Tag: Sri Lanka

Dhoni X-Factor in ICC Champions Trophy Finale..

On By deepozIn Archive 2014-2010Leave a comment

Indian cricket team is once again living up to its tag of being unpredictable. The difference is till now in the tournament, it has shown the kind of consistently dominating performance that can only be termed as oxymoronic for Jekyl and Hyde nature that Indian fans are so used to. It is indeed a pleasant surprise. I thought they would be tested by the Sri Lankans, but probably the toss going in favour of Indian captain and then the support he got from his new ball bowlers in forst 15 overs, really put a nooze around the Lankan throats. Dhoni is too smart a captain to let that loose; to me the brilliance of his captainship was a decision to take the pads off and bowl a few overs when his main pace bowlers were coming close to exhausting their quota and clearly, one of the best batsman of spin bowling ever, Mahela Jayavardane was waiting for spinners to come on. Dhoni got the nod from Aleem Dar with a hooping in-swinger, only to be denied by the DRS. But that and Dhoni’s spell infact kept both Mahela and his skipper Mathews, both extremely attacking batsmen, quiet for a spell of 8 overs when they were looking to break the shakles imposed by Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma. Of course at the other end, it was another surprise package, Ravindra Jadeja dooing his bit, delightfully mixing a spinner with a slider with almost no discerning change in his bowling action. It is quite an achievement for Jadeja to get rave comments form spin maestro behind the microphone in the commentator’s box, Shane Warne….perhaps you may say, Warney has a bit of soft corner for this player who took his first baby steps in the world of international cricket under his tutelage eventhough in IPL team of Rajasthan Royals. Every time Warney opens his mouth to say something for Jadeja, it has been nothing but praise..even his “rock-star” comment drips with admiration for this youngster. That is no mean achievement, since Warney, the quaintessential Aussie, simply does not know how to soften his words, be it for his foe or his own countrymen and is very similar to another typical Aussie bloke, Ian Chappel. Jadeja’s turnaround has been shocking….pleasantly shocking for me. I never thought this guy had it within him to suceed at the international level, and he is still some distance away, but by God, what he has shown in last 12 months is nothing short of miracle. And  absolute triumph of sheer hard work and attitude…..something very close to my heart. I am, for a change, glad to be wrong, and do tip my hat to Dhoni for keeping faith in this lad. One day, if I get an opportunity to sit with Dhoni, I would love to ask, how and what and where and when did he see ANY kind of potential in Jadeja…I don’t know if someone will call Dhoni a lucky captain as a lot more of his moves come off rather than otherwise, and sometimes without appearing to be looking logical as well. I strongly suspect, however, that there is a method to Dhoni’s madness. May be some day we will read the X-files on Dhoni’s this X-factor!! Till then, just enjoy his cptainship.

I rate it somewhere as high as Nawab of Pataudi and a little above Surav Ganguly. Nawab was the best Indian captain I have ever seen, and he was as cool on the field as Dhoni is; but then, he was born a prince and played without much personal pressure. No amount of criticism affected him as he had a princely background and cricket was mere opportunity to showcase his talents. This is not to say he played with a disdain akin to what an aristocrat shows towards currency, but the pressure of failure did not bother him as much as it did some other mere mortals, who depended upon the fame earned on the cricket field to get wealthy. India in those days was very different; one of the finest pace bowlers India has ever produced, “Tiny”  Ramakant Desai died in a Mumbai chawl, in a small room under the staircase…

Dhoni, when started as a player, had no structured technique, as we coaches like to say. He had his own technique, but his sharp reflexes and eyesight, awesome self-confidence and quick hands allowed him to dominate bowling like a few have done so far. His technique behind the stumps was not exactly atrocious, but definately not worthy of being first class cricketer. But the x-factor of his batting outweighed everything. Dhoni, when started his career, was a simple boy, of simple means from a hither-to unknown cricket state of Bihar/Zarkhand. It was amazing how he was picked up even in the East Zone team to start with…..to me that shows how much Indian domestic selection policies have changed from my playing days. He hardly oozed wealth as the Nawab did, but by sheer dint of his X-factor rose to a level of popularity that rivalled even Tendulkar’s. Through all that journey though, I have not seen him change much outwardly…well, not true exactly.


He has certainly lost his locks of 2005 fame when he bashed an 183 n.o. against Sri Lankans in an ODI and regularly took Pakistanis head on. The latter, to me is a hallmark of the guts very very few Indians showed till then, especially after that famous six of the last ball by Javed Miandad; “attitude” against  Pakistan has always been my criteria to define greatness for an Indian cricketer. But Dhoni, when he took over the captainship from Kumble, was a breath of fresh air; good mix of attack and defense. His man-management capabilities were right from day one, at par with Saurav Ganguly in that his team was ready to die for him. His triumph in the ODI tri series in Australia in 2009; first time ever India won after the successful 1985 World Championship, defined the greatness of his team at that time, and to a great extent his captainship. Soon he was to lift the mace of the Test Championship. The spike in the chart of his popularity went through the proverbial roof and amazingly has remained somewhere up there far longer than any other Indian captain I have seen. In spite of a lot of barbs thrown at him by some armchair critics, he continues to remain his own man, cool and mostly withdrawn from any controversy (some recent “conflict of interest” allegations notwithstanding!). I remember what once his IPL teammate Matthew Haydon said; MS remains so much detached from cricket off the field that it was impossible even for his team mates, during the IPL season, after a game, to contact and talk to him once he disappeared form the dressing room. He would not lift the phone, nor return a message. But he commanded a respect from his team mates, even when they were bigger than him in age, experience and achievements. And more often than not on the field, has had the last word.

Perhaps tomorrow he will have one more of such last word, against many of his detractors as his team has shown a great composure and hitherto-rarely seen-dominance in a world cup type tournament. English team, on the other hand also looks very settled and playing some great cricket. While India have gone through the tournament so far without a single loss, England was beaten by Sri Lanka in the group game, quite soundly. Though it was the result of a single masterclass from Sangakaara, I thiought England were a tad unlucky in not getting Sanga out a couple of times; if that had happened, English could have restricted Sri Lanka from reaching the target. English bowling has been the main stay for them in the tournament so far, probably similar to Indian team. A slight edge India has is in their batting department as all top order except, perhaps Raina, have fired and look in good nick. The conditions, even though it is early part of English summer, has been the non-English conditions that all teams have faced; and of course use of the Kookaburra balls. The latter, I think is also critical since it has not swung much and to that extent, English pacers have looked less dangerous. On the other hand, at all three venues, Indians have found the turf to yield to tweak giving them some advantage. However Sunday’s weather forcast for Burmingham is like a typical English weather, cool and rain in the air. Dhoni may be tempted to go for a seamer like Irfan; though the current balance of his team has been so much on the spot that he may not like to tinker with it..whatever it is, I feel Dhoni may produce a rabbit form the hat tomorrow..it’s his X-factor that will be critical for Indians tomorrow as well…

Look forward to a great game of cricket..

Another Epic! Vijayadashmi on Wankhede….

On By deepozIn Archive 2014-20106 Comments

25th of June 1983 is a day of national importance in India; a bit like 15 August or 26 January; at least for cricket fans. That is the day when Kapil’s Devils lifted the world cup against mighty West Indians at Lords. It was completely unexpected; no one including Indians themselves gave them a snowball’s chance in hell. Not only because India were the perennial strugglers of One day cricket. West Indians were undisputed champs and quite simply unbeatable….till that fateful catch that Kapil took over his shoulders, running backwards.That catch epitomizes the genius of the best all rounder India has produced and definitely one of the best ever. It was a low scoring game and bowling and fielding were highlights. Kapil lead from the front and Indian magic was rightfully credited to the big-hearted man. Today, India needs another similar performance in the field.

Indian world cup 2011 campaign has been epic. So much so that both epics of Hiindu  संस्कृति (culture) will be replayed by the time tournament ends. Mahabharat was in semi finals. It is Ramayan times now. Neither Ramanand Sagar nor BR Chopra could have scripted this better. Will India burn the Ravana and celebrate Dusshera at Wankhede tonight? India has so far succeeded against two of its arch rivals in world cricket,Australia and Pakistan, in close but convincing manner. Sri Lanka on the other hand has been the most frequent rival for team India of late, but the emotions have never run high against them; that is the nature of Sri Lankans. Will India be able to stamp its authority on World cricket by winning this one?

India is up against a very efficient Sri Lankan team, make no mistake. Their top 3 batsmen have fired in the comp. Their opening pair is statistically best in the comp. They have scored heavily at a fair clip. They have an extremely good captain in Sangakkara; perhaps only other who could match him in contemporary cricket is his rival for this game, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Their bowling though more spin dominated, has an incisive edge to it. And traditionally Sri Lankans always field very well. India, on the other hand have an equally dangerous opening combination. A slight edge over Sri Lankans is in the fact that Indian middle order looks far more assured. India have come through a few real tough games and to me, it looks as if they have peaked at the right time. They are increasingly looking more battle-hardy and their body language has changed from being tense to quiet confidence and efficient.  Their fielding is looking more assured and bowling seems to have developed some teeth. Wins against Australia and Pakistan in knock-out stages must have raised their confidence, which was eroded after the group games. Logically both teams look identical; 50:50.
What you start with in a game can sometimes change dramatically in the heat of the battle. Often mind plays tricks with you and it is easy to forget the talents you possess and start feeling completely naked in the middle. This is where champions can stand up to be counted. Who wants it more? Who is able to maintain the balance and continues to harvest its talents; this will determine the ultimate winner. And that all important factor in cricket, Luck. Small things can change a game and luck can be a small thing.

Wicket at the Wankhede is likely to be a slow, low but even; typical Indian wicket. Batsmen can make hey while the ball shines; once it goes soft, it will be a test of skill in playing late and most importantly, picking up a right ball to hit. As there is no chance of a dew in Mumbai, I think bowlers will be in the game right through; pace and spin alike. This game will be a battle of minds rather than only physical skills; a trait that makes this game perhaps the greatest challenge to succeed in. It is perhaps the best thing that we have two subcontinental teams playing under these conditions. Any other continent team, would have odds very heavily weighing against them. I believe this finals will rival 1983 for the drama and closeness. Something that the last three world cup finals have missed..
Both the teams will come to the ground with a lot of emotional baggage. Muthia Murlidharan will play his last game for Sri Lanka ever. The greatest Sri Lankan cricketer will bid adieu tonight. The favorite son of India, Sachin Tendulkar may also call it a day for ODIs. If that happens, cricket world will be poorer. What impact this has on other individuals in both the teams is very difficult to predict. This is where the team seniors will become critical. India’s tough run in this comp should hold them in good stead; a very slight edge over their rivals, in my opinion.

Last game of India against Sri Lanka was more in the news on the sub-continent for possible match fixing claims than anything else. India was billed as favorite by bookies and still quite a lot of punters/press said they will loose. Since team India, did not oblige them, now it is claimed that what the bookies lost they will try to recoup by fixing Indian players to loose. If the unofficial numbers are to be believed (and in India such numbers hold more water than official), there is a huge amount of money put on India. Will Indian players take money to tank a campaign that they have been working hard towards? I don’t know. Your guess is as good as mine, but I haven’t seen any evidence as yet to believe Indians will do that. If I were playing, it would be all the more reason for me to go and win…hopefully, I am not out-dated as yet!!

Last time India won the cup, they did so on the strength of their all rounders: Kapil, Mohinder, Madan, Binny. I sense this time players like Yuvraj will be crucial. I predict Harbhajan to have a big game. He raised his game against Pakistanis. So far, Sri Lankans have played him very well. I suspect the sardar will once again raise his game. India to win a tight contest and break the 27 years old jinx…

pU steS! Talking Confuciusly!

On By deepozIn Archive 2014-20103 Comments

Three quarter finals have been done and dusted. Confusion reigns!! One major upset, one sort of and one a damp squib. Such a contrasting level of cricket skills seen in all three games……. confusion rains!!

West Indian effort against Pakistan was a total washout; a complete disgrace and unworthy of last 8 round of a premier competition. May be West Indian team decided to take their revenge on Bangla spectators for the stones they received at their hands!! Me thinks that may be West Indians took it upon them selves to confuse the (g)hosts of match-fixers that inevitably tag along Pakistan team, like a Betal on Vikram’s shoulder! May be this is a better way of taking the ghost of match-fixing out of equation?? Take that..we will shoot your odds to hell! And for free….

I mean, for cryinoutloud, how can batsman after batsman of international class miss simple straight ones? I thought I saw an expression of utter confusion on the face of Mohammad Hafiz. Poor fellow must be trying hard to spin the ball and here he is getting wickets even when failing to do so? Wow, how come no one told me that to be a “right-arm-sidha” could be so profitable? Sack the coach!!! When confusion rains, it could be cats and dogs and wickets!!

To me, more than minnows bashing this spineless batting performance is a reason enough to dredge up the  discussion to revamp this premier competition. Reduce this to only 8 teams AND performance in last tournament should count towards your entry to the next!!! If you loose by over a certain margin (e.g. over 100 runs or more than 8 wickets), whatever you do in proceeding four years, you shall remain barred till next edition! Sorry, that is a bit harsh but there has to be some bloody accountability towards performance. If the players do not take pride in their performance, may be they do not deserve to get the center stage! Perhaps ICC should penalise the board for such a pathetic performance. May be their one year royalty or whatever that ICC distributes to the member boards should be withdrawn! May be if the board members find it hard to live an exalted status for a year or two, it may knock some sense in those fat cats? In case of Windies, that would certainly be helpful. If they had settled the players contract issue in time the team could have performed better….or would they? Confusion reigns…

Was it New Zealand beating South Africa or South Africa loosing to NZ or SAF beating it self? I am confused….I guess, so must be Daniel Vettori and his team. While the South Africans are perhaps chokfused!! How can you explain this phenomenon of choking? People have choked on fish bone; even on drinks. Choke  Africans, oops South Africans  do so regularly in cricket. Graeme Smith has been known to answer “choking” questions from scribes by dismissive and aggressive responses; sadly he and his team has refused to answer that in the best possible manner; on the turf! Strange how many times a team can repeat its follies? On the other hand, you can say that in case of South African cricket, the saying “practice makes you perfect” can’t be truer! It is unconfirmed news that ICC is going to open a “Hall of Choke” which will exclusively include South Africans. The inductees will be called “Choke-a-bloke”. I have this from an unquestionable source that Google will request Smith to write the new Chokopedia. Also it is grapevine on the international cricket circuit that South Africans are not sledged….just “c” word followed by a grin will do! I was surprised when I heard that South African team management had given strict instructions to caterers that their dressing room shall be chocolate-proof…..now I know why. For heaven’s sake, scribes are rummaging the statistics to dig out all “choking” stats of South Africans. The pity is they don’t need to search too hard!! I am told that some one from SAF team actually accused Indian Hindi reporters of sledging when they mentioned phrase “choka chhakka”!  I mean, for chrissake, Kiwis won this fair and square. Isn’t it a “choking” shame that we talk only about South Africa?? That’s why I am confused with this up set!!

To be honest, the Kiwis were still celebrating Australian team’s loss to India more than their miraculous win. They now have the antipodean bragging rights for the next four years; for the first time in the history of World cups, Kiwis have gone a step beyond their elder neighbors. (if it is incorrect, then I blame it on confusion!). I heard a loud cheer last night from across the ditch. I was told it was New Zealand cheering their team’s win. Then there was even louder cheer. It seems some one mentioned Australia!! India’s beating Australia can be called a “sort-of upset”. In some ways India were expected to win in their home conditions. But India’s performance till date was confusing. Perhaps the players were confused that they were still playing overseas… However, it seems that the Aussie sledging reminded them of the “home-truth”. Australian media is now accusing Ricky Ponting of poor captainship. It was reported in one daily that “It was disapPonting to note that we did not let the sleeping dogs lie”.

Hopefully, it is expected that this state of confusion will not continue for long. Tonight, Sri Lankans will resolve any confusion Andrew Strauss has about the out come of last quarter finals. Seems like Strauss is confident of “adjusting”. I have a feeling that by the end of the game Poms willl know that adjusting is not enough in cricket; you have to win it!! But then again, Poms have been the most Jekyll and Hyde team of this World cup. So much so that Afridi is totally confused. So much so that the Pakistani team has registered a protest with ICC and threatened England for a compensation for “breaching of our paternal rights”. Now ICC is confused and trying to interpret cricket laws as per Sharia Laws!! Confusion reigns supreme….

Year 2010 was Very Very Special!

On By deepozIn Archive 2014-20102 Comments

2010 was perhaps the best year for Indian cricket in a long time. Perhaps only one that can match it was 1971, when India won two overseas series for the first time against powerful cricket nations, WI and England; not counting 1983 when India became world champions in One day cricket against the run of the play. In spite of Tendulkar, the Ram, being so dominant in Indian cricket, to me 2010 was the year of (VVS) Laxman. Five superlative innings that not only saved India but converted defeats into victories and changed the fate of every series. Review the following games and you will find VVS as the common denominator; the pillar of strength.

    1. SA vs India in India
    2. India vs Sri Lanka in SL
    3. Australia vs India in India
    4. New Zealand vs India in India
    5. India vs SA in SA

And the last one against South Africa will be remembered for a very very long time. Indeed a water-shed moment in Indian cricket as it helped India to level the series for the first time in South Africa. Laxman was all grace and attack; standing up to the ferocity of Steyn and Morkel while scoring the only 50 of the match as if he was batting on a completely different track to any one else in that game. Didn’t surprise may of us though, did it? The man has done it before; quite a few times. Indeed India now EXPECTS him to do so when every one else fails. What a psychological edge to have for the Indian team when the push comes to shove.

Lot has been written about this one of the finest batsman in the history of cricket. Very Very Special, Silky Steel and what not. And no one has missed a chance to wax lyrical about him; Bhogle to blogger and all in between. VVS Laxman is one of the few batsman who can unite all in consensus about his art, regardless of national boundaries. And when it comes to one country, he just turns from great to a colossus. No prizes for guessing that Australia’s love-hate relationship with Laxman is one of the most enduring and endearing one. Many in Australia do not know whether to love him or hate him. Many love to hate him when he bats but hate to see him get out. The identity of a true champion is that even your enemy wants to embrace you….after loosing. I would like to think that out of all recent players the three who got the most respect from Aussie crowd were Tendulkar, Lara and Laxman. We know his name VVS Laxman stands for Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman. It could very well be Vengipurappu Venkata Sachin Laxman, because when it comes to Australia, he can be double the Sachin. And I am sure, Tendulkar will take no offense at that.

For long, Laxman has been indisputably the best Indian batsman for 2nd innings as well as the fourth of the test match. What a gem of an innings he played on Tuesday, 4th of October against Aussies. While Ishant Sharma was a very ably ally in the rescue act that turned triumphant, Laxman’s presence at the other end must have been like a balm on a burn. The confidence with which Laxman let Ishant face more deliveries in a partnership than he did, must have encouraged the young man to repay the faith. Bit of Steve Waugh in that Laxman. He read the situation very well and scored off every possible opportunity. Now that is not very hard for an immensely gifted artist like him but often many celebrated players have been known to opt for caution over aggression and give the impetus back to the opponent. To his credit, Laxman did not allow any Australian bowler to settle, let alone dictate.  50 of 48 balls and eventual 73 n.o. of 79 balls. He had to waste more than 6 balls in farming the strike after Ishant was given out, meaning he played at a rate of well over run a ball! There in lies the genius of the man. On 7 August 2010, he played yet another master class; he is almost making a habit of doing that now. On a turning track rampaging Sri Lankan spinners discovered what Australians know for over a decade that this man turns into a superman when his team is thrown a gauntlet. From that point he is quite un-Indian batsman. Australians love him perhaps because of this typical “खडूस” (khadoos) Australianness.. But he is not just an axeman like a Hayden or a bloody minded never-say-die Steve Waugh. He combines the steel of a Waugh, stroke-play of a Ponting and dominating verve of a Hayden. And all without looking violent. His blade is like a Ninja’s katana. The victim does not know when the cut was made till it is all too late and indeed, dies admiring. Laxman has played many symphonies for his team, the best being the great 281 on Eaden Gardens against his arch rivals, the Aussies. But this last one will be remembered equally fondly since it was a very similar fight from the death-bed; lost hope turned to triumph; रुदन से रम्बा……Probably the new age axiom in cricket is that the game is never over till Lax(st)man is out!! Aussies and South Africans will agree most emphatically.

Laxman saves his best for the worst situation. In that he is similar to another immensely gifted Aussie, Mark “Junior” Waugh. Both displayed the same characteristics; their levels of concentration, artistry and dominance were directly proportional to the skill, challenge and degree of difficulty their opponents presented. That is why, both these  batsmen are remarkably similar in stats. Junior scored over 8000 runs with 20 tons at an average slightly over 41. Mere look at the  cold statistics reveal as much as they hide. It appears as if both these artists under-performed. With the gift of supple wrists and a hawk-eye for picking up the length quickly, they could have scored lot more international runs than they have. Since they are immensely talented, scoring runs against any attack in any condition comes easily to them. But artists get bored very quickly; and easy task may soon become uninspiring resulting in loss in concentration and wicket. A workman like player, a technical perfectionist (and who could be better than G. Boycott ?) will strive to score runs every time he goes out to bat. For a pro like Sunny Gavaskar it does not matter who the opponent is; since he has no eye, time or mind for the bowler; he sees only the ball. However an artist thrives on inspiration, responds to a challenge; like a cry from his team mates to wake him up from the slumber and do what is expected. And usually it is done so easily as if saying, “silly, what did you wake me up for?”. Result is not the only bonus when they bat; every run scored is dipped in delight. When you analyse their performance in critical moments of a game, they attain a colossus status. That describes the magic of both VVS and Junior. That is what their stats hide. These two guys are special, “पैसा वसूल” (Paisa vasool) players.

I believe that Laxman as d’Artagnan compliments the three musketeers of modern Indian cricket: Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly. They along with Kumble, Harbhajan, Zaheer Khan and Dhoni have been responsible for taking India to the pinnacle of test cricket. Recently Laxman was given a Padma Shri Award by Indian government. He is certainly a “Padma” (lotus) of Indian cricket. I believe even a “Bharat Ratna” award would be most fitting recognition for this humble student of the game. As the name of the award suggests, he is truly an “Indian Gem”. It is the exploits of such gems like VVS and Tendulkar that gives meaning to the much-loved slogan “India Shining!”

Listed below are some of the finest innings played by VVS; gems in the history of Indian cricket. If you get a chance to watch them, don’t miss. Guaranteed to make anyone forget the national boundaries and nationalistic fervor.

  • In his debut test against SA in Ahmedabad, he made a crucial 51 in second innings out of 191; top score  that helped India win the low scoring test. He showed this ability to bat with the lower order that early in his career. Since then, he has been the best Indian batsman to play with lower order batsmen and score runs in the fourth innings.
  • His first test hundred came in  Sydney test of the new millennium in Jan 2000. It was one of the finest innings in a hopelessly lost cause; a scintillating second innings 167 out of a team total of 261; a whopping 64% of the total. Even though, Aussies had given Indians a drubbing, at the end of that test they appeared dazed by the brilliance of Laxman’s fightback; an innings scored  at a strike rate of 83, while wickets were tumbling all around him. Certainly Aussies got a glimpse of things to come. Laxman has lived up to that image of Aussie Tormentor ever since. I was indeed lucky to watch that innings on SCG.
  • Classified as one of the best ever in the history of test cricket by Cricinfo, his colossus 281 against Aussies at Eden Gardens in March 2001, completely changed not only the course of the game but series. India became a force to reckon with after this series and haven’t looked back since.
  • India V Australia, 4th test of 2004 series at Wankhede stadium produced another amazing contest between these arch rivals. On a raging turner, the game didn’t last even 3 full days. With wicket at its treacherous best, who else but Laxman scored the most emphatic innings of 69 in the third innings of the test match. Batting at no. 3, he was the main batsman in two match wining partnerships; 91 with Tendulkar and 48 with Dravid. The value of his innings can be judged from the fact that later on the same day, whole Australian side got dismissed for 93 chasing 103 for a win!
  • On 2006 tour of SA, Indians drew blood in the first test wining their first ever test on SA soil. While Sreesanth was undoubtedly the hero of this test, Laxman came to the rescue, as usual, in the second innings. With India tottering at 4/61 with Tendulkar, Dravid and Sehwag all in the hut, Laxman resurrected Indian innings with a superb 73, to put the lead beyond SA batsmen. In this innings he again showed his ability to bat with the tail.
  • March 2009, another superlative second innings unbeaten 124 against Kiwis at Napier. India after wining the first test, were made to follow on and in dire straits at 3/260 still the deficit not wiped out. He played in two crucial partnerships with Gambhir and Yuvraj, nursing both junior players and took India to safety and series win in NZ after a long time.

Add 2010’s five superlative innings to the above and you get a resume that is hard to equal for the best of the best; 143 not out against SA at Eden Gardens, 103 not out against Sri Lanka, 73 not out against Australia, 91 against NZ and finally, 96 against SA. He has given immense joy to the cricket fans regardless of the nationalities, since his runs have mostly come when his team needed them most; often he was the last man standing.

Salaam to the most humble servant of Indian cricket!

Neither here nor there..

On By deepozIn Archive 2014-20105 Comments

It was not surprising that Aussies and Ricky Ponting have started their preparation for the upcoming series against Pakistan. If you are looking for details on a cricket camp you sadly underrate Aussies. Their preparation begins by hurling a few testing verbal bouncers at their opponents. Ponting decided to “compliment” the new Pakistani test captain Shahid Afridi (any one remembers how many have come and gone?). Nothing new there. Aussies believe in softening the opponent captain first. However the quantum of statements about Afridi (“He hasn’t played much Test cricket of late, has he?” OR “he’s….not necessarily one of their best Test players” etc), especially after winning the last series, tells me that he may be a tad worried about Pakistan team getting together under this new captain. Read his last sentence…”…we just have to make sure we’re focusing on our little things to be the best team we can be when we play them.” Lovely! If you read that last sentence without the benefit of full text, you may be excused for searching for the rising Sun in the west! Don’t worry, Ponting and Aussies are as consistent as the heavenly bodies!! But hey, what is this “..I think we can sort him out in Test cricket for sure” thingy?? Mate, you don’t have to worry about sorting this opponent. If the last series is any indication, they are champs at doing it themselves! Aussies just have to turn up and leave the rest to their opponents!! I wonder, just wonder, what the Pakistan Board is planning, though. If you are seriously doubting your own team for loosing games for money, I wonder how can you keep this series clean that is being played in England, where there are huge number of Pakistani ex-patriots? May be by sweeping previous decisions under the carpet!

Is this “Match fixing” मौसम or what? Doubts are also probably raised about the Indian team’s performance in Zimbabwe! There is hardly anything worthwhile writing about the two “shocking” losses to Zombies…oops, Zimbos. What is surprising is the facile win by Indians against Sri Lankan team in the first game, probably the strongest team on paper in the comp. So are Indians being “obliging” guests? A few wins against a highly ranked team can divert the attention off the beleaguered Zimbabwe Cricket Association. Remember how Bangladesh got the nod of ICC? While not detracting from the terrific performance of the Zimbabweans, they may have benefited from the charitable gestures not only from Harbhajan Singh, but also the India selectors! How else can you explain experienced pacers like Ishant and Appam cooling their heels when a completely new look, new ball attack opens for India? Every time a team plays, it has to do so with the respect for the opponents. Sadly, Indian selectors have forgotten that. Or is it that India and Sri Lanka have decided that the hosts must play the finals; the opponents will fight it out for a spot in the finals??  It looks like Indian team management is absolutely committed to experiment in this series even at the cost of being thrashed. That can constitute match-fixing of a sort, isn’t it? Your guess is as good as mine. Seems to me that match-fixing is a disease easily traversing across the LOC!! Poor Raina is on a hiding to nothing…

Some very very interesting things have emerged from the whole IPL mess..I would strongly suggest all  read the copy of email from ECB Chairman Giles Clarke to BCCI President Shashank Manohar. Modern soap opera. If it is made into a sit-com it can easily give a run for the money to “क्योंकि सास भी कभी बहु थी”. Apparently Clarke himself is not that much popular within England County Cricket set up that makes up the ECB. Majority counties and especially those with major stadia are looking to increase revenue and Lalit Modi’s proposed “rebel league” in England was very interesting. While Modi is being portrayed as the biggest villain to hit cricket, it seems that the men present in Delhi meeting admire him as a visionary. All charges and his “bigger-than-the-game-attitude” notwithstanding, his contributions to BCCI and Indian cricket can not be denied. I hope current BCCI stake-holders understand that sooner than later. In last couple of days it has become apparent that the typically Indian ‘Narangi” (mandarin) unity is being exposed as the skin is being peeled off slowly in this IPL mess. Seems now that Sharad Pawar and even the interim  IPL chairman Chirau Amin are as “clean” as Lalit Modi and Shashi Tharoor. Looks like Modi is on a course to take a few down with him. Does it mean that the English motto of “Divide and Rule” will succeed again? Empire Strikes Back?? Will money win over the beauty of this game? Will the real Gods of cricket like GGT (Great God Tendulkar) become merely the ushers to the virtual Gods of Cricket like Modis, Clarkes, Pawars?? Keep watching the drama…at least it is better than the insipid cricket Indian team has been dishing out of late!! Legendary Kishor Kumar is blaring out loud and clear on my stereo “पैसा यह पैसा, कोई नहीं ऐसा, यह हो मुसीबत, न हो मुसीबत…”
Cheers Folks..