Cricket Blog (India)

KKR's team management is an ass

Sriram Ranganathan — 2009-05-12T14:52:00+00:00

Let me first emphasize that I don't find the concept of multiple captains to be ridiculous. I think that as more ideas are tried out, some will fail and some will succeed, and make cricket better in the long run.

A couple of years back was the concept of the Super-sub similarly debated, and I loved that concept. One of the biggest stupidities in that concept was the fact that the Super-sub had to be named before the toss; the captain winning the toss lucked out more than the opposing captain, which I feel was unfair. Otherwise, it was a good concept as we saw the teams, particularly captains and coaches, thinking on their feet much more than in a traditional non Super-sub format. Yes, cricket is indeed played with a bat and ball but using one's brain need not be considered a waste of time.

When the KRR coach, John Buchanan, trotted out the multiple captain's concept, it was not because it was an amazing concept that I was excited but because it involved a little cerebral involvement along with the normal bat / ball routine. In fact, I found thoughts like this to be one of the plus points of the franchise system; one did not have to wait for the ICC to make up a rule; one could do it by self. With so many franchises, they could all try out stuff which might be out of the ordinary, and what fun it would be.

While the other franchises have not exactly rushed to embrace the outlandish, the KKR team management certainly gave it their two cents worth. What bombed was the way they did it.

There are theories that it was all a plan by the Australian members to get Ganguly away from the Captaincy. Seriously speaking, why would anyone bother? Buchanan and gang would get their greenbacks whether Ganguly remained captain or not, and not a penny more even if he did not remain captain. While there was a power struggle between the captain (in the first edition) and coach, the boss had already backed the Australian, so really there was no need to target an aging Ganguly whose remaining lifespan as a player is definitely shorter than the remaining lifespan of Buchanan as a coach, for KKR or someone else. The only reason could be that Ganguly did not fit into the Australian's vision for KKR, and that call is as fair as the calls made by Ganguly in his tenure as the Indian captain, where certain players figured in his scheme of things and certain players didn't. The man in charge decides; then Ganguly was in charge and now Buchanan is.

Greg Chappell found out the hard way that in India one has to be careful with handling the stars; they can make or break you. After Chappell had made all the mistakes that he possibly could during his tenure (and those mistakes, I think, were not in his ideas which were extremely sound but in the way he discounted the star power of those who didn't count in his scheme of things), what makes Buchanan's tenure more idiotic is that he learnt absolutely nothing from his countryman's experiences. Carrying a laptop isn't all that it is made out to be, obviously.

What really made the whole thing shitty was the way the Ganguly sacking was implemented, with the subtleness of a sledgehammer blow; bluff talk on the outside by both SRK and Buchanan only made the sacking more humiliating when it inevitably came. The underhandedness of the act is what spoiled the entire KKR party in the second edition of the IPL, not the fact itself that Ganguly did not figure in the coach's scheme of things. The team that was fractured by the humiliation of the team's heavyweight player is fractured today still, and Buchanan and SRK have the most to answer for that.

I think the IPL's icon concept is more ridiculous than the four captain theory but that was done up front and open. Chappell's thoughts were scandalous to the hero worshippers of our land but again they were blunt and un-apologetic. SRK and Buchanan have acted in a way where if I were a player in that squad, I wouldn't trust them to help me cross the road.

I think Ganguly's worth in the IPL is over-rated in terms of the sum he takes home but that is between him and his franchise that knowingly got into the game. I think that the Fake IPL Player, blogging away the dirty secrets of the hitherto elite cricket crowd, while in his own mind having a good enough cause to take the franchise down still stinks because poison pens do stink, whatever the reasons might be. I think the members of the fractured KKR team must accept a lot of the blame for their current standing in the league table because even considering the management phuck ups, surely anyone calling himself a professional cricketer should give a better performance than the crap they have been dishing out in this IPL edition.

Most of all, it shows what bad management will do to a team that isn't all that bad. The damage is huge, and while SRK as the owner doesn't really face the sack, he would be wise to re-think on whether the reins of his dream team are indeed in safe hands. Going away from Buchanan doesn't mean moving towards Ganguly (Geez, when will we move away from personalities?) and while the current IPL is washed up for the KKR, there is plenty of food for thought for the owner in terms of IPL 2010.

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So, who is the fake IPL player?

Sriram Ranganathan — 2009-05-07T13:43:00+00:00

Filed under: India, Domestic Cricket

As much masala the IPL is providing with its high voltage on field action, over the past two weeks cricket fans have been getting their daily fix of off-field masala through the blog of the "Fake IPL Player", someone who claims to be providing "andar ki khabar" titbits of the travails of the Knight Riders. Fakey, as I call him affectionately, is supposedly a member of the KKR, whether of the playing or the non-playing squad is still an arguable point, and he certainly has done his bit to dish out the dirt on one and all, including those not in the KKR squad, per se.

I am one of those who have always believed in the fallibility of the cricket superstars, considering them to be normal men like you and me, with normal weaknesses and fallibilities like you and me. So most of the tidbits in the blog posts don't really come as a shocker; power and ego struggles, camps within camps, skirt chasing, gossip mongering - what is there that we don't see in every team, not necessarily linked to cricket or any other sport, whether it be in our own offices or our neighbor's?

The only thing which makes this blog unique is its openness in tearing reputations to shreds, its total lack of humility and don't-care-attitude about what the consequences will be once, as always happens even with the best of them all, the identity of the blogger is known. Starting off with sarcasm and humor being the weapons of choice, the blog has become steadily nastier in its commentary, and the last couple of posts have been totally of the "gloves off" kind.

I am not a legal expert but the fact that not even a single person in the blog has been identified by name seems a pretty good cover against legal charges, if ever they arise. Yes, so one thought that Kishen Kanhiya was one of the commentators known for his liking of the fairer sex, but hey, I never said it was him. So, Appam ch****** was slapped in the last IPL by Meera Bhai? Ok, so what does the imaginary "Indians in Philadelphia Limited" IPL I talk about in my blog have to do with Sreesanth getting slapped by one "Meera ke Bhajan" in the last "Indian Premier League" cricket related IPL? Is there even a cricket tournament called the IPL going on? Hey, I didn't have a clue, honest!

I like the blog, honest! It is bold, nasty and interesting and I definitely go to it every now and then to see if there is a new post on. Obviously, like many others, I also cannot help but wonder who the blogger is? I am very clear about one thing - it is someone very close to the action, most probably in the KKR squad, and it is someone very obvious. The blog is getting too personal and nasty for it to be just someone doing this for kicks; it smacks of someone so pissed that he wants to take the rest of them down. It smacks of someone who has been humiliated and wants revenge. The blog is vindictive towards some, passive about others, and derisive about yet others who might not be directly responsible for the humiliation but against whom Fakey nurses some grudge for some slight someday, somewhere!

I see the person who provides the information and the person who uploads the blog posts to be two different people. The information provider is very likely a senior member of the KKR squad who knows what is happening even if he is not in charge, while the writer (and uploader) of the blog is most likely a friend in the media. The names chosen for the various people in the blog posts have obviously been chosen with great care, to make it sound off-the-cuff but still managing to let everyone know who exactly it is. That is not a simple task in itself and shows that this is not just casual blogging going on by someone who has a couple of extra hours on hand. This is a much planned effort, being executed with precision, and there is a lot of anger hidden behind the blog's supposedly "cool" Fakey.

While the "media friend" might not really have too much to lose, and much to gain, with the expose that will eventually happen, what makes it interesting is that the information provider will obviously have to face more serious consequences. As suspected, if the information provider is a member of the KKR, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that he will not be in the KKR squad next year, and no other franchise might be willing to touch him. Heck, for whatever reason if you can kick your team in the balls once, you can kick them again, even if the team is different. In addition, in cricketing circles - at least the decent ones - his name will be mud as he contributes his bit and more to show that cricket can just be as dirty and masaaledaar as the latest Bollywood flick.

So it is obviously someone for whom the millions at stake are not as important as the revenge factor is! It is obviously someone who doesn't give a damn what those (decent) cricketing circles think about him. It is someone who has money, a means of livelihood outside cricket, and hey, if who I am thinking of is correct, then I am sure he will find cricketing circles who will welcome one of their own with open arms and think that he was absolutely spot on with this "Fake IPL Player" business. "He showed them that he cannot be screwed around with", they would tell each other in glee, displaying the same self-righteousness with which they booed the Indian cricket team and supported the opposition not so long back when their beloved icon was left out.

Fakey, in one of his last couple of posts, has already expressed an intention to cut himself off from all forms of cricket (playing, I would assume) and also reveal himself on the last day of the KKR schedule of matches. This effectively means that on the day (or night) of the last league match for the KKR - since they have as much chance of moving to the semi-finals as a Nutty-Buddy ice cream has of lasting five minutes with me - we should know who Fakey is, always considering he keeps his word and there are no new twists to the tale.

I would be surprised if the blogger was not who I indicate, because otherwise the nastiness and venom in the blog doesn't make sense. If it turned out to be the bus driver of the KKR squad who was doing it to amuse his nephews and nieces, it would come as a dampener. Even if it was someone who was doing it just for kicks, I would be looking towards a cover up operation because baby, the cut here runs deep.

Anyways, May 20 is the day I am waiting for! As I said previously, I like the blog if not the blogger.

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The curious case of will power

Akshay Manwani — 2009-04-27T00:35:00+00:00

Filed under: India, Players

I've seen this happen several times before and yet never quite understood it. Cricket is a game that is played between two opposing sides, where generally the side that executes better on the day ends up winning.On a more macro level the same is fundamental to any sport. Even those played between individuals, like tennis or golf. The individual or the team that executes the skill or set of skills which are on display, better than the opposition, generally comes up trumps.

However, sometimes this is not necessarily the case. Teams or individuals who are better placed to win at the start of the game and/or may also display a better performance during the course of the game are stalled in their march to victory by an intangible element. This intangible may on some occasions delay the onset of victory for the opposition, if not completely deny it.

In the game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, this past Thursday, this latent intangible manifested itself yet again. It once again donned the guise of a champion sportsman's will power, his tenacity not to give in without a fight, his ability to inspire his team from a seemingly hopeless position. Since the time Shane Warne came out to bat in the penultimate over of the Royals innings, he had a tonic like effect on the fortunes of his side. The little known Abhishek Raut looked to be feeding off Warne's energy and played a cameo late in the Royals innings that proved to be invaluable in the overall scheme of things.

Then when the Royals came out to bowl, Warne was once again on the button with his opening bowling combination. When Chris Gayle seemed to have escaped that guerilla attack and was threatening to take the game away from the Royals, Warne introduced himself into the attack, ready to stymie any challenge that tried to get in the way of his will to win. His handling of Kamran Khan in the last few overs, talking to the young apprentice ball after ball, was exemplary in that it upset the favourable odds of the batting side winning the match - a mere eight runs were required off the last six deliveries with four wickets in hand. In the final analysis, irrespective of what the odds were at the start of the game, or how they fluctuated during the game, it was Shane Warne's will power that prevailed over any other skill his side may have shown or the Knight Riders may have lacked.

As was pointed out earlier in this piece, this is not the first time that we witnessed a champion sportsman's will becoming the difference between a side winning and losing. In early 1999, Brian Lara shepherded his side to a famous one wicket win over a far superior Australian side in the third test in Bridgetown, Barbados. Lara's batting shone like a beacon for the West Indies right through that series (546 runs in 4 tests) and was largely instrumental in helping the side end the series with a drawn result, an aberration given the strength of the opposing Australian team. The same Shane Warne, singularly spearheaded the Australian challenge and challenged the English to play out of their skins in the 2005 Ashes. With a final tally of 40 wickets and 249 runs in that series, Warne almost managed to waylay the English in their eventually successful quest to reclaim the urn.

The legendary Chicago Bulls of the 1990's ceded home court advantage to the Utah Jazz in the NBA championship finals of 1997-1998, but were nevertheless successful in regaining the title due to some unbelievable performances from Michael Jordan. Utah seemed to be the better team right through the regular season, the playoffs and indeed the first couple of games of that championship series. But when it mattered most, they failed to come up with an alternative to Jordan's drive in winning a sixth championship. The Wimbledon final last year, that provided some of the best tennis the game has ever seen, was no different. Federer's artistry, his record at the venue, all proved insufficient in overcoming Nadal's resolve to win his first ever championship.

Herein lies the parallel between cricket (or sport) and life, that the better placed need not necessarily win. Play as you will, as the defending champion or as the underdog, so long as one believes in his or his team's ability to win, there is always a chance to upset the odds. Self belief is an asset, hugely underutilized by cricketers (indeed sportsmen) across continents. A timely reminder then by the Royals captain of the axiom 'where there is a will (or sometimes Warne) there will always be a way'.

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Happy Birthday Sachin

Akshay Manwani — 2009-04-23T11:15:00+00:00

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - the name that elicits genuine admiration and awe the world over.Today Sachin celebrates his 36th birthday and while there are so many things about Tendulkar that endear him to each and every one of us, here is my list of TEN reasons that put Tendulkar ahead of every other cricketer. So without further ado, here goes:

1. Because in 1989, at the tender age of sixteen he tore into a thirty four year old veteran - Abdul Qadir with gusto and made the world take note of his precocious talent.

2. Because on witnessing his innings of 114 at the WACA in the fifth test of 1991-1992 series against Australia, the eminent cricket journalist John Woodcock stood up, put out his hands and called for silence. "Gentlemen," Woodcock declared, "he is the best batsman I have seen in my life." A pause later: "And unlike most of you, I have seen Bradman."

3. Because he gave a whole new meaning to the 'desert storm' that preceded his innings of 143 when he took India to the finals of the Coca Cola cup in Sharjah on the 22nd of April in 1998.

4. Because he was available to play for India within a few days of his father's demise in the 1999 world cup. In his absence, the Men in Blue could not hold off a spirited challenge from the supposed minnows of international cricket - Zimbabwe.

5. Because when he blitzed his way to a 75 ball 98 on the 1st of March 2003 in South Africa, in the world cup game against Pakistan, he exorcised the ghosts of Javed Miandad's last ball six against Chetan Sharma in Sharjah once and for all.

6. Because an entire generation of Indians can wax eloquent on 'tennis elbow' and other aspects of the human anatomy, given the interest with which we follow Tendulkar's convalescence every time he is sidelined by injury.

7. Because in the two decades that he has played international cricket, there have been only two real controversies (one per decade on an average) about him. First, the allegation made by Mike Denness about Sachin tampering with the cricket ball in the second test of India's 2001 tour of South Africa. Second, the waiver of the import duty on his Ferrari by the government of India in 2003-2003. The best part is that we still do not have Sachin's version of both incidents.

8. Because three of Australian cricket's most influential figures of all time - Sir Donald Bradman, Richie Benaud and Shane Keith Warne have all acknowledged Tendulkar's undisputed genius. This by way of a direct comparison (Bradman), inclusion in an all time eleven (Benaud) and by putting him in the number one spot amongst fifty greatest opponents (Warne).

9. Because even after Sachin has scored a total of 29457 runs in tests and one day international matches, thereby amassing 85 centuries and 144 half centuries on the way, 'phir bhi hum sabka dil maangey more'.

10. Because at the precise moment he announces his retirement from the game of cricket, earth will be a poorer place to live.

Thank you Sachin for all the memories! Happy Birthday!!!

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IPL - Preview 2

Akshay Manwani — 2009-04-15T08:07:00+00:00

Filed under: India, Domestic Cricket, ODI

In my last blog on this forum (http://cricketblog.aol.in/2009/04/14/ipl-preview-1/ ), I had previewed the chances of the Punjab Kings XI, the Delhi Daredevils, and the Rajasthan Royals in the upcoming edition of the IPL.Of the lot, I had bet only on the Daredevils making it through to the semifinals. In this blog, I shall preview the remaining teams in the tournament.

The Bangalore Royal Challengers made news in last year's tournament with the sacking of their CEO Charu Sharma for the team's disastrous performance. This year also there is already a buzz about the team given that the Royal Challenger's made history by buying Kevin Pietersen at USD 1.55 million. However, this does not necessarily translate into more wins for the Royal Challengers since Pietersen will not be available for more than 50% of the league stage (on international duty for the series against West Indies in early May 09).

Jesse Ryder is a good acquisition given his recent scores in international cricket and this would add to the batting strength of the side (Dravid, Kallis, Uthappa & Vira Kohli) even in Pietersen's absence. But with Zaheer Khan moving to the Mumbai Indians in exchange for Robin Uthappa, the bowling department will be largely dependent on Dale Steyn. This and how they will field their four best foreign players with Pietersen and Chanderpaul around, adds to their problems.

The losing finalists from last year - the Chennai Super Kings should continue their good run into this year's tournament. Their acquisition of Andrew Flintoff (also at USD 1.55 million) should pay rich dividends till the time he is available (off on international duty for the series against West Indies in early May 09). Also with Mathew Hayden, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina expected to bludgeon bowling attacks into submission, it would be difficult to stop the Super Kings from winning the second edition of the tournament. The presence of Makhaya Ntini, Manpreet Gony, Albie Morkel and Muttiah Muralitharan also gives a well rounded feel to their bowling attack. It would be a huge disappointment if this side underperforms and crashes out after the league stages of the tournament.

Herschelle Gibbs may have returned to form with a timely century for South Africa in the fourth game of the one day series against Australia, but the chances of his form improving the fortunes of his IPL team viz. the Deccan Chargers seem bleak. On paper, the Chargers seem the weakest side in the tournament. Their best batsman Andrew Symonds shall be on tour to Dubai and Abu Dhabi for the series against Pakistan and will hence miss out on the tournament. Their other batsmen -VVS Laxman (the ex captain) , Adam Gilchrist (the current captain) and Scott Styris are way past their prime. Rohit Sharma seems to be struggling to come to terms with his potential. R P Singh and Nuwan Zoysa cannot be expected to blow away sides with their pace and so it would indeed be commendable if the Chargers finish anything but last in this edition.

The Mumbai Indians look another competent side in the tournament. In fact had it not been with for Tendulkar's injury and Harbhajan's suspension, the team may well have made it through to the semi finals in 2008. Nevertheless, Tendulkar and Jaysauriya will look to continue opening the batting and with the addition of Jean Paul Duminy, Shikhar Dhawan (from Delhi in exchange for Ashish Nehra) and the hugely talented Mohammed Ashraful, Mumbai should be a very strong batting outfit.

And even though Shaun Pollock may not lead the bowling attack any more, the inclusion of Zaheer Khan (traded for Robin Uthappa) in the pace department alongside Lasith Malinga augurs well for the bowling strength of the side. Harbhajan too should add to the mix given his experience and success in this format of the game. Accordingly the Mumbai Indians should be considered a safe bet into the semi finals.

Which brings us to the last team in the tournament - the Kolkata Knight Riders. The Knight riders underperformed in the last edition of the tournament, given that they managed only 5 wins while having some of the biggest names in their side - Chris Gayle, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul. This year they seem to be marginally better placed even if the Pakistani players are not available to them. Chris Gayle would be available for the first 4-5 games of the league and Brendon Mc Cullum would be available for the entire duration of the tournament.

The addition of Mashrafe Mortaza should bolster the all round capability of the team and with Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Ajit Agarkar and Ajantha Mendis - the Knight Riders look a decent bowling unit. The problem lies in the middle order for the Knight Riders and it will be up to Ganguly and the fast rising Cheteshwar Pujara to hold the team in good stead in that area.

So in the final analysis one can be quite certain of the Delhi Daredevils, the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians qualifying for the semi finals. The Punjab Kings XI and the Deccan Chargers seem certain casualties after the league stage. So in deciding the fourth team to make the semi final cut between three evenly matched sides' viz. the Rajasthan Royals, the Bangalore Royal Challengers and the Kolkata Knight Riders - I would perhaps go with the Knight Riders. This more an indication of my loyalty towards Sourav Ganguly than anything else.

Without further ado, let the games begin.

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IPL - Preview 1

Akshay Manwani — 2009-04-14T01:13:00+00:00

Filed under: Players

The IPL in its second edition shall kickoff in less than a week in South Africa. Eight teams shall traverse the length and breadth of this vibrant nation to do battle with bat and ball.With the experience of the last season in India counting for nothing and the absence of home ground advantage in this edition, it will clearly be a case of which team adapts quickly to the different conditions on offer at each venue in South Africa. This makes previewing the fortunes of each team even more interesting, something akin to taking a shot in the dark. In this post, I hope to shed some light on the three teams from the north which include the defending champions.

The Kings XI Punjab, were one of the firebrand franchisees from the last edition with a strong batting lineup that boasted of names like Shaun Marsh, Yuvraj Singh, Kumara Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. Had they played to their potential in last year's semi final they should have beaten the Chennai Super Kings, but their batting let them down on that day. Even so they finished the 2008 edition as the team with the second most wins in the league stage (10 wins) of the competition, just next to the Rajathan Royals (11 wins).

This year however, the odds seem stacked against the Kings XI. For starters they have only one player of South African nationality (the relatively lesser known Yusuf Abdulla), which only means that they will play this edition as rank outsiders. Their chances are further reduced by the fact that of the six Australians on their squad viz. Shaun Marsh, Brett Lee, James Hopes, Simon Katich, Luke Pomersbach and Burt Cockley - the former three will be away on international duty for the one day series against Pakistan. And in the absence of Brett Lee, the questionable fitness and form of Sreesanth and Irfan Pathan respectively, do not give one too much confidence about the bowling resources of the side. In light of this, a semi final berth for the side would indeed be a miracle.

The Delhi Daredevils are the next team on the radar. 2008 was a spirited showing with a semi final loss against the eventual winners of the tournament. This year though could be different in the sense that the Daredevils could actually go all the way. In the absence of Mohammed Asif, the decision to trade Shikhar Dhawan to the Mumbai Indians for Ashish Nehra seems to be one based on common sense. Also riding on the red hot form of Sehwag and Gambhir at the top of the order, the Daredevils will look to decimate bowling attacks from around the league.

Glenn Mc Grath will again be the spearhead of the attack and it will be interesting to see if a long break from competitive cricket has made him rusty in any way. Nevertheless his experience should rub off on the younger wards. The presence of the vastly improved A B De Villiers, the explosive David Warner and the all round ability of Andrew Mc Donald or Farveez Maharoof should make the Daredevils one of the strongest sides in the tournament.

The defending champions, the Rajasthan Royals surely upset all odds last year. On the face of it, they looked like a side that everyone was supposed to walk over, but with the inspirational leadership of Shane Warne they were indeed the best thing to have happened in the inaugural edition of the tournament.

Other than Warne's captaincy, the Royals last year were helped by impressive performances from their Indian players viz. Swapnil Asnodkar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Kaif, Siddharth Trivedi, Munaf Patel and Yusuf Pathan. Therefore it is imperative that these players deliver along similar lines in foreign conditions. Also with the hugely impressive all round ability of Shane Watson out of reckoning this year (he is in the squad for the series against Pakistan) and the absence of Sohail Tanvir from the side, there is a big question mark on the Royals making it through to the semi finals this time round. Tyron Henderson though could be the surprise acquisition of the side whose outstanding performances in this format fetched Middlesex the 2008 Tewnty20 cup.

As far is my money is concerned, from this group I would only have my money on the Delhi Daredevils making it through to the semi finals, though I'd be happy to see Shane Warne prove me wrong.

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My money, my team, my wish - says SRK to Gavaskar

Sriram Ranganathan — 2009-04-07T16:54:00+00:00

Filed under: India

Finally it took a 'badshah' to publicly tell Sunny bhai to shut his trap. Whether the 4 captain theory put forward by John Buchanan works or not, Gavaskar's smugness was getting more than irritating.

While there is no doubting Gavaskar's greatness in his playing days, once he hung up his boots, his contribution to Indian cricket or any cricket for that matter has been zilch. For that reason itself, the smug righteousness with which he makes his comments gets my goat.

One of his big arguments is that John Buchanan is a failed cricketer? Maybe that is true but I would politely suggest that 99.9% of the Indian population is a failed cricketer. Who in our country wouldn't be a world class cricketer if he had the choice? I would, for one. If Sunny bhai feels that to be a factor, then first he should tell the Indian public to shut up with their thoughts on how cricket should be run and who the captain and the playing eleven should be for every match. Would he dare?

Gavaskar's article brings forward a stalemate with its suggestion that a failed cricketer shouldn't go about telling players what to do. The successful cricketers, a la Gavaskar himself, would never put themselves in such a position of accountability as that of a coach. So who does that leave? Madan Lals, Gaekwads, Rajputs and other sundry names which keep popping up every now and then whenever the foreigner vs Indian debate comes up? Give me a break! When a franchise, KKR or any other, has money to hire good people, why would they even look at these non-entities? SRK's idea is really good in that way; maybe Gavaskar can buy one of the franchises and appoint the Gaekwads as coach?

Gavaskar's diatribe against Buchanan loading up the KKR support staff with his friends and family - with the team owners, 'poor souls', having no clue of being milked - is again a bit over the top. For someone who has been on thousands of committees, sub-committees, panels and advisory teams, his notable contributions to cricket after retirement are notable by their absence. Sunny also is not someone who would just be on some committee or other for the betterment of the game; like they say 'it takes a milker to know one'. I also wonder if Gavaskar knows what these pals, including Buchanan's son, does at KKR? Sunny's son not being so good at what he does doesn't really mean Buchanan's son isn't good at whatever he is supposed to be doing.

All said and done, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is a private entity. As succinctly put by Shah Rukh Khan, he has paid money for the franchise and will do as he pleases with it and others (successful cricketers included) need not poke their nose into its affairs.

One might say that SRK's comments are enough for sensible people to understand when they are being asked to butt out, but cricketers generally aren't among the brightest. Maybe that skull cap wasn't all that it was made out to be?

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Yuvraj Singh - An enigma unravelled

Akshay Manwani — 2009-04-07T02:25:00+00:00

Filed under: India, ODI, Test Cricket

Yuvraj Singh could well be facing a quarter life crisis. For at 27 years and 115 days old, Yuvraj is having to play a constant game of catch with the promise he had shown in the early days of his career.What would leave many of his fans nonplussed is how someone so prodigious in the one day format of the game, can more often than not, look so woefully at sea when confronted by the tide of test cricket.

It must be conceded in Yuvraj's favour, that at the start of his test career, he always played with the pressure of knowing that his inclusion in the side was always an arrangement for the short term. But then history has waxed eloquent of folks who have challenged the odds. In Yuvraj's case, other than for a superb century in the second test of the historic Indian tour to Pakistan in early 2004, he has hardly ever been guilty of such an assault. And so a poor showing at home against Australia in late 2004 brought the curtains down on scene one of Yuvraj's first act in test cricket.

Act two also proved to be short-lived, as Yuvraj struggled to cope with the rigours of test cricket, both at home against England and on tour to the West Indies in 2006. Once Sourav Ganguly made his way back into the test side in late 2006, it was always going to be a waiting game for the talented southpaw. Meanwhile a consistent showing in one day cricket and some spectacular performances in 20:20 meant that Yuvraj would always have another throw of the dice at the number six position in tests. With Ganguly's eventual retirement in 2008, one would have hoped for a seamless transition between the two left handed batsmen.

On the evidence of a solid fourth innings effort by Yuvraj with Tendulkar, in successfully chasing a record target set by England at Chennai in the first test in December 2008, it seemed as if that hope had finally come to fruition. But scores of 22, 0, 54 (not out), 9 and 40 in the ongoing test series in New Zealand have once again shown the fragility of hope when it comes to our man in question. Yuvraj has just not been able to capitalize on the opportunity provided by a relatively inexperienced and weak New Zealand bowling attack.

For a lad who averages 36.16 in test cricket, with an average of 43.93 runs at home - it would be tempting for the selectors to pick him should the next test series played by India be at home. But nothing could be further from a clear cut case of delusion. In the five countries outside of India that Yuvraj has played test cricket, he averages 4.25 in Australia, 31.25 in New Zealand, 17.33 in West Indies and 18.50 in Zimbabwe. Pakistan has been the only saving grace on his report card, as he averages a robust 57.28 in that country.

The problem is not as much a case of temperament as it is of technique. Clearly, he belongs to the international arena. His stroke play is pleasing to the eye and when in full flow, his presence deflates the opposition. But it is the manner in which he gets out that leaves him vulnerable to the challenges of test cricket. Of the 39 times that Yuvraj has been dismissed in test cricket he has been out caught 27 times and most of these dismissals have been behind the wicket either in the slips or by the wicketkeeper. This only suggests that Yuvraj seldom plays straight or with the full face of the bat and is more inclined to steer the ball which is a habit of the one day game. The sacred virtue of 'playing within the V' appears to have escaped his cricketing curriculum.

With the likes of Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Subramaniam Badrinath and Cheteshwar Pujara waiting anxiously in the wings, it is a matter of time before the door is permanently shut out on Yuvraj in the premier format of the game. One day cricket may have got the cricketing fraternity abuzz with his potential but it is test cricket that shall determine his position in the anthology of Indian cricket.

Sourav Ganguly at the time of announcing his retirement had stated that he would be sacrificing a couple of years in the interest of promoting fresh blood into the side. On that count alone, it is needed of Yuvraj to stand up and make sure that Dada's decision to quit was entirely justified.

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Second Test Preview

Akshay Manwani — 2009-03-24T10:36:00+00:00

The port city of Napier in New Zealand plays home to nearly 60,000 people from different ethnic backgrounds. It is a major tourist attraction as it boasts of the statue of the Pania of the Reef, a 1.5 meter tall bronze statue of a mermaid that follows from a local legend.The layout of Napier also draws architectural enthusiasts from all over the world, a positive fallout being that the city enjoys the privilege of being the first cultural site in New Zealand to be nominated for the UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

A quick overview of Napier, as highlighted above, is important because of its significance on this Indian tour of New Zealand. It was the scene of India's first triumph on the current tour after back to back defeats in the T:20 games at Christchurch and Wellington. Now, more importantly, it may serve to be the venue for India's second ever test series win in New Zealand in forty one years.

After the insipid performance put in by the Kiwis at Hamilton, it would be difficult to imagine them putting any kind of real pressure on the Indians immediately. Chris Martin and Iain O' Brien bowled well, but it is not the kind of pairing that would give the opposition sleepless nights. New Zealand's fielding also left a lot to be desired and if they don't convert half chances that come their way, the likes of Tendulkar getting away with big scores is a near certainty.

The ideal thing for New Zealand would be to win the toss and bat first and post a minimum score of 350 runs. Even with their inexperienced batting lineup, this is possible should Martin Guptill, Jesse Ryder and Brendon Mc Cullum decide to stick it out at the crease and sacrifice flamboyance for frugality. Ryder is capable of that, as was on show in the first innings at Hamilton, and with Vettori almost certain to play a handy role at number eight a total of 350 runs would put some pressure on the Indians upfront when they come out to bat.

The other thing Vettori would do well to make amends for, is to avoid bowling his seam bowlers in short spells. On the third morning at Hamilton when Yuvraj was bowled when he misjudged an incoming delivery from Chris Martin, the removal of Martin and O' Brien from the attack, after each of them had completed a six over spell was baffling. Removing your best bowling combination when the team needs quick wickets is not the best way to contain the first inning deficit.

Should rain not play spoilsport, as it threatened to do in the first ODI, India is in with every chance to round off a historic series victory. Every member of the side contributed in the win in the first test. India's worst enemy as they head into this test could be their over confidence. Bowl first or bat, they will have to dig in with the same intensity that was on display at Hamilton. In the batting department Yuvraj Singh would do wonders to his self confidence should he post a big score in this part of the world, while on the bowling front Harbhajan need not wait for the second innings to come round the wicket so as to improve his wicket taking chances. Munaf also needs to keep up the pressure as the third seamer so that the efforts of the previous test are not dismissed as a one off occurrence.

Indeed, a win for Dhoni at Napier would once again underline his stature as the man with the Midas touch.

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Just not Cricket

Akshay Manwani — 2009-03-23T08:51:00+00:00

Filed under: India, ODI

"To make a business decision, you don't need much philosophy; all you need is greed, and maybe a little knowledge of how the game works." - Bill Watterson.
The events of the past month with regard to the second season of the IPL would have left most of us sick in the gut. Barely had the noise of gunshots in neighbouring Lahore died out, that the IPL bosses seemed to be working in overdrive so as to ensure that cricket in its 'maggi noodle avtaar' did not become a casualty. There was little or no solace offered to the members of the Sri Lankan cricket team who had borne the brunt of the heinous act, the priority instead being to highlight how Lahore was not Mumbai or Delhi.

In the aftermath of 26/11 - there cannot be a bigger fallacy. While images of the Taj or the Oberoi under siege will continue to stream into our living rooms every time our nation is held hostage by the guns of terror, little thought shall go out to the victims at the CST station who because of the impoverished setting of their carnage are a forgotten lot. And while the opulent grandeur of the Oberoi may be able to sanitise itself from the threat of such extremism in the future by virtue of huge money spent on private security, what is to be done to ensure the safety of the common man at these crowded intersections of everyday life? If the 5 star hotels of Mumbai city mirror the affluence and aspirations of a certain class of people in that city, then the CST station is a gateway to the pulse of that vibrant and cosmopolitan metro. How then can the high and mighty of Indian cricket, comfortable within the security that big money can buy, speak for the fortunes of the common man - be it in Lahore or in Mumbai.

In the light of these developments, the Home Minister publicly airing his fears about the parallel occurrence of the two biggest events on the Indian calendar was simple common sense. It was also a vindication of the premise that the common man today - whether he be in the garb of a voter or as a supporter of the Chennai Super Kings is susceptible to random acts of barbarism. Yet, by immediately throwing caution to the wind and interpreting the Home Minister's anxieties to their advantage, the IPL's administrators did precious little to appreciate the cost of millions of human lives involved, should tragedy strike again. It was indeed amongst the most insensitive ripostes in recent times, to unforeseen circumstances that Lahore threw up.

The IPL does generate a lot of entertainment. But that is not its sole motive. Like all good businesses its basic objective is to create value for its stakeholders. And so you have eight franchisees who depend on gate revenue, merchandising and advertising to make the entire business proposition worth the investment. Whether the owners of these franchisees rough it out in times when the model does not get them past break even or make hay when the good times roll is of no one's concern except their own and this is true of all business.

Any good business proposition must factor in the element of change in the external environment. That the IPL refused to take note of the imminent election routine even before Lahore happened, is a pointer to their high handedness in general. That they now cite the inability of certain state governments to provide adequate security, post Lahore, as reason to move the IPL outside of India is an unequivocal admission of their incompetence.

The Government is under no obligation to patronize the fortunes of a select few. If it chooses to do so it must take up similar action for owners of mom and pop stores around our neighbourhoods. The recourse to the argument that the IPL is a matter of national pride and therefore state patronage is the need of the hour is also as ludicrous as any claims of Elvis being alive. The IPL is not the premier form of the game. If the Indian state is to keep its national pride, it would do so far better by improving on its dismal showing on the Human development Index rather than promote a slam-bam-thank-you-ma'am routine that only looks to swell the coffers of a privileged few. Playing host in style at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi 2010 would also serve our national pride far better than any pitch made by the IPL in this direction.

Yes, the decision to hold the IPL outside the shores of the Indian subcontinent does send a message that India is not the best place to hold an event of such logistical magnitude. But given the frequency of large scale homicide in our part of the world over the last couple of years, is that not the bitter truth? How long do we look the other way when confronted with such reality? Is it not a miracle that we come home alive, each time we visit the local multiplex or finish a day in our ultra modern MNC offices?

Sadly, with the decision to move the games outside India - the intentions of the IPL stand exposed. It is not as much an attempt to ensure that the show goes on but an admission to profit at any cost. No more can there be any rational infatuation for the Bangalore Royal Challengers when they play the Kolkatta Knight Riders in far away Johannesburg or London. It will only be the circus of 20-20 cricket in a different city on a different watch. Clearly for some folks, nothing else matters.

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The IPL goes out of India

Sriram Ranganathan — 2009-03-22T18:51:00+00:00

Filed under: India, ODI

The decision by the BCCI to shift the IPL out of India is being greeted with dismay by many (fans) and with glee with some (politicians). Typical of its nonsensical style of functioning, the BCCI has announced its decision literally as the bowler is marking his run-up.

So what of the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Delhi Daredevils, not to mention the Mumbai Indians? Will they now be transformed into the Essex Knight Riders and the Yorkshire Daredevils? The very concept of the IPL being a domestic tournament with its selling point being city based (and backed) brand loyalty goes for a toss whether the new venue for the IPL is England, South Africa or the Netherlands.

While I understand fully the concerns of the organizers over the security standpoint, I wonder if they would be similarly worried if there were no Brendon McCullums and Kevin Pietersons coming over but merely a few Singhs and a couple of Dhawans? Forget shifting the Ranji or Duleep trophies out of India; is anyone even hiring a couple of policemen to protect the domestic players?

The fact that the IPL was a business and not cricket was clear the day the Gangulys, Tendulkars, Dravids, Yuverajs and Sehwags became undisputed captains of their city teams, and in addition became their most expensive players without even having to be part of the bidding process. The aim at that point of time was to ensure the locals bought the idea, and every businessman knew that Kolkata wanted a Ganguly whether he scored anything or not, and Mumbai wanted a Tendulkar, forget that he has played about two Twenty-20 matches in his career. Today Sehwag has re-invented himself in the ODI and Twenty-20 mould and is an amazing bargain at whatever price he gets, but the day he was appointed undisputed captain of the Delhi Daredevils, many would wonder if he could hold his place in the Indian eleven?

Today the idea has been sold and the Indian cricket watcher is a fan of the Twenty-20 format. Taking the IPL out of India will be painful, no doubt, but I am sure the financial implications have been worked out by the accountants of the Zintas, Khans and the Mallayas. I would not be surprised to see in the next few days advertisements about Boost, Yamaha or Colgate, whichever are sponsoring the IPL, that encourage the viewer to drink, drive or brush with as much of the stuff they can buy off the shelves (or the showrooms) to get the golden opportunity to fly to England / South Africa / Netherlands / wherever to see the IPL live.

What do the cricketers themselves think of it? After all, it is the Sehwags, Lees and Gillys that are going to be playing out there; the IPL is about cricket, you know! Well, if I know our beloved BCCI any, they wouldn't give a fig what the icons, non-icons and other players thought about anything. They have been paid and now they must provide the service they have been paid for. Simple!

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India vs New Zealand - Test Series preview

Akshay Manwani — 2009-03-17T02:36:00+00:00

Filed under: New Zealand, Test Cricket

Believe it or not - but the last time India won a test in New Zealand, most of us weren't even born. It was the 1975-1976 series and in complete contrast to the Australian or West Indian way of knocking down opponents through sheer pace, the guile and craft of Chandrasekhar and Prasanna saw us take a short lived lead at Auckland in the three match series.Since then, even if India may boast of an improved overseas record in the last decade, they are yet to stage a successful conquest of J.R.R Tolkien's vivid yet mythical Middle Earth.

Last time around on tour in early 2003, the Indians felt that they had been done in with pitches that seemed to have a jack-in-the-box effect every time the ball landed anywhere on the twenty two yard strip. Both tests were completed within three full days of play and the highest score registered by an Indian batsman was a resilient 76 by Rahul Dravid in the first innings of the first test. Sourav Ganguly, the skipper cried foul, as is natural to all batting captains when batsmen aren't provided the comfort of a sporting wicket (read flat track).

So what lies in store this time round for the Indians? A series victory seems to be the case on paper, but given the vagaries of sport anything is possible. Critics who hailed the South African team that beat Australia down under, a couple of months ago, as the best South African side ever, are now having to eat humble pie with the results of the ongoing test series between the two sides. However, the Indians have good reason not to fear the same destiny as the Proteas, given the inexperience of their hosts in the longest format of the game.

Over the last 25 years, New Zealand has always enjoyed the services of some great to above average fast bowlers to make the most of home conditions. Richard Hadlee in the 1980's, Danny Morrison and Dion Nash in the early to late 1990's and a combination of Shane Bond, Daryl Tuffey and Jacob Oram on the last tour have denied India on each occasion a Kiwi treat. This time round New Zealand's most experienced campaigner in the bowling department is their skipper Daniel Vettori and even while he is a most potent spinner in the orthodox style, the Kiwis cannot hope to have him deliver the opening breakthroughs. For that task Kyle Mills, Chris Martin or James Franklin will have to bowl out of their skins and look to the Indian batsmen to commit hara-kiri.

India should win. They have the superior batting line up and with the old hands (Dravid and Laxman) coming back into the side the youngsters should feed of their experience to counter the conditions. The only problem and this has been India's Achilles' for some time now is the absence of a stable third seamer. Munaf or Balaji would be in the reckoning for this spot for the first test, but one should not be surprised if it turns out to be a game of musical chairs by the end of the series with Dhawal Kulkarni also being tested in this role.

Given the inclement weather in New Zealand, it would be surprising if all three matches produce results. A 2-0 win for India seems par for the course, but it is not beyond the men in blue to put in an utterly disastrous performance over the course of a couple of sessions in a match that costs them a series win. It happened at Melbourne in Australia in 2003-04 and in South Africa on the tour of 2006 after series leading, jaw dropping victories had been sculpted. Nagpur 2008 almost saw an encore before some baffling captaincy by Ponting and an aggressive partnership between Harbhajan and Dhoni saved India the blushes.Hopefully, the ghosts of the past shall not haunt this Indian side, who seem to be serious about rewriting records against all opposition.

And so as history beckons yet again, skipper Dhoni would do well to remind his lads of the words of Gandalf in the Fellowship of the Ring - 'All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us'.

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A rather Kallis argument

Akshay Manwani — 2009-03-02T12:03:00+00:00

Filed under: ODI, Players, Test Cricket

In one of my recent blogs on this forum (http://cricketblog.aol.in/2009/01/24/cricket-and-the-need-for-comparison/), I had vented my ire on the infatuation of the cricketing cognoscenti to indulge in comparison. Why, had I asked, must cricketers be put through this ignominy when the spectacle provided by every flannelled bearer is unique. Curtly Ambrose was no Glen Mc Grath, who in turn was no Malcolm Marshall, even as they all might have announced themselves as 'right arm-fast-over the wicket' to the umpire on a cricket field.And so having vented my spleen, I decided to look the other way when confronted with these never ending shortlists. Neither would I risk reacting to the quicksand of comparison, which tends to be the case when some of the game's greats are mentioned alongside each other only to create an arbitrary divide between them.

However, the events of the past week have denied me a shot at abstinence on the above count. Like a true cricket fanatic, who was doing his everyday rounds of that hallowed area of cyberspace - www.cricinfo.com - I happened to chance upon a compelling comparison between two of the finest all rounders to have graced the game viz. Sir Gary Sobers and Jacques Kallis. The patron of this insightful piece of prose was the esteemed cricket writer - Rob Steen. The argument made by Mr. Steen was that Kallis, over the course of a stellar career had earned every right to have his name mentioned in the same breath as the legendary Garfield Sobers.

Cautious not to leave the final opinion to the reader, Mr. Steen waxes eloquent on the contributions of Kallis and goes on to suggest that the South African might have his nose ahead of the West Indian. Mr. Steen writes and I quote "But distinguish we must, and the chief non-aesthetic, non-spiritual difference between Sobers and Kallis is that the latter's load has been far heavier.................... and it does not seem unreasonable to propose that, even though you might as well compare Dylan and McCartney, Kallis' consistency has been even more admirable". One can catch the full text of his thoughts at http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/391570.html

Now while any suggestion that puts Sir Garfield behind any other all rounder, past or present, may sound blasphemous to my old man's generation, what must be appreciated of Mr. Steen's treatise, is that by adopting a series of statistical yardsticks, he avoids the pitfalls of romanticizing the image of a player (in this case Sir Gary) from yesteryear. With time, great players acquire mythical proportions, sometimes much less than the actual scope of their exploits and in doing so put a player from the current lot at an unfair handicap. One also suspects that Mr. Steen may have witnessed the magic of Sobers in both flesh and soul and hence is entitled to a fairly unbiased firsthand opinion of both the gentlemen in question.

Because of this privilege, it would be foolish to disagree with Mr. Steen on account of how he could tread the road of sacrilege by having Sir Gary play second fiddle to anyone. It would also have been equally difficult for people from my generation (in the age group of 25 to 35) to differ with him, had he compared Kallis favourably with an Imran Khan or an Ian Botham or a Kapil dev, since the exploits of the latter trio were also before the advent of live cable television.

And so we must turn our minds to someone from the current generation, someone whose legacy can be reviewed as clearly as that of Kallis. A player who has had to carve his niche irrespective of the frenetic pace and burden of modern day cricket, the crucial factor because of which Mr. Steen puts Kallis ahead of Sobers. Someone whose multi pronged contribution has provided an added edge to the fortunes of his team.

And to all of these there responds the name of only one cricketer - Adam Gilchrist. In keeping with his biblical counterpart, Adam has been the first of his kind. Some might say that it would be unfair to compare the classical definition of an all rounder - someone who retains his spot in the side entirely on the strength of either skill (to which Kallis belongs), but think of the time before the first true all rounder came into the game. Before that a player was either a batsman or a bowler. It took the coming of one talented individual, who could both bowl and bat, to create the genus of the all rounder. Same is the case with Gilchrist. Because of his efficiency with the gloves behind the stumps, which thereby limit his contribution with the ball, Gilchrist has forced the classical definition of the all rounder to be broadened. In fact the very forum on which Rob Steen's essay appeared, also had Gilchrist running for the greatest all rounder ever from a shortlist of twenty - http://www.cricinfo.com/greatestallrounder/

Notwithstanding my dislike to nourish any argument by way of the succor provided by statistics, I find it imperative to take its recourse in this case, as it undeniably puts Gilchrist's all round ability in perspective. Gilchrist debuted in one day cricket in 1996-97 and it wasn't until 1999-2000 that he donned a test cap. So up to the Australian summer of 2007-08 where he finally called it quits, Gilchrist played 287 one day internationals and 96 test matches. Kallis who debuted in both forms of the game a little earlier in comparison (1995-96), has played the same number of one day internationals as Gilchrist to this day and 128 test matches which if pro-rated in comparison to Gilchrist's 9 seasons in test cricket would come to only about 83 test matches. So for the same duration that both men took to the cricket field, Gilchrist's workload had been heavier.

On closer examination of their all round skills in test cricket, Gilchrist again proves to be the better of the two. Kallis may well be the best number four batsman of his era statistically (averages 62.47 in 117 innings at that spot) ahead of Tendulkar (56.14 in 208 innings) and Lara (51.25 in 148 innings), but whether he would actually merit a place in any test side ahead of the aforementioned gentleman is worthy of debate (or is it). On the other hand, Gilchrist unarguably, is easily the greatest number seven ever, with a monstrous average of 46.44 in 100 innnings at that slot (overall test average of 47.60 runs per innings). Mark Boucher for a similar number of innings in that position averages a mere 26.28 runs per innings.

And even though it would not be the best thing to compare apples to oranges and compare Gilchrist as wicketkeeper to Kallis the bowler - it is important to take note of their respective achievements in these spheres vis-à-vis other contemporaries. So while Kallis dwarfs in comparison with his bowling average of 31.12 to Shaun Pollock's (another nominee for the greatest all rounder ever) 23.11, Gilchrist with 416 dismissals in 96 test matches (4.33 dismissals per test) ranks ahead of his closest contemporary Mark Boucher who has 466 dismissals in 123 test matches (3.78 dismissals per test).

One must also not forget Gilchrist's contributions in other spheres of the game. With scores of 54, 57 and 149 respectively in 3 consecutive World Cup Finals he left his best for the big stage. For a player whose team mates weren't always the model form of sportsmanship, Gilchrist often set a fine example in player conduct as when he walked on his own in the 2003 world cup semi final, having been given not out by the umpire. He also captained the Australian side that overcame the 'final frontier' that was India in 2004.

Mr. Steen's article makes for a telling read when viewed within the classical definition of the all rounder and by claiming ignorance of the effect of Gilchrist on this genre. Not for nothing are most wicket keepers of this generation forced to play more than a handy role with the bat - Sangakarra, Dhoni, Haddin and Akmal. To put things in proper perspective, if one goes with Mr. Steen's point of view, it took only fifty years to compare someone alongside Sir Gary. But in the 134 years that this great game of cricket has been in existence, there has been only one Adam Craig Gilchrist.

I rest my case.

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India and South Africa - The road ahead

Akshay Manwani — 2009-02-24T07:51:00+00:00

Filed under: India, ODI

In a couple of days, two eagerly awaited tours shall begin for cricket fans across the world. India will be returning to New Zealand after six long years, hoping to exorcise the ghosts of the last tour when India managed to win just two out of a total nine matches that were played in the summer of 2003.And even though conspiracy theories abound by the dozen for India's abject performance on that tour, what followed was a kind of watershed in Indian cricket as Team India went on to reach the finals of the World Cup in 2003, drew a test series against Australia away from home and beat Pakistan in Pakistan in both ODI's and tests.

Meanwhile in an altogether different topography, in far away South Africa, battle shall resume between the conqueror and the vanquished. Australia will look to assert their supremacy once again, even if the odds are heavily stacked against them. An ageing side, an inexperienced roster, playing away from home - shall all play their respective part to handicap the lads from down under, but given the vagaries of cricket, it would be foolish to write off the underdog before a ball has been bowled. More so when the underdog comes wearing the baggy green.

India and South Africa are both in line for claiming the numero uno position in world cricket. They have both beaten Australia in the recent past and have shown the necessary mettle to take over the mantle of world champion. The opportunity presented to both teams in the form of the current task at hand shall reaffirm their respective positions as the top two teams in world cricket. A loss for either side, particularly in the tests, irrespective of any rider, shall wipe out all gain that has been made in the last couple of seasons.

A hallmark of the Australian side of the decade between 1997 to 2007, was that they never let up. There was no sympathy for the marginalized sections of cricketing society. A weak opponent was treated with as much regard as would be expected of the rampaging Huns in dealing with a lesser rival. Test match or one day international's, those Australians played a brand of cricket, that was aggressive, hard and of the highest quality. Their position at the top of the pyramid was never taken for granted by themselves.

With the privilege of being the best side in the world, comes the onerous responsibility of setting the benchmark - match after match, series after series. Should both India and South Africa fail to rise to the challenges posed by the opposition, there might arise a period of uncertainty in which there is no clear number one in the game. What lesser sides might aspire to achieve from here on, is now to some extent a factor of their imminent fortunes.

In the ensuing couple of months, I do hope the men will stand up and be counted.

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Reviewing the series in Sri Lanka

Akshay Manwani — 2009-02-09T23:55:00+00:00

Filed under: India, Sri Lanka, ODI

India's defeat in the last game of the one-day series may have been a bit of a dampener, but in all fairness, Sri Lanka were convincingly outplayed in the previous four matches to hand the Men in Blue a record nine consecutive ODI wins.Jayawardene and his men huffed and puffed at the ramparts of the Indian juggernaut, but try as they could, their efforts did precious little to throw their opponents off track.

For Sri Lanka, far too many things went wrong for them to put up any real fight. Every time they batted, whether it was to set a score or to chase a target, they hardly got a pair of batsmen together who could forge a big partnership. On two of three occasions that they did: Game 2 - Kandamby and Jayawardene put on a partnership of 100 runs for the fourth wicket, and Game 5 - Dilshan and Sangakkara put on 143 for the second wicket - they put India under tremendous pressure. Otherwise, it was always a case of one batsman scoring heavily with little or no support from the other team members.

The other telling problem for Sri Lanka is that they rely very heavily on all their top three batsmen to score. When the top three delivered, as they did in game five, Sri Lanka posted a mammoth total of 320, but by then they had lost the series. In the absence of the top three combining for a big opening, the middle order seemed bereft of the ability to undertake the job of building and giving momentum to the innings. Jayawardene need only look to his opposition number to understand the importance of this role, for as captain, it is his responsibility to get this piece of the jigsaw right.

In the absence of the veteran Chaminda Vaas, Sri Lanka were always going to rely heavily on their spin twins, a.k.a. Murali and Mendis. But the manner in which they were treated by the Indians gave one a sense of misplaced confidence in the duo on the part of the Lankan think-tank. Mendis in particular has gone from being the toast of the side to its fall guy, when he was rested for the fourth ODI. And while Murali deserves all credit for having broken Wasim Akram's record as the highest wicket-taker in one-day cricket, he would have undoubtedly preferred achieving the milestone on a winning note.

The Indians, in contrast, put up a clinical performance. Sehwag, Gambhir, Raina and Yusuf all batted supremely, to wrest the initiative from the opposition. Yuvraj may well have won the Man of the Series award for his stellar efforts with the bat, but for me, personally, Dhoni might have been a better choice given his consistent run of performances and the usual calm with which he marshalled his troops. Dhoni is a leader whose teammates feed off his own reassuring presence on the field, and in him they find a leader who will back them irrespective of the odds or situation.

Amongst the bowlers, Ishant proved that he is a handful even on flat tracks, given his pace and bounce, while Praveen Kumar had the Sri Lankans tormented with his variations in swing in the few games that he played. Pragyan Ojha managed to put in a few impressive performances, but it would be foolish for him to believe that with figures of 4 for 38 from 10 overs in the third ODI, fame is knocking at his doorstep. Instead, Pragyan would do well to learn from the roller-coaster career of fellow teammate Irfan Pathan, whose performances in the last two ODIs were a far cry from the lad who burst onto the international scene in 2003-2004.

The only piece of caution for India is that performances on benign pitches like the ones on offer in Sri Lanka are no indication of how the team might fare in the seaming conditions that would be characteristic of their next series in New Zealand. Also, Dhoni needs to settle down with his choice of number six and seven in the batting order. Raina may have enjoyed more success ahead of Rohit Sharma and Yusuf Pathan right through the series, but with Ravindra Jadeja throwing his hat in the ring after an impressive 60 in the last ODI, who Dhoni would like to persist with in the long run is a moot point.

Finally, if ever there was a more convincing case made for technology playing a bigger role in the game, it was with the series of poor decisions that had Sachin Tendular being given out in the first three games. Why we would deny ourselves access to conclusive technology and stay deprived of the spectacle of a batting wonder is something that is completely lost on me.

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Cricketing Legends - deconstructed

Akshay Manwani — 2009-02-06T01:42:00+00:00

Filed under: ODI, Players, Test Cricket

The line is often a blur. The line that separates the game's legends from those next in line. What puts a Adam Gilchrist or a Malcolm Marshall in a league of their own - is a question yet to be unraveled by the most discerning mind.In a game besotted with the virtues of number crunching, there is yet to emerge a conclusive set of statistical benchmarks that provide an elementary definition to the term 'legend'. Why else would Virender Sehwag never evoke the same kind of awe that an Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards would, despite the former enjoying a superior test average?

Victor Trumper, the Australian batting legend of whom the noted English cricket writer CB Fry said "He had no style, and yet he was all style", has had his name taken with utmost veneration in spite of a most humbling test average of 39.04. This in complete contrast to fellow countryman - Donald George Bradman, who is widely regarded as the most iconic cricketer of all time and averages a freakish 99.94 runs in test cricket. More recently, in spite of many a tall claim with bat and ball, would Jacques Kallis ever be picked ahead of any from that famous quartet of all rounder's that graced the game in the 1980's - Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee or Imran Khan? And yet, what puts Garfield Sobers right in the forefront of this distinguished lot?

Saqlain Mushtaq's novelty with the 'doosra', Gavaskar's prowess in taming a fiery West Indian pace attack and Wasim Akram's repertoire with the ball are a few pointers to the circumstances leading up to the dichotomy between the 'nobles' and the 'also ran's' of cricket. Even then, sheer ability or aesthetics alone do not serve as the only means into the Promised Land of the game's elite. For if it did, there would be no explaining the presence of giants like Steve Waugh and Anil Kumble in this august gathering. Certainly, the twin virtues of tenacity and strength of character, nurtured over the course of a professional career, gave both cricketers exclusive access to the league of extraordinary gentleman.

There is also the concept of what ordinary mortals rather cruelly view as within the boundaries of everyday possibility and what they consider as beyond their reach. Hence, Ricky Ponting may actually own every possible batting record in a few years from now, but how many would risk his eminence ahead of Tendulkar and Lara. How often has Ponting successfully confronted the impossible vis-à-vis the other two? Rahul Dravid may well stand taller than Sunil Gavaskar side by side, but if one has to choose between the two in batting for dear life, the Little Master towers over the so called Wall of Indian cricket.

The other astonishing thing is the stage at which a player makes a crossover to that haloed other side. Is there a precise moment when a cricketer, to paraphrase Beethoven, 'seizes fate by its throat' - to make the journey into the realm of immortality? It could be effectively argued that Tendulkar's legendary status was pre ordained before he played a ball in international cricket, but for most people it was cast in stone after he passed his trial by fire at Perth in 1992 with flying colours. The same could be extended to Javed Miandad whose never say die attitude was best epitomized by his last ball six against the Indians at Sharjah in 1986. This defining moment, in the lifetime of a legend, is an act so special that in many ways it is almost akin to a divine revelation. How else would one explain Shane Warne getting rid of Mike Gatting in 1993?

It has been our good fortune since we were introduced to the beautiful game of cricket, to witness the coming of many a stalwart in flesh and soul. There may be no rational explanation for Curtly Ambrose's unrelenting accuracy and Glenn Mc Grath's nagging line and length, but the joy in watching these men ply their trade has been unequivocal. Perhaps it is just best, that we continue to be taken in by these supremely gifted athletes without question. I guess, sometimes, ignorance is indeed bliss.

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Cricket and the need for Comparison

Akshay Manwani — 2009-01-24T07:37:00+00:00

Filed under: ODI, Players, Test Cricket

One of the quirks that seems intrinsic to the game of cricket is the overwhelming need on the part of its patrons to create a hierarchy of sorts amongst its finest exponents.This hierarchy manifests itself either in terms of a clear cut ranking system - an example of which was the recently released 'ICC all time player rankings' or through the creation of an 'all star playing XI', which in some way claims to establish the superiority of an individual over those belonging to his ilk or time.

It has never been enough to view a player's mettle in isolation, no attempt to create a kind of vacuum around each cricketer's legacy that safeguards his contribution to the game. Indeed, comparison has been an everyday ignominy that has been heaped over scores of cricketers without providing them any recourse to escape. The perverse joy in creating a feudal structure amongst the game's greats has not only made great commercial sense, but has also been the perfect way by which mortals have made sense of the universe of cricketing talent. In a world obsessed with the connotations of designation and title, it is only natural that a ranking system or an ICC test/one day team of the year throws light on the who's who of the game.

That this malaise has not been the exclusive preserve of the all knowing fan and the game's administrators, points to the ease with which anyone can by ensnared by it. Ex players either immediately on retirement (Shane Warne) or after having acquired the benefit of hindsight in the most literal sense (Richie Benaud in as late as 2004), have also indulged in the vicarious thrill of putting down their eminent thoughts on the matter. After all there is nothing better than an expert opinion to feed the frenzy.

But, perhaps this is an extremely cynical stand. Surely these rankings are done with the noblest of intentions and perhaps are an attempt to educate the coming generation of fans about the existence of players who would otherwise be forgotten by the sands of time. Surely, those blessed with the ability to discern or benefitting from the experience of playing alongside, are duty bound to educate by way of these long lists. Surely they are an indication of the benchmarks set by the game and a feather in the caps of the individuals who inhabit these sacred spaces.

And so shall continue this relentless business of judgment. One man's hero, another man's fall guy. I meanwhile, shall sit back and reminisce those languid square cuts of Damien Martyn - a forgotten delight in these claptraps of everyday comparison.

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Matthew Hayden - A legend bids Goodbye

Akshay Manwani — 2009-01-14T07:35:00+00:00

"There's players who play the game. There's players who absolutely love the game" said Doc Rivers - coach of the Boston Celtics, in appreciation of Paul Pierce - after the latter had put in an all star effort to take Boston home in a hard fought game against the Toronto Raptors. On the same day - Doc's words seem to ring true for another great of modern day sport - Matthew Hayden.The beefy Australian opener finally decided to walk away from the game for good, after clobbering bowlers into submission for close to a decade.

Statistics never do real justice to a man's legacy, even when holding him in good light. In Hayden's case a career batting average of 50.73 runs in test cricket, makes him Australia's greatest opener of all time (openers with a minimum of 40 test matches under their belt). The same figure however, doesn't give any inkling of the effect, Hayden's towering figure had on men duty bound to bowl the ball at him. In a game, where 22 yards can often look too small a distance between bowler and batsman, images of Hayden walking down the ground to smash fast bowlers over long on and deep mid wicket, made for many a Kodak moment.

There were various aspects to Hayden, which endeared him to spectators. His presence on the field was reassuring, his catching ability at slip exceptional and there always seemed to be a buzz around him when he took to the field. His preparation before a game, time spent sitting at the batting crease with bat in hand, attempting a kind of karmic connection with conditions on offer, made for intriguing viewing.

While much is made of the way Haydos manhandled fast bowlers, any praise directed towards his ability to play spin seems insufficient. His 549 runs on the tour of India in 2001, was a dissertation on the subject. A match winning score of 130, in the second innings of the first test at Galle in 2004, re-emphasized Hayden's undisputed virtuosity in the area. When he used his feet down the ground to the spinners or when his burly biceps swept them out of the attack, Hayden was a heady concoction of a ballerina's grace married to the brute strength of a butcher's blade.

It might seem a strange coincidence, but of the few test series Australia lost since the turn of the century - Hayden struggled for runs in most, whether it be the Ashes of 2005, against India in 2008 or just recently in the series against South Africa. Clearly fortress Australia, seemed all that more impregnable with Hayden batting in fifth gear right at the top. It could be argued one way or the other that his loss of form in the last year purely mirrored the economic downturn across the world and that Hayden still had a couple of years of cricket left in him. His departure in times of strife for his side, clearly show that he will be sorely missed. But by way of deed, over the course of a glittering career, Hayden has ensured that he shall never be forgotten.

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South Africa vs India - Race to the summit

Akshay Manwani — 2008-12-31T01:49:00+00:00

Somewhere a little after the crack of dawn yesterday in India, South Africa ushered in a new era in world cricket.The Melbourne Cricket Ground - cricket's own coliseum - witnessed history in the making, as Graeme Smith and his fellow comrades brought the once infallible Australian cricket team to its knees over the course of the last fortnight.

The signs had been ominous for Australia. They had barely managed to keep their nose ahead of India at Sydney in early 2008. At Perth they were convincingly outplayed by a side which sought retribution in the best way possible for the happenings of the earlier test. With the ramparts of Perth exposed, the possibility of putting one over the Australians anywhere else seemed infinitely more plausible. And India and South Africa managed to do just that, with India inflicting a crushing series defeat at home on the Australians a little earlier in the year and South Africa shutting the door on an Australian resurgence at the end of 2008.

So where does this leave India and South Africa - as they now begin a game of musical chairs to reach the summit of test cricket. South Africa have little or no time to celebrate the fruit of their hard work as they immediately play host to Australia in a three test series. The Indian cricketers however, enjoy the rare luxury of nearly three months off the international circuit, with relatively easier pickings - New Zealand in March and West Indies in June, albeit both series being away from home.

Man to man there is little to choose between both sides. Some may even suggest advantage South Africa, given that the Proteas beat India the last time the Men in Blue visited their shores and then drew a series in India on the return leg in the summer of 2008. The relevant thing to be considered here is that the reason for India's steady ascent as a powerhouse in test cricket, over the last year and a half, has been the emergence of suitable opening pairs both in their bowling and batting departments.

In South Africa (end 2006 - early 2007), Ishant Sharma was yet to appear n the horizon, while Wasim Jaffer was looking to cement his place alongside the flamboyant Sehwag. And on the South African tour of India in 2008, both Zaheer and Ishant were ruled out for the first two tests due to injury. The sole test played by the lanky Ishant resulted in an Indian win, with the fast bowler playing a pivotal role - having taken a total of five wickets for the test, on a turning track at Kanpur. Jaffer meanwhile was given the long end of the rope (after a disastrous tour of Australia earlier in the year), but by the end of the series, did precious little to justify his selection.

Now, in Virender Sehwag and Gambhir, India probably have the better opening batsmen between the two sides. Sehwag's natural attacking flair complements Gambhir's doggedness at the crease and their running between the wickets is a delight to say the least. Yet, even with the peerless Sachin Tendulkar gracing the Indian batting line up, the South Africans form a formidable batting side not least because of the fact that they bat deep (Morne Morkel comes in at Number 8 as an all rounder) and in the battle of the wicket keeping batsmen, Mark Boucher has enjoyed success on a more sustained basis when ranked alongside M S Dhoni.

The left arm swing of a rejuvenated Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma's pace and bounce would perhaps put them ahead of the dynamic duo of Steyn and Ntini, but in the towering frame of Morkel and the all round ability of Kallis, South Africa hold the edge in the bowling department. In the battle of the spinners, Harbhajan Singh ranks a grade above the vastly improving Paul Harris. A fair summary therefore is that, South Africa would be better suited for seamer friendly conditions, while India would lap up the opportunity to play on turning dust bowls.

Both sides have a great relationship that exists between captain and coach, but one suspects that the presence of Gary Kirsten in the Indian camp, might prove to be the difference in a later series between the two sides. Be that as it may, the prospect of both sides coming together to do battle is lip smacking. With Australia in a rebuilding phase, Pakistan virtually isolated from world cricket and England showcasing consistency by way of inconsistency - the onus is now on South Africa and India to create a new rivalry, which becomes the marquee event for the game in years to come.

On new year's eve, I wish both teams Godspeed!!!

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2008: Reviewing the year for the Men in Blue

Akshay Manwani — 2008-12-26T04:39:00+00:00

2008 was a good year for Indian cricket. We were able to beat the best team in the world in two different formats of the game.And even though Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble walked into the sunset with their heads held high in this year, the dawn of some enviable talent in the form of Ishant Sharma and Rohit Sharma gives a bullish outlook to our cricketing fortunes in the coming year.

The year started off with much hope, only to turn to utter despair as the events at the Syndey test took a fractious turn. India's reply, thankfully through their cricketing skill, was fitting to say the least - with some brilliant seam and swing bowling that reduced the mighty Australian batting line up to a state of ruin. Adelaide was another run fest for both teams, resulting in a draw, thereby allowing the Australians to continue their hold on the Border Gavaskar Trophy, but with India emerging victorious at least on moral grounds.

The Commonwealth Bank tri-series in its final edition saw some competitive match ups, with India managing to qualify for the finals ahead of Sri Lanka, without any of the last minute run rate oriented blushes. The finals were a Sashinating (read fascinating) experience as it was on the back of some inspiring knocks from Tendulkar, that India managed to win its first ever tri series tourney down under. Rohit Sharma in the first final and Praveen Kumar in the second final played their character roles to perfection, as Harbhajan Singh served out poetic justice by playing a hand in the dismissals of Mathew Hayden and Andrew Symonds in both games at crucial junctures. Full credit to Mahender Singh Dhoni for marshalling India to one of its finest one day series wins ever.

The series at home against South Africa lived up to the pre series hype. The first test at Chennai threatened to be a dampener as runs were scored by the dozen on a featherbed of a wicket. Sehwag dazzled with his less than a run a ball 319, but other than serve as a statistical treat, there was little the knock could do from the point of view of forcing a result. The next two tests played to both teams strengths - with Dale Steyn knocking over the Indian batsmen like nine pins on a fast paced Motera wicket in Ahmedabad and Harbhajan Singh leaving the South Africans bamboozled courtesy a rank turner at Green Park in Kanpur. On the whole, South Africa earned the psychological edge having drawn the series at 'The Final Frontier'.

Nest stop for the Indians were a couple of lack luster one day tournaments, played with their neighbours - the Kitply Cup and the Asia Cup. Unfortunately for the Men in Blue, in spite of dominating both tournaments in the league stages, Pakistan managed to keep its nose ahead in the final of the Kitply Cup while Sri Lanka delivered a knockout blow in the finals of the Asia Cup with an unorthodox spell of spin bowling from newcomer Ajantha Mendis (figures of 6 for 13) leaving the Indians in disarray.

The defeat in the Asia Cup finals set the perfect stage for India's test series with the Lankans in Sri Lanka. On the eve of the series, Dhoni's decision to withdraw from the series, citing the hectic international schedule ahead, added a bit of controversy. Also the ICC's decision to introduce the third umpire-player referral system added a touch of novelty to the series. At the end of it all though, the potent combination of 'M&M' (read Murali and Mendis) proved to be India's undoing as they lost the test series 2-1. The much vaunted Indian batting line had no answer to some high quality spin and other than for a double century from Sehwag in the second test, there was little the Indians did to prove themselves worthy competitors.

Given India's poor results in the test series, it was widely regarded that they would surrender the ODI's as well without too much of a fight, but with the return of the inspirational Dhoni at the helm of affairs, India managed to turn the tide decisively. They won the best of five series with one game to spare and played Ajantha Mendis with so much confidence that it was appalling to compare their initial travails against him in the tests. Dhoni's captaincy came in for much praise once again and his form with the bat ensured that he claimed the top spot in the ICC ODI batsman rankings.

And so after a brief hiatus the battle with Australia resumed, this time at home, over the course of a four test series. Ricky Ponting promised a brand of new age cricket that would leave the Indians spellbound. It seemed apocryphal as Ponting scored his first test century in India in the first test at Bangalore and the Indian batting seemed intent on self destruction. Yet a spirited partnership between 'Zaks' and 'Bhajji' paved the way for an Indian comeback and one from which the Indians never really looked back.

After the draw at Bangalore, they delivered the first punch with a thumping win at Mohali. A draw at Delhi came as an anticlimax, even as Anil Kumble announced his retirement at this very ground, which served as home away from home for him for many years. The final test at Nagpur was Ganguly's swansong and for a brief duration in the game, the Australians threatened to play spoilsport, but some inexplicable captaincy on the part of 'Punter' ensured that the Border Gavaskar Trophy made its way back to Indian shores after four long years. India had won the series 2-0 and Ponting admitted in no uncertain terms of his team leaving India with their tails between their legs.

With Kumble gone, Dhoni's elevation to captaincy in tests was celebrated in style, as the Indians took an impregnable lead of 5-0 against the visiting English side in the ODI's. Had the Mumbai terror attack not cancelled the remainder of an immensely lop sided series, the English might have had to deal with the embarrassment of a 7-0 whitewash.

Full marks then to Kevin Pietersen and co. for coming right back to India, in the aftermath of the horrors at Mumbai and immediately providing a cracker of a contest at Chennai. Victory was theirs for the taking after three and a half days of riveting test cricket, but a blitzkrieg by Sehwag, followed by a spirited partnership between Sachin and Yuvraj in the second innings meant that India chased down a daunting target of 387 runs with six wickets to spare. The second test at Mohali was yet another dull affair, but with some joy for Rahul Dravid, who courted form once again with a dour test century and his partnership with Gambhir in the first innings ensured that England were shut out of the series for good.

Full credit must be given to Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan, for having played a large hand in most of India's victories this year. They threatened the best of batsmen on benign wickets, both at home and away. Also the emergence of Gambhir and Sehwag as a quality opening pair lays the foundation for many more memorable Indian wins in the years to come. The coming of Amit Mishra as a quality leg spinner in test cricket and Praveen Kumar as a wicket taking bowler in one day cricket gives captain Dhoni some more cards up his sleeve. And with India playing a much younger side now more regularly in the shorter formats of the game, the ground fielding stands vastly improved vis-à-vis a decade ago. Gary Kirsten must also be appreciated for his behind the scenes work and he and Dhoni look set to forge another successful partnership like the Ganguly - Wright combine. Let's hope then that 2009 is not a case of two steps forward and three steps backward, for a team threatening to make the summit in all formats of the game.

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