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ભારત ફરી એક વખત T20 વિશ્વ વિજેતા!

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https://www.espncricinfo.com/photo/the-india-team-celebrates-with-the-world-cup-trophy-1527428

એક મહિના પહેલાં વિશ્વ કપ ની શરૂઆત થઈ તે પહેલાં ભારતના બે પાડોશી દેશોને ફાલતુ બહાનાબાજી દ્વારા રાજનીતિ કરવાનો મોકો મળ્યો હતો. તેમને ખબર હતી કે પોતાની રમત દ્વારા તો લોકોને આકર્ષિત કરી શકે તેમ નથી. પોતાનું વજૂદ બતાવવાની આ એક કળા છે જેમાં પાકિસ્તાનને પી.એચ.ડી. હાસિલ છે. બાંગ્લાદેશ પાસે ક્રિકેટમાં દોરી લોટા સિવાય બીજું કશું નથી માટે કોઈના વાદે ચઢી જવા સિવાય તેમની પાસે બીજો કોઈ વિકલ્પ જ નથી. મનોરંજક મૂલ્ય શૂન્ય હોય તો કાંઇ વાંધો નહીં, ત્રાસવાદ દ્વારા પણ ધ્યાન દોરી શકાય! બાંગ્લાદેશી રાજકારણ પણ અજબ છે. પોતાના હાથે પોતાના પગ ઉપર હથોડો મારી તેની કળ પણ વળે તે પહેલાં તો ભારત અને બીસીસીઆઈ સાથે સમાધાન કરવાની તેમની તત્પરતા જોઈ કોઈને પણ થાય કે નાટક કર્યું જ શા માટે? તેમની દાદાગીરી ગાજરની પીપુડી સાબિત થઇ. વાગી ત્યાં સુધી વગાડી નહીં તો ખાઇ ગયા! માથે ચડવા ગયા પણ પહેલી જ તક મળે પગે પડ્યા! બાંગ્લાદેશ ની સરકાર દ્વારા વિશ્વકપના જીવંત પ્રસારણ ઉપર તેમના દેશમાં પ્રતિબંધ મૂકી પોતાની મહત્તાને સાબિત કરવાનો બાલિશ પ્રયાસ પણ બેકાર ગયો. આ વિશ્વકપમાં ઘણા નવા વિક્રમ સ્થપાયા જેમાં પ્રેક્ષકોની સંખ્યાનો નવો વિક્રમ પણ સમાવિષ્ટ છે. આખી સ્પર્ધા ખૂબ મનોરંજક રહી પણ તે બધામાં સૌથી યાદગાર વાત જોકે મારી દૃષ્ટિએ એ રહેશે કે બાંગ્લાદેશનો પોપટ થયો પાકિસ્તાનના કારણે! ભારત પાકિસ્તાનની મેચ પણ ‘કભી હાં કભી ના’ ના નાટકના કારણે ખૂબ ચર્ચામાં રહી. પણ રમતની ગુણવત્તા જે માત્ર હરીફાઈ દ્વારા જ મૂલવાય, તે કંઇક અંશે મારા માટે થોડી નિમ્ન સ્તરની રહી. મેં ભારત પાકિસ્તાનની ભૂતકાળની ઘણી મેચ જોઈ છે જ્યારે ભારત માટે જીતવું ખૂબ મુશ્કેલ અને લગભગ અશક્ય જ લાગતું. પણ છેલ્લા ઘણા સમયથી જીતનું પલડુ ભારત તરફી થઈ જતાં, હરીફાઈનું આકર્ષક મૂલ્ય ઘટી ગયું છે. જે બાકી બચ્યું છે તે બન્ને ચાહક વર્ગનું એક બીજા પ્રત્યે ઘૃણાસ્પદ, અપરિપક્વ અને અવિરત અપમાનજનક વર્તન! મજાકથી શરૂ થઇ ચાહકવર્ગ વચ્ચેની નોકઝોક ખૂબ ઝડપથી અપમાનજનક, ઝનૂની શાબ્દિક યુધ્ધમાં પરીણામે છે જે મારી દ્રષ્ટિએ રમત ની મૂળ ભાવનાની વિરુદ્ધમાં છે. સમજી શકાય તેવું છે કે બંને દેશના ચાહકો માટે આ વિજય ખૂબ અગત્યનો છે. પણ રમતની ગરિમા સાચવવી તે આપણા સહૂની સામુહિક જવાબદારી છે. અને એ શક્ય ના હોય તો સ્પર્ધામાં ઉતરવું મિથ્યા છે. ભારતની ફરી એક વખત સરળ જીત દ્વારા સાબિત થઇ ગયું કે હવે આ બે ટીમ વચ્ચે ગુણવત્તામાં આસમાન જમીનનો ફરક છે, અને પાકિસ્તાનને આ દૂરી પાર કરવામાં ઘણો સમય લાગશે. હવે મને આ રમતની સમીક્ષા કરવામાં નવું કશુંક મળવાની શક્યતાઓ નહીંવત્ લાગે છે. હું માનું છું કે ભારતની સ્પર્ધા હવે ઓસ્ટ્રેલિયા, દક્ષિણ આફ્રિકા, ઇંગ્લેન્ડ અને કંઈક અંશે ન્યુઝીલેન્ડ સમક્ષ ગણાય. ટી૨૦ જેવી ત્વરિત ગતિની રમતમાં જોકે કોઇ પણ ટીમ, પ્રતિસ્પર્ધીને સરળ માની લઇ શકે નહી. આ વાત, આ વિશ્વકપમાં ખૂબ સારી રીતે સાબિત થઇ. ઓસ્ટ્રેલિયા જેવી ચેંપિયન ટીમ પહેલા જ ચરણ બાદ સ્પર્ધાની બહાર થઇ ગઇ. ભારતની દક્ષિણ આફ્રિકા સામેની મોટી હારના કારણે સ્પર્ધામાં આગળ વધવાની શક્યતા સામે એક મોટો પ્રશ્ન ઉપસ્થિત થયો હતો. પણ ભારતની ટીમે ઝિમ્બાબ્વે સામે સારી રમતનું પ્રદર્શન કરી સુપર આઠમાં પ્રવેશ મેળવી લીધો. કદાચ એક તમાચો જે ગાલ પર ભારતની ટીમને જોઈતો હતો, તે દક્ષિણ આફ્રિકાએ માર્યો અને જાણે તેમની ઊંઘ ઉડાડી. ભારતની સુપર ૮ ની બન્ને રમતો રસાકસી વાળી રહી પણ ભારતની ટીમ તેમના પ્રતિસ્પર્ધી કરતાં સતત એક ડગલું આગળ રહી. ટૂર્નામેન્ટની શરૂઆતમાં એવું મનાતું હતું કે ભારતની ટીમ એકાદ વખત તો ૩૦૦ રનનો જુમલો ખડકી દેશે. પણ જેવી રીતે ભારતની બેટિંગની શરૂઆત હતી તે જોતાં એમ લાગ્યું કે ભારતમાં બેટધરો આત્મવિશ્વાસના અતિરેકથી પીડાઈ રહ્યા છે. અભિષેક શર્મા કે જેમના નામનો, ટુર્નામેંટ પહેલાં ડંકો વાગતો હતો, તેમણે મીંડાંઓની હેટ્રિક નોંધાવી. જ્યારે ચોથી રમતમાં ટૂર્નામેન્ટમાં તેમનું એક ચોગ્ગા સાથે ખાતું ખોલાયું ત્યારે મને ખાત્રી છે કે તેમને આ ચાર રનની લાગણી, આખી જિંદગી યાદ રહે તેવી લાગી હશે. પણ એક પચાસની ઇનિંગ બાદ ફરી બે રમતોમાં જ્યારે સસ્તામાં આઉટ થઈ ગયા ત્યારે તેમના ટીમમાં સ્થાન સામે ખૂબ ગંભીર સવાલો ઉઠાવવામાં આવ્યા. પણ ટીમના કોચ કોઈ જુદી માટીના બનેલા છે. પોતાની યુદ્ધનીતિ પ્રત્યે ગંભીર એટલા અફરછે કે તેઓ પોતાના સિવાય બીજા કોઈનો અભિપ્રાય ગંભીરતાથી લેતાં નથી. તેમની નિર્ણયશક્તિ તેમના નામને જરૂર સાર્થક કરે છે! અત્યાર સુધી, ખાસ કરીને ન્યુઝીલેન્ડ વિરુદ્ધ ભારતનો ટેસ્ટ શ્રેણીમાં કારમો પરાજય થયો ત્યાર બાદ, ગંભીરના માથે ખૂબ માછલાં ધોવાયા છે. પણ તેમની સહનશક્તિ અને પોતાના વિચારો અને યોજના પ્રત્યે જે દ્રઢતા છે તેવી ઘણા ઓછા કોચમાં મેં જોઈ છે. તેમના વિચારો, ખેલાડીઓનું ચયન અને રણનીતિ પ્રત્યે ભલે આપણે ઉદાસીન હોઈએ પણ તેમનો પોતાનો આત્મવિશ્વાસ અને કેટલીક બાબતોમાં દૂરંદેશી, દાદ માંગી લે તેવી છે. આમ તો જો જીતા વોહી સિકંદર એમ કહેવાય; પણ સતત નિષ્ફળ જતાં બે ખેલાડીઓ, અભિષેક શર્મા અને વરુણ ચક્રવાર્તિને, સોશિયલ મીડિયા અને ઘણા આદરણીય વિવેચકો તરફથી ધોધમાર વરસતા નકારાત્મક અભિપ્રાયો વિરુદ્ધ પણ સંરક્ષણ આપવું અને તેમની અંદર છુપાએલી શક્તિને સમય આવે બહાર લાવવામાં મદદ કરવી તે ક્યાં તો એક મહાન દૂરંદેશી કહેવાય અથવા સદનસીબ! જે હોય તે, આજે આખા દેશના તમામ ક્રિકેટચાહકો પાસે ગંભીરના નિર્ણયોને ગંભીરતાથી લેવા સિવાય અને તેમને વખાણવા સિવાય બીજો કોઈ વિકલ્પ રહ્યો નથી! મને આ વિશ્વકપ, ક્રિકેટના ઉતાર ચઢાવ સિવાય ગંભીરની અડગ નિર્ણયકશક્તિ માટે પણ યાદ રહેશે. ગંભીરની આવતી કાલની કારકિર્દી ભારતના ક્રિકેટમાં કેવો રંગ લાવશે તે તો સમયજ કહેશે. આ તેમની દૂરંદેશી હતીકે હઠાગ્રહ, તે પણ આવનારી કાલ જ કહેશે. પણ આજે તો તેમની નિર્ણયશક્તિ, આત્મવિશ્વાસ અને પોતાના ખેલાડીઓને વિકટ પરિસ્થિતિમાં પણ પ્રોત્સાહિત કરી રાખવાની તેમની વૃત્તિને દાદ તો દેવીજ પડશે. ગૌતમ ગંભીરની કામગીરીને બીજી રીતે પણ ચકાસી જોવી જરૂરી છે. તેમના ઘણા ઇન્ટરવ્યૂમાં તેમણે સ્પષ્ટ પણે કહ્યું છે કે તેઓ ટીમમાં દરેક ખેલાડીના યોગદાનને વ્યક્તિગત રીતે મૂલવવાને બદલે, તેના ટીમ પ્રત્યેના યોગદાનમાં શું ફાળો છે તેને, વધુ અગત્યનું ગણે છે. આ વલણે ખાસ કરીને ટી૨૦ રમતના પરિમાણ બદલી નાખ્યા છે. આ એક કારણ છે કે દરેક બેટધર દરેક બોલને બાઉન્ડરીની બહાર મોકલવાના પ્રયાસમાંજ રહે છે. છેલ્લા થોડા વખતથી મેં જોયું છે કે ભારતના શરૂઆતના બેટધારો બોલને હવામાં રમવાથી સહેજે અચકાતા નથી. ફાઇનલમાં ન્યુઝીલેન્ડ સામે ભારત તરફથી ૧૯ ચોગ્ગા અને ૧૮ છગ્ગા ફટકારવામાં આવ્યા! લગભગ એક છગ્ગો અને એક ચોગ્ગો, દરેક ઓવરમાં! ૧૦૮ રન છગ્ગાઓ દ્વારા અને ૭૬ રન ચોગ્ગાઓ દ્વારા. એટલેકે કુલ ૧૮૪ run બાઉન્ડ્રી દ્વારા! ભારતે ૨૪% શૂન્ય(ડોટ) બૉલ રમ્યા તેમ છતાં દરેક ઓવરમાં ૧૨ થી વધુ સરેરાશથી રન બનાવ્યા. અને જો શૂન્ય બોલ કાઢી લઈએ તો તેમની સરેરાશ દરેક ઓવરમાં ૧૫ રનથી પણ વધુ બની જાય છે. ટી૨૦ ના ફોરમેટમાં ઘણું કરીને પિચ બૅટિંગ માટે સરળ બનાવાય છે. માટે જેટલા વધુ રન બને તે પોતાના બોલરો માટે એક સુરક્ષા કવચ જેવુ કામ કરે છે. મારા હિસાબે, ભારતની ટીમની આ ટૂર્નામેન્ટની આખી યોજના આ વિચાર ઉપર આધારિત હતી. આ યોજનામાં અભિષેક શર્માનું યોગદાન ખાસ કરીને પાવર પ્લે ઓવેરોમાં ખૂબ અગત્યનું હતું. તેમની શરૂઆતની ઘોર નિષ્ફળતાએ ભલભલા કોચ અને કપ્તાનને વિચલિત કરી દીધા હોત. પણ ધીરજના ફળ મીઠા, તે વાતને સાર્થક કરતાં શર્માનું બેટ ફાઇનલમાં એવું બોલ્યું, કે જાણે દશેરાને દિવસે ઘોડું દોડ્યું! પ્રથમ ૭ ઓવરમાંજ ૯૮ રનનો જુમલો મૂકી ભારતની શરૂઆતની જોડીએ વિશ્વકપ ઉપર જાણે તેમનો હક બતાવી દીધો. ગૌતમ ગંભીરને બીજા એક ખેલાડીમાં વિશ્વાસ જાળવવા બદલ પણ અભિનંદન આપવા જરૂરી છે. ઘણા સમયથી સંજુ સેમસન ભારતની ટીમમાં અલપ ઝલપ દેખાવો કરતાં રહ્યા છે. પણ અત્યાર સુધી તેઓ અપેક્ષાથી નીચાજ જ ઉતર્યા હતા. ઘણા મોક મળ્યા છતાં બેટિંગની સાતત્યતા જોવા મળતી ન હતી. તેવામાં ઇશાન કિશનનું બેટ પણ બરાબર ચાલ્યું અને સંજુ માટે બેટિંગ ક્રમાંકમાં જગ્યા બનાવવી અઘરી થઈ ગઈ. અભિષેક શર્માની નાદુરસ્ત તબિયતના કારણેજ બીજી રમતમાં તેમને રમવાનો મોકો મળ્યો. જો કે પાકિસ્તાન સામેની કાંટાની મેચમાં અભિષેક ટીમમાં પરત થયા અને સંજુને ફરી બહાર બેસવાનો વારો આવ્યો. દક્ષિણ આફ્રિકા સામે સુપર ૮ ના ગ્રૂપમાં હાર બાદ, ભારત માટે એક મોટી પરીક્ષા હતી. હવે બાકી રહેલી બંને મેચ, ઝિમ્બાબ્વે અને વેસ્ટ ઈન્ડિઝ સામે, જીતવીજ પડે. અભિષેક શર્માના નબળા દેખાવના કારણે ભારતની ટીમે આખરે સંજુને ઓપનિંગ કરવાની જવાબદારી સોંપવી પડી. આ કદાચ પ્લાન બી હશે! પણ આ એક માસ્ટર સ્ટ્રોક સાબિત થયો. ઝિમ્બાબ્વે સામે સંજુએ માત્ર ૨૪ રન બનાવ્યા પણ ઝડપી ગતિથી રમીને ભારતના દાવનો પાયો નાખ્યો જેણે અભિષેકને તેમનું ફોર્મ કૈંક અંશે પરત મેળવવાની તક આપી. આ પછીની એક સુપર ૮ ની રમત અને સેમી ફાઇનલ તથા ફાઇનલ, આ ત્રણે મેચમાં સંજુએ ધુંઆધાર બલ્લેબાજી કરી ભારતની ઇનિંગનો ખુબજ મજબૂત પાયો નાખ્યો. જો સંજુ ધારતતો તેમની રમતને થોડી ધીમી પાડી, આ ત્રણે ત્રણ મેચમાં સેન્ચુરી ફટકારી શકત. ૯૭ નોટ આઉટ, અને સેમી ફાઇનલ અને ફાઇનલ બંનેમાં ૮૯ રન ની બે કમાલની ઇનિંગ રમ્યા. આ ત્રણે ઇનિંગ ગંભીરની મૂળભૂત યોજના જે વ્યક્તિગત ધ્યેય કરતાં ટીમમાં યોગદાનને મહત્વ આપવું તેનું ખૂબ સુંદર ઉદાહરણ છે. ભારતનો વિશ્વકપ વિજય ઘણા અંશે સંજુની આ ત્રણે ઇનિંગ ઉપર આધારિત કહેવાય. ટીમના દરેક સભ્યને ટીમના ધ્યેય પ્રત્યે કેન્દ્રિત રાખવાથી વધુ એક કોચનું બીજું શું કામ હોય? ગૌતમ ગંભીર જરૂર આ પરિક્ષામાંથી જળહળતી સફળતા સાથે પાસ થયા તેવું કહેવાય. જોક, ભારતની સફળતા માટે માત્ર બેટિંગને મહત્વ આપવું અયોગ્ય કહેવાય. ભારતના બોલરોએ જુદા જુદા સમયે, મહત્વ નું યોગદાન આપ્યું. પણ ભારતની આખી બોલિંગના ઉચ્ચાલનનું આધારબિંદુ જસપ્રિત બૂમરા રહ્યા. જ્યારે જ્યારે ભારતને જરૂર પડી ત્યારે ક્યાંતો વિકેટ ખેરવીને અથવા ખૂબ સટીક બોલિંગ દ્વારા રનની ગતિને રોકી પ્રતિસ્પર્ધી ઉપર એવો દબાવ બનાવી રાખ્યો કે જેના આવરણ હેઠળ બીજા બોલરો ટીમને વિજય તરફ ખેંચી ગયા. આ બોલર એક એવો કમાલનો, નાયબ હીરો છે, જેની કિમત ટીમ માટે આંકવી અશક્ય છે. એમ જ કહેવાય કે બૂમરા ભારતની ટીમને લગભગ ૫૦% શક્તિ અર્પે છે અને પ્રતિસ્પર્ધી માટે હમેશ લટકતી તલવાર બનીને રહે છે. જ્યાં સુધી તેમની એક પણ ઓવર બાકી હોય ત્યાં સુધી, પ્રતિસ્પરધીને બીજા બોલરો પાસેથી રન મેળવવા માટે જોખમ ઉઠાવવું જ પડે છે. ભારતનો આ વિશ્વકપના વિજયનો ઘણો યશ આ ખેલાડીને જાય છે. ફાઇનલમાં તેમને મેન ઓફ ધ મેચ નો ખિતાબ મળ્યો તે બિલકુલ યોગ્ય કહેવાય. ઘણાનો મત છે કે પ્લેયર ઓફ ધ સીરિઝ નો ખિતાબ પણ સંજુ સેમસન કરતાં બૂમરાને મળવો જોઈએ. જોકે, સંજુની છેલ્લી ત્રણે ઇનિંગે ભારતના વિજયનો પાયો નાખ્યો હતો. મારા હિસાબે તો આ બંને જણ સરખે સરખા આ ખિતાબને યોગ્ય છે. આ બધી સકારાત્મક વાતોમાં જો કોઈ અંશે નબળી કહેવાય તેવી કડી હોય તો તે હતી ભારતનું કેચિંગ. આખી ટુર્નામેંટ દરમ્યાન ૯ રમતોમાં ભારતે લગભગ ૧૫ કેચ છોડ્યા! કોઈ પણ સંજોગોમાં આ ઘણા કહેવાય અને કૈંક અંશે નવાઈ પમાડે તેવું પણ કહેવાય. કેટલાક મહત્વના સમયે ખૂબ અદભૂત કેચ પણ પકડાયા. ખાસ કરીને અક્ષર પટેલના બે કેચ સેમી ફાઇનલમાં ઇંગ્લૈંડ સામે અને ઇશાન કિશનના ત્રણ કેચ ફાઇનલમાં અદભૂત રહ્યા. ઉપરાંત હાર્દિક પંડયા, તિલક વર્મા અને જ્યારે જ્યારે મેદાનમાં ઉતાર્યા ત્યારે, રીન્કુ સિંઘની ગ્રાઉંડ ફિલ્ડિંગ કમાલની રહી. આખી શૃંખલા દરમ્યાન જો કોઈ એક વાત ઉડીને આંખે વળગે તેવી હોય, તો તે હતી ભારતીય ટીમની સંઘભાવના. કોઈ પણ ટીમ રમતમાં આ એક મુદ્દો સૌથી વધુ અગત્યનો હોય છે. દરેક રમતમાં જ્યારે જ્યારે જરૂર પડી ત્યારે કોઈને કોઈ ખેલાડીએ એવી રમત બતાવી કે તે ભારતના વિજય માટે અગત્યની બની ગઈ. તે હોય તિલક વર્માના વેસ્ટ ઈન્ડિઝ સામે ૨૭ રન કે જેમાં સંજુ સાથે અગત્ય ની ભાગીદારી બનાવી. તેવાજ અગત્યના તેમના ૨૫ રન, પાકિસ્તાન સામે ત્રીજા નંબરે, ખાસ કરીને જ્યારે અભિષેક પહેલીજ ઓવરમાં પવિલિયન ભેગા થઈ ગયા હતા. એવીજ રીતે શિવમ દુબેએ પણ નાની પણ ખૂબ અગત્યની ઇનિંગો રમી. આમ દરેક પ્રતિસ્પર્ધી ટીમ માટે, ભારતીય ટીમ વિકેટ ગુમાવે તો પણ આવી રહેલા બીજા બેટધારોનો હાઉ હરદમ રહ્યો. ભારતની બંદુકમાં ક્યારે પણ ગોળીઓની કમી વર્તાઇ નહીં. મારા માટે, ભારતના વિજયનું સૌથી મહત્વનું કારણ આ સંઘભાવના કહેવાય. તેના માટે ભારતની આખી ટીમ, જેમાં કોચ, સપોર્ટ સ્ટાફ, બેન્ચ પર રહેલા બીજા ખેલાડીઓ અને બીસીસીઆઈના ચયનકર્તા; સર્વે સરખા ભાગીદાર છે. દરેક ને અભિનંદન અને આભાર!

Translation:

India once again at the summit of the T20 World Cup!

A month ago, even before the World Cup had begun, two of India’s neighbouring countries found an opportunity to bring politics into cricket, through ridiculous posturing. They knew very well that they could not attract people through their cricketing prowess. This is an art of asserting one’s existence — and Pakistan has practically earned a PhD in it. Bangladesh, which has little to show in cricket beyond making a lot of noise for nothing, has hardly any option except to jump onto someone else’s bandwagon. If entertainment value is zero, no problem — attention can always be drawn by nuisance value! Bangladeshi politics too is quite peculiar. They shot themselves in the foot but even before the pain could subside, their eagerness to reconcile with India and the BCCI made one wonder — why stage the drama in the first place? Their show of bravado turned out to be much ado about nothing. They made all the noise they could — and then beat a hasty retreat. The Bangladeshi government’s childish attempt to prove its importance by banning live telecast of the World Cup in their country also proved futile. This World Cup witnessed many new records, including a record number of spectators. The entire tournament was highly entertaining, but for me, a memorable takeaway will remain how Bangladesh ended up making a spectacle of itself — largely because of Pakistan!

The India–Pakistan match too remained in the limelight because of all the “will they, won’t they” drama. However, the quality of cricket — which can only truly be judged through competition — felt somewhat underwhelming to me. I have watched many India–Pakistan matches in the past when an Indian victory seemed extremely difficult, almost impossible. But in recent times, with the balance of wins tilting decisively in India’s favour, the charm of the rivalry has diminished. What remains now is largely the hateful, immature and relentless mud-slinging between sections of fans on both sides. Banter that begins in jest quickly escalates into toxic, fanatical verbal warfare — something that, in my view, goes against the very spirit of sport.

It is understandable that this victory holds immense importance for fans in both countries. But preserving the dignity of the game is a collective responsibility. If that is not possible, then competing itself becomes meaningless. India’s yet another comfortable win proved that there is now a gulf in quality between the two teams — and it will take Pakistan considerable time to bridge that gap. Personally, I feel there is hardly anything new left for me to analyse in this rivalry.

In my opinion, India’s real competition now comes from Australia, South Africa, England, and to some extent New Zealand. Yet in a fast-paced format like T20, no team can afford to take any opponent lightly — something this World Cup demonstrated beautifully. A champion side like Australia crashed out after the very first stage. India’s heavy defeat against South Africa had raised serious doubts about their chances of progressing further. But the team bounced back strongly against Zimbabwe to secure entry into the Super Eight. Perhaps South Africa delivered the slap India needed — one that jolted them awake.

Both of India’s Super Eight matches were closely fought, but the team consistently stayed one step ahead of the opposition. At the start of the tournament, there was talk that India might even pile up a 300-run total at some point. However, the way India’s batting began in the tournament, it felt as though the batters were suffering from a dose of overconfidence. Abhishek Sharma — who was already #1 batter inT20 rankings, registered a hat-trick of ducks. When he finally opened his account with a boundary in his fourth match, I am sure those four runs must have felt unforgettable to him. But after one half-century, when he again got out cheaply in the next two matches, serious questions were raised about his place in the team.

Yet the team’s coach seems to be made of different clay. He is so fiercely committed to his strategy that he hardly takes anyone else’s opinion seriously. His decisiveness truly lives up to his name! (Gambhir in Sanskrit and many Indian languages means ‘serious’ ). Until now — especially after India’s humiliating Test series defeat against New Zealand — plenty of criticism had been heaped upon Gambhir. But the patience he has shown and his conviction in his ideas and plans, are qualities I have rarely seen in other coaches. We may disagree with his player selections and tactics, but his self-belief and long-term vision in certain matters deserve applause. Winning has a way of silencing all critics. But continuing to back two underperforming players — Abhishek Sharma and Varun Chakravarthy — in the face of relentless negativity from social media and respected commentators alike, and helping them unlock their hidden potential at the right time — can only be called great foresight… or sheer good fortune!

Whatever the case, today cricket fans across the country have little option but to applaud Gambhir’s decisions. For me, this World Cup will be remembered not just for the ups and downs of cricket, but also for Gambhir’s unwavering decisiveness. What impact his coaching career will leave on Indian cricket — only time will tell. And whether it was a vision or stubbornness — that too the future will decide. But for now, his decision-making, confidence, and his ability to keep players motivated even in adversity certainly deserve full credit.

Gambhir’s work also needs to be evaluated from another angle. In several interviews, he has clearly said that instead of judging players purely on individual performance, he values their contribution to the team’s cause more. This approach has, in many ways, changed the dimensions of T20 cricket. One reason why every batter now tries to send almost every ball beyond the boundary. In recent times, I have noticed that India’s opening batters show no hesitation in playing aerial shots.

In the final against New Zealand, India smashed 19 fours and 18 sixes! Almost one six and one four every over! 108 runs came through sixes and 76 through fours — a staggering 184 runs via boundaries. Despite playing 24% dot balls, India still scored at an average of over 12 runs per over. Remove the dot balls, and the scoring rate shoots past 15 per over. In T20, pitches are often made batting-friendly. The more runs you score, the stronger the safety net for your bowlers. In my view, India’s entire tournament strategy was built around this idea.

In this plan, Abhishek Sharma’s role — especially during the Powerplay overs — was extremely crucial. His early failures could have unsettled even the most seasoned captain or coach. But patience pays rich dividends — and Sharma’s bat finally broke free in the final and ran riot! By piling up 98 runs within the first seven overs, India’s opening pair virtually sealed the result of the finals!

Gambhir also deserves congratulations for maintaining faith in another player — Sanju Samson. For a long time, Samson had been making fleeting appearances in the Indian team without truly meeting expectations. Despite multiple opportunities, consistency with the bat remained elusive. Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan’s good form made it even harder for Samson to find a place in the batting order.

It was only due to Abhishek Sharma’s illness that Samson got a chance in the second match. Though Abhishek returned for the high-voltage clash against Pakistan, pushing Samson back to the bench. After the Super Eight loss to South Africa, India faced a do-or-die situation. The remaining matches against Zimbabwe and West Indies had to be won. With Abhishek struggling for form, India finally entrusted Samson with the responsibility of opening — perhaps a Plan B. But it turned out to be a masterstroke.

Against Zimbabwe, Samson scored just 24 runs but laid the foundation with aggressive intent, allowing Abhishek to regain some confidence. Thereafter — in a Super Eight match, the semi-final, and the final — Samson played three blazing innings that built rock-solid platforms for India. Had he wished, he could have slowed down and converted all three into centuries: 97 n.o. and two superb knocks of 89 in the semi-final and final. These innings beautifully illustrated Gambhir’s core philosophy — team contribution over personal milestones. India’s World Cup triumph rested significantly on these performances.

After all, what more can a coach do than keep every player aligned with the team’s objective? It would be fair to say Gambhir has passed this test with flying colours.

Of course, giving credit only to batting would be unfair. India’s bowlers too made crucial contributions at different stages. But the fulcrum of India’s bowling effort was Jasprit Bumrah. Whenever India needed a breakthrough — or control over the run flow — he delivered. By either picking wickets or bowling with surgical precision, he created pressure that allowed other bowlers to steer the team towards victory.

He is that rare, priceless jewel whose value to the team cannot truly be measured. One could say Bumrah alone contributes nearly 50% of India’s strength and remains a constant sword hanging over the opposition’s head. As long as he has even one over left, the opponent is forced to take risks against other bowlers. A significant share of India’s World Cup success belongs to him. His Player of the Match award in the final was absolutely deserved. Many believe he should also have been Player of the Series ahead of Sanju Samson. Though Samson’s last three innings laid the foundation for victory, in my view both were equally deserving. Perhapsa a shared award would have been suitable!

If there was one relatively weak link amid all the positives, it was India’s catching. Across nine matches, India dropped around 15 catches — quite a high number in any circumstances and somewhat surprising. Yet some stunning catches were also taken at crucial moments — particularly Axar Patel’s two in the semi-final against England and Ishan Kishan’s three in the final. Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, and whenever he was on the field, Rinku Singh too displayed exceptional ground fielding.

If there was one thing that truly stood out throughout the tournament, it was the teamwork of India. In any team sport, this is perhaps the most vital factor. Whenever the situation demanded, some player or the other rose to the occasion with a performance that proved decisive. Be it Tilak Varma’s 27 against West Indies in a key partnership with Samson, or his equally important 25 at No. 3 against Pakistan when Abhishek had returned to the pavilion in the very first over. Shivam Dube too played several small but vital innings.Thus, even when India lost wickets, the incoming batters always carried an aura of threat. India’s gun never seemed to run out of bullets. For me, this team spirit was the single biggest reason behind India’s triumph.

The entire unit — the coach, support staff, bench players, and the BCCI selectors — all share equal credit. Congratulations and heartfelt thanks to each one of them!

Kohli's India Is Ready to Cross The Border!

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2-1, and one more to go. If you don’t win the series now, you won’t get another chance for next few decades. Those would be my words if I were the captain or a coach. Like Kabir Khan’s “Sattar minute” speech. This IS the Chak De India moment for Team Kohli. India has drawn series only twice in 12 previous trips; in 1988-81 and 2004-05. They have a chance to write a new page in the history of Indian cricket.

Last time, India went to Sydney with a chance to win the series was in 2004-05, the test made more famous by Steve Waugh’s retirement than the possibility of Australia’s series loss. This time Kohli’s India is one up already and they can’t lose the series. However, I don’t think this team is thinking of drawing the series like a few of its predecessor teams. They have, by and large, outplayed Aussies on their home turf. Taking a lead in Melbourne, gives them a great opportunity to conquer that final frontier in the Indian cricket’s history. It’s a rare opportunity to cross the Border from the coveted Trophy and convert it into Gavaskar Trophy; figuratively speaking.

India started off very well in Adelaide and in spite of the 4th innings fightback with the bat from Ausies bowlers, they were largely in driving seat. Pujara’s 194 runs for the game on a wicket that offered a bit to the bowlers was the foundation upon which Indian pace bowlers built the victory. Kohli’s unusual failure in the test went largely unnoticed largely due to outstanding performance from India’s bowling unit; share of the spoils very evenly spread with Bumrah and Ashwin snaring 6 each followed by Shami’s 5 and Ishan’t 3. Kohli’s belief that the wicket wasn’t as bad to bat on as normal fifth day wicket, was epitomized by a marathon spell of 53 overs from Ashwin. Something that could be debated at Kohli’s captainship appraisal, especially as it ended up being a pyrrhic victory due to aggravation of Ashwin’s side strain that kept him unfit for next two tests. He is still unsure to play, as I write this a day before the Sydney test. One man’s loss is another one’s gain. Ironically it was Ashwin who made this statement before start of the test series as the teenage sensation Prithvi Shaw was ruled out of the first two tests. Indeed, Umesh Yadav and Ravi Jadeja will agree, as first Umesh and then Jadeja got an opportunity to play in next two tests. While Umesh disappointed, Jadeja proved that the Indian selectors got it wrong even on the fast and bouncy Perth track. While hindsight is wonderful and provides armchair critics like us some ammo, the main concern I had with four pronged pace attack was a serious weakening of the yet-to-fire Indian batting line up. India was extremely vulnerable at the top and the weak tail was made even more so by excluding a bowling allrounder. No amount of excellence in bowling can be offset by lack of runs on the board. Afterall, you need to make one run more than your opponent to win a game of cricket.

Jadeja’s inclusion in MCG test was brought about only after the painful experience of surrendering the lead in Perth; and that too wasn’t that easy. A few salvos fired by Indian experts, mainy Sunil Gavaskar, were still met by the bullish approach of the team management through Ravi Shastri’s retort of critics “shooting blanks from million miles away”. But when it mattered, Jadeja was brought in the XI for MCG test even after a lot of sound bytes from Australian media about the possibility of a bouncy and grassy MCG wicket being lot better than last year when it was ranked poor. On her part, the wicket fooled everyone including the curator by turning out to be a wicked witch, not dissimilar to many served in 80s in the subcontinent, being slow and low. Perhaps the coach’s bravado was just an attempt at supporting his captain’s bullish approach. It is widely known that this is Kohli’s team more than India’s; if unceremonious departure of previous Team India’s coach is taken as an evidence. Perhaps Shastri the coach coaxed his mentor and guru Gavaskar to make a strong statement to help him convince his skipper in picking a right combination for the crucial test! One will never know what transpired in the selection meeting before the MCG test. Whether it was a providence or the “luck-by-chance” phenomenon, Jadeja’s inclusion was timely as he took some crucial wickets, providing superb support to the pace trio. Equally importantly but  rarely acknowledged that he saved 20-30 runs in the field. His bat may not produce runs all the time, but by jove, his fielding is always 30+ for his team’s scoreline. And in low scoring games, that could be an important factor.

Kohli to his credit, did not take a backward step even in defeat. His performance in the press conferences is consistent with his approach on the field. So far all the criticism about wickets and unavailability of key players have come from his opposite number. Tim Paine has complained that Australia has been serving up wickets to suit the opposition more than home team: “It’s a frustration for us. You never go to India and get served up green wickets. They’ve come out here and we’ve served some wickets up that really suit them.” He forgets one basic thing: India has an attack that suits all conditions now. Kohli never complained that one of his main bowlers and one who could also bat a bit was not available in the test where Aussies won. He has never lamented that his opening partnership became vulnerable due to an injury to the talented teenager Prithvi Shaw. Tim Paine also lamented unavailability of banned players; “If you took Pujara and Virat out of India’s side I think you would have the same conversation. If you have got world-class players that are not in your team, are they going to add to our team?”. Granted that Paine has grudgingly accepted that Indian bowlers have dominated his “inexperienced” batsmen, but not long back, Australian domestic cricket was hailed as the best in the world and Sydney grade cricket teams,being superior to many international teams. Certainly miles ahead of a domestic set up where “Jalandhar Railway Canteen Staff” serves tea and samosas to the batsmen to feast upon; where an average of 50 can be equivalent of 40 in Australian set up!! I don’t know, but all I can see is that the test class batsmen have suddenly disappeared from Australian cricket set up like a proverbial dodo’s tail. What is left is a background of whining more than acceptance of the opponent’s superiority. A leopard can’t change his spots, I guess!

Kohli has never complained about any kind of wicket that they have been served anywhere in 2018; be it England, Australia or South Africa. Indeed, at Wanderers, it was home batters who were more than happy to walk off mid way through a test match (the series was secured with 2-0 lead, I might add!). Indians, largely considered “lambs to the slaughter” on bouncy and fast wickets overseas, have shown tremendous resolve not only to play in difficult conditions but also give it back to the opponents in action and in verbals. Kohli has to be admired for instilling steel in the Indian side. You won’t die wondering what Kohli’s India will opt for when it comes to a test win overseas or at home. Perhaps, Kohli deserves a bit of leeway from his detractors for his apparently aggressive demeanor. It has definitely rubbed off on his team which is producing results. I can see a bit of Ian Chappel in Kohli, the skipper. The only danger being, aggression can sometimes create a blindspot that can make you miss a tactical withdrawal. Hopefully Kohli will learn to balance his aggression with tactical defense, as he has done, as a batsman. He is at least statistically, on the verge of becoming the most successful captain of India if they win the Sydney test and series. 

There are already signs of more whining from the Australian camp. The SCG wicket is deemed to be drier than usual and more suited to Indian spinners! The more successful spinner in the series so far has been Australian Nathan Lyon! India hasn’t complained SCG may be tailor made for him. The fact is Aussies have realised it is better to give a wicket which will blunt Indian pace trio!! Most certainly Aussies are missing their most experienced two batsmen in Warner and Smith. But Australia’s first class set up was always considered good enough to throw up players who can fill in the void seamlessly. Apparently, something is wrong somewhere and suddenly the loss of two players is considered an irreparable loss.The fact that this is largely due to opposition’s superior bowling attack is being glossed over. If Australian bowling unit was considered (and even now it is) best in the world, logic says Indian batting line up has to be close to being best in the world! I think majority of Indian critics and fans will disagree with that.

Whatever may be the outcome, Kohli’s India has wrested the initiative back from Aussies, that they surrendered after the Perth test; the winning margins in loss and win being very similar. It will be challenging for the Indian think tank to select correct XI; something they have often blundered in past 12 months. If the wicket is dry, and if Ashwin is still unavailable, it would be good to bring in the left arm chinaman Kuldeep Yadav. This will require some juggling of the line up. The pace trio has been outstanding. But in my opinion, Ishant Sharma can make way for Hardik Pandya who will fill in for both Rohit Sharma and Ishant, giving Kohli the benefit of two spinners in Jadeja and Yadav, without weakening the batting; Rohit’s output with the bat is not likely to be missed to be honest! That means, unfortunately, Vihari may still be stuck with the opening slot but he may remember this test match for a very very long time and very fondly!!

My XI for SCG will be: Agarwal, Vihari, Pujara, Kohli, Rehane, Pandya, Pant, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami and Bumrah.

Go India!!!

Southampton Calling

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Pataudi series is at a very interesting stage. After comprehensive defeat in Lords
test, fans of the Indian tram were not only disappointed but angry as well.
They were not expecting number 1 test team in the world to capitulate so easily.
Even though India lost the first test there was no anger amongst the fans since
India did not lose so badly. Disappointment, definitely. However, the way in
which they surrendered in the Lords test even after significant time loss due
to rain, simply raised the fears again that Indian team is a tiger only at
home. The team of Virat Kohli had no space to go back; not one step. And they responded
splendidly. After losing the toss, when England send them into bat in very
helpful conditions, their batting responded like a true champion. First innings
total of 329 was par score on that wicket and conditions. To add to that, their
bowlers performed tremendously. In conditions far better than their opponent,
England capitulated for a meagre 161 which was less than half of Indian
total. Once in the driving seat, Kohl’s batsmen showed their worth by batting
England out of the contest. After that India win was a mere formality
especially as the weather Gods were not going to oblige English team again,
like at Lords. This was a very meritorious win for the Indian team especially
due to severe mauling they had received in the Lords’ test. With this win they are
back roaring in the series with a clear message that we will not surrender that easily. England which must have been pleasantly surprised at the easy with which they got the lead in the series, must be contemplating now how to stop the momentum that
is with the Indian team. Cricket is a mental game and so much dependent
upon self-confidence. All Indian batsmen who looked clueless in
the first two test barring Kohli, started showing some form that has taken the team to the
top of the ladder.
More than anyone else,
it must be the Indian bowlers who would have heaved a big sigh of relief! It
is Indian bowlers who have kept the team afloat. And all they need is
for their batsmen to give them a reasonable score to defend. Really Indian bowlers have been stupendous! It
is a very balanced attack, with speed, swing and spin. This is not the first
time that India has a good and balanced attack. But perhaps for the first time
they are showing a consistency in line, length to suit the conditions. So far in the
series, Indian bowlers have been the fastest across both the teams. Even Hardik
Pandya is bowling faster than any English bowler! And along with that they are
able to use the Dukes ball to a great effect. There is more than one reason for
the bowlers to have upper hand in test matches in England. Grass on the wicket and
heavy atmosphere definitely facilitate the swing and movement off the pitch.
However, another critical point is the Dukes ball. Compared to Kukaburra and SG
balls, Dukes has more pronounced seam which helps it to swing. Additionally,
the ball retains the shine for a longer period and in fact starts swinging more
after 10 to 15 overs as one side becomes rough. Under these conditions, a
bowler has more than one weapon to aim at the batsman. That is the reason why
the batsmanship needs more focus and planning. This is so much evident in the
way in which Kohli has batted so far. 

For a batsmen who had a dismal tour of
England last time he played there, this series was considered a massive
challenge. And his duel with Jimmy Anderson was billed as the most important
factor to decide the outcome of the series. If one looks at the scores, Kohli
can be said to be winning that duel. Kohli has already scored 440 runs at an average of 73 so far with almost three centuries. And Jimmy Anderson has not dismissed Kohli even once so far! However, if one looks closely, one
would realise how much respect Kohli has given to Anderson. Anderson has definitely not been supported by his slip cordon. He has gone past Kohli’s edge
many times in the series so far and should have had Kohli out twice. Kohli also
knows that the battle is not yet won. He has remained extremely focussed. The
way in which he has paid respect to Anderson’s bowling putting aside his ego,
is a sign of a champion batsman. This reminds me of one more contest
between a batsman and a bowler. Sachin Tendulkar versus Shane Warne. That
contest was billed exactly the same. And we all know the result! 

If this contest
also goes the same way in remaining two tests, we may see a miracle. And I am
calling it a miracle since no team has won a series after being 0-2 behind in
England since 1937! So Indian team is not battling only English weather and the team. It is also the history! Is this Indian team capable of defeating
history? Only time will tell, but my gut feeling is, we will still be asking
this question at the end of the fourth test match that begins tomorrow.
Let us Talk about the fourth test to be played at
the Ageas bowl in Southampton. In current season, Ageas bowl has seen highest
average runs per wicket of all test playing grounds in England. Seam bowlers
have taken more than 80% of the wickets. 
While England must be worried about the threat from the Indian pace bowlers,
they must feel that the best opportunity for them to upset the Indian batting
revival is using movement in the air and off
the wickets. They have to believe that in spite of their dominance in the last
test match, Indian batters can be pressurised by swing and seam. They will also
be hoping for the help from the weather gods like they did at Lords. And they
will hope that their top order batsmen will be able to stand up to the indian
pace bowlers. Additionally, they have a couple of problems to solve. Jamie
Bairstow’s finger injury has threatened to take out their best batsman of the
series who is second after Virat Kohli so far in the series. Even if Bairstow
plays, he will not be 100% and Indian bowlers will target his injured hand.
England’s major problem though, is poor opening partnership in the series so
far and Joe Root’s inability to emulate Virat Kohli in supporting the innings.
Joe Root is a class act and he can not be expected to keep failing. However,
they have another problem at numbers 4 & 5. Ollie Pope who is a young new
recruit, is very promising batsman but because of batting failure around him he
gets exposed. I am sure they will draw a lot of confidence from Josh Butler and
Ben Stokes’s partnership. So it will be interesting to see if they will
continue with Pope at lower number rather than bringing in James Vince. As for
bowling, Since first test, I believe that they missed a trick by not including
Moeen Ali. In my opinion he would be more helpful than Rashid. Chris Woakes is
doubtful due to some fitness issue. If he can’t play England will have to play
without the only other century maker of the series. However, that may be a
blessings in disguise for England. It will allow them to play Sam Curran whose
contribution was the difference between win and loss for the English team at Edgbaston. In
my opinion England team should be Cook, Vince, Root, Bairstow, Stokes, Pope,
Butler, Moeen, Curran, Broad and Anderson. They need to have more right handers
in top order.

For India, I would prefer Virat Kohli plays
with the same team as the one at Trent Bridge. Ashwin is expected to play. The
batting unit has shown a bit of form and looking to build from there. There is
no need to tinker with the bowling unit; all are performing optimally. So the prediction? As they say, the game is
never finished till the last ball is bowled. I have an inkling that we will go
to the last test match at Oval, with series still to be won or lost….

Trent Bridge- Is that a bridge too far?

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0-2 down and more importantly beaten in two playing days of a test match that could have been totally rained off; just that the English cricket had the sun on their beck and call. Indians of course obliged the hosts by playing terribly in the second innings, a total spineless performance has left them with no defence for an extreme bad luck of losing the toss and massively swinging conditions where 150 was a par score for the best of the best. That innings was no different in English condition from the typical spinning wickets Poms have faced a few times in India and have been annihilated as badly as Indians were at Lords. None of the Indian batsmen barring Kohli look settled; and even he is looking vulnerable more due to his sore back. He looked set to win his much-touted contest with Anderson after mercurial innings at Edgbaston. Currently, Kohli is a wee bit ahead in that contest; 200 runs in one innings notwithstanding, Anderson was a bit unlucky not to nip out Kohli earlier, due to his slip cordon’s generosity towards the visiting captain; a rare thing for a Pom. Though, the turnaround in Kohli’s game against Anderson in typical English conditions, is a clear indication of great maturity and skill level that he has reached since the disastrous last series in the Old Blighty. It is an indication of fantastic mental strength that Kohli is bestowed with. Unfortunately, the support that he needs to push the marauding English pacemen back (and Stokes has now joined the fray for Edgbaston) has been conspicuous by its absence! I won’t quote the stats to highlight the plight of Indian top order; its stating obvious. What it still hides is the fact that the same set of players have conquered situations similar to this before; not often but at least one example is hard to ignore. The last test at Wanderers in South Africa where the home batsmen wanted the test match to be called off due to poor wicket saw Indian batters play with rare guts, even after losing the series to pocket a memorable victory. While a repeat of that gutsy performance may seem almost impossible at this moment, there is no doubt that this batting unit is still capable of putting up a fight. There is no doubt about the skill; it’s all up in the minds. How well they have been able to switch off after the Lords test and go to Trent Bridge with a confidence in their capabilities, is a singular most important factor that will determine the fate of this series.

Batting woes alone aren’t an issue. India should have won the Edgbaston test when they had removed the English top order in the second innings very cheaply. Just that they gave a few precious runs to a lower order in both tests is an indication of either loosing the focus after early good work or the skipper’s impatience with his bowlers when a partnership develops. In both test matches Kohli has missed a few things as a captain; it is easy of course to state that in hind sight. Though his bringing in the left arm chinamen in conditions that were more suitable for was an example of impatience due to his team’s low first innings total. His misplaced confidence in Kuldeep’s mystery factor actually convinced him to fire his bullet a bit too early in the contest; forgetting the fact that he needed to take into account the bowler’s mindset. It was obvious that Kohli was making a statement by throwing ball to him earlier than Ashwin, who was literally unplayable at Edgbaston, that he DEMANDS wickets from him. That was immense pressure for the young leggie apart from trying to defend a low score. I thought, Kohli should have protected his young and critical weapon a little bit better.
It is then apparent that to win a series from here for India is almost a herculean task; in fact some may even say India will loose all 5 tests. I am not convinced about that. I still believe there is plenty of fight in this unit and there is a lot left for the Indian team to fight for; not just no. 1 raking but a lot of pride. I still believe India can and will get back at least one if not two tests. I am not sure if that one will be today’s crucial game or not.
My reasons? I think English batting is still unsettled. Indian bowlers have given them a rare hard couple of games so far; just that there is insufficient fire power as Umesh was a bit disappointing in the first test and Hardik Pandya is looking half decent test allrounder. He is capable bowler but still needs more experience of how to bowl in English conditions. That leaves the burden only on two pacers and Ashwin. If Bumrah can join for today’s test, he will make a difference. Him, Shami and Ishant will be handful at Trent Bridge, if India get an opportunity to bowl first.
Indian batting is one good outing away. If they come close to 300 once the confidence will be back. I would like to see Dhawan back may be for Vijay. And Karthik has looked pedestrian. This is a good opportunity to bleed the youngster, Rishabh Pant, who will have no fear of failure as the whole team has flopped and is expected to flop. He may be an x-factor that India is looking for.

My team will be: Dhawan, Rahul, Pujara, Kohli, Rehane, Pandya, Pant, Ashwin, Ishant, Shami and Bumrah. This seems like the best team to give Poms a fight and put the series back on track…let’s keep the fingers crossed!!

Match Scorecard link added on 13-Aug-2025
ENG vs IND Cricket Scorecard, 3rd Test at Nottingham, August 18 – 22, 2018

Team India on the cusp of greatness

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India V England test series: a contest too close to call.

Team India is on the cusp of greatness. Opportunity to play two very strong and difficult opponents on their home turf in next 6 months, brings opportunities to shut their detractors and critics who have consistently rubbished its no.1 test cricket ranking claim at the throne of the test team by calling them tigers at home, lambs overseas. There is some softening in that stance though ; now they call them tigers in subcontinent conditions! In all fairness, there is some truth in it. While their journey to the top ranking test team came during four successive series wins at home including 13 tests winning all but two (one draw and one loss). However, as soon as they travelled to South Africa, the usual failings against pace and bounce surfaced and the critics were up with their customary I-told-you-so. To their credit, they came back strongly in the test series, but it was too late to erase that familiar sense of deja vu!

While India have beaten England, West Indies and New Zealand travelling, they are yet to take a series in Australia and South Africa. This was the motivation at the start of 2018 in South Africa, as it was the start of the most difficult passage for team India. However their usual poor and almost ridiculous preparation for significant series caught them out. As Virat kohli’s team prepares to go into a big 5 test series against strong English side, they have one less excuse to blame their potential failure upon. They have been in England for more than a month and have already given themselves a reasonable start by dominating T20 series. England came back strongly in the odi series by turning the tables on their nemesis in the form of two Indian spinners, who looked unplayable. This has emphasised one thing. This series will be a hard fought, arm wrestle, a slug fest, a mouth watering contest and very hard to predict who the winner could be. While England is always hard to beat at home, Indian team has perhaps most balanced bowling attack since 1986 when Kapil’s team dominated the three test series winning 2-0. It covers all the bases with 6 good pace bowlers and three good spinners. There are three pace bowlers who consistently bowl at over 140k, one swing bowler who could be very handy in typical English conditions. The spinners are all different with the left arm Chinamen already proving a handful in the limited over games. If English curators prefer to keep a lot of grass Indian pace bowling unit can test English batters like they did the home batsmen in south Africa. If the conditions can be dry as it seems likely due to prevailing weather conditions  Indian spinners can be handful in second dig. England team management knows this so they will depend upon their batsmen’s better experience of their home condition against pace and hope to rattle the relatively unsuccessful Indian batting line-up with their swing and pace. Their best chance at beating the number 1 team is their pace bowling unit’s proven record in home conditions ; the wickets will definately start greenish. For them, the key will be for their batting unit to counter the Indian bowling threat and hope to keep Virat kohli and his batting unit’s modest batting record in England unchanged.

Predicting the outcome of the series is tough. I sense it is upon the success of Indian batting. There is no doubt that Indian bowling is capable to take 20 wickets, critical thing is will kohli and his batsmen provide the cushion of 350+ totals consistently to their bowling attack? If they can, india will take the series. For that to happen, kohli will need to take the english bull by the horn, score runs in the only country where his record doesn’t reflect the incredible talent he possesses. If he succeeds in taming English conditions and bowling, india will win. His success will be required for his batting unit to fire ; Ajinkya Rehane, Murli Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul all are capable batsmen but except Rehane and Vijay to some extent none has been even reasonably successful in english conditions; that’s perhaps one thing english team management will be pinning their hopes upon.
Last series, India started on a winning note at lords but conceded their advantage through insipid batting and more importantly dropping crucial catches in the slip cordon. They will be hoping to improve that part of their game. This will be very close so a couple of catches dropped or snared can be the difference between the two teams.

Looking at unfortunate beginning for team India in the form of injuries to their two key bowlers, Bhuvi and Bumrah, it won’t be surprising if india take time to get off the ground. Having 5 tests is a benifit for traditionally slow starting team like India. It will be a difficult decision for kohli and team selectors to pick the batting line up for the first test  I think following will be the starting XI at Birmingham on 1st aug:
Vijay, Dhawan, Pujara, Kohli, Rehane, Kartik, Pandya, Ashwin, Yadav, Shami and Ishan. If the wickets look dry underneath and no chances of rain, Shami can be replaced by Kuldeep. I think this will be the best team that can not only take 20 wickets but also score runs. I will stick with Dhawan; he has x factor and if he gets in, he can score quickly and dominate any bowling giving players like kohli the cushion he will need to not feel the pressure of scoring as soon as he arrives at the crease. Vijay, pujara and Rehane are stayers so stroke players like him, virat and Pandya can play with some freedom. On paper India looks a very balanced side ; the only doubt being unproven batting unit in english conditions!

My prediction is India will still come empty handed with the series drawn at 2-2, one test being drawn.. 

World Cup Opener, Befitting The Championship

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Second time, second time India will start their world cup campaign as the defending champs. Last time, it was twenty seven years back. Then, India had forced the cricket authorities to look beyond the mother country and move to the subcontinent. I still remember the excitement we Indian fans had; dual excitement of having first ever major world sporting event in the most popular game of the country and a great opportunity for the home team to defend it’s crown and prove to all, themselves included, that their win in 1983 was no fluke. India then was so overwhelming, sentimental favorite to retain the crown that every one was thinking about their opponent at the Eden gardens on the final day..there was no doubt about  playing in the finals. What happened then is history; disappointment at India’s defeat by Graham Gooch’s sweeping bat, almost single handedly, was palpable even months later. Indian cricket plunged into a deep disappointment. Subsequent world cups brought similar disappointments in terms of overall performance in the tournaments with only one shining beacon….wins against the arch rival Pakistan. What started in 1991 world cup has continued right through to last event. India has beaten Pakistan on six consecutive occasions and has established a kind of supremacy that Pakistan had established over India in Sharjah after the famous ‘last ball six’ victory from Miandad’s blade. Whatever happens in other tournaments or series against each other, India has got better of Pakistan in the world cup games.

The world cup of 2015 will start for both the teames with a bang. Biggest game for both the teams will be the first of the tournament. In many ways, it will be a defining game for both the teams. The outcome of this game will set sail for both the teams giving them confidence to move forward in the tournament. It is rare to see the major teams taking on each other in first game  itself; Australia v England, New Zealand v Sri Lanka and India v Pakistan. Normally major teams warm up with games against minnows. This should be a testing opening for all major teams, with an opportunity to relax midway through the fixtures against minnows, before moving to knock out stage. This should make it an interesting scheduling for all major teams. There is a good chance that the so called minnows may take a scalp or two if any major team has a bad day. Ability to play consistently well will be tested .

Re. India v Pakistan game; while history indicates a kind of dominance India had established, due to India’ poor returns on Australian soil to date, will definitely give Pakistan some heart. Pakistan has returned to the continent where they have won the only world cup title. While that should bring hope, it would be interesting to see if they are able to break the hoodoo. India on the other hand will draw strength and more importantly, hope from the history, since their bowl so far on the tour has been quite empty. However, there is plenty for India to draw confidence from their performance in test matches against Australia. Their hapless blowing in test matches where taking twenty wickets was a must to win, will to some extent feel they are in the game if they can bowl dot balls. Dhoni’s captainship which often looks clueless in taking wickets, can be different when pressure of limited overs can force batsmen to make mistakes.India will have to depend upon opponents mistakes more than their own ability to win.

I believe, while India appears disjointed and does not inspire a lot of confidence in their ability to win, their experience of winning major tournaments should come to the fore at the crunch time. The team is young for test cricket but has plenty of experience in limited overs version and some champion players. I believe in many ways it is best that they are playing Pakistan first up..it should force them to wake up. The passion of playing against Pakistan should bring out the best from them and put them on a path to self belief. Conversely even if they loose, they will have dispensed with psychologically most important game of the tournament and can force them to bring out their best being pushed against the wall…often India produce their best under such condition.

Whatever the outcome of India v Pakistan game, I would be happy if India reach semi-finals. Winning against Pakistan is good but not ultimate. GO INDIA!!

Welcome

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Welcome to my Blog. And a big thank you in advance for giving your time to “listen” to my views on anything under the sun, but mainly the game of cricket. Till now I have bored my friends with my emails; till now I have benefited from their tolerance. So folks, here am I with my Blog..I can not promise to be unpretentious or tolerant at all times. However being aware of my frailties, I promise to try my best. Good thing is, I can accept both these vices from others, including an occasional abuse of English language. What is there in a language any ways? Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Australian all are welcome here as long as I can understand. So go on, join in a robust conversation..