The only absolute truism in Indian cricket is that your selection to the team depends a lot more on who you know....no, let me rephrase it...it depends on who knows you rather than any on-field talent that you may possess.
Read this fine piece by Siddhartha Vaidyanathan regarding how the teams were selected for the ongoing Challenger series and you will understand what I mean. The absolute kicker for me is that a player with just 2 first-class centuries (yes, just TWO) is a shoe-in for all the prestigious sub-Test teams simply because of who his father is.
Shakespeare probably did not factor in nepotism when he wrote about roses being roses and smelling just as sweet. The stench here is definitely not rosy.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Skipping to glory
Long-time followers of this blog know that one of the greatest pleasures for me is to skip stones on a lake. In the past I have written about some stone skipping stories here and here.
I did not know skipping stones was a serious enterprise - a friend sent me an article that talks about a guy in Pennsylvania who recently set a world record in skipping stones!
I did not know skipping stones was a serious enterprise - a friend sent me an article that talks about a guy in Pennsylvania who recently set a world record in skipping stones!
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Paradigm shift
Here is India's only chance of beating the Aussies - make bowler-friendly wickets.
We will not be able to out-bat the Aussies. The reason is simple - in the current Indian team only Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni are playing without fear of failure. Everyone else has one eye on the scoreboard and the other on their place in the team.
Unless we reduce the Aussie score to a number that does not require multiple batsmen firing on all cylinders, we will not beat them. Simple as that. Here is my prediction for the remaining 4 games of the series. India will not win a game if they do not score more than 325 batting first. And India will not chase a total of more than 240 successfully.
So there.
We will not be able to out-bat the Aussies. The reason is simple - in the current Indian team only Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni are playing without fear of failure. Everyone else has one eye on the scoreboard and the other on their place in the team.
Unless we reduce the Aussie score to a number that does not require multiple batsmen firing on all cylinders, we will not beat them. Simple as that. Here is my prediction for the remaining 4 games of the series. India will not win a game if they do not score more than 325 batting first. And India will not chase a total of more than 240 successfully.
So there.
Just say no
The Indian cricket team is being shellacked by the detemined Aussies in the ODI series. The current team could give the Aussies a run for their money, IF the playing fields were level.
Check out this article that describes the the type of off-field pressure the Indian team has to deal with. A lot of it is of their doing, but I sense this is the norm not the exception. No wonder they appear jaded.
Check out this article that describes the the type of off-field pressure the Indian team has to deal with. A lot of it is of their doing, but I sense this is the norm not the exception. No wonder they appear jaded.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Measured maniac
What I have seen of MS Dhoni has impressed me. He has a reputation of being a slogger, but I have seen that he is not a mindless slogger (I can think of only one occasion when he slogged without heed to the situation). His innings are crafted based upon the situation and he makes up for a lack of a purist's technique by inventing shots of his own.
I think he is right person to lead India in the ODI's and the Twenty20's. (For Tests, I am still hoping VVS Laxman gets chosen as the captain). Right now he is enjoying his honeymoon phase. In the coming weeks he will realize how fickle the media is in their quest for TRP's and sales.
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan describes the man of the moment, and finds attributes that will hold him in good stead when the inevitable storm approaches (pardon the pun). Not to be outdone, Dileep Premachandran has a little to say, too, after MSD led India to the championship.
I think he is right person to lead India in the ODI's and the Twenty20's. (For Tests, I am still hoping VVS Laxman gets chosen as the captain). Right now he is enjoying his honeymoon phase. In the coming weeks he will realize how fickle the media is in their quest for TRP's and sales.
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan describes the man of the moment, and finds attributes that will hold him in good stead when the inevitable storm approaches (pardon the pun). Not to be outdone, Dileep Premachandran has a little to say, too, after MSD led India to the championship.
Speed gun
The fastest bowler in the world is an Indian. No this is not a typo. On top of it, this person is also the recipient of this year's ICC Cricketer of the Year award.
But no parades were arranged, no meetings convened, to celebrate this achievement, lending further credence to my notion that Indian fans are not cricket-crazy, they are Indian men's cricket (when-they-are-doing-well) crazy.
But no parades were arranged, no meetings convened, to celebrate this achievement, lending further credence to my notion that Indian fans are not cricket-crazy, they are Indian men's cricket (when-they-are-doing-well) crazy.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Graceless under pressure
Justin Henin defeated Serena Williams at the US Open. But judging from Serena's response, it would appear that Henin did not have to do anything special to defeat her. For a woman, who appears to depend so much on being in the limelight, she definitely has very poor manners. This is not an aberration. This is a common sight at press conferences after losses. I hope her sponsors pull out of their deals with her. Maybe then she would learn to acknowledge that the opponent across the net may have had something to do with it.
Specifically, this is what she had to say about Justine Henin's performance: "I just think she made a lot of lucky shots."
Contrast her responses with how Novak Djokovic talked about Roger Federer after the men's final, specifically in response to a loaded question where he was asked:
Q. You're talking about you being unlucky. Yesterday Davydenko said of Roger when asked, what's the one thing Roger does best, he said, Lucky. There were a couple of set points of his that the ball literally landed on the line. Were you feeling, Wow, this guy really is lucky?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: As I was saying before, next to all those elements, all the positive strengths you have in your game, in your mind, you need a bit of luck. I cannot say that he is No. 1 player of the world because he's lucky (laughter). You know, that's a bit strange to say. You know, he's a big worker, very talented, a great player. That's why he deserves to be there where he is. But, of course, he is lucky and he gets these lines and lucky shots, I can say, because he's going for them. He's not trying to play safe. He's really being aggressive.
Djokovic is just 20 years old and had just lost in his first Grand Slam final after holding numerous opportunities in a match that he dominated for extended periods of time. Yet, not an ounce of bitterness exuded from him. You can read the entire transcript of his interview here.
Serena should be made to read that interview. Maybe she will learn something from it.
Specifically, this is what she had to say about Justine Henin's performance: "I just think she made a lot of lucky shots."
Contrast her responses with how Novak Djokovic talked about Roger Federer after the men's final, specifically in response to a loaded question where he was asked:
Q. You're talking about you being unlucky. Yesterday Davydenko said of Roger when asked, what's the one thing Roger does best, he said, Lucky. There were a couple of set points of his that the ball literally landed on the line. Were you feeling, Wow, this guy really is lucky?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: As I was saying before, next to all those elements, all the positive strengths you have in your game, in your mind, you need a bit of luck. I cannot say that he is No. 1 player of the world because he's lucky (laughter). You know, that's a bit strange to say. You know, he's a big worker, very talented, a great player. That's why he deserves to be there where he is. But, of course, he is lucky and he gets these lines and lucky shots, I can say, because he's going for them. He's not trying to play safe. He's really being aggressive.
Djokovic is just 20 years old and had just lost in his first Grand Slam final after holding numerous opportunities in a match that he dominated for extended periods of time. Yet, not an ounce of bitterness exuded from him. You can read the entire transcript of his interview here.
Serena should be made to read that interview. Maybe she will learn something from it.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Clean transportation
In San Jose, I came across a Toyota Prius. Nothing great since a hybrid car is more likely to be found there than anywhere else. What was interesting was that it was a taxicab!
It inspires me to go and buy one for myself. If a cabbie can care about the environment, so can I.
It inspires me to go and buy one for myself. If a cabbie can care about the environment, so can I.
Maggi Noodle Review: 3:10 to Yuma
Riding high
After the disappointment that I had last week, I stumbled onto a gem of a movie this week.
I walked into the theatre to watch "3:10 to Yuma" because of the two stars in the movie - Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. And boy, did they deliver?! Ram Gopal Varma should be hogtied and made to watch this movie to learn how to take a very simple story, let the actors talk (yes, the characters talk a lot more than they shoot), and build the tension and excitement.
Crowe plays a wanted bandit, who is captured and has to be transported to a town where he can be put on the train to Yuma, to be tried, and subsequently hung, for his offences. Bale plays a down-on-his-luck rancher, who desperately needs the money he will get for accompanying the men who will help transport Crowe. Lying in wait are Crowe's henchmen, hell-bent on retrieving their boss, regardless of personal loss or consequences.
Along the way Crowe and Bale elevate the movie from a simple shoot-em-up to something more engrossing. In a time where explosions and 3 second shots are supposed to reflect the attention span and intellect of the audience, it is great to see a director pan his camera slowly to catch the action and let the dialogues substitute for thrills.
Don't get me wrong - there is a lot of shooting, features one or two seemingly improbable gun battles, lots of folks die, and in many different ways. But through it all it somehow does not seem contrived. There are genuine moments of tension, anxiety, tenderness, and a whole lot of other emotions that you would not expect.
I'd write a lot more but I shall let the movie do its own talking. I hope this movie manages to do well at the box office. But I fear for its fate in this day and age when teeny-bopper slasher movies are the rage.
It is one of the best Westerns I have ever seen. Watch it and tell me what you think.
After the disappointment that I had last week, I stumbled onto a gem of a movie this week.
Crowe plays a wanted bandit, who is captured and has to be transported to a town where he can be put on the train to Yuma, to be tried, and subsequently hung, for his offences. Bale plays a down-on-his-luck rancher, who desperately needs the money he will get for accompanying the men who will help transport Crowe. Lying in wait are Crowe's henchmen, hell-bent on retrieving their boss, regardless of personal loss or consequences.
Along the way Crowe and Bale elevate the movie from a simple shoot-em-up to something more engrossing. In a time where explosions and 3 second shots are supposed to reflect the attention span and intellect of the audience, it is great to see a director pan his camera slowly to catch the action and let the dialogues substitute for thrills.
Don't get me wrong - there is a lot of shooting, features one or two seemingly improbable gun battles, lots of folks die, and in many different ways. But through it all it somehow does not seem contrived. There are genuine moments of tension, anxiety, tenderness, and a whole lot of other emotions that you would not expect.
I'd write a lot more but I shall let the movie do its own talking. I hope this movie manages to do well at the box office. But I fear for its fate in this day and age when teeny-bopper slasher movies are the rage.
It is one of the best Westerns I have ever seen. Watch it and tell me what you think.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Maggi Noodle Review: RGV's Aag
Severely burnt toast
This past weekend I was walking around Manhattan (well, sort of), when I wandered into a movie theatre (check out the "pun"ny name of the theatre) to watch Ram Gopal Varma's ode to Sholay - the grand-daddy of contemporary Indian movies .
His movie is very humbly titled "Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag".
I have seen some bad movies in my life. In my opinion, the worst I had ever seen was Battlefield Earth. I think I have found a competitor.
The star cast is fairly talented - Amitabh Bachchan, Mohanlal, Ajay Devgan, Sushmita Sen, Rajpal Yadav, Sushant Singh, and (in guest appearances) Urmila Matondkar and Abishek Bachchan. (Don't worry if I just ruined a "surprise" - it is a "blink-and-you-miss-it" cameo).
Just a few years ago RGV made a great adaptation of the Godfather, called Sarkar. While keeping the basic premise of the story he diverged greatly from the script, retained the tautness and the tension, and got great performances from his cast. I thought he'd do something similar with this one. Not so.
The biggest problem with the movie is also its draw card - Amitabh Bachchan. He plays Babban Khan as a growling, brooding, dark, Darth Vader-like character, unfortunately without the corresponding aura. In an attempt to be different from Amjad Khan's portrayal, Amitabh hogs the camera and does not let it go for hours at a time. You can see what he wants to say but the character takes so long you wonder why so many people still work for such a dimwit like him. Not once in the movie does he do anything to inspire fear or awe amongst the people that work for or against him. At least with Gabbar you could see why the other dacoits would want to hang out with him. With Babban Singh, all that his henchmen get for their troubles is an unnaturally dark room, heavy breathing, horse-hooved boots, a dry cough that is actually supposed to be a laugh, and lines that would make the victim kill himself to avoid the agony of listening to him any more. The only time in the movie Babban is menacing is when he leads into the scene that mirrors the "Ye haath mujhe dede, Thakur" scene from Sholay.
Mohanlal is a fine actor. But he is horribly miscast, his distinctly thick South Indian accent working against him. It was absolutely fine in Company where he played a similar role, but here it distracts, especially as he is the character with the most plot-critical dialogues. I have two words for you RGV - Boman Irani.
Ajay Devgan is terrible, sleepwalking through a role that he probably signed on for without looking at a script. Sushmita Sen spends the whole movie either crying or trying to act all serious and gambhir. Did I already use the word miscast?
The two relative newbies are the rickshaw-driver girlfriend of Devgan and Devgan's sidekick Raj. The girl cannot act. I looked at her profile on IMDB.com and was shocked to see that she is appearing or has appeared in 7 RGV connected films, out of the 11 in her career. I'd have thought one screen test would have sifted her out. Apparently not. She must really ace those screen tests. What else could explain RGV's infatuation, I mean admiration, of her acting skills?
As for Devgan's sidekick, he does not have much of a role and no memorable lines. His idea of becoming serious is to frown. Otherwise he has a bland expression - like a guy who has not yet made up his mind, waiting in line to order a pizza.
It all comes down to RGV. His camera work is shoddy. He needs to fire the guy that did the background score. Moreover, he needs to go back and watch his own movies to learn how to use silence as a way of communicating fear. In the first half-hour I thought (sincerely) that the movie was a parody of the original. Later on it gets so heavy with its seriousness that it is clear the director thought he was improving on the original. Yikes!
Oh yes, I think he forgot to pay his electricity bill on time. The whole movie is so dark, I swear it could have been filmed in the prehistoric ages and not a single scene would have changed. If anything, the flickering flames (pun intended) would have probably improved the movie.
Somewhere, Ramesh Sippy is cackling in delight. His movie's legendary reputation has further been enhanced by this abomination.
This past weekend I was walking around Manhattan (well, sort of), when I wandered into a movie theatre (check out the "pun"ny name of the theatre) to watch Ram Gopal Varma's ode to Sholay - the grand-daddy of contemporary Indian movies .
His movie is very humbly titled "Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag".
I have seen some bad movies in my life. In my opinion, the worst I had ever seen was Battlefield Earth. I think I have found a competitor.
Just a few years ago RGV made a great adaptation of the Godfather, called Sarkar. While keeping the basic premise of the story he diverged greatly from the script, retained the tautness and the tension, and got great performances from his cast. I thought he'd do something similar with this one. Not so.
The biggest problem with the movie is also its draw card - Amitabh Bachchan. He plays Babban Khan as a growling, brooding, dark, Darth Vader-like character, unfortunately without the corresponding aura. In an attempt to be different from Amjad Khan's portrayal, Amitabh hogs the camera and does not let it go for hours at a time. You can see what he wants to say but the character takes so long you wonder why so many people still work for such a dimwit like him. Not once in the movie does he do anything to inspire fear or awe amongst the people that work for or against him. At least with Gabbar you could see why the other dacoits would want to hang out with him. With Babban Singh, all that his henchmen get for their troubles is an unnaturally dark room, heavy breathing, horse-hooved boots, a dry cough that is actually supposed to be a laugh, and lines that would make the victim kill himself to avoid the agony of listening to him any more. The only time in the movie Babban is menacing is when he leads into the scene that mirrors the "Ye haath mujhe dede, Thakur" scene from Sholay.
Mohanlal is a fine actor. But he is horribly miscast, his distinctly thick South Indian accent working against him. It was absolutely fine in Company where he played a similar role, but here it distracts, especially as he is the character with the most plot-critical dialogues. I have two words for you RGV - Boman Irani.
Ajay Devgan is terrible, sleepwalking through a role that he probably signed on for without looking at a script. Sushmita Sen spends the whole movie either crying or trying to act all serious and gambhir. Did I already use the word miscast?
The two relative newbies are the rickshaw-driver girlfriend of Devgan and Devgan's sidekick Raj. The girl cannot act. I looked at her profile on IMDB.com and was shocked to see that she is appearing or has appeared in 7 RGV connected films, out of the 11 in her career. I'd have thought one screen test would have sifted her out. Apparently not. She must really ace those screen tests. What else could explain RGV's infatuation, I mean admiration, of her acting skills?
As for Devgan's sidekick, he does not have much of a role and no memorable lines. His idea of becoming serious is to frown. Otherwise he has a bland expression - like a guy who has not yet made up his mind, waiting in line to order a pizza.
It all comes down to RGV. His camera work is shoddy. He needs to fire the guy that did the background score. Moreover, he needs to go back and watch his own movies to learn how to use silence as a way of communicating fear. In the first half-hour I thought (sincerely) that the movie was a parody of the original. Later on it gets so heavy with its seriousness that it is clear the director thought he was improving on the original. Yikes!
Oh yes, I think he forgot to pay his electricity bill on time. The whole movie is so dark, I swear it could have been filmed in the prehistoric ages and not a single scene would have changed. If anything, the flickering flames (pun intended) would have probably improved the movie.
Somewhere, Ramesh Sippy is cackling in delight. His movie's legendary reputation has further been enhanced by this abomination.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Swallowing bullets
Let's say you are a member of an army that is under attack. Lets also assume that both armies have identical reserves of ammunition at their disposal. When the battle commences, your army decides to not utilize the small-bore ammunition, in fact using it so little that almost 50 - 60% of your ammunition is not utilized at all. In essence, your army is banking on the fact that the big weapons will carry the day, even as your enemy relishes in bombarding you with a flurry of small bullets that are at their disposal, injuring you repeatedly as they do so.
What would you say to a strategy like that? It is easy enough to see where it would take you. When your big weapons hit sensitive areas (and you need most of them to be accurate) you will win in a spectacular manner, but if the big guns do not work, you do not have any more ammunition to fall back upon.
Does such a strategy make any sense?
Then why, oh why, does the Indian cricket team treat their ODI batting in such a foolhardy manner? One simple stat will suffice. Lets's lok at the number of dot balls and the number of runs that they have scored by actually running between the wickets (i.e. excluding boundary hits - only 1's, 2's, and 3's). In the ongoing England-India ODI series:
Game 1: 209 dot balls and 106 runs
Game 2: 160 dot balls and 123 runs
Game 3: 193 dot balls and 100 runs
Game 4: 170 dot balls and 110 runs
The team gets a total of 300 legal balls in a match. Out of which the Indian team blithely avoids scoring on an average about 183 balls per match (which translates to a little over 30 overs!). So basically they are trying to outscore England in the remaining 20 overs. They indulge in an all-or-nothing approach while batting that is totally bemusing. And it starts at the top - in the series, Sourav Ganguly has played out 123 dot balls and taken just 43 runs. Sachin Tendulkar has played out 170 dot balls, and taken just 72 runs. So between the two of them they have played about 50 overs and and not scored a single run!! Two batsmen, themselves, have not scored a single run in 1/4th of the overs that the entire team has had at its disposal.
It is, therefore, not surprising that when they fail to get the boundaries the team loses. The one time this series that they managed to hit the fence they actually tried to manufacture shots by stepping around the crease. One success and then they went back into their shell. How long can India continue to be blinded by a combined 26,000 ODI runs every time they come out to bat? You'd think, by now, they would have learnt the art of placing the ball and milking singles.
I am a lousy batsman and I know how to do it. Why can't they?
What would you say to a strategy like that? It is easy enough to see where it would take you. When your big weapons hit sensitive areas (and you need most of them to be accurate) you will win in a spectacular manner, but if the big guns do not work, you do not have any more ammunition to fall back upon.
Does such a strategy make any sense?
Then why, oh why, does the Indian cricket team treat their ODI batting in such a foolhardy manner? One simple stat will suffice. Lets's lok at the number of dot balls and the number of runs that they have scored by actually running between the wickets (i.e. excluding boundary hits - only 1's, 2's, and 3's). In the ongoing England-India ODI series:
Game 1: 209 dot balls and 106 runs
Game 2: 160 dot balls and 123 runs
Game 3: 193 dot balls and 100 runs
Game 4: 170 dot balls and 110 runs
The team gets a total of 300 legal balls in a match. Out of which the Indian team blithely avoids scoring on an average about 183 balls per match (which translates to a little over 30 overs!). So basically they are trying to outscore England in the remaining 20 overs. They indulge in an all-or-nothing approach while batting that is totally bemusing. And it starts at the top - in the series, Sourav Ganguly has played out 123 dot balls and taken just 43 runs. Sachin Tendulkar has played out 170 dot balls, and taken just 72 runs. So between the two of them they have played about 50 overs and and not scored a single run!! Two batsmen, themselves, have not scored a single run in 1/4th of the overs that the entire team has had at its disposal.
It is, therefore, not surprising that when they fail to get the boundaries the team loses. The one time this series that they managed to hit the fence they actually tried to manufacture shots by stepping around the crease. One success and then they went back into their shell. How long can India continue to be blinded by a combined 26,000 ODI runs every time they come out to bat? You'd think, by now, they would have learnt the art of placing the ball and milking singles.
I am a lousy batsman and I know how to do it. Why can't they?
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
A rose by any other name
How do you explain this?
A batsman, in a career of 51 matches (a huge sample size), has scored less than 2400 runs at an average of 28.51 with just 2 centuries and 13 50's to show for it.
Yet, today he finds himself in the India "A" team, indicating that the national selectors feel he is good enough to be on the verge of playing for India, should some vacancies open up. They have already called him up as a back-up once in June this year when an emergency came up.
Hmmm, what has the player done to merit such a rise? It is not as if he is a great bowler (he has taken just 12 wickets in 51 matches). It is not as if he is a great fielder (he has 13 catches in 51 matches...though catches, I admit, are not the best indicator of fielding ability). Could it be because his father is the head honcho of the Hyderabad Cricket Association? I think we have a winner!! The player is Arjun Shivlal Yadav. And he is deemed to be a better candidate for the team than any number of players with better credentials. Bah!
Nepotism is a wonderful thing, especially if you are shameless about profiting from it. Seriously, how does he sleep at night?
A batsman, in a career of 51 matches (a huge sample size), has scored less than 2400 runs at an average of 28.51 with just 2 centuries and 13 50's to show for it.
Yet, today he finds himself in the India "A" team, indicating that the national selectors feel he is good enough to be on the verge of playing for India, should some vacancies open up. They have already called him up as a back-up once in June this year when an emergency came up.
Hmmm, what has the player done to merit such a rise? It is not as if he is a great bowler (he has taken just 12 wickets in 51 matches). It is not as if he is a great fielder (he has 13 catches in 51 matches...though catches, I admit, are not the best indicator of fielding ability). Could it be because his father is the head honcho of the Hyderabad Cricket Association? I think we have a winner!! The player is Arjun Shivlal Yadav. And he is deemed to be a better candidate for the team than any number of players with better credentials. Bah!
Nepotism is a wonderful thing, especially if you are shameless about profiting from it. Seriously, how does he sleep at night?
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Dada-isms
Here is a fairly detailed interview with Sourav Ganguly. Most of the recent ones with him tend to be spun one way or the other, depending upon the interviewee's POV. The reason I like this one is that it is presented in a more dignified manner, as befits the man.
Flame out
A fellow blogger-cricketer, RJ, has this hilarious and ironic anecdote on his blog.
Sometimes, being speechless is also saying too much!!
Sometimes, being speechless is also saying too much!!
Mad Dog and glory
In continuing with what seems to be the theme of some recent blog posts – another of my all-time favourites – Greg Maddux – continues to simply go about his job with a minimum of fuss and notches up another milestone.
This milestone, becoming the first player to win at least 10 games in 20 consecutive MLB seasons, is a testament not only to his longevity but also his ability to keep up a high standard year after year. Oh, by the way, he is on pace to win a 17th Gold Glove award.
And not only that, there are many other less-heralded achievements of his that are starting to get noticed. My favourite bit in the article is this:
This milestone, becoming the first player to win at least 10 games in 20 consecutive MLB seasons, is a testament not only to his longevity but also his ability to keep up a high standard year after year. Oh, by the way, he is on pace to win a 17th Gold Glove award.
And not only that, there are many other less-heralded achievements of his that are starting to get noticed. My favourite bit in the article is this:
Maddux has made up five career wins on Clemens this year, and now trails him by 10 (353-343). It's not difficult to imagine Maddux pitching like this for two more seasons. So it's entirely possible that Maddux can supplant Clemens as The Winningest Pitcher Alive. And that's a title that will be held by either man for a long, long, long time.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Confluence
Once in a blue moon comes along a game, insignificant to almost everyone else not involved with tthe two teams, but monumental to me. A few days ago, in the 40-over championships in England (called the Pro40 championships), Worcestershire defeated Lancashire. Oddly, I had been looking forward to this game for some time now, ever since I found out that VVS Laxman was going to spend the rest of the summer in England.
This match featured two of my favourite cricketers ever - VVS Laxman and Graeme Hick. Both are no longer picked for their country's one day squad though both could probably still serve them with distinction (before you laugh at this, check out Graeme Hick's stats, especially in the shorter version of the game, these past few years. He is the only batsman I know who has scored multiple centuries in Twenty20 cricket!). Both scored undefeated half-centuries for their teams - Laxman made 80-odd and Hick 50-odd - with Hick's being the decisive score.
This match featured two of my favourite cricketers ever - VVS Laxman and Graeme Hick. Both are no longer picked for their country's one day squad though both could probably still serve them with distinction (before you laugh at this, check out Graeme Hick's stats, especially in the shorter version of the game, these past few years. He is the only batsman I know who has scored multiple centuries in Twenty20 cricket!). Both scored undefeated half-centuries for their teams - Laxman made 80-odd and Hick 50-odd - with Hick's being the decisive score.
And quietly flows the (county) Don
Graeme Hick continues to pile up runs in County cricket and, to my delight, has re-signed for another year at Worcestershire. The quiet giant is trying to make every innings count.
Watching Kevin Peitersen's remarkable ascendancy to the top echelon of Test cricket, I often wondered what Hick would have achieved if he had some of Pietersen's iron will and flair for the dramatic. Surely more than 6 Test centuries in 65 Tests. Luckily, better writers than I echo similar sentiments.
Watching Kevin Peitersen's remarkable ascendancy to the top echelon of Test cricket, I often wondered what Hick would have achieved if he had some of Pietersen's iron will and flair for the dramatic. Surely more than 6 Test centuries in 65 Tests. Luckily, better writers than I echo similar sentiments.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
The exodus
The Indian Cricket League is gaining steam in India. The latest news is that quite a few prominent Hyderabadi cricketers have possibly joined the league. The biggest coup for the ICL, as of now, has got to be AT Rayudu. Here is a player, in his early 20's with tremendous upside potential, giving away a chance to play for India (should the BCCI continue with its pettiness) to showcase his talents on a different scale. (Prem Panicker discusses the topic with some eye-opening anecdotes thrown in).
Many years ago, DSC suggested that VVS Laxman should have emigrated to Australia, played state cricket, and made it to the Australian team where his contributions would be better appreciated. I think AT Rayudu should actually consider doing this. What does he have to lose? With Shivlal Yadav and his cronies out to destroy this guy's career, I see no way he will be playing for India anytime soon. More's the pity since not long ago he was captaining the India Under-19 team with such distinction.
Many years ago, DSC suggested that VVS Laxman should have emigrated to Australia, played state cricket, and made it to the Australian team where his contributions would be better appreciated. I think AT Rayudu should actually consider doing this. What does he have to lose? With Shivlal Yadav and his cronies out to destroy this guy's career, I see no way he will be playing for India anytime soon. More's the pity since not long ago he was captaining the India Under-19 team with such distinction.
Elusive star-dom
I waited till sunset today to venture out for a drive. My sole intention was to wander around until the sun set and the stars came out. So I left town, went south, then west and drove and drove for an hour.
I was hoping to see a watered-down (but still impressive) facsimile of this. (I had previously blogged about that amazing photograph here).
Instead all I got to see were the bottoms of some wispy, but certainly opaque, clouds. Thwarted by condensed moisture, my visions of seeing the Milky Way will have to wait for another night. Next time I shall go armed with a blanket and find a spot where I can lay down and see the sky.
I am sure it will be worth the wait...
I was hoping to see a watered-down (but still impressive) facsimile of this. (I had previously blogged about that amazing photograph here).
Instead all I got to see were the bottoms of some wispy, but certainly opaque, clouds. Thwarted by condensed moisture, my visions of seeing the Milky Way will have to wait for another night. Next time I shall go armed with a blanket and find a spot where I can lay down and see the sky.
I am sure it will be worth the wait...
Last line of Casablanca
And so I got onto the plane again, this time trading the hills of West Virginia....
...for the flatlands of the Midwest. I am partly nervous and mostly excited. The future is now.
The king is dead! Long live the king!
...for the flatlands of the Midwest. I am partly nervous and mostly excited. The future is now.
The king is dead! Long live the king!
Sin City
Las Vegas takes its reputation as a city of excesses really seriously. During a stopover at the airport I noticed how the whole place and the people there were playing on the greed of the migrant public. The obvious examples being the slot machines near the boarding gates.
The not so obvious ones being where the airline counters had personnel who would highlight how much money you could make by subscribing to various deals with them, tactics usually reserved for telemarketing phone calls. The overall emphasis was always around money - how much you coud win, how much you could save, how much you could spend. Funnily enough, for a guy who was "trying to make sure I make the most money I can" the hawker refused to let me take a photograph of him and his booth.
Truly, I guess, what happens in Vegas does stay in Vegas.
The not so obvious ones being where the airline counters had personnel who would highlight how much money you could make by subscribing to various deals with them, tactics usually reserved for telemarketing phone calls. The overall emphasis was always around money - how much you coud win, how much you could save, how much you could spend. Funnily enough, for a guy who was "trying to make sure I make the most money I can" the hawker refused to let me take a photograph of him and his booth. Truly, I guess, what happens in Vegas does stay in Vegas.
Gold rush
I recently spent some time in California. I suffer from earthquake-o-phobia (no one has invented a term for that yet, as far as Google can tell me) and for the entire duration of the trip there I could detect a tension in me. When the plane took off from San Jose airport, I was relieved to be off the ground.
But while I was there I did find time to wander around with some friends and see the sights when I wasn't attending talks or meetings.
The most surprising thing about San Jose was the total lack of rush hour traffic of any sort. We are so used to seeing overhead shots of clogged freeways that I assumed it would be the same here. Walking around town was a very pleasant experience.
But while I was there I did find time to wander around with some friends and see the sights when I wasn't attending talks or meetings.
The most surprising thing about San Jose was the total lack of rush hour traffic of any sort. We are so used to seeing overhead shots of clogged freeways that I assumed it would be the same here. Walking around town was a very pleasant experience.
Moving on
I am no longer in Morgantown. I moved to the Midwest a few days ago.
It is amazing how a few weeks of turmoil and activity can get condensed into short, bland sentences. In reality, I did not know head from toe while all the upheaval was going on. I packed all my belongings, more than I thought I had and less than what most people collect after 10 years in one place. All the stuff of value to me fit into a 11'x9'x6' space.
Yes, the biggest space-taker turned out to be boxes of books - all 29 of them! Unpacking them should be fun.
It is amazing how a few weeks of turmoil and activity can get condensed into short, bland sentences. In reality, I did not know head from toe while all the upheaval was going on. I packed all my belongings, more than I thought I had and less than what most people collect after 10 years in one place. All the stuff of value to me fit into a 11'x9'x6' space.
Yes, the biggest space-taker turned out to be boxes of books - all 29 of them! Unpacking them should be fun.
Words worth
A few years ago I was suffering from a mild case of writer's block and gave up on writing poems. A friend recognized this and left me a note that said:
What do pesky friends
know how a verse ends?
You see even I
want to try
to write (like thee)
with a bit of symmetry.
So isn't it time
to sharpen your quill and write and rhyme?
Having absconded from this blog for months, I am (once again) inspired by these words to resume my writing. I have transitioned away from Morgantown, with a heavy heart, and am in the heartland of America. The distances to familiar places may have increased but the scope to explore new areas has many advantages. Suddenly, like the Midwest, the possibilities seem endless.
What do pesky friends
know how a verse ends?
You see even I
want to try
to write (like thee)
with a bit of symmetry.
So isn't it time
to sharpen your quill and write and rhyme?
Having absconded from this blog for months, I am (once again) inspired by these words to resume my writing. I have transitioned away from Morgantown, with a heavy heart, and am in the heartland of America. The distances to familiar places may have increased but the scope to explore new areas has many advantages. Suddenly, like the Midwest, the possibilities seem endless.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Opening gambit
My favourite cricketer-writer (as opposed to cricket writer), Aakash Chopra, talks about what it takes to be a successful opener, particularly in England. If I were Wasim Jaffer, I read this article till I had it memorized. Or better still, I'd contact Aakash and talk to him.
At the rate at which he is failing, Jaffer may end up watching Chopra open in the Third Test.
At the rate at which he is failing, Jaffer may end up watching Chopra open in the Third Test.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Here's Johnny!!!
I took a long, self-imposed, break from this blog. I was not too far away but needed to get some other things in order. Now things are better and I am back. So watch this space...there's more to come in the future...
A 1000 cringe-inducing words
The slogan for the state of West Virginia used to be "Wild and Wonderful". The mind boggles at the PR department that thought up this new slogan to replace that one. You know something is amiss when people start using throwaway scenes in summer blockbuster movies to demonstrate the aptness/success of such slogans.
Bearing down
One fine day, as I was driving along the highway I saw this coming right at me (or so it seemed).
A few seconds (and a prudent lane change) later, the mystery was solved and I survived to share this with you.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Said and done
I was going to rave and rant about the World Cup, in general, and the final, in particular. But a couple of writers, much more proficient and poetic than I, beat me to the punch and I agree with all that they have to say:
It was a shoddy tournament from start to finish and I am not just talking about the actual cricket on display.
How horrible is it that the players know more about the rules and the spirit of the rules than the guys who impose them? Commercial interests have taken over cricket and unless the two find a happy medium the long-term lure of the sport will be severely damaged.
To quote FG, "And that is all I have to say about that."
It was a shoddy tournament from start to finish and I am not just talking about the actual cricket on display.
How horrible is it that the players know more about the rules and the spirit of the rules than the guys who impose them? Commercial interests have taken over cricket and unless the two find a happy medium the long-term lure of the sport will be severely damaged.
To quote FG, "And that is all I have to say about that."
Get connected
The World Cup is over (or rather the ICC World Cup West Indies 2007 - to give its offically-sanctioned name).
My thoughts on the farcical nature of the tournament may be material for a later blog post, but for now here are a few must-read links:
I watched this innings (except from 95 to 119 when I stepped out for just a few minutes to pick up lunch). I enjoyed every ball. The pitch was not a great one to bat on. One look at how the rest of the batsmen scored will tell something about its true nature. Adam Gilchrist relies more on hand-eye coordination than technique, so as SC pointed out to me yesterday, the type of pitch does not matter to him, how the bowler bowls does. Chaminda Vaas was taken to the cleaners early on and the tone was set for the blitzkrieg.
Glenn McGrath exited the stage with the lights shining very brightly on him. In the future when people talk about people who timed their retirements perfectly, Glenn McGrath has to be on top. Not near the top but on top of the list. How do you top winning the Ashes 5-0 with the last wicket and then signing off a 3rd ODI World Cup on the trot with the Player of the Tournament honours and a wicket with the second-last ball of your career? Year in and year out, for more than a decade, he has been one of the pillars of his team. A couple of years ago, I wrote about him on my blog. He has only enhanced my impression of him in the interim.
Take a bow, McGrath, and thanks for the memories.
My thoughts on the farcical nature of the tournament may be material for a later blog post, but for now here are a few must-read links:
I watched this innings (except from 95 to 119 when I stepped out for just a few minutes to pick up lunch). I enjoyed every ball. The pitch was not a great one to bat on. One look at how the rest of the batsmen scored will tell something about its true nature. Adam Gilchrist relies more on hand-eye coordination than technique, so as SC pointed out to me yesterday, the type of pitch does not matter to him, how the bowler bowls does. Chaminda Vaas was taken to the cleaners early on and the tone was set for the blitzkrieg.
Glenn McGrath exited the stage with the lights shining very brightly on him. In the future when people talk about people who timed their retirements perfectly, Glenn McGrath has to be on top. Not near the top but on top of the list. How do you top winning the Ashes 5-0 with the last wicket and then signing off a 3rd ODI World Cup on the trot with the Player of the Tournament honours and a wicket with the second-last ball of your career? Year in and year out, for more than a decade, he has been one of the pillars of his team. A couple of years ago, I wrote about him on my blog. He has only enhanced my impression of him in the interim.
Take a bow, McGrath, and thanks for the memories.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Rowing up a creek?
First the basics:
A new, independent cricket league is going to be formed soon in India called the Indian Cricket League (ICL).
In typical BCCI fashion, the members promise to take their time assessing the threat and taking appropriate action against it.
For an overall description of the implications and fallout's of this announcement read this article by Jayaditya Gupta.
Finally, to round it off, for a detailed description for the inspiration (no doubt) and the confidence behind this move read this article by Gideon Haigh on Kerry Packer and his rebel league in the 1970's.
My take on this:
The ICL will not succeed in India, not in these times, at least. Would I like them to? Yes, if only for the fact that the BCCI runs cricket (not just Indian cricket) like a kingdom, bowing only (and repeatedly) to the clout of money. The BCCI is the richest board in the world and it is this fact that will undermine the ICL, which is trying to market itself as an ancillary rather than a breakaway league.
To be successful the ICL needs to have players who are in their prime, playing excellent cricket, and capable of representing India on behalf of the BCCI. By joining the ICL the players will have signed away their chances of playing for India. The International Cricket Council (ICC) will recognize only one cricket board per nation and they will not slay their golden goose by cutting ties with it. So in the absence of any "official" status the ICL will only function as a private venture where the biggest carrot that can be dangled in front of the players is money. Unfortunately, market economics being what they are currently, players who represent India (or rather the BCCI) are enormously rich. Joining the ICL will not enhance their income. If anything their income will decline appreciably, especially if endorsement deals do not follow.
Kerry Packer succeeded because the money he paid was more than the players would make otherwise, the television product Channel 9 put out was ahead of its time, and the quality of play was far superior to the one the viewers got to see in the traditional ICC-sanctioned tours. The ICL may try to corner the Twenty20 market but the real money is in ODI's and Tests. In fact, Test cricket would have died a slow death had it not been for the fact that television companies can show ads, periodically interspersed with cricket, for 5 whole days as opposed to just one. So how exactly is the ICL expected to survive in the current scenario?
Some of my friends have said that the Indian fan is tired of the shenanigans of the BCCI and the players and will gladly watch a rebel league. I don't think so. I have already blogged about how fickle I think these "fans" are. Trust me, the Indian team will visit Bangladesh in a few weeks, a couple of players will gorge on the bowling (remember there are no run rates to worry about so they can bat as slowly as they want to), reclaim demi-god status, and the BCCI will go back to its money-minded ways while the ICL will drum up some initial support by harnessing has-been's (such as Jadeja, Mongia, Sriram), and could-have-been's (such as Powar, Ratra, Chopra), and stumble through a season or two. Then the BCCI and the ICL "will come to an agreement" to merge and more mega-bucks will be negotiated with Zee Sports for a TV contract and the golden goose will go on laying eggs. The rabid Indian fan will be oblivious to the bits of egg splattered all over his face and will go back to rooting for the team on a good day and burning effigies on a bad one.
I would love to eat my words but, sadly, I just do not see that happening.
A new, independent cricket league is going to be formed soon in India called the Indian Cricket League (ICL).
In typical BCCI fashion, the members promise to take their time assessing the threat and taking appropriate action against it.
For an overall description of the implications and fallout's of this announcement read this article by Jayaditya Gupta.
Finally, to round it off, for a detailed description for the inspiration (no doubt) and the confidence behind this move read this article by Gideon Haigh on Kerry Packer and his rebel league in the 1970's.
My take on this:
The ICL will not succeed in India, not in these times, at least. Would I like them to? Yes, if only for the fact that the BCCI runs cricket (not just Indian cricket) like a kingdom, bowing only (and repeatedly) to the clout of money. The BCCI is the richest board in the world and it is this fact that will undermine the ICL, which is trying to market itself as an ancillary rather than a breakaway league.
To be successful the ICL needs to have players who are in their prime, playing excellent cricket, and capable of representing India on behalf of the BCCI. By joining the ICL the players will have signed away their chances of playing for India. The International Cricket Council (ICC) will recognize only one cricket board per nation and they will not slay their golden goose by cutting ties with it. So in the absence of any "official" status the ICL will only function as a private venture where the biggest carrot that can be dangled in front of the players is money. Unfortunately, market economics being what they are currently, players who represent India (or rather the BCCI) are enormously rich. Joining the ICL will not enhance their income. If anything their income will decline appreciably, especially if endorsement deals do not follow.
Kerry Packer succeeded because the money he paid was more than the players would make otherwise, the television product Channel 9 put out was ahead of its time, and the quality of play was far superior to the one the viewers got to see in the traditional ICC-sanctioned tours. The ICL may try to corner the Twenty20 market but the real money is in ODI's and Tests. In fact, Test cricket would have died a slow death had it not been for the fact that television companies can show ads, periodically interspersed with cricket, for 5 whole days as opposed to just one. So how exactly is the ICL expected to survive in the current scenario?
Some of my friends have said that the Indian fan is tired of the shenanigans of the BCCI and the players and will gladly watch a rebel league. I don't think so. I have already blogged about how fickle I think these "fans" are. Trust me, the Indian team will visit Bangladesh in a few weeks, a couple of players will gorge on the bowling (remember there are no run rates to worry about so they can bat as slowly as they want to), reclaim demi-god status, and the BCCI will go back to its money-minded ways while the ICL will drum up some initial support by harnessing has-been's (such as Jadeja, Mongia, Sriram), and could-have-been's (such as Powar, Ratra, Chopra), and stumble through a season or two. Then the BCCI and the ICL "will come to an agreement" to merge and more mega-bucks will be negotiated with Zee Sports for a TV contract and the golden goose will go on laying eggs. The rabid Indian fan will be oblivious to the bits of egg splattered all over his face and will go back to rooting for the team on a good day and burning effigies on a bad one.
I would love to eat my words but, sadly, I just do not see that happening.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Speaking his mind
Greg Chappell has probably never met a microphone he did not like. One of his best qualities is also his worst one - the man likes to talk about what he does and why he wants to do it. Consequently, he is everyone's favourite whipping horse these days.
He talks in great detail in this interview on a variety of issues (the interview is on three pages so click on the links at the bottom of the page to get to the other two pages). He has this interesting tidbit to share about Suresh Raina:
Well, I did some research and found that after 30 and then 36 ODI's (which is how many Raina has played so far) this is how the two stack up:
After 30 matches:
29 innings, 825 runs, 77 highest score, 31.73 average, 7 50's.
23 innings, 553 runs, 81* highest score, 30.72 average, 3 50's.
After 36 matches:
34 innings, 1075 runs, 81 highest score, 35.83 average, 10 50's.
28 innings, 612 runs, 81* highest score, 26.60 average 3 50's.
We do know that Raina slumped towards the end of his tenure with the Indian team, but otherwise his stats do seem to match Chappell's claims.
He talks in great detail in this interview on a variety of issues (the interview is on three pages so click on the links at the bottom of the page to get to the other two pages). He has this interesting tidbit to share about Suresh Raina:
He is a complete package, for god's sake. You guys didn't do him a good turn by comparing him with Sachin Tendulkar after he had played one or two brilliant knocks. However, if you look at Sachin's record in his first 30-35 ODIs and compare it with Raina's you will not find much difference.So is that true, you ask?
Well, I did some research and found that after 30 and then 36 ODI's (which is how many Raina has played so far) this is how the two stack up:
After 30 matches:
29 innings, 825 runs, 77 highest score, 31.73 average, 7 50's.
23 innings, 553 runs, 81* highest score, 30.72 average, 3 50's.
After 36 matches:
34 innings, 1075 runs, 81 highest score, 35.83 average, 10 50's.
28 innings, 612 runs, 81* highest score, 26.60 average 3 50's.
We do know that Raina slumped towards the end of his tenure with the Indian team, but otherwise his stats do seem to match Chappell's claims.
Bhogle's musings
Harsha Bhogle raises some pertinent points and suggests a solution for the ills that plague Indian cricket at the moment. I do wish he had gone beyond speaking in generalities and actually named the person he feels can lead Indian cricket towards some semblance of normalcy.
And here he talks about the six issues that must be addressed before that afore-mentioned person can show us the light (I guess).
And here he talks about the six issues that must be addressed before that afore-mentioned person can show us the light (I guess).
Runs in ruins
Do you know the real reason why India lost the World Cup?
For the best answer, click here. Statistics sometime do tell the real tale of the tape.
For the best answer, click here. Statistics sometime do tell the real tale of the tape.
Fan frenzy
Most Indians do not really care about cricket. Deluding ourselves into believing that cricket is akin to a religion in India is just not worth it. I doubt that the Blue Billion is really a notion except in some ad campaign manager's imagination. More realistically, the really avid fans comprise a few (hundred) million, at best. Among these few million, the actual cricket fans are even fewer. If Indians really cared about cricket the Ranji trophy would be played in front of packed houses and people like Yashpal Singh would be household names.
No, most Indian cricket fans are just followers of cricketers, most of them spoonfed by the media (click here for Amit Verma's take on this). And even within the cricket team, the glamour boys are the Indian batsmen. That's it. Anil Kumble is shunted in and out of the team but no one even murmurs that the greatest wicket-taker in Indian cricket history - ODI or Tests - has been given a raw deal. But drop a Virender Sehwag and people will remind you of the glorious 309 he hit to defeat our arch-rivals.
But to say that Indians are the only ones who are like this would be a mistake. Today, when a bowler gives less than 50 runs in a 10 over spell he is considered to have done his job. That should tell you a lot about the priorities of the ICC in terms of making sporting wickets. People want to see sixers and fours, they say. Really? I think they have made people believe that they want to see fours and sixers.
Sunil Gavaskar would not have been able to maintain his place for long in the current set up. He would have been considered too slow. Ironically, Bapu Nadkarni would have been revered as a hero, even though he is a bowler.
Ah! If you do not know why Bapu Nadkarni would have been revered but do know who Gavaskar is then you probably have been following cricket spoonfed to you in this "golden age of batting".
I rest my case.
No, most Indian cricket fans are just followers of cricketers, most of them spoonfed by the media (click here for Amit Verma's take on this). And even within the cricket team, the glamour boys are the Indian batsmen. That's it. Anil Kumble is shunted in and out of the team but no one even murmurs that the greatest wicket-taker in Indian cricket history - ODI or Tests - has been given a raw deal. But drop a Virender Sehwag and people will remind you of the glorious 309 he hit to defeat our arch-rivals.
But to say that Indians are the only ones who are like this would be a mistake. Today, when a bowler gives less than 50 runs in a 10 over spell he is considered to have done his job. That should tell you a lot about the priorities of the ICC in terms of making sporting wickets. People want to see sixers and fours, they say. Really? I think they have made people believe that they want to see fours and sixers.
Sunil Gavaskar would not have been able to maintain his place for long in the current set up. He would have been considered too slow. Ironically, Bapu Nadkarni would have been revered as a hero, even though he is a bowler.
Ah! If you do not know why Bapu Nadkarni would have been revered but do know who Gavaskar is then you probably have been following cricket spoonfed to you in this "golden age of batting".
I rest my case.
Sports Guy talk
Bill Simmons, the self-proclaimed Sports Guy, has a regular column on ESPN.com. You can read his entires as they appear on the webpage but to access them after the fact, in the past you'd have had to subscribe to the network itself, something I never did.
But now all of his old columns, rants, and mailbag sessions are available in a comprehensive archive.
My favourite mailbag of his has to be the time he debated whether Al Pacino or Robert DeNiro was the most influential and important actor of the last 30 years (scroll to the very end of the mailbag and you will find the elaborate breakdown).
Along the same lines is his debate on whether Cheers or Seinfeld was the better sitcom.
(If you have never heard of the Sports Guy or are unaware of his style of writing be prepared for some over-the-top comparisons and mind-boggling statements. If it is not your cup of tea I would recommend you don't spend much time on his site).
But now all of his old columns, rants, and mailbag sessions are available in a comprehensive archive.
My favourite mailbag of his has to be the time he debated whether Al Pacino or Robert DeNiro was the most influential and important actor of the last 30 years (scroll to the very end of the mailbag and you will find the elaborate breakdown).
Along the same lines is his debate on whether Cheers or Seinfeld was the better sitcom.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Paper trail
On a less serious note, Google is offering a new service to all Gmail users - mailing you paper print-outs of your emails right to your doorstep.
Before you debate the merits or demerits of this service, do note that they first offered this service on the first Sunday of the month in 2007, two days ago!
Before you debate the merits or demerits of this service, do note that they first offered this service on the first Sunday of the month in 2007, two days ago!
The Agony and the Anguish
Peter Roebuck is one of my favourite writers - cricket or otherwise. His latest column is filled with hurt and anger and is, surprisingly for someone who relies on contacts for his living, very hard-hitting and blunt.
I am not going to place excerpts of that article here as I feel it should be read in its entirety or else the message will be get lost in the text. It is said that the best way to highlight an issue is to propose an extreme solution, and by getting others to refute it, engender a discussion that previously was not even contemplated. Maybe that is what Roebuck is trying to do here.
Either way it is time to wake up and smell the roses, as decayed as they may be.
I am not going to place excerpts of that article here as I feel it should be read in its entirety or else the message will be get lost in the text. It is said that the best way to highlight an issue is to propose an extreme solution, and by getting others to refute it, engender a discussion that previously was not even contemplated. Maybe that is what Roebuck is trying to do here.
Either way it is time to wake up and smell the roses, as decayed as they may be.
The iconic Swede
I never really got to see Bjorn Borg play at his prime until recently (thanks to YouTube.com) but his name has always conjured up images of icy-steel nerves and tremendous mental reserves, ironic in a man who could not take the pressure any more and retired at 26. His biggest contribution to me was how he popularized the sport in Europe, leading to the Swedish invasion (Stefan Edberg in particular). So when I come across an article that discusses him in detail I can't help but smile and post the link to it here.
By the way, the most impressive stat for me is that he was 33-0 in Davis Cup singles matches! Talk about playing for your country. Some of the Indian cricketers could learn from this.
By the way, the most impressive stat for me is that he was 33-0 in Davis Cup singles matches! Talk about playing for your country. Some of the Indian cricketers could learn from this.
In the month of madness
A long time ago, I had blogged that we have unrealistic expectations of the Indian cricket team. In that post I had written: The Indian team is not a great team that frequently underachieves. Rather it is a merely good team that occasionally overachieves. I am not surprised that they team is back in India and the players are waiting for the axe to drop.
When talking about Indian cricket these days the name of the game is to find a scapegoat, someone to blame for the early exit from the World Cup. Instead the key question should be why we lost. Until we sit and think about it there will be a lot of finger-pointing, pointless effigy-burning, character assassinations, and free-flowing advice (on the lines of it being time for people to retire).
Mud-slinging is not something new and sadly the main reason for all the melodrama is to obfuscate the main issue. Prem Panicker, on his blog, has an extended discourse on how this is achieved and what it has done for the people involved in the mess.
Elsewhere, Mukul Kesavan, writes about it in some detail here. Here is an excerpt that rings really true.
When talking about Indian cricket these days the name of the game is to find a scapegoat, someone to blame for the early exit from the World Cup. Instead the key question should be why we lost. Until we sit and think about it there will be a lot of finger-pointing, pointless effigy-burning, character assassinations, and free-flowing advice (on the lines of it being time for people to retire).
Mud-slinging is not something new and sadly the main reason for all the melodrama is to obfuscate the main issue. Prem Panicker, on his blog, has an extended discourse on how this is achieved and what it has done for the people involved in the mess.
Elsewhere, Mukul Kesavan, writes about it in some detail here. Here is an excerpt that rings really true.
No one will ever agree on why we got eliminated because every interested party will set his causal explanation in a different time frame.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Mangling metaphors?
SD recently told me about a school teacher of her's who would ask his students to help improve the ventillation of the classroom during really hot days. I have rarely heard a mangling of the English language that still conveyed the message so artistically.
"Open the doors of the window and let the atmosphere in. I am feeling summer."
"Open the doors of the window and let the atmosphere in. I am feeling summer."
Outside the box
When you travel by train in India you sometimes get to open the door and get a clearer view of the countryside. This trick should not be attemped by children or adults incapable of balancing themselves on two feet. Full disclosure - I did not venture anywhere near the open door. I let my stunt double do all the dangerous work!
And then you get to take some nice photographs. Like this, for instance.
Or this one, which happens to be one of my favourite ones.
That's tenacity!
Look closely at this photograph. The tree is actually clinging to the rock, somehow being able to find enough traction and nutrients to keep growing. What looks like a white stream of water is actually its root!
Speechless
Sometimes photographs speak for themselves and saying anything would just spoil the impact. Here are some examples from my recent visit to India.
Fading glory
A few days have passed since India got knocked out of the World Cup. In the days since then the biggest point that rankles me is that the much touted "experience" factor is what led them down.
The flip side to experience is that you also carry with you the feeling of failure and how hard it can be to swallow. The experienced batting line-up showed this in every innings India played.
a) Dravid inexplicably let the situation get to him, dropping himself in the batting order when he would have been just the man to carry India through every time the opening wicket fell quickly (I will not even go into how many times I had said that VVS could have been more useful in this 1-down spot in the World Cup than Sehwag or Uthappa).
b) Ganguly occupied the crease for long periods only to throw it away and did not even remotely look like he was playing to give strike to anyone but himself. Two points that underscore this - go back and look at the number of times the man took a single off the last ball of the over and secondly, if you think I am being blasphemous, look at Hayden's innings today - he did not score off the first 16 balls he faced. Think about that. He reached a 100 in 110 balls and when he got out he had scored 158 in 143 balls, getting out in the 48th over. Now that is how you stitch together an innings even after you start like a tortoise.
c) Which brings us to Tendulkar. 14,000+ runs will be bandied about many times in the next few weeks. Ad nauseam. But that is besides the point. The man is scared of failing. I cannot think of any other explanation for the exaggerated (and I mean predetermined) defensive posture he adopts when he comes to the crease these days. He should be made to sit in a room and watch Ponting's batting. Even the defensive shots that Ponting hits are thumped. The bat is held positively, always looking out for runs. When Tendulkar defends these days he holds it limply and it is not surprising that he inner-edges the ball when it does not hit the middle. Maybe his elbow still hurts, preventing him from gripping the bat tightly, and he is not publicly admitting it. Either way it is time for him to surf on Youtube.com and see some of the clips of his heyday and try to restore his batting to some semblance of that or just follow the Don and let his last international innings be a memorable duck.
I will not go into the bowling debacle. The blame game is easy to play but I feel the three afore-mentioned players cost India a shot at the Cup and I am not going to be convinced otherwise. What I wanted from them was a refined form of the devil-may-care attitude that Aftab Ahmad brings to the crease every time he bats. Watch this Bangladeshi guy and you will know what I mean. He rarely sticks around long enough to post a huge score but as long as he is there you know that he is giving it his all.
At least now I will be able to watch some cricket, good cricket at that, and enjoy the strategies being adopted by various teams, and not pull my hair out the next time I see new batsmen being greeted by only 4 men inside the circle.
The flip side to experience is that you also carry with you the feeling of failure and how hard it can be to swallow. The experienced batting line-up showed this in every innings India played.
a) Dravid inexplicably let the situation get to him, dropping himself in the batting order when he would have been just the man to carry India through every time the opening wicket fell quickly (I will not even go into how many times I had said that VVS could have been more useful in this 1-down spot in the World Cup than Sehwag or Uthappa).
b) Ganguly occupied the crease for long periods only to throw it away and did not even remotely look like he was playing to give strike to anyone but himself. Two points that underscore this - go back and look at the number of times the man took a single off the last ball of the over and secondly, if you think I am being blasphemous, look at Hayden's innings today - he did not score off the first 16 balls he faced. Think about that. He reached a 100 in 110 balls and when he got out he had scored 158 in 143 balls, getting out in the 48th over. Now that is how you stitch together an innings even after you start like a tortoise.
c) Which brings us to Tendulkar. 14,000+ runs will be bandied about many times in the next few weeks. Ad nauseam. But that is besides the point. The man is scared of failing. I cannot think of any other explanation for the exaggerated (and I mean predetermined) defensive posture he adopts when he comes to the crease these days. He should be made to sit in a room and watch Ponting's batting. Even the defensive shots that Ponting hits are thumped. The bat is held positively, always looking out for runs. When Tendulkar defends these days he holds it limply and it is not surprising that he inner-edges the ball when it does not hit the middle. Maybe his elbow still hurts, preventing him from gripping the bat tightly, and he is not publicly admitting it. Either way it is time for him to surf on Youtube.com and see some of the clips of his heyday and try to restore his batting to some semblance of that or just follow the Don and let his last international innings be a memorable duck.
I will not go into the bowling debacle. The blame game is easy to play but I feel the three afore-mentioned players cost India a shot at the Cup and I am not going to be convinced otherwise. What I wanted from them was a refined form of the devil-may-care attitude that Aftab Ahmad brings to the crease every time he bats. Watch this Bangladeshi guy and you will know what I mean. He rarely sticks around long enough to post a huge score but as long as he is there you know that he is giving it his all.
At least now I will be able to watch some cricket, good cricket at that, and enjoy the strategies being adopted by various teams, and not pull my hair out the next time I see new batsmen being greeted by only 4 men inside the circle.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
A rearguard for the ages
On March 14th, 2001, two Indian batsmen walked to the crease with not many people expecting them to do much. At the end of the day the two were still undefeated and one of the greatest rearguard actions in the history of Test cricket was well on its way.
Six years later, I still get goosebumps when I think of that match. Sadly I did not follow the scores for those two days as I was visiting a friend whose birthday falls during the same time period. When I had last checked the scores, India were 128 for 8 in the first innings. When I opened CricInfo two days later the headline said "Laxman, Dravid seize initiative for India". While the page was downloading (slow Internet connections are a terrible curse to bear during such occasions) I tried to figure out a scenario where the two could have even batted together, let alone seize the initiative for India. As the page loaded, right below it, was an article about Gavaskar congratulating Laxman. I was confused but happy. When I saw the scorecard I was shocked. The rest of the series was followed closely by me, needless to say.
My eternal regret is that I did not follow either of his innings as it transpired over those two glorious days. I just hope that there are more performances from VVS Laxman over the next few years to make that regret a little less pronounced.
Six years later, I still get goosebumps when I think of that match. Sadly I did not follow the scores for those two days as I was visiting a friend whose birthday falls during the same time period. When I had last checked the scores, India were 128 for 8 in the first innings. When I opened CricInfo two days later the headline said "Laxman, Dravid seize initiative for India". While the page was downloading (slow Internet connections are a terrible curse to bear during such occasions) I tried to figure out a scenario where the two could have even batted together, let alone seize the initiative for India. As the page loaded, right below it, was an article about Gavaskar congratulating Laxman. I was confused but happy. When I saw the scorecard I was shocked. The rest of the series was followed closely by me, needless to say.
My eternal regret is that I did not follow either of his innings as it transpired over those two glorious days. I just hope that there are more performances from VVS Laxman over the next few years to make that regret a little less pronounced.
Glimpses - I
Here are some more photographs I clicked during my recent trip to India. This is the first of many such (hopefully quasi-regular) glimpses into what I saw.
JM loved watching these lizards in action. Especially when one would encroach on another's territory.
A very common sight on the maidans of Hyderabad - multiple games of cricket on a single field. When you are part of the action on the ground it all makes sense. When watching from outside, it seems just a tad above semi-organized chaos.
JM loved watching these lizards in action. Especially when one would encroach on another's territory.
A very common sight on the maidans of Hyderabad - multiple games of cricket on a single field. When you are part of the action on the ground it all makes sense. When watching from outside, it seems just a tad above semi-organized chaos. 
Paddy fields and palm trees. I took this picture while on the train from Chennai to Bangalore.
This was taken in a changing room at a Raymonds showroom! I can only imagine what the owner's house must be like.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Staying on my nose and eyelashes
Snowfall. Love it. Wait for it. Enjoy it. We recently experienced what may just be winter's last stand in the Northeast US for this season. Here's 3000 words describing its aftermath...
The Mumbai monologue
Opinion about Greg Chappell is sharply divided. Some, like me, believe he is doing a good job with the Indian cricket team. Others, like many persons in my immediate family, believe he should be shunted back to Australia as soon as possible.
One of the many reasons I like him is that he is articulate enough to explain what his vision for the team is (without giving away the exact strategies in place). In an unusually conducted interview, by Rediff.com, Chappell discusses his views on this vision, uninterrupted by any questions. Harsha Bhogle uses this interview as the starting point for his take on the World Cup just before it commences.
(Prem Panicker, who conducted the interview, explains in some depth about the thinking behind this unusual questioning format).
One of the many reasons I like him is that he is articulate enough to explain what his vision for the team is (without giving away the exact strategies in place). In an unusually conducted interview, by Rediff.com, Chappell discusses his views on this vision, uninterrupted by any questions. Harsha Bhogle uses this interview as the starting point for his take on the World Cup just before it commences.
(Prem Panicker, who conducted the interview, explains in some depth about the thinking behind this unusual questioning format).
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Resolves that dissolve
Nirmal Shekar has 10 resolutions that he would like the World Cup viewing public to consider. Many of them require common sense, nothing more. I doubt whether the media will have anything to write about if the journalists follow them, though.
One of them addresses a phrase that companies trying to sell their products have shoved down the viewers throats - the Blue Billion.
One of them addresses a phrase that companies trying to sell their products have shoved down the viewers throats - the Blue Billion.
Let us resolve that we will never again say that Team India carries the hopes of a billion people and the prayers of that many are with Rahul Dravid's men. The truth — if anybody still cares for it in this age of ephemera, an age of boosterism and saturation coverage of popular sport in the media — is that a vast majority of that billion has rather more mundane everyday concerns. Their hopes and dreams are not hooked to the fortunes of the men in blue.
Maid in India or Maid for India?
Sometimes it is better to let someone else's words do the talking. Here is Amit Verma's take on taxation and the Government's utilization of taxed income in India.
Commentary by numbers
Amit Verma writes about the influence of television on cricket coverage and presentation in India. He makes a few of the points that I have also often thought about. While it is not up to his usually high standards, it is still worth reading.
Former cricketers have a unique perspective to present since they are privy to what goes on inside a dressing room when situations become tense on the field. Very few of them seem to grasp this concept and instead give us the type of commentary a semi-literate man pulled off the street would give. What is the point in that? Read any column by Javagal Srinath and you will know exactly what I mean.
Former cricketers have a unique perspective to present since they are privy to what goes on inside a dressing room when situations become tense on the field. Very few of them seem to grasp this concept and instead give us the type of commentary a semi-literate man pulled off the street would give. What is the point in that? Read any column by Javagal Srinath and you will know exactly what I mean.
Bordering on the ridiculous
It is rare that a news article makes me laugh out loud. But this one did just that.
I cannot decide what is funnier - that the Swiss army was able to wander off course with weapons that do not even have ammunition or that Liechtenstein-ites seem least bothered that there was a group of 170 foreign military personnel wandering around in their backyard.
The soldiers may not have had any ammunition but I bet their knives are very functional and useful in any crisis!
I cannot decide what is funnier - that the Swiss army was able to wander off course with weapons that do not even have ammunition or that Liechtenstein-ites seem least bothered that there was a group of 170 foreign military personnel wandering around in their backyard.
The soldiers may not have had any ammunition but I bet their knives are very functional and useful in any crisis!
Nom de plume
Jonty Rhodes exploded onto the cricketing world 15 years ago with his calling card - fielding - in the 1992 World Cup. By the time South Africa played Pakistan his reputation was already being made but the run out of Inzamam-ul-Haq helped revolutionize the way the rest of the world approached fielding and cricket has not been the same since then. (Case in point, people like VVS Laxman, who would have walked into a World Cup squad in the past, are excluded primarily because of their ordinary fielding skills). (Click here to see a video of that runout).However, one of the biggest influences Jonty had, albeit unknown to him, was on a Hyderabadi lad who eventually went on to use the name as his pen name, after slightly adjusting the spelling!
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
The anti-Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar biggest nemesis, Glenn McGrath, is the subject of an astonishing statistical profile by Tim de Lisle. My favourite factoid about his batting ineptitude is this one:
He has finished on the winning side 160 times, batting only 14 times, making 18 runs, and only being out three times. If he bats, it means Australia are in trouble; if he passes 5, they lose.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Back in the high life again
After a gap of almost 2 months I am back. Its been a life-changing two months. Those that know me personally will understand what I mean.
I came back from a trip to India. In the coming days/weeks I shall reminisce about the trip and also upload some of the more memorable photographs I took while I was there.
So keep coming back for more and I shall not be gone for long again. Here's a sneak preview of things to come...
I came back from a trip to India. In the coming days/weeks I shall reminisce about the trip and also upload some of the more memorable photographs I took while I was there.
So keep coming back for more and I shall not be gone for long again. Here's a sneak preview of things to come...
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
"Serving" in solitude
India's most prolific Ranji Trophy batsman has the following scores in the 5 games he has played in this year's edition:
154
71
4 and 62 not out
103 and 49
119 not out
A grand total of 562 runs at an incredible average of 112.40 in 7 innings (3 centuries, 2 fifties).
You will probably never guess that the batsman is Yashpal Singh. He is just 25 years old and will probably never even get a sniff of India colours as he toils for the "Services" team in the Plate division of the Ranji Trophy.
I wonder how good he really is. He couldn't be worse than some of the more heralded names that have played for India in the past decade, could he?
154
71
4 and 62 not out
103 and 49
119 not out
A grand total of 562 runs at an incredible average of 112.40 in 7 innings (3 centuries, 2 fifties).
You will probably never guess that the batsman is Yashpal Singh. He is just 25 years old and will probably never even get a sniff of India colours as he toils for the "Services" team in the Plate division of the Ranji Trophy.
I wonder how good he really is. He couldn't be worse than some of the more heralded names that have played for India in the past decade, could he?
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Say what?
In his address to the nation at the funeral service for former US President Gerald Ford, the current head honcho - GWB - said:
He (Ford) belonged to a generation that measured men by their honesty and their courage.Hmmm, what exactly does that stament say about the current generation then?!!
Living on in infamy
As if being knocked out of the big planets club was not enough, Pluto has now given birth to a word with negative connotations, too! Being "word of the year" is some consolation, I guess.
Being an all-time great is no sure bet
In his latest column Glenn McGrath talks about his last day as a Test cricketer. One snippet in the article should tell you a lot about the man.
Somebody needs to tell the divas that it is not what you have done for the last 10 years that count, it is what you continue to keep bringing to the table. Without the hunger you are just another mouth that is being spoonfed by adulating millions.
Winners win because they fear failure and are willing to work extra hard to avoid losing.
Through my whole career I have always felt I needed to keep performing to retain my spot. Just because I'm retiring after the World Cup doesn't mean I'm guaranteed of selection in the squad for the Caribbean. I feel I offer a lot of big-game experience.Too bad he is not an Indian. Otherwise he could have rested on his laurels about 10 years ago and coasted home till eternity, a guaranteed World Cup spot in hand. If he failed, there would be a thousand souls reminding everyone that he had taken over 500 Test wickets, over 300 ODI wickets, won 2 World Cups, etc., and therefore, was undroppable.
Somebody needs to tell the divas that it is not what you have done for the last 10 years that count, it is what you continue to keep bringing to the table. Without the hunger you are just another mouth that is being spoonfed by adulating millions.
Winners win because they fear failure and are willing to work extra hard to avoid losing.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Final word
All the Indians in the top order (barring Dravid) - Jaffer, Sehwag, Tendulkar, Laxman, and Ganguly - batted as if there was an axe hovering over their necks should they fail.
I was sorely disappointed with the way in which they batted, especially, Tendulkar and Laxman. For extended periods of time there seemed to be no intent to score runs, as if survival alone would do the trick. Buck's comment - Sachin seems to be sleepwalking, playing shots from memory, and defending like a madman when awake - is a perfect description of the fall from grace of a once-great batsman.
If I were the captain of ANY team that next faces Sachin, I would immediately operate with a left-arm bowler from over the wicket, target his leg-stump, and taunt/sledge him endlessly to do something about it. Maybe Greg Chappell should do it repeatedly in the nets until he breaks out of his slumber. If that fails, drop the guy from the Test team. At least in ODI's the rules are designed to prevent teams from doing just that.
I was sorely disappointed with the way in which they batted, especially, Tendulkar and Laxman. For extended periods of time there seemed to be no intent to score runs, as if survival alone would do the trick. Buck's comment - Sachin seems to be sleepwalking, playing shots from memory, and defending like a madman when awake - is a perfect description of the fall from grace of a once-great batsman.
If I were the captain of ANY team that next faces Sachin, I would immediately operate with a left-arm bowler from over the wicket, target his leg-stump, and taunt/sledge him endlessly to do something about it. Maybe Greg Chappell should do it repeatedly in the nets until he breaks out of his slumber. If that fails, drop the guy from the Test team. At least in ODI's the rules are designed to prevent teams from doing just that.
What dreams may go
To rewrite a crucial line in LOTR:ROTK - "And so it ends..."
64.1 Tendulkar to Prince, 1 run, THATS IT! A great win! Looped up outside the off stump, Prince drives down the ground, Tendulkar gives a half-hearted attempt to stop it, and the ball runs right through his legs - the Gateway of India, as its called - and thats a smashing win for South Africa! Prince raises his arms in jubilation! Well played!
After Prince hit the winning runs, I shed a few tears. I wonder if any of the stalwarts in the Indian team did. Ironically, and symbolically, the winning runs came because Tendulkar let the ball through his fingers. But that was not when the match was lost. It was lost much earlier when the (once) great batsman let something more important - the game - slip out of his grasp.
When the match-fixing scandal occurred many of my friends told me that they stopped following the Indian team. All these years I've wondered how they could even think of doing something like that. Right now I am distraught enough to contemplate the same thing and I finally understand how they felt.
With India slated to play only three Tests (as of now) next year it will be a long time (June 2007) before I get a chance to have to decide what to do about my feelings for the team.
156 for 5
119 for 5
125 for 5
83 for 5
337 for 5
115 for 5
A much-heralded batting order that comprises Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, and Ganguly provided a good first half only once. But don't get misled by the 337 for 5. In that innings Karthik scored 63 and when Jaffer got out, after scoring 116, the total was 240.
It is time to put aside reputations and runs and decide who really wants to fight it out in the middle. Those are the players I want representing my country in Tests. I don't care if they are not good enough to win. Even if they lose, at least I will not feel let down by them for they will have fought tooth and nail for every inch.
64.1 Tendulkar to Prince, 1 run, THATS IT! A great win! Looped up outside the off stump, Prince drives down the ground, Tendulkar gives a half-hearted attempt to stop it, and the ball runs right through his legs - the Gateway of India, as its called - and thats a smashing win for South Africa! Prince raises his arms in jubilation! Well played!
After Prince hit the winning runs, I shed a few tears. I wonder if any of the stalwarts in the Indian team did. Ironically, and symbolically, the winning runs came because Tendulkar let the ball through his fingers. But that was not when the match was lost. It was lost much earlier when the (once) great batsman let something more important - the game - slip out of his grasp.
When the match-fixing scandal occurred many of my friends told me that they stopped following the Indian team. All these years I've wondered how they could even think of doing something like that. Right now I am distraught enough to contemplate the same thing and I finally understand how they felt.
With India slated to play only three Tests (as of now) next year it will be a long time (June 2007) before I get a chance to have to decide what to do about my feelings for the team.
156 for 5
119 for 5
125 for 5
83 for 5
337 for 5
115 for 5
A much-heralded batting order that comprises Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, and Ganguly provided a good first half only once. But don't get misled by the 337 for 5. In that innings Karthik scored 63 and when Jaffer got out, after scoring 116, the total was 240.
It is time to put aside reputations and runs and decide who really wants to fight it out in the middle. Those are the players I want representing my country in Tests. I don't care if they are not good enough to win. Even if they lose, at least I will not feel let down by them for they will have fought tooth and nail for every inch.
Constricting passages
On the 4th day of the Indo-SA Test match I watched the worst display of batting I have ever seen by any one individual. And the shocker was the identity of the individual -Sachin Tendulkar. His innings was so gutless, defenceless, and irresponsible, that I am still fuming about it a good 24 hours later.
(For more specific details about his (mis)-deeds read this piece by Sambit Bal, the editor of Cricinfo, who feels the same way I do about Tendulkar's second innings farce).
I cannot fathom what the man was trying to achieve. He was facing a debutant and went into a defenceless shell that would not have been acceptable in any era of Test cricket. The man reputed to have given Shane Warne nightmares was not even trying to do anything about the way Paul Harris was bowling, except to occasionally try that paddle sweep of his. Batting as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders he pottered around for a long time and in the end he did not just give the initiative back to the South Africans. He literally threw it back into their laps - gift-wrapped and all.
Rahul Dravid was batting with him and I hold him just as responsible for the display as he did nothing whatsoever to change Sachin's mindset (or at least did not appear to be trying). How can these two batsmen, who are widely regarded as two of the best batsmen in the world, come up with such a spineless display?
For a few weeks, as the failures have been piling up, I have been supporting Tendulkar, even as AV kept giving me examples of the times when the man has choked in the limelight. And that is the best word I can think of to explain his batting yesterday - he choked. When the pressure built up and it was time to take action he simply froze. Like a deer on the road at night when confronted by an oncoming vehicle.
Halfway across the world I stay awake at night watching the Indian team play. I am not the only one. We deserved a lot better than this. Regular readers of my blog will know that I am an advocate of attacking the bowling as the best form of defence. I do not see how defending our way has helped us either here in the third Test or in the second Test. And when I say attack - I do not mean that every ball should be slammed into the hoardings. Instead it means that you approach each ball looking to score runs and only defend (or leave it) if it is not bad enough to do so. As Kumar Sangakkara says, being positive does not mean you have to hit every ball.
This is not the first time Tendulkar has done this either. At Bangalore, against the Pakistanis, he hung around for 140 minutes, scoring just 16 runs and India went on to lose that Test match, too. Not having learnt his lesson from Bangalore he proceeded to give us an encore performance that has rattled me enough to contemplate not wasting my time any more when he is at the crease. For weeks, I have been egging him along to score more runs, more centuries, even as Ponting is rapidly gaining ground. Now I do not care any more. If anything, he deserves to have his record be eclipsed soon. It is time for him to decide how he wants to be remembered in the waning days of his career - as a man who who stamped his authority on the game or as one who let the bowler dictate the situation to him. A few more such innings from him and he will be dropped, much like GR Viswanath was dropped after the disastrous tour of Pakistan in 1982, never to get a a whiff of the playing field again.
(For more specific details about his (mis)-deeds read this piece by Sambit Bal, the editor of Cricinfo, who feels the same way I do about Tendulkar's second innings farce).
I cannot fathom what the man was trying to achieve. He was facing a debutant and went into a defenceless shell that would not have been acceptable in any era of Test cricket. The man reputed to have given Shane Warne nightmares was not even trying to do anything about the way Paul Harris was bowling, except to occasionally try that paddle sweep of his. Batting as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders he pottered around for a long time and in the end he did not just give the initiative back to the South Africans. He literally threw it back into their laps - gift-wrapped and all.
Rahul Dravid was batting with him and I hold him just as responsible for the display as he did nothing whatsoever to change Sachin's mindset (or at least did not appear to be trying). How can these two batsmen, who are widely regarded as two of the best batsmen in the world, come up with such a spineless display?
For a few weeks, as the failures have been piling up, I have been supporting Tendulkar, even as AV kept giving me examples of the times when the man has choked in the limelight. And that is the best word I can think of to explain his batting yesterday - he choked. When the pressure built up and it was time to take action he simply froze. Like a deer on the road at night when confronted by an oncoming vehicle.
Halfway across the world I stay awake at night watching the Indian team play. I am not the only one. We deserved a lot better than this. Regular readers of my blog will know that I am an advocate of attacking the bowling as the best form of defence. I do not see how defending our way has helped us either here in the third Test or in the second Test. And when I say attack - I do not mean that every ball should be slammed into the hoardings. Instead it means that you approach each ball looking to score runs and only defend (or leave it) if it is not bad enough to do so. As Kumar Sangakkara says, being positive does not mean you have to hit every ball.
This is not the first time Tendulkar has done this either. At Bangalore, against the Pakistanis, he hung around for 140 minutes, scoring just 16 runs and India went on to lose that Test match, too. Not having learnt his lesson from Bangalore he proceeded to give us an encore performance that has rattled me enough to contemplate not wasting my time any more when he is at the crease. For weeks, I have been egging him along to score more runs, more centuries, even as Ponting is rapidly gaining ground. Now I do not care any more. If anything, he deserves to have his record be eclipsed soon. It is time for him to decide how he wants to be remembered in the waning days of his career - as a man who who stamped his authority on the game or as one who let the bowler dictate the situation to him. A few more such innings from him and he will be dropped, much like GR Viswanath was dropped after the disastrous tour of Pakistan in 1982, never to get a a whiff of the playing field again.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Short-term memory
Steve Waugh is at it again. A few weeks ago he was talking about Ponting and Bradman in the same breath, as I mentioned here. Now he is according a similar status to another Australian - Shane Warne.
It's very hard to judge across eras but Shane Warne would sit pretty comfortably as Australia's second best player ever. The great Sir Don Bradman was the best but after that I believe Shane Warne would slot in pretty nicely at number two.
True Blue
Why do I love Test cricket more than one-dayers?
The second Test between India and South Africa is very intriguingly poised at the end of the third day's play. South Africa are ahead by 152 runs, 10 wickets in hand. They have a maximum of 180 overs to force a result in the Test. But everyday, on an average, about 24 overs have been lost to bad light. So, realistically speaking, they have only about 130 overs to force a result. In their minds anything less than 350 will be too inviting a target. Let's say they average 4 runs per over from the outset on the 4th day. That will leave India about 80 overs to get 350. I think that will be SA's goal today.
But the X factor is the light. No one can really count on it being good or bad, so Graeme Smith has decisions to make about when to declare. The flip side is that India could very well dismiss them within the next 200 runs and, themselves, have to face about 80-100 overs to get a target (350-plus) that very few teams have ever achieved.
All in all I expect it to be riveting stuff. The fact that a draw is also an option makes it even more intriguing. If South Africa tries to force a result and loses the Test, they will lose the series. If they are conservative and do not give themselves enough time to bowl India out, they will not be able to win the series.
So many scenarios, so much to think about. No matter what happens, rest assured, the second-guessers will be out in full force after the action takes place. I shall pre-empt that by putting forward my opinions on what should have been each team's approach before the day's play begins.
So if I were Graeme Smith this is what I would do: Look to score 200-250 runs in the next 50 overs and declare immediately, even if it means that India has the full quota of 130 overs to get them in. Let's review India's batting performance on this current tour:
85 overs 316 for 7 (69 for 5) Tour match 1 - 1st innings
53.4 overs 142 all out (55 for 5) Tour match 1 - 2nd innings
79.5 overs 249 all out (156 for 5) First Test match - 1st innings
64.4 overs 236 all out (119 for 5) First Test match - 2nd innings
77 overs 270 for 7 (205 for 5) Tour match 2 - with 11 batsmen available to bat
77.5 overs 240 all out (125 for 5) Second Test match - 1st innings
A target of 350+ (even if they have 130 overs) would mean that the Indian batting line-up would have to score more, bat longer, and at a faster rate, than it has managed to do during this tour. If they have to achieve it, they will have to take chances and bat more aggressively, therefore giving Smith more opportunities to take wickets and win the match.
If I were Dravid and was given a target of 350 in 130 overs, this is what I would do. I would go for the win not try to settle for a draw (or hope for bad light to help). Expecting to bat out 780 balls (more realistically, about 500 balls) is probably beyond either team on a wicket this helpful to bowlers. Therefore, the prudent thing is to attack. By attacking, the South Africans will be forced to spread the field in order to prevent runs, and thereby, the pressure points will be reduced. If Dravid is really serious about winning the batting line-up should read -
Sehwag, Ganguly, Dhoni, Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, Jaffer, and then the tail.
But then I have always felt attack is the best form of defence. I think India needs to go out there primarily looking to win the match and then, only if that does not seem to be happening, think of a draw. If they go in looking to draw, they will lose the match, mark my words. The memories of Bangalore and Mumbai should be too fresh in their minds for them to get defensive.
I cannot imagine a one-day match offering up so many possibilities and chances for changes in fortunes. And that is why I love Test cricket!
The second Test between India and South Africa is very intriguingly poised at the end of the third day's play. South Africa are ahead by 152 runs, 10 wickets in hand. They have a maximum of 180 overs to force a result in the Test. But everyday, on an average, about 24 overs have been lost to bad light. So, realistically speaking, they have only about 130 overs to force a result. In their minds anything less than 350 will be too inviting a target. Let's say they average 4 runs per over from the outset on the 4th day. That will leave India about 80 overs to get 350. I think that will be SA's goal today.
But the X factor is the light. No one can really count on it being good or bad, so Graeme Smith has decisions to make about when to declare. The flip side is that India could very well dismiss them within the next 200 runs and, themselves, have to face about 80-100 overs to get a target (350-plus) that very few teams have ever achieved.
All in all I expect it to be riveting stuff. The fact that a draw is also an option makes it even more intriguing. If South Africa tries to force a result and loses the Test, they will lose the series. If they are conservative and do not give themselves enough time to bowl India out, they will not be able to win the series.
So many scenarios, so much to think about. No matter what happens, rest assured, the second-guessers will be out in full force after the action takes place. I shall pre-empt that by putting forward my opinions on what should have been each team's approach before the day's play begins.
So if I were Graeme Smith this is what I would do: Look to score 200-250 runs in the next 50 overs and declare immediately, even if it means that India has the full quota of 130 overs to get them in. Let's review India's batting performance on this current tour:
85 overs 316 for 7 (69 for 5) Tour match 1 - 1st innings
53.4 overs 142 all out (55 for 5) Tour match 1 - 2nd innings
79.5 overs 249 all out (156 for 5) First Test match - 1st innings
64.4 overs 236 all out (119 for 5) First Test match - 2nd innings
77 overs 270 for 7 (205 for 5) Tour match 2 - with 11 batsmen available to bat
77.5 overs 240 all out (125 for 5) Second Test match - 1st innings
A target of 350+ (even if they have 130 overs) would mean that the Indian batting line-up would have to score more, bat longer, and at a faster rate, than it has managed to do during this tour. If they have to achieve it, they will have to take chances and bat more aggressively, therefore giving Smith more opportunities to take wickets and win the match.
If I were Dravid and was given a target of 350 in 130 overs, this is what I would do. I would go for the win not try to settle for a draw (or hope for bad light to help). Expecting to bat out 780 balls (more realistically, about 500 balls) is probably beyond either team on a wicket this helpful to bowlers. Therefore, the prudent thing is to attack. By attacking, the South Africans will be forced to spread the field in order to prevent runs, and thereby, the pressure points will be reduced. If Dravid is really serious about winning the batting line-up should read -
Sehwag, Ganguly, Dhoni, Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, Jaffer, and then the tail.
But then I have always felt attack is the best form of defence. I think India needs to go out there primarily looking to win the match and then, only if that does not seem to be happening, think of a draw. If they go in looking to draw, they will lose the match, mark my words. The memories of Bangalore and Mumbai should be too fresh in their minds for them to get defensive.
I cannot imagine a one-day match offering up so many possibilities and chances for changes in fortunes. And that is why I love Test cricket!
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Entertainment by stream lapidation
Continuing on the theme of skipping stones, here is a recent addition to my photo album. We were the only persons at a nearby scenic spot and spent almost an hour simply skipping stones.
The undisputed skipping stones champion was BRI, who was able to skip the stones, in some instances, more than 10 times!
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