August 24, 2009

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

India’s best fielders before the ODI era

	Eknath Solkar takes a brilliant catch to dismiss Alan Knott © Getty Images

From S.Giridhar and V.J. Raghunath, India

Madras, 1956: India v New Zealand, Umrigar catches Bert Sutcliffe
Sutcliffe is the mainstay for New Zealand. If India get him they have won half the battle. Well set, Sutcliffe goes for a pull off Jasu Patel and the ball soars to square leg. Umrigar stationed near the square-leg umpire, turns and sprints back 25 metres, looking over his shoulder all the while, to take the catch. Next morning in the Hindu, SK Gurunathan wrote that unfortunately for Sutcliffe, he hit the ball in the direction of the only fielder in the Indian team who could have attempted and made the catch!

Madras 1964: India v Australia, Surti catches Lawry
Simpson and Lawry are trying to build a sizeable lead and set India a goodish target. The Indian captain Tiger Pataudi has Nadkarni at one end, keeping them on a leash. Patrolling the deep is substitute Rusi Surti, perhaps India’s best ever outfielder, swooping in on everything coming his way and throwing back in one action. When Nadkarni tosses one up, Lawry puts his right leg out and on bent knee swings Nadkarni hard and high to the square-leg boundary. At the end of the Nadkarni over, Pataudi, Nadkarni and Surti meet mid-pitch and a plan is hatched. In Nadkarni's next over to Lawry, the third ball is tossed up a bit more; Lawry goes for the big shot again. Even as the ball leaves Nadkarni’s hand, Surti from long leg starts sprinting towards deep square leg. Running flat out, Surti takes a sensational catch and the crowd rises to its feet spontaneously.

Oval, 1971: England v India, Solkar catches Knott
Chandra has ripped the top order of the England team in the second innings. If India get the troublesome Knott out, victory is theirs. Venkat – Chandra’s spin partner in that series – has the usual cordon around the bat. Crouching low at forward short leg is one of the finest in cricket history, Eknath Solkar. As Knott plays forward to Venkat, it is the merest of inside edges – hardly a chance – but Solkar diving full-length forward miraculously takes the ball. The innings folds and India go on to record their first-ever Test win in England.

Attempting to select capable Indian fielders before the advent of ODIs yields about a dozen names. It was only since the growth of ODIs in the eighties that India’s cricketers began to run up laundry bills. The most often heard comment on radio when a boundary was hit off an Indian bowler was “and the fielder escorts the ball to the boundary”. In the sixties, Pataudi the young captain, despairingly surveying his team told them, "All I expect from you is to see dirty trouser knees at the end of the day."

India in the fifties to seventies threw up some wonderfully gifted Indian batsmen and bowlers but the great fielder was almost an apparition. Grounds on which we learnt our cricket were bumpy and grassless. Many of us grew up playing cricket on gravel grounds. By the time we reached college we had developed an aversion for fielding and weren't inclined to dive for the ball. So while being self-deprecating about our fielding, we are not without empathy.

	Rahul Dravid is one of India's finest slip fielders © AFP

It is also true that Indians are not as athletic as the Australians, New Zealanders or the South Africans. Our reflexes are second to none but in our ability to sprint, change direction without hurting ourselves or to throw ourselves we are woefully behind. It is only in the last 25 years that India has narrowed the gulf with the other countries. Our grounds have improved, coaches are giving importance to fielding and budding players know that better fielding will help them move ahead of competitors.

And so from the late seventies we have a line of excellent fielders – Brijesh Patel, Madan Lal, Yajurvindra Singh, Kapil Dev, Azharuddin, Tendulkar, Robin Singh (even though he learnt his cricket in Trinidad), Ajay Jadeja, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Aakash Chopra, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, S Badrinath and others. Our slip cordon was also more assured – Gavaskar, Dravid and Laxman are good examples to support that claim. But before the advent of the ODI era, who were the Indian fielders good enough to be bracketed with the best of their times?

The first twenty years of India’s Test cricket, the era of Nayudu, Merchant and Amarnath - yield just a couple of names. Mushtaq Ali, the cavalier opening bat, and Gul Mohammad, easily the best Indian fielder of his time. When Test cricket resumed after World War II, India’s fielding was marginally better. Luckily we had a sprinkling of players from the Services - all fit and agile. Hemu Adhikari was easily the best among them and his colleagues Gadkariand Muddiah showed the benefit of training and serious fielding drills. An electric cover point, Adhikari was the first Indian team manager to put a premium on fitness and fielding. Portly Prasanna made way for the fit and agile Venkat in the 1971 series against England because Adhikari wanted Venkat’s combined prowess more than merely Prasanna’s spin brilliance. Adhikari, therefore, is in a way India’s watershed man.

In the 1950s our fielding came to be represented by Polly Umrigar. Back then, when Subhash Gupte, Vinoo Mankad and Ghulam Ahmed bowled spin for India they had just one special catcher, Polly Umrigar, who was probably the only one who could be counted upon to take difficult catches both in the outfield and close in. Madhav Apte in the outfield was the other good fielder.

Later, in the sixties, we had Nadkarni close in, the brilliant Pataudi, Surti and Borde in the outfield. It was the advent of Pataudi in 1960 that put a stop to that depressing spectacle of Indian fielders jogging to merely fetch the ball back from the ropes. An excellent fielder, Pataudi also plucked astonishing catches from his position at covers or midwicket. In the Delhi Test of 1964 - we recall as though we saw it yesterday – a cover drive by Mike Smith, the MCC captain, struck sweetly flew just inches off the ground. Pataudi swooped forward, and took the ball even as it was dying in front of him. Some wickets must be credited only to the fielder - this was one.

This trendsetter was followed by a succession of good outfielders - Brijesh Patel, Madan Lal, Yashpal Sharma and Kapil Dev. As Indian cricket came of age in the early seventies they had a formidable close-in cordon manned by Solkar, Abid Ali, Venkat and Wadekar.

Picking the good fielders of that era might be an effort. Unfortunately, to pick the poor fielders of those days is not difficult - Ghulam Ahmed was among the worst; Merchant, Rusi Modi, Manjrekar and Sardesai were all poor fielders; Vinoo Mankad was very good only off his own bowling. A whole lot of them short and portly - Sarwate, Mankad, Gupte, Roy, the list goes on - were not quick movers. Some who looked lithe and elegant – Jaisimha for instance – unfortunately did not take their fielding seriously enough.

Fielding is something one can work on and get consistently better at. As we get better we begin to enjoy it even more. Both of us found catching drills so thrilling that even when we were into our forties and playing nothing but office cricket we would exult like children while holding a difficult catch. Raghunath for instance would forever be indebted to his league captain Rangan who gave such intensive close-catching practice that he became an absolutely fearless short-leg fielder. Great close-in catchers in the pre-helmet days were supreme brave hearts.

India’s best close-in fielders emerged during the pre-helmet era of the spin quartet, 1964-78. It was the Solkar-era. When Solkar passed away in 2005 the most moving tributes came from the spinners who knew he provided them a unique cutting edge standing at forward short leg. Solkar had courage, anticipation, reflexes and the god-given ability to go for anything with both hands. There has been none like him. Venkat had equally good reflexes and the ability to spring up from his crouching position at gully or in the slips and took sharp overhead catches with nonchalance.

And thus we come to the end of this tale – we have brought to you memories of the very good fielders of those days. Gul Mohammad, Mushtaq Ali, Adhikari, Umrigar, Borde, Pataudi, Surti, Solkar, Abid Ali…… A dozen names at best but reflective of the fact that India before 1970 was, to put it kindly, ponderous in the field. Perhaps there will be an occasion to write about the world’s best fielders in Test history – about Simpson, Cowdrey, Sobers, Mark Waugh, Jonty Rhodes, Colin Bland and others - but even in such an illustrious list, surely there will be place for Solkar and Surti from India.

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August 21, 2009

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

Kambli: all style, not enough substance

From Suhas Cadmabi, United States

With his spectacular lofted shots, his electric fielding and almost-West-Indian persona, Vinod Kambli injected the side with a dose of cool © PA Photos

Not with a bang, but a deafening whimper. In what must be the most anti-climactic announcement since the ICC's recommendation that Zimbabwe Cricket's selection system needs an overhaul, Vinod Kambli has decided to call time on his international career.

Fine joke, you may say, for it has been nearly nine years since his last game of any significance for India. Me, I can't help but feel amazed at how inappropriate the manner of this exit is. After all, Kambli was someone who always did things in style. This had me wondering for the umpteenth time: why has a section of Indian cricket followers - specifically, those of us who grew up in the early nineties - chosen to confer cult status upon Kambli, overlooking his obvious deficiencies and celebrating his fleeting successes? Why do the lot of us continue to hold out for his recall, knowing fully well he would only embarrass himself?

The answer seems to lie in his flamboyance; that of his batting, as well as manner on the field. When he first arrived on the scene, India's batting was somewhat lacking in the 'style' quotient, being more sedate than sledgehammer. Kapil Dev was on the wane, Sachin Tendulkar was yet to fully come into his own, and Azhar was still a caresser, not a bludgeoner.

Kambli, with the bandanna and earrings, his predilection for spectacular lofted shots, his electric fielding and almost-West-Indian persona, injected the side with a dose of cool. This, allied to the weight of his runs, made him an instant hit among us impressionable boys. The answer also lies in the not insignificant fact that his Test career was done before he was 24; if Tendulkar was our Don Bradman, Kambli was our Archie Jackson - the whiz kid who (metaphorically) died young.

While it is a hackneyed exercise to compare the respective career paths of Kambli and Tendulkar, for a brief period it was impossible to talk of one without mentioning the other. During those three glorious years, it was uncanny how they shared a great sense of occasion, how they always seemed to be there for each other.

There was Eden Park, 1994, when Tendulkar - opening the batting for the first time - went about dismantling the Kiwi bowlers for 82 off 49 balls, while Kambli kept the momentum going at the other end, unleashing some spectacular Caribbean drives off Danny Morrsion.

	Kambli bet the house on style, but it didn't pay off consistently enough © Getty Images

Their partnership at Jaipur in 1993, when Kambli reached his first international century, was often replayed on TV as a duet made in heaven. And when Sachin himself finally got to his first one-day hundred the next year in Colombo, Kambli was around to finish the job by hoisting Shane Warne repeatedly over the top. This fire-and-ice combination meant the young Indian fan had never had it so good; cricket was sky-high in the coolness stakes, not the stilted old man's game it had seemed a while ago.

Kambli's subsequent fade-out has been well documented. Ironically, the very attributes which made him a much-loved cricketer were to bring about his downfall. In Men in White, Mukul Kesevan likens Kambli, in the manner of his attitude and flourish, to how Brian Lara might have been without the genius: "He could have tightened up and become a less ambitious, more reliable batsman, but he bet the house on style ... the over-the-top crowd pleasing on the field..(it) didn't add up to runs on the board."

It is unfortunate that for most fans, the one lasting image of the man is from the closing stages of the Eden Gardens semi-final, 1996; Kambli was reduced to tears, obviously believing against the odds he could win it off his own bat. Such a demonstration of his raw, emotive side was completely in keeping with his spontaneous brand of batsmanship, but this moment was the beginning of the end for him. He was omitted soon after for reasons which have never really been made clear.

He made several comebacks to the one-day side thereafter, prompting unfavourable comparisons with Graeme Hick and Phil Simmons. But, even allowing for the fact that his average of 54 could be put down to mediocre opposition on flat pitches, how could the selectors not be compelled to recall him to the Test side?

It is generally agreed that he never fully recovered from being bounced out by Courtney Walsh and Kenny Benjamin at home, but he was never given the opportunity to redeem himself, either; during a four-year period in which India toured England, South Africa, Australia and the West Indies, the batting line-up was being juggled about in a bid to find a stable combination, and everyone who impressed in the Ranji Trophy, from Vikram Rathore to Hrishikesh Kanitkar, was given a go. And yet, Kambli's name rarely even came up for discussion.

Looking at the case of the similarly flamboyant Yuvraj Singh - whose extended run in the Test team can be put down to the strong cushion provided by India's batting heavyweights - one wonders if the comeback kid might not have re-established himself in today's Indian side, with a solid middle-order to lean on.

Those of us who care will have to make do with 1993, instead. My mind is cast back to a Pepsi advertisement, closely tied in with its epoch. Kambli and Sachin enter the room after a training session, dripping in sweat. Their eyes simultaneously turn to the sole bottle of Pepsi in the room, and they make a mad dash for it. Their hands reach the bottle at precisely the same instant, so they decide to settle it with a round of arm-wrestling. As the duel is about to be decided, in walks Azhar, who helps himself to the bottle and remarks: "Chillax boys! Have a Pepsi." That was another time, a time when I enjoyed being bombarded with ads, and a time when I preferred the cavalier to the orthodox.

Comments (37)

June 5, 2009

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

The Gautam Gambit

	Gautam Gambhir has played a key role in India's recent victories © Getty Images

from Sriram Dayanand, Canada

On the 20th of August 1969, the Beatles finished recording the song “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”, marking the last time all four band members were in the same studio at the same time. Indian cricket’s “Let It Be” moment came in Nagpur on the 10th of November, 2008, the last time Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly and VVS Laxman would be on the field representing India in a Test match for the final time.

Since 1996, these four names had been music to ears and meant brilliance, class, imperiousness and the sheer artistry of batsmanship to cricket watchers here, there and everywhere. But not all bands are perpetual in their existence like the Rolling Stones. All things must pass and a time comes in the life of every band when their musical collaboration will cease to exist. But unlike the Liverpudians imploding due to their own internal fissures and frictions after they recorded Abbey Road, the breakup of Indian cricket’s Fab Four came after a chorus and at times, a crescendo of public opinion that seemed to deafen the senses.

The swift and unsettling exit from the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean was the beginning of the whispers, which amplified into arguments and it was not too long before it was a national free for all. The fallout from the acrimonious departure of their erstwhile coach Greg Chappell, who they thought was just a fool on the hill, added fuel to the fire. Two new words entered and dominated Indian cricket’s jargon for the next year - “Juniors” and “Seniors” - and the country seemed to be in a tizzy trying to expedite the granting of retirement privileges to the quartet. Even the mailman and the taxman piped in with their opinions about who should depart first and when. Cricket experts and writers the world over waded in needing no prompting and poured their supply of lighter fluid into the inferno which burned eight days a week.

Since their debuts, this Indian line-up always had a look to it that caught the eye of the connoisseur. Embedded in the middle order was cricket’s version of Mount Rushmore, with four faces you couldn’t resist gazing at admiringly. Now that very edifice demanded dismantling and structural engineers from across the country weighed in with opinions on where to bore the holes to lay explosive charges. But when you are talking about destruction now, the pieces need to fall in order, while others stay up on their own support to survive for another day. Another day when the next set of holes will be drilled in.

Indians may not be able to articulate it sufficiently, but this parting with the Gang of Four, this impending breakup with a once-in-a-lifetime group of wizards, was the prime cause of their collective twisting and shouting. They had enraptured the Indian cricket fan’s psyche in a vice-grip for so long that there was bound to be wrenching reluctance to let go. They had promised a lot and yes, they had delivered in spades too. A first-ever series win in Pakistan was not something to be sneezed at nor was an exhilarating win against Australia in 2001. There were coruscating moments to cherish in Calcutta, Adelaide and Lahore. Periodically, they had had also produced clunkers that made one cringe, as in South Africa and the West Indies. But somehow, the achievement sheet didn’t quite tally up to people’s satisfaction in the end. There was no World Cup victory or a series win in Australia to show for. Time was running out and inevitability was setting in. As fans saw the sun going down, visions of red sails in the sunset were proving to be more unsettling than they had bargained for.

Two years later, Indian cricket’s milieu is sanguine in comparison. The tumultuous and helter-skelter days are a distant memory now. The sun is up and the sky is blue. The grim-faced demolition experts, the mailman and the taxman are all sleeping like logs. A relaxed and confident country is reveling in being glued to their television sets watching their cricket team duke it out at home and in faraway lands. Even an extended loss of form of the backbone of their batting for a decade, Rahul Dravid, skipped across the surface of Indian cricket’s tranquil waters with just a ripple. Those two words, Junior and Senior, have been abandoned curbside, as the nation hops on the team’s caravan and barrels on to the next stop on the magical mystery tour. Any old way you choose it, the smile is on permanently on the nation’s cricket visage.

Two reasons can account for this sea-change.

The first was that the dam finally cracked. Yesterday came suddenly when Saurav Ganguly announced his intentions to depart on the eve of the first Test against Australia. The band lost its first founding member. The dreaded deed was done. On the tail of the furore and melancholy this generated, followed the exit of Anil Kumble, the unassuming, unyielding and unsurpassable giant of Indian cricket. Coming off an Australian tour seeped in acrimony and recriminations, Anil Kumble’s leadership and dignity, punctuated by his Bill Woodfull impersonation in Sydney, had shone in the sky like diamonds. As India said goodbye to him, it said hello to the new leader, a zen-hunk on a motorcycle, capable of Dirty Harry’s ruthlessness but with a devilish smile. The abundance of confidence, calm and street-savvy that he possessed calmed the fears that the country had nervously accumulated.

The second reason, to put it simply, was Gautam Gambhir.

For a decade, the Indian team’s opening salvo had been akin to a gambit, to use the parlance of chess. It was an offering that only served to clear the way to advance the prime piece on their board - Dravid. A look back at the long and winding road travelled with makeshift opening pairs reveals an astonishing picture. Among the list of batsmen who have ventured out at the top of the order for India in Tests since January 1999 are: Navjot Sidhu, Sadagopan Ramesh, VVS Laxman, Devang Gandhi, MSK Prasad, Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid, SS Das, Hemang Badani, Sameer Dighe, Deep Dasgupta, Sanjay Bangar, Virender Sehwag, Aakash Chopra, Parthiv Patel, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Dinesh Karthik. Twenty-three batsmen in various permutations and combinations have walked out only to return minutes later, crossing paths with Dravid on his way in. Exceptions to this are the occasions when this ceremony was dispensed with altogether and Dravid was shoved out of the pavilion to open the innings with whoever was the flavour of the day. This certifiable act of lunacy was extended to VVS Laxman also, causing no end of anxiety and heartache to him. Promising combinations that begged nurturing, like the Sehwag-Aakash Chopra one, were discarded before their expiry date. An encore appearance by any opening pair was a luxury and never a guarantee in Indian cricket during this period.

The angst and churning the World Cup 2007 disaster begat had a flip side to it. This was when the tether of patience that had been keeping Sehwag in the team snapped. He was banished, with the writ to get his head and his walrus profile back into ship-shape. India spent the rest of that year watching the Jaffer-Karthik combination holding fort in England, Bangladesh and against Pakistan. But in their hearts, everyone knew that the absence of Sehwag was nothing to get hung about. Surely his common-sense and class would resurface rapidly and he would get back to where he once belonged. Their proven opener gone AWOL, all their attention now focused on the Seniors, who bore the brunt of their ire and the burden of their dates of birth. The tour of Australia ensued and exasperatingly, it was Dravid’s umpteenth turn at carrying the world upon his shoulders. With Jaffer, whose under-achieving front foot was bound to be feasted on Down Under, he was sacrificed to clear up a spot for Yuvraj Singh. One shining moment in a dark series for all the wrong reasons, was the return of a saner and more svelte Sehwag and his redeeming performances at Perth and Adelaide. Returning from Australia, Sehwag having resurrected himself at the top of the order as expected, India persisted with Jaffer as his partner against South Africa. Meanwhile the fire raged on. With Ganguly and Dravid having been jettisoned from the ODI team by now, their future in Tests was still a topic on the front burner.

It was on the how-in-hell-do-we deal-with-Mendis tour of Sri Lanka that the current pair of Sehwag and Gambhir were back to opening the batting. India hasn’t looked back ever since. With a marauding Viru (proven by his 319 against South Africa) providing the happiness of a warm gun at one end, Gambhir came in to his own and proceeded to realize all the promise that his talents had hinted at for years. His run of scores since the first Test at Colombo provides a crystal clear picture of this:
Sri Lanka: Columbo (39, 43), Galle (56, 74), Columbo (72, 26)
Australia: Bangalore (21, 29), Mohali (67, 104), Delhi (206, 36), Nagpur (suspended)
England: Chennai (19, 66), Mohali (179, 97)
NewZealand – Hamilton (72, 30 no), Napier (16, 137), Wellington (23, 167)

As a feisty and spunky counterpart to the meditative mayhem artiste Sehwag, Gambhir has been insatiable. His aggression, which no one had doubted, is now laced with a determination which was lacking in his earlier incarnations as an opener. Big scores and even bigger hundreds reveal a new facet to his personality and a will to embrace the responsibilities entrusted in him. His aggressiveness did get the better of him in his hometown against Australia, leading to his suspension for the subsequent Test. But he more than compensated for this flash of impetuousness with a startling display of obdurate doggedness in New Zealand to help India bat the Kiwis out of a possible victory.

These are uncharted waters the Indian cricket team is in. Inured to the trauma of having a gaping hole at the top of the order, the settled, productive and aggressive picture Sehwag and Gambhir present is a novelty. Any time at all they are firing in tandem, the surge they provide is something no one would have conjured up in their wildest dreams in the last decade. Scrutinized through the glass onion of lopsided expectations for so long, this luxury has provided welcome breathing room to the middle order. It is incomprehensible that Dravid would have been allowed the time and space he needed to claw his way out of the awful slump he went through last year without the assuredness afforded by Sehwag and Gambhir. While Sehwag was not really a surprise, Gambhir has been the revelation that has settled the nerves of the nation’s cricket mad populace more than anything else.

When the Indian team returned after the convincing ODI series win in Australia, a reporter at the airport in Delhi asked Gambhir (who had topped the batting averages) what he was planning to do, now that he was home. Gauti replied “I just want to go home and eat my mother’s rajma chaval” (spicy red beans and rice).

Rajma chaval, comfort food for millions of Indians across the country, is what Gambhir has been of late. Tomorrow never knows, but he might have played the biggest part in giving the remaining three faces on the mountain the time, space and dignity that they so deserve. And a ticket to ride into the sunset on their own terms avoiding a cacophonous and unsettling sendoff. That is the least they can expect and with a little help from their friends at the top, they might just get it!

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March 31, 2009

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

Questioning Crowe

Was it really all Sehwag's fault that India were under pressure? The failure of nightwatchman Ishant Sharma on the 2nd evening was also mooted as a leadership letdown. Yet did Vettori get the same flak for Kyle Mills' duck in the 1st Test? Or for his rigid, mechanical policy of rotating his bowlers in 6-over spells in the same match? Crowe's analysis of Sehwag's leadership was probably more influenced by his modes of dismissal, rather than actual decisions as skipper. Injudicious strokes in both innings certainly cannot be termed as 'leading from the front'. Yet this is the method that has enabled Sehwag to collect tons on subcontinental dustbowls as well as grassy decks in South Africa and Australia, averaging over 50 in under 65 balls every time he occupies the crease.

Crowe even wondered aloud 'how many more Tests Sehwag will captain', suggesting that his vice-captaincy should be revoked. Instead, he claimed VVS Laxman was better-suited to the role, citing his 'wealth of experience', declaring that the vice-captain should be someone 'sure of his place in the side'. On several levels, this assessment is flawed.

Barring a brief spell in 2007, Sehwag has been a fixture in the Indian Test XI since 2001. He is also no spring chicken, standing only 9 Tests away from representing his country at Test level as many times as Crowe did in his entire career. Crowe carped on, arguing that Laxman demands the respect of team-mates and opposition alike (implying that Sehwag doesn't). Both are proven match-winners, but with his destructive style and more Test centuries already than Laxman, does Sehwag also not command respect?

This is not to promote/defend Sehwag's leadership ability, or to doubt Laxman's batting record and captaincy material - my point is merely to question Crowe's vice-captaincy criteria and analysis. When Craig McMillan suggested Gautam Gambhir as a possible choice, Crowe immediately (and almost angrily) dismissed him by referring to lack of experience. By Crowe's regimented thinking, MS Dhoni would never have been allowed to captain in limited-overs and eventually Tests. Up until now at least, we all know how that has turned out.

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February 11, 2009

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

From fear to belief

That seemed to change with the Fab Four holding centerstage. They had some memorable "same-day"s. Taunton twins, Eden phoenix came like a breath of fresh air. But we all wanted a breeze to inflate the sail of Indian cricket. And then came Dhoni.

His name initially drew taunts, much like those shots he played. Brute power - everyone said. I was amazed by his hitting on that 183 he made, it seemed that he could go on and on and on. And that celebration - machine-gun style, we had our gladiator. But everyone needs a bit of luck - and it came in the smallest of parcels - T20 WC. The big four didn't want a shot at the T20 cup, and Dhoni was more of a forced choice. But under him India did something which they seldom did - held their nerve and won. In crucial matches, in bowl-outs, Dhoni showed his boys what staying cool means. And that has now become his trademark.

Maybe without success he would be brushed aside as "casual", but the success moulded that coolness into a belief, and he has kept hammering at that belief till it got transformed into match-winning confidence. I have been watching and following Indian cricket madly for the last 25 years, and only now do I sit confidently in front of my TV-set when India are 135/6 chasing another 50 runs in 40 balls. We owe that to the present team.

It takes a lot to rub on the confidence of a single man to 11 and then pass that on to a million others. Thanks you, Dhoni, for giving us the confidence to support our team.

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February 7, 2009

Posted by Cricinfo at in Extras

Mumbai, the First City of cricket

Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar were both born to very similar middle class Marathi lineage and honed their cricketing skills in the playing fields of Dadar, which to use an old Duke of Wellington allegory, has won as many cricket matches for India as did the playing fields of Eton for England in battle. Actually this particular piece of evidence is staggering enough to convince any jury of Mumbai's case.

Which other city can boast of a contribution of 75 odd Test match hundreds and close to 22,000 Test runs within five miles of each other and with Sachin still in unrelenting form, we are standing and counting. Add Dilip Vengsarkar and Vijay Manjrekar, two other stalwarts from central Mumbai residence and cricketing education, we are talking over 100 Test match centuries and over 30,000 Test runs. That is pretty much an unbeatable statistic!

If it were just the odd four or five cricketers , one might have presented this as a statistical aberration, but these are just four of the very best that one mentioned to prove the case. In my possession as one of my 5th wedding anniversary presents, is a priceless memorabilia of a scorecard of a Test match in England in 1971 signed by the great Gavaskar. The Indian batting card reads thus: Gavaskar, Mankad, Sardesai, Wadekar, Vishwanath, Solkar and Engineer. Aside of Vishy, the entire batting line-up is from Mumbai with players who have grown up and played cricket within a square mile of each other.

Such has been the staggering dominance of Mumbai that as a city it has won more than 50 percent of the India's national championship, Ranji Trophy. The credit to plant the seeds of cricketing tradition lay in Lord Harris, Governor of Mumbai in the late 1800's and a serious cricket aficionado. While the game initially was played by colonial Englishmen, soon the local cosmopolitan population took to it with gusto in the various Maidans (or green fields across the city). The commencement of the Pentangulars, where teams were divided in what would be now regarded as hopelessly politically incorrect religious barriers (The Hindus, Parsees, Catholics, Muslims and hence the gymkhanas along Marine Drive), further strengthened the city's cricketing ethos. This tournament was pretty much India's first national championship and brought together the best cricketing talent of the country and also inspired locals to pursue the game with intent.

Of India's first three truly world class batsmen, the famous triumvirate of Vijay's (or victory), two, Merchant and Manjrekar came from Mumbai. The third, Hazare was from nearby Baroda. India's first great all rounder, Vinoo Mankad also came from the city but played his cricket for the erstwhile principality of Nawanagar of Ranji fame. But his son Ashok, ended his career as one of Mumbai's great captains and an Indian opener.

While Mumbai may not claim Vinoo, one the other magnificent all-rounder, Polly Umrigar, there is no doubt. Polly Kaka as was affectionately called, was a master batsman, especially of fast bowling, and competitive bowler and unlike many of his contemporaries of the time a great fielder. Later Dattu Phadkar, Ravi Shastri and Eknath Solkar were to continue Umrigar's legacy of producing word class all round talent.

However, Mumbai's greatest contribution would be to classical batsmanship, a tradition dating back to Vijay Merchant. Bred on a tradition of highly competitive club cricket and stern coaching, Mumbai produced a long line of traditional and classical batsmen (barring the odd exception like the mercurial Engineer) who were to form the backbone of the country's batting for decades on end. This tradition reached its glorious culmination with the emergence of Sunil Gavaskar, a batsman whose technical craftsmanship and classical style finds few parallels in the history of the game. And to think that his reputation could be marginally bettered by his peerless successor, the magnificent Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, without doubt along with the beknighted duo of Don and Viv, the three best ever batsmen.

If there are still doubts about resting Mumbai's case, let me in conclusion present a possible all time Mumbai-XI. Gavaskar and Merchant to open, followed by Vengsarkar, Tendulkar, Vijay Manjrekar and Umrigar in the middle order. Engineer at No 7 a super wicket keeping all rounder. Zaheer and Ramakant Desai to share the new ball followed by Subhash Gupte and Paddy Shivalkar on spin. A team that could easily take on any best all time eleven. And by the way, a second Mumbai XI could read thus: Sardesai, Shastri, Wadekar, Ashok Mankad, Sandeep Patil, Phadkar, Solkar, Tamhane (wk), Agarkar, Ghavri, Nadkarni.

If I had to choose my favourite Mumbai cricketer, it would have to be Ekkie Solkar. Born of a groundsman from Dadar Gymkhana, Solkar epitomized the best of Mumbai, not just as a cricketer but as a city. Gritty and tenacious, he was a competitive batsman and deceptively difficult bowler (as Geoff Boycott would testify!). And as a short-leg fielder, just simply incredible. Every time there are reruns in television of the Chandra inspired 1971 Oval victory, I wait for Alan Knott's dismissal with Ekkie flying on from short leg to pick up the catch inches of the ground literally in front of the batsman's toes. Solkar was a great example of Mumbai's ability to recognize and nurture talent without any bias to background and class.

Comments (7)

December 29, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

A tale of two greats

There was a time when the face of the Indian batting was always that of a 'Bombayite'. Right from Vijay Merchant to Dilip Sardesai or Sunil Gavaskar to Sachin Tendulkar to the much hyped Rohit Sharma, the city of Bombay has always staked a claim to the premier batsmen of any generation. The strength of the Bombay faction in the BCCI has always been paramount and has dominated the scene of Indian cricket, both on and off the field. Dravid and Ganguly were not only significant actors who were instrumental in breaking through the dominance of this clique and giving the Indian team a non-parochial face for the first time, they were themselves the most important part of it. That they replaced Vinod Kambli and Sanjay Manjrekar, two Bombay lads who were supposed to be the mainstay of our batting along with Sachin makes this all the more remarkable. Their Lord's debut was not the ideal platform for a youngster looking to ease into the team. On a fast, swinging track they came together with India in a spot of bother. They could not have been more dissimilar in style. Ganguly, later to be described by his partner at the other end as next only to God on the offside kept easing the ball through the point and cover regions. Dravid, then a predominantly leg side player relied more on playing off his pads. Ganguly, as we all know scored a century on debut and Dravid made 95.

In the next Test Ganguly scored yet another ton and Dravid missed out yet again being dismissed on 88. This was to be a reflection of things to come as they grew into two of India's premier batsmen. While Ganguly was the leading run scorer in ODIs till the turn of the century even beating Sachin for four out of five seasons, Dravid established himself as rock solid Test batsmen. It was also to be Dravid's fate for a large part of his career to be a pretty bridesmaid who gave numerous sterling performances only to be overshadowed by Ganguly or Tendulkar. The script continued into the new century when Ganguly was appointed captain and Dravid his deputy.

The Kolkata Test in 2001 was, in a sense the turning point in many ways for both, for Ganguly as a captain and for Dravid as a batsman. Hitting his way out of a slump in the most dramatic of matches must have given Dravid a lot of confidence as his star soared thereafter and he gradually came out of the shadows of his distinguished peers to become India most valuable player for the next half of a decade. He scored runs all over the world, adapted perfectly to the one-day set up, filled in as a wicket keeper when required and was a great support of his captain. For Ganguly, this was the beginning of the golden period as a captain. He had the uncanny ability as a captain to back match winning performers and get the best of them. Many believe that had Ganguly not been made the captain, he would have achieved a lot more as batsman. It is possible, for the biggest problem with Ganguly's batting was that it did not develop after a point. While Dravid and Sachin have constantly evolved as batsmen, made various adjustments to their game; Ganguly, once he has been sorted out, never managed to overcome his deficiencies.

It is universally believed that Dravid was a clearly inferior captain to Ganguly. I am not entirely sure. Ganguly introduced a lot of self-belief in his team and helped us get over out timid chokers tag and that was what we needed then. But, he was never a great tactician. He was easily rattled as a captain and many a times let the momentum slip through out of a lack of imaginative captaincy. Dravid, was a much more collected man on the field. His captaincy on the field always has more of method to it than Ganguly's who was tactically always on the whimsical side especially with respect to his handling of spinners and part-time bowlers. But what Ganguly lacked in on-field tactics, he more than made up through the way his communicated with his players and allowed them to flourish. Dravid tended more to lead by example through his own performances and commitment but despite the bulk of his runs never really had the aura of a leader.

While Ganguly left on high, scoring significant runs against the top team in the world in his farewell series, Dravid has so far doggedly stuck around in the midst of calls for his head. In the past month, many a sports journalists have made a living out of stories on the lines of 'the Wall crumbling'. His century at Mohali notwithstanding, despite being full of character and a testimony to his tenacity, I have a feeling Dravid will not have a swan song to end his career. If there is one thing that he has lacked in his otherwise illustrious career, it is the sense of timing that his longtime colleague and onetime co-debutante always had.

Comments (15)

December 24, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Extras

Despatch from Eden

For me, I cannot remember ever suffering from greater nervous anticipation than the night before the Test match. I rarely slept and waited for the clock to turn 6 am when I would get up with a spring and alacrity quite unbecoming of normal school days. No battles with breakfast that day which was consumed without complaint or delay. By 7.30 am I would have dressed and then would put on my new county cap ceremoniously in front of the mirror, imagining me leading out India as 80,000 would rise in unison to cheer. It was a routine every odd year, but what a delightful routine. There would be a party of usually 10-12 in a cavalcade of cars. Other from the locality would be leaving as well and the envious faces of those without the priceless tickets was a sight to behold. I along with another kid were the chosen two amongst the next generation by Dad and the usual suspects. (my obsession with obscure cricket statistics had obviously resulted in my passing muster in the civilisation Test). The lunch boxes would be readied by Mom with specific instructions (Rice and Chilli Chicken for lunch, oranges during drinks and cucumber sandwiches for tea). That itself was much part of the fun with the respective Moms competing to produce a more delectable lunch box than the other- the five days (if India lasted all five, that is!) were also a gastronomical delight with the smell of fresh food was billow as much across Eden as the sound of leather hitting willow.

My greatest thrill would always be as we approached the ground as you gradually wound your way amongst the teeming millions. It was as if all humanity had descended on Red Road where the cars would be parked for the couple of kilometers walked to the ground. As you walked you met familiar faces - teachers from your school who had forewarned teachers about attending class int he first day of the Test match (one famous class teacher threatened to fail anyone in English if any unfortunate earnest soul would be present of the first day of the Test against Asif Iqbal's Pakistan, fellow spectators whom you had met last during a Test Match and myriad others. The crowd was a mix from every social strata - from box wallahs in suits, and well heeled ladies in the latest chiffon, to the old clerk from writers building in their ubiquitous Dhoti - the lucky 100,000 on their annual pilgrimage to the greatest temple of cricket.

As I would walk in I would hear the sound of bat hitting wall and a shiver would go up my spine at the realisation that the Gods were on the field at the nets. Remember this was a time before live television and this was the only chance to see the heroes int he flesh. And as I walked in to the stands I would turn around sometimes mesmerised in awe as I would see RGD Willis warming up, Bishen Bedi turning his arm a bit. IVA Richards swaggering around taking catches and women gasping as Imran Khan Niazi would stand at the pavilion doorstep about to walk into toss giving the plebeians a royal aristocratic wave. Right through childhood till early adulthood, Eden Gardens was my favourite place on earth, where for 5 days the problems of homeworks and board examinations seem a distant away. And a place where learning Physics was all about Kapil Dev using the breeze from the hooghly post 4 pm to produce a devastating old ball spell after tea. And the frenzied debate of whether Gavaskar should have added an extra slip which would have snapped David Gowers slash. And then the classic counterpoint- glad he didn't, then how would we have seen Gower's elegant cover drive of Doshi. Always respect and love for a great opponent.

Post the toss the teams would be put up in the famous old score board (with Kolay biscuit advertising hoarding at the top). And then the Ranji block with the huge Boroline ad banner would erupt. This was the plebeian stand but very much the equivalent of the Sydney Hill. The crackers would start bursting and the conch shells would signal commencement of battle and then the good-natured barracking. Us from the members stand would be more reserved- not even a whisper during overs and necessary clapping for maiden overs and a well played forward defensive stroke! Fours through flowing drives were much appreciated. Sixes were sources of amusement but "tssk tssk...civilised batsmen (read Gavaskar and Vishwanath) did not hit balls over the ground". I once shouted sixer when Gavaskar was batting, and I was told by my Dad and any such repeat would result in banishment from cricket grounds! I kept my silence and peace thereafter.

I now shudder when I see the quality of the crowds at Eden or elsewhere. Test matches at non traditional centres are a disgrace and some real great matches off late has been played in front of empty stands (unlike in England and Australia where a great Test match brings in thousands through the turnstiles). The old faithful have all gone and opposition players are no longer applauded nor subtle nuances, like a great throw from the outfield applauded as much as a great straight drive. I still get goosebumps remembering the ovation Viv Richards received as he walked into bat in 1983. 90,000 rose to clap him fervently into the crease, a Roman salute to the greatest living gladiator in the planet. The King paused before taking guard, doffed his hat and raised his bat in acknowledgment, a brilliant cameo moment before rivalry was resumed. And the great Pakistani Asif Iqbal would remember his last test match with much joy - he mentioned later he would have taken Eden any day ahead of Lahore. He was run out in his last innings post which he was accorded a thunderous standing ovation with the members and the club house spectators all screaming in unison "three cheers Captain" as he walked up the stairs into the dressing room. This was the captain of Pakistan and in the midst of a seriously competitive series between the two traditional rivals.I have to say I had tears in my eyes that day.

I have not seen Saurav Ganguly bat amongst the Eden faithful, but I've seen Gundappa Vishwanath, Eden's favourite son throughout the 70's and till Saurav arrived, there was no one whom Eden loved more than the diminutive Bangalorean. In the famous Yuletide week of 1974 when I fell in love with cricket, Eden and Alvin Kallicharran at the same time, Little Vishy (or "Bhishee" as the Eden faithful called him) charmed Kolkata off its feet. With the Test Match poised evenly on the 4th morning, Vishy unleased in his inimitable style a counter-attack on Roberts, Holder, Julien and Gibbs. In real life he looked like a villainous side kick from a South Indian film. But armed with a cricket willow he was transformed into a Michaelangelo. His square and late cuts and glances of his leg were delectable and that 31st December morning he was in his pomp. His 139 contained 24 fours and old Eden hands still talk of that as the greatest innings they ever say. Next morning, the tactical mastery of Tiger Pataudi in conjunction with the spin wizardry of Bedi and Chandra resulted in Kalli, Richards, Greenidge and Lloyd all succumbing and India earning a famous New Years day victory. It was a magical way to begin my association with Eden and till 1989 when I left Calcutta for education and job, I hadn't missed a single ball bowled in that haloed ground. It was a privilege and pleasure that made my growing up years very special.

Comments (3)

December 22, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Extras

How long a rope?

What is Sachin falls in such a patch? Dravid scored a 9 out of 10 in his "public patience account". What is Sachin's score? 10 out of 10? Actually no. I think Sachin will have more impatience to deal with than Dravid. More people will cry out for his head sooner. That is because of the public perception of his records: what more has he to achieve? And due to the expectations all of us have from him. A cricketer is measured with what is expected of him - so the yardstick is not really the same for everybody. A 5 match series where Sachin averages 30 will be seen as a disastrous series for the little master. I would keep Sachin at 7 out of 10. Laxman? 8 out of 10. Again low profile is the key. I mean level of expectation.

One common thing in all the above three is a warm feeling of gentlemanliness, polite down-to-earth perception of these pillars that we have, which they truly are. That is exactly the thing that Ganguly lacks, he is the aggressor with more enemies than the rest of the Indian team (in his time) put together. I would put Ganguly's patience account score at 3 out of 10. Whatever the patience account score is, one thing is sure: if all of these gentlemen, by some miracle is given 10 out of 10, they will come out of any bad patch, and rule the world again. So a small point to ponder is: when they are not playing well, it is we that matter, not them. They will keep on trying anyway. It is up to us really how long a run we are willing to give them. The ball lies in our court, not theirs.

Comments (7)

December 19, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

Welcome back Dravid

Earlier he had been scratching around and looked devoid of any scrap of self-belief. His foot movement was uncertain, he did not get a proper stride forward and was unsure about whether to leave the ball or not. Also he had forgotten to rotate the strike and the shots were too weak to reach the boundary even if he did manage to pierce the field. In short, all of Dravid's strengths had become his weaknesses.

But in this innings, after lunch, I see Dravid batting like the Dravid of old. He is leaving the ball with authority and defending with a firm stride and a firm stroke. His footwork is certain and decisive. But the biggest change has come in his body language. Earlier, he was making batting look impossible, head bowed, and an uncertain manner. Now he is moving confidently and batting decisively, looking like a wall. A smile is still not forthcoming but you can see that Rahul Dravid is again confident in his abilities.

It is essential for India that Dravid continues to bat in this manner. We need him for at least two more years. I have no doubt that the only reason for India currently not being number 1 in the ICC rankings is Dravid's loss of form. Our other players are playing the cricket of their lives, the missing link is our immovable no.3. There is also no ready replacement. India do not currently have a batsman with enough quality to take over the mantle. When Saurav Ganguly retired, Yuvraj was waiting in the wings. For all his inconsistency, everybody knows the talent and timing Yuvraj possesses. Such qualities are not yet present in any of the young pretenders, be they Rohit Sharma, Badrinath or Raina.

So I would request the selectors to continue having patience with Dravid. Even if he fails in the next innings, he has now shown that he still possesses the ability to succeed at Test level. The worry would be an erosion of his physical abilities. On the evidence of this innings so far, they appear to be as good as ever. My hope is that with the regaining of his confidence, Rahul Dravid becomes 'The Wall' again.

Comments (10)

December 6, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

Oh for a clean offspinner’s action

The batting seemed to be of good quality and I rather suspect that one of the batsmen was of a league cricket caliber because he played a cover drive and then unfurled a square cut of some elegance. The opening bowlers were also good – they ran in smoothly and delivered decent deliveries and not a wide bowled. But a wicket had not fallen and the captain of the fielding side with some visible impatience summoned his first change.

The new bowler sets his field elaborately, in fact rather too elaborately with much gesticulation. But we are finally ready. Aha! Seems to be a spinner, only 4 steps to the bowling crease. And what does he deliver? An entire over of extremely accurate offspin, every ball was like a dart, with the third ball he took out the ‘league cricket’ caliber batsman’s middle stump and with his sixth ball he plucked out the offstump of the completely clueless No. 3 batsman. Raucous cheers, much leaping around, high fives, lots of hugs…..

I straightened up, dusted my elbows and resumed my walk to the market. But this time my head was bowed and even from the other side of the road you could see that I was not a happy man. The reason was simple. This match winning offspinner bowled with an abominable action.

Of course tennis ball cricket bowling heroes have always been bowlers like our friend here. But these days the story of the maverick offspinner does not end in the neighbourhood maidan. Our friend already 19 or 20 years old must be bowling like this for a few years and by now displaying this brand of bowling in inter college matches too. He would be wrecking teams and may soon play a higher grade of cricket. So I muttered to myself as I continued on my way.

It was not even 24 hours later that I saw some live cricket again. This time it was on television, a match between two teams called India Blue and Green or Yellow or whatever. Both teams had an offspinner each. One of them was being spoken of very highly by the commentators, as the man to watch out for, he can put the brakes, he is a tricky customer, he is the one who will………….

This young man, Mohnish Parmar, has already played first class cricket, played for India A or equivalent teams and therefore must have passed muster with umpires in India, the national committee that reviews actions. But boy, what I saw made me rub my eyes in disbelief! Here he came on a diagonal run up as though measured and marked by Muralitharan. And then he contorts himself and delivers unbelievably copying Muralitharan. And of course he beats batsmen; he gets a wicket here, a wicket there and of the 24 deliveries that he bowled at least 16 of them were the Doosra! The pernicious Doosra is difficult enough to bowl and obviously places the maximum strain on the legality of the action. And through this entire period when this young man is bowling, the commentators make only the occasional apologetic reference to his action. If it is legal who am I argue with that? But if I say it was bloody outright ugly to watch can you deny me the right to say that? Later that evening in the same match, a rather studious looking chap named Ashwin bowled a spell of offspin for the other team – neat clean action, no Doosra, the straighter one of course and he got a wicket bowling a well-set batsman through the gate. But I don’t think he will cause as much grief to batsman as the other bowler and because we worship outcomes and not the process, I think Mohnish may well break through to national colours before the other chap. And thus we will bless, encourage and actively condone such bowling actions.

Something is badly wrong somewhere. A bowler with a dubious action in neighbourhood cricket is perfectly acceptable and in fact provides the much needed sharpness to the fielding side. It is okay so long as he knows that he will play and enjoy cricket as a pastime. But it is an altogether different matter if he is allowed to graduate to higher grades of cricket. In the long run we are doing the greatest disservice to him. Take the case of this bowler with the strange action from the Challenger series match. If he were to continue playing, he would put everything else in his life on the back burner – his studies, his office career, his family. How will he cope if just a short while later, umpires finally do what should have been done when he first began to play serious cricket? Won’t it be too late to change his action? Will he be as effective? What if all his dreams and aspirations come shattering down? Most importantly who is to blame? Why is our cricket administration turning such a blind eye to what is obviously a problem of endemic proportion. I am willing to bet that nearly every Ranji team has an offspinner with a dicey action either in the team or in the fringes of the team. And simply because our system does not have the discipline or courage to stop such bowlers and tell them to correct their actions before they bowl in a match again. I type in these words and in a not too pleasant mood file this piece away and out of sight.

I open the article because I have been compelled to write the post script. November is drawing to a close. Two news items in quick succession in the past fortnight tell us that the offspinners in our country are in trouble. Mohnish Parmar’s action has been questioned by the umpire in a Ranji Trophy match. And Sunil Rao the offspinner from Karnataka has also been told that his action is not what it should be. Why did it take so long? What the umpire spotted in Mohnish Parmar’s action must have been crying out loud for a couple of seasons. How much more difficult it would be for the young man now and how much easier it could have been if our cricket system had done its duty earlier. Legspin by the very nature of the action and delivery is impossible to be bowled with an illegitimate action but an offspinner if not careful can easily end up with an action that will bring grief to the bowler and the game. The administrators of the game in India own primary responsibility.

Comments (19)

December 3, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

India must tour Pakistan

India is burning over the fact that terrorists had Pakistani connections and some have gone as far as saying an open war on Pakistan is the only option. Safe to say, India will not nuke Pakistan as America nuked Hiroshima and Nagasaki in response to the Pearl Harbor bombings. However, the common consensus is that India should have nothing to do with Pakistan and should cut off all cricketing ties with immediate effect. How such a move will bring accountability to those who committed such atrocities or bring closure to Indians and Pakistani's, barring religious, cultural and ethnicity differences, caught up in the Mumbai bombings is anyone's guess, with your guess as good as mine.

If India do cut off cricketing ties with Pakistan and cancel the upcoming tour to cricket deprived Pakistan as a strong indication of their intentions, it will leave Pakistan, like Zaheer Abbas said, as "orphans in the international cricketing community", conveniently overlooked and forgotten.

It is a well known fact that the BCCI are the power brokers of International Cricket who use their financial muscle to pull off stunning power play moves that smaller and comparably weaker boards can only dream off - Not bad for a nation that was considered a minnow, financially, for the past 50 years or so. In regards to the "postponed", more or less a synonym for the "cancelled" Champions Trophy, make no mistake, India's stubborn backing of Pakistan in their futile attempt to stage the Champions Trophy on schedule is what gave Pakistan the opportunity to hold the tournament same time next year. If India and Pakistan give each other the silent treatment, as the media would have us believe, what happens to the Champions Trophy? Will it go ahead? What about the 2011 World Cup? Will countries continue to boycott the matches held in Pakistan but not India, for the next 2 - 3 years leading up to and including the 2011 WC even if Pakistan fork out a fortune on unprecedented level of Commando - type security that India are willing to provide to the English Cricket Team?

Pakistani fans have long argued that Pakistan is as safe as India, but are irked over what they claim as "hypocrisy and double standards" when foreign countries tour India but alienate Pakistan, in the same way an individual feels alienated, lost and helpless when bullied by fellow peers. Assuming for the moment that India is as safe as Pakistan, touring teams find India the more attractive proposition simply because of the wealth it generates - a simple risk - reward proposition, really. Even at this moment, teams will turn a blind eye to touring Pakistan but will think hard before refusing to tour India.

Besides political tensions and the fact that the two countries are arch rivals who continue to squabble over the disputed region of Kashmir, India have stood by Pakistan. If India abandon Pakistan, then, in effect they have left Pakistan cricket to suffer a slow, painful death with no hope of respite. Commentators have sympathized with India's current predicament and have suggested that Cricket will suffer. I respectfully disagree. The only country that will suffer more than anyone else will be Pakistan, who, after these attacks have lost their biggest backer in the BCCI. Players will opt out of coming to India, but that is no more than a short term knee jerk reaction. As an ardent Indian cricket fan, I am happy to report that Indian cricket will resume business as normal as soon as Reg Dickason okay's the tour

Comments (6)

November 25, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

The best bowling attack in the world

The ingredients are intoxicating to say the least. A left-armer who can make both the new as well as old ball talk. Zak has shown a terrific understanding of the use of the angles whenever he comes on to bowl round the wicket to the right-handers. And his phenomenal ability to reverse swing early only means that the batsmen can relax at their own peril. Add to that the tall lanky Ishant who with his nagging accuracy and the ability to extract disconcerting bounce even on the most placid of wickets has made it amply clear that he is a force to reckon with at all times. The pressure exerted by these two is unbearable which forces batsmen to commit errors.

The performance of Hayden and Ponting, the two bulwarks of the Aussie batting line up, against these two is a testimony to this fact and had a massive bearing on the ultimate result in the most recently concluded Border-Gavaskar series. Both these bowlers make it very easy for someone like Bhajji to come and bowl to the new batsmen who have not yet got settled in the crease. Furthermore, we are spoilt for choices too and can pick anyone from Mishra, Munaf, RP Singh and Sreesanth to name a few more.

India has a long and impressive history of producing good batsmen, but sadly we have never had confluence of great bowlers at the same time which explains our poor win record. Agreed , that the quartet of Bedi, Prasanna, Chandra, Venkat had their time in the sun, but even they will admit that they could not win as many matches as they would have liked particularly abroad and the presence of a good fast bowler would have definitely helped them.

Kapil Dev shouldered the burden of bowling throughout his career and only K Ghavri and M Prabhakar lent him some support for a brief period of tme. The story was the same with Anl Kumble who ploughed a lone furrow but nevertheless still did a fabulous job as a strike and stock bowler throughout his career. But now I feel that the tide has turned and now we have a bowling Attack that can take 20 wickets in most conditions and on most wickets.

Bowlers are the unsung heroes of this game and it is a misnomer that bowlers will win you only Test matches. Australia has won the last 3 World Cups because their bowlers had pulverized the batsmen into submission. And take the latest ODI between England and India at Bangalore which was a curtailed 22 over match. The magnificent performance of Zak, Munaf and Ishant in the 3 powerplays was decisive. A new dawn is being quietly ushered in Indian Cricket which I feel will be the best in its history.

Comments (13)

November 21, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

'Third world' facilities

It all started back in 2001 when Sourav Ganguly got to Steve Waugh's nerves. His simple but effective ways of irritating Waugh (by turning up for the toss late, or wearing the track suit instead of the team blazer for the same) really frustrated Waugh to no end. And by the end of that series Waugh admitted that Ganguly was a tough nut to crack. The foundations for a great rivalry, on and off the field, were laid. Since then each BG series has produced not just fascinating cricket to watch but also quotable quotes to quote and listen to. But while these verbal (or mental) battles were healthy for a brief period of time, the acrimonious Sydney test at the start of this year changed it all.

Since then the remarks from both sides have been either sarcastic, or satiric or clearly insinuating. Kumble quoting a famous quote first uttered by an Australian captain - Bill Woodfull- "There were two teams out there today and one of them was trying to play cricket", after the Sydney test definitely irked the Aussies so much that they were itching to get back at the Indians. Hayden first called Bhajji an "Obnoxious Little Weed" and later apologised. When the Aussies touched Indian shores for the latest series, Ponting was quick to point out that Indians played an outdated version of Test cricket. But the Indians were not going to stay quite either. Sehwag first accused the Aussies of "cheating" in Sydney. Zaheer and even the usually diplomatic Laxman took a dig each at the Aussies' negative approach.

Meanwhile, Gilchrist lambasted Sachin in his autobiography. Symonds did the same to Bhajji in his book. And the most arrogant of them all, Mr Ricky T. Ponting, whose book is the latest to have hit the stands, pulled even Sunny Gavaskar into the murky waters. His arrogance is so profound that he even failed to acknowledge India's gradual ascent in world cricket and labeled Dhoni's men "fit only for T20". Well, maybe, as rightly pointed out by Harbhajan, while Ponting and his men were busy writing their books, Dhoni's men were busy preparing for the upcoming series. The result is there for everyone to see.

I understand its difficult to acknowledge that you are not the best anymore. Especially after being at the summit for such a long period of time as the Aussies have. But comments like "There is so much luck involved in this shortened form of the game; it's not always going to be the best team that wins" or "Teams that are outclassed in five-day matches and even 50-over games are much more competitive in Twenty20. India offer a good example of this", only highlight his arrogance and refusal to admit the truth.

Clearly (and fairly by all means), it was Ponting's team that was thoroughly outclassed in the recent series. And they were also defeated in the 50 over format VB series earlier this year. But Ponting is not the only proud man. Matthew Hayden, as soon as returning to the safe haven Down Under, blamed his team's defeat and failure to meet the over rates on the poor facilities and various distractions caused during games because of India being a third world country. It was no surprise that the remarks generated strongest of reactions from the Indian captain, BCCI personnel and others but none so more than those by Wasim Akram who retorted by terming Australia as being "no more than a village" and India being "hundreds of years ahead of Australia".

Hayden, although, has since clarified that he didn't mean to disrespect the nation and everything. But it made me ponder. Isn't what he said is actually true?

We are a prestigious nation. And we are proud of it. But that doesn't change the fact that we ARE a third world country. A majority of us still live below the poverty line. We are a non-aligned country. And our economy is still developing. But, this is in the literal sense. What about the cricketing sense? Well, we are a third world country even from that perspective. Ironic, isn't it? Considering that the BCCI perhaps has more money than all the other major cricket boards put together. And that is because India is still underdeveloped in terms of cricketing infrastructure.

Hayden had a point when he said that there were invariably, delays and stoppages because people kept moving in front of the sight screens. In this age when even Zimbabwe and Bangladesh have moved to electronically controlled sight screens and score boards, India still persists with manual labor. And that's not it. Even the rollers and pitch covers are pulled on to the ground with six men at tow when mechanical machines are used for the same in the rest of the world. Forget super-soppers, in case of rains, we have numerous children running on to the ground with buckets and sponges in hand to dry the field. The media boxes at most of the venues are pathetic.

I've lost the count of the number of times the television broadcasters have complained to the BCCI about heir expensive equipment getting damaged due to poor facilities at the venues. The venues themselves paint a very sorry picture. The Green Park at Kanpur is a classic example. It looks more like a playground for children rather than a Test centre. The entrance walls are plastered with posters of local political leaders or cheap bhojpuri films. And the street that leads to the stadium smells like cattle feed. And the major venues are no better.

The Chinnaswamy at Bangalore is a sore to the eye with plastic chairs strewn all around at the end of a game. It needs a serious renovation. The Wankhede was a similar case till not too long ago and thankfully its being taken care of now. Most of the venues get ready for a game just hours before the start with some quick stop gap arrangements. Contrast this with the stadia in Australia or England or South Africa and you would have to think that Hayden is right.

Fortunately, there's a silver lining in the form of stadia like the PCA Mohali, or the Eden Gardens, or the brand new stadia at Nagpur and Hyderabad that are truly world class. Even the Motera in Ahmedabad has improved significantly in recent years and is now rated amongst the best in India. The FerozeShah Kotla has been renovated and the Wankhede is undergoing renovation. This shows that the BCCI is at least addressing the issue. But the ODI venues strewn all across the country are still substandard.

Unless the above mentioned problems are addressed at the earliest and sorted out, India will, unfortunately, remain a third world country.

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November 18, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

Who's Yuvraj?

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November 14, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Extras

Dashing Durani

He is sitting a yard across from me and when the waiter comes to ask him what he would like, I see a bemused look in his rheumy eyes. He is not a frequent flyer and will have to pay for his drink. With not a trace of self consciousness, he asks for the card because he fears the drinks here are expensive. He goes up and down the list agonizing over the various drinks and their exorbitant prices. After much humming and hawing he asks for a small rum with a lot of soda to make it last longer. A few minutes later he says he should not have ordered a drink, and then almost to himself says that we keep making mistakes in life. There was - or am I imaging it – a fleeting shadow of great sadness on that time ravaged face. It still was a very handsome visage.

But that somber moment was soon gone because I narrated a story that quite made his day. This came – as do most of my cricket stories - from my friend Raghunath who played cricket almost good enough to make the Ranji squad. I remember every word of this story though it was narrated a good 24 years back. Fielding for Indian Gymkhana, 1969, Raghu had the privilege of watching Salim Durani at his imperious best. The captain set a field of deep third man, deep point, deep cover point, deep cover….every fielder just yards from the other and yet Durani kept uncorking a series of cuts, square drives and cover drives that left them standing. Word spread that “Durani mood mein hai” and within 30 minutes more than a thousand enthusiasts had come all agog to watch the genius at work! And then I had my first glimpse of this man’s generous nature. He was curious about Raghu, when did he play, was he a left hander too, where is he nowadays…..nothing about his own batting but all curious about the person who had such a nice story on him!

Over the next 45 minutes we covered a variety of topics and cricketers. And each time one saw Durani, generous with praise, large hearted, never a sour word about any player. Sample these:

“Venkat…bahut intelligent cricketer…Engineer tha (and you could see in that hushed tone great respect for that educational qualification)”. “Prasanna…much greater than his contemporaries, I could wait the whole day just to see him beat the batsman with his floater”. “Gavaskar….the finest among all he hated getting out even after making 150.” “Sachin….God made him and said, tu jaa cricket khel…that is genius.” And on a it went, a good word for everyone.

I then ask him to tell me about his own game. And I realize that he has greater pride in his left arm spin than in his batting. It was the only time during the entire conversation that we saw Durani assertive. I could spin the ball anywhere; I used a lot of change of pace; I used to release the ball in a variety of ways; my arm ball would hustle off the pitch….do you know that on the first day of a test match in 1964 on the dead Madras Corporation wicket, I reduced Australia from 99 for no loss to 211 all out? Two years earlier I had Dexter’s England in a whole lot of trouble with my bowling…9 wickets here, 6 wickets there….Durani loved recounting to us his bowling exploits. But he was strangely very modest about his batting. I almost think that even to this day Durani is torn inside by the realization that he did not use his enormous batting skills very sensibly.

I then ask him, how did our tail enders in those days play the fearsome fast bowlers without a helmet and without getting hit. These days even the best batsman keep getting hit on the helmet. Durani’s explanation is all arms and gestures. Those days even the fastest bowlers used swing more than bounce. These days actions are also more suspect (Aha! At last one disparaging word from the gentle genius) but don’t think people did not get hurt. I finished with cricket in 1974 after being felled by a bouncer in a Ranji match. They had to operate on me. And he parts his black hair (dyed or natural?) to show me where the surgeon had to do his stuff.

Our flight has been called. His rum is still half full and he has managed to spend an hour in the company of a fan who cherishes his exploits of 40 years ago. Should we offer to pay for the drink? No we don’t think Durani would like that. As we are getting up in walks Saba Karim, the former India keeper and they greet each other, Salim in fact getting up to clasp a fellow cricketer’s hands. I think Salim has some more good company till his flight is called.

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Posted by Cricinfo at in Extras

A plan for Tests

What has not been mentioned though is that the timing and arrangement of Test matches in India always seems arranged in a completely ad-hoc and seeming random manner. Let me explain why I bring this up here. Almost all sports all over the planet has fixed routine that lets the fans anticipate their commencement and even perhaps plan their schedules around it. Having lived in the United States for the past half a dozen years, I have come to know that if the leaves are turning colors and the air is cool, it must be time for football. Or if it is October, the New York Yankees are wondering how much more money they have to spend to win some play-off games. The first weekend of February means skiing on Saturday (just a personal tradition) and Super-Bowl on Sunday. March equals college basketball. Similarly, boxing day and I am always scouring for news from the MCG and come NewYear's day it will be Sydney.

In contrast to all of this, the schedules for Test match series in India and without fail decided on only at the eleventh hour, told to the public at eleven thirty while the actual stadium are only readied at 11:50. By that time it is entirely too late or useless to even contemplate trivialities such as the paying fans. Further, we are told there is a rotation system for allotments of matches to grounds in a big country such as India. So why can somebody not publish a schedule which shows for instance that Nagpur hosts a Test match every third year in the second week of November? Or that Mumbai hosts a Test every three years in the first week of December etc?

The point here is that the sporting events mentioned previously are so much better recieved than Test matches in India because it lets followers be part of a tradition. Lets them be part of a fraternity of fellow cricket lovers. More importantly it lets for planning in lives getting ever busier. For instance if the people of Nagpur knew that a Test match will be played every three years on the fourth week on november, I am ready to bet good money that many would arrange to save their vacation time for those days, buy tickets in advance, plan to meet up with friends at the grounds and indeed do show up to watch cricket.

Now, there are some historical reasons behind the ad-hoc cricketing schedule of almost all countries bar England and Australia which first established their cricket seasons and all new comers to Test cricket had to work around it. But surely Indian cricket is now in a position to enforce a well defined season of its own. Now more than ever, when we actually have a team (almost) worth their fat paychecks. More importantly, India being the generator of the greatest share of money in cricket owns the responsibility of nurturing and promoting cricket in all forms including tests at home. A diminishment of Test cricket in India in all likelihood will not be good for the game elsewhere. So will the BCCI please stop wasting its energies fighting the ICL, ECB, CAB or any other organization with a three letter acronym and tell us what games to look forward to for the next couple of years?

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November 12, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

In praise of Ishant Sharma

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November 11, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Extras

Celebrating Rahul Dravid

I used to joke that only 2 people in India knew when to quit at the top of their game, Gavaskar and Sonia Gandhi, and was sure Dravid would be an addition to that list. As I write this piece Dravid has played possibly his last Test innings (3 off 14 after a second ball duck to Jason Krezja-). In the 25 test matches since that Jamaica masterpiece he has averaged half his earlier career average of 58, has been dropped from the one day side, and will hopefully go before he is shoved from the Test team.

He has endured misery in the 2007 World Cup and humiliation in the IPL, and gave up the captaincy abruptly to the great benefit of thousands of conspiracy theorists. Well, you know what, I actually blame myself for this. We hear sportsmen are superstitious, but very little has been written about the superstition of sports fans. When I moved into my apartment in Bangalore in August 2002, the first Test match I watched was the Headingley one, where Dravid's masterful 148 led India to victory. The Jamaica Test mentioned earlier was the last match I saw in that apartment.

My new house is nice, but unlucky for Dravid The aim of this piece is not to bemoan his fate , or to urge him to go, but simply to celebrate the greatest match winner (batsman) India has ever produced. Before you sharpen your knives, read the phrase again 'match winner'.

From the start of the Ganguly era through till that Jamaica game in 2006, Dravid averaged 96 runs an innings in the 17 matches India won. It gets better - he averaged 108 in the 7 overseas wins in that period, 111 in the 12 wins under Saurav Ganguly, and played masterpieces such as his double hundreds in Adelaide and Rawalpindi, 2 hundreds in the same game at Calcutta, the 148 on a Headingley green top and that epic partnership with VVS in THAT match in Calcutta in 2001. Just by comparison Sachin averaged 55 in that same period in India wins and 52 in wins under Saurav. Almost every major overseas win in that period seemed to be shaped by Dravid. That doesn't necessarily mean that he was a better batsman than Sachin, simply one whose performances meant more.

I read an article by Salim Yousuf on Gavaskar's epic knock of 96 at Bangalore in 1986. Yousuf was the Pakistani wicketkeeper who scored the second highest score in that match (45 not out) - and he mentioned "I batted despite the pitch, played my natural game and took risks, while Sunny played the perfect game for that pitch." So while a Sachin backed himself to hit Shane Warne over deep mid wicket, even if was bowling leg spinners into the rough from around the wicket, VVS would hit a sharply turning leg break over cover, and follow up with a flick over midwicket from an identical ball, and Saurav would back himself to beat the most populous off side cordon, Dravid would play in a risk free fashion - with a perfect technique.

A Sanjay Bangar watching Dravid at the other end at Headingley, would probably feel that he could try to play the same way as Dravid. However watching Sachin collar a perfectly good ball over extra cover, would probably leave him awestruck. Dravid has the record for the maximum number of 100 partnerships, and it is my theory that a lot of it has to do with the way he bats.

I also felt Dravid was a lucky cricketer. His 233 in Adelaide was backed up by the most unlikely bowling performance from Ajit Agarkar, when he scored 180 at Calcutta in that partnership with VVS, Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar bowled the Aussies out in the last session, Kumble won India the Calcutta test against Pakistan, after Dravid had scored hundreds in both innings ( and Dinesh Karthik's 93 too).

In contrast, Tendulkar has often been a tragic hero. An epic 100 at Madras against Pakistan was wasted by India's spineless lower order, when the 4 of them couldn't muster 15 runs between them, and many of his best innings have been lone hands. We have lost more matches than we have won when Sachin has scored a hundred.

As captain, Dravid was probably a disappointment. I thought he would bring his obviously immense cricketing acumen to the captaincy, and his start in one day cricket was encouraging. He was the only captain who knew how to use power plays and super subs- and he was willing to be adaptable - The one day series against Pakistan was won 4-1 without a single over of spin being bowled, for instance.

Funnily though, I have always felt that the conventional wisdom of Dravid's captaincy was completely off the mark. We have often heard that Dravid was a 'weak and defensive' captain. I felt it was his endeavour to be strong and aggressive that actually cost India. Would Saurav Ganguly really have declared when Sachin was on 194? Would a defensive captain have gone in with a 5 man bowling attack and put the England in at Bombay when all India needed was a draw? What about that audacious attempt to steal the Nagpur Test against England at the end? I felt Dravid's biggest failure as a captain was not being able to figure out when to be defensive.

And finally Rahul Dravid, the man. There is so much speculation and guessing we do based on things we see on the field, but you often hear the words 'A perfect gentleman' said about Dravid. I will only go by what I have heard directly, and a couple of things come to mind. Firstly his practice at the end of every series to specifically thank the opposing captains and team, for either their hospitality (or their visit as the case may be), and secondly his reaction to how he felt about being dropped from the one day side early in his career. In an interview with Rajdeep Sardesai he said "A lot of people did come and say to me that I deserved to be in the side, but I knew that I had to improve my all round game."

Unfortunately in inane diatribes about 'New India' , we seem to feel that innate decency conflicts with the willingness to win and determination. Ask the bowlers who tried to get Dravid out in his pomp, whether his was a soft wicket. He may not have been much of a sledger, but the bowlers knew that they were in for a hard grind when Dravid was around.

Dravid will not end his career with the record for the maximum matches, runs, centuries or even catches. His departure will be quiet, overshadowed by Saurav Ganguly and the exultation following the series win. People in Bangalore have never stopped trains or burnt effigies in his support. He may still have the contractual obligation to tolerate the idiosyncrasies of Vijay Mallaya and Ray Jennings. However, he will leave the game as India's greatest match winner with the bat and conclusively proved that good guys don't necessarily finish last.

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Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

How the mighty were felled

India lost the plot at times during this series, particularly in the field, and undid the hard work their bowlers put in. Ishant Sharma was a worthy man of the series as he was yards ahead of the rest. He bowled manfully and was a constant threat, unlike Zaheer who floundered on the increasingly highway-like pitches, and has now established himself as a world class opening bowler.

India's big problem this series was their inconsistency. They dropped off when they could have had the foot on the throat, and they only barely escaped from threatening situations due to the Australian team's ineptitude, case points being Bangalore and the final Test at Nagpur. Gautum Gambhir and Virender Sehwag batted well on tracks that allowed the ball to scream hit me. As did the middle order at times, although Laxman was clearly the standout. Dhoni had his moments and the tail provided some spunk. Everything clicked at least once during the series.

As for Australia, well, only Mike Hussey came away with his reputation enhanced, with Simon Katich probably not far behind him. All the other batsmen had a touch-and-go series. Ponting himself made a century at Bangalore and then seemed to struggle as Ishant and Harbajan continued to expose his weakness against the ball that moves back in. Clarke had a woeful tour. He fell at critical times and was a shadow of the player that made his presence known here four years ago. His century at Delhi secured the draw but he never really asserted himself. Neither did the dominating Hayden, who struggled for form following a long injury lay off. His 77 was a grand gesture however and gave India a fright on the final day.

The remaining players had brief moments that provided little in the end to write home about. Brad Haddin struggled. He had four starts during the series and failed to convert every single one of them into a fifty or century. His glove work was at times rusty and he comes across inexperienced in unfamiliar conditions. Watson was a real conundrum. A player of genuine talent, he was thrust into this tour following the ridiculous dropping of Andrew Symonds and was real hit and miss. He managed a defiant 78 in Mohali as his team crumbled around him, but he achieved better results with the ball, being by a long way the best of the Australian pace men with 10 wickets at 32.10, with a best of 4/42 that gave Australia the slightest of hopes in the final Test.

Australia's biggest problem was their bowling, which never really looked like taking 20 wickets. Their biggest mistake was picking Cameron White, who himself rarely bowls at first class level in deference to Bryce McGain. White never looked threatening and his value with the bat was minuscule at best to compensate for the lack of penetration. The pace attack also floundered. Lee should never have gone on tour. He was never in the right frame of mind and lacked rhythm. Stuart Clark was the only one of the bowlers to keep the batsmen in check, but at the same he wasn't able to penetrate.

Don't get me started on Johnson. I am firmly convinced he should not be playing Test cricket. He was erratic and never looked threatening with a new ball, due to the fact he couldn't swing it to save his life. How he continues to play at the expense of Bollinger or Siddle bemuse me, as they are both far superior bowlers to Johnson. Siddle did little in his test debut but it was a tough ask bowling to strong batting lineup on a pitch so flat my grandmother could have scored a century on it. His time will come, he has the talent. Krejza is yet to discover his worth, despite an epic 12 wickets in his debut test. He needs to lower his economy rates and keep getting picked. He may be the player we were searching for.

Australia has some deep soul searching ahead of a tough 12 months on their cricket calendar. India too must address some problems within their makeup, such as their inconsistency, the loss of several old hands (Dravid is on borrowed time, but luckily they have the impressive Vijay to take his spot if needed) and a tendency to get defensive when they have a series lead. India are still a strong side and the better side during this series, but a lot more work is needed if they are to overtake Australia as the number one nation.

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November 3, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

Who's next?

Well, it can, as it is proven here. And so who's next to quit? Rather, who next for the media to target? Well, this is not even a 1 dollar question and the answer is obvious. 'The Wall' cracking brick by brick, 'The Wall' crumbling, feeling the pinch, the only one of Fab 4 who has not fired, and so on. A lot is written about him, a lot is being discussed about him, and I am pretty sure a LOT is going through his mind. Otherwise, you don't see him miss a straight ball and get castled (2nd innings, Delhi).

As experts say, it is tough to score when you're not in a relaxed frame of mind. So, will he be back in runs in a new stadium, a new pitch, and significantly in his wife's city where he averages 65+? I don't know. But, all I can say is he is one big innings away from finding his touch. When I say 'BIG', I mean a 100+ score.

The upcoming Nagpur test will be remembered for events like Dada's last test, Laxman's 100th test, Dhoni's first as official captain, India regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Harbhajan's 300th test wicket (on 299 now), the Fab Four playing together for one last time and Kumble being with the team for the last time (maybe to lift the trophy). But, this could also be a last for the man I am talking about it. Will he call it quits if he fails twice in the next test? Should he? Does he still have something to offer to Indian cricket?

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Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

It's all about wickets

Kumble's very style of bowling revolves around NOT turning the ball big; it is not highly relevant whether it was motivated by a relative inability or was by design. I have not played cricket at any serious competitive level but through years of watching the game intently - and also watching the master in action through the years - I have stumbled upon what I think is a good example to demonstrate not only the effectiveness of Kumble's style but also how incredibly difficult it is to emulate it.

Hold the ball seam-up and aim to hit the middle stump off a full length at moderate pace. Two, repeat One. Three, get the ball to bounce a few centimeters closer to the offside than where it pitched previously. Four, now repeat One through to Three with leg-breaks! As hard as turning the ball a long way is, it is even harder to achieve pinpoint precision and near-absolute control over how you want to bowl the ball. This is exactly what Kumble achieved and repeated over 18 years and over long spells, relentlessly building pressure on those at the receiving end.

For, while Kumble knew exactly what he wanted to do, the batsman would have no way of reading his mind. He might be able to pick him off the hand and spot the googly before it was bowled, but how would he be able to foresee extremely subtle variations in line, length and pace? Combine this with fastish pace and the ability to generate disconcerting bounce almost at will, seemingly like a fast bowler bending his back and it is easy to see what a hard time batsmen must have had at the crease when facing Kumble.

This is why, for all the video-analysis that batsmen must surely have done to deconstruct Kumble and for all the fool-proof theories that were thought up time and again to counter Kumble - the most popular being to play him like a medium-pacer - he was as effective and successful as he had always been right up to the India-Australia series played in Australia earlier this year. And that's not all. He combined an indefatigable body with a brilliant cricketing brain and used his lethal accuracy to work batsmen into an inextricable position which would seal their doom before long.

The flipper would trap them plumb when they launched into an extravagant sweep and a startlingly slow, flighted one would catch them groping from too far back inside the crease. To this fan of chess, Kumble's bowling was the closest you could get to a marriage of chess and cricket. Ironically, it was his fast-bowling contemporary and towering legend Glenn McGrath who came closest to emulating Kumble's approach, although in his own inimitable way. This unfortunately feeds the cliche but it is also interesting to note the similarity in the approach of two of the most effective bowlers of their time.

Before I conclude my humble tribute, perhaps the greatest testimonial one can offer to Kumble's achievements is the way the masses, as opposed to the purists, viewed him. The masses did not fail to perceive the 'lack' of spectacular turn in his bowling but on the other hand, they, unlike purists, were obsessed with results rather than aesthetics. Therefore, Kumble's effectiveness was not lost on them, which was largely glossed over by purists until his 24 wicket haul in Australia in 2003-04 forced them to sit up and take notice.

Much like the hope of a Sachin special would be expressed when India faced a daunting target, the hope that Kumble would run through the opposition would be expressed when India had to defend a low total on a crumbling wicket. Long before Kumble's indispensability to the Indian cricket team was recognized by experts as equal to or more than Sachin's, the Indian cricket-loving public had already understood how crucial he was to the team's fortunes though they may not have spelt it out in write-ups with copious words.

Like the man himself has put it so eloquently, it's all about wickets at the end of the day and in the wicket-taking sweepstakes, Kumble towers over all but two bowlers in the history of Test cricket.

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Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

The Gentlemanly Sportsman

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Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

The 5th element

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Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

Goodbye Jumbo

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Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

The Jumbo has landed

Even as the rest of the Indian batsmen got out or gave their wickets away, he stood their at one end determined to fight it out till the end. With his limited technique he defied the Aussies, focussed on playing out every ball and taking India closer to safety. However as fate would have it, with just five minutes to go three wickets fell in one over leading to the defeat. How much it would have hurt the man is for anybody to guess.

And then with the whole Indian and Australian press waiting for his sound bytes after the most controversial Test of our times, he kept his cool and came up with one single statement which said more than a five minute speech would have.

Determination, commitment, composure and dignity are words which cannot be strung together to define any other sportsman better than him. Not many Indian cricketers have left the game on their own terms, but then the timing of Kumble's departure has been spot on, much like his deliveries.

Never once has he given less than 100% on the field and the moment he's recognized that there were factors beyond his control which would not allow him to do so, he's stepped down. Memory doesn't serve up any names of Indians who have retired as captains and he definitely deserves to have done so.

There are two kinds of great players. There are those whose very presence lights up the arena and then there are those whose absence speaks more about their contributions. India have been lucky enough to have one of each kind play in the same era.

It is only fitting that he should have been carried on the shoulders of his team mates on his farewell lap, on the ground which has been lucky enough to witness the great man at his best, time and again. Goodbye Jumbo, and thanks for all the wickets.

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November 1, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

They too played for India

But then you pause and ask yourself, wont they feel happy that at least they played a test while many of their colleagues were not even that lucky? Would not those dozen other players have given their right arm to have played just once for India? Who do you think is more unlucky? Whom do you think did fate treat more cavalierly? Whose was the greater chagrin? Who is the more unrequited player? Is it the ‘one test’ player for whom the door to Shangri-La was opened tantalizingly briefly only to be shut in his face? Or is it the player who waited 10, 15 even 20 years in vain for the door to open so that he could just have a glimpse of Shangri-La?

And I start listing in my mind cricketers who ended their careers never having played for India but were perhaps just a selector’s vote away from eternal glory. Rajinder Goel, Padmakar Shivalkar, Amarjit Kaypee, Bhaskar Pillai, Hari Gidwani, Michael Dalvi, V Sivaramakrishnan, Satwender Singh, Kanwaljit Singh, Pandurang Salgaoncar ... the list seems endless. Their records and their performances were no less than that of their contemporaries who played for India. It just seemed they were not destined to wear India colours. It takes us just a couple of players’ stories to understand that it is often just a hair’s breadth between fame and obscurity.

Let me begin with a batsman from the North, Hari Gidwani who did so much in Varsity cricket that he was touted as a sure shot test batsman. It is the winter of 1974 and West Indies have come to India to play 5 tests. India has just received the drubbing of their lifetime in England (remember we were shot out for 42 at Lords?) and the team is in complete disarray. Things worsen as Lloyd’s men pulverize India in the first two tests. 0-2 down and three tests to go; Indian selectors patience with the regular players is running out. Batting places are up for grabs and the selectors are ready to take risks. And so it is in this scenario that Gidwani plays for Combined Universities against the touring West Indians. It is clear that if Gidwani scores runs in this game he would walk into the test team for the third test. But Gidwani fails in this match. Instead, a dour, bespectacled batsman from M S University Baroda less gifted than Gidwani but who hated to give his wicket away scores runs and grabs that batting spot in the Indian team. He proceeds to play for India with some if not remarkable distinction over the next 10 years. That stodgy batsman was Anshuman Gaekwad. Gidwani, well he never got a look–in again. He kept playing for Delhi and scoring runs; he went to Bihar and again piled up tons of runs for them; he scored almost every time he went to bat. But he never played for India. Does he agonize over what might have been? Can one game, one ball, one error decide your fate so irrevocably. For Hari Gidwani it did.

My next story is about Padmakar Shivalkar and Rajinder Goel. Between 1960 and 1980 India had 4 left arm spinners, any of whom would have walked into any test side in the world except India. Except India, because this was the period when Bishen Bedi played for India. All four were test match material but there was only place in the Indian team for a left arm spinner. Padmakar Shivalkar plugged away relentlessly and remorselessly for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy and was the most crucial cog in their bowling wheel. And Rajinder Goel did identical duty for Delhi and Haryana. Over after over, season after season, from their teens, into their prime, and then into their late thirties, age catching up, shoulders getting sore, they toiled on. How strong must their will have been? How much must they have loved this game? How stoic and accepting must they have been? Knowing that the peerless Bedi could never be toppled from his perch they plugged away. Devastating and lethal on turning wickets, brave and skillful on heartless wickets they epitomized what cricket and team games are all about. What these two remarkable cricketers demonstrated over decades was a rare equilibrium and tranquility combined with limitless self confidence in their abilities.

It is quite the fashion these days to create “All time Great XI” or “The Best XI test players of my generation” but I think we would gladden the hearts of these wonderful but unlucky warriors if we could create the Best XI from among players who did not play for India. And if you set them up against an Indian XI they will make a real good fist of it. Of that I am sure.

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October 27, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

Fab four then and now

Yes, very romantic times those…..we won a match or two now and then and were happy to hug those memories. And then we won some more and we realized that these four magicians were in fact setting up opportunities for victories more frequently than ever before. And so this quartet was forged over 15 long years. Prasanna the eldest came into the Indian side in 1960, Chandra in 1964, Venkat in 1965 and Bedi in 1966. Each of them made their debut at age 20 or earlier, for their entire careers four spinners, brothers in arms, but fighting forever for three places in the team.

Each was poetry in motion…..fluid, smooth, economical of action and with unending guile. Bedi the supreme artist, warm-hearted, always the first to applaud the sixer from the batsman but owner of the best arm ball in cricket history; Chandra the least demonstrative, quiet, magical, unplayable destroyer; Prasanna, cunning, cocky, plotting all the time to make a fool of the batsman; Venkat, of fierce tigerish resolve, almost a fast bowler’s temperament to complement his spinner’s brain, bowling for the team than for his own ego.

By the time the Indian team went to Pakistan in 1978 – to resume cricket ties after 18 long years – it seemed that these four icons had been playing forever. Prasanna was 38, Venkat and Chandra 33 and Bedi just a year younger. And between them they seemed to have bowled a million overs! They had bamboozled Sobers and Lloyd, lulled Chappell and Walters to doom; toyed with Fletcher and Edrich….they seemed to have taken every wicket for India in the last 15 years! But 15 years is a long time and these intelligent men knew that they were approaching the end of wonderfully illustrious careers.

What they did not know was that in a matter of weeks, just three Test matches to be precise, the quartet would hurtle from the twilight of their careers to oblivion. What these maestros received in Pakistan was a hiding of soul-searing proportions from Miandad and Zaheer, Asif Iqbal and Majid Khan. No newspaper devoted columns to discuss the imminent demise of the quartet. The end was almost instantaneous for three of the four spinners. Prasanna never played again after returning from Pakistan. Bedi and Chandra made a token appearance in a couple of Tests and were dropped. Venkat, the warrior kept plugging away for a few more years but must have been a lonely man missing his three comrades till he too faded away.

There is perhaps a lesson for us here from the way the spin quartet went out of our lives. None of the 'Fab four' spinners ever announced their retirement from Test cricket. They were fearless samurai, when the time came for them to be dropped they accepted this with dignity and the press gave them the space and the respect that they deserved. When 4 great spinners with 900 wickets between them could go with grace and dignity, is it too much to ask that 4 great batsmen with 35000 runs between them also go the same way? I agree we live in noisy strident TRP times but surely we can lower our tones, stand aside, and salute them as they go back to the pavilion one last time. Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman, rare gems all and for all four to be playing at the same time for India. We will never know how blessed our country was till they are all gone.

Comments (34)

October 19, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

Shame on you Mohali

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October 16, 2008

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Kumble will answer Ponting

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Vengsarkar's mistake as selector

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October 11, 2008

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Let it be

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Oh Sourav!

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October 10, 2008

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Catch my point?

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October 9, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

A final swing of the pendulum

Things started looking up at the 1997 Sahara Cup: Pakistan hammered 4-1, and the Man of the Series, quite emphatically, was one Sourav Chandidas Ganguly. I was suddenly more interested in cricket than I ever was, and things finally came to a head a few months later at the Independence Cup: the 3rd Final, a World-record run chase, last-ball finish (almost), Sourav Ganguly and Robin Singh valiant and victorious, and I was hooked onto this wonderful game for life.

I can still remember jumping around, pumping my fists sans fingernails, and wishing I hadn't watched the match alone. From then on I started paying more attention to the game, the beauty of good batting and bowling, Test cricket, and teams other than Pakistan. My regard for Sourav grew, though more thanks to his now-legendary captaincy than as a player. It peaked at the 2003 World Cup where India fluffed the chance to have the holy trinity of Indian batting forever cement their names on cricket's greatest prize.

Then things started to go wrong, reaching their nadir with the Chappell email fiasco. The picture painted of Ganguly was disgusting, exacerbated both its familiarity (thanks to Indian politicians and Government jobsworths: it was too easy to think of Ganguly sitting back and smirking 'Yeh mera raj hain'), and by the sense of betrayal it engendered: here was a man who had let power get to his head, and put himself above the team, the country and the game. I never thought I could forgive him.

As he performed his comeback, I started giving way, but grudgingly. The aura of selfishness, and the perception that he was playing for himself and not the team never went away. His sudden announcement has changed all that. Yes, this could all be murkier than we will ever know, but this very act betrays a magnanimity I didn't think he was capable of. The last Indian cricketing icon to leave the team was Kapil Dev, and he had overstayed his welcome massively. I'm glad Sourav isn't emulating him or that ex-head of his home state, Jyoti Basu. His legacy deserved the class of him knowing when his time was up. Adios Dada.

Comments (12)

October 8, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

Remember the Titan

Saurav Ganguly fed the Indian teams he led with a potion, an elixir which captains before him had not dared to touch. It was called aggression. And happily for us, team India has since then not stopped consuming it. Who can forget his adrenaline-fuelled shirt twirling on the Lords balcony, when he mocked not just the English cricketers but Lord's tradition itself? Or India's amazing run to the World Cup final in 2003? Or his captain's innings of coruscating brilliance at the Gabba?

No chronicle of his legacy would be complete without a reference to his captaincy and his ability to get the best out of his players, particularly the younger ones. Whether it was the inspired decision to convert Sehwag to an opener, or the rather painful decision to make Dravid keep wicket, or the decision to bring Harbhajan back from relative obscurity for the 2001 Australia series, or the decision to promote Laxman to no.3 in THAT match at the Eden - most of his decisions were taken by putting his players directly in the cauldron - and almost all of them came off.

Saurav Ganguly will be remembered as, statistically and otherwise, India's greatest ever left-handed batsman, an exceptionally good Test match player who never allowed his average to dip below 40 and one of the all-time greats of the one-day game. But most of all, he will be remembered for his brand of captaincy that quite simply changed the face of Indian cricket. The curtain is ready to fall ... but there is one act of the play still left to witness. As Shah Rukh Khan would have said, "Abhi thoda picture baaki hai mere dost". Farewell Saurav. And thank you for the entertainment.

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The 'I' in Ganguly

He had to wait more than six years to make his golden comeback. Lesser mortals would have fallen by the wayside. Even in his comeback test match there were whisperings that he was only there because of Dalmiya. Contrast this to Tendulkar who made his debut at an age younger than Ganguly but was always treated with care. Contrast this to Dravid who was under less pressure than Ganguly when he made his test debut. And this to me has been the hallmark of Ganguly's career. He took great pride in proving people wrong.

For those who said he was there in 1996 at Lord's not because of his ability, two centuries and a 90 were the answer. For those who said he could not score against quality bowling, his century in the first Test down under in 2003/04 was the answer. For those who said he was finished after he was stripped of the captaincy, his umpteenth comeback was the answer. And therein lies an inspirational story to budding cricketers. If you have a strong enough mind and will to succeed you will.

Pete Sampras once said "For so long people have just taken what I do for granted. It is not easy to do year-in, year-out". Yes and for so long we have taken Ganguly for granted. There will be questions asked as to whether he had an agreement in place with the selectors for bidding adieu. But I am more interested in watching Ganguly play for one last time. And this time I wont utter a word even if he gets out to a short ball. I will enjoy it one last time.

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Seniors deserve more respect

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October 6, 2008

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Badri saves Ganguly

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October 1, 2008

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Poor Sourav

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September 20, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Australian Cricket

Les enfants terribles

Come to think of it, the crazy juvenile antics of these players was about to bring this great game to its knees. Such mavericks are found everywhere and it is up to the people who are occupying the positions of power to control them and not allow the events to get out of hand. I am afraid that the subsequent events have only put a big question mark on Ponting's wisdom and judgment and by that token of logic even the CA cannot be spared. I am sure that by the end of his career Ponting will be regarded as a great batsman and a good captain, but as a Statesman, not at all, which Anil Kumble proved that he was in that series.

One also cannot help but wonder that things might have been different for the unity in the Aussie dressing room were it not for the IPL's Twenty20 tournament held in India. I am sure that the salary offered to Roy must not have gone down well with some of the greats in the Aussie team because compared to them he was just a toddler starting out in the Test arena. It was amusing to see the sensitive Symonds lament the fact that how the CA had bowed in to the BCCI's financial power when he himself did not think twice of accepting the Deccan Chargers offer, which itself is a brain child of the BCCI.

It might be argued that it is in the nature of the beast that such players have serious temperamental flaws and although they might be adorning this great game as jewels it is very important for the authorities concerned to recognize this particular breed of players and to understand that they cannot be allowed to hold the game of cricket as hostage by their actions and any incident should be nipped in the bud itself before it snow balls into anything major. Surely, as a die hard cricket fan this is not asking for much , or is it?

Comments (2)

September 11, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

The beginning of the end

First, should not the BCCI think seriously and sincerely on how to engineer a respectful exit for Ganguly, who, statistically so far, is the most successful Test captain of the country? Public pronouncements of his failing to bat and field are factually correct but tactically deplorable. And, this should be not just for Ganguly but also for Dravid and Tendulkar. They are all legends. Every legend begins unceremoniously but deserves a fitting end. Second, the Trinity of Ganguly, Dravid and Tendulkar knows that each one of them has been a genuinely great cricketer, and that a big innings may come anytime. However, they seem not to realize that they are currently not performing well, that they do not have many years to keep playing, and that many young aspirants are already aspiring to get the selectors' nod.

This tendency to keep themselves pushing ahead will earn them a bagful of money and a few hundred runs, which will not be statistically great addition to what they already have gathered. However, this tendency will also tell their own fans that all that the Trinity is displaying is a sheer greed. Sooner than later they will fall in the eye of their fans. But, it is still not too late: they can quit now and remain adored for ever.

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September 3, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

A rare sextet

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September 2, 2008

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Exposing Dhoni

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August 18, 2008

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The perfection of imperfection

On the other hand, a sportsman who merely accumulates points or runs chasing a statistical target seems to lose some of the lustre although he may achieve his target. This is why I feel - that the 'fabulous four', Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman - should chose to retire at a time when they are still playing well, before they are forced into it by frequent failures and the emergence of new talent that is bound to expose their decline in sharper contrast.

I guess this must be in the minds of most people who love these players, but out of respect for the icons, only the most brashly outspoken media may express this thought in public, as of now. But such reticence may not last long. What is the point in achieving a target in bits and pieces when one is only a shadow of what one was in the peak days? The icons do show flashes of brilliance now and then, but these are too few and far in between these days, showing that the decline in their powers is real and representing the irreversible losses associated with age.

If Sachin retires now, people will remember him as the greatest batsman India has produced and also one of the greatest who adorned the game in its history. On the other hand, if he continues to play another 5 tests to get the hundred odd runs that he needs to become the highest run scorer in cricket, it will only be a pain to watch and the target he achieves would even lose some of the gloss it is supposed to have. In any case statistical targets have not much meaning except to the frenzied media with a penchant for the hyperbole and who seek value where there is very little.

Comments (1)

August 12, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

The problem with loyalty

Firstly, only one of the fab four have reached a century since the tour of Australia; Dravid, who made 111 against South Africa in what was his only score above 50 for the series. Only Laxman made passed 50 in the Sri Lanka series, and he made two out of the three made by a middle order batsman from India. Secondly, consider the young talent currently waiting in the wings. Rohit Sharma, S Badrinath, Suresh Raina, Manoj Tiwary and Virat Kohli are all making big impressions in the domestic scene.

Badrinath's non-selection is baffling, considering his dominant record in recent years.

Thirdly, look at India's next opponent; Australia, currently the number one team in the world despite some protestations from South Africa and India to the contrary. While Australia may look weak following the multiple retirements over the years, they are still a class ahead of anyone else. In the hotly contested (and intensely scrutinised) series during the Australian summer, only Laxman and Tendulkar scored centuries. Tendulkar clearly dominated in what was probably his final tour of Australia, and that is a good sign, but Dravid and Ganguly were shadows of their former selves.

India's only bowling problem that I see is Kumble himself, who appears to have lost his venom. Whilst his record against Australia is good (108 wickets at 28.52), his recent form has been less convincing and his captaincy lacks imagination. Harbajan showed encouraging signs against Sri Lanka and South Africa, and will be bowling on pitches likely to help his turn and bounce. Supporting him will likely be Zaheer, who hasn't had a great deal of success against Australia, and the dangerous Inshant Sharma if fit. Kumble is the weak link.

India needs to take the plunge and pick new faces in their team ahead of this series, and the selectors need to show nerve to pick the players performing. An Indian team that I would like to see on the park would look like this: V. Sehwag, G. Gambhir, VVS Laxman, S. Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma or Suresh Raina, S. Badrinath (Could also bat at 3 in place of Laxman), MS Dhoni © (Sehwag is also a candidate for captaincy), Harbajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, either RP Singh, Munaf Patel, YK Pathan or Piyush Chawla, Inshant Sharma.

This is of course my opinion, and opinions are like bums. Everyone's got one.

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Lalit Modi v Kent

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August 11, 2008

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Letter from '83

It was a time when I could only imagine what could be an off-cutter or a full toss or a good length delivery or a googly. To me, there was not much difference between a square cut and an on-drive or between a leg glance or a fierce pull. It was such a time that India won the World Cup. Without understanding even 1% of the technicalities of cricket, without even listening to 50% of any of those cricket commentaries in that historic tournament, I enjoyed every bit of it through the documented descriptions in the newspapers. Those printed lines were not just some amalgamation of words for me - they actually were the World Cup for me. It was a time when those articles and reports were also not written with a professionally minded approach. So, the emotions reached the sky's limit in those articles and there were attempts to establish India as the best team in the world after the World Cup.

Although logical thinking told me that it was not so in spite of the fact that I was only in my adolescence at that time (14 years old). But to me, at least for that tournament, India really deserved this victory because of the sheer emotion, self belief, determination and patriotism. There were not too many superstars in the 1983 team. The 1987 team in the Reliance Cup had more superstars. There were no plans or tactics or strategies involved in those 1983 victories. Sourav Ganguly's India in 2003 was a much better team in terms of planning and strategies. But still India could not win in 1987 and 2003 because they probably did not have that self belief. Therefore, even after 25 years, that unplanned, strategy-less, superstar-less victory has remained India's sole victory in the World Cup.

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August 7, 2008

Posted by Cricinfo at in Indian cricket

Not just 'The Wall'

Compare this with Dravid's record. I could let the records speak for themselves, but I think there's more to Dravid than numbers. An Indian Test victory abroad, so rare in the 90s has become a possibility, even a routine occurrence in the first decade of the new millennium thanks to Dravid. There have been other performances of note, no doubt, but the common factor through almost all the victories has been Dravid.

As a captain, Dravid has done what only Ajit Wadekar managed; a Test series win in England and West Indies. In one-day records, he is next only to Sachin among Indian batsmen, and easily among the top five in his generation of batsmen. Yet, he gets unceremoniously dumped from the ODI team. He is constantly the subject of press and public ridicule over his batting style. There seems to be little glamour in glorifying his achievements.

Of the present lot of greats we will remember Laxman for the individual innings of brilliance, Ganguly for his in-your-face-Steve-Waugh captaincy, Kumble for his 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan, Tendulkar for being, well, Tendulkar, but what will we remember Dravid for? Maybe, and judging from what little we know of his character from his cricket, he will want to be remembered as someone who stood up to be counted every time his country needed him. I think we owe him at least that little.

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August 2, 2008

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Memories of '83

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August 1, 2008

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Going soon

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