noticed and picked to play for the state team at first-class level. Posted by: Vikram Kewalramani on February 24, 2009 12:31 PM Hey Aakash, Love your book. I live in Canada but I made sure that I got one sent to me as I thoroughly enjoy reading your posts. According to you, what is the difference in pre-match preparation between a Test player v/s an above-average Ranji player for the same game? (Let’s say a Laxman versus a Mithun Minhas.) Or to compare Apples with apples (how do you/ Gambhir differ in preparation versus a Rajat Bhatia/ Minhas? ) Thanks, Vikram Dear Vikram, Many thanks for your feedback and I appreciate the effort you made to get hold of my book; and I’m glad that you liked it. There is always some difference in the way each one approaches and prepares for an event i.e. a match in our case. Some players like to bat for hours prior to the match and on the eve of the match, they simply refuse to leave the nets. Then there are some who don’t bat in the nets at all especially on the eve of the game. They prefer to have a few throw downs instead. Some people give a lot of emphasis on visualization and try to simulate the match situation before the game starts. In the end, it’s all about what works for each individual. There are no fool proof methods of preparing. As they say, if you’re not prepared to succeed you must be ready to fail. Hence, prepare we must. Posted by: Raghu on February 24, 2009 3:18 PM Aakash, saw your scores in the tournament, looks like you’re on a purple patch, hope you continue making the big runs. Here's my question - I am sure its hard to adjust to a higher level of the game when you take a step up but how difficult is it for a player to adjust to a lower level of the game after having played at the highest level? For instance you have played in the best of the grounds and against the best bowlers in the world in Australia, so how difficult is it to adjust to the not-so-great grounds and face lower quality - if I may say so - bowling in domestic cricket. Dear Raghu, Thanks for your wishes. Well, it doesn’t take me a lot to adjust to domestic cricket because I’ve been around for a while. I played quite a few seasons in this circuit before making it to the top and therefore it doesn’t come as a surprise. Yes, the difference does seem more blatant when you’ve played at the top. Posted by: Ravi on February 24, 2009 4:19 PM As usual, a nice article from you Aakash. Nowadays I’ve got so habituated to reading your articles, I am checking for one everyday when I logon to Cricinfo. You’ve hit the nail on the head regarding scheduling. As you said the elite/plate should be introduced here to bring out the best out of the players. But why is it that players get selected in the ODI team based on their performances in four-day games instead of the shorter format? Dear Ravi, Yes, there’s some food for thought in what you say. As I’ve said earlier, I won’t be surprised to see the Elite and Plate division system introduced in the shorter format as well. Yes, it does seem a little unfair to select players to represent India in the shorter format based on their performances in the longer format, but that’s where the selectors come in. They’re the ones who decide whether someone is suited for the shorter version or not. Since they’ve played at the highest level, they generally tend to get it right. Posted by: Denzil Correa on February 24, 2009 4:54 PM Hi Aakash, I am a near regular follower of your blog and most articles on Cricinfo. I would like to know whether players’ opinions are taken into consideration while deciding the itinerary. In international cricket, the two member boards sit and decide the itinerary. Who decides the same for the domestic matches? All the best for your one-day campaign. If possible, can you explain how teams qualify for the Ranji one-dayers? Thanks Dear Denzil, Thanks for your feedback. No, the players’ opinions aren’t taken into consideration while chalking out the schedule for the domestic competitions. There’s a valid reason for that. There are 27 teams playing the domestic circuit and it’s impossible to have a representative from every team on board while chalking out the itinerary. The top two teams from each zone qualify for the Knock Out one-day competition. Posted by: Aditya on February 24, 2009 4:57 PM Hi Aakash, Beautiful post again. I had a question for you: Just like you discussed about cricket balls in your two previous blogs, can you give us insights into a batsman's gear such as bats, pads, helmets, etc? I know there are English and Kashmir willow bats. Which ones are better and why? Keep writing, regards, Aditya Dear Aditya, Thanks for your feedback. The bats made from English willow are much better in comparison to the bats made from their Kashmiri counterpart. The difference lies in the climate in which the tree is grown. The climate in Kashmir gets hotter in the summer and hence the wood gets dry as compared to the region in which the trees are grown in England. The wood from England is less dense and has more moisture when compared to the willow from Kashmir which is more dense and dry, and hence makes the wood heavier, which isn’t ideal for a top quality cricket bat. Posted by: Satyanand on February 25, 2009 4:10 AM Hi Aakash , I have always wondered why the domestic matches are not popular ,whereas the IPL seems to be such a success. If we ignore the four foreign players per team , it would basically boil down to a majority of Indian players. Most Ranji matches nowadays are playing to empty stands . Any thoughts on how to improve the attendance? For one, I think the State/Club youth teams can be encouraged to watch and learn from the matches (at least). Dear Satyanand, At the risk of sounding bizarre, I think that we might have to make the Ranji trophy matches day-night affairs. It wouldn’t be a bad option to start the game under lights at 3pm. This would mean that the second half of the day's play would be at prime time and I’m sure that people in this country would like to watch live cricket even if it’s a domestic match. Posted by: Akash on February 25, 2009 11:41 AM Hi Aakash, Very good one mate. A request for your next blog: is the money earned through domestic cricket sustainable? Can all domestic cricketers earn enough for sustenance of their families or they have to alternative work during off season......after they retire ...etc? Dear Akash, The BCCI must be given credit for pumping in the money for domestic cricket. Nowadays if a player plays an entire season of domestic cricket he makes enough money to maintain a decent lifestyle. Besides that, most first class cricketers are working for one organization or another and are therefore drawing a comfortable monthly salary from their employers as well. So they don’t really have to work in the off-season, but they are required to turn up for the matches their respective organizations play during the off-season. I'm sorry for not being able to answer all the questions as that's a slightly difficult task on the blog. So in the meantime please browse my website which is called www.cricketaakash.com and feel free to ask questions and give feedback. Cheers.]]> Dear Raghu, Thanks for your wishes. Well, it doesn’t take me a lot to adjust to domestic cricket because I’ve been around for a while. I played quite a few seasons in this circuit before making it to the top and therefore it doesn’t come as a surprise. Yes, the difference does seem more blatant when you’ve played at the top. Posted by: Ravi on February 24, 2009 4:19 PM As usual, a nice article from you Aakash. Nowadays I’ve got so habituated to reading your articles, I am checking for one everyday when I logon to Cricinfo. You’ve hit the nail on the head regarding scheduling. As you said the elite/plate should be introduced here to bring out the best out of the players. But why is it that players get selected in the ODI team based on their performances in four-day games instead of the shorter format? Dear Ravi, Yes, there’s some food for thought in what you say. As I’ve said earlier, I won’t be surprised to see the Elite and Plate division system introduced in the shorter format as well. Yes, it does seem a little unfair to select players to represent India in the shorter format based on their performances in the longer format, but that’s where the selectors come in. They’re the ones who decide whether someone is suited for the shorter version or not. Since they’ve played at the highest level, they generally tend to get it right. Posted by: Denzil Correa on February 24, 2009 4:54 PM Hi Aakash, I am a near regular follower of your blog and most articles on Cricinfo. I would like to know whether players’ opinions are taken into consideration while deciding the itinerary. In international cricket, the two member boards sit and decide the itinerary. Who decides the same for the domestic matches? All the best for your one-day campaign. If possible, can you explain how teams qualify for the Ranji one-dayers? Thanks Dear Denzil, Thanks for your feedback. No, the players’ opinions aren’t taken into consideration while chalking out the schedule for the domestic competitions. There’s a valid reason for that. There are 27 teams playing the domestic circuit and it’s impossible to have a representative from every team on board while chalking out the itinerary. The top two teams from each zone qualify for the Knock Out one-day competition. Posted by: Aditya on February 24, 2009 4:57 PM Hi Aakash, Beautiful post again. I had a question for you: Just like you discussed about cricket balls in your two previous blogs, can you give us insights into a batsman's gear such as bats, pads, helmets, etc? I know there are English and Kashmir willow bats. Which ones are better and why? Keep writing, regards, Aditya Dear Aditya, Thanks for your feedback. The bats made from English willow are much better in comparison to the bats made from their Kashmiri counterpart. The difference lies in the climate in which the tree is grown. The climate in Kashmir gets hotter in the summer and hence the wood gets dry as compared to the region in which the trees are grown in England. The wood from England is less dense and has more moisture when compared to the willow from Kashmir which is more dense and dry, and hence makes the wood heavier, which isn’t ideal for a top quality cricket bat. Posted by: Satyanand on February 25, 2009 4:10 AM Hi Aakash , I have always wondered why the domestic matches are not popular ,whereas the IPL seems to be such a success. If we ignore the four foreign players per team , it would basically boil down to a majority of Indian players. Most Ranji matches nowadays are playing to empty stands . Any thoughts on how to improve the attendance? For one, I think the State/Club youth teams can be encouraged to watch and learn from the matches (at least). Dear Satyanand, At the risk of sounding bizarre, I think that we might have to make the Ranji trophy matches day-night affairs. It wouldn’t be a bad option to start the game under lights at 3pm. This would mean that the second half of the day's play would be at prime time and I’m sure that people in this country would like to watch live cricket even if it’s a domestic match. Posted by: Akash on February 25, 2009 11:41 AM Hi Aakash, Very good one mate. A request for your next blog: is the money earned through domestic cricket sustainable? Can all domestic cricketers earn enough for sustenance of their families or they have to alternative work during off season......after they retire ...etc? Dear Akash, The BCCI must be given credit for pumping in the money for domestic cricket. Nowadays if a player plays an entire season of domestic cricket he makes enough money to maintain a decent lifestyle. Besides that, most first class cricketers are working for one organization or another and are therefore drawing a comfortable monthly salary from their employers as well. So they don’t really have to work in the off-season, but they are required to turn up for the matches their respective organizations play during the off-season. I'm sorry for not being able to answer all the questions as that's a slightly difficult task on the blog. So in the meantime please browse my website which is called www.cricketaakash.com and feel free to ask questions and give feedback. Cheers.]]> tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2009:/beyondtheblues//142.9926 2009-03-13T11:30:08Z 2009-11-03T05:10:24Z

Dear readers, Walking out to defend a modest total against Bengal in the quarter-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, I told my players that we needed to give it all we had, to ensure that we get another opportunity to...

Aakash Chopra Chak De, but our last 47 overs on the field (the match was reduced to 47 overs a side) reminded me of that ‘Yeh 70 minute’ speech that Shah Rukh Khan gives his players before the finals. ]]> Of course, the cricket was not going to stop with this game and most of us were going to represent the North Zone and play in the IPL, but it’s never the same. It's the fact that we were not playing for Delhi that would be missed most. Sadly, we faltered and the sand that we were desperate to hold within our fists slipped away right in front of our eyes, and we felt helpless. Anyhow, life moves on, and we’re in Cuttack for the Deodhar Trophy. I’ve been to Cuttack a few times in my cricketing career but the last time we came to play a Ranji Trophy game was a decade ago. We’re staying in the same hotel in which we stayed back then. It’s called Dwaraka and is right beside to a cinema hall. There are two big open drains in the vicinity as well. Nothing has changed in the last decade including the state of the rooms. The placement of the television set is so peculiar that it’s nearly impossible to watch it if both of us, my roommate and I, are lying in our respective beds. The bed sheets are invariably dirty and a look at the bed cover might make you feel like throwing up. It was badly stained with oil marks and looked as if it hasn’t seen the laundry for quite some time. Unfortunately the plight doesn’t end here. There was a cockroach found in the food ordered by one of my teammates. What bothers me more is that Cuttack is not an off-beat venue and has been hosting international matches for quite some time. Of course, the international teams don’t stay in these hotels and I’m not even suggesting that they make us stay in five-star hotels (though why not), but I do believe that there could at least be an effort made to improve the state of the hotels. After all this is the premier domestic tournament. Do I need to mention that the bus that brought us from the airport in Bhubaneswar, which is about 30 km away (an hour's drive), was not an air-conditioned one? It’s pretty hot in this part of the country and an air-conditioned bus is a necessity rather than a luxury. This is a domestic tournament and so is the IPL but there’s a huge difference in the treatment meted out to the players in these two tournaments. No wonder all the players are eagerly awaiting the IPL. Cheers tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2009:/beyondtheblues//142.9841 2009-03-08T15:05:20Z 2009-11-03T05:10:24Z

Aakash Chopra

The damage in the attack on the Sri Lankan team was limited because the bus was able to move, once the driver got going © Getty Images

Dear readers, This post is not about domestic cricket or perhaps, not even about cricket, but about the prevailing circumstances in the game and our society in general. Today, this piece appeared in the Hindustan Times and I felt the need to share it with the people who follow my blog here. So here goes.... The terror attack in Lahore brought back memories of the time I spent in Pakistan during the 2004 tour. The security blanket thrown around us was unprecedented. Our team bus was part of a convoy that had a fire brigade, an ambulance, and helicopter surveillance along with quite a few police vehicles. ]]> The roads were blocked and it was virtually a traffic free zone when we moved. We were briefed on the security protocol and were not supposed to leave the hotel without informing security personnel. They in turn would accompany us everywhere but only after they figured it was safe for us to do so. Otherwise, we stayed put. Again, an armed guard always sat on the team bus during our Under-19 tour to Sri Lanka over 10 years ago because of the heightened threat from the LTTE. If someone had to get off the bus even for a bit, the guard would first decide if it was safe to stop the bus there, then get down himself to assess the situation, before letting anyone else get off. At that time, going anywhere on your own was out of the question. But still, it wasn’t anywhere near the kind of security arrangements we saw in Pakistan in 2004. Then there was Guyana. This time, restrictions were imposed not because of terrorism but simply because of crime. We were told people got killed for even $10 so it was advisable to hide gold chains, mobiles and watches whenever in public. Kenya was much the same. Yet, despite this all, we never once felt threatened. The thought that we could actually be targets never crossed my mind, so much so that a few mates and I actually played hookey and went shopping in Pakistan without telling anyone. We were duly served notice thereafter, obviously watched 24x7. The Delhi blasts came and went and somehow, life went on. But the events of 26/11 in Mumbai changed it all. For the first time, I thought, ‘this could happen to me, my family, those I love’. I still go to movies, malls and crowded markets but to say that I’m not concerned would be untrue. The damage in the attack on the Sri Lankan team was limited because the bus was able to move, once the driver got going. But I wondered about the horrific consequences if it had been stuck in a jam. Last summer, my IPL team, the Kolkata Knight Riders, took about an hour to get from our Delhi hotel to the Feroze Shah Kotla, our bus moving at a snail’s pace because of the massive traffic jam. In Kolkata, we were always provided a traffic free zone through which the bus whizzed by as part of a small convoy. It wasn’t always so elsewhere. I expect things to be different now. In another world, things like jams wouldn’t matter. Now they do. Life and cricket’s landscape have irrevocably changed in the year gone by. Cheers. tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2009:/beyondtheblues//142.9730 2009-03-02T11:49:40Z 2009-11-03T05:10:24Z

There’s something peculiar about the houses in this part of the country. Since land is not at a premium the houses are built on a big compound with enough space for a garden. Invariably there are a couple of coconut trees in every compound and the boundary walls are made of bamboo. Those walls make a statement: we trust each other

Aakash Chopra Dear readers, We’re in Agartala for the knock-out rounds of the Vijay Hazare trophy. For those who are not aware Agartala - the capital of Tripura - is located in the far east of India. One needs to take a flight from Kolkata and fly over Bangladesh to reach here. We realised its proximity to our neighboring country as soon as we landed. The network for mobile phones, if not selected manually, tends to log onto Grameen, the telecom service provider in Bangladesh. So if you’re not careful you might end up paying a lot of money for making and receiving calls under the international roaming rates. Personally, I like coming to the smaller, lesser known places in this vast land. Only cricket could have given us the opportunity to travel all over and get acquainted with various local cultures. There’s something peculiar about the houses (on the outskirts) in this part of the country. Since land is not at a premium the houses are built on a big compound with enough space for a garden. Invariably there are a couple of coconut trees in every compound and the boundary walls are made of bamboo. Those bamboo boundary walls – some of the smaller shops have them too - make a statement: we trust each other. It reminds me of the tradition in a small island called Nevis in the Caribbean, where locking your car is taken as an insult by the others. The houses in the city center are just like any other across the country but the houses in the outskirts tell you a different story. We were in for some excitement as soon as we landed. Imagine if someone tells you the booking you made at a local hotel has been cancelled and that the local association has booked our rooms in a different hotel. If that someone also happens to be the liaison officer, you tend to believe it. There’s only one decent hotel in this city and to be told that we were not to stay in that despite booking well in advance left us quite red-faced. We called up the officials in the Delhi association responsible for making the arrangement and even they weren’t aware of the cancellation. We then called the hotel itself and were duly informed that the booking was well in place and they were waiting for our arrival. We were stunned at this revelation but it didn’t end here. We told the liaison officer what had happened and asked him to take us to our preferred hotel but he didn’t; in his defence he was just following orders, and he promptly took us to a dingy hotel in the city. We had to argue, and quite vocally too, that we should be taken to our desired destination, and eventually we got our way, but the whole thing smelt of conspiracy. Had we not asked our association and the hotel people we would have been forced to stay in a below par hotel. We struggled to comprehend the reason behind their lie. Perhaps the hotel we were asked to stay in had some arrangement with the local association. But we will never know. The good thing about playing in a smallish center is the interest it generates in the locals. Even though the ground on which we played Railways was not the ideal ground to field in, we saw the lighter side of our plight. We were having bets on fielding the ball without fumbling, and a misfield wasn’t regarded with contempt but as a reason to laugh. To cut it short, it’s bumpy and rough. But there were people on the ground to watch cricket and that was a pleasant sight. Even though it wasn’t a big number, to people like us who are so used to playing in front of empty stadiums, even a few hundred can make a difference. The local cable channel had been advertising the event and, of course, the entry was free for all. We have a three day break before the quarter finals and even after taking a day to recuperate from the match fatigue, we have enough time and days to look around and know this place a little better. Cheers tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2009:/beyondtheblues//142.9615 2009-02-24T08:41:22Z 2009-11-03T05:10:24Z

The Ranji one-day matches for North Zone were conducted in Himachal Pradesh this year. The choice of venue is based on a rotation policy and this year it was their turn to host the games. The state needs to...

Aakash Chopra

The Ranji one-day matches for North Zone were conducted in Himachal Pradesh this year. The choice of venue is based on a rotation policy and this year it was their turn to host the games. The state needs to have three grounds to hold this tournament because three matches are played every match day as we have five state teams and the Services in the north zone. We played our first two games in one of the most picturesque cricket grounds in the world – the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Ground in Dharamsala. The snow-covered peaks in the backdrop add to the charm of playing cricket in this mountain city. The hotel we chose to stay in was about half an hour's drive away from the ground and driving in that kind of terrain can be a bit of a bother for some, but once you set foot on the ground, everything else fades into oblivion. I must mention here that a lot of thinking and hard work has gone into building this facility and other associations can take a cue on just how much can be achieved if one has vision and the passion. The track is also almost ideal to play cricket on as it offers enough for everyone in the business. It won't be long before an international match or a national camp is held here. The tournament finishes in nine days as the matches are held on every alternate day and if the rest day in-between includes travelling, it can get gruelling for the players. Contrary to popular belief, a one-day match takes a lot out of a player and the lack of adequate rest and time to recover can lead to injuries and fatigue. One might suggest a player-rotation system but with selection for the Deodhar Trophy, the one-day zonal tournament, at stake one can't afford to take a break because in the end it's all about the numbers: how many runs and how many wickets a player took. ]]> As I mentioned earlier, we played our first two games at Dharamsala and the third match was held at Una which is three hours from Dharamsala. Since the hotel at Una is adjacent to the city's bus station we tried to spend as little time in Una as possible. The incessant honking of the vehicles deprives you of much needed sleep after the game. Here comes the most annoying feature of our scheduling. After playing the third game at Una we went back to Dharamsala to play the fourth game before coming back to Una to play the fifth and final match. Basically we played three games at Dharamshala and two at Una, which is absolutely fine, but what irks me is the fact that it wasn't scheduled in a better manner, so as to avoid such to-and-fro trips that only adds to the player's fatigue. Why did we play the third and the fifth game in Una? Why couldn't we finish our games in Dharamsala before shifting base to Una for the last two matches? And we weren't the only team doing the shuttling between Dharamsala. There were other teams too. Only a small amount of commonsense and understanding would have saved us the ordeal. But is anyone listening? Playing the Ranji one-day matches takes you to the old days of playing matches within the zone and keeping an eye on other teams involved because only two qualify for the knock-outs. Domestic competition ceases to be a national event for these few days. Only when your team qualifies do you ask about the other teams qualifying from the other zones, as you would eventually be playing against one of them. The general consensus among the players is that now that we have the Elite and Plate groups in the Ranji Trophy we must continue with the same format for the shorter version as well. There are always at least a couple of teams in every zone which are pushovers, but they help boost the individual performances of players, which might be enough to fetch them a place in the zonal side. But this fails to deliver a true reflection of their talent. Cheers PS: Please send the questions you would like me to answer in the next post. Tx :) tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2009:/beyondtheblues//142.9467 2009-02-16T20:18:25Z 2009-11-03T05:10:24Z

It's not just the cricket one would miss (once one decides to call it a day), but also the days spent sweating it out for and with one’s team-mates on the field - even during practice sessions, spending hours on the roads, trains, flights and airports together and sharing the best time of our lives in each other’s company. I am savoring each moment of it all because I know it's not going to last forever.

Aakash Chopra

Unforgettable friendships are formed, while sharing the best times of one's life with team-mates © Cricinfo Ltd

Dear friends Talking about cities and suchlike certainly isn't my cup of tea, but having returned to this splendidly beautiful place, Dharamsala, I felt obliged to write something about this place, to share my feelings with pen and paper, or monitor and keyboard as it is for me now. We are in Dharamsala for our one-day matches. I have been here a few times before, but every time I return I feel a renewed love for this state. It is so beautiful and serene, one couldn't ask for a better getaway from the chaos and rush that big cities are partial to. We have matches on alternate days and that allowed us a free day in between to simply laze around, a luxury in our hometowns where we are constantly on the run - even on rest days. ]]> dhabha. Since we are staying a fair distance away from the civilisation we hired a cab and four of us jumped in. We skimmed through a few eateries before finally settling on a place that was really small but promised good food as it was one of the oldest dhabhas in the area. We were hungry and we ate as though there was no tomorrow. We weren't let down by the food either, as we thoroughly enjoyed the food while talking about almost everything from the meaning of "calories" to the developments in the IPL. After getting back to our hotel totally satisfied and heavy bellied, we went out for a digestive stroll in the mountains. We continued our multi-topic discussions along the way. That's when I realised just how lucky we were to be given this chance to enjoy each other’s company, without a worry of the future creasing our foreheads - at least for the moment. This is a luxury only the domestic cricketers get to enjoy, as one can't imagine Test cricketers going dhabha-hopping or having a stroll without getting mobbed. Certainly not in India. Yes, everyone playing domestic cricket is trying to make it into or make it back into the Indian team, but one could and certainly does have a lot of fun along the way. Perhaps most of us are too caught up in the pursuit to achieve our goals, and hence don't realise its importance right now but I'm sure that we're going to miss all of this when it's over. It's not just the cricket one would miss (once one decides to call it a day), but also the days spent sweating it out for and with one’s team-mates on the field - even during practice sessions, spending hours on the roads, trains, flights and airports together and sharing the best time of our lives in each other’s company. I am savoring each moment of it all because I know it's not going to last forever. Please don't misunderstand me here, I'm not hanging up my shoes anytime soon - far from it. It's just that the peaceful surroundings here gets you into an introspective mood. God bless ]]> tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2009:/beyondtheblues//142.9404 2009-02-12T13:49:16Z 2009-11-03T05:10:24Z

The Kookaburra is a good idea all right, but it is a luxury that is not supposed to be enjoyed during the practice sessions

Aakash Chopra

That red thing in his hand is a Kookaburra, but chances are Siddharth Trivedi didn't get to practise with it © Getty Images

Dear readers In the previous post I wrote about the decision, taken a couple of years ago, to use the Kookaburra ball in the Duleep Trophy. We were excited about this change, but we faced a strange situation right at the beginning. These Kookaburra balls are really expensive - over Rs 3000 - and hence were not made available for use in our practice sessions, even on the days before the matches. It was a little bizarre to practise with an SG Test ball when the game was to be played with the Kookaburra. But who were we to complain, and more importantly to whom? The second bit of surprise came when the match referee explained the playing conditions to the captains. It was decided that the ball would not be changed even if it went out of shape. Reason? There weren't enough spare balls available! The hosting association was provided with only six to eight new balls to conduct the match, out of which one was to be used at the start of every innings in the match. They were given a cushion of four additional balls in case the teams took new balls after 80 overs. It goes without saying that the number of balls provided to the fielding team to choose the match ball from kept reducing by one with every innings. Normally, the fielding team is provided with 10-12 balls to choose from, but these were not normal balls. ]]> Things changed in the following year. We were given adequate number of balls to practise with, but on the condition of returning it to the hosts after the net session. The host association was accountable for these balls, and had to return the balls to the BCCI after the game. Or so we were told. We didn't have a problem with this arrangement. The only difference from a normal training session was that we were still doing the fielding drills before the match with the same old SG Test balls. Things improve further this year, and we faced no such problem. There were more than enough balls to practise with and to choose the match balls from. We at Delhi still face the same problem – the unavailability of the Kookaburra balls for practice ahead of the Ranji one-day tournament, which will be played with the white Kookaburra balls. We are told that the balls are too expensive, and hence we must make do with some other local brand that is white in colour, to get the feel of the white ball. We would be given an odd Kookaburra or two every now and then in the interim. I am struggling to get my head around this decision. Yes the balls are expensive, and must therefore be used sparingly, but definitely not as scarcely. If money is such an issue with the association then how the same association managed (if a newspaper article is to be believed) to spend Rs 40 lakh on buying tracksuits for the cops and another obscene amount (nearly Rs 28 lakh) for an AGM totally stumps me. Ours is not the only association with this queer arrangement. Most associations across the country are doing exactly the same thing. To make matters even worse this isn't restricted to just Kookaburra balls. When it comes to the Ranji Trophy even the SG Test ball is considered a luxury that most teams can't enjoy during practice sessions. Instead they practise with other cheaper balls. Things aren't that bad with our association, though, when it comes to red balls. Another question that comes to my mind about the whole exercise of using Kookaburra balls for the Duleep Trophy is, whether it really serves its purpose of getting the players used to a different brand? It makes little difference because we play with these balls only once in a year. And only a handful of players at that. With the Duleep Trophy format changed to knock-outs, a couple of teams play only one game each, which could easily be just one innings. And the lucky ones who got the feel for longer than the rest find it difficult to remember its nuances for one full year. To me, the idea of using these balls is to help the players modify or even remodel their game to suit this ball, and hence make it better suited for international cricket. But since it happens only once a year, it serves very little purpose. I'd suggest that every alternate round of the Ranji Trophy should be held with the Kookaburra balls. It will give everyone playing domestic cricket the feel of the Kookaburra balls, and also provide a different kind of challenge for the players. I firmly believe that man is a product of his circumstances, and if we play our cricket with SG Test balls day in and day out, we will become players suited for that particular ball. If we are exposed to Kookaburra balls from an early stage, our fast bowlers will learn to hit the deck hard, spinners will learn to put more work on the ball, batsmen will learn to bat cautiously when the ball is new, and most importantly our curators will learn to make the tracks hard and bouncy because there won't be a way out. Take care tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2009:/beyondtheblues//142.9294 2009-02-07T13:32:13Z 2009-11-03T05:10:24Z

Aakash Chopra

'The SG Test ball doesn't swing much when it's new' ©AFP

Dear readers, A couple of years ago the BCCI decided to use Kookaburra balls in the Duleep Trophy to give our domestic players a feel of this type of ball, as at the international level, except for the Test cricket played in India and England, this ball is commonly used. We, in India, use the SG Test ball and England plays with either a Duke or a Readers ball (these two are quite similar to the SG Test balls used in India). But even that is restricted only to the red balls because the shorter formats all over the world are played with the white Kookaburra ball. It was exactly the same in the Indian domestic circuit till the introduction of the Kookaburra ball for the Duleep Trophy. The longer format, before this move, was played with the SG Test ball and the one-day matches with the white Kookaburra ball.]]> Beyond the Blues are out and the initial signs are very encouraging, almost all of them have written good things about the book. I'm assuming that it's true. Tx. ]]> tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2009:/beyondtheblues//142.9064 2009-01-28T15:47:44Z 2009-11-03T05:10:24Z

Now that the Ranji format has changed it has become a national tournament in the true sense of the word. Performing extremely well in Duleep Trophy is no longer the only way to impress the selectors

Aakash Chopra

"Duleep Trophy might have lost a bit of its sheen and importance in the recent past, but it is still very dear to me" © Cricinfo Ltd

Dear readers When I started playing first-class cricket about a decade ago, the whole purpose of playing Ranji Trophy was to do enough to get picked for North Zone in Duleep Trophy. The Ranji format was different back then. Teams were divided into zones, and would play each other before the top two qualified for the knock-outs. Hence the media coverage was also restricted to the matches in the particular zone. For example we would rarely get to know about the matches happening in the south or east. I'm sure it must have been the same for other zones too. Doing well was important and one got noticed all right, but only in his respective zone - unless someone did something out of the ordinary, something like a triple-century or 15 wickets in a match. The knock-out matches were always pretty important, but there were only a handful of teams involved. ]]> The real chance to get noticed at the national level would come when one represented the zonal side in Duleep Trophy. This was an opportunity for players from different states to see each other play. This tournament also included the India players since a not-so-crowded international calendar during this period allowed them to play. The players in the Indian team would often share details of up-and-coming cricketers with each other, but that was also limited to a player's knowledge of the zone he played in. The Duleep Trophy was the only platform where one would compete against the best in the country, and hence performances would get noticed too. Those days, an ordinary outing in Duleep Trophy would severely hamper one's chances to represent the country. One would have to wait for the next edition of the tournament, which obviously happened after a year, to repair the damage. But now that the Ranji format has changed it has become a national tournament in the true sense of the word. With the teams divided into two divisions and in two separate pools thereafter, teams get to play against different teams every year irrespective of the zones. The media coverage of Ranji Trophy has also changed with the format, and now we can follow almost every team's fortunes. One need not wait till the Duleep Trophy to know which guy is doing well in the season. While the Ranji Trophy has become more important, the importance of the Duleep Trophy has become somewhat diluted. Performing extremely well in the Duleep Trophy is no longer the only way to impress the selectors. And the fact that a lot of players play for India before playing for their respective zones these days just reiterates my point. This probably isn't such a bad thing for a player because now he has more avenues and hence more chances to leave a mark. A couple of bad innings in the Duleep Trophy are not going to push his career back by a year. On the contrary I see it as an opportunity to continue the good work, and add up to the tally of runs or wickets for the season. The Duleep Trophy might have lost a bit of its sheen and importance in the recent past, but it is still very dear to me. Cheers tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2009:/beyondtheblues//142.8977 2009-01-24T03:04:51Z 2009-11-03T05:10:24Z

It was a landmark season with Delhi winning the Ranji Trophy after 16 years, North Zone clinching the Duleep Trophy, and me ending up being the highest run-scorer

Aakash Chopra

Dear readers, Though this post has probably got nothing to do with domestic cricket, my book most certainly does have. I'll take the liberty of taking you through the journey of how Beyond the Blues happened. At the insistence of Siddhartha Vaidyanathan, a friend and former Cricinfo journalist, I started keeping a diary for the 2007-08 first-class season. Even though I had read quite a few rather popular diaries in England, I was sceptical about the interest such a book would generate with the Indian reading audience. People in India don't follow domestic cricket as closely as they do in England and perhaps that's why there has never been a book written about India's domestic cricket. The second issue preventing me from writing the book was the discipline and effort it would require. I knew that once started, I had to commit myself to write almost everyday, and that included days when I would come back home knackered after the day’s play, days when I would fail on the field and writing would be the last thing on my mind and on days when nothing of note would happen and hence would find it equally difficult to write. But when I did start writing eventually, little did I know that it would become a book some day. I started writing notes at the end of the day and started enjoying it. Within two months into the season I had written over 20,000 words and that's when I realised I needed to see it through till the end. Writing at the end of a day's play was keeping me on my toes during the day as well. Though I wrote on days when I didn't do well, it wasn't a happy feeling. I would constantly tell myself that it would read quite badly in the end if I have a poor season; that I'm commenting and recording everyone's performances while I scored only a handful of runs. A very scary thought indeed. Not that it prevented me from nicking the ball outside off-stump to the keeper, but it did add that extra focus to do well. ]]> Beyond the Blues' which we found very apt. The idea behind the title was that in India we identify our cricketers with the colour 'blue', these are our 'men in blue', but then there are 'the blues' of playing domestic cricket too which everyone goes through before donning the blue India colours. The final bit was to finalise the date of release which gave us all a bit of a headache and some heartache too. We were supposed to release it in October but the book wasn't ready by then and we didn't want to do a shoddy job of it and hence postponed it. Then it was difficult to find time during the domestic season and so we decided to do it on December 22 at the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai which would have been the fourth day of the second Test between India and England. But then 26/11 happened and the plans were scrapped. Celebration was the last thing on our minds at that point of time. Finally, on January 8 the book saw the light of day with a release function in Delhi. I was overwhelmed with the response on that night. Everyone who I had invited turned up to show their love and support. Virender Sehwag cancelled his advert shoot to be there and the rest fought their way through a heavy traffic jam (thanks to some festival and petrol pump strike) to participate in the event. Mr Arun Jaitley, the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association president, was kind enough to officially release the book. I can't thank everyone enough for making that day memorable. Now that the book is out and reviews have started pouring in, I'm a bundle of nerves once again. It is even worse than facing a quality bowler for two reasons. One — I've been playing cricket for as long as I remember and hence it doesn't make me too nervous. And second - while facing a quality bowler at least you have the opportunity to do something with the ball hurled in your direction, whereas in this case you could only read what others think about your work with no option to change the outcome. But then that's exactly the reason why anyone writes a book - to know what others think about it. So I'd like to request my readers to feel free to give an honest feedback on Beyond the Blues. And also forgive me for boring you with this post which has nothing to do with the ongoing season but I promise to make up for it in the forthcoming posts. Cheers. ]]> tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2009:/beyondtheblues//142.8824 2009-01-14T17:40:01Z 2009-11-03T05:10:24Z

They say 'To err is human, to forgive divine’ and that's concretely manifested in almost every first-class game played in India

Aakash Chopra

We do have to make peace with the fact that the man standing 22 yards away is also human and can commit mistakes © Cricinfo Ltd

Dear readers, We, Indians, are always looking for divinity in everything. We make Gods out of normal human beings and treat the game as a religion of sorts. Following the same trend even deeper I can clearly see divinity at work in first-class cricket. They say 'To err is human, to forgive divine’ and that's concretely manifested in almost every first-class game played in India. Take the ongoing Ranji Trophy final for example, whether it was Wasim Jaffer on the first morning or Zaheer Khan on the second. Both of them erred in judgment and nicked the ball to the wicketkeeper but the umpire standing 22 yards away forgave their human follies and divinely granted them some more time to improve on their game in the middle. On the other hand both Ajinkya Rahane and Mohammad Kaif had to turn to their divinity when the man 22 yards away erred disastrously and gave them out when they clearly weren't. The standard of umpiring in first-class cricket has been below-par for as long as I've been playing the game but rarely do we see people talking about it, apart from the affected players that is. The reason being that the matches were never shown live and hence there was never enough evidence to attract criticism. Now that the matches are shown live and they happen to be really high-profile games, the mistakes are glaringly visible and the consequent criticism very vocal. ]]> reaping the benefits of the exercise. Please don't get me wrong, there are still a lot of umpires who have gained a lot of respect from the players and are very competent. Umpiring goof-ups happen in international cricket as well so first-class cricket can't be foolproof. As long as the human element is involved in the game, which I think should be there forever, mistakes are going to be made. Don't we as a batsman or a bowler make mistakes? Since we, cricketers, also make plenty of mistakes on the field, regardless of however much we crib and cry, we do have to make peace with the fact that the man standing 22 yards away is also human and can commit mistakes. After all "to err is human …" Cheers PS: I know it might sound like a plug but I'm also human and hence allowed to err … My book is out in stores and I'm waiting for some honest feedback. ]]> tag:blogs.cricinfo.com,2009:/beyondtheblues//142.8763 2009-01-11T17:25:20Z 2009-11-03T05:10:24Z

Aakash Chopra

Where would Saurashtra be without Shitanshu Kotak? © Cricinfo Ltd.

Dear readers, With the Ranji finals starting tomorrow I can't help but think of two relatively unknown names who lead Uttar Pradesh into the finals. Both Shivakant Shukla and Parvinder Singh played the innings of their lives when their team needed it the most. This is what intrigues me about team sport - different people standing up and bailing the team out at different difficult times. But the sad part is that everyone's contribution is not acknowledged in a similar manner. This is the story of people who are always the best men. Last year, Parvinder Awana from Delhi took a hat-trick against Maharashtra when we were desperate for a wicket. He got a lot of crucial wickets at times when we needed them the most. But his overall season tally didn't match up with the best in the country, nor was it good enough to get him into the North Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy. His hat-trick wasn't the only time he made a crucial contribution, the wickets against Tamil Nadu in a must win game for Delhi, crucial second-innings wickets against Baroda in semi-finals were as important to Delhi's success as Gautam Gambhir's, Rajat Bhatia's or my centuries were. ]]> And he wasn't the only one. A lot of people played a significant role to ensure the team's success, but only a few were rewarded individually. It's because they make up the supporting cast, and aren't the lead actors that they aren't given a share of the limelight. They are expected to be contented with the collective success. When we talk about Saurashtra's resurgence as a team, we only talk about Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja being the main contributors. Yes, they have been doing really well, but there are others too. The team wouldn't have done wonders without Shitanshu Kotak's consistency with the bat and Sandeep Jobanputra's relentless aggression with the ball. There are others too. But since only two are tipped to play for the country we tend to forget the rest and their invaluable contribution. It's just the outside world I'm referring to because the teams value their contribution and hold them in high esteem. The same thing happens in international cricket too, but not nearly quite as often as in domestic cricket. Perhaps some of these guys are never going to play for the country, but they are the pillars of their team and immensely important to first-class cricket in India. These are the guys who ensure that one doesn't drop the guard even against a lesser known individual. Some of us are really blessed because whenever we perform we get picked to play at the next level, well most of the times at least. But that isn't the case with everyone. For starters they're competing with the known names of Indian cricket for a spot in the zonal side. And even when they do get picked they rarely get the desired batting position or enough number of overs to bowl, and that is if they make it to the final XI. In theory, they got an opportunity and are rewarded for their performances but in practice it isn't the same all the time. Bhatia is one such example. He was the country's best allrounder last season, and was picked to play in the Challengers this season. In theory he was rewarded, but let me tell you how it panned out for him in practice. He played only one of the two matches his team played (because they didn't make it to the finals), and his team needed well over 6.5 runs an over when he walked into to bat with four or five top-order batsmen already back in the hut. It was his big chance and he didn't want to goof up, but his options were really limited. He couldn't bide his time because doing so would mean the asking-rate would keep rising, but getting out while trying to up the ante would ruin his only chance to make an impression. Well, some might argue that it was a tailor-made situation for him to make a mark for himself. That may be true, but just one opportunity after six years of hard toiling in the domestic circuit, and that too, in far from ideal circumstances doesn't sound that appealing to me. It would be good to spare a thought for these guys. Personally, I can't thank these guys enough for playing their role to perfection to ensure that a few of us eventually play for the country. Cheers