Ever wondered what Virender Sehwag's idea of perfect coach and skipper would be? Well, the Indian opener has talked about this at length in an interview with PTI. He feels that Gary Kirsten is a great coach, in fact the "best I have ever seen," because he evidently does not force things on people. And Sourav Ganguly was a great skipper because he assured him (Viru ji) that even if he failed in a match, he would not be touched for the next 30-35 games.
Makes you wonder what we need coaches and captains for, doesn't it? I mean, if a good coach is one who does not force changes and a good skipper is one who keeps lugging the same side around for dozens of matches, because he "backs" them (one would have thought his target would be getting the best for his country, rather than backing players), then we might as well as get rid of both posts. Save us some money.
Oh, and I do hope Sehwag never captains the country. He will end up backing players for aeons and will sack the first coach who asks him to change his footwork. Or get one!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
A world XI of retirees
It seems retirement bells are a-ringin' all over the cricketing world. The last 2-3 of years have seen some of the biggest names in the games (and we are talking of legend class stuff here) call it a day and saunter into the sunset. So in keeping with the cricket followers' favourite pastime of making lists at the drop of a helmet (well, hats have sorta gone outa fashion in the Gentleman's Game these days), I decided to come up with a World XI of retirees from the 2005-2008 period in world cricket. Here goes: (in batting order)
And just look at those who missed out - Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka), Maravan Atapattu (Sri Lanka), Graham Thorpe (England), Saurav Ganguly (India), Gary Kirsten (South Africa), Damien Martyn (Australia), Stuart MacGill (Australia) and I am sure a few others too.
Actually, a close look at the list will also give you the prime reason for Australia's sudden decline in fortunes - there are SIX Aussies in that XI.No country can recover from losing so many world class cricketers in such a short time. The closest thing I have seen to it was during the 1985-87 period when the West Indies lost Holding, Garner, Gomes and Lloyd in quick succession. Although they would not lose a Test series for a while, that was the time when the Windies fall began. Unlike their Carribbean counterparts, Australia do not have the bench strength to compensate for those who have departed, and also have lost many more players. S their decline is likely to be more spectacular unless the selectors have something hidden up their sleeves.
- Matthew Hayden (Australia)
- Justin Langer (Australia)
- Brian Lara (West Indies)
- Steve Waugh (Australia)
- Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan)
- Adam Gilchrist (Australia)
- Shaun Pollock (South Africa)
- Darren Gough (England)
- Shane Warne (Australia)
- Anil Kumble (India)
- Glenn McGrath (Australia)
And just look at those who missed out - Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka), Maravan Atapattu (Sri Lanka), Graham Thorpe (England), Saurav Ganguly (India), Gary Kirsten (South Africa), Damien Martyn (Australia), Stuart MacGill (Australia) and I am sure a few others too.
Actually, a close look at the list will also give you the prime reason for Australia's sudden decline in fortunes - there are SIX Aussies in that XI.No country can recover from losing so many world class cricketers in such a short time. The closest thing I have seen to it was during the 1985-87 period when the West Indies lost Holding, Garner, Gomes and Lloyd in quick succession. Although they would not lose a Test series for a while, that was the time when the Windies fall began. Unlike their Carribbean counterparts, Australia do not have the bench strength to compensate for those who have departed, and also have lost many more players. S their decline is likely to be more spectacular unless the selectors have something hidden up their sleeves.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Saying goodbye to a genius
Yesterday this time I was struggling to find the right words to express my disappointment about the game. Today, I am in shock! Not because of the match (no surprises there) but because one of the greatest players of this Indian side has decided to call it quits.
And Anil Kumble announced his retirement in much the way he has gone about his game in the last 18 years - quiet, dignified and determined. Its not so much the surprise that Kumble called it quits. If you think about it, it was only a matter of time before he announced his retirement, nor is it surprising that he did it mid-series, epsecially considering his injury and numerous stitches. What jolts me as a cricket fan is the realisation that this afternoon is the last time I will see one of India's finest bowlers grace the cricketing field. This will be the last time I will see Jumbo beat batsmen with his googly or catch them off guard with a wrong one.
I wanted this to sound like a tribute but I doubt I'll be able to do it justice. How do you go about summarising nearly two decades of a genius at work? I could use a whole lot of superlatives and throw in all the cliches like great, genius, irreplacable, etc (some of which I have used already) and it'll all be true but Kumble was more than all that. He is and will remain India's most dedicated, most determined and absolutely professional cricketer, not to mention the finest bowler of this Indian side (certainly the most successful one).
His retirement is yet another testament of his commitment to his game as well as his team. He quit when he knew he could do it with dignity, do it on his own terms and at a time when he knew he would be giving the reins of captaincy to an able successor. You wouldn't expect anything less from a player who never let up, one who would risk bowling with a broken jaw to keep his end of the bargain.
And this farewell, though hurried, is nevertheless fitting because it's at the Kotla that Kumble carved his name in the hall of fame as only the second bowler ever to take 10 wickets in an inning, made all the more sweet as it came against Pakistan. And he can retire in peace knowing he's made records which are in all probability never going to be broken.
I thought writing this teary-eyed blog would help me come to terms with the fact that Kumble has indeed made his last appearance in an international match. If anything, it only makes me remember countless moments - be it his ten-wicket haul, his various milestones of 00, 500 and recently 600, his scrappy partnership with Javagal Srinath in the India-Aus match in B'lore or his much prized century - I could go on and on.
He was quiet, dignified, gifted, dedicated, committed, competitive and most importantly priceless! Who says no one is indispensable - India's just short of one now. It's heart-breaking to say goodbye to this genius. I know for a fact that it going to take me a while to get used to an Indian line-up that doesn't include Anil Kumble.
And Anil Kumble announced his retirement in much the way he has gone about his game in the last 18 years - quiet, dignified and determined. Its not so much the surprise that Kumble called it quits. If you think about it, it was only a matter of time before he announced his retirement, nor is it surprising that he did it mid-series, epsecially considering his injury and numerous stitches. What jolts me as a cricket fan is the realisation that this afternoon is the last time I will see one of India's finest bowlers grace the cricketing field. This will be the last time I will see Jumbo beat batsmen with his googly or catch them off guard with a wrong one.
I wanted this to sound like a tribute but I doubt I'll be able to do it justice. How do you go about summarising nearly two decades of a genius at work? I could use a whole lot of superlatives and throw in all the cliches like great, genius, irreplacable, etc (some of which I have used already) and it'll all be true but Kumble was more than all that. He is and will remain India's most dedicated, most determined and absolutely professional cricketer, not to mention the finest bowler of this Indian side (certainly the most successful one).
His retirement is yet another testament of his commitment to his game as well as his team. He quit when he knew he could do it with dignity, do it on his own terms and at a time when he knew he would be giving the reins of captaincy to an able successor. You wouldn't expect anything less from a player who never let up, one who would risk bowling with a broken jaw to keep his end of the bargain.
And this farewell, though hurried, is nevertheless fitting because it's at the Kotla that Kumble carved his name in the hall of fame as only the second bowler ever to take 10 wickets in an inning, made all the more sweet as it came against Pakistan. And he can retire in peace knowing he's made records which are in all probability never going to be broken.
I thought writing this teary-eyed blog would help me come to terms with the fact that Kumble has indeed made his last appearance in an international match. If anything, it only makes me remember countless moments - be it his ten-wicket haul, his various milestones of 00, 500 and recently 600, his scrappy partnership with Javagal Srinath in the India-Aus match in B'lore or his much prized century - I could go on and on.
He was quiet, dignified, gifted, dedicated, committed, competitive and most importantly priceless! Who says no one is indispensable - India's just short of one now. It's heart-breaking to say goodbye to this genius. I know for a fact that it going to take me a while to get used to an Indian line-up that doesn't include Anil Kumble.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Kotla batting fest
At tea on the second day of the ongoing test match between India & Australia anyone would have assumed this match to be a cakewalk for India. With 550 runs on the board and VVS Laxman looking on 160, it was clear that India was planning on batting only once on the Kotla wicket. Yet here we are on day 4 with Australia not only avoiding the follow-on but also looking to bridge the 200-run gap and quickly too. This match is one battinng fest - 4 days, about a thousand runs scored and only 13 wickets taken so far in the match. All this on a pitch that's supposed to favour spin bowling. Talk about ironic!
So what went wrong? Australia batted beautifully, no doubt about that and it didn't help that Kumble was out of the field more than on it and when he did come, he was nursing a nasty injury. But what made the difference was that even with the pitch deteriorating and the ball spinning wildly, India lacked the killer instinct. Was it missing intensity or lack of ideas, there just wasn't a moment in this match where India could take quick wickets.
A couple of days back, it was so easy to say that this match will only have two outcomes - a draw or a win for India. Now, however, it's anybody's game. The odd thing is, India didn't even bowl too poorly. Although yes, there were a few half chances, especially Clarke's lofted shot that just grazed the top of Ishant Sharma's hand. Clarke was on 21 at that time. Perhaps, the score would be much different if India had got him then. Well we'll never know will we?
The upshot of all this is that it has been an interesting test match although as an Indian fan, I was rather hoping India had wrapped this match up (with an innings defeat if possible). Now, unless India manage a miraculous victory out of this, this will be remembered as an australian victory (even if they draw the game). We'll have to wait and see how this match affects the game of the two teams in the next test. This was supposed to be the decider - looks like this one's just a prelude. I think I'd better stay tuned in - the best is certainly yet to come!
So what went wrong? Australia batted beautifully, no doubt about that and it didn't help that Kumble was out of the field more than on it and when he did come, he was nursing a nasty injury. But what made the difference was that even with the pitch deteriorating and the ball spinning wildly, India lacked the killer instinct. Was it missing intensity or lack of ideas, there just wasn't a moment in this match where India could take quick wickets.
A couple of days back, it was so easy to say that this match will only have two outcomes - a draw or a win for India. Now, however, it's anybody's game. The odd thing is, India didn't even bowl too poorly. Although yes, there were a few half chances, especially Clarke's lofted shot that just grazed the top of Ishant Sharma's hand. Clarke was on 21 at that time. Perhaps, the score would be much different if India had got him then. Well we'll never know will we?
The upshot of all this is that it has been an interesting test match although as an Indian fan, I was rather hoping India had wrapped this match up (with an innings defeat if possible). Now, unless India manage a miraculous victory out of this, this will be remembered as an australian victory (even if they draw the game). We'll have to wait and see how this match affects the game of the two teams in the next test. This was supposed to be the decider - looks like this one's just a prelude. I think I'd better stay tuned in - the best is certainly yet to come!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Enter the Ugly Indian
Call me old-fashioned and a resident of another age if you will, but one of the things I loved about Indian cricket was the fact that our players were so well-mannered. I grew up watching Bedi applaud batsmen who hit him for six, Gavaskar playfully joshing Imran Khan and Abdul Qadir and Kapil Dev hugging Phil Simmons after knocking over one of his teammates.
Fast forward to 2008 and Gautam Gambhir sticking an elbow into Shane Watson and well, I think you get the drift. And this was by no means an islolated incident. Many of the Indian cricket team today have been found guilty of unsportsmanlike behaviour (even Dravid was once caught rubbing a lozenge on a cricket ball)at some time or the other, notwithstanding their shrill protests of innocence. Be it ball-tampering, over-appealing, not sticking to over rates, bowling with dodgy actions...we seem to be doing it all with relish. Of course, if we are ever caught, the Indian cricket board promptly steps in and threatens to cancel all cricket with the offending nation. How else can you justify the fact that Harbhajan got away on the grounds that he had not called Symonds a monkey. He was, in fact, only abusing his mother ("teri maa ki...")!
What is really shocking is that most of the media and so-called cricket pundits seem to support this metamorphosis. One TV channel yesterday went so far as to claim that India should stop following the principles of Gandhi and give as good as they get. Yeah, yeah, we know how that one works, right? An eye for an eye. Perfect recipe for a blind world.
So, has the age of the Ugly Indian arrived? Are we going to be what the Aussies were in the seventies and the Pakistanis were in the eighties and nineties? I really hope not. The likes of Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman and among the new crop, MS Dhoni, still represent all that is good about the Gentleman's Game and the way India has always played it.
Oh, and I am sure Gambhir will get away scot-free (a fine, in all probability). After all, if he does not, we can always cancel the Aussie tour!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Testing times
The Border-Gavaskar trophy has been very interesting so far, largely due to the fact that India won the second test so comprehensively. But just when you thought that this series was going really well and that we had gotten past the ugliness of playing the game in 'bad' spirit (last year when India toured Australia) we have some news (breaking news I might add) about an Adam Gilchrist's opinion about Tendulkar (supposedly) on the much-media abused Harbhajan-Symonds fiasco. This is an excerpt dug out of Gilly's autobiography True Colours. What was the point of this exercise? Was the temptation of dragging Gilchrist (the rare gentleman of modern cricket) through the mud too hard to resist? Or was it some misplaced idolism of the God of Indian cricket? Or was the series played a li'l too peacefully for everyone's comfort? Methinks we have gotten so used to sensationalism, it's hard now to not to hype otherwise inconsequential details so as to spice up the game.
But really, there was no need. For anyone who loves this game, Gilly's book excerpt about Tendulkar is an entirely unnecessary & inconsequential information leading upto the third and crucial test of the series. Australians are considered even more dangerous when they're wounded. In such a scenario one would think, we wouldn't let something as trivial as a book excerpt get under our skins. We're only egging a very important player from the Indian line-up to focus his thought and energy on something that's not related to the game.
Thankfully, Tendulkar has been around long enough not to be affected, I beg your pardon, not to let his game be affected by such controversies. A fact he proved with his masterly performance today. True, he will be very disappointed to miss out on a century - he certainly looked in good touch to get it. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to play for tea after all. Either way if India do well in this test (and they are at the moment at 245/3 looking strong) then it'll be no thanks to the media who definitely did all they could to take the players mind off the game. Honestly the term, 'a welcome distraction' doesn't apply to all situations. Indeed, right after India wins a test match, especially against Australia, any controversial discussion not related to the current series or players is an extremely 'unwelcome' distraction (In bad taste too!).
But really, there was no need. For anyone who loves this game, Gilly's book excerpt about Tendulkar is an entirely unnecessary & inconsequential information leading upto the third and crucial test of the series. Australians are considered even more dangerous when they're wounded. In such a scenario one would think, we wouldn't let something as trivial as a book excerpt get under our skins. We're only egging a very important player from the Indian line-up to focus his thought and energy on something that's not related to the game.
Thankfully, Tendulkar has been around long enough not to be affected, I beg your pardon, not to let his game be affected by such controversies. A fact he proved with his masterly performance today. True, he will be very disappointed to miss out on a century - he certainly looked in good touch to get it. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to play for tea after all. Either way if India do well in this test (and they are at the moment at 245/3 looking strong) then it'll be no thanks to the media who definitely did all they could to take the players mind off the game. Honestly the term, 'a welcome distraction' doesn't apply to all situations. Indeed, right after India wins a test match, especially against Australia, any controversial discussion not related to the current series or players is an extremely 'unwelcome' distraction (In bad taste too!).
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Reactions of an irate fan!
Well, we really played like footballers or hockey players who are suddenly thrust into a cricket field and asked to play cricket. Granted this is a typical reaction to an Indian loss, but heck! How else do you react?
Talk about being caught on the wrong foot. What was the last three days about? It certainly wasn’t cricket, least not from the Indians and it's not like they can say it was unknown conditions or adjusting to the weather. This is home turf for crying out loud! And we lost by an innings and 90 runs in three days!
I am a huge Kumble fan and he is, according to me, one of the finest cricketers there is but we’ve seen better judgement from the man. He really wasn’t fit enough to play and that showed not just in the way he played but also in the way the team played – an unfit captain is not exactly a good motivation for a team. Of course, there was a fair bit of experience in the side, which should, ideally, have taken on the mantle, so to speak. To give credit, Ganguly did give it a shot in the second innings and Pathan gave it his best in both the innings, he just ran out of partners. And I refuse to talk about the bowling. Like I said, not having Kumble at his best was bound to hurt our chances.
Of course, we shouldn’t discount the efficiency of the Proteas. It was like the two teams played on different pitches. The Indians batted on one that seemed bowler friendly, and the South Africans on one that was batsmen friendly. Dunno whether it was the brilliance of the South Africans or the mediocrity of the Indians. Perhaps both.
As for Gary Kirsten, a pretty uninspiring start. But I guess this is like medicine, you get worse before getting. Pardon me, that wasn’t me guessing, that was me fervently hoping!
Of course, I am also hoping all this distracted playing from the Indians has nothing to do with a certain star-studded event that’s about to start in the next couple of weeks! If so, we may as well hand over the trophy to the South Africans for washing us out!
Prove me wrong please!!
Talk about being caught on the wrong foot. What was the last three days about? It certainly wasn’t cricket, least not from the Indians and it's not like they can say it was unknown conditions or adjusting to the weather. This is home turf for crying out loud! And we lost by an innings and 90 runs in three days!
I am a huge Kumble fan and he is, according to me, one of the finest cricketers there is but we’ve seen better judgement from the man. He really wasn’t fit enough to play and that showed not just in the way he played but also in the way the team played – an unfit captain is not exactly a good motivation for a team. Of course, there was a fair bit of experience in the side, which should, ideally, have taken on the mantle, so to speak. To give credit, Ganguly did give it a shot in the second innings and Pathan gave it his best in both the innings, he just ran out of partners. And I refuse to talk about the bowling. Like I said, not having Kumble at his best was bound to hurt our chances.
Of course, we shouldn’t discount the efficiency of the Proteas. It was like the two teams played on different pitches. The Indians batted on one that seemed bowler friendly, and the South Africans on one that was batsmen friendly. Dunno whether it was the brilliance of the South Africans or the mediocrity of the Indians. Perhaps both.
As for Gary Kirsten, a pretty uninspiring start. But I guess this is like medicine, you get worse before getting. Pardon me, that wasn’t me guessing, that was me fervently hoping!
Of course, I am also hoping all this distracted playing from the Indians has nothing to do with a certain star-studded event that’s about to start in the next couple of weeks! If so, we may as well hand over the trophy to the South Africans for washing us out!
Prove me wrong please!!
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