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July 3, 2009
Time for Sharma and Raina to step up
Posted 3 days, 6 hours ago in Indian cricket
Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina have an abundance of talent, but their perfromances on the field haven't stacked up high enough. In the Indian Express, Harsha Bhogle asks if Sharma and Raina can grow from T20 stars to being consistent in all forms of the game.
It is a call that Rohit Sharma and others like Suresh Raina must take. Do they want to make T20 their universe, exist as a series of short, incandescent bursts, where failure is frequented as often as success? Or do they want to take their extraordinary ability towards other horizons? It is not as easy a decision as it seems for sooner or later they will be confronted by that enemy of ambition — the comfort factor. A sharp fast bowler who makes life uncomfortable can only come at you for 12 balls, or maybe even six (notice how T20 is slowly replacing the word ‘over’). There are always a couple of bowlers you can punish. And forty five minutes is about as long an innings will last.
June 29, 2009
Test cricket is dead
Posted 6 days, 21 hours ago in Indian cricket
When did you last take a train ride for the sheer pleasure of the journey? When did you last lie on the grass and stare at the clouds for half a winter’s day? When did you last spend a day at home watching movies back to back? What do these questions have to with cricket, you ask? Samar Halarnkar writes in the Hindustan Times that the world changed before we realised it, that it became flatter, and we started living 24/7/365. And that, in turn, has distracted us from Test cricket.
The purists may fume, and the experts may fulminate, but I believe Test cricket is ready to go the way of the Premier Padmini, the record player and the Bajaj Chetak. Everything that is iconic has a time, an era. After watching the frenetic energy, the raucous fans, the heady mix of modern glamour and cricket and the sheer number of T20 games this year, I am convinced that the era of Test cricket is nearly done.
June 27, 2009
Pushy Chawla wins Sussex over
Posted 1 week, 2 days ago in Indian cricket
Piyush Chawla, the Indian legspinner, has enjoyed his stint with Sussex where he won a lot of fans and been hailed as the county's new Mushtaq. Devendra Pandey interviews him in the Indian Express:
The biggest compliment for Chawla came during his game.Ashe started the county stint with six-wickets in an innings, the Sussex fans couldn’t believe their luck. Mushtaq wasn’t just replaced a similar looking short leggie but the new recruit also seemed to have a knack of taking a bagful of wickets. “After that game I heard the fans calling me ‘Pushy’.
June 26, 2009
Life as a Tendulkar
Posted 1 week, 3 days ago in Indian cricket
The Independent's Brian Viner meets Sachin Tendulkar at a store in Covent Garden outside which fans have packed to get a glimpse of the star just as they would in Mumbai. He asks Tendulkar about coaching plans, the price of fame, the most memorable century and who he fancies in the Ashes.
Perhaps, I venture provocatively, coaching won't come naturally. He wouldn't be the first sporting colossus to struggle to refine in others what to himself has always come instinctively. How easy, for example, does he find it to instruct his young son in the batting arts? He smiles. "He is only nine and he just wants to smash the ball. I encourage him to do that, because above all he should love the sport. If he loves it, the rest will follow. I have not forced him into it. We hardly discussed cricket for the first four or five years of his life, but it seems to be in his heart. It is hard to judge how good he will be. Cricket is not just about physical ability, it is also about mental ability, adapting to different conditions and situations. It is hard to judge the mentality of a boy of nine."
June 25, 2009
Not a totally meaningless series
Posted 1 week, 4 days ago in Indian cricket
The cricket world, or at least those in India, are scratching their heads over the staging of a four-ODI series in the West Indies at the end of a brutally long season. Partab Ramchand, writing on the Yahoo! website, finds one compelling reason for the series - a chance for India to end the season on a high.
Normally, a lightning four-match ODI series in the West Indies should not be of any particular importance. However, given the backdrop of the debacle in England the series has assumed uncommon significance for the Indian team. Dhoni obviously wants the team to do very well and win the series. It may be only a consolation win coming as it does after the disastrous showing in the World Cup but Indian cricket in the present situation will certainly welcome it.
June 21, 2009
Out of our league
Posted 2 weeks, 1 day ago in Indian cricket
Cricket is in the midst of a year of seismic changes. Between this summer and the next, the shortest form of the game — Twenty20 — will likely become the dominant product. But with India's early exit from any world tournament is a costly loss to organisers and sponsors. Indian cricket’s sponsors and stakeholders are going to do a rethink, writes Ashok Malik in the Sunday Pioneer.
Already, the IPL authorities are talking of two such tournaments every year — one in India in April, the other overseas, in different countries each year. Where will this leave the world cup? It may see high quality cricket but Indian money will not flow in unless Indian success is assured. That’s the harsh, cynical truth. The point is Indian cricket and the IPL are becoming like English football. The cash, the fans and the frenzy are in the English Premier League, in Manchester United and Arsenal. English clubs are paramount; the England team and its performance in the European Nations Cup or FIFA World Cup is a lesser priority. That’s not always how fans see it. They would love England to win the World Cup every time. Yet, in the absence of that, they’re happy to settle for domestic stars in a domestic league. The sponsors and the very business of sport propel them in that direction. As Dhoni and company come back from their hang-dog T20 world cup campaign, will India too retreat into the League of its own? In 2010, will the IPL dwarf the T20 world cup and, indeed, all international cricket?
June 18, 2009
Dhoni loses the Midas touch
Posted 2 weeks, 4 days ago in Indian cricket
Though India have crashed out of the World Twenty20 without a single win, Kunal Pradhan writes in the Indian Express that says the over-the-top criticism of MS Dhoni must stop. In a sarcasm-laden piece, he marvels at how quickly fans forget Dhoni's many successes as both captain and batsman over the past 20 months. His captaincy has been dissected, his mistakes magnified, his effigies burnt (it sounds like a pretty good job in India, making effigies — income guaranteed, even in times of recession). Not because we enjoy parading on the streets with banners and torches but because our national pride (which, 62 years after independence, rides on which side of a three-run result we finish on) has been hurt.
Defending champions India's lacklustre campaign reminds Dileep Premachandran of the insipid performance of holders Argentina at the 1982 football World Cup and France 20 years later. Read on in the Guardian.
Over at Dreamcricket Suresh Menon says India's early exit may have postponed the date on which Twenty20 takes over from Tests. And in the Wisden Cricketer Lawrence Booth says the IPL isn't to blame for India's failings.
June 11, 2009
Ojha has changed the thinking of modern spinners
Posted 3 weeks, 4 days ago in Indian cricket
In the Hindu, Makarand Waingankar writes that a delightful outcome of effective strategy management in the T20 format is the emergence and handling of spinners. Taking Pragyan Ojha as an example, both Dhoni and Kirsten have used him as an attacking bowler, primarily to take wickets without being too bothered about leaking the odd boundary.
In Wadekar’s and Hemu Adhikari’s scheme of things, they needed to block one end up with Venkat and attack with Bedi and Chandrashekar. And being a brilliant close in-fielder, Venkataraghavan added value to his presence on the field. Pataudi used Abid Ali and Eknath Solkar in close in fielding positions while picking all three attacking spinners. Both the moves worked well.
In the Indian Express, Deepak Narayanan catches up with the creator of Twenty20, Stuart Robertson, who's been maintaining a low profile of late.
June 7, 2009
A rare Indian double international
Posted 4 weeks, 1 day ago in Indian cricket
Partab Ramchand, in the Indian Express, profiles the late MJ Gopalan, one of India's few double internationals, on his hundredth birth anniversary. He represented India in cricket and hockey.
In 1936, he was on the horns of a dilemma having to choose between the cricket tour of England and a sure gold medal with the hockey team at the Berlin Olympics. Gopalan decided on the former and with the benefit of hindsight probably made the wrong decision for while India predictably won the gold medal at Berlin the cricket tour was an unhappy one marred by controversies.
June 5, 2009
Brave, new India
Posted on 06/05/2009 in Indian cricket
Rohit Sharma's 53-ball 80 carried India to an emphatic victory in the much-anticipated warm-up game against Pakistan on Wednesday. Harsha Bhogle writes in the Indian Express that Rohit's performance is the sort that the new breed of Indian cricketer, who emerged in 2004, likes to play. "Fearless, confident, willing to live for the day and for whom a shot was a calculated gamble, not a risk-free effort," is how Bhogle describes the new type of Indian player.
With Sharma, as with Raina and Sehwag and Yuvraj and Gambhir, you sit back and enjoy, not get frustrated because they are not playing the way you want them to. It is a different generation; ideas of restraint and conformity and frugality have long been replaced, having a dark side is not worth a sleepless night, the first ball can be hit over mid-wicket from just behind a good length.
May 21, 2009
Successful political debut for Azhar
Posted on 05/21/2009 in Indian cricket
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Mohammad Azharuddin beat his nearest rival by more than 50,000 votes
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Mohammad Azharuddin, the former Indian captain, has become a Member of Parliament after winning on a Congress ticket. The Indian Express' Kunal Pradhan met him during his campaign in Moradabad in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. As we started chatting in the next room, away from the local netas who had assembled to help chart out his campaign, it was clear that Azharuddin was seeking more than an election to the lower house of Parliament. It was his last attempt at redemption, at finally putting the match-fixing nightmare behind him by seeking acceptance from the people he had once wowed with his finesse at the crease.
May 7, 2009
Searching for Sachin
Posted on 05/07/2009 in Indian cricket
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Sachin Tendulkar has always trained hard
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For Sachin Tendulkar fans, here’s an interesting site. CV Williams, an Australian writer, is producing a biography of Tendulkar and will release a new chapter online each week. In this instalment Tendulkar's life as a child is covered.
He was a sweet boy like the others. But one of the outstanding qualities about Sachin has always been his determination during training as well as during a game. Some say he overtrains, to this day. As a boy he would run with more vigour, do more push ups than the other boys, demand that it was his turn to bat more often, hit more runs, and play on more maidans around the district, as his coach ‘Achrekar Sir’ ferried him from maidan to maidan on the back of his scooter on game days. And most likely he had more fun.
April 12, 2009
Dhoni - special or plain lucky?
Posted on 04/12/2009 in Indian cricket
What's with MS Dhoni? He is a marvellous wicketkeeper, he bats like a brute, he captains and looks cheerful while doing it. Son of a pump house operator, he is today the world's highest paid cricketer. Wax he born under a special star or is he the luckiest man alive, asks Sanipan Deb in the Open Magazine. Turn to page 17 to read more.
April 9, 2009
Little masters, big debate
Posted on 04/09/2009 in Indian cricket
An ongoing debate among former international cricketers and connoisseurs of the game in Mumbai is about the difference in Sunil Gavaskar's and Sachin Tendulkar's style of play. Makarand Waigankar in the Hindu believes it is unfair to conclude that one style is necessarily better than the other, for the craft and technique has to be continually perfected to suit the era and the kind of cricket that is played.
If Gavaskar was a run machine, Tendulkar used the bat like an AK-47. When former Mumbai Test players saw Tendulkar play a Test at 15, they were all convinced that because of his peculiar bottom hand grip he would be sorted out by professional international bowlers. However, Tendulkar was not prepared to be a slave of any technique.
March 28, 2009
Dhoni phenomenon: genius, luck, or magic?
Posted on 03/28/2009 in Indian cricket
After a great run in New Zealand, India had their first two poor days in Napier when MS Dhoni was forced to sit out of the match due to back spasms, and at a time when John Buchanan is advocating more power to coaches, the inexplicable influence of Dhoni’s captaincy must be reinvigorating for skippers around the world, writes Kunal Pradhan in the Indian Express.
Slowly, evidence is emerging to suggest that somehow the life gets sucked out of the team when Dhoni is not on the field. It’s not about field placements and bowling changes, there’s something more, something intangible, that seems to walk off with him.
And the really strange part is that there aren’t really any obvious signs of his genius when he is marshalling his resources in the middle. There are no famous trump-card decisions to be quoted — nothing like Don Bradman inverting the line-up on a wet pitch, Martin Crowe opening the bowling with a spinner, Clive Lloyd allowing Geoff Boycott to bat on, or Sourav Ganguly making Steve Waugh wait for the toss.
March 27, 2009
Can't tell dad
Posted on 03/27/2009 in Indian cricket
Sufiyan Shaikh is bound for Australia with the Indian Under-19 team as its wicketkeeper, but for a change, he won't be sneaking off without his father's knowledge. When he used to return home from sub-junior matches, his father used to beat him up because he could never understand his son's wish to play the game. However, he has now turned a new leaf. G Krishnan has the full story in the Hindustan Times.
Sufiyan Shaikh will play cricket for India, but he just can't talk to his father about it. Shaikh's journey from the labyrinthine lanes of Crawford Market to wicketkeeper of the India under-19 squad that will tour Australia next month speaks of rare grit and a whole lot of pain.
March 15, 2009
Bedi slams IPL as 'cricket's nadir'
Posted on 03/15/2009 in Indian cricket
Former Indian captain Bishan Bedi is typically blunt in his criticism of the IPL, and the BCCI's insistence on holding the Twenty20 event at the same time as the general elections in India. He writes in Outlook:
Terror clouds are hovering over the subcontinent ... But if some are least bothered about the dangers lying ahead, they are the BCCI and its ancillary, the IPL governing council. They're blissfully unaware of terrorists who might lurk in general elections booths as well as in IPL venues.
The BCCI is adamant that both the elections and the IPL can run smoothly with proper distribution of security forces—some wishful thinking that.
February 24, 2009
Talking politics with the 'Tiger'
Posted on 02/24/2009 in Indian cricket
Mohammed Azharuddin has become the latest Indian cricketer to join politics, after the likes of Navjot Sidhu and Kirti Azad, though it's not clear whether he will be a candidate in the forthcoming general elections. Another former captain, the iconic Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, was unsuccessful in both his attempts to enter the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament. Lokendra Pratap Sahi in theTelegraph, the Kolkata daily, gets Pataudi to talk politics.
Why do cricketers get attracted to politics?
Usually, they get invited by some party or the other... Their advantage is that they don’t have to introduce themselves from any platform… That way, there’s probably 30 per cent less work to do... If, for example, a relatively unknown person stands for elections, then that person’s entire history has to be repeated at every gathering.
February 20, 2009
It's not too late for the CCI
Posted on 02/20/2009 in Indian cricket
There's still perhaps time for the Cricket Club of India (CCI) to negotiate a fair deal with IPL that will be in the best interests of their world-renowned club and the game of cricket, as well as Mumbai's cricket fanatics for whom there is no greater joy than witnessing a game at the delightful Brabourne Stadium. Khalid Ansari in his column in Mid-Day calls for the ego and arrogance to be cast aside, and wants the club to maintain its democratic view and usher in the younger generation.
February 14, 2009
The Don of Madras cricket
Posted on 02/14/2009 in Indian cricket
D Ranganathan, or Don Rangan, is the subject of V Ramnarayan's latest post on his blog Stumped. If Shane Warne managed to get the best out of young players at the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL last year, Rangan did it year in, year out in Madras while running Nungambakkam Sports Club A in the 1960s.
D Ranganathan—for that is his full name—was a cocky little fellow, all muscle and sinew, very fit, a fiercely combative cricketer quite unlike the gentle Madras stereotype of his time. A competent, workmanlike but always positive opening batsman, he was aggression personified as a wicket keeper, not afraid to stand up to fast bowlers, and capable of the most convincing histrionics while appealing to the umpire. He was also a more than useful medium pacer, a facet of his cricket he never let us forget, resorting as he invariably did to the discarding of his gloves and pads to have a go at the batsman. His supreme confidence usually resulted in the breaking up of a troublesome partnership, enabling Rangan to crow over his success where others had failed. He always had a chip on his shoulder about being ignored as a player by officialdom and running his own club like a prince was his way of challenging the establishment. He not only scored tons of runs and won most of his matches, but made sure these victories were made possible by stellar contributions from other players the official selectors had overlooked. He was an original, not an imitation of some Test cricketer he admired. If there was anyone he hero-worshipped, it had to be Rangan himself. Virtually unbeatable in the lower divisions of the TNCA league, his team was a dark horse capable of toppling the best in the senior division, once it was promoted to that level of combat.
February 12, 2009
Modern era may never see a Vishy
Posted on 02/12/2009 in Indian cricket
In an interview with Deccan Herald, Indian cricket great Gundappa Viswanath, on his 60th birthday, shares the memories of his century on debut against Australia in Kanpur in 1969, his experience with various roles in Indian cricket following his retirement and some of the issues affecting the game today.
I really enjoyed my playing years. Some people still say that I deserved to complete 100 Tests but I have no regrets. These things happen in cricket. Look at someone like (Mohd) Azharuddin, he got stuck at 99. Imagine how he would be feeling. To be frank, I always expected to come back after I was dropped, but the selectors thought I wasn’t good enough to get my place back in the side. Fair enough. Later, I became a selector and I had to drop a few players. This, I believe, put things in perspective.
Rahul Dravid, speaking to R Kaushik in the same newspaper, feels Viswanath is a role model for any young cricket aspirant from Bangalore.
In Mid-day, Dravid also salutes Viswanath in a special column.
Read Sunil Gavaskar's tribute in his syndicated column.
In the Hindu, KC Vijaya Kumar also catches up with Viswanath.
Anil Kumble pays tribute to him in the Times of India. Click here for e-paper link.
Another prominent feature was his exemplary conduct and good nature, which has left a mark on anyone who has interacted with him, on or off the field. He constantly encouraged me during the period I was dropped from the Indian team, and guided me into maintaining self belief and determination. His absolute classy style of batting was a treat to the eye, and reminiscent of an era where lots of high quality Test match cricket took place. In the modern era of abundant limited overs cricket, we may never see the skills of another Vishy flourish, although one has to accept the reality of the changing times.
February 11, 2009
An all-time India Test top 20
Posted on 02/11/2009 in Indian cricket
The HoldingWilley report is a detailed analysis on greatness, in which the thinktank has concluded that Rahul Dravid is India's greatest player. This is HoldingWilley's first country-specific special report and they have stuck to India for starters. Since Test cricket is the highest form of the game, and what players are most judged by, and since it is the only form that links eras, the men who matter decided to base their rankings exercise exclusively on this. ODI cricket therefore has been completely ignored here.
February 1, 2009
Walking tough, Dravid style
Posted on 02/01/2009 in Indian cricket
Over the past year, Rahul Dravid has not been in the best of form and though he has learnt a lot from his recent failures never did he think about walking away from the game. In an interview to Nihal Koshie in Daily News & Analysis he confesses that he still loves the game and enjoys playing it, even if it is a match in the Ranji or Duleep Trophy.
'I just try and enjoy it and hopefully I will know that when I am not enjoying it. The thumb rule is as long as I can enjoy... coming to the gym, practising and training... I will keep doing it. Hopefully, I will get to know some day when I am not enjoying it and that will be the time to walk away.'
Four And Twenty20 Blackbirds
Posted on 02/01/2009 in Indian cricket
The mess between the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League and Indian cricket's governing body, the BCCI, continues. Refusing to be snuffed out, the ICL now prepares to breach the BCCI's rigid defences against it, writes Rohit Mahajan in Outlook.
Though the ICL and the BCCI refused to discuss the matter, those familiar with the developments in the ICL camp say the BCCI's tactics are designed to tire them out and discredit Kapil. "For instance, by asking if there were allegations of match-fixing against him and not asking if he was found guilty, they wanted to establish that his credibility is questionable," says an ICL source.
January 30, 2009
The curious case of Mohnish Parmar
Posted on 01/30/2009 in Indian cricket
The case of Gujarat offspinner Mohnish Parmar is becoming curiouser and curiouser. It has been three years since doubts were raised by umpires and players regarding his now infamous doosra and yet the BCCI let him play in all the domestic tournaments. He was even picked for India ‘A’, writes Makarand Waingankar in the Hindu.
Parmar who relies more on his doosra than any other variety is not convinced that his action is suspect and that is the real problem. Unlike Laxmipathy Balaji who was convinced that he needed to remodel his action after the back injury if at all he had to get back to competitive cricket, Parmar feels he will lose the doosra if he changes the action.
January 29, 2009
The worrying factor
Posted on 01/29/2009 in Indian cricket
Players such as Sunil Joshi, Ranadeb Bose and Yere Goud performed consistently in the Ranji season gone by and they deserve to be commended, but that does not serve any purpose when one is looking at the future. Not many new players announced themselves last season, writes WV Raman in the Sportstar.
So, yet another edition of the Ranji Trophy concluded with Mumbai re-emerging champions. The long drawn season produced some outstanding performances but the worrying factor is that not many new players have announced themselves barring a few such as Abhinav Mukund and Dhawal Kulkarni. The bench strength is derived from this premier championship and hence it is of paramount importance that new names crop up and gain attention ...
... The selectors were diligent as they watched the Ranji matches but the lack of quality spinners must be a worrying factor. Pragyan Ojha and Ashwin are the names that crop up in people’s minds but both of them need to improve upon their consistency.
January 22, 2009
Warne predicts bright future for Jadeja the jewel
Posted on 01/22/2009 in Indian cricket
India's new young allrounder Ravindra Jadeja has blazed a glittering trail through domestic cricket, writes Dileep Premachandran in the Guardian.
By the time the Royals romped home, Jadeja had 36 from 25 balls, and though Watson was the star of the show, the two Shanes – Warne being the other – lavished praise on the 19-year-old left-hander. "We identified him as a special talent straight away," said Warne, while Watson was just as complimentary: "He was hitting it wherever he wanted, against bowlers of the quality of Brett Lee." Warne later had the headline writers in a tizzy by referring to Jadeja as a "superstar in the making". Nine months on, the rave reviews don't look as ridiculous.
January 21, 2009
Tendulkar, my idol
Posted on 01/21/2009 in Indian cricket
Virender Sehwag once said the only difference between him and Tendulkar was in their bank balance. But now he says that was said in jest and he can’t be half as good as his idol. In an interview with PTI, Sehwag talks about his admiration for Tendulkar, his face-offs with Shoaib Akhtar and his initial reluctance to blitz his way to a 69-ball 83 in the record chase in Chennai.
It was Tendulkar who guided India to its biggest ever chase on home soil — a target of 387 against England in Chennai — a few weeks ago. But you set up the win on the fourth evening with a blistering 83 off 69 balls. Did you plan that innings?
On the contrary, I didn’t want to hit those fours. I kept telling Gautam (Gambhir) that I wouldn’t hit fours. But they kept bowling short and I kept square-cutting. And they all were fours. Out of the first eight fours, six were from square-cuts. Gautam just told me to bat as I normally do. But I really didn’t want to hit fours on the fourth evening!
January 19, 2009
Image is not everything
Posted on 01/19/2009 in Indian cricket
Image and injury ensure that there is a high turnover of players in the Indian team. However, it is always more difficult to return to the team after being dropped than to get into it in the first place though sometimes, the image works in favour of the player too. Suresh Menon in his column on Dreamcricket.com believes an ounce of image is worth a pound of performance but not when it works against the player.
Rahul Dravid, now re-established in the team, was luckier than most simply because he was Dravid, and his image was that of a player for whom failure was a stranger.
In the current team, Yuvraj has laboured for long under the weight of his image as a casual player, unable or unwilling to buckle down to serious business. A place in the Test team seldom falls into the lap of a player, and most of those who have got that far are conscious of this. Yet some players pick up such a reputation, and few are able to shake it off.
January 15, 2009
'Our best is yet to come'
Posted on 01/15/2009 in Indian cricket
"Both Gautam and I have a long way to go before becoming the best in the world. We have to be more consistent to get that tag. After all, it’s been less than a year since we are opening consistently for India," Virender Sehwag speaks to Indranil Basu in the Times of India.
Did Gautam Gambhir’s form in 2008 surprise you?
Not at all. I always had tremendous faith in Gautam’s ability to do well at the highest level. It’s not easy for anyone to get big scores from the word go in international cricket. When Gautam started playing international cricket, he was young and learning.
I am glad that he has done what I expected from him. In the absence of a player like Sourav Ganguly, Gautam is doing a perfect job. The best thing about his batting is the way he changes his game according to the situation. If he is playing a Twenty20, he is aggressive and in Tests, he is calm and composed. That augurs well for the team.
January 11, 2009
Jaffer's enormous contribution to Mumbai
Posted on 01/11/2009 in Indian cricket
G Viswanath, writing in the Hindu, lauds Wasim Jaffer for the manner in which he's led the Mumbai team in the Ranji Trophy, and traces his success as an opening batsman to his formative years as a cricketer in Mumbai's National Cricket Club.
Raised on the turf wickets of the city and in an environment that encouraged the gifted, Jaffer has flourished right from the time he began hitting ball at the Anjuman Islam School nets and in the highly competitive inter-school tournaments.
Once the ambitious right-hander enrolled as member of the National Cricket Club, Cross Maidan, where former India opener Sudhir Naik became his mentor, Jaffer has not looked back.
Flat tracks in Ranji matches a concern
Posted on 01/11/2009 in Indian cricket
High scoring encounters on flat tracks where bowlers stand no chance, and high profile matches played a neutral venues that have failed to draw crowds, have adversely affected the Ranji Trophy competition, writes Bobilli Vijay Kumar in the Times of India.
The matches puffed and heaved till the final evening but the verdict was out on the first morning itself: in India, batsmen are kings; everybody else immaterial. Runs were there for the taking and it was just a question of not losing one's patience or interest. Inevitably, the ball cried as the bat danced.
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It isn't just about the absence of any semblance of competition though: why were the stands littered with ghosts, rather than real people? Why wasn't there any excitement despite the presence of at least a handful of stars?
January 9, 2009
Tendulkar on switch-hitting
Posted on 01/09/2009 in Indian cricket
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Am I a left-hander or a right-hander while switch-hitting?
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Sachin Tendulkar airs his opinions on night Tests, the switch-hit, over-rates, world domination and more in an interview with the Hindu.
The switch-hit is an interesting innovation. What’s your take on this controversial stroke?
I don’t really know the leg-before call for the umpire once the batsman changes his stance. If his stance is that of a right-hander, I believe, the umpire should regard him as a right-hander irrespective of whether he changes his stance or not. (Then, he gets up, stands straight facing the imaginary umpire, holding the imaginary bat between his legs). What am I now? Am I a right-hander or a left-hander? The stance is extremely important and the umpire should ask the batsman the question at the start — “Are you a right-hander or a left-hander.” You have various issues here. If I keep three slips for a batsman and then he plays the switch hit, he can claim a no-ball since the rules do not allow more than two fielders behind square on the leg side.
January 3, 2009
Revive the Duleep School of Cricket
Posted on 01/03/2009 in Indian cricket
Makarand Waingankar, in the Hindu writes about the Duleep School of Cricket in Porbandar, founded by Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji, and says the facilities are not being utilised to its fullest potential.
The Maharaja, who was the captain of the Indian team that toured England in 1932, had observed that the Indians needed proper practice facilities for fast bowling and playing fast bowling, for the players to excel in international cricket.
Some of the top Indian cricketers visited and benefited from the Duleep School and, going by the documents available, they were all grateful to the Maharaja for making some lovely cement pitches.
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If the BCCI can have a tournament named after Duleepsinhji for close to 50 years, surely it can also revive the school which was launched two months before India became independent. It will be a boon to young cricketers from every region. It seems we had more foresight before independence than after it.
January 2, 2009
Bad times toughened Gambhir
Posted on 01/02/2009 in Indian cricket
Gautam Gambhir, the Indian batsman, tells the Times of India that the years spent on the fringes of the national team have increased his appetite for runs. He also talks about his disappointment over Delhi's early exit from the Ranji Trophy, and demands more accountability from the selectors and officials concerned with the team. My biggest low in 2008 was to miss the last Test against Australia in Nagpur. I was batting well in that series. It was horrible to see the match from the sideline. When your team is winning, you obviously want to be there with your team-mates.
Competition heats up for Indian Test batting slots
Posted on 01/02/2009 in Indian cricket
Sanjib Guha, writing in DNA, looks at the new bunch of Indian batsman who are vying for a place in the Test side.
Only a while back the names of Wasim Jaffer, Mohammad Kaif, S Badrinath, Manoj Tiwary, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Robin Uthappa were thought of when any of the Fab Five were unavailable.
But in a recent development, another lot comprising Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Abhinav Mukund and Murali Vijay have pushed themselves into the limelight.
December 31, 2008
Indian fans have regressed
Posted on 12/31/2008 in Indian cricket
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Indian fans: An embarrassment?
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Watching the Australia-South Africa series has been an education in how much India have lost in recent years as a cricketing nation, writes Suresh Menon on dreamcricket.com.
We may have the better players, more stadiums, infinitely more money and the loudest voice in world cricket but in one are we have regressed. Indian fans have, in recent years, become an embarrassment. It was wonderful to see the Melbourne crowd (around 42,000, which would be large in most stadiums, but filled less than half of MCG) responding to cricket's latest star Jean Paul Duminy.
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Today, a visiting cricketer has little chance of being roundly applauded in many of our stadiums. Centuries are received in stunned silence - as if by scoring a hundred, a Ponting or a Hayden has somehow upset the natural order of things. A boundary by a visitor almost passes unnoticed by a crowd which cheers every time an Ishant Sharma plays the forward defensive stroke.
December 30, 2008
Ranji Trophy in need of change
Posted on 12/30/2008 in Indian cricket
Makarand Waigankar, writing in the Hindu, feels the quality of cricket played in the Ranji Trophy will only improve if some significant changes are introduced. He suggests league matches be played at neutral venues to avoid possible manipulation of pitches in favour of the host team, and that each innings be reduced to 90 overs to make games more competitive.
An ideal solution could be for the league matches to be played at neutral venues too. The BCCI curator’s committee could oversee the preparation of the pitches and we could expect good standard pitches as the onus will then be on the pitch committee.
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To make the Ranji Trophy more interesting, each innings should be restricted to 90 overs only. A bonus point for number of centuries and five-wicket hauls could make the teams play with more planning and responsibility. And we would get to watch quality cricket.
December 24, 2008
India's approach showed 'contempt'
Posted on 12/24/2008 in England in India 2008-09
The BBC's cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew is in no doubt that the tedious last day of the Mohali Test did little to boost the appeal of the longer version of the game. In his final tour blog, he writes:
How sad it is, after such an entertaining six weeks here, that India should have treated this final match with such contempt.
I really hoped that this attitude to Test cricket had died years ago.
It is no wonder that the five-day game is facing a battle for survival in this part of the world if the captain and coach approach it like this, with absolutely no consideration to spectators, sponsors and a huge television audience.
December 22, 2008
A citizen of the cricketing world, no other
Posted on 12/22/2008 in Indian cricket
I am faced with a dilemma, caught in a struggle, on the one side of which lies my "responsibility" to the nation and the other to cricket and its followers, writes Pradeep Magazine in the Hindustan Times.
As a citizen of the world, I think India should go to Pakistan to play cricket just as England came here to do the same. It was, as is being said, to prove a point and pass on a message that the best way to defeat the designs of terrorists is to not play into their hands by being terrorised.
As an Indian citizen whose identity is being hijacked by those in power, just as it must be in Pakistan, I may have no choice but to side with those who believe that to punish the wrongdoings of a state you have to punish its people as well.
December 20, 2008
You've made the money, now show us you care
Posted on 12/20/2008 in Indian cricket
As 2008 comes to an end, Kadambari Murali Wade in the Hindustan Times has her wishlist for the BCCI and hopes the world's richest cricket body will wake up and address five pressing issues, including better TV production and having a 24-hour helpline for handling player stress.
You talk of transparency and accountability. So we ask you this --- are you really looking closely at what your state associations do with the double digit crores each gets annually as a share of TV rights, etc? Have you checked on the membership clauses, and how many relatives, even the personal staff of a secretary/president of an association, are voting members? Don't you find it strange that certain state units dole out almost monthly salaries in the range of Rs 50,000-100,000 as D.A. to their office-bearers? Or that others have elections after years? Or does nothing matter more than doling out favours for votes?
December 16, 2008
The Dravid muddle
Posted on 12/16/2008 in Indian cricket
For, someone who had held the Indian batting together for almost a decade with his steely resolve and watertight technique, to be now considered the weak link in what is emerging as a champion side is, of course, replete with sadness and irony, writes Ayaz Memon in Daily News and Analysis.
Inexplicably, his form started to wane from the series against South Africa in late 2006 just when he looked set to rule, as batsman and captain, for a long time. It is a moot point whether there was not something on that tour which affected him badly mentally, because clearly, Dravid’s poor run of scores since is located more in the mind than in his technique.
December 15, 2008
Watch this space
Posted on 12/15/2008 in Indian cricket
Oodles of talent, consummate self-confidence and an insatiable hunger for success have enabled Cheteshwar Pujara score hundreds of Bradmanesque proportions in the Indian domestic season. Having scored 130 and 132 in the Buchi Babu tournament, he followed it up by back-to-back triple hundreds (386 and 309) in the C.K. Nayudu Trophy. Though a double failure followed, against Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy season opener, he came back with three consecutive centuries (302 not out, 189 and 176), and staked his claims for a place in the Test team. Excerpts from an interview to Haresh Pandya in Sportstar.
I don’t believe in comparisons. I don’t think you can have two similar individuals. Though I idolise Dravid, I must say I’ve never tried to imitate him even in my wildest of dreams. It just isn’t possible. He is a great batsman, a living legend. I’m my own man and I always try to be as natural and original as I can.
December 13, 2008
Boundaries closing in
Posted on 12/13/2008 in Indian cricket
Business is dwindling across the world, and in hard times, industry duly moves away from play, to focus on the core business, writes Rohit Mahajan in Outlook.
The meltdown came even as IPL team owners were taking stock, glumly accepting that their projections were wide of the mark. The CEO of one of the IPL teams would privately admit, months before the meltdown, that the picture painted to his franchise was rosier than it actually was, that the talk of break-even timelines and monetising opportunities didn't have a strong basis. The downturn has now forced several rethinks and mid-course corrections.
December 8, 2008
‘Cricket made me financially secure’
Posted on 12/08/2008 in Indian cricket
Taking on responsibility is nothing new for Amit Mishra. As India's new legspinner prepares for the two Tests against England, Mishra recounts how cricket managed to transform the fortunes of his family and give them the good life they always dreamt of. GS Vivek of the Indian Express caught up with him in Delhi.
“I have seen life in a one-bedroom flat with four brothers and three sisters sharing space. There were times I used to go for practice without money to even buy a bus ticket. I have seen my brothers and parents struggle to make ends meet. All that made me more determined, it made me sweat extra hours because I knew if I made it big in cricket, I could fulfill my responsibility towards my family."
December 7, 2008
Incredible India
Posted on 12/07/2008 in Indian cricket
In the next couple of days, if not sooner, Indian fans will know for sure if England's aborted tour is revived or not; but Bobili Vijay Kumar in the Times of India says by just agreeing to come back to India, to the last man, they have shown that they still have a 'heart' somewhere in there.
Either ways, there is no doubt that the country will turn every stone to make this trip memorable. People, angry people, will surely turn out in huge numbers: and it will not be just to distract themselves from the pain or the fear; they will do so to show their new we-won't-take-cow-dung-anymore attitude.
December 2, 2008
Suite memories
Posted on 12/02/2008 in Indian cricket
Not just the annual day out with the family when she was young, the Taj Mahal Hotel also provided the setting for Sharda Ugra's grand plan to interview Imran Khan. In her blog on the India Today website, she checks in to a world of happy memories as she recounts how she used the Taj interviews - seven over two years - to beef up her CV and land her first job as sports reporter.
The Imran Khan interview was sold to the Afternoon Despatch & Courier newspaper for which we got paid Rs 200. This financial windfall was celebrated with a lavish gesture we believed emperors would struggle to match. We ascended the marble steps of the Taj foyer (more jauntily than we had ever done), walked right past our favourite lobby sofas, past what we imagined to be the astonished posse of security and sashayed into the Shamiana.
Start the healing in India
Posted on 12/02/2008 in Indian cricket
Greg Baum says in the Age international cricket must resume in India as soon as is decently and sensibly possible.
At a wretched time such as India is now enduring, sport has a role to play. It did after after World War II in England, it did after the tsunami in Sri Lanka and it does now. It was not cricket's fault that the bullets and bombs rained down in Mumbai, but cricket can help to begin the process of soothing and rebuilding. India needs to play cricket now and it needs the world to play with it.
In the Daily Telegraph Iain Payten also looks at the situation in India.
Leonard McDonnell, a freelance writer at the Sydney Morning Herald, asks is it any wonder that Test cricket is dying in today's remote-controlled, fast-paced, multi-channelled age of jump cuts, mouse clicks, and mobile media?
December 1, 2008
Fix the leaks
Posted on 12/01/2008 in Indian cricket
Reports of serious disagreement between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the selectors during a meeting to pick the team for the fourth and fifth ODIs against England leaked to a newspaper will create an atmosphere of distrust between the captain and the selector in question, writes Sunil Gavaskar in his column on dreamcricket.com.
... make no mistake that selector is already known to Dhoni and he will have warned his teammates about him. It won't be a surprise too if the BCCI removes him at the next meeting because the Board is aware how much of a danger such a selector is to Indian cricket. Sure there will never be unanimity in selection meetings and there will invariably be a difference of opinion especially about choosing the fringe players in the squad. It is for this reason that the argument about the common man having faith in the selectors is important. This is a season where two senior players have already called it quits and there are questions about other seniors being asked. In such a scenario the common man needs to feel confident that those taking the call on the seniors know their onions and are not going to succumb to pressure from anywhere.
On the same website, Suresh Menon explains why there is no point in having televised selection meetings.
... the selection committee comprises five men with one single issue.
There is nothing to prevent the chairman having a working dinner at his house where the nitty gritty of selection is thrashed out, the deals are made so that selectors present a united face at the telecast meetings. In how many places are we to fix cameras to catch the selectors discussing selection?
November 29, 2008
Cricket gives hope to India after acts of terror
Posted on 11/29/2008 in Indian cricket
Steve Waugh, writing in the Daily Telegraph, turns his sights towards Mumbai following the terrorist attacks there this week. India is a place he loves and he feels hurt by the events, but believes cricket has the chance to help the healing.
The game is on the verge of a crisis and clear, concise thinking will be required from the various cricketing bodies to make sure that the correct decisions are made. Time is a great healer but, much like 9/11, life on the subcontinent will never be the same. The need for security will be paramount and this will affect all facets of life.
My gut feeling is that cricket will see an interruption in the short term but business will resume as normal shortly afterwards. The game of cricket in India is a way of life and a symbol of hope and, as such, it has the ability to restore faith and instil confidence.
November 27, 2008
Sehwag one of the greats
Posted on 11/27/2008 in Indian cricket
Rob Smyth argues in the Wisden Cricketer that despite a 50-plus Test average and a mind-boggling strike-rate, Virender Sehwag remains relatively under-appreciated.
Sehwag has been compared to Sachin Tendulkar, with whom he shares a bewitching little mastery, but a more relevant reference point is surely Lara. Like Lara, Sehwag scores monstrous hundreds at breakneck speed; like Lara, his form fluctuates wildly, surely a mark of the truest genius; like Lara, when the mood takes him there is absolutely nothing a bowler can do to avoid being pummeled.
November 26, 2008
Captain v Selectors
Posted on 11/26/2008 in Indian cricket
The higher the stakes of a game, the worse is the selection politics. Lack of integrity and commitment, blatant nepotism and corruption are nothing new in Indian cricket’s selection process, writes Makarand Waingankar in the Mumbai Mirror.
I have spent decades in the profession to know how the system works. In 70s the selectors would openly discuss selections with senior journalists. Selectors were open to suggestions. This was never misused. We were told that Ajit Wadekar was given the choice between Abbas Ali Baig and Dilip Sardesai for the West Indies tour of 1971. Wadekar opted for Sardesai who went on to score heavily in the series. What’s wrong if Dhoni had asked for RP Singh to be retained?
In the Mid-Day, Clayton Murzello recounts past incidents in which the captain did not agree with the selectors.
The most riveting of examples in Indian cricket is the Polly Umrigar incident in 1958-59. The captain wanted a batsman for the fourth Test in Chennai against West Indies after the sudden resignation of captain Ghulam Ahmed and the pulling out of star batsman Vijay Manjrekar. Umrigar wanted Mumbai's Manohar Hardikar but the selectors (headed by Lala Amarnath) did not give in and Services batsman AK Sengupta was picked for his one and only Test. It is also believed that then Board president RK Patel sent Jasu Patel, no relation to the BCCI boss but a man from his region. Patel did not play eventually. Umrigar quit as captain in protest overnight and Vinoo Mankad was appointed captain through a discussion behind the toilets of the Corporation Stadium (Chennai) just before the start of the Test.
November 23, 2008
Kirsten fitting into Indian mould
Posted on 11/23/2008 in Indian cricket
Gary Kirsten is making a very positive impression as India's coach, winning fans inside and outside of the dressing room. His former team-mate, Daryll Cullinan, writes in his Weekender column that Kirsten hasn't made the same mistakes as India's other foreign coaches and has allowed the players to be themselves.
What Kirsten has also done well is to understand the Indian pecking order, and the way of doing things, which is different from most other countries. On the playing front the captain and convener of selectors are top of the pile.
In fact, selecting is now a full-time and well-paid job for the convener and his fellow selectors. The senior players follow, then the juniors and then lastly the coach and his support staff.
The rise of Cheteshwar Pujara
Posted on 11/23/2008 in Indian cricket
Cheteshwara Pujara was in the news for his two triple-centries in a week during the Under-22 CK Nayudu Trophy last month. He is currently the leading scorer in this season's Ranji Trophy after an unbeaten 302 against Orissa and a 182-ball 189 against Punjab. Sandeep Dwivedi, of the Indian Express, travelled to the Pujara home in Rajkot to discover the story behind the big numbers. The prospect of buying a new bat didn’t appeal to the father’s pocket. Arvind requested the Cheteshwar’s school to lend his son the team bat. "It was a bit embarrassing for me since they weren’t too forthcoming. But after several requests they relented, and with that borrowed bat Cheteshwar scored his first triple hundred - 306 not out against Baroda," says Arvind before fishing out that old bat - a BDM that the school gifted to Cheteshwar after that.
No secrets in Indian cricket
Posted on 11/23/2008 in Indian cricket
There are no winners in Indian cricket from the controversy over a selector leaking matters discussed during a confidential meeting to the press, says Anand Vasu in the Hindustan Times. He also wonders what the motive could be for the selector for putting that information in the public domain.
What this incident does is vitiate the atmosphere in the dressing-room. Just how much faith will RP have in (Dhoni), if he could not sway the selectors? Just how much confidence will Irfan have, if he believes the report that his captain threatened to quit when the selectors picked him in place of RP? And you can imagine the sledging when Irfan takes the field.
In the Times of India, Bobilli Vijay Kumar hopes Dhoni has learnt that there are no secrets in Indian cricket and that no meeting, however sacrosanct, remains confidential forever.
Ayaz Memon writes that Dhoni's remarks have raised a more fundamental question: Just how much say should a captain have in the selection of the team? Read on in DNA.
And in Cricketnirvana, G Rajaraman says much of the speculation would have been stifled had BCCI let Srikkanth speak for the selectors and offer some insight into the changes.
November 22, 2008
When lines are crossed
Posted on 11/22/2008 in Indian cricket
Ayaz Memon, in Daily News & Analysis, writes that while there is no credible reason to anticipate any problem over India's tour to Pakistan, the nation's home ministry officials and security experts may think otherwise.
Over half a century, cricket relations between the two countries have waxed and waned — from extreme hostility to unexpected and astonishing bonhomie. Much of that (often misplaced) passion has been sublimated over the past decade and an India-Pakistan match (for various reasons) is not something which can bring the cricket world to a standstill any more. More likely, that would be an India-Australia contest, which of course, is a different story altogether.
November 19, 2008
Needle works
Posted on 11/19/2008 in Indian cricket
Makarand Waigankar believes Yuvraj Singh is the ideal successor of Sourav Ganguly. Read his piece in the Mumbai Mirror.
When in mood, moody players destroy the opponents. When not in mood, they destroy themselves. This is an apt description of Yuvraj Singh. Such players are not slaves of technique. Their technique is a slave of their emotional state. To Yuvraj Singh, the point of impact while playing shot is what matters. Technical gyan doesn’t interest him.
Such players are never consistent. His inconsistency may have prompted Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar to question his focus on the game but highly temperamental cricketers can’t be expected to stay focussed all the time. Temperamental cricketers expect others to understand them. They need to be handled. They have to be needled at the right time the way Kapil Dev and Vengsarkar did by saying that Yuvi needs to be focussed. This must have really angered him but hasn’t it worked? Chaavi(provocation) as we say in Mumbai cricket.
November 16, 2008
God save me from bloody sissies!
Posted on 11/16/2008 in Indian cricket
V Ramnarayan dips into the past to write about his experiences of playing for Hyderabad Blues in foreign lands. He talks about troubling a young David Gower and an inebriated walk with an angry Jaisimha in the middle of the night to nowhere. Read the piece in his blog Stumped.
...my performance under gruelling conditions in Penang against an RAF side, when Jai [Jaisimha] cursed me fluently after I asked to be taken off (the only time in my life), having run out of shirts and trousers, drenched in perspiration as never before or after in my career, and unable to grip the ball, the sweat simply pouring out from every pore in my body. “Stop giving me f---ing excuses! Can’t grip the ball indeed! God save me from bloody sissies!” he said. I had no option but to go on.
My final figures of 30-8-47-8 leading to a thumping win were more than adequate compensation for all the trouble, but even more pleasurable was the praise Jai dished out over a couple of drinks—again for the first time in my life, because cricketers, especially those belonging to the old school, generally don’t believe in praising you to your face.
November 15, 2008
Need of the hour is sports counselling
Posted on 11/15/2008 in Indian cricket
Cricket is essentially a mental game. It is time the BCCI sets up counselling centres to ensure that talent is not lost, writes Makarand Waingankar in the Hindu.
The famous cases of Bill Edrich in the 50s and the recent cases of Andrew Symonds, Herschelle Gibbs and some of the Indian cricketers indicate that cricket is not as simple a game as it looks from beyond the boundary line.
Fierce competition among the peers and illogical selections at all the levels increase the frustration levels in cricketers. The ones who successfully negotiate the pressure and control the frustration tolerance index tend to perform more consistently. And those who can’t, end up groping in the dark.
Tendulkar completes 19 years on the circuit
Posted on 11/15/2008 in Indian cricket
Sachin Tendulkar made his Test debut against Pakistan in Karachi 19 years ago on November 15 1989. Click here for an interview with him in the Telegraph.
Everybody wants you around till the 2011 World Cup... Come to think of it, 2009 is already at our doorstep...
I know that... I also know well-wishers have put 2011 as a target for me... However, what I’d like to do is remain fit and enjoy the game... That’s my goal, rather than being available for a particular series or a tournament... I’d rather look at the immediate future and be ready... As is my practice, I wouldn’t like to look too far ahead... You know I look at the next engagement, not an X number of years down the line...
November 14, 2008
An optimist to the core
Posted on 11/14/2008 in Indian cricket
"It [the retirement] has [sunk in]. The first time I probably felt it was when I walked into the Board President’s box in Nagpur. When I watched Sachin and Laxman bat, I guess that’s when it sunk in," Anil Kumble said in an interview with KC Vijaya Kumar in the Sportstar.
In 1990 you had the greats who were in the last days of their careers, and Indian cricket possibly didn’t have consistently good results. We started to do exceptionally well in the 1990s and were unbeatable at home till 2000. Later, when John Wright and Sourav Ganguly took over the team, we started believing that we could win abroad. We didn’t win series overseas on a consistent basis, but at least in every series we toured, we did win matches. Now we are at a stage where we have done well against Australia, the number one team, in the last four series. We have won two and the other two were close. We are heading in the right way. I have done my bit. It is time to move on and the Indian team is in good hands.
Also in the Sportstar, Vijay Lokapally writes that Anil Kumble, Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan can be seen in action in the IPL but Test cricket will miss their wonderful characters.
'I think whenever I take responsibility I do well'
Posted on 11/14/2008 in Indian cricket
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Harbhajan Singh took 15 wickets and scored two half-centuries in the series against Australia
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"When they [Australia] came over, they were not sure about their game plan. They were not the same kind of Australian team that we have seen before, in 2001 and 2004. They were a very beatable side this time. They have always been a beatable side - it is just that they keep on coming back - but this time they never came back, because they did not have the quality of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath in their bowling attack," Harbhajan Singh told Harish Kotian during an interview on Rediff.
Sourav [Ganguly] was probably the closest captain I have worked with. I have played a lot of cricket under him and he was always open to ideas and gave me the fields I wanted. He gave me the confidence that I will be there in the team and that I should just keep bowling well and taking wickets. He was always there for the youngsters. He backed me when I was nowhere, not even in the team. He brought me back in the team against Australia [in 2001] which proved to be the second coming for me as I took 32 wickets in the series. I will never forget whatever he has done for me. He has been a great supporter and a great friend. He is somebody whom I can look up to and say that you have changed my life.
‘From here on I have to work doubly hard’
Posted on 11/14/2008 in Indian cricket
Till just the other day Amit Mishra would roam around and nobody would give him a second look. Over the past few days he is getting curious glances from people and ‘I know you’ kind of smiles as he moves around New Delhi. Fourteen wickets in three Tests against Australia made him famous, writes Nihal Koshie in DNA.
November 13, 2008
Character and destiny
Posted on 11/13/2008 in Indian cricket
Cricket-writers have long appropriated the idea that not only does character determine performance. If Sourav Ganguly was insolent, difficult, mercurial, provocative and flawed, Rahul Dravid was well-bred, consistent, a good sport and true. While Dravid would have been perfect captaincy material, Ganguly should have been a disaster as a leader.
However, Mukul Kesavan in his column in the Kolkata daily, the Telegraph believes the reasons for Ganguly’s success and Dravid’s and Tendulkar’s relative failure, have nothing to do with ‘character’; but judgment.
Character determines outcomes; further, particular kinds of character, dictate (or ought to dictate) particular sorts of outcomes. So flamboyant batsmen, however good, do less well in the character stakes than more formally organized, ‘solid’ players. They are likely to be indiscreet in the matter of shot selection, prone to untimely dismissal, less committed to the team interest. Their performances, their careers, turn on the axis of narcissism, of selfishness.
November 12, 2008
South African guide to subcontinent success
Posted on 11/12/2008 in England in India 2008-09
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Will Steve Harmison put India on the back foot?
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Mickey Arthur, the South African coach, reveals a ten-step guide to succeed in the subcontinent, a task that awaits England in India. South Africa have won series under Arthur in Pakistan and Bangladesh in the past 12 months, and also drew a three-Test contest in India earlier this year.
Two of the ten factors he highlights in the Times:
7 Use your bouncer
Don't be scared to bowl bouncers. It's the seam bowlers' one weapon in India to stop their batters lunging forward all day long and that is why Stephen Harmison is crucial. None of the Indian batsmen pulls, they prefer to cut. You bowl your bouncer to keep the batsman in his crease for your next ball.
10 Play with field settings
We always say that in India “caught cover” is as good as “caught second slip” in our part of the world. Seam bowlers don't like getting wickets caught at cover but they need to change their mindset. Having catchers in front of the wicket is the Indian equivalent of second and third slips.
Any visiting team should be able to outfield India. Whereas Steyn might dive to stop a boundary at fine leg, Ishant Sharma will stick a boot out and it will go for four. India's fielding has improved but they're some way off most teams .
November 10, 2008
'Any day, I would give my right hand to captain India'
Posted on 11/10/2008 in Indian cricket
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Sourav Ganguly: "I realised if I hadn't done well in my debut Test in '96, I would never have played for India again"
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Sourav Ganguly insists he's at peace, though eliciting extreme emotions across the spectrum and time zones, particularly in Australia where they both detest and respect him for getting under the skins of their cricketers. In an interview in Outlook the batsman speaks about retirement, disappointment, Greg Chappell and future plans.
When I got picked up in 1996, I realised, when I came back to India, that if I had not done well in that debut Test at the Lord's, I'd never have played cricket for India again. Luckily, I didn't know that during the series. I couldn't have played cricket like that, nobody can play like that. You need to give everybody a fair opportunity, let them play with peace in mind if they are to perform
Shades of the great Sir Don Bradman in Sourav Ganguly's last innings in Test cricket? Ayaz Memon in his column in Daily News & Analysis believes both batsman must have been overcome with emotion while going out to bat in their last match. He writes that, in an oblique sort of way, retirement is also a reminder of mortality, whatever the record or degree of greatness, and heightens the sense of loss.
Indeed, his batting prowess has been obscured by his hugely successful captaincy. In the Indian context, take away Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, Viru Sehwag and Vijay Merchant — who would rate among the top 50 batsmen in cricket history — and Ganguly’s value purely as a batsman becomes telling.
Continue reading "'Any day, I would give my right hand to captain India'"
November 9, 2008
Mahi of Midnapore
Posted on 11/09/2008 in Indian cricket
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"Not only in cricket, he would blast the ball as a striker in football and hit the ball very hard in table tennis and even in billiards. He is made that way,”
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Mahendra Singh Dhoni's friends reminisce about his years before becoming the renowned cricketer he is today. His days as a ticket-collector on the Kharagpur railway platform and the khep khela tennis-ball matches he excelled in, are just some of the many snippets of his formative years as national cricketer that his friends discuss with Rith Basu of the Kolkata-based Telegraph.
“He rode the bike with us, played with us, ate with us, spoke our language…We fought amongst ourselves and then made up. And then suddenly he makes it big in no time, like a fairy tale. We never imagined he had it in him,” says Soma, who used to keep wickets to Dhoni’s bowling for the para team, Durga Sporting. Yes, Dhoni also bowled then. “He used to bowl pretty fast. When he bowled with a leather ball, it even swung,” adds Soma.
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“Once, after he received the man-of-the-match trophy from Bengal spinner Shiv Sagar Singh at the tournament finals in Panskura in 2002, Mahi was asked to say something. But he just told the organiser apologetically: “Mujhe bolna nahin ata (I can’t make a speech).” This same guy is so articulate now. His speech is so polished. It’s like magic,” says Sinha.
Tendulkar in ode mode
Posted on 11/09/2008 in Indian cricket
Another farewell piece, this time from Sachin Tendulkar, as he looks back at the moments shared with Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly. The absence of both players will be felt in the dressing room as India will find itself without two of its most distinguished cricketers. In his piece in India Today Tendulkar provides a few snippets.
If something was happening, I would give the ball to Anil. If nothing was happening, I would give the ball to Anil. If you needed to contain runs, you give the ball to Anil. If you needed to attack, you give the ball to Anil. India will miss him every day and at all times.
When I’m asked about my most memorable moment with Sourav, there have been many but one that stays with me for some reason is flooding his room with water during our under-15 days. He had been sleeping and when he got up he had no idea what was going on. I don’t think I will ever forget the sight of his face. Of course, I’d made sure all his bats and pads were safely off the ground first, so no one could say I wasn’t considerate.
Dravid should bat lower down
Posted on 11/09/2008 in Indian cricket
With Rahul Dravid's slump continuing, Rajan Bala, writing in the Bangalore Mirror, makes the case for VVS Laxman to take the pivotal No. 3 batting slot.
One would not be surprised if Dravid is going through conflicting thoughts and one of these might well be that the man, whom he began with, Ganguly, has already called it a day. Then Anil Kumble has gone, so Indian cricket is clearly going through a process of rebuilding. Is he a part of this process?
November 7, 2008
'I always looked for a wicket' - Kumble
Posted on 11/07/2008 in Indian cricket
In a freewheeling interview with Sharda Ugra in the weekly India Today, Anil Kumble talks about his toughest days in cricket, how Adelaide 2003 was a turning point, and what drove him to bowl despite a fractured jaw in Antigua in 2002.
Here's Kumble's take on aggression in the field:
It's a simple line: if what you are going to do in the name of aggression is going to harm the team's interests, then don't do it no matter what. That's all.
The chinaman bowler from India
Posted on 11/07/2008 in Indian cricket
V Ramnarayan writes in his blog Stumped about Mumtaz Hussain, the Hyderabad spinner, who once cleaned up Sunil Gavaskar.
One famous victim was Sunil Gavaskar of Bombay University in 1970. He describes in his autobiographical 'Sunny Days' how he shouted to his partner Ramesh Nagdev that he had learnt to read Mumtaz, only to be completely fooled by one that looked like a perfect Chinaman but went the other way ... There was a brief moment in cricket history when fame and fortune flirted with Mumtaz Hussain, teasing him and cheating him in the end. He had just completed taking 48 wickets for the season in Rohinton Baria, a record until then, and had been included in the Board President's team to play against the touring West Indies led by Gary Sobers. The other left arm spinner in the squad answered to the name of Bishan Singh Bedi, a young bowler of immense promise. The chairman of selectors was former Test off spinner and captain Ghulam Ahmed, intent on being seen to be scrupulously fair as a selector. When it came to a choice between Bedi and Mumtaz, the local boy naturally lost out, or so the story goes.
'Our team was best when aggressive'
Posted on 11/07/2008 in Indian cricket
In a two-part interview with Pradeep Magazine in the Hindustan Times, Sourav Ganguly reveals that during Australia's visit to India in 2001, the players realised the best way to tackle them was to be aggressive. He says the players like Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and him made a conscious effort to win overseas. To read the two parts, click here and here.
November 6, 2008
TE Srinivasan - the Lawrence of Madras
Posted on 11/06/2008 in Indian cricket
In his blog Stumped, V Ramnarayan writes on TE Srinivasan, another popular character from yesteryears. TE, a stylish attacking batsman, played one Test and two ODIs for India.
Even today, at cricket conversations, people ask me if it is true that TE told Gavaskar during the Australia-New Zealand tour what was wrong with his (Sunil’s) backlift, and if that is what cost him (TE) his career! I find it difficult to believe that even TE was capable of such effrontery or that it could have made any difference to Sunil Gavaskar’s attitude to his cricket. Of course, another story that has done the rounds since that tour, is even more spectacularly funny: that of TE landing in Australia and informing the press, ‘Tell Dennis Lillee TE has arrived!’
Whether either of these stories is true or not, I can confirm that TE successfully riled another Australian fast bowler Rodney Hogg by confronting him on the lawns of a hotel in Hyderabad during a tour game and begging him ‘to please stop bowling flipping off spinners.”
Tendulkar transcends cricket
Posted on 11/06/2008 in Indian cricket
After the furore caused by Adam Gilchrist's suggestion that Sachin Tendulkar's evidence during the Harbhajan Singh hearing after the Sydney Test was a "joke", Suresh Menon tries to analyse in Tehelka, "why any suggestion of impropriety (on Tendulkar's part) is taken as a personal insult — and, by extension, a national insult".
He also elaborates why he thinks Tendulkar is the greatest all-round batsman in the history of the game.
Bradman and Tendulkar have much in common, the most significant being that they were the repository of all knowledge of the batsmanship of their time... You could go to Sourav Ganguly for the cover drive, VVS Laxman for the on-drive, Rahul Dravid for the square cut, Kevin Pietersen for the lofted drive and so on. Or you could get them all under one roof, as it were, with Tendulkar.
An upper-class streetfighter
Posted on 11/06/2008 in Indian cricket
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How many effigies have been burned during Ganguly's career?
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The retirement of India's former captain Sourav Ganguly will see cricket lose one of its most controversial characters, says David Hopps on the Guardian website.
Ganguly was that rare thing: an upper-class streetfighter. He was an autocrat, not averse to chicanery to protect his power, but grant him the power and he was an avid proclaimant of India's cricketing emergence. Tendulkar made his point by weight of runs; Ganguly galvanised India in whatever way he chose, a symbol of a brash, emerging economic power. No Indian Test captain has been more successful.
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How many effigies have been burned during Ganguly's career? So many that he must be the only cricketer who can be measured in his negative effect on global warming. They must have hacked down a forest for Chappell. Others to suffer were a chief Indian selector, Kiran More, his one-time protector, and the former BCCI president, Jagmohan Dalmiya, who to much mirth he claimed had played politics with his career (both were masters at it), and any number of ICC match referees.
But Ganguly, the prince of Bengal, brought pride to an Indian region not famed for its cricketers. His extra-cover drive was a thing of beauty, his lash over gully as crafty as a batsman could get, and his skittishness against the short ball absorbing. He captained India with a vigour and authority that allowed Tendulkar to free himself from virtually unbearable pressure and concentrate on making runs.
November 5, 2008
Blame ducks
Posted on 11/05/2008 in Indian cricket
Writing in his column in Mumbai Mirror, Makarand Waigankar dwells on the treatement meted out to the former Indian senior players. He says, "Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly are fortunate that they were allowed to quit on their terms. International cricket is ruthless. No great cricketer has been spared when he stopped performing. And the truth is often harsher than such senior cricketers can digest."
... there was the incident of Mohinder Amarnath landing at Chandigarh in 1988 as one of the selectors had left a message with his father Lala that Mohinder should be there to attend the selection committee meeting as the new captain of the Indian team. But it was Vengsarkar who was asked by the BCCI secretary Ranbir Singh Mahendra to attend the selection committee meeting. The moment Amarnath realised Vengsarkar would be leading, he barged into the press box and created a ruckus. Understandably, he was hurt.
There was also this incident when Bishan Singh Bedi was disciplined and dropped for the first Test against the West Indies in 1974 for granting a human interest interview to a London based TV channel. Later in 1979 at Kolkata against Alvin Kallicharan’s West Indies team he was dropped for bowling badly and wasn’t picked again.
Oh captain, my captain!
Posted on 11/05/2008 in Indian cricket
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Among recent captains, Dhoni has the least home work to do, thanks to Kumble
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It's a wonderful contrast. While Anil Kumble is an undemonstrative, studious captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni wears his heart on his sleeve and is a complete natural. In his column on Dreamcricket.com, Suresh Menon feels the start of a new chapter was just perfect when Dhoni provided a rare mixture of love and admiration for his predecessor.
...what an incredible sight it was to see Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain-designate giving a lift to Anil Kumble, the man he takes over from. If no man is a hero to his valet, no Indian captain has been a hero to his successor, and this unique tribute was testimony both to Kumble's place in the team and the new captain's youthful spontaneity
November 1, 2008
Ranji fixtures far from perfect
Posted on 11/01/2008 in Indian cricket
In the Hindu, Makarand Waingankar points out the obvious flaws in the Ranji Trophy fixtures this season, which does not allow enough time for players to rest in-between matches. With the Champions League set to be played in December, the BCCI has squeezed in the Ranji matches without worrying about the teams. On the topic of selection, he feels India's new paid selection committee got a few things wrong in the Challenger Trophy.
Some of the associations have admitted that protesting against the schedule will not have any effect as the BCCI is giving priority to the Champions League. While studying the schedule, one observes that Maharashtra, after its match against Uttar Pradesh at Kanpur, is expected to be at Vadodara in the next two days. But with no air travel facility available at Kanpur and due to the flight schedules at Lucknow, Maharashtra would have to wait for a day to reach Vadodara, just a day before the match.
October 31, 2008
When a Rajput ran away in fear or did he?
Posted on 10/31/2008 in Indian cricket
V Ramnarayan writes in his blog Stumped a lovely story involving Vijay Manjrekar, Raj Singh Dungarpur and Pataudi's stage-managed dacoity.
... Palace servants disguised as dacoits came rushing to where the young Karnataka players Viswanath and Chandrasekhar were in the woods after a gunshot was heard and announced that Prasanna had been killed. The youngsters burst into tears, believing the yarn). According to Durrani, Vijay Manjrekar, retired from Test cricket, and an officer in Air India then, handed over his watch to one of the "dacoits" and told him that was all he possessed. “Please let me go, I'm ...
October 29, 2008
How long before Twenty20 takes over?
Posted on 10/29/2008 in Australia in India 2008-09
Picture this. The biggest run machine of our age poised to take guard against one of the fastest bowlers the world's ever known. A contest between two teams that have gone toe-to-toe for the best part of a decade, in a rivalry that has seen everything from remarkable comebacks and hat-tricks to allegations of racism and boorishness. Pencil in, too, a partisan crowd packed to the rafters, baying for blood as the visitors' premier bowler sprints in off his Mercedes-smooth run-up.
Sadly, one part of the picture was sorely missing on the first day of the India-Australia Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla, blogs Dileep Premachandran on the Guardian website.
The crowd roared and the Indian tricolour waved, but vast swathes of green, blue, red and orange seats were empty, shimmering brightly in the afternoon sun. If you needed a statement about Test cricket's health, you couldn't have got a more damning one. Only about 20,000 had braved the trek past the many security checks to get inside a stadium that now seats 45,000. Many might have been in bad shape after the Diwali revelries the night before, but in a city of millions you certainly expected better for a match-up that is now Test cricket's heavyweight clash.
October 28, 2008
The nephew of Tiger Pataudi
Posted on 10/28/2008 in Indian cricket
Writing in his blog Stumped, V Ramnarayan reflects on the unfulfilled talent of Saad Bin Jung, who as a 16-year old hit a fearless hundred against Malcolm Marshall and Vanburn Holder.
Part of the blame must lie with him, because he perhaps got carried away by all his early success and began to focus less on cricket than the trappings going with it. The administration too was perhaps unhelpful; and uncaring, and instead of nurturing an unusual talent, came down heavily on him when he did not toe the line. An extremely promising career got cut even before establishing itself.
October 26, 2008
The back-to-back triple centurion
Posted on 10/26/2008 in Indian cricket
Cheteshwar Pujara made headlines by scoring back-to-back triple-centuries - 386 and 306 - in the CK Nayadu Under-22 tournament. Gautam Sheth interviewed him in DNA.
You have made big scores from a very young age…
I started playing cricket at the age of 8. My father, an ex-Ranji player, has been my coach. So I got personal attention from the beginning. I have made the most of it, I guess.
Did the fact that your father also played cricket influence you?
Honestly, I was never sure if I wanted to be a cricketer. I was never forced to become one. But like most of the kids in our country, I was also in love with this game. Before I was 10, I made up my mind that I wanted to play cricket.
A delightful and formidable opening pair
Posted on 10/26/2008 in Indian cricket
Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are made for each other as openers and they complement each other well, writes Vijay Lokapally in the Hindu.
What makes them click? “Our trust,” says Sehwag. “Our understanding,” emphasises Gambhir. Gambhir adores Sehwag. “He is so helpful, so caring. He is a legend. Look at his achievements and look at his humility. He always gives more importance to what I do,” says Gambhir. “He is a tremendously talented cricketer. I have seen him grow and I know what he is capable of. I expect much, much more than what he has offered thus far,” Sehwag chips in.
October 25, 2008
Super talent waiting in the wings
Posted on 10/25/2008 in Indian cricket
India is the real deal and Mohali was no fluke, says Darren Berry in the Sunday Age.
Sourav Ganguly has done well to claw his way back into the team after a bitter falling out under the Greg Chappell regime. Ganguly may not be popular in Australia, but he is treated like a prince in India, loved and respected by the masses. He has announced that this is his last series and I wouldn't be surprised if V. V. S Laxman is heading down the same path. Rahul Dravid and the master, Sachin Tendulkar, are rapidly approaching the end as well. India must stagger their departures to avoid a mass exodus.
The frightening thing for world cricket is that India has some super talent - with both bat and ball - waiting in the wings. Make no mistake, the Board of Control for Cricket in India is the most powerful body in world cricket and its introduction of the hugely successful Indian Premier League earlier this year was a masterstroke. Not only was it a monumental financial windfall but, even more importantly, it exposed and unearthed young talent, albeit in the Twenty20 version of the game.
October 23, 2008
Imagine...
Posted on 10/23/2008 in Indian cricket
The India-Australia test series will be the last time fans will ever see the Fab Four on song together, and a farewell tour is best when so devastatingly beautiful, even in heartbreak. Raja Sen in his column on Rediff.com pays a Beatle-esque tribute.
Sourav Ganguly slots himself -- rather debatably, as always -- in as John Lennon. Clearly the narcissist of the bunch, he's responsible for tremendously offside lyrics and the uncanny ability to constantly surprise everyone involved.
Life in the fast lane
Posted on 10/23/2008 in Indian cricket
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Zaheer Khan along with Ishant Sharma got the ball to reverse-swing as early as the eight over in Mohali
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G.S.Vivek in the Indian Express believes it was the Indian fast bowlers’ ability to get the ball to reverse swing as early as the eighth over of the innings in Mohali that caught the Australians totally unawares.
On Wednesday, a day after the match ended, sources in the Indian team revealed that they had indeed managed to master a new brand of reverse swing in which, rather than waiting for the ball to scruff up naturally with passage of time and overs, the Indians managed to create that condition early. And all this, they stressed, was done perfectly within the rules of the game.
With Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan putting in stellar performances for India against Australia in the ongoing Test series, it seems India's reborn pace attack is benefitting from the legacy of the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai. Dileep Premachandran in the Guardian talks about at how the Chennai rubber factory has given Indian pace its bounce as well as looking back at India's legendary fast men.
It just makes you wonder how much Srinath might have achieved if his career hadn't been such a stop-start one, if he'd played more than 67 Tests in 11 seasons. How might he have done with a John Wright or Gary Kirsten as coach, and in an environment where pace bowlers are cherished, rather than viewed as clods to take the shine off the new ball?
October 22, 2008
On my hero
Posted on 10/22/2008 in Indian cricket
Sachin Tendulkar has been able to address us all, and yet engage individually with each of us and the most rewarding thing was watching his transformation from good to great. S. Ram Mahesh in the Sportstar narrates his own experience.
I had taken to Sachin Tendulkar rather early — immediately after his first Test innings in fact — and the appearance on the scene of a rival had filled my juvenile mind with insecurity, anger, and loathing. Strong emotions in one so young, but Kambli had proved an immense threat. Not only had he outscored Tendulkar, 346 to 329, at school, he had, in next to no time, lashed his way to two Test double-centuries while Tendulkar’s personal best stood at 165.
October 19, 2008
Born to bat
Posted on 10/19/2008 in Indian cricket
When a callow teenager wields the willow like a mature batsman, people sit up and watch. This is exactly what happened when Sachin Tendulkar first put bat to ball in a Test match. Click here to read the editorial on Tendulkar in the Telegraph.
There are no solecisms in his [Tendulkar's] batting. The head is held still. The bat comes down straight. When playing forward, his left foot is always to the pitch of the ball, and there is no gap between bad and pad. When playing back, he goes right back, with the right foot across. The errors are rare and minimal.
October 18, 2008
The man who would not be crushed
Posted on 10/18/2008 in Indian cricket
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Any more doubts?
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Sourav Ganguly's 16th Test century produced a different reaction to Sachin Tendulkar's passing of Brian Lara's record, writes Sharda Ugra in her blog on the India Today website. Unlike the acknowledgement of the very superior use of a very superior gift, Ganguly's ton would have seen a grudging, amused regard for the man who would not be crushed. She says doubt is perhaps the theme that surrounds Ganguly's career, apart from the adulation of fans in Bengal.
Doubt around his ability to deserve a place in the team to start with, to really hack it in international cricket when he got there, to return as a Test batsman after being dropped, to face top quality fast bowling, to play the pull shot with any conviction, to lead India with any success, to recover from the most brutal public ridicule heaped on an Indian sportsperson in recent times, to return to the team with any confidence, to script his own farewell, to bring to his own career the finesse he brought to a cover drive.
October 16, 2008
Tendulkar stands tallest
Posted on 10/16/2008 in Australia in India 2008-09
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Sachin Tendulkar has uplifted lives
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India rides a tide of emotion every time its chosen one enters the arena. A power has been put in Tendulkar's hands that could easily be misused, writes Peter Roebuck in the Age. He pay tribute to the Indian batsman as he closes in on becoming the leading Test run-scorer.
Tendulkar has uplifted lives. He has not railed against colonialism and has instead inspired his countrymen by deed alone. Supporters cherish his introductory masterpieces — daring and almost cheeky — his hundreds scored in adversity, notably in Birmingham and Melbourne, and his later more restrained efforts.
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Tendulkar stands above his contemporaries. For all his fortitude, Steve Waugh was in a lower league, and never imagined otherwise. Brian Lara was dazzling but also destructive. At his best, the Trinidadian was supreme but he toyed with his talent. Vanity and selfishness lingered too long in his character. Viv Richards was explosive but also erratic. Brilliant in his 20s, he did not age as well as the Indian.
The fixation with pitches
Posted on 10/16/2008 in Indian cricket
Ideally the Indians with three good medium pacers in the side should be going in for a pitch that will have true bounce and carry on the first two days, but the management is obsessed with the theory that two spinners should take a majority of wickets. The irony is that these two spinners of late are more effective in away series than at home, writes Makarand Waingankar in the Hindu.
October 13, 2008
'BCCI was laughed at by the ICC three years ago'
Posted on 10/13/2008 in Indian cricket
Inderjit Singh Bindra, the ICC’s principal advisor and former chief of the BCCI, writes of how the Indian board has evolved from its pre-2005 phase, when it was governed by an “antiquated constitution penned by cronies from princely states to please their masters”, to the powerful body that it has become today. Read his article in the Hindustan Times.
At that point, three years ago, we were horrified to learn that the BCCI was an object of ridicule at the ICC. The then ICC chief embarrassed us by saying the Board needed total restructuring and professionalism. He pointed out how unresponsive the Board was to communications from the ICC despite the CEO's public admonitions. Though we defended the Board and its officials, we knew change was needed. I'm glad that's happened.
October 11, 2008
My Dear Sourav ...
Posted on 10/11/2008 in Indian cricket
The blog Smoke Signals runs an open letter to Sourav Ganguly. It starts off by addressing Ganguly's denying comments attributed to him in a Bengali daily (which deal with his omission from the Indian team and the inclusion of several team-mates) and ends wondering if he is upset because Mahendra Singh Dhoni's record as captain is better than his was at this stage of their respective careers.
This adage, that ‘everything is possible in Indian cricket’ was a sad truism until you took over. I thought you would take pride in having changed that, in having forged a team, and brought some consistency to team selection and planning. To hear you use that truism is particularly disheartening.
A lot of players have come and disappeared in Indian cricket, often times when they shouldn’t have. The fact that you weren’t one of them doesn’t mean that the problem does not exist. All because the player who replaced you is now not in the national team and is in the ICL, doesn’t say anything about your situation.
October 10, 2008
Coaching in the sub-continent an impossible job
Posted on 10/10/2008 in Indian cricket
Michael Atherton, writing in the Times, feels the unpredictable nature of Pakistan cricket and the Indian cricketing establishment's resistance to change have made coaching enormously difficult in the two countries.
Pybus could not cope with the irrationality and the uncertainty of Pakistan cricket. Using an unfortunate analogy, given the present situation, he said this of his time there: “They have an amazing capacity to ambush themselves ... you're always sitting there waiting for someone to lob a hand grenade and waiting for it to go off. You can never plan with such a team because you don't know what is happening tomorrow.” Dismissed twice, Pybus urged Pakistan to take a more scientific - meaning Western - approach to their cricket.
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India presents different problems, in so much as it is not the unpredictability that challenges a coach, but the lack of it. Chappell wanted to modernise Indian ways and challenge what he saw as a cosy club of ageing, unathletic stars. But anyone who wants to challenge the status quo must remember that it is the players in India who call the shots. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly are icons, wealthy and revered beyond measure, and used to playing on their terms or not at all.
October 9, 2008
No hubris fails to find its nemesis
Posted on 10/09/2008 in Indian cricket
The launch of the official BCCI website - aiming, its backers claim, to be the most popular cricket site in the world - has attracted comment from the Guardian in their media blog.
So far it looks rather less like a website devoted to cricket than to the BCCI. Top story yesterday was "Lalit Modi bags TV award", the IPL commissioner having won a coveted CNBC Awaaz Consumer Award - well, someone must covet them. Top comment piece was "In Praise of Sharad Pawar", a 1,685-word paean about the outgoing BCCI boss, "a statesman who is clear of thought, dispassionate and above all a true team leader" by his BCCI colleague IS Bindra.
This venture bears close watching, for the BCCI is offering not just a web portal but to exercise a significant degree of control over the coverage of cricket in India, to the exclusion of its established rival Cricinfo. They are moving fast: a Google search for "BCCI" still directs you to the old BCCI site which looks like it was banged together in an hour by a teenage slacker between puffs on a bong.
So far, though, there is little to allay suspicions that India's hegemonic pretensions in international cricket are less about the game than about the aggrandisement of its political and media elite. And as we are finding elsewhere, no hubris fails to find its nemesis.
'Nobody groomed to take Ganguly's place'
Posted on 10/09/2008 in Indian cricket
Steve Waugh, in the Hindustan Times, shares his confusion over the BCCI selection committee’s handling of Sourav Ganguly’s selection, and writes that no player has been groomed to replace him after his retirement
There is no clarity as to why Sourav was dropped from the Irani Cup side and how he was selected thereafter. However, this has been in keeping with the way the selectors have gone back and forth on the Ganguly issue. Hopefully they will not have to pay for their indecision, because even though the elegant left-hander has made his announcement, nobody has been groomed and readied to take his place.
Sharda Ugra, writing in India Today, feels the BCCI is responsible for the controversy over the ‘voluntary retirement scheme’ issue that has clouded India’s build-up to the Australian series.
Here is why this issue is being handled most unjustly and unevenly: The players front up to questions about their retirements in front of cameras and mikes with varying degrees of composure and then go about the business of playing for India. The masterminds of the ‘scheme’ neither have to respond to public questioning nor do they bat, bowl or, perish the thought, field. They remain hidden, comfortable in the anonymity of being friendly sources to the more gullible among media watchdogs.
October 8, 2008
Inside Sourav's mind
Posted on 10/08/2008 in Indian cricket
Quite often in his career, Sourav Ganguly has been seen as the scapegoat in India's failures and the latest instance was the forgettable Test series in Sri Lanka. Pradeep Magazine in the Hindustan Times writes that the last fortnight, Ganguly found it difficult to sleep, wondering again and again, why he was invariably the first player to be targeted.
The sound of bat whacking ball would have Chandidas Ganguly waking up with a start in the middle of the night, only to find son Sourav batting in the drawing room with the domestic help bowling to him. “My son has gone mad,” the father would say and tell his wife to get her son to realise that there is life beyond cricket as well. But his mother never had the heart to tell her son that it was all over and “he could never make it back to the Indian team”.
In the Telegraph, the former Indian batsman Arun Lal pays tribute to Ganguly and feels his decision to quit was very well timed and couldn’t have been delayed any further.
While I didn’t think much of the shirt waving spectacle, he did bring the much-needed aggression and a will to win into the side. His leadership inculcated that focus of how everything should revolve around achieving victory and in that endeavour he backed the right horses and for the right reasons.
In Daily News and Analysis, Ayaz Memon appreciates the timing of Ganguly's decision and looks back at his successful captaincy career. Though he may not be in the same league as Dravid, Laxman and Tendulkar as far as his Test batting record goes, his contribution as a captain and motivator would put him above the three.
Ganguly showed remarkable chutzpah and ambition to build a team that would win accolades everywhere for its skills and attitude. He succeeded in infusing a sense of pride and purpose that finished off the fatalism which had always dogged sport in this country.
Kunal Pradhan, in the Indian Express, writes that no Indian cricketer has gone through all the gamut of emotions as often and as publicly as Ganguly.
October 5, 2008
Laxman's ouster badly timed
Posted on 10/05/2008 in Indian cricket
The second season of the Indian Premier League is to start in April 2009, a good seven months away, so it is hard to understand the need for the Deccan Chargers to announce that VVS Laxman was stripped of the captaincy and it was going to be Adam Gilchrist who will now lead the Chargers. India is due to play the world champions Australia in a Test series in a few days' time and this kind of demoralising news was certainly not what was wanted, writes Sunil Gavaskar in Mid-Day.
October 4, 2008
Too old to rock ‘n’ roll?
Posted on 10/04/2008 in Indian cricket
While comparing sporting icons to rock stars, Ayaz Memon says time runs out on sportspersons much quicker, a challenge facing India's veterans at the moment. He writes in the DNA:
For the professional sportsperson, however, life can be cruel. Success on the field of play is time-bound, and when the skills start fading, so does their perceived value. They have a sell-by date which is so ambiguous that they themselves are not sure when this has arrived. It is then that they are caught in the maelstrom of self-doubt and the whims and fancies of critics, selectors and even the public, as Ganguly will be experiencing every day now.
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For instance, using forty as the benchmark, we find that there have been 102 players who have played a Test match at this age. Five of these were Indians — Vijay Merchant, C K Nayudu, C Ramaswami, RJ Jamshedji and Vinoo Mankad (who was 41 years, 305 days when he played against the West Indies at Delhi in 1959).
The oldest player ever was Wilfred Rhodes, who was 52 years and 165 days when he played against the West Indies in 1930. While the last over-40 to have played a Test was England’s Alec Stewart in September 2003 (against South Africa), it is significant to note that 78 of these 102 played before 1960, which many historians reckon is the year when the ‘modern’ game is reckoned to have begun.
Three slips, one gully
Posted on 10/04/2008 in Indian cricket
Rohit Mahajan, in Outlook, writes that Lalit Modi, the "fiendishly efficient" IPL boss, has his influence pared down.
Modi, says Mahajan, does not gel with new BCCI president Shashank Manohar and, against expectations, was not made chairman of the marketing committee. Modi will also now have to share power with former BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah in the IPL's governing council.
Then Mahajan asks aloud: has Modi soared so high so quickly, Icarus-like, that his wings have been singed?
The fine line between experience and experiment
Posted on 10/04/2008 in Indian cricket
Peter Roebuck, writing in the Hindu, feels that phasing out the old guard is a difficult process, particularly in the case of the current Indian middle order. But there comes a time, he writes, when an “outfit impresses more on paper than on the field”, and tough decisions become imperative.
Sooner or later, though, no matter how finely it has been carried, the flame must be handed to another generation. If that time has not already past then it is fast approaching. Not that age is the only consideration, but it cannot entirely be ignored. Nor can the balance of the team. It is not sensible to allow a side to grow old together. A time is reached when such an outfit impresses more on paper than on the field.
When the five [India's seniors] finally exit, they should with dignity, informed in advance about their imminent sacking as a tribute to their long service, but not given extra opportunities because we want to be nice to them. They haven’t needed the Indian cricket establishment’s charity over the last decade, and they definitely don’t need its pity, writes Kunal Pradhan in the Indian Express.
Meanwhile, Makarand Waigankar, writing in the Hindu, thinks the BCCI selection committee’s decisions defy logic.
One would never know in Indian cricket why a cricketer of repute is dropped by one committee and then selected again by the new committee. It completely depends on the whims and fancies of the different selectors and not any governing principles. This has happened too frequently to make us believe that the selection committees do have any criteria or policies at all.
October 3, 2008
'Will the BCCI ever learn?'
Posted on 10/03/2008 in Indian cricket
Chetan Narula, writing in Dreamcricket.com, feels the BCCI has many questions to answer. The timing of the selection committee’s changeover, the lack of transparency on the part of selectors, or Ganguly’s inclusion in the first two Tests for the Australian series, Narula writes, are all elements of yet another “comedy of errors” on the part of the Indian board.
The BCCI has played out to be the perfect stage, hosting such an emphatic display of yet another comedy of errors. The whole saga of moving on from the debacle in Sri Lanka has given birth to a host of questions, all reeking of confusion in the ranks of the Board ahead of the most important Test series in some time for Indian cricket. Of course, no answers are forthcoming, as always!
Dream farewells can't be scripted in boardrooms
Posted on 10/03/2008 in Indian cricket
Harsha Bhogle, writing in the Indian Express criticises the idea of a VRS scheme for India's senior cricketers. He's also worried that the Indian media are more obsessed with reporting what happens off the field rather than on it.
If, as in the current situation, you have players who have done very well for a long time and a call has to be taken on their future, the selectors first make up their mind and then have a dignified conversation with the player concerned. The non-negotiable here is the selector’s decision. You cannot sign a deal with a player for four games, for example, and keep him in the side if he doesn’t score a run in the first three and drop him if he makes a double hundred in the fourth ...
... Let’s return then to where we began, to the VRS story. If there is no such scheme should it be flashed in the media? Indian cricket, or indeed anything to do with public life, will always spawn conspiracy theories. But a news channel, by its very nomenclature, tells the ‘news’. It doesn’t gossip, it cannot clothe conspiracy theories in holier garbs because once it does so it no longer has the moral right to claim to be the “news”. It worries me as well that more and more young men and women are getting obsessed with reporting what happens off the field rather than on it.
October 2, 2008
Former Indian Test cricketer battles cancer
Posted on 10/02/2008 in Indian cricket
TE Srinivasan, the former Tamil Nadu batsman who played one Test for India on its tour to New Zealand in 1980-81, is fighting a malignant brain tumour with great courage. His wife Mala Srinivasan has been with him throughout this ordeal. Clayton Murzello from Mid Day meets them.
When MiD DAY visited Srinivasan at his sister's home in Churchgate last week, we expected to see a pitiful sight, but to our pleasant surprise, Srinivasan walked into the living room with a smile on his face, dressed in a t'shirt and a track pant all set for his evening walk down Marine Drive.
A few months ago, says his pillar-of-strength wife Mala, he couldn't move or talk normally. So what's been doing the trick? Chemotherapy yes, love and good care certainly, but more than anything else, the grit displayed not only by the cancer-afflicted former batsman, but also Mala.
September 30, 2008
The same old selection story?
Posted on 09/30/2008 in Indian cricket
Ashish Magotra, writing in the Mumbai Mirror, feels the BCCI’s new selectors - the first set to be paid - have done nothing different compared to their predecessors as they head into their first meeting.
For selectors, who are going to get paid 25 lakhs a year, they need to much more than just a ‘basic’ idea of what they are getting into.
In no way does the mode of preparation of these new selectors differ from their predecessors. In fact, if anything, they have watched even lesser cricket, so how do we trust their selectorial instincts?
September 29, 2008
Vengsarkar speaks of his reign
Posted on 09/29/2008 in Indian cricket
Dilip Vengsarkar's two-year tenure as the BCCI's chairman of selectors included a first-round exit in the World Cup, wins in the Twenty20 World Cup, ODI series in Australia and Sri Lanka and more. Mid-Day's Clayton Murzello interviews Vengsarkar on the various decisions taken by his committee.
Rahul, Sourav and Sehwag are top-class players and have served the game splendidly over the years. However, as selectors we have to look at the larger interest of Indian cricket at all times. Besides, with so much international cricket being played these days, as well as injuries to key players, we have to look to the future and to the bench strength to take us ahead. The competition for slots too brings out the best in players. Whenever we picked somebody, we backed him to the hilt. At the same time, if somebody was dropped, we didn't ignore him but made sure that he was monitored; never neglected.
September 28, 2008
Will new masters make the right moves?
Posted on 09/28/2008 in Indian cricket
As Indian cricket bids adieu to a powerful old panel, it would be interesting to see if the new one steers in a dawn or if it will take us back to days of infighting and power-struggles at every turn, writes Bobilli Vijay in the Times of India.
Will we see more innovations or have we already reached the dead end? Luckily, the first signs have been positive: the transfer of power has been smooth, swift and sweet; the acrimony of the last three years was also swept aside and Sharad Pawar and Jagmohan Dalmiya even smiled at each other, even as older foes cheered on. We, of course, don’t know if it is just the ominous lull before a storm; we can’t even say if Dalmiya will really be forgiven for his trespasses or if the all-out attacks against him will be forgotten quickly enough. Indeed, it is not yet clear if a new power-equation is already emerging... to clip Lalit Modi’s wings.
September 26, 2008
BCCI's office 'befitting their status'
Posted on 09/26/2008 in Indian cricket
In 2004, the Mumbai-based Mid Day ran a story on the ramshackle offices the BCCI operated out of. The paper's sports editor Clayton Murzello revisits the BCCI's headquarters and finds that India's richest sporting body now has a plush, modern office. He now wants the BCCI to build a state-of-the-art rehabilitation centre to help players recuperate from injuries.
September 25, 2008
Five bold decisions by India's selectors
Posted on 09/25/2008 in Indian cricket
With the new panel of Indian selectors to be announced shortly, the Times of India's Vinay Nayudu, looks at some of the big decisions the current set of selectors, headed by Dilip Vengsarkar, have taken.
India yet to take off after Twenty20 show
Posted on 09/25/2008 in Indian cricket
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India must show their strength in all formats, not just Twenty20
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Amid much celebration in the Indian media on the first anniversary of their team’s World Twenty20 triumph, Daily News and Analysis' Ayaz Memon feels it is time for a reality check, for India’s performances in Test and ODI cricket over the past year have been a mixed bag.
In that context, I find that Indian cricket has not really taken off to the extent the T20 triumph promised. In saying this, I am obviously not referring to the quantum of money made by the BCCI or the phenomenal clout it currently enjoys internationally, but about performance on the field.
Badrinath targets Test spot
Posted on 09/25/2008 in Indian cricket
Despite scoring loads of runs in the past few seasons, a breakthrough to the national side was not forthcoming for S Badrinath. He feels the IPL has helped shed his image as a one-dimensional player and that interacting with Michael Hussey, another man who made his international debut late, helped a great deal. Read more in G Unnikrishnan's interview in the Deccan Herald
Dhoni's presence at the other end was very helpful for me while I made my debut ... Dhoni is calm and composed underall match situations. His attitude rubs on to you on the field, and puts you at ease. It prompts you to play fearless cricket.
September 24, 2008
'It was the destiny of the whole team'
Posted on 09/24/2008 in Indian cricket
A year on from India's victory in the final of the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in Johannesburg, Mahendra Singh Dhoni tells the Times of India that it was the biggest moment of his career.
On the big stage of the World Cup final, the team rose to the occasion. Again it was the biggest India-Pakistan match ever simply because it was the World Cup final and we finished winners. Late in the night, I spoke to my parents and some friends and I was told that, at one of the famous squares in Ranchi, there were over 50,000 people celebrating. So, in a way, I had an idea of what it meant to the entire country.
Meanwhile, Joginder Sharma, one of India’s heroes in the Twenty20 World Cup, who bowled that nerve-wracking last over in the final against Pakistan, has “slid steadily back into the shadows”. His Haryana teammates, however, are confident he’ll make a comeback. Subhash Rajta from the Hindustan Times talks to them.
"He has already achieved what few would have dared to even dream, if put in his place," said Joginder's friend, alluding to Sharma's modest financial background. "To begin with, he didn't even have the support of his parents, leave alone anything else. But he kept going, believing in himself and his abilities," he said. "So someone who has been through a phase where he had little support and facilities to fall back on, being away from the limelight is something that would not bother him," he said.
September 23, 2008
How has Pawar done?
Posted on 09/23/2008 in Indian cricket
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In terms of personnel, the board has stepped up
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The Indian board is scheduled to hold its Annual General Body meeting in the next few days and elections will be held to pick new office bearers. Sharad Pawar ends his term as the BCCI president and the Mid-Day's Clayton Murzello reviews his three years at Indian cricket's top post.
It appears that the game is better run now than it was when Jagmohan Dalmiya called the shots. There are certainly more people working in the cricket board than in 2004. The executive secretary role has made way for a Chief Administrative Officer. There's a Media Relations Officer, Games Development Officer and a person in charge of logistics at the Wankhede Stadium's Cricket Centre, a heavenly structure as compared to the office at Brabourne Stadium's North Stand. So, in terms of personnel, the Board has stepped it up. There's no Indian on the list of elite umpires and the fact that Australian Simon Taufel just grabbed his fifth Best Umpire award from the ICC in as many years proves that cricket umpiring is in trouble. The BCCI, meanwhile, have tied up with Cricket Australia who send their experts to train Indian umpires...
... The BCCI is blockading the spreading of the game through a medium which is fast increasing making other forms of journalism look redundant. By the way, the BCCI has yet to launch its website unbelievable. Even Bangladesh, the latest entrant to the Test fold has one. A politician in today's world surely understands the value of the internet and not having a website is absurd.
September 21, 2008
No logic in witch-hunt against ICL
Posted on 09/21/2008 in Indian Cricket League
Neither logic nor common sense have anything to do with BCCI’s campaign against ICL, writes Suveen K Sinha in the Business Standard. He says Sri Lanka Cricket's recent step to lift the bans on ICL players would have come as a jolt to the Indian board.
In the process, they [Sri Lanka Cricket] have also stood up for logic and common sense, neither of which has anything to do with BCCI’s campaign against ICL. The Indian board’s Indian Premier League and ICL are played on exactly the same format. ICL was the first to offer dozens of cricketers, who had reconciled to the humdrum and wilderness of domestic cricket, the opportunity to earn a decent livelihood and be part of a properly televised event. The fact that many of them took the opportunity is no reason to ban them. After all, BCCI had not offered them any better alternative.
BCCI’s lack of opposition to the Stanford 20/20 jamboree, which promises to make individual players richer by up to a million dollars, betrays the deep-seated lack of clarity in the Indian board. Stanford is an oil billionaire who has spotted opportunity in 20/20 cricket; Subhash Chandra, who is behind ICL, made his money in media and packaging. What are the criteria on the basis of which ICL is anathema and Stanford is not? Both ICL and Stanford’s tournament, just as BCCI’s own IPL, are about the game of cricket.
In the DNA, Ayaz Memon says Arjuna Ranatunga has fired a salvo that could gather momentum in the days to come, and more national boards could reconsider their stance on ICL players.
Cricket a pillar of India's cultural superstructure?
Posted on 09/21/2008 in Indian cricket
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Fans gather in front of the big screen
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Cricket’s sheer length and complexity makes it one of the most tele-friendly games on the planet, writes Boria Majumdar in the Financial Express. He says that cricket's rise in India is connected with the television boom in the country.
Television created conditions for cricket to become a central component of new notions of national identity and consumer spectacle. The advent of satellite television pushed this linkage further and the advent of ESPN in 1993 contributed much to making cricket into India’s secular national pastime. When television capitalists searched for ‘national’ public in their quest to create a ‘national’ market, they ended up with cricket as the lowest denominator of Indian-ness. Satellite television is a cultural arena where the idea of India is debated and fought for every day and its focus on cricket since the 1990s has reinforced the centrality of cricket as a pan-Indian marker of ‘Indian-ness’. This is a two-way process and world cricket itself has been transformed by the massive infusion of capital from Indian television. The enormous money that television has generated for cricket has also transformed India into the spiritual and financial heart of the global cricket industry a process that needs to be applauded by every Indian sports fan.
Attack not survival is Gambhir's mantra
Posted on 09/21/2008 in Indian cricket
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The last year has seen Gautam Gambhir firm his place in the Indian team
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In an interview to the Times of India, Gautam Gambhir says being left out of the India's squad for the 2007 World Cup in West Indies was the lowest point of his career. He tells Indranil Basu that he doesn't alter his approach too much while opening the batting batting in the different forms of the game.
My basic game is to attack than play for survival. I play according to the situation and the merit of the ball. I go with the same frame of mind - to give a good start to my team.
Paid in India
Posted on 09/21/2008 in Indian cricket
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Gary Kirsten is one of the few coaches to have landed a two-year contract from the word go
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These are the best of times for the coach of the India cricket team. Anand Vasu in this article in the Hindustan Times does a check on the salaries of Kirsten and other people in the comfort zone.
Kirsten is also the highest paid member of the coaching establishment, at $30,000 per month (net of taxes) and with medical insurance, accommodation and local transport in Bangalore thrown in.
When he's not with the Indian team the coach gets an allowance of Rs 1050 a day.
In his column in the Times of India, Bobili Vijay Kumar believes the seniors in the team should go out on a high, rather than as the ill-tempered old man in the neighbourhood.
The answers are not easy: nobody wants a good movie to end; everybody wants to enjoy the ride for as long as possible. Maybe, the thrill of stepping out on to the field and competing with the best, even as the mass of television viewers are glued in, is unmatchable.
September 20, 2008
'I’ve come here to play, haven’t I?'
Posted on 09/20/2008 in Indian cricket
In his first interview since he was ignored for the Irani Trophy, Sourav Ganguly tells the Indian Express that he's not even thinking about quitting.
“I know I’m not going to get picked or dropped because of how many runs I score or don’t score in this tournament. I’m not trying to make any statements, I just want to play. I tried to get into Buchi Babu and the Tamil Nadu league but there were no invitational teams allowed for those tournaments. You had to be a registered player with the state. So, I called Mr IS Bindra and asked about this tournament, and he arranged places for me and Ranadeb Bose in a team."
Ganguly doesn’t even remember the full-form of the LIC (Leaders in Cricket) Club he’ll be representing. But that’s not important.
In the Times of India, Vinay Nayudu finds out what members of the Indian team have been doing in a rare enforced break from international cricket.
September 19, 2008
Roll over Tchaikovsky, franchise fusion is here to stay
Posted on 09/19/2008 in Indian cricket
In his column for the Indian Express, Harsha Bhogle writes that a very substantial part of the future of the game lies in franchise-driven cricket. Down to its bare essentials, he feels, the driving force of world markets is supply and demand.
Many fear that embracing change will cripple Cricket as we now know it. I fear not embracing change will take all options away from us. By changing today we can control the flow of the game, by letting it gush around, we will invite change upon us. Indeed, we are seeing change everywhere. Climate is getting out of control (last winter, Mumbai was cold and we didn’t even know what that meant!) and as the crash in the financial markets tells us, even pillars can crumble, history is forced to bow to the present if we are not careful. Why, people are getting obsolete along with technology and those hugely gifted with traditional skills are finding life difficult in the commercial world. There is a lesson there.
September 18, 2008
Pathan satisfied so far
Posted on 09/18/2008 in Indian cricket
Irfan Pathan reflects upon his match-winning performances in the World Twenty20 final and the third Test against Australia at Perth. Despite being excluded from the Irani Trophy squad, he is happy about still being in the “scheme of things” representing India A, and feels he has some way to go before developing into a good all-rounder. Chandresh Narayanan from Cricketnirvana.com interviews him.
At the end of the day, here is a guy called Irfan Pathan who has taken nearly 250 international wickets at the age of 23. Once I finish my career I won't be answerable. Initially some said that I will go on to take 300 wickets but after few failures they said I will never make it to the big league. Slowly, I am reaching 150 wickets in ODIs and I have already 100 Test scalps in my kitty. I have scored over 1000 runs in both forms of the game. I have achieved pretty much
September 15, 2008
Yuvraj can still be a Test player
Posted on 09/15/2008 in Indian cricket
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Will Yuvraj Singh win accolades for his Test performances in the future?
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In a couple of months, Yuvraj Singh will be 27 years old. For a cricketer, that is a good age to be, writes Suresh Menon in his column on dreamcricket.com.
But at an age when Yuvraj should have been pushing for the India captaincy, it is all beginning to unravel for him. After five years and 23 Tests, he does not find a place in the Rest of India team for the Irani Trophy. With both the veterans and youngsters fighting for the middle order slots in the Indian team, Yuvraj seems to have been squeezed out. Neither senior enough to be protected, nor young enough to be given another chance.
Sadly, in our country, once a player makes it to the highest level going back to school is seen as demeaning, Menon says.
Like the girl in the nursery rhyme, when he is good, Yuvraj is very good, but when he is bad he is horrid. That he is talented, there is no doubt. But sometimes talent can be a curse. Talent alone cannot see a player through. Perhaps this is where the cricket board comes in. Player rehabilitation is not about looking after players following retirement. Those playing and struggling need guidance too. The Board has not known how to handle those who do not fall into a pattern. The Vinod Kamblis, for example, were lost to the game for being different.
Do read the Cricinfo piece on What's the matter with Yuvi?
ICL welcomes Bangladesh players
Posted on 09/15/2008 in Indian Cricket League
Six cricketers from Bangladesh have joined the Indian Cricket League (ICL) and I think there is a message in it for the cricketing world, says Sandeep Patil in his column on cricketnext.com.
At the ICL we have always maintained that the intention has been to help needy cricketers, those cricketers who have not been given a proper stage for them to showcase their talent. We have never tried to prove any point to the International Cricket Council or the Board of Control for Cricket in India but have only extended a helping hand to cricketers in need.
Patil, who coaches the Mumbai Champs in the ICL, said it's high time the ICC and the BCCI took notice of it.
We lauded the Indian Premier League when it did well in its inaugural edition. After all, the IPL was also cricket but we have never sought any reactions from the IPL or the BCCI or the ICC. History, however, will document the fact that the IPL was born out of the immensely successful ICL. The initiative of launching this form of entertainment in cricket will always be credited to the ICL.
Also, do read our new ICL blog: Alternate Reality - Hemang Badani's diary.
On a purple pitch
Posted on 09/15/2008 in Indian cricket
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Since he made his debut as a 22-year-old against Bangladesh in November 2000, India have played 88 Tests. Zaheer has missed 32 of them, mostly due to injuries
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Racked by injuries and threatened by the rise of younger pace bowlers, Zaheer Khan has been through a lot in his eight years of international cricket. Outlook magazine's Rohit Mahajan finds out how far he has come along, as Zaheer closes in on his 30th birthday.
When he leaps high in the air and lands on his left foot, Zaheer uncorks a potentially rebellious storm in his body. His left foot experiences pressure equalling six times his body weight; a force ten times his weight rages through his pelvic joints when he flings his shoulders to release the ball from his left hand. He's painfully aware of, and resigned to, the affinity between fast bowling and injuries. "When you bowl fast, you know you are going to get injured at some point of time," Zaheer told Outlook. "You know that you have to sometimes play through pain, sometimes stay away from the game and work hard to get back."
Zaheer has had to do that quite a bit, right from his early days in top-flight cricket. Since he made his debut as a 22-year-old against Bangladesh in November 2000, India have played 88 Tests. Zaheer has missed 32 of them, mostly due to injuries. Heartbreakingly, he's broken down at the edge of historic opportunities. On the 2003 tour of Australia, after taking five wickets in the first innings of the first Test, he pulled a hamstring while bowling in the second and had negligible influence in the only other Test he played, losing the chance to bowl on pitches deemed a fast bowler's paradise. A year later, on the Pakistan tour, he was out again after the first Test—this time with a pulled hamstring muscle.
Playing to keep
Posted on 09/15/2008 in Indian cricket
Dinesh Karthik, the Indian wicketkeeper, who is part of the India A squad for the A Team Triangular series, is trying to make his way back in to the national side after a disappointing tour of Sri Lanka. He talks to Indian Express' Devendra Pandey on what went wrong and what he plans for the future.
Is it because of lack of runs that you can't concentrate on your keeping or is it the other way round?
I don’t think there is any relation between wicketkeeping and batting. When I keep wickets I only concentrate on my collection and when I bat, the focus is entirely on playing a long innings and scoring runs.
Your keeping came under the scanner in the Sri Lanka Test series.
I agree and I also know that people might have different opinions over that but you can’t stop them. I realise that I failed to keep well against Kumble on a couple of occasions but such things happen.
September 13, 2008
Memories of Moin-ud-Dowla
Posted on 09/13/2008 in Indian cricket
Writing in his blog Stumped, V Ramnarayan offers more memories of playing in the Moin-ud-Dowla tournament.
The work pressure at the office was high and I had been smoking quite a bit. So it was that I trudged reluctantly to the Hyderabad nets on a wet afternoon long after the scheduled start of practice. I had a bad cough and cold, and told my captain Abbas Ali Baig I was unfit for the game on the morrow. It had been raining and the practice wickets were wet, so Abbas was having a knock outside the nets with a young marker throwing a few balls at him. “Come and bowl,” he ordered me, and I obliged, still in my working clothes. After some ten minutes, he said to me with finality, “Nothing wrong with you. Sleep well tonight and come back in the morning. You are playing.”
September 12, 2008
Dhoni's cricketing intellingence stands out
Posted on 09/12/2008 in Indian cricket
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Mahendra Singh Dhoni: The ICC's ODI Player of the Year
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India has tasted success since Mahendra Singh Dhoni took over as captain of India's Twenty20 and one-day sides a year ago. Dhoni's batting too has matured and he has shown an abiltiy to change his game according to the match situation. His achievements fetched him the prestigious Khel Ratna award last month and now the ICC ODI Player of the Year. Anand Vasu writes in the Hindustan Times that it's only a matter of time before Dhoni gets the biggest prize - Test captaincy.
The role he is playing with the bat, floating up and down the order, and being the backbone of the batting, whether against pace and swing Down Under, or Ajantha Mendis in Sri Lanka, shows how well he is reading the flow of a one-day match. You would understand if a cerebral Dravid or a charismatic Ganguly won such an award for leadership. That it has gone to a street-smart wicketkeeper from Ranchi is a testament to the success Dhoni has brought to the Indian team
The need for honest, dispassionate selectors
Posted on 09/12/2008 in Indian cricket
After flopping to Ajantha Mendis and Co in the series against Sri Lanka, the pressure is on several of India's old guard in the middle-order. With Sourav Ganguly potentially the first to get the sack, Harsha Bhogle writes in the Indian Express that the selectors should be upfront about what their objectives and reasons for any changes in the side are, and not hide behind undignified, anonymous leaks.
So, either the selectors must state that they are going to give youngsters a break but that they would like Ganguly to keep playing so that if he is in form and the youngsters aren’t they could go back to him. Alternately, they should make it clear to him that with Kaif, Rohit Sharma and Badrinath in the wings, and the enigmatic Yuvraj around, he is officially the first of the old guard to be asked to say goodbye.
He also ponders how the out-of-form Rahul Dravid will deal with the challenge of retaining his place.
September 11, 2008
Be wary of the Twenty20 effect
Posted on 09/11/2008 in Indian cricket
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Is Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s career a template for how India’s best players will rise to the top of their games in the future?
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The current mantra in Indian cricket seems to be "if you want to win, go for young legs, fresh blood and ‘aggro'", writes Sharda Ugra in her blog on the India Today website. However, she wonders if youngsters in the future will want to take up Test cricket, the longer form of the game, given the riches on offer in the shorter formats.
Call this the IPL effect or the fact that limited-overs cricket is just so much more instant: instant cricket, instant fame, instant wealth. With the advent of T20 and the IPL, there is now more than one route to the top of the heap in the game and that route is a short cut. No grinding out batting or bowling epics over four-day games in two-tonga towns in front of an audience of bored tonga-drivers and their horses.
Before Dhoni arrived, Virender Sehwag was the last cult figure thrown up by Indian cricket, impacting both forms of the game. Dhoni’s career with India is almost a template for how India’s best players will rise to the top of their games in the future. He has gone from India rookie to captain in four seasons, his influence rising in the last 12 months, all because of performances in ODIs and T20s. He was even given the country’s highest sporting award, only the second cricketer to receive it after Sachin Tendulkar. To every aspiring Indian cricketer, the benefits and rewards of limited-overs cricket must seem limitless.
Tests are a different cup of tea
Posted on 09/11/2008 in Indian cricket
Gary Kirsten must beware lest he go down the Greg Chappell route. His predecessor as Team India’s foreign coach was guilty of taking the long-term view, maybe forgetting that, as the wise man said, in the long term we are all dead, writes R Mohan in the Asian Age. He says:
If he were to take on the national captaincy in all forms of the game, Dhoni would have to give up his habit of skipping Test series as he did in Sri Lanka most recently. The timing of the change would depend on when and whether he would feel comfortable with so many of the seniors around. Dhoni has done well with his young side but Tests are a different proposition.
September 10, 2008
The Gold Cup
Posted on 09/10/2008 in Indian cricket
V Ramnarayan dips into nostalgia as he writes about playing in the Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup in the 1970s. Moin-ud-Dowla used to be the premier tournament in India outside of Test matches. Read it in his blog Stumped.
... Krishnamurti took one look at my footwear and burst out in a volley of abuse. “Have you taken leave of your senses?” he said to me. “Are you a G Division player, wearing these cheap Bata shoes only rickshawallahs wear? Do you look like someone about to play for an international XI in Moin-ud-Dowla?” ... And Pataudi soon asked me to bowl to him in the nets, where, in my eagerness to impress, I gave him a torrid time on an unplayable drying wicket, a very unprofessional thing to do to a batsman looking for some practice. 'Tiger' was sporting enough not to mind my immature exhibition; he in fact went so far as to tell Habib I was a match winner.
And suddenly Ganguly retires?
Posted on 09/10/2008 in Indian cricket
Don't expect Sourav Ganguly to throw in the towel now. The man has made nearly as many comebacks as Muhammad Ali did, emerging stronger each time. But whisper it softly that at 36, the entrance may no longer be ajar, writes Dileep Premachandran in the Guardian.
The shocking surrender in Sri Lanka, where only Laxman managed more than 200 runs in the middle order, might have hastened Ganguly's exit, but there's little doubt that previous performances have been considered while shortlisting those capable of tackling the Australian juggernaut. In that regard, Laxman and Tendulkar are fireproof.
Sourav should choose when he retires, and why should it be now? Kunal Pradhan in the Indian Express believes that if this is the end of Ganguly’s international career, it was too abrupt.
It seemed he would now, at least, get a chance to call it quits when he felt like it, with a proper dialogue with the board and the selectors, walking with his bat held high as he took off the helmet to reveal the maroon bandanna that protects his slowly receding hairline at the crease.
The exclusions of Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma from the Rest of India squad for the Irani Trophy does not augur well for Indian cricket and seems to be a bigger issue than Ganguly's omission, writes Taus Rizvi in Daily News & Analysis.
The two most talented youngsters in the country seem to have lost way at a time when the Indian cricket is exploring ways to gradually phase out the seniors and bring in youngsters. The loss of form of Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma, in that sense, is a setback to Indian cricket.
September 9, 2008
Dhoni's time hasn't come yet
Posted on 09/09/2008 in Indian cricket
In his column on Dreamcricket, Suresh Menon makes the case for Anil Kumble to be given a long stint as Test captain. Menon argues that Kumble has brought a rare combination of toughness and dignity to the difficult task of leading the side and that he remains a key bowler for India.
While young cricketers need to be given a chance to succeed, veterans must be given a chance to fail. Kumble hasn't failed and you cannot bring in a new captain just because he is younger and has signed more endorsements. I doubt if Dhoni himself is hankering after the job, but with friends like Kirsten, he does not need too many enemies.
Can Ganguly make another comeback?
Posted on 09/09/2008 in Indian cricket
Sourav Ganguly's exclusion from the Rest of India squad for the Irani Trophy is being seen a sign of phasing out India's aging middle-order. Ayaz Memon wonders whether Ganguly still has the mental strength to stage yet another fightback and regain his place in the team. He writes in the Mumbai-based Daily News & Analysis:
... does he have the physical wherewithal to back up his mind, if indeed it remains as strong as earlier? Three years of constant battle, so to speak - of trying to convince selectors, warding off the threat of juniors, fighting off frustration - can take its toll.
When you are in your mid-20s, like say Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma who have also been sidelined because of poor form in Sri Lanka, such crises can be tackled more easily because the ambition to achieve is alive and kicking and time is not such a big constraint; in the mid-30s, self-doubt and a sense of futility can begin to dominate because the end in any case seems so much nearer.
In second place
Posted on 09/09/2008 in Indian cricket
Amrit Mathur, the former India media manager in his column in the Hindustan Times talks about the vice-captaincy curse: players who are carefully groomed for the top job don't quite make it, somebody else jumps the queue.
Of late, vice captains have been tossed around, changed from series to series. Apparently, for the selectors, naming a vice-captain is a gift that can both be handed out and then reclaimed, according to their convenience.
Action station
Posted on 09/09/2008 in Indian cricket
So long as an Indian bowler’s action is not criticised internationally, faults can be continued to be swept under the carpet writes Makarand Waigankar in the Hindu. A case in point, Gujarat offspinner Mohnish Parmar, who is currently playing for the India A side against Australia A. Shades of Ian Meckiff?
Last year in one of the Ranji Trophy matches, one umpire who was in the ICC panel warned the Gujarat team that he would no-ball Parmar if he bowled. Parmar was dropped. With this history, the Board ought to have closed the chapter, but the selectors seem to be keen on getting him in the side to win matches.
September 7, 2008
A tale of two umpires
Posted on 09/07/2008 in Indian cricket
Anand Philar recounts the stories of Sadanand Viswanath and Shavir Tarapore, who were the umpires in the Australia A v India A game in Bangalore. Read it on Sify.com.
... But on his return home from Australia, Vishy’s cricketing graph nosedived. He had problems with some of the seniors in the Karnataka team and his inability to focus more on cricket rather than a life of pleasure, also contributed to his premature exit from the National scene. I vividly remember the many hours I spent with Vishy trying to console him as he opened up to me with dressing room tales and also his off-the-field problems. He was reduced to a nervous wreck, shunned by friends. It took him over a decade to get his life back on track as he took to coaching and then umpiring.
Also, do read the Cricinfo piece on the fall and the rise of Sadanand Viswanath.
The angry young days of Vishy are over," he says as dusk descends on the Chinnaswamy Stadium. "It has been some rollercoaster ride but it's about finding peace now. I have made my share of mistakes (but) I managed to step out of the whirlpool. Fame does funny things. The adoration from the fans is indescribable. You have to be there to understand it. One should go out on a high and leave the public lingering with a happy memory.
Making the A grade
Posted on 09/07/2008 in Indian cricket
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Ambati Rayudu made it to the India A side when he was 17 but he never got the national call-up
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Being in the A side does recognise the fact that one is good, but it also poses a challenge: Is one good enough, asks Shriniwas Rao, in the Indian Express.
Over the years, many cricketers have passed through this stage and they speak about how maintaining a positive attitude is a tall ask during this ‘so-close-yet-so-far’ phase. Ambati Rayudu got the India A break when he was 17 and, considering his rapid rise from the ranks, he thought making the senior team was an eventuality waiting to happen. Soon, the harsh reality about the packed Indian middle-order dawned on him. “There were no vacancies in the senior team. Even someone like VVS Laxman had been left out of the World Cup squad. That is the time when it can get a little frustrating. I’ve been with the India A squad on six occasions and each time that frustration has only increased. With every tour I hope things might turn for the better, but it doesn’t happen,” he says. Such was his state of mind that Rayudu joined the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) and that meant saying a final goodbye to the dreams of wearing an India cap.
September 6, 2008
Do selectors ever receive praise?
Posted on 09/06/2008 in Indian cricket
Partab Ramchand favours the Indian board's move to make the selector's post a paid one but says it still remains a thankless job. He writes in his column on dreamcricket.com:
Do selectors ever receive praise? Oh, I suppose so in a grudging sort of way. But they are more remembered for their foibles rather than any bold choices or hunches that come off. Does anyone remember the selector who pushed 19-year-old Dilip Vengsarkar into the national squad on the basis of one dashing century against Bedi and Prasanna in the Irani Trophy game in 1975? Does anyone remember the selector who had the foresight to pick the relatively unknown Bedi, then only 20, on the basis of one good performance for the Board President's XI against West Indies in 1966? It was under the chairmanship of this much-maligned selector that both Chandrasekhar and Venkatraghavan were first given their India caps when they were still teenagers. Does anyone recall the selector who boldly gave the reigns of captaincy to the young Nawab of Pataudi, then all of 20 years of age, to lead the Board President's XI side against the visiting MCC in 1961? Does anyone recall the chairmen of the selection committees who picked the two most successful one-day teams in Indian cricket history - the 1983 World Cup and the 1985 World Championship of Cricket?
September 4, 2008
A contest with plenty at stake
Posted on 09/04/2008 in Indian cricket
In his blog on the Guardian website, Dileep Premachandran looks at Australia A's tour to India and says it's unlike other similar contests, with many players in with a chance to make it the to the face-off between the senior sides later in the year.
A team games not involving Hannibal, BA Baracus, Murdock and Face tend to be pretty mundane affairs. Fans weaned on a steady diet of international cricket tend to treat them as a Premier League supporter does a League One game, and the players themselves are motivated by different things. For the young and ambitious teenager, it's a chance to press his claim to be the next Tendulkar, Ponting or Wasim. These days though, with U-19 games and tournaments so common, many of these tyros take the escalator straight to the top, ignoring the A team staircase altogether. For most on the wrong side of 25, unless you're an Australian with the initials MEKH, the A team call-up is usually a sop, a reward for steady domestic performances for those who lack the X-factor that separates the merely good from the exceptional.
September 3, 2008
Hoping for that one chance
Posted on 09/03/2008 in Indian cricket
The Indian Express' Devendra Pandey catches up with Amit Mishra, the legspinner who is trying to gain an entry into India's Test side.
These days, hope is once again visible in his eyes as he gets ready to face Australia A in a three-day match starting on Wednesday. That’s why he can afford to joke about his perennial presence outside the door of the Indian dressing room. “I’m a veteran in the India A side now,” says the 25-year-old with a grin. Mishra’s mood symbolises the atmosphere at the India A practice session. This is the time of wishful thinking for the anxious fringe players of Indian cricket. “I have a gut feeling that if I perform against Australia A, I’ll have a chance to be in the Test team,” Mishra says.
September 2, 2008
India's purple patch
Posted on 09/02/2008 in Indian cricket
In his column for cricketnirvana.com, South Africa's coach Mickey Arthur gushes at India's success in the one-dayers in Sri Lanka and believes the strategy of having separate Test and ODI squads has put them on the right track to the 2011 World Cup. Her also dwells on England's rise, the problems with his own one-day team, and dispels the myth that his players chickened out of touring Pakistan.
Like all sportsmen we don't believe it is worth endangering our lives in order to compete but we are not qualified to make judgements on security issues which is why we leave that to the experts. Personally I feel extremely sorry for Pakistan's fans and cricketers that they will now miss out on seeing the best cricketers in the world.
IPL riches are for a select few
Posted on 09/02/2008 in Indian cricket
In his column for the Hindu, Makarand Waingankar questions the Maharashtra Cricket Association's move to draft in two foreign players, who are not even regulars for their respective countries, at the expense of local players who are bound to get demoralised by this. On the issue of player earnings, he says the IPL riches only count for an elite few in India and it's high time corporates in cities other than Chennai, start employing cricketers.
The least the BCCI could do is have an inter-corporate tournament at the state level so that not only will employment opportunities for cricketers be generated, but also state associations will be prevented from ruining the cricketers’ careers.
August 28, 2008
How to counter a mystery spinner
Posted on 08/28/2008 in Indian cricket
In the Hindu, S Dinakar asks experts how one would counter a mystery spinner.
Former Mumbai cricketer and noted coach Vasu Paranjpe is of the opinion that going forward early and playing the ball late could be an answer. Here the batsman’s trigger movement takes him five to six inches forward as the bowler is about to deliver. The head — still and steady — and shoulder move forward. The elbow comes back towards the body.
In the Sportstar, WV Raman writes that selection will remain subjective, and as such there will be different interpretations when a player is either selected or dropped. But what causes rancour is when selectors adopt a policy of different yardsticks for different players.
Players such as Manoj Tiwary and Rohit Sharma were selected in a hurry based on their scores in domestic cricket, but Badrinath was stonewalled for almost three years. I am not suggesting that Tiwary and Sharma are not good enough, but it was incomprehensible as to why Badrinath had to wait for such a long time to get into the Indian team. My stance would have been the same even if the player at the receiving end happened to be from any other part of the country. But for this serendipitous opportunity, Badrinath was in danger of losing out totally as he is a bit longer in the tooth than his competitors for a middle-order slot.
August 27, 2008
Elect the selector
Posted on 08/27/2008 in Indian cricket
The BCCI is genuinely keen to improve the [selection] system. When that's the intent, independent selection process of the candidate will plug the loopholes in the system. Zonal selection might create a terrible mess, writes Makarand Waingankar in the Mumbai Mirror.
Instead of zones recommending the nominees, the ideal way is to appoint a high power committee of Pataudi, Gavaskar, Vengsarkar and Shastri to interview candidates. Each zone can recommend five candidates. Interview 25 candidates for two days and zero in on five national selectors. Gundappa Vishwanath, Chetan Chauhan, Milind Rege who have been associated with the game even after retirement, should be some of the names for BCCI to consider.
August 23, 2008
Nearing the end of an era
Posted on 08/23/2008 in Indian cricket
Amit Varma, in his column on NDTV.com, says the downhill curve has set in on the careers of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble. He also picks out the tendency of Indian selectors to first blood talent in the shorter versions of game, and wonders how a player can make the Test team while not being good enough for ODIs.
My happiest memories of watching cricket have come when those five gents have been at their best; those memories are now being tarnished by their struggles to hang on to their places in the side. It is time to think ahead.
Cricketers' careers, the way I see it, resemble a bell curve. In the early phase, through school and college and the early years of first-class cricket, there is a constant upswing and a steady learning curve. Then they get used to international cricket, and settle at more or less a plateau that represents them at their best, with minor ups and down for form. Then their ability begins to decline, and they start going downhill again. There is no way back up from there
August 22, 2008
Just a cog in the quartet
Posted on 08/22/2008 in Indian cricket
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Bishan Bedi along with his spinning pals
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While not hiding his dislike for Twenty20 cricket, terming it "absolute rubbish", Bishan Bedi, the former Indian captain, gives his opinion to India Journal on present-day cricket, including the flow of big money into the game and the new system of reviewing the on-field umpires' decision.
Bedi, often hailed as the game's greatest left-arm spinner, played down his role in India's famed spin quartet.
“Chandra and Prasanna were the champions, Venkataraghavan was most competitive, I was just a cog in the wheel and was selected only because I was a left hander.”
August 19, 2008
It's a little bit of history repeating ...
Posted on 08/19/2008 in Indian cricket
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Ajantha Mendis: The destroyer of the Fab Four?
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Three decades ago, a tour of Pakistan spelt the end of the then Fabulous Four of Indian cricket, writes Suresh Menon in his column on dreamcricket.com.
The famed Indian quartet of spinners, Bishan Bedi, Erapally Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Srinivas Venkatraghavan ceased to be a force in international cricket, although their careers went on for a bit longer. Zaheer Abbas mainly, and other Pakistani batsmen helped to push over the edge one of the finest combinations of spinners the game had ever seen. Only weeks earlier they had nearly helped India win in Australia, a series they ultimately lost 2-3.
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The recent reversals against Sri Lanka may or may not see the end of another Fabulous Four, the middle order which finished with an average of around 20, and without a single century. Ajantha Mendis seems to have done to the batsmen what Zaheer Abbas did to the bowlers all those years ago. It is possible that years from now we will point to this series when we talk about the decline of India's finest middle order. Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman were made to look ordinary by Muralitharan and Mendis who claimed 47 wickets between them at 20.1.
August 13, 2008
What’s in store for the Fab Four?
Posted on 08/13/2008 in Indian cricket
The new selection committee that will meet to pick the [Indian] squad for Australia’s tour in October-November will have to weigh short-term goals against long-term targets, writes S Ram Mahesh in the Hindu.
For that they must ask themselves if each of the four is likely to succeed consistently in this period — if the tour of Sri Lanka was an aberration, not a portent — and how best to renew the middle-order, so the eventual transition is, as far as possible, painless. First, the tour of Sri Lanka. Was the batting failure entirely a function of the particular — the combination of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis — or was it a sign of decline of physical and mental skill with age and wear?
The most disappointing of performances in a sea of mediocrity that the middle-order wallowed in was Tendulkar's, writes R Kaushik in the Deccan Herald.
In the Hindustan Times, Anand Vasu comes out with his report card on individual players. Not surprisingly, Tendulkar languishes close to the bottom of the pile.
Time to review techniques?
Posted on 08/13/2008 in India in Sri Lanka 2008
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Was Rahul Dravid's technique flawed during the recent Sri Lanka series?
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Makarand Waingankar, in the Mumbai Mirror, says the review system has highlighted a few flaws in batting technique.
It was the angle of downswing and position of the front shoulder pointing towards cover as opposed to mid off or straighter which was restricting the bat from coming in front of the pad and that created a problem most of the time. Rahul Dravid seems to have figured it out in the last Test but it was too late.
There is a growing tendency among batsmen to use pads when not sure of a length and run for a leg-bye. Why should that be allowed when a batsman is beaten while attempting to play? Why should leg-bye runs be added to the batting side? The rule of leg-bye has to be knocked off. But the review system is good for the game especially for bowlers.
The stated aim of the referral process was to eliminate obvious mistakes. Towards that end, it achieved its objective. It was the less cut-and-dry, more subjective, decision-making — particularly with regard to leg before wicket — that raised more questions than threw up answers. Read more in the Deccan Herald.
August 6, 2008
A record which slipped everyone's mind
Posted on 08/06/2008 in Indian cricket
Rahul Dravid went past Sunil Gavaskar's once world-record aggregate of 10,122 runs, though there was barely a mention of it with all the attention on Sachin Tendulkar eclipsing Brian Lara's tally. Suresh Menon compares Dravid's record with Gavaskar's in dreamcricket.com
He has played fewer Tests than Gavaskar, averages three runs per innings higher, and averages nearly 72 in 40 Indian victories (Gavaskar averaged 44 in the 23 wins he was involved with). Had it not been for the phenomenon called Sachin Tendulkar, the media would have been indulging in the Gavaskar versus Dravid debates.
August 5, 2008
When predictions go wrong
Posted on 08/05/2008 in Indian cricket
Amrit Mathur, in the Hindustan Times, criticises those who write off cricketers only to be proved wrong soon enough.
When we know cricket is fundamentally uncertain, like the weather, why do people still put their front foot out and make bold predictions?
So called experts freely express an opinion, only for cricket to bite back and prove them horribly wrong. If sport teaches humility and modesty, because a slump inevitably accompanies success, cricket is a crash course in keeping one’s mouth shut. Not many, though, show restraint, and the temptation to swing their bat or shoot in the dark is too strong to resist.
He picks out Geoff Boycott for special mention.
After the dismissal in the previous Test (caught at square-leg, fetching a short ball from outside off ) Geoff Boycott said Sehwag was a talented but brainless cricketer. Now, after Galle, this distasteful remark only establishes that the England opener has no connect with intelligence or decency.
The Indian Express's Sandeep Dwivedi writes about Harbhajan Singh's comeback, which was capped by his ten-wicket haul in Galle.
Anand Vasu, in the Hindustan Times, analyses the lack of depth in Sri Lanka's pace department.
August 2, 2008
A life well lived
Posted on 08/02/2008 in Indian cricket
The Hindustan Times' Pradeep Magazine pays tribute to Ashok Mankad, the former India allrounder who died on Friday aged 61.
He was a thickset man with a ponderous gait, leaving you in little doubt that he would be slow on his feet. Engage him in a conversation, no matter what the topic, and you knew he was a thinker. Myriad thoughts would cross his mind in a flash and the man himself was not averse to putting them in words with a kind of lucidity seen rarely in sportsmen.
Had he done justice to what he promised as a teenager, he could have ended his career not only among India's better known batsmen, but also a shrewd and wise leader of men.
July 30, 2008
‘The boys hated the spectre of defeat’
Posted on 07/30/2008 in Indian cricket
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Dav Whatmore: Keeping his boys on their toes
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In an interview to S Dinakar in the Hindu, Dav Whatmore reveals an interesting strategy he used with the victorious India Under-19 team before the final of the World Cup earlier this year in Malaysia.
“We set the clock forward to the next day. We visualise the next day. It is action time. We are in the final. We make some costly errors. The opposition catches up towards the end. We eventually lose the final.”
Whatmore continues, “Then we set the clock to the present time. I ask the boys how bad would it feel to come so close and then lose? To see the other captain holding the trophy, the media rushing to the other team for interviews. I then ask the boys whether they would like to go through the losing feeling.”
July 27, 2008
Undemocratic and anti-freedom
Posted on 07/27/2008 in Indian cricket
The BCCI's decision to bar Indian cricketers from even remotely associating with those who have participated in the Indian Cricket League is not just ludicrous but repressive, writes Ayaz Memon in DNA. However, the BCCI finds itself in a prickly situation regarding Sachin Tendulkar's association with Lashings. Would it have the guts to censure such an iconic figure?
The logic in this is not just cock-eyed in a funny, ha-ha sort of way, but unacceptably exploitative. The BCCI has sought to override common sense — and even common legality — with a mix of threat and emotional blackmail. Few players will obviously immediately dare take the BCCI to task for this, but even fewer will be happy at being choked in this manner, which means a confrontation could be building up in the near future.
In the Indian Express, Kunal Pradhan feels that the ICL could be scrapped sooner rather than later, considering the way the cricket world has shoved it to the corner.
It’s funny that Packer, a businessman who we now celebrate as a visionary, got money, clout and recognition for threatening to split world cricket. But Chandra, another businessmen whose idea will end up having as deep an impact as Packer’s, is getting nothing. Even his players are now kicking themselves for putting their professional careers in jeopardy.
July 25, 2008
Cricket's new apartheid?
Posted on 07/25/2008 in Indian cricket
The BCCI is refusing to allow its contracted players from repesenting English counties with ICL staff and Harsha Bhogle, in the Indian Express, wonders if the board's tough stance is world cricket’s new apartheid.
I can go so far as to understand one body not picking players who have played for another set-up. But not to take the field in the company of those that have played the ICL, in a third country, seems cruel and unfair. Even at the height of South Africa’s isolation, Bishan Bedi bowled to Barry Richards in county cricket, Sunil Gavaskar batted with Graeme Pollock in a world eleven and nobody raised a hue and cry over it.
Also read the paper's editorial on the BCCI's "unbridled intimidation" of the ICL .
July 15, 2008
Dhoni's pull-out justified
Posted on 07/15/2008 in Indian cricket
With cricket having gone far too commercial to take a break, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's honesty in deciding to skip the Sri Lanka Tests needs to be respected, writes Makarand Waingankar in the Hindu. He lists examples in the past when previous captains like Tiger Pataudi and Sunil Gavaskar drew a lot of flack for opting out of tours.
Dhoni certainly has built his image through the electronic media. His utterances are measured with honesty and purpose. His demeanour presents the character of a true team man willing to do anything for the team. It’s when one has this image, reasoning for any act is accepted without murmur.
However, Amrit Mathur in the Hindustan Times wonders if Dhoni's honesty could lead to a wrong perception in the eyes of the Indian public.
There are some in the Board who are okay with players choosing what to play and what not to. Others, driven by a sense of outrage at this insensitivity towards the country, will wait for an opportunity to pounce on him. To them, the issue is not about a tired player wanting a rest but one of power. In this game, the rules say the ones in authority choose who plays when and where and not, as Dhoni has done, the other way round.
July 13, 2008
BCCI is responsible for resting players
Posted on 07/13/2008 in Indian cricket
Mahendra Singh Dhoni was given permission by the Indian board to opt out of the Sri Lanka Tests starting this month. In the Hindustan Times Sunil Gavaskar remembers the time in the late 70s when as captain his request for a West Indies tour to be postponed by a week was flatly refused by the BCCI. When he announced his decision to opt out of the tour and step down as captain, there was a furore and plenty of criticism.
I approached the then-BCCI president and asked if the departure to the Caribbean could be delayed. The president flatly refused after I explained the reasons. Instead he said there were 5000 players waiting to play for India.
July 12, 2008
Wealthy, unhealthy and unwise
Posted on 07/12/2008 in Indian cricket
One can continue analysing the wisdom of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to pull-out of the Sri Lanka Tests, but in the larger context, it's hard to find fault with him, writes Pradeep Magazine in the Hindustan Times. That the BCCI continues to cram the schedules with meaningless tournaments speaks of their arrogance and that only denies the public the chance to watch players play to their optimum potential.
Is there any point in making an effort if the pursuit of excellence takes away the joy and celebration of living? Watching listless, tired Indian faces running around the field in searing heat and humidity during the Asia Cup in Pakistan could not have been too enjoyable for the spectators.
July 9, 2008
Mendis is good but ...
Posted on 07/09/2008 in Indian cricket
Nari Contractor,who played Jack Iverson in 1953, believes Ajantha Mendis is similar to Iverson who could bowl off-break, leg-break and googlies without a change of action.But Contractor believes the Indian batsmen could have done much better than what they did in the Asia Cup final.Read his thoughts in the Mumbai Mirror.
Jasu Patel pocketed nine wickets for 69 against Australia. How long did he play?” he fumes. “Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma were undone by Mendis’ pace. Had they played him off the front foot they would have negotiated him easily.”
Show some respect to local coaches
Posted on 07/09/2008 in Indian cricket
Makarand Waingankar, in the Hindu, feels local coaches should be given their due.
The argument of the associations inviting the foreign coaches is that they have the experience to get the desired results whereas the qualified Indian coaches get too technical for the comfort of the players. More than the technicalities, it’s the strategy which helps you get runs and wickets, and that’s something these foreign coaches are good at. At least that is what is projected.
Getting foreign coaches who have not performed to replace proven coaches like Chandrakant Pandit and Vijay Dahiya is a dangerous trend. If qualified Indian coaches are not wanted, the NCA should immediately stop all the coaching courses. It’s a waste of time and money to train someone and then fail to utilise their expertise.
July 8, 2008
Mendis? No problem, says Shukla
Posted on 07/08/2008 in Indian cricket
Anil Kumble says he was surprised how the Indian batsmen played Ajantha Mendis. Read his piece in the Hindustan Times.
When you're struggling to pick a bowler out of his hand, the usual thing is to play him off the wicket. What was surprising was that many Indian batsmen did not pick his length early enough. The safest option, when you're not quite sure which way the ball will turn, is to play straight and some of our batsmen made the mistake of playing across the line and paid the price.
Bishen Singh Bedi, the former India player, is very impressed with the new mystery bowler. Read his thoughts in the Times of India.
It's wrong to say Mendis is totally unorthodox. His grip is freaky, yes, but his run-up (a busy, shuffling gait), delivery stride and follow-through are technically very sound. Also, his biggest strength now, the straighter one which is closer to a flipper than a top-spinner, is possible only because he bowls with the shoulder, and has a perfect long-arm release. It's incredibly impressive and correct. He doesn't resort to the laxity in the ICC's elbow flexion rules for effect. He's a delight, the first person after Sachin Tendulkar I would pay to watch ."
Laxmi Ratan Shukla, the Bengal and Kolkata Knight Riders player, tells Indian Express' GS Vivek that he didn't have any problem facing Ajantha Mendis.
“I was very curious and wanted to play him in the nets very next day. When he bowled to me, I played defensively to his first two balls. Because I had heard a lot about him, I focused a lot more on his hand when he was releasing the ball. Next thing I knew, I could easily tell which one was going to cut out and which was going to zip in. He tried all his variations, but I was picking the straighter one as well,” he says.
Shukla’s effort in the nets allowed his team mates to play him freely as well, something that helped shed that ‘mysterious player’ tag. So much so that despite joining the Knight Riders as a mid-season signing to shore up their ‘foreign player’ resources following the departure of Ricky Ponting, Brad Hodge, Brendan McCullum, as also injuries to Chris Gayle and later, Shoaib Akhtar, Mendis still only got to play in a single game.
July 6, 2008
Imran and Kumble impressed with Dhoni
Posted on 07/06/2008 in Indian cricket
"There are some captains who remain captains, and there are some who grow into the role of a leader," writes Imran Khan in the Hindustan Times. "Dhoni belongs to the latter category. I was impressed that he has started coming up the order, playing sensibly rather than explosively, and is able to set an example for his team to emulate."
Anil Kumble was also "impressed by the manner in which Mahendra Singh Dhoni has used himself in a floating position up and down the order".
Also in the Hindustan Times, Kumble says: "Bowlers have to be assigned clear roles and if someone’s job is to take wickets, then the captain needs to back him even if he goes for runs. On these pitches, you can’t succeed if all five bowlers are just looking to restrict the batsmen. You have to find a couple of bowlers who can pick up wickets. In times like this strategy becomes very important, because taking wickets is the only way to keep the run-rate down."
"The last few months have seen an amazing churn. With the selectors moving beyond Dravid and Ganguly, the new generation has steadily changed, both, the team's look and outlook," writes Bobilli Vijay Kumar in the Times of India. "The most significant development, though, has been the coming together of Sehwag and Gambhir."
June 30, 2008
Grip that got Chandra
Posted on 06/30/2008 in Indian cricket
India has been mourning the death of Field Marshall Manekshaw, the hero of the 1971 Bangladesh war. Writing in Mid-Day, Yajurvindra Singh, the former Indian batsman, remembers the day when members of the national side met him.
Bhagwat Chandrasekhar was one member of our team the Field Marshal was very keen to meet. He wanted to shake his hand to recognize his big-hearted feats for India. His hawk-like eyes instantly focused on Chandra and a quick march had him at hand-shaking distance.
At the heart of our game lies the contest between bat and ball and when that is imperiled, the game is imperiled, writes Harsha Bhogle in the Indian Express with regard to the Kevin Pietersen switch-hitting controversy.
June 29, 2008
Old school, new beginnings
Posted on 06/29/2008 in Indian cricket
For 20 years, the MRF Pace Academy has been shaping uncut stones into fast bowling gems. But the future looks uncertain after the BCCI cut off all links with the home of fast bowling in India. The Indian Express' Sandeep Dwivedi travels to Chennai to find out how they’re dealing with the snub.
With or without the stars, it’s business as usual at the MRF Pace Foundation. There is certainly a feeling of hurt about the BCCI snub, but S Senthilnathan, who took over from Sekar, puts fears about the institution losing its relevance to rest. “This institution came into existence 20 years back with the intention of producing fast bowlers. And it will continue to do so. If we can train players who will make it to the Indian team, that’s all we want. That’s our only aim,” he says. It’s quite clear that his posture isn’t aggressive as he repeatedly refers to the BCCI as the parent body. “In case they want us to help them in the future, we will welcome the move with open arms,” says Senthil, with a grin this time.
June 25, 2008
Long Room celebrations
Posted on 06/25/2008 in Indian cricket
It was 25 years ago that India won the World Cup at Lord's and the team of '83 has planned a get-together at the Long Room to celebrate the triumph. In the Hindustan Times Sunil Gavaskar recounts how the idea of a Long Room party came to him:
Last year at the ICC chief executives committee meeting, I was leaving the venue that is next to the Long Room and found a table-plan for that evening's charity dinner. Going through the list, I found there were some famous names who were to attend the dinner and as I checked the dates, it was, thankfully, in June, when India won the World Cup 24 years earlier. It struck me that it would be fantastic to celebrate the silver jubilee of that fantastic win with a dinner at the Long Room.
Kapil Dev relives some of his memories of that day in an interview with the Kolkata-based Telegraph.
I’d been somewhat upset on seeing a significant amount of grass on the Lord’s wicket... Out of disgust, I even told some of my teammates that the conditions just weren’t fair... The state of the wicket also put paid to all the planning we’d done the previous day. .. Soon enough, though, I realised that we had to make the best of the conditions... We didn’t have a choice... Then, with the ball swinging like nobody’s business, we felt we’d definitely be in with more than a shout that afternoon. We had a ball, as it turned out.
R Mohan writes of the rivalry that existed between Kapil and Gavaskar in the Asian Age.
More stuff in the Hindu. V. V. Subrahmanyam writes on the relationship between the two stars.
“Come on, Sunil, it’s time you score runs”. That’s exactly the then captain and India’s greatest all-rounder ever Kapil Dev did in the 1983 World Cup edition to Gavaskar. Then the retort: “Come on, maan, if you feel I am not good enough to play, drop me as you have done in the league matches.” A visibly startled Kapil was taken aback by the reaction but fortunately England captain Bob Willis slipped into the dressing room to invite Kapil to come out for toss to save further embarrassing moments for these two cricketing greats.
In 1983, Indians were not pleased with me at all, writes David Frith in DNA. I had written in Wisden Cricket Monthly that unless India knuckled down to the one-day game it might be better if they withdrew from future World Cups.
So I sat in the press-box at Lord’s, with a glass of red wine at hand, and devoured the offending words, risking poisoning by newsprint but glad nonetheless to cleanse my soul. I was actually genuinely delighted for India, and began to realise that probably my words had been penned in the hope that they would now take their task seriously. Why else would I have attempted to do a discreet banghra of my own in the hotel foyer? The pleasant tailpiece to all this came with a letter from my correspondent: he referred to me now as “a gentleman and a sportsman”. He had not even expected his first letter to be published. He even apologised for the intemperate tone of some of his words, and invited me to join him for a drink if ever I was in New York. I still hope that day may come. A decent drink is hopelessly spoiled when mixed with printed paper.
Also read Cricinfo's full coverage of the World Cup win.
June 23, 2008
Memories of '83
Posted on 06/23/2008 in Indian cricket
Harsha Bhogle, in his column in the Indian Express, writes about his memories of India's historic triumph in the 1983 World Cup.
And, as I read through an amateur analysis I had made for the Deccan Chronicle on the 4th of June, 1983, I discover that Kim Hughes had labelled India the dark horses. The fan in me had tried to make out a case for India to qualify for the semi-final and, the day after the article had appeared, an elderly man laughed at my youthful optimism. “Semi-final, ha!” he said as if I had suggested that the left might go along with the nuclear deal.
Rajdeep Sardesai of CNN-IBN catches up with the legends of that victory.
Sandeep Patil: When we started the tour and room partners were assigned, I was lucky but my room partner was so unlucky to have me as a room partner. Fortunately or unfortunately it was Sunil Gavaskar, who shared the room with me. That was the reason why Gavaskar did not score runs. I kept him awake, I kept him out and I don't know how and where he used to spend time. I clearly remember me bombarding him with questions. In fact, I asked him if would be able to even see the balls of West Indians. He asked me what do you mean by 'the balls of the West Indians?' I told him the cricket balls that will be bowled by Marshall. I had not faced West Indians then and Sunil told me that you have faced Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thompson; you will be able to see the balls. I saw the ball and I hit a six.
June 22, 2008
His own man
Posted on 06/22/2008 in Indian cricket
Since stepping down from captaincy nine months ago, Rahul Dravid has lost his place in the one-day side, led the Bangalore Royal Challengers to second-last place in the IPL, had mud slung at him by franchise owner Vijay Mallya and reached the landmark of 10,000 Test runs. He talks to Hindustan Times' Anand Vasu about captaincy, IPL, being a father and possible retirement.
"I have played unbroken, missing only one game in my Test career. You have to be fit and scoring consistently, or you'll get dropped at some stage - the fact that I have been able to do that is important, not so much the number itself. But it is nice to be in the company of some players you really respect and admire."
Meanwhile in the Outlook Rohit Mahajan lists out the impact of India's World Cup win in 1983.
That win at Lord's redefined the country's aspirations and expectations; it imparted a new meaning to the term 'professional cricketer'; and it took cricket to the masses as never before. Some would even make bold to say India acquired the elements of 'soft power' in the summer of 1983, long before it even began to be counted among the emerging global powers.
June 18, 2008
Kapil's 175 the best?
Posted on 06/18/2008 in Indian cricket
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The only ODI at Tunbridge Wells wasn't covered by a TV crew
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Twenty-five years since Kapil Dev's momentous innings at Tunbridge Wells, Ayaz Memon still reckons it as the best ODI knock he's ever seen. He writes in the DNA:
Time neither dulled its appeal or dimmed its impact. A whopping 940 ODI hundreds have been scored yet, many of them forgettable, only a few memorable, with this knock (at least in my reckoning) at the apex. It’s not that better batsmen than Kapil have not been seen, or some other innings were not better crafted, but I believe no other innings had had quite the same effect. Kapil was to redefine not only the destiny of the 1983 World Cup, but also Indian cricket. This was not just another batting exploit, it was a catharsis. The game would just not be the same again.
Amit Karmarkar looks back at the knock in the Times of India. Cricinfo's Jamie Alter visited the Nevill Ground, read more here.
June 13, 2008
India's one-day pool
Posted on 06/13/2008 in Indian cricket
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Piyush Chawla is making the most of Harbhajan Singh's absence
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India have won the first two matches of the tri-series in Bangladesh and Harsha Bhogle is excited by the pool of 20-25 players that selectors now have the luxury to pick from. He writes in the Indian Express:
Happily, there is competition for every spot and that means players will have to be on their toes; a quality that Indian cricket has not always been blessed with. Piyush Chawla is making the most of Harbhajan’s absence and Sehwag and Gambhir could raise questions on how much Tendulkar will be missed. At the moment though, this is an excellent fair-weather batting side and on tracks responsive to quality seam and swing bowling, the top order still needs to prove it can do without Tendulkar.
June 5, 2008
Kapil speak
Posted on 06/05/2008 in Indian cricket
Despite having been embroiled in many controversies; the man who still is a folklore hero, has not lost his bearings. Twenty five years after leading India to a heady World Cup triumph Kapil Dev chats with the Hindustan Times' Pradeep Magazine on the cricket establishment, the IPL and more.
Kapil is nothing if not pragmatic and his run-ins with the board are well documented. But he does not care and believes that a time will come after a decade or so when the players' voice will become powerful. And he thinks it has to do with the players getting richer and richer. “When I started playing, I could see that the earlier generation was frustrated. So, probably was mine, but once the money comes in and the players are no longer dependent on the largesse of the Board for making a living, a change will take place.”
May 22, 2008
World Cup winners deserve more than to party alone
Posted on 05/22/2008 in Indian cricket
The cricketers who won India's first World Cup in 1983 should be lauded not ignored by the BCCI, writes Dileep Premachandran in the Guardian.
As things stand, the month of June, monsoon time in the south, will witness four six-a-side games featuring the squad of 1983. Soon after that, there will be a dinner in Dubai, following which the Long Room at Lord's will host the big bash on the 25th. "Let them do whatever they're doing," said Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI's chief administrative officer. "We haven't got any invitation from them or any intimation."
This, mind you, is the same board that spared no expense in arranging ticker-tape parades and handing out Goodyear-blimp-sized cheques after India's triumphs in the T20 and Under-19 World Cups, insignificant baubles next to a trophy lifted by the likes of Clive Lloyd, Allan Border, Imran, Steve Waugh and a certain Kapil Dev Nikhanj.
May 21, 2008
India's legends deserve more than to party alone
Posted on 05/21/2008 in Indian cricket
"The cricketers who won India's first World Cup in 1983 should be lauded not ignored by the BCCI," writes Dileep Premachandran in the Guardian blog.
Over the past few months, Kapil, Madan Lal (who dismissed Viv Richards in the final) and Balwinder Sandhu (that inswinger to Gordon Greenidge) have been treated like the untouchables were in the pre-Gandhi days because of their involvement in the Indian Cricket League, the so-called rebel league. The ICL was the first to come up with the idea of city-based franchises, but is now in danger of being run out of town by the infinitely more powerful and rich IPL. By taking on the BCCI, whose attitude to cricket seems to be little different from that of the mafia to a protection racket, all those involved with the ICL have become pariahs. Sadly, that includes talented young players who might otherwise have thrived in the IPL.
... Strange indeed are the ways of Indian cricket. A nation's real cricket culture can be gauged from the way it treats its heroes.
May 20, 2008
The dark world of a bookie
Posted on 05/20/2008 in Indian cricket
Tehelka's Nisha Susan meets Kunal Deshmukh, the director of Jannat (Heaven), a Bollywood film which revolves around the life of a bookie.
Deshmukh’s two passions, movies and cricket are predictable choices for a young Indian. But at 26, Deshmukh has been able to bring both these passions together. Relatively new in the business, he has been an assistant director to the equally youthful Mohit Suri in three films. Jannat, his debut film, which releases on May 16 in India and premieres in Lahore, explores scandals from the cricketing world and readily lends itself to a Mahesh Bhatt banner. Emraan Hashmi plays Arjun, a small-time bookie who is propelled by love and greed into the higher echelons of match-fixing. One strand of the story is also a fictionalised account of cricket coach Bob Woolmer’s death.
Deshmukh says, “I have been cricket-obsessed all my life. When the Azhar story got out, my heart broke. I couldn’t bear to remember the Titan series and how much I had loved Kumble and Srinath in it.” Deshmukh, who is an advocate of legalised cricket betting, originally intended to make a movie that was steeped in betting lore. “Left to me I would have had no love story in the script at all. But Bhattsaab insisted and I decided to sound out the idea with my friends and family. I came reluctantly to the conclusion that most people wouldn’t be able to understand or want to understand the nitty-gritty of match-fixing.”
May 11, 2008
Beauty in the beast
Posted on 05/11/2008 in Indian cricket
With his IPL success, Rohit Sharma has jumped the queue to take the tag of Indian cricket’s ‘next big thing’. Sandeep Dwivedi, writing in the Indian Express, profiles a youngster who has retained his grace in this slam-bang format.
Also read Rohit's interview to the same paper, where he says: ‘People don’t remember you for the number of innings but for the number of years you played’.
May 6, 2008
Elegance in turmoil
Posted on 05/06/2008 in Indian cricket
VVS Laxman has wowed fans across the globe, not least in Australia, with his wristy elegance and sweetly-timed jabs and cuts. And despite his struggles in the Twenty20 format, fans in Hyderabad are buzzing to get a glimpse of their hero, finds out K Shriniwas Rao of the Indian Express.
Today, the fever of Twenty20 has gripped Hyderabad. Both the Indian Cricket League (ICL) and the Indian Premier League (IPL) have seen fans queuing up at the stadiums. Players such as Shahid Afridi, Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds and Herschelle Gibbs have been recruited as ‘locals’.
And yet, it is VVS Laxman who happens to be cheered the loudest. The Deccan Chargers website has seen some anti-Laxman messages, but not once has the right-hander been booed at the ground — even as his team lost three matches at home and he’s struggled to come to terms with this extremely short format.
“He’s not one for masala cricket. We’re sure he’s playing here because he is Hyderabad’s biggest name in cricket,” says a fan at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium.
May 1, 2008
A rarity in India
Posted on 05/01/2008 in Indian cricket
"Sumit Khatri is only a fringe-local featuring on the Rajasthan Royals’ extended roster of 25 and the only chinaman bowler in the IPL," writes Shivani Naik in the Indian Express. "But his oddity may be lost, especially since Khatri might not see any real action in the tournament. Even some cricket websites have slotted the left-armer as right medium-pacer or off-break bowler."
At 20, Khatri has survived the biggest storm for a chinaman spinner. That of retaining his bowling-style, which comes with copious cautionary notes, equal in length to a chinaman’s definition. Predominantly a batsman in his seven years at Sawai Mansingh Stadium’s RCC nets, Khatri was called aside one day by the late Hanumant Singh three years ago. His left wrist had twisted a couple of deliveries prodigiously from off to leg, during what Khatri calls a “faltoo, time-pass practice session”, and Hanumant was impressed.
April 15, 2008
No more Kanpur, please
Posted on 04/15/2008 in Indian cricket
Though he thinks the series ended with a fair result, Jacques Kallis is keen not to play in Kanpur for a third time. It was a gamble, he writes in the Hindu, to order such a poor wicket and it could have easily backfired.
I am a traditionalist when it comes to pitches and I believe that the surface for a Test match should have something for everybody. Some pace and movement for the quick bowlers, good batting conditions in the middle and then help for the spinners on the last two days.
Like India, we have been pretty dominant at home and have lost a series only to Australia on our own turf. But we have also been competitive away from home beating everyone (apart from Australia!) at some point.
India should be aiming for the No. 1 spot, too, but they will need to improve on ‘good’ pitches.
Neil Manthorp can't wait to leave Kanpur as well. He writes in supercricket website:
If the Proteas could be accused of leaving with indecent haste, think again. Given the fact that nobody in the world of cricket was thinking of a three day finish when the third day began, not a single bag was packed nor extras bill paid. Yet the home side were on a bus pulling out of the city within an hour of returning to the hotel. The best Goolam Raja could manage for Graeme Smith and the boys was a 6.00am departure the following morning. Is Kanpur really that bad? Yes.
The Indian team and media can't stand coming here and actively encouraged the South African media and players to highlight how unacceptable it is as an international venue and to lodge formal complaints, where applicable.
April 12, 2008
South Africa victory hurt South Africans
Posted on 04/12/2008 in Indian cricket
Paddy Upton, India’s mental-conditioning coach, writes for Moneyweb.co.za website to explain how he and Gary Kirsten adapt to supporting India when they are both South African.
And what does it feel like to be planning and putting our every effort into beating our home country? The truth, for both of us, is that with every part of us we want and are willing India to win. The disappointment of defeat at the hands of the South Africans in the last Test burned us as much as it did the Indians.
April 10, 2008
Ready for every turn
Posted on 04/10/2008 in Indian cricket
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Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh should get a pitch tailor-made for spin in Kanpur
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South Africa's bowling coach Vincent Barnes is not worried about the brownish Kanpur pitch, writes Sandeep Dwivedi in the Indian Express.
Since South Africa’s tour to India followed their trip to Pakistan and Bangladesh, Vincent Barnes has a ‘been there, seen it and done it too’ expression on his face as he takes a look at the Green Park track. He speaks about the pitch in Dhaka during the Bangladesh tour and how his team’s fear proved unfounded. “We first thought the pitch was certain to break in the first couple of days. It actually lasted for five. The same thing happened in Chittagong as well,” he says, highlighting how modern-day tourists to the subcontinent aren’t that fussy about the dust bowls they encounter.
However, Anand Vasu writes in the Hindustan Times that the players were surprised at the state of the pitch.
Mickey Arthur, the South African coach, who had made it out to the middle a little before his team, was not particularly impressed by what he saw and actually had a chat to [Graeme] Smith, asking him to take a deep breath and relax, warning him not to be too perturbed by what he saw.
April 9, 2008
New spin on Mahatma Gandhi and cricket
Posted on 04/09/2008 in Indian cricket
This week extracts from the new Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, published today, are running in The Times. In the latest one, Ramachandra Guha looks at Mahatma Gandhi’s role in the development of India's game.
An Indian journalist met an old classmate of Gandhi's, who remembered a “dashing cricketer” who “evinced a keen interest in the game as a school student”. If these oral testimonies are reliable, Gandhi spun a cricket ball long before he spun khadi, the hand-woven cloth he argued should be worn by all Indians in preference to machine-made textiles.
The thought is appealing, even if the evidence of the printed record runs in the other direction. In his autobiography, which deals extensively with his childhood and schooldays, Gandhi does not mention cricket.
Cricket barely touched Gandhi, yet, by virtue of who he was and what he did, he had a substantial impact on cricket in India. As I argued in A Corner of a Foreign Field, the Mahatma's teachings profoundly influenced the way the game was played and perceived.
Shades of grey in green-brown debate
Posted on 04/09/2008 in Indian cricket
After the featherbed in Chennai and the lively pitch in Ahmedabad, on which India were shot out for 76 in the first session, the Kanpur wicket will undoubtedly be under scrutiny ahead of the third Test between India and South Africa. Sandeep Dwivedi spoke to Chotelal, the groundsman at Green Park, in the Indian Express.
“In 1983, I prepared a green pitch for the India vs West Indies game and the consequences weren’t great,” Chotelal says. It was the game in which Malcolm Marshall’s fiery bouncer saw Sunil Gavaskar’s bat falling from his hands and India suffering an innings defeat. What followed was brickbats and Chotelal’s shelved his green experiment for good.
Then in 1996, Sachin Tendulkar led India against South Africa in the final game of the series in a do-or-draw scenario. A wiser Chotelal rolled out a brownish carpet with myriad designs on it. India’s big win had then coach Madan Lal appreciating the groundsman with a Rs 25,000 award. “Even Tendulkar was quite happy. He met me after the game and was so happy that he gave me all the money that he had in his pocket,” says Chotelal.
Alex Parker, in the Johannesburg's Times, writes that the Indian team is famous for being a collection of monstrous egos sloshing about in great vats of self-importance.
"The Indian team and it's administrators appear to be very close to a state of disarray," writes Neil Manthorp on Supercricket.co.za. "They might want to think about seeking an answer to an important question before they finalise the XI for Kanpur. Who actually wants to play Test cricket."
April 7, 2008
Getting ready for spin in Kanpur
Posted on 04/07/2008 in Indian cricket
If India take a few gambles in Kanpur to try and square the series, it might mean their playing three spinners and just one full-time seamer to share the new ball with Sourav Ganguly. This plan, Jacques Kallis thinks, could backfire for three reasons. He writes in the Hindu:
Firstly, South Africa really isn’t that bad against spin as our record over the last five or six years shows. Secondly, I believe the new ball is still the best way to take wickets and, with respect to Sourav, he isn’t a great threat. And thirdly, if the pitch is dry and uneven, then Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel will be just as dangerous as Anil and Harbhajan.
In the Hindustan Times, Mark Boucher writes that India missed Sachin Tendulkar in Ahmedabad.
April 5, 2008
Unfocussed India
Posted on 04/05/2008 in Indian cricket
As a country India has begun to achieve a lot and grow in confidence so it is no longer appropriate for the cricketers to lose focus after every famous victory, writes Peter Roebuck in the Hindu.
Nothing in India’s performances after the triumph in the World Twenty20 or after taking the one-day spoils in Australia suggests that the cricket culture is strong enough to sustain success. On the contrary, India immediately looked flabby. It is not entirely the players’ fault. Locals seem to relish awards. Pictures of people shaking hands are widely featured in the newspapers. It is well intended. No-one wants India to be a boring place full of people talking about property prices. But when joy turns into delirium it becomes corrosive.
April 1, 2008
The most under-rated cricketer in the world?
Posted on 04/01/2008 in Indian cricket
After Virender Sehwag plundered his second Test triple-century, Jaideep Varma argues in holdingwilley.com that Sehwag is the most under-rated cricketer in the world. Only one batsman in the modern age, Adam Gilchrist, has numbers to match Sehwag's eye-popping strike-rate of 77 allied with the astounding average of 53. Varma contends that Sehwag has already done enough to be considered an all-time great and that he is a shoo-in for a spot among the top five Indian Test batsmen of all time.
Sehwag’s uncluttered and simple see-ball-will-hammer approach has been more than just effective. It has a brought a different way of looking at the game, because before him, no one in the history of the game has had as much success doing this. If cricket was film, fiction or music, Sehwag would be a genre of his own.
Dravid's early days
Posted on 04/01/2008 in Indian cricket
Former Test batsman and current Tamil Nadu coach WV Raman recalls the days when, even as an Under-19 batsman, Rahul Dravid showed an aptitude for correct technique and a stomach for a fight. He writes in the Hindu:
The young skipper was crowded but his ability to smother the spin with solid defence indicated that he had the stomach for a fight. The taunts from the close-in fielders were ignored and he went on to bat out the overs without allowing the bullying to ruffle him. A word of appreciation from me at the end of the innings was acknowledged with a measured smile and softly uttered thanks.
March 31, 2008
A Nobel admirer
Posted on 03/31/2008 in Indian cricket
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Virender Sehwag was at his aggressive best in Chennai as he went on to score the fastest ever triple-hundred in Tests
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| RK Pachauri, the chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (which shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore), and an active cricketer in his spare time, praises Virender Sehwag for his epic 319 in the first Test in Chennai. His opinion piece in the Indian Express has more.
Virender Sehwag’s strength stems from his feeling of self-belief. He obviously has unwavering faith in himself and his brand of cricket. All the while he was going through a drought of runs, several critics called him irresponsible in getting out to extravagant shots. But Sehwag never deviated from his extravagant style and reliance on aggressive stroke play every time he took the crease, irrespective of the situation the team was facing.
He continues…
The Chepauk performance should help rebuild Sehwag’s self-confidence and restore his belief in his own talents. Of all the outstanding batsmen who have performed at the international level with such elan in recent years, he displays the most uncanny coordination between limbs and eyes.
Elsewhere, Graham Gooch talks to the Telegraph about Sehwag's innings, and his own triple-hundred, the 333 against India at Lord's in 1990.
March 29, 2008
Different shades of the game
Posted on 03/29/2008 in Indian cricket
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Test cricket: The real gauge of a cricketer's skill
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| Ramachandra Guha, writing in the Telegraph, compares the three different forms of cricket to alcoholic beverages, and makes it amply clear which form he prefers.
In my opinion, Test cricket may be compared to the finest Scotch, 50-overs a side to Indian-made foreign liquor, and Twenty20 to the local hooch. The addict who cannot have the first or the second will make do with the last.
He continues ...
But proper cricket can only be Test cricket. Spread out over five days, the game unfolds as in an epic drama. No restrictions are placed on anyone. The bowler can bowl 40 overs at a stretch; the batsman plays on until he gets out. Even the fielder has greater opportunities to display his wares. He can (as in limited-overs cricket) dive to his left at cover point to stop a boundary; and he can also (unlike in limited-overs cricket) dive to his right to take a low catch at short leg. In this long, leisurely, civilized form of the game, a villain is allowed to redeem himself, a hero to reveal his flaws, a team to show reserves of character one could have scarcely thought it possessed. As with the finest Scotch, one savours every sip; and yet, as with the finest Scotch, the whole is infinitely greater than the parts
Sehwag conjures an epic
Posted on 03/29/2008 in Indian cricket
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Virender Sehwag on his way to an unbeaten 309
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| Virender Sehwag's unbeaten 309 is now the fastest triple-hundred ever. His captain, Anil Kumble, while writing in his column in the Hindu, hopes that Sehwag goes beyond Brian Lara's record 400.
It’s a great opportunity to get Test cricket’s highest score, and he knows he can’t really get a better opportunity to do it. We have some special records, but it would be absolutely great to see an Indian on top of that list as well.
I’m glad Sehwag’s back to doing what he does so well. He’s definitely a match-winner for me.
I’m really happy after backing him for the Australia series. I’m also really happy for him, the way he’s come back to the Test squad after a year. He showed a lot of character in Adelaide, even if he was a bit subdued.
By the way, he wanted a bat from me if he scored a double. I don’t know why. So, at the end of the third day, I told him, you get your 400, I’ll give you two. I gladly will.
March 27, 2008
Old habits die hard
Posted on 03/27/2008 in Indian cricket
Writing in his blog at Espnstar.com, R Mohan explores the attitude of Indian skippers to home Tests.
Pitch preparation was badly hit by all the rain around. Even so, I got the distinct impression that curator Kannan Parthasarathy was acting under instructions from either Team India or BCCI who were merely passing on the desire of the team.
'Pacha' kept the pitch very dry, which means he simply did not prepare the pitch as he normally would have. He may have been seized by the fear that if he prepared the wicket with regular watering it would be the typically hard Chepauk pitch at the start of play.
There is more than a suggestion in all this that Team India would have been happy to avoid a showdown with Dale Steyn, the South African quick who is making waves with his swing to the extent of becoming the man of the series in three successive series for South Africa. Any moisture in the pitch would have aided lateral movement of the new ball and India simply wished to avoid this.
March 25, 2008
'It's a great feeling to complete 10 years'
Posted on 03/25/2008 in Indian cricket
It was exactly ten years ago that Harbhajan Singh made his Test debut against Australia in Bangalore. Harish Kotian spoke to Harbhajan in an interview on Rediff.com.
At the start I was afraid to share a room with a player like [Navjot] Sidhu, whom I always admired. I was thinking of what I would talk him [about], how I would talk to him and all that. When I reached the room and met him, he congratulated me on making it to the international stage. He told me not to be under any pressure and just play as if it were another Ranji Trophy match. 'Just continue bowling the same way; there is no difference in the way one bowls in international matches. Just try and do the best you can, but don't get overawed by the atmosphere in the ground. Once the match starts, you won't realise how the five days of the Test match go,' he said.
The Iqbal effect
Posted on 03/25/2008 in Indian cricket
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Iqbal Abdulla
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The Madrasas of the Muslim-dominated Mau-Azamgarh belt in eastern Uttar Pradesh have traditionally frowned upon cricket, but the recent success of one of their alumni [India under-19 spinner Iqbal Abdulla] has given the sport some legitimacy in the religious schools," Sunita Aron writes in the Hindustan Times.
This rural belt may not have produced any remarkable sportsmen, but its barren fields are dotted with scrawny children wielding the willow and tossing tennis balls. A little known fact is that Mukhtar Ansari, an imprisoned mafia don from Mau, is such a cricket buff that he has converted part of the compound of the Jaunpur jail — where he is lodged — into a makeshift cricket ground, and has taught many inmates how to bat and bowl. But despite the ‘Iqbal effect’ on youngsters in the religious schools, Madni was keen on explaining why his school did not encourage cricket. “We do encourage sports that help boys build their bodies,” he said.
A beautiful mind
Posted on 03/25/2008 in Indian cricket
"It’s been quite amazing how India have shaped up under [Anil] Kumble, a man many believed would be a stopgap measure till [Mahendra Singh ]Dhoni was handed over the reins of the Test captaincy too, more sooner than later, writes Kadambari Murali in the Hindustan Times.
He [Kumble] just smiles when asked how it feels to suddenly be dubbed the best thing to have happened to Indian cricket in the eventide of an illustrious career. The irony wasn’t lost on him. “I’ve always done things the way I thought they should’ve been done, accepted whatever’s come my way. I never went after the captaincy but when it did come, it was an honour. I’ve always believed that life should be taken as it comes, you need to plan and do the things you can as best as possible, not worry about things you cannot control.”
March 23, 2008
Kirsten settles in the hot seat
Posted on 03/23/2008 in Indian cricket
In the Independent Online, Iqbal Khan interviews Gary Kirsten, the former South African opener, and discusses his new role as India's coach.
India's new cricket coach is chauffeur-driven each day to where he wants to go and is quickly getting used to simple things like when the department stores open and being mobbed by people who want his autograph.
Kirsten says he will manage fine during the upcoming series against South Africa.
"I'll feel a bit weird being in the opposite camp when we face South Africa in my first hurdle as coach. But I suppose I'll get over it. I won't let emotions get in my way."
March 22, 2008
Small but not beautiful
Posted on 03/22/2008 in Indian cricket
Writing in the Indian Express, GS Vivek says the Ranji Trophy replica handed out to winning teams is bit of a joke.
... At no place did it mention either the name of the winning team, the season, or even the tournament. All it had in terms of legend was the manufacturers’ nameplate. And, just so you don’t forget, the word ‘Silver’ was engraved at the base like a hologram of authenticity. But to top it all, the quality of craftsmanship was such that the figure of the bearded man taking a batting stance — Ranjitsinhji, after whom the tournament is named — that wobbled at the time of presentation has already fallen off.
March 21, 2008
We want to be engine of growth - Bindra
Posted on 03/21/2008 in Indian cricket
In a free wheeling chat with Hindustan Times' Subhash Rajta, IS Bindra talks about his role as Principal Advisor to the new ICC President.
On BCCI's alleged domination: We have never had any intention to rule to international cricket. In fact we have fought hard to bring in democratic polity in the ICC. Earlier, a president of the MCC, a club, used to be the president of the ICC and Australia and England had the veto powers. We fought for equality and managed to bring in democratic polity when Colin Cowdrey became the first elected ICC president in 1994. In that light, BCCI just can't be party to any domination, including it's own. But we will certainly use our financial clout to promote and popularise the game. We want to be the engine of growth for the game and that's exactly what we are doing through IPL.
Getting through tough times
Posted on 03/21/2008 in Indian cricket
Irfan Pathan talks to K Shriniwas Rao of the Indian Express about his time away the national squad and the lessons learnt from the experience.
A lot of things [changed]. I’ve come out stronger from everything that happened. Even at the worst of times, at the back of my mind I knew that things would change for the better. I felt I would soon make a good comeback, and that’s what happened eventually. But I’ve learnt a lot about myself in the process. Time can teach you a lot of things — be it cricket or your personal life. You come to know who your friends are and, interestingly, this is the phase when you realise that you don’t have too many friends.
What after Kumble?
Posted on 03/21/2008 in Indian cricket
Harsha Bhogle writes in the Indian Express about his concern for the future of Indian spin after Anil Kumble, and whether the hype and glamour of the celebrities associated with the IPL will detract from the cricket.
Meanwhile, I am starting to get a little concerned, for the first time, about the IPL. Everyday there is a new report about a film star being signed up to do something and everybody seems to be worried about the entertainment around the IPL games. I must be seeing it wrong because I thought the Twenty20 format itself was entertainment. The one thing that the ICC World T-20 taught me was that nothing, absolutely nothing, could compete with the thrill of the cricketing contest. Now I get the feeling that people are trying to stage a variety entertainment show where the cricket match is but one of the components.
March 20, 2008
Forever young
Posted on 03/20/2008 in Indian cricket
Whether IPL is a boon or bane to Indian cricket remains to be seen when it begins, but one thing is absolutely certain that young Indian cricketers will manipulate all possible loopholes in the system to make it to the under-19 or the under-22 , writes Makarand Waingankar in the Mumbai Mirror.
March 18, 2008
A legal battle looks inevitable
Posted on 03/18/2008 in Indian cricket
By banning the ICL cricketers from participating in tournaments and stopping the pensions of former cricketers, the BCCI could face a legal confrontation to match the same between the English board and World Series Cricket in 1978, writes Makarand Waingankar in the Hindu.
The ICL-IPL tussle has sidelined the issue concerning the cricketers’ livelihood. During the Insole-Greig case hearing, one of the main questions that Justice Slade asked was how could the cricket boards deprive the professional cricketers from earning their livelihood.
In his judgment he agreed that though respective boards had acted in the best interests of the game, he felt, legally a professional cricketer is entitled to make as much living as any professional in other fields.
March 14, 2008
The secret of Dhoni's success
Posted on 03/14/2008 in Indian cricket
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Mahendra Singh Dhoni: Small town, big success
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Shantanu Guha Ray goes to Mahendra Singh Dhoni's hometown of Ranchi to try uncover the reasons behind Dhoni's rise to the top despite hailing from a small town and not having either formal training or a godfather to push his case. He writes in Tehelka:
In a world of desperate image-building, it’s important that Dhoni doesn’t care. The core value he brings to the job is level-headedness — the clear sense of reality that helps a small town boy prioritise life. This means he has the ability to treat cricket as a game, not as religion. This means it makes him unafraid to take his chances, to run the impossible risk and win the impossible gambit.
He retraces Dhoni's progress from the initial interest in football to the current standing as a cricket icon whose fans "buy garlands and worship — in the absence of the man himself — his bikes". He also compares Dhoni's captaincy with that of his two immediate predecessors.
In Dhoni’s ability to walk the middle ground lies the essential metaphor of his personality: character is fortune. Saurav Ganguly wore the cloak of captaincy with the arrogance of a Caesar, the mantle falling easily on his stylish shoulders. Rahul Dravid, on the other hand, wore the coveted badge almost like a crown of thorns, as if acting out a middle class mindset in which success or failure are the only parameters that define ability ... In Dhoni's worldview, playing is more important than winning, and winning is more important than verbal duels.
March 13, 2008
Bring back the scouts
Posted on 03/13/2008 in Indian cricket
"How was [Mahendra singh Dhoni] Dhoni from Ranchi spotted? Neither Greg Chappell nor Dean Jones know the way to Ranchi. Like many others, they too don’t know the process that has helped these district boys make an impact on Indian cricket," writes Makarand Waingankar in the Mumbai Mirror.
In 2001, as the consultant of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, I had introduced the system of Talent Resource Development Wing (TRDW). The success of this concept made the then President of the BCCI Jagmohan Dalmiya form a Talent Resource Development Wing for unearthing the talent in India. The job description of the TRDOs was to assess the talent in a prescribed form and feed the data into specially developed software for it to get analysed. The talent-assessment system of the TRDW convinced the selectors that there was enough talent to choose from. Today the majority of players who are in the Indian team are the product of the TRDW.
'I have all the bats with which I scored my 81 centuries'
Posted on 03/13/2008 in Indian cricket
"Right from my first tour to Australia in 1991, it has been tough, but fantastic. It was challenging for a 17-18 year-old youngster. The hundred at Perth in 1991 changed me as a player and I felt I had arrived in international cricket," Sachin Tendulkar told G Viswanath in an interview in the Hindu.
Clayton Murzello also interviewed Tendulkar in the Mid-Day.
March 11, 2008
Zaheer returns from South Africa
Posted on 03/11/2008 in Indian cricket
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It will be a while before Zaheer Khan returns to the international game
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| Zaheer Khan is back in India after undergoing rehabilitation for his heel injury at the Centre of Sports Medicine in Johannesburg. In an interview with G.S. Vivek of the Indian Express, he says that he will wait on his fitness instead of rushing his return.
The important thing is to take your time to recover and not rush back. You have to be not just 100 per cent, but 120 or even 200 per cent fit when you return to action. I don’t want to have any doubts running in my mind when I am playing an international game because it’s a pressure game and you cannot let your team down.
Personally, I would like to play some domestic games or even club games to be sure about myself. That’s what the doctors also said, you need to build it up, because you lose a lot of strength in the area of injury and one has to get it back slowly and not injure other muscles.
March 9, 2008
Cashing in on cricket
Posted on 03/09/2008 in Indian cricket
The startling figures paid for the star players at the IPL auction stands testimony to the power of the new Indian market, writes Mike Marquesee in the Hindu.
Before plunging head first into IPL-mania, cricket fans should consider the down side in the comparison with the English Premier League, which has become widely associated with venality and dishonesty, on and off the field. There have been extensive allegations of bribery and corruption, many highlighting dubious trade-offs between agents and managers. The newspapers are full of the pathetic misbehaviour of over-paid, under-educated 20-year old football stars, and the public is not amused. The danger is that the IPL will emulate the worst of English football, and not only in its paper thin culture of instant celebrity.
The IPL isn't the only league drawing foreign players. Two decades after touring apartheid South Africa, John Embury is at it again, coaching in the unofficial Twenty20 league in India and dreaming of a global inter-city event, writes Will Buckley in the London-based Observer.
Also read an interview with Shane Bond, another ICL recruit, in the Indian Express.
March 8, 2008
Caution amid India's cricket euphoria
Posted on 03/08/2008 in Indian cricket
Indian cricket teams have owned this belief before, but never held onto it, because their commitment to excellence, and each other, was fickle, writes Rohit Brijnath in the BBC website.
These fellows wear the insolent bravery of youth and a cloak of effrontery, though at times they needed to clutch at the experienced hand of Tendulkar. Australian cricket is somewhat a faded photocopy of itself, but beating them at home required from the Indians substantial commitment to the cause and each other and they found it. Opportunity knocked and was tackled to the ground by the Indians.
Also in the same website, read Sanjeev Srivastava's interview with Rahul Dravid.
March 7, 2008
The World Cup winner from Azamgarh
Posted on 03/07/2008 in Indian cricket
Iqbal Abdulla, the India under-19 left-arm spinner, was entrusted with taking the World Cup from Bangalore to the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai. He stored it in his kitchen, worried about it getting stolen. Read more in the Indian Express.
March 4, 2008
Lost in transition
Posted on 03/04/2008 in Indian cricket
Anand Vasu looks back at the under-19 Indian players who were involved in the World Cup in 2000 and tracks their progress. Read the piece in the Hindustan Times.
Meanwhile Mid-Day has the story of how 80 college kids (who had not even heard of U-19) were hired by event management company to cheer the U-19 champions.
Bishan Singh Bedi is not enamored with the Under-19 boys. Read it here.
'All said and done, their (juniors') on-field behaviour was deplorable. Don't confuse this kind of behaviour with aggression; it was absolutely terrible and atrocious. 'There was no finesse, no grace. When you are winning, you should be graceful. It was herd mentality ... And a few of the players did not look under 19 years of age; faces of under-19 boys look different.
Bedi has also expressed unhappiness over Harbhajan's behaviour in Australia.
Harbhajan is setting a bad example. Matthew Hayden was perhaps right when he said what he said. After all cricket did not originate in villages; it has a long history and tradition.
February 28, 2008
The murkier side of Indian cricket
Posted on 02/28/2008 in Indian cricket
'Agent-sharks and youngsters with 'attitood' have queered the pitch for India's promising cricketers,' writes Dileep Premachandran in his Guardian blog.
It was a mundane party in the middle of another nondescript one-day series, and the conversation was inanity itself. A young man who had played for India for a couple of seasons was part of our group, and speaking shyly about his chances of playing in the final that weekend. Out of nowhere, his agent stepped in and caught his eye. "I've got two girls arranged at an apartment," he said, oblivious of the fact that there were at least four others listening in. The player's face went pale, and he was quiet for a good few seconds. "Come on, let's go," said the agent. The player was hardly the picture of enthusiasm, and pointing to his India blazer, he said: "I can't come wearing this."
The agent just laughed. "Don't worry, I've got a change of clothes for you in the car," he said. And that was that. Within five minutes, the two of them had left. The player did little of note in a final that India lost miserably, and it's fair to say that his on-off career has hardly scaled any great heights in the half-decade since he was whisked off into the night.
February 25, 2008
'No one wants to talk about Tendulkar's failures'
Posted on 02/25/2008 in Indian cricket
Sanjay Manjrekar lists Tendulkar's statistics when chasing and wonders why "no one wants to talk about Sachin's failures." Read the piece in the Times of India.
In the last 51 One-day internationals, Tendulkar’s batting average when he bats first is 62.10 in 24 innings. In contrast when he bats second, it’s 26.00 in 27 innings. After a brilliant Test series, it’s not so much his form in this One-day series that is the concern but his contribution, at that crucial opening position when India is set bigger targets to chase. If you look at it, it’s a simple batting issue that the maestro along with the team management should professionally address.
But with Tendulkar, it’s like the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about.
Asking Tendulkar to bat down the order could help India do better, writes Peter Roebuck in Mumbai-based Mid-Day.
Whereas most batsmen move their back foot across their stumps and into line, he gives himself room to play off-side strokes by leaving his right leg in its original perch. That makes him vulnerable to break-backers.
As a result, Tendulkar has been dismissed clean bowled and leg before a remarkable number of times. Often he finds himself forced to play across the ball. His front leg obstructs his bat and causes him to miss deliveries darting back. In his pomp he could adjust his shot and flick the ball away with a late roll of the wrist reminiscent of Viv Richards. But his peak has passed.
Former Indian captain Suni Gavaskar also feels it's time the team changed the batting order.
... which would mean having Gambhir open with Sehwag and Uthappa at three with Tendulkar at four What this will do is protect Tendulkar and Sharma from the moving ball. Dhoni has shown been bold to send Pathan at three and if he shows the same attitude, India may well be able to get a batting order that actually bats deep rather than just being strong on paper.
Read his column in the Hindustan Times for more.
February 22, 2008
Indians dressed to impress after Sydney spending spree
Posted on 02/22/2008 in Indian cricket
The Indian Premier League has been shopping for players; India’s cricketers have been shopping for clothes. Sydney’s Daily Telegraph is impressed by their spending habits.
Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh turned heads on trendy Oxford St when they walked into the Ed Hardy store in Paddington. In the end, the men, who play Australia on Sunday at the SCG, left with a whopping bill of A$9120.
February 21, 2008
Hey mom, I'm on television!
Posted on 02/21/2008 in Indian cricket
Long tresses, spiked hair, ear studs, shaved chests - ever since the Indian Under-19 cricketers in Malaysia heard their matches would be shown live on TV back home, they've gone into overdrive enhancing their appearances. Sandeep Dwivedi of the Indian Express catches up with the fashion-conscious cricketers.
Just before a batsman is about to go onto the field, he gets a few last-minute instructions from a teammate. Along with the usual ‘stay cool, play your natural game,’ there is a small bit of advice delivered in half-jest. “And don’t forget to take off your helmet when you complete your 50. How else can everyone at home see your new hairstyle?” he sniggers.
February 19, 2008
Chucking out the chuckers
Posted on 02/19/2008 in Indian cricket
It’s a travesty that a bowler reported for chucking is sent to the NCA, gets cleared and returns, only to be reported again, writes Makarand Waingankar in the Hindu.
There have been more than a dozen bowlers reported for suspect action and though one of them, Mohnish Parmar, is an offspinner from Gujarat, he has been picked for the Duleep Trophy final in place of classical offie Ramesh Powar.
February 17, 2008
Boys in Blue
Posted on 02/17/2008 in Indian cricket
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Dav Whatmore: in charge of the Indian U-19 side
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On the eve of the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia, the Indian Express' Sandeep Dwivedi speaks to India’s coach Dav Whatmore about the days ahead.
Also read Dwivedi's profiles of four relative unknowns in the Indian squad.
It's quite unusual for India’s ODI captain MS Dhoni to say "Baap re" in response to some stunning strokeplay. But that's exactly what happened last season at Eden Gardens when Jharkhand was pitted against Bengal in a T20 game. As a number of Tiwary ‘big ones’ disappeared into the stands and fielders were nursing blisters in their palms, Jharkhand was celebrating the spotting of Dhoni II.
One of India's U-19 stars, Ishant Sharma, is now making a big impact in the world stage. Read Rohit Mahajan's profile in the Outlook magazine.
February 15, 2008
Reflections on a distracted 'genius'
Posted on 02/15/2008 in Indian cricket
Yuvraj Singh’s life sketch at the moment is incomplete, writes Pradeep Magazine in the Hindustan Times. Whether on completion it will remind people of a genius who lived life on his own terms or of a man who frittered away God’s benedictions, no one knows.
The images of film star Deepika Padukone failing to get a chance to applaud her friend’s stroke play from the galleries did nothing to douse these rumours and as the tour is now almost coming to an end, the man who everyone believed would be the king, has lost his crown even before he could wear it.
February 6, 2008
Frankenstein's monster unleashed
Posted on 02/06/2008 in Indian cricket
Christopher Martin-Jenkins has serious reservations about the future of cricket now that Twenty20 is growing and growing. The game, he says in the Times, is at once “a commercial phenomenon and a Frankenstein’s monster”:
A new chief executive for the ICC is being chosen this week and when he starts work in July his first tasks will be first to retain control of the Frankenstein in Bombay and then to restrain the monster so that it does not unbalance the game irrevocably. We want Flintoff's first loyalty to be to England, not the Mumbai Maulers.
But if you missed it a few days ago, in the same paper Shane Warne has nothing but praise for the IPL, not least because of the promotional benefits that can accrue – hair promotion products, anyone?
In the Guardian, Lawrence Booth considers what conclusions, if any, can be drawn from England’s Twenty20 win against New Zealand on Tuesday.
Jack Simmons, the new ECB chairman, makes his feelings clear on Kolpaks in county cricket, as analysed by David Hopps in the same paper.
February 3, 2008
Can TV make money from IPL?
Posted on 02/03/2008 in Indian cricket
India Today's Sharda Ugra analyses the money flow of the Indian Premier League.
Media planners are wondering how it will all add up. Divya Radhakrishnan, vice-president, The Media Edge, India, the media planning arm of Rediffusion DY&R, says, “If we do the math backwards and divide the monies paid by advertising time, Sony should be selling a 10-second slot at Rs 3 lakh (US$ 7500), which is twice that of an India ODI series.” The figure of $1 billion touted by IPL, say industry watchers, is something of an optical illusion driven by Lalit Modi’s desire to match ICC’s billion-dollar deal with ESPN-Star Sports (ESS).
In the Indian Express, K Shriniwas Rao profiles the franchise owners of the IPL.
Cities have teams, and teams have owners. Can club culture take root in cricket and rake in the dough? Outlook's Arindam Mukherjee investigates.
Can the IPL be the first success story among city-based sports leagues in India? The Economic Times looks for the answer.
The Business Standard also takes a look at the business potential of BCCI's new venture.
February 2, 2008
Dhoni's challenges
Posted on 02/02/2008 in Indian cricket
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Mahendra Singh Dhoni must tell his team-mates to aim for Test cricket
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Peter Roebuck, writing in the Hindu, says Mahendra Singh Dhoni faces many a challenge in leading a young side. He believes Dhoni can put it across to his team-mates to look forward to the challenge of playing Test cricket.
Barely worth his place in the Test side after patchy form with the bat, he must prove that he understands Test cricket is paramount, fifty over cricket is next and twenty over matches are a light-hearted romp that ought not to define a cricketer or his community. Otherwise recent victories in the shorter versions of the game will do more harm than good.
India cricket faces a formidable threat to its production line of players and Dhoni is the man best placed to keep things in check.
In Tehelka, Dileep Premachandran says Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly should have been accorded a dignified exit from ODIs.
The decent thing to do, if the captain and selectors were of one mind, would have been to give them farewell games at home against Pakistan, rather than send them home midway through a tour that both consider cricket’s pinnacle. There could yet be a long kiss goodnight against South Africa in April, but that might be almost insulting after indicating to them that they’re no longer considered good enough to take on the best two teams in the world — Australia and Sri Lanka.
Dhoni may one day be a great captain. But you can’t help but think that he’s flunked his first big test. Words from him, a team-mate, would have meant a whole lot more than insincere ramblings from selectors. Instead, two of Indian cricket’s finest sons have been left to look back in anger. Or sorrow.
February 1, 2008
BCCI - Sport's biggest juggernaut
Posted on 02/01/2008 in Indian cricket
Dileep Premachandran, in the Sydney Morning Herald, says the BCCI has become sport's biggest juggernaut, and points out that though a few other sporting entities may generate revenue on the same scale, they don't have the political muscle that can subvert a game. He highlights the need for a statesman like Mahatma Gandhi in Indian cricket.
Many Indians are discomfited by the board's greed and naked displays of strength but there's also a new, prosperous brigade that takes perverse pride in sticking it to the old world. The voices of reason look at the lack of facilities in small towns, ramshackle stadia and haphazard itineraries and wonder where all the money goes. Those that burn effigies and parade donkeys on the street couldn't care less.
Nearly a century ago, MK Gandhi returned from South Africa to lead a motley crew of princely states into the modern world. He did so with humility, common sense and an unshakeable belief that truth would prevail. Indian cricket awaits a similar statesman.
In the Daily Telegraph, Garry Linnell writes that we should get used to the fact that the BCCI are the new masters of world cricket.
Pradeep Magazine says India should use its clout to correct the issues plaguing the sport, instead of only reacting when there's trouble. He writes in the Hindustan Times:
India, now for most, is a country for which the business of sport and not the sport itself is the most important business. It is a dangerous sign and the sooner India tries to dispel this notion, the better it will be for its image and for world cricket.
January 30, 2008
Tired of being little brother
Posted on 01/30/2008 in India in Australia, 2007-08
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The front of the Age's sport pages reflects the anger inside Australia following the outcome of the Harbhajan Singh hearing
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On the topic of India's over-the-top reactions to the events in Australia, Harsha Bhogle, in the Sydney Morning Herald, explains that it has a lot to do with the change in attitude of the average Indian over the decades.
Since I was a little child, my abiding memory is of visiting journalists and cricketers coming to India and making fun of us.We were a country finding our feet, we were not confident, we seethed within but we accepted. The new generation in India is not as accepting, they are prouder, more confident, more successful. Those bottled-up feelings are bubbling through.
The Daily Telegraph reveals that Ricky Ponting made the decision to agree to have Harbhajan Singh's racial abuse charge downgraded after a series of secret meetings with lawyers during the Test match in Adelaide.
"Just fix it then," Ponting is understood to have said when emotions flared. As Symonds came to terms with the judgment, it's believed he said: "I can't believe this is happening."
The Australian has acquired the full text of Justice John Hansen's decision in Harbhajan Singh's appeal.
Australian newspapers are full of reaction to the outcome of the Harbhajan Singh affair, in The Age it is reported that the Australian cricketers are furious that Harbhajan Singh has escaped suspension.
"The thing that pisses us off is that it shows how much power India has," said a contracted Australian player, who refused to be named. "The Aussie guys aren't going to make it (the accusation) up. The players are frustrated because this shows how much influence India has, because of the wealth they generate. Money talks.
In the Sydney Morning Herald, Alex Brown says, "in matters directly involving the Indians, don't expect an impartial outcome. Both the BCCI and the ICC have shown their hand in that regard during the past month."
In the Australian Peter Lalor writes, "India, the team that bleated about the spirit of cricket after being beaten in Sydney, has again held a gun to the game's head and had its demands met."
Adelaide Now's Geoff Roach tracks the day's events.
An air of anxiety began to stir among them as the start of play drew nigh without any sign of the principal players. That soon turned to frustration when it was learned the Australian participants had performed their own version of an Indian rope trick by driving into an underground car park and entering the building via a basement lift.
Fearing the same would happen with the Indian party, most camera operators surged 80m east to the car park entrance – only to have to sprint frantically back as a black BMW disgorged Harbhajan and team manager Chetan Chauhan outside the front at 10.50am.
The Australian sports radio stations too are abuzz with listeners calling in to air their opinions. Click here to listen to a few stations.
It’s not just inside Australia comment that the result of the Harbhajan hearing has attracted comment. In The Times, Christopher Martin-Jenkins is less than complimentary about the BCCI’s role.
One understands, of course, the particular sensitivity of matters pertaining to race, but either the BCCI, like all other national representative bodies, accepts the rules of the ICC and, in this case, the procedures that everyone has agreed, whatever the outcome, or there is potential anarchy.
It would not be a good thing if it were to become the expected outcome of every appeal that, whenever a nation's pride is ruffled, oil will be poured on troubled waters. Every case has to be judged on its merits.
Also in The Times Patrick Kidd writes that both teams should move on.
1) If they felt that he had done nothing wrong, India were right to fight this to clear his name. They should now refrain from gloating or complaining about being picked on and get on with the cricket.
2) If Australia thought they had heard a racial slur, they were right to complain. They should now accept that they were mistaken, not complain about the verdict and get on with the cricket.
Prem Panicker, writing in rediff.com, wonders whether in the light of the judgement ICC would take any action on Mike Procter.
Is it fair to say that Procter brought the game into disrepute by delivering a contentious verdict where there was—according to the ICC’s own man—no evidence to underpin such a judgment? And if that is a fair assessment of the performance of the match referee, is it fair to ask what, if anything, the ICC does, what processes it has, to monitor its own officials, to pull them up, to ensure optimum performance?
January 27, 2008
India's billion-dollar Twenty20 revolution
Posted on 01/27/2008 in Indian cricket
In the Sunday Telegraph, Michael Atherton says that the Indian Premier League and Twenty20 cricket is poised to take over, so you better get used to it.
It was said after the Ashes victory of 2005 that cricket was the new football; well, the IPL is cricket's version of football's Premier League, and the consequences, in terms of the finances and structure of the world game, are likely to be far-reaching.
But Atherton warns that rather than complement the traditional game, the new formats and new cash might well swamp it.
Further down the line, English county cricket may find itself threatened and the ECB, by sanctioning the IPL, may not so much have kept the barbarians at the gates, as let them through the front door. If the franchise model expands, as is the hope in India, then there will be a limit to how far a market can serve two masters. Even in India, a much bigger market for cricket, there will be a potential conflict between the new and the old. No prizes for guessing where a young, hip Calcuttan businessman will want to spend his company's dosh - and it's not with the antiquated Bengal Cricket Association. Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Red Chillies has far more appeal.
With franchise owners having staked megabucks on the IPL, the Times of India's Indranil Basu crunches the numbers to find out whether the IPL model makes business sense.
January 24, 2008
Raking in the millions
Posted on 01/24/2008 in Indian cricket
With the IPL selling the media rights and the rights to own the eight franchises at eye-popping rates, the Economic Times analyses the revenues and expenses of the Indian board and the franchises.
The total inflow for the Board from sale of TV rights and bid money is about $133 million each year for next 10 years.
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The Board will also make money from sale of title rights to the IPL, T-shirts of teams, a certain number of in-stadia boards at each venue and a portion of income from various other sources.
Meanwhile, the Business Standard finds that most franchisees are confident that they will break even between the second and fifth year.
Industry experts say that a gap of $3-4 million can be adjusted as a company’s advertising budget, because of the high mileage the corporate gets through its ownership.
January 23, 2008
A bold decision
Posted on 01/23/2008 in Indian cricket
"The best thing that the national selectors did was drop the two seniors [Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly] from the ODI squad," writes Makarand Waingankar in the Mumbai Mirror. "It requires courage of conviction. Knowing fully well that regional-minded observers will ignite controversy for dropping Ganguly and Dravid, the chairman of the selection committee Dilip Vengsarkar stamped his authority."
January 17, 2008
Commitment, discipline, hard work, perseverance
Posted on 01/17/2008 in Indian cricket
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Anil Kumble: An unsung hero?
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Seventeen years into his Test career, instead of a slow wind down towards retirement, Anil Kumble is going from strength to strength. From his appointment as Test captain to his sparkling form with the ball, and now joining the exclusive 600-wicket club. Anand Vasu profiles India's bowling champion in Tehelka.
When you speak to people about Kumble certain words keep coming up. Commitment, discipline, hard work, introvert, perseverance. These are a nightmare for someone trying to conjure up an image of the person behind the steely glare, because their meaning is so well known but so rarely adhered to. Yet with Kumble there are enough instances, if the way a person plays his cricket is an accurate reflection of his personality, to highlight each of these traits.
In his blog on cricketnext.com, Nishant Arora questions the quiet response of the BCCI.
Gentlemen, please spare some time from controlling cricket (as your abbreviation suggests that you do) and take a look at Kumble's achievements.
A silver salver five minutes before a Test match is sometimes not enough. A grand gesture is what this grand cricketer deserves.
"Anil Kumble is a titan and he is still quiet and thank god for that. And he is a substantial man. If he doesn’t feature very prominently in the Republic Day Honours List, he may not feel bad but India should, says Harsha Bhogle in the Indian Express.
The Deccan Herald's R Kaushik says that Kumble's handling of the aftermath of the Sydney Test was statesman-like and that Ricky Ponting should take a leaf out of Kumble's captaincy book.
In DNA, Gautam Sheth wonders whether Kumble would top a list of unsung heroes in cricket.
January 9, 2008
Sydney siege one slip from a bloodbath
Posted on 01/09/2008 in Indian cricket
There's a siege at the hotel. A gun is pointed at the baby's head.
No, its not a line from a crime novel, but rather from Peter Lalor's piece in today's Australian. Lalor feels India have ridden roughshod over the ICC and the notion the game must go on. He also taken an interesting look at the Steve Bucknor issue.
Indian cricket is twitching and hasn’t been sleeping. It’s been up all night on the phone, talking across time zones. It needs to be treated with respect and taken seriously.
The Indians are deadly serious on this one.
Cricket needs to examine the Indians’ grievances, but it’s not easy. Trying to work out what the problem is here is akin to a game of Where’s Wally?
Where to begin?
January 6, 2008
Dodgy deeds leave sour taste
Posted on 01/06/2008 in India in Australia, 2007-08
The initial fallout to the shenanigans at the SCG has started with Peter Roebuck firing the first shots. In his Sydney Morning Herald column he argues that India were robbed and that no sensible person would take satisfaction at Australia’s win.
It was a match that will have been relished only by rabid nationalists and others for whom victory and vengeance are the sole reasons for playing sport. Truth to tell, the last day was as bad as the first. It was a rotten contest that singularly failed to elevate the spirit.
Until another shocking decision was made by a 61-year-old umpire, reliable in his time but past his prime, the fifth day of this unattractive contest was offering plenty of tension to put alongside the memorable hundreds contributed by capable batsmen on both sides. Thereafter they might as well have drawn stumps, as all interest had been removed. Once justice and fair play have been ejected there is no point in playing the game.
December 30, 2007
Underprepared India
Posted on 12/30/2007 in Indian cricket
India went in to the first Test with virtually no preparation, their one warm-up match against Victoria rained out for the most part. Kadambari Murali writes Hindustan Times that the lack of bounce is easier to adjust to than extra bounce. She goes on to dissect the Test:
Teams like Australia feed on their opposition’s frailties and they did just that by thoroughly exploiting India’s lack of athleticism. Every time the ball went to a relatively poor fielder, they would scamper for a single. It not only got a player off the strike and kept the board ticking, it also put extra pressure on the bowler.
Every time the ball went to the deep, they took three, two for the distance the ball had travelled and one for the weak arm. By doing so, and without hitting boundaries, they managed to maintain a healthy run rate despite losing wickets.
S Ram Mahesh praises Australia's wholesome performance in his match report in the Hindu.
December 28, 2007
An out-of-sorts Dravid
Posted on 12/28/2007 in Indian cricket
Rahul Dravid opened for India after nearly two years and spent over one and a half hours for his five runs. Dravid was in terrific form in India's previous tour to Australia and a philosophical Peter Roebuck says cricket defies conquest. A batsman may feel supreme one day and a duffer the next. Regardless of past performances, a batsman walks onto the field without a run to his name, takes guard with failure beckoning and 11 men at his throat. It is not a journey to be undertaken lightly. He writes in the Sydney Morning Herald:
From the outset, Dravid looked vulnerable. He thought only about survival. Frozen at the crease, he did not think about singles to rotate the strike and ease the pressure. India can bat and bowl but are a long way behind their opponents in the basics of the game.
Also read Siddhartha Vaidyanathan's analysis of Dravid's poor form over the last year and a half on Cricinfo.
December 25, 2007
Test of character, 100 times
Posted on 12/25/2007 in Indian cricket
The story of Sourav Ganguly's career is one with so many twists and turns that a scriptwriter can make a living off it. He has had the knack of embarrassing his critics time and again and those who were convinced he wouldn't reach the landmark of 100 Tests would be looking elsewhere at the moment. Pradeep Magazine pays a tribute to Ganguly in the Hindustan Times
All international captains, be it a Nasser Hussain or a Steve Waugh, found to their dismay that they were dealing with a man who had the knack of getting under their skin and inspiring his team to perform above themselves. Not since the days of the Nawab of Pataudi had there been a leader who rallied his troops behind him. All that mattered for Ganguly was the skill of the player and not which region or state he belonged to
December 22, 2007
India are stronger this time
Posted on 12/22/2007 in Indian cricket
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India's only tour game ahead of the Melbourne Test was cut short by rain
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"India have no reason to be afraid," writes Peter Roebuck in the Hindu.
The Indians will have noticed that Sri Lanka’s only top-class batsmen scored hundreds in their recent series and will feel that the deed can be done. Last time around India conquered fear in the first Test. Melbourne awaits a similar display of fortitude. If India arises on Boxing Day then anything is possible.
Rain ruined India's only warm-up game against Victoria ahead of the first Test and Anil Kumble wrote in the Hindu that "in an ideal situation, we [India] should have had two lead-up games".
In fact, the whole purpose of my missing out on this game was to have a good look at the fast bowlers. I have not seen Pankaj Singh in the middle before and also wanted to have a look at the young Ishant, RP Singh, who is returning from an injury, and Irfan Pathan, who is making a comeback. Now I can’t do that.
December 21, 2007
Shoddy scheduling
Posted on 12/21/2007 in Indian cricket
In the Indian Express, Harsha Bhogle criticises the BCCI for its scheduling which hardly allows any time for the Indians to acclimatise in Australia, and hence making the formidable task of beating Australia on their home turf even harder.
These (the Indian cricketers) are not artists from the circus for whom life inside the big tent doesn’t change much from Melbourne to Delhi. Or baseball or basketball players or Formula One drivers for that matter. These are players who have to make significant adjustments to their game; more like a driver shifting from concrete to gravel.
Bhogle also questions the need to rejig much of the batting order to accomodate Yuvraj Singh at No. 6. He is also hopeful that Virender Sehwag will open the innings, leaving the rest of the middle-order undisturbed.
Pitches in India will keep killing cricket
Posted on 12/21/2007 in Indian cricket
The India - Pakistan Tests fell short on entertainment value due to the lifeless pitches for the second and third Tests which weren't result-oriented. Makarand Waingankar in the Hindu talks about the pressing issue of the standard of pitches in India, something which has been felt in the domestic game as well.
It is high time the work of the members of the Pitches and Grounds Committee was monitored. What is the point of having them tour the zones if the associations continue to doctor pitches? The problem of doctoring the pitches would be solved if there was a penalty of one point for bad pitches.
December 19, 2007
A brief audience with the Little Master
Posted on 12/19/2007 in Indian cricket
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All stand: Sachin Tendulkar arrives in Melbourne
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Sachin Tendulkar landed with the Indians to a rock star welcome in Melbourne. The Age’s Chloe Saltau briefly caught up with Tendulkar, the man of few words.
Asked whether he felt the age of India's star batsmen would be a factor in the coming series, Tendulkar smiled and said: "No, not really."
Did he regard this as India's best chance to defeat Australia at home, an achievement no team has managed since the West Indies in 1992-93? "We have come here to play good cricket and with good results, so hopefully we will," he said. "We have come here in good shape and we are looking forward to this tour."
December 17, 2007
What's in a franchise name?
Posted on 12/17/2007 in Indian cricket
A couple of days after Shane Warne's gigantic sign-on fee for the Indian Premier League was announced, Sharda Ugra takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the creativity that the Twenty20 tournament will spawn. Tired with franchise names like "Tigers" and "Cobras", she suggests some titles, including "The Kolkata Protestors" (industrial action or cricket balls, it's all about the strike rate) and "The Hyderabad Leftovers" (from all that remains after the ICL sweep).
Read the full piece in the India Today.
December 15, 2007
A story called Sourav
Posted on 12/15/2007 in Indian cricket
India Today's Sharda Ugra recounts a meeting with Sourav Ganguly last year, when his sangfroid about what needed to be done seemed misplaced.
Tea was drunk and the usual gee-up things that are said to cricketers in strife were said, including the wish that he go out and score “several” centuries. The word seemed to surprise Ganguly. “Several?” he echoed with an arch smile ...
The declaration debate
Posted on 12/15/2007 in Indian cricket
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Anil Kumble says a series win against Pakistan was important ahead of the tour to Australia
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Anil Kumble defends his decision to declare when he did on the final day of the Bangalore Test and says things would have been planned differently if it had been known the weather would get cloudy and prompt a bad-light situation. He writes in the Hindu:
It could have been 2-0 and that would’ve been nicer, but a series win is a series win, especially ahead of an all-important tour like Australia.
He also expresses concern over the increasing amount of international cricket being played today:
See the way international cricket is paced now: There is only three days between games, of which one is spent travelling, one practising and just one resting, you really don’t have enough time to celebrate the moment, nor brood over what you’ve lost.
In the same paper, Peter Roebuck criticises the declaration as "the margin of victory was reduced by timidity." He writes:
Striking the right balance, between attack and defence, counts amongst the hardest tasks facing any new captain. Moreover India was playing a local derby with an occasionally hostile neighbour.
Nevertheless Kumble erred on the side of caution and must change his outlook in Australia. It’s hard enough to get on top Down Under and the opportunity is not to be spurned. Any team that takes a dominant position against the Australians must resist the temptation to consolidate.
December 14, 2007
Not many options for Kumble
Posted on 12/14/2007 in Indian cricket
The [Indian] selectors had one opener and had to conjure three and whichever way you look at it, Sehwag’s selection is about desperation, not inspiration, writes Harsha Bhogle in the Indian Express.
If you are 18 and you are reading this, strap those pads on, walk out behind the fielders and take guard against the new ball. And if you are 18, tall and strong, back yourself and bowl quick. And once you realize you can force people onto the back foot and have them hopping and fending, don’t cut your pace and stroll in.
Ian Chappell provides a few thoughts in Mid-Day, saying defensive batting by a richly talented line-up could be India’s biggest threat to their ambition this summer.
Meanwhile Pradeep Magazine writes in the Hindustan Times. "These are reasons enough to rejoice and to look forward to the tour of Australia with hope and expectation. But somehow the last day of the Bangalore Test rankles."
S Dinakar, writing in the Hindu, doffs his hat to Sourav Ganguly.
Ganguly’s commitment shone through in his bowling. Despite the tour of Australia looming, he ran in hard and stretched every sinew. Not for a moment was he concerned about picking up an injury while performing what was only an occasional job.
Also check out G Unnikrishnan's interview with Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan's new crisis man, in Deccan Herald.
December 13, 2007
Parthiv left out, fans cry foul
Posted on 12/13/2007 in Indian cricket
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"On current form, Parthiv deserved a spot," says former national coach Anshuman Gaekwad. "Besides, he has done well in Australia in the past."
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Gujarat is in the middle of state elections where controversial chief minister Narendra Modi's party is contesting the Congress party, but today there was an uproar of a different kind. India's squad for the tour of Australia doesn't have the name of Parthiv Patel in it, and fans of the in-form wicketkeeper-batsman don't like it one bit.
"Gujarat's cricketers are being treated like untouchables. He is in great form and performing so well in domestic cricket. But, no matter what he does, nationally he's ignored," says a fuming convenor of Parthiv Fan Club, Devang Bhatt.
"Selections are a sham. If performance in domestic cricket is a criterion, Virender Sehwag wouldn't have made the mark. He has nothing to show even in Ranji this year. Parthiv, by that standard would have been easily in," says a dejected Vijay Patel, Parthiv's Ranji Trophy coach.
Read the full article in the Times of India here.
In the Hindustan Times, Rajasthan fast bowler Pankaj Singh, rewarded for some impressive domestic and India A performances with a ticket to Australia, says he almost gave up cricket when he was not selected for Oudh University after good performances for his college.
Young Pankaj, who called his first national call-up "a blessing from God and from my mamma," told the Indian Express that advice from Javagal Srinath during his stint at the MRF Pace Academy in 2002-03 helped him on his cricketing journey.
Over in Mid-Day, Sanjjeev Samyal caught up with Yousuf Sale Mohammad Motorwala, the man who convinced Anil Kumble, all those years ago, to give up medium-pace for legspin.
December 10, 2007
The importance of being Sourav Ganguly
Posted on 12/10/2007 in Indian cricket
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Sourav Ganguly: "I think I’ve delivered whenever the team needed a contribution."
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R Kaushik, while hailing Ganguly's innings, remembers the contribution of Greg Chappell. Read his piece in the Deccan Herald.
In some distant corner, one man will feel truly vindicated. The much-maligned Greg Chappell can allow himself a quiet chuckle or three, because every international run flowing off Gangulys willow is a victory of sorts for the former Indian coach.
Sandeep Dwivedi, of the Indian Express, spoke to Bengal’s Ranji Trophy trainer Chinmoy Roy who worked with Sourav Ganguly before the Pakistan series.
“He came to me a week before the Pakistan series and told me to restart the same regime that we did when he was out of the team. He said that he had a point to prove. I could see the same intensity in his eyes that he showed when he wanted to make a comeback. He didn’t want people questioning his fitness or fielding,” recalls Roy.
With the Bengal Ranji team too training at the Eden, Ganguly became Roy’s star pupil once again. “Half-an-hour of running around the field, ten sprints of 100 m, running through the ladder and several other drills on field were part of daily routine. This was followed by gym work, where the focus was on the abdomen and back,” he says.
Lokendra Pratap Sahi, of the Telegraph, spoke to Ganguly at the end of the first day.
On his unbeaten 125
Because of the conditions, it’s one of the better ones... As the wicket here is different from the Eden, I suppose this hundred has been technically better... The Eden one will, of course, be very special — but for different reasons (first in his hometown)... This is going to be special as, at one stage, we were four down for next to nothing. That too in a Test with the series still undecided.
On Yuvraj Singh’s hundred
Fantastic... He wasn’t getting opportunities and, when he did, made the most... It’s not for me to comment on matters of selection, but I do feel Yuvraj should be a regular in the Test XI.
December 9, 2007
Kumble and the Test captaincy
Posted on 12/09/2007 in Indian cricket
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Anil Kumble became Test captain less than a month after his 37th birthday
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Ramachandra Guha, writing in the Hindu, is relieved that Anil Kumble has been given an opportunity to captain India in Tests and also discusses how Kumble has managed what even fellow legspinner Shane Warne had failed to do: score a Test century and captain his country.
When Anil Kumble scored that unlikely hundred at Lord’s, even he did not entertain thoughts of Test captaincy. His fellow townsman Rahul Dravid was firmly in command. However, at the end of the English summer, Dravid unexpectedly resigned. The selectors then approached Sachin Tendulkar and apparently got his consent to step in as leader. On second thoughts, Sachin turned down the job, and — after thinking long and hard — the post was offered by the selectors to Kumble instead ...
... The case of Anil Kumble and the Indian captaincy is one of justice delayed but not, in the end, denied. Since India entered Test cricket in 1932, no man has worn the India cap with more pride than Kumble. No man has won more Test matches for his country. As cricketer and human being this leg-spinner from Bangalore is right out of the top drawer. His reward has come six or eight years too late — but perhaps we should be thankful that it has come at all
Tendulkar's tender touch
Posted on 12/09/2007 in Indian cricket
In the Sunday Age, Chloe Saltau pays tribute to Sachin Tendulkar ahead of what will almost certainly be his last tour of Australia.
For almost four hours this teenager with the serene face, brought up on low, slow Indian wickets, had defied four bristling Australian pacemen on the fastest, bounciest pitch in the world with a mixture of grace and power his opponents found hard to fathom in one so young. Merv Hughes cracked open a beer and turned to his captain, Allan Border: "This little prick's going to get more runs than you, AB." Almost 16 years later, Sachin Tendulkar not only has more runs than the prolific Border, and fewer only than West Indian Brian Lara, but is about to come full circle by touring Australia for the last time. At 34, he is perhaps the summer's greatest drawcard.
Will Swanton, writing in the Sun-Herald, looks at India's fitness concerns and wonders whether they will be able to handle the rigours of a four-Test tour of Australia.
December 5, 2007
Bad Eden Gardens wicket produced a bad Test
Posted on 12/05/2007 in Indian cricket
"It doesn’t matter whether or not the chairman of selectors writes a column. It does matter if we play boring Test matches. So where then do the priorities lie? I have been asked to be on a radio programme and a television show about the [Dilip] Vengsarkar issue but nobody has asked why we are playing cricket on slow, low, pedestrian pitches," says Harsha Bhogle in the Indian Express.
We don’t have to worry about a coach, about a permanent manager, about a cricket calendar, about unhappy captains, about systems for selectors to work within. Or about pitches and bright cricket. In three weeks we play a Test in Melbourne on what is bound to be a fresh, bouncy pitch. India will need three seamers in the playing eleven. T |
