My alter ego

I always thought I had jussssst a bit of Rahul Dravid in me....and that did me proud. Now I am ecstatic - 'coz I just learnt that Dravid too perhaps has a bit of me in him!!
Check his 'tree analogy' for Test cricket, while trying to explain why other forms of cricket don't have a hope in hell to survive without it, even though these other formats do not 'appear' to depend much on Test cricket right now: http://post.jagran.com/rahul-dravid-bats-for-daynight-test-matches-with-pink-balls-1376997540


Now check the 'family analogy' this old Pavilion View post, supporting Dravid and Pink Ball Cricket while the former started actively promoting the latter couple of years back: http://pavilionview.blogspot.com/2011/04/need-your-support-in-favour-of-marching.html

If you find similarities in the two analogies, I will buy you a drink. Not that such analogies are unlikely to come to anyone's mind, but forget that mundaneness and imagine how much happy a Dravid admirer can be when he finds that his idol's mind thinks along the same (albeit obvious) lines as his own on while thinking of the same issue!

Ready for the drink I offered? Now give me your sweat analysis report....:-D

The Great Indian Team Performance Curve: A Thesis

I read a friend’s Facebook status post, wondering about the changes we are witnessing  in the Indian team’s performance. To be precise, his questions were “how so much” and “how so quickly”.

A while ago, I had read an extremely well-conceived article by Cricinfo’s Siddharth Monga on the contribution of the “system” to India’s Champion’s Trophy win last night. Here it is.

Armed with the thoughts that came while reading Monga’s thoughtful piece, I set about trying to construct a quickfire “thesis” to explain the path charted by the Indian cricket team

Part A: how so much?

Ans: The direction that a cricket team – correction, an Indian cricket team goes can be largely explained by measuring the following areas:

(A)   the leadup to selecting the final 15 who set off for the tour – including resourcefulness, non-compromise and vision,

(B)   Captain’s performance as a player

(C)   The captain-coach duo and their (interpersonal) vibes within the team including handling of individual players as well as coaching staff,

(D)   Form of individual stars in the team, if any; and

(E)    Expectations set by the leadership team from the players, series by series (completely on-field stuff, nothing interpersonal here). This includes flexible thinking.

[A, B & D are extremely version specific; hence same set of people can produce different performance curves in different versions of cricket]

• Ganguly's team, in rebuilding phase of 2000-2003, thrived partly on A & B,  a lot on C & D and little less on E (except uncompromising integrity).

• During the latter parts of Ganguly era (late 2004-2005) the team form dipped due to partial dips in B, C & D.

• In Dravid’s (2005-mid 2007) era the emphasis on A & E became supreme; B was very good too, for most parts. However all of that was completely undone by the then coach Chappell's effect in undermining C - so much so that the huge minus in B led to underperformance in D as well.

• MSD's 1^st era (2007--2010), on the other hand, revived team form almost entirely based on C, D & E. In Tests, B almost did not come into picture, such was the overwhelming effect of D [Big four + Viru + Zaheer]!! A got toned down to moderate – which is fine if D is good.

• Dhoni’s 2^nd era (early 2011 to end 2012) saw a virtual disappearance of D, while B did not come up to compensate. This made BIG difference, even as A & E remained very similar and C dipped only marginally compared to Dhoni’s 1^st era. [Not by coincidence, Era-2 was the first days for captain with new coach]

• Dhoni’s 3^rd era is just starting. D is not likely to reach the stratospheric heights of his 1^st era anytime soon (certainly not in Tests). I agree majorly to this article. By accident or by design, Team India's A has shot up in past 3 months, even compensating for seniors' exodus contributing to instability in D (it is also looking up, thanks to performing youngsters).  In fact, A has fared so well that D (at least in Champion’s Trophy) was a factor of A!!   Decisive A has also led to decisiveness in E. Factor C, while still very good, is now so very different from Era 1. These days we see an animated Dhoni who actually tells youngsters what to do…and I believe he is now in sync with India's "new" coach Duncan Fletcher.

Part B: how so quickly?

A & E are the only components that are largely controlled by intent rather than chance. While teams thrive or perish on ‘culture changes’ in either direction it is foregone that culture changes take a lot of time.

A & E can be implemented in a very short time-frame. It is only the start, though. Any major changes in A & E, implemented too quickly, might create a shock-wave in ‘good’ (read ‘comfortable’) times, leading to adverse impact on results. However in THIS case, major changes in A & E were done when the team performance was close to its nadir (i.e. around when Dhoni’s 2^nd era was closing out). Things that would seem to be “upsetting” otherwise...those were perhaps now seen as a “Ray of Hope”.

Everything, absolutely EVERYTHING can happen when people chuck out the resistance and look forward to a change.

That ends my thesis, responding to Shrikant Subramanian’s Facebook question. [wiping brow]

Exciting? Indeed. I was just as excited while force-fitting the pieces of the puzzle. Thanks to you for appreciating. And at this humbling moment of success I would like to thank my…zz-zz-zz-zz

Crappy?? Yippie kay yay…..all theses necessarily are.

Greg Chappell, the cricket visionary: caring(!!) views on Indian cricket

I was going through some of Greg Chappell's articles in The Hindu. They make for intriguing reading, quite far removed from "the guy that rubs everyone up the wrong way", an image that Indian cricket fans make of him due to his negatively eventful 1½ tenure as coach of Indian cricket team (end 2005 to Mar 2007). In fact, on the contrary these articles are a testimony of why then-captain Ganguly thought of him as a personification of astuteness in 2004-05, and strongly recommended Greg to BCCI as next Indian coach.

The articles were especially delightful to read in this tough period for Indian cricket. These are times when fans are not sure if anybody really cares for Indian cricket. If we can detach the much-hated name while going through the content of these articles, these are valuable views and analyses coming from someone with no ulterior motives and wanting to share his knowledge for the betterment of cricket in India.

Sample this one: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/greg-chappel/karthik-thrown-a-deserved-lifeline-sreesanth-could-do-with-one/article4702845.ece?ref=sliderNews

Even more than his fine take on Karthik in that piece, the discussion on Sreesanth's cricketing talent was my takeaway - perhaps because Greg kept the section to just that: discussing Sreesanth's cricketing talent (even after the IPL spot-fixing fiasco). However he has also touched upon the latest controversy. Like a wise statesman, he has clearly  hinted at the fact that accepting Sreesanth as an eccentric talent and handling him accordingly JUST might have avoided him from turning into a wasted cricketer with unfulfilled potential. I liked the tone of that comment. 

There is a hint of sadness as he witnesses the fall of Sreesanth, a player that Greg still believes to be a major talent. He suggests that there was scope of improvement in the way Sreesanth was handled, but he makes his point without looking to transfer the blame of the errant cricketer's own indiscretions towards BCCI's incompetence at talent management.

Greg himself was hardly better at managing talent....while he was excellent at spotting talent, he failed abysmally in turning it into finished product. I reckon he still cares for these young guys he backed, if not for Indian cricket. Perhaps he realises today that HE could have done things differently as well.

[BTW, this is not the first time that BCCI's talent management woes are costing Indian cricket of its talents. If they had been even half decent at it, then Yuvraj Singh should have been India's next cricketer to retire with 50+ Test average, and Zaheer would have been our spearhead much before 2007..not to be.] 

And this marvellous piece on what EXACTLY is needed to be done for improving a batsman's concentration: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/greg-chappel/curing-crickets-attention-deficit-disorder/article4769944.ece

What I found during this phase, was that I tired very quickly and actually began to make mistakes after a relatively short period of time. If I did succeed using this method, I was usually so tired that I couldn’t relax easily afterwards and I was generally ‘flat’ for a few days.

On reflection, it dawned on me that this method was bound to fail and I had to find an alternative method. The alternative I chose was to train myself to concentrate for one ball at a time.

Concentration is the ability to focus on what is important at that moment.
From that point, my practice sessions became a contest with myself to see how well I could manage the conflicting messages in my head. Training was no longer an exercise in polishing my technique, but a mental exercise in engaging with the bowler at the appropriate time.

What I learnt to do was to switch-on to the bowler once he reached his bowling mark. The fiercest concentration was saved for the time that the bowler reached his delivery stride until that particular play was finished.

In between balls, I had a quick look into the crowd to give my mind a break before returning my attention to the field of play. I re-engaged with the bowler again once he got back to his mark.

The look into the crowd was an important part of my concentration routine. If I was playing at home, I would pick out someone whom I knew to look for. I astounded my family and friends when, at the end of the day, I could tell them what time they had arrived at the ground, who they had spoken to and what time they had a drink or something to eat.

Once I perfected this routine, I was never fatigued during play nor was I exhausted at the end of a long innings. Effectively, I had only concentrated at full intensity for a matter of minutes, even if I batted all day.

This is a pearl of wisdom coming from one of the finest batsmen ever. I wish to take printouts of this article and share with cricket crazy kids in our backyard. It is a must read for anyone who wants to become a better batsman at longer versions of the game (i.e. longer than 20 overs).

Last but not the least, Chappell’s article celebrating Sachin on his 40^th birthday: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/greg-chappel/sachin-still-pushing-the-boundaries/article4648090.ece?ref=sliderNews

What did surprise me was the meticulous attention that he gave to his bats.

I had seen others who were quite protective and caring of their bat, but I had never seen anyone who showered their bat with such loving attention. He constantly altered the batting grip and spent hours with a scalpel scraping and cleaning the blade so that it was pleasing to his eye.

As he explained it, he did not want anything out of place when he looked down at his bat when standing at the crease. I can’t say that I ever noticed my bat to that degree. It was an implement that I used, and as I often had to get used to another one, I did not want to be too attached to my current bat in case we were separated, for any reason.

Sachin built a symbiotic relationship with each bat that he used. Batting, I began to realise, was why Sachin lived and he was taking every part of it very seriously indeed.

A special and sensitive insight from a great batsman admiring another within the sacred confines of the Test match dressing room. Another section of that article discusses about the changes Sachin made in his batting stance and preparatory movement over his career.

I am looking forward to his Hindu articles hereafter, expecting those to be the best insights into Indian cricket that I am going to get on print or web in coming months.

Update: Here's another offering from Greg - discussing the reasons for India's cricketing upswing (barring those two 2011 away series) coinciding with Australia's downswing: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/greg-chappel/things-to-be-learnt-from-the-indian-model/article4902529.ece

IPL-6: Moment of the tournament

THE MOMENT of IPL-6 just came up in today's Eliminator between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Delhi play-offs.
38 yr old "foreign" Brad Hodge finds a little time to use between deliveries of this knock-out match, and walks up to a forever-amused-looking "local" wonderkid (Samson) - less than half Hodge's age - to teach the latter a chapter from the book of stealing singles. 
"Don't hit it boy, work it and get that crucial extra run." The old man gestures, but only after having demonstrated it. 

Priceless. 

Almost justifies the existence of IPL...such moments.

The circle of a day

In the morning this daily quote flashed up on my office desktop as I booted up the comp:

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” – Calvin Coolidge

12 hours later I was preparing to shut it off.
I checked gmail and, as I was about to log off, I found a link on Virat Kohli's phenomenal rise.
I am pasting an extract from the article:

"His work ethic is brilliant, his focus is immense," says Yuvraj Singh. "Since the time he has joined the Indian team, I saw his work ethic and wished and wondered why I didn't have that work ethic when I was his age."

I reckon Yuvraj and Rohit are even more talented than Virat.They always were.
At the end of the day, my working day, Virat is pipping those two at what Calvin Coolidge quoted to me when I started the day.
Good night, folks!!

Let's count Yuvi: 30, 29, 28...

Here's a bit of great news:

Yuvraj Singh's response to chemotherapy has left his medical team "fairly confident" that the mediastinal seminoma he had been diagnosed with "will not come back." Dr Nitesh Rohatgi, a key member of Yuvraj's medical team, told ESPNcricinfo that according to their assessment, Yuvraj could "get back to normal activity in about a couple of month's time." Yuvraj underwent three cycles of chemotherapy, the last one in hospital before being discharged, and is expected to return to India in the first half of April. 

Kohli Yug (Screengrabs)

I am yet to get over Virat Kohli's batsmanship in the Hobart ODI last month. Now we already have his killer touch again in the Mirpur win last night.
[If I am permitted to use 'touch' for an innings worth 182 runs...]


Hobart got me excited about an ODI after a long time....first time after 2nd April 2011, to be precise. An Indian batsman taking a very decent bowling side apart during a 300+ chase under pressure on foreign soil is a rare sight, even unexpected these days. For the man to succeed at it with a bonus point, and without slogging, is something special.


Mirpur was a showcase of Kohli's leg side artistry. He declared total dominance of any opposition in sub continent ODI's...and that does not look so snigger-worthy when coming from the lone guy that played well against Australia in away Tests.


Hobart, I reckon, was the formal announcement that he wants to be the new King. In all forms of cricket. At any country...and perhaps against any opposition.


An FB friend used the term 'Kohli-yug' on his status last night. 
Mirpur may be the start of that yug.


Screengrabs from Hobart ODI on 28th Feb 2012:
[pic  courtesy - Star Sports telecast] 

Dravid: Tributes on his retirement

What should we call him?
The Wall? For the protection he offers to our middle order gods?
The 'Away man', for his prowess in foreign conditions?
Mr Dependable?
All the titles are cliched...and while each define him to an extent, none hold up the spirit of Rahul Dravid fully.

Last night I was chatting with a friend, another Dravid fan, who was despairing at the state of affairs in the country, especially corruption and mafia threats. In particular, the murder of IPS officer Singh by the mafia - and the silence of media and FB alike to the incident.
These words came out spontaneously:
"....be steely, be patient, be focussed on the gains to be made, bite your lips and let go of everything but hope for the side you stand for...be Dravid.
For this is a long term, multi-generation away match we are playing.....the game called 'maturing of a people'."

I wasn't trying to chalk up a Dravid tribute then; but even if I did I could not have thought of a better tribute for Rahul Dravid than suggesting that we take inspiration from his powers of long-term adherence to a tough task, and demonstrate the same Dravid-ian traits as Indian citizens in not giving up on this country's slowly but surely improving future.
Like a famous dialogue in the movie 'Sarkar', Dravid is no more just a cricketer.
Dravid is a 'soch' i.e ideology..an ideology to handle and live through tough situations with determination and humility.
[pic courtesy: www.espncricinfo.com]
--------------

Links to some tributes to Dravid on his first class retirement:

a) cricinfo stats tribute for Indian cricket's MVP away from home: http://www.espncricinfo.com/

magazine/content/current/story/
556766.html
  [his average in matches won by India: http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/28114.html?class=1;result=1;spanmax1=23+Sep+2010;spanval1=span;template=results;type=allround ]
b) Siddhartha Vaidyanathan's unforgettable blogpost on Dravid's retirement: http://
sidveeblogs.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/goodbye-dravid/
c) Harsha Bhogle's tribute: http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/556769.html
d) Sameer Chopra's personal account of the 'other side of the ever-courteous Wall': http://blogs.espncricinfo.com/
thepitch/archives/2012/03/meeting_rahul_dravid_the_soul.php
e) Mrs. Vijeeta Dravid on "her husband, the perfectionist": http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/556979.html
f) Mukul Kesavan on how 'defence was the best offence' for Dravid: http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/556801.html
g) cricinfo's "Dravid test": http://pavilionview.blogspot.in/2012/03/take-dravid-test.html
h) Dravid's statistical worth vis-a-vis other greats (Anantha Narayanan's analysis of batsmen by pitch / bowler worth): http://blogs.espncricinfo.com/itfigures/archives/2012/03/batsman_by_bowler_pitch_qualit.php
i) Ganguly on Dravid retirement: http://cricket.yahoo.com/news/rahul-s-experience-should-be-utilised--sourav-ganguly.html
j) the Dravidian Era (in pix): http://cricket.yahoo.com/photos/the-dravidian-era-slideshow/the-dravidian-era-photo-1331270575.html  &  http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/17299331
k) Dravid's career in pix (cricinfo): http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/gallery/556655.html
l) Dravid Interview, when he announced retirement: http://www.dailypioneer.com/home/online-channel/top-story/48424-dravid-walks-into-international-cricket-sunset.html
m) Others' tributes to Dravid on his retirement: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/17310407
n) Cricket writers on Rahul Dravid: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-17309801
o) Dravid's Bradman Oration: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-16212952
p) Gen-Y Indian batsmen on Dravid: http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/556948.html
q) Akash Chopra on the constantly evolving game of Rahul Dravid: http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/557698.html
r) Keki Tarapore (Dravid's coach from early days) about Dravid: http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/story/103543.html
s)  Eight of Dravid's best: http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/556798.html
t) A special tribute from Kent ex-colleague, Ed Smith: http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/557122.html
u) Dravid's Bradman Oration, 2011 (youtube video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt7fFVKmt60
v) Dravid - Reassurance is a virtue: http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/NFKxzkwZTmKRCavKv7wjSI/Rahul-Dravid-The-gift-of-reassurance.html
w) Youtube tributes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFFdakyzxOY , "Eye of the Tiger"  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54CBD3DkG40 , Corporate India meets the Corporate Cricketer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctKTtXr50-Y
x) Dravid pages: http://cricket.yahoo.com/_specials/rahuldravid/ ; http://www.dravidthewall.com/ ; http://www.rediff.com/cricket/rahul-dravid-retires-2012.html

My personal tribute to Dravid: a collection of my Dravid posts on Pavilion view & other blogs

"FB has been prompting me to switch over to its 'timeline' version of status update.
After today I have no choice...my Wall has retired today.
All that this Wall and his illustrious Big Five colleagues stood and toiled for...may those live on in the vision of genX, genY and genZ."




That was my Facebook reaction to Rahul Dravid's retirement from Test and first class cricket on 9th March 2012.


In the past this blog has had some posts on Dravid's work as captain and cricketer.


The first one I want to share is a general post that somehow applies to Dravid today. Especially the last three paragraphs. The pre-retirement thoughts of Dravid that have come out through his press-conference and also his ex-teammates' comments on the dilemma of deciding on his last tour. 
I wouldn't have contemplated Dravid to fit this post while writing it - I was making a general point and, in any case, Dravid was at his peak then. 
The original post was on Cricinfo's Different Strokes. We have now reposted it in this blog and dedicated it to Rahul Dravid.

Other "Pavilion View" posts on Dravid:


The importance of being Rahul Dravid - part one  (Jan 2006 - at the start of his captaincy tenure, before Pak'06 Test series)
Rahul Dravid too (Jan 2006 - at the start of his captaincy tenure, before Pak'06 Test series)
The delicate art of captaincy (June 2006, West Indies)
The great folly of the greats (Jan 2007, SA)
Dravid's current lean trot (Jan 2007)
Deserving luck (Mar 2007)
Future guys of Indian cricket (Jan 2008)
Dravid's column on Laxman (Nov 2008)
The Wall's papers (Dec 2008)
Highest number of catches (Apr 2009)
Holding the hands of greats (Sep 2009)
Spirited cricket (Oct 2009)
Remembering Rahul's best days - 1 (Aug 2010)
Dravid, the World Cup great? (Feb 2011)
Screenshots of Dravid's 3 hundreds at England (Aug 2011)
Dravid & the importance of pink ball cricket (Apr 2011)
Right up Wall street (Nov 2011)
Picture Perfect Wall (Nov 2011)
...
...
...

And finally, to conclude this post I will re-post another old Facebook status message. It was posted some days after the proudest moment I had in quite sometime as an Indian cricket lover. I had stood up in my living room with the spectators and applauded the man when he opened the innings in the 4th England Test of 2011 facing a large English target, carried his bat in the innings and then came out 10 mins later to follow on...

Can't stop feeling proud of RD after that 4th Test...the way he took a new role and produced the one of the best 3 ever in it since India played Tests (carrying the bat as an opener)..and then came out to bat AGAIN within 10 mins to follow on. Here's an excerpt from a news link that reflects what he did that day:

"August 21: He comes to the field with his ‘aglets’ knotted and almost pasted to his shoes. He isn’t taking any chances and plays the knock of the tour. Fathers in the stands want their sons to play like him and mothers want them to behave like him. "

The "50/100 openers' rule"

‎80 years of playing Test cricket, and Indians still don't understand the basic requirement of scoring big in pitches favouring quicks. 


It is called the "50/100 openers' rule".


This rule is simple: 
Either 
(a) the openers need to play in a way that maximises chances of a 50 run opening partnership, Or 
(b) it really is the plan-B, essentially that in case of an early dismissal of opening partnership the next pair plays to ensure that 2nd wicket falls after team total crosses 100. 


While playing away, I haven't seen India do well in batting other than the 2 conditions getting satisfied.


After that, what more runs the opener gets or does not get CEASES NOT MATTER there will be someone else to score his runs.


Cowboy opening has worked for India ONLY WHEN these conditions get fulfilled..how many runs the opener got individually has hardly ever mattered to outcome of game unless it met the above criteria.


There can be failures even after those criteria are met, but there is certainly no success without it.


Probably it needed 2 series like these (Eng 2011 & Aus 2011-12) to show the value of Akash Chopra in the 2003 Oz series..or a chastised Sehwag in Perth / Adelaide 2008.


There is no 'aggressive opener' barring Michael Slater who has done well in quick-bowling conditions without being circumspect for the 1st 50 team runs. Not Gambhir, not Hayden, certainly not Sehwag. Partly because they did not have the techniques to counterattack fast bowling at its best... in their best innings these guys left the attacking for the stage after team crossed fifty.

[this 3rd straight rant in 15 mins time frame is also cross posted from FB]


PS: If you are wondering who penned the "50/100 Openers' rule" and how long back, then please rejoice at being part of history being created in this post!! This is the first time I am 'publishing' the rule.

Sehwag: Should he open again in Tests outside India??

"Laxman? Gambhir? Dravid? Kohli? Who gets dropped in 3rd Test?" We debate.


But why not sehwag? 


This series is not in india. He is not going to be watchful like he was in Aus'2008on a comeback trail..and will look to a 'free' century in Adelaide to maintain his 30 avg outside...(to be complimented by a 70+ at home and thus maintain the total 50 plus avg!!)


He does not 'ensure' anything except his failure outside India. Then should his position outside india be ensured?

On NOT losing the 1st Test of an away series

How important is that?


In that context, I have always rated that Brisbane'03 century by dada Ganguly (after 90/4) as the 3rd big turnaround point of Team India - after Eden 2001 and Leeds 2002. It changed the series from 'chin musicology' to 'unforgettable'. 
And considering it came from a player who never scored another away Test ton against big teams of his time (Oz, SA, Pak), that 144 was monumental.


And then he was also captain. Now we know the importance of a skipper under fire (warne's chin music chant) salvaging a match early in the series. In contrast, MSD has struggled badly in major away series except Eng 2007. Especially at times when a responsible 40 from him against new ball can extend the innings by 70-80 runs.


Aus 2003 was zenith of Dada the skipper. Is it MSD's time to reassess his place in Indian cricket?


I am a Dhoni fan, and no one holds the lack of bowling resources against him..but his presence is making us start behind other Test teams when playing away.
Also, he is into his 5th year of captaincy, a job that has NEVER been carried out this long by anyone except Border without disadvantaging the team dynamics.


[cross posted from FB]

The power of nine

"I respect my wicket a hundred times more now"


A profound, nine word Dave Warner mantra for all talented youngsters like Kohli, Raina who find it tough to complete the big leap from T20's to Test matches.
Why, even not-so-youngsters like Yuvraj can heed it as well.


Rohit Sharma, are you listening?

Day's play

Today Sachin was Sachin of old, and Dravid was nowhere like the Dravid of late.
Yet Dravid is there at the end of day while Sachin isn't.

That's the day's Test cricket for you.

Gains for Team India from 2011 Test series vs West Indies @ home

Gains from WI series:

1) Viru has started getting 2nd innings runs in the 2nd decade of his Test career.

2) Ashwin has stamped his Aussie never say die brand of fighting cricket in Tests too, after T20 and ODIs. What a year for him!

3) Ojha, the other (better) spinner, nearly turns a dead Test into a win on a flat track...in a single sessn. Memories of the 70s & 90s. Dare say Harbhajan needs to unlearn a bit of T20 bowlg and relearn Test bowlg. We need him back.

4) After years (?) we have seen three 140k Indian bowlers bowling at those speeds on Indian tracks (yes, all of them) and...miraculously, finishing the series injury free. 

5) Team selectn in the series was done with an eye on current series and another on future. It was delightful to see Varun Aaron making his debut in 3rd Test instead of Umesh although the latter scalped 7 in 2nd Test. It is better to have them fly to Oz with 1 each under their belts than 2-nil.

6) THE HAPPIEST PART, PERSONALLY SPEAKING. The decisn to keep pushing for a possible win after 6th wkt fall in 2nd inngs on 5th day, even risking a surprise loss in the process, was a sight I have waited to see for last decade plus. 

Thanks for that, Team India. You are my favourites again

[edited from my FB status msg]

Test batsmen and spectators bid adieu

AUs-vs-RSA, 2nd Test, 2nd day at Jo'burg


Tahir with Steyn.
Top class leg spin with express pace. 
Joyous to see both bowlers make the ball talk on same pitch, on same day.


It could be called a great session of Test cricket, if only we had batsmen brought up on better stuff than T20...batsmen who "don't look at 3rd slip fielders as aliens encroaching their space" [to borrow the commentators' words]. Pathetic state of things. And ominous when seen with Eden crowd not crossing 10000 on any day. Tells us that a generation of skilled Test batsmen and their spectators are all bidding adieu across the world hand in hand.


Pink ball day-night first class cricket must be tried next season, if not this one. It can't be worse for either cricket or cricketers than this...and it can always be eased out after letting the 'evening cricket' generation have a taste of cricket in whites.


[adopted from my FB wall post]

Picture Perfect Wall

In year 2008 and at age 35 this man, Rahul Dravid, was beginning to miss catches which he would grab earlier at slip (and in sleep);  he was suddenly batting as if the wall in him had been breached...and he ran so badly that he was his own worst enemy in any form of the game whenever  a short single was on offer. Even I made a blogpost contemplating his Test future at the time.  No one except MS Dhoni, the man who ironically removed Dravid from ODI team a year before, seemed to believe that he could bounce back in Tests.


3 years later in June 2011, you are allowed to expect that things have dipped far worse for Rahul Dravid. After all he is aged 38½ now, ten years more than the Berlin Wall when it was brought down.  


Voila - instead you have a man who is batting once again like he did at his unbreachable peak in the early parts of last decade. More amazingly, during his last ODI series in Sep'11 and in Tests thereafter he was seen running far purposefully between the wickets than he ever did in the past 4 years.


And just when I start dismissing it all as the 'flicker of a dependable candle before it blows out', he takes this catch [please pardon the poor cellcam video quality - it was taken in haste during midnight TV replay]. 


The second such catch within a year, after this stunning 200th one in Durban, Dec 2010.


What do we have? Masterchef RD presenting  in front of us 5 flowing centuries in 5 months, good rotation of strike and flashes of tremendous slip catching, all on a platter. 


I am almost forced to think now - has  this man hit upon some additional gas reserves within him that can pull him through for a year or two yet??


Cricket is indeed a game of chance...you never know when you rediscover fountains of youth.


Didn't someone tell him that India are running short of an express fast bowler??

Right up the Wall Street

Rahul Dravid couldn't have it scripted any better from a personal point of view.

For the 8th consecutive time this season India are playing on a track assisting bowlers. What better time to strike golden farewell form, and remind the world who used to be world number 1 in such conditions between 2002 and 2006.

Even today he had an answer to everything, including a half tracker that arrived at his ankle.

Class and variety still breeds in only one format of cricket

Have a look at this link



Do you know what is Murali's jersey number this IPL? I did not notice until tonight that it is derived from his achievements in another format, a format seen to be the only one where bowlers' need to take wickets is FAR more important than just containment. Check pic 9/10 of this link. [I say 'seen to be' b'coz it is only a perception. Taking wickets is the most important job of bowler in all forms - the importance reduces but still it remains #1 priority].


Also check pic 8/10 of that link for Manoj Tiwary's cover drive pic. Whenever that guyholds the bat he looks as good as this snap to me. Pity that he lost his international opportunities to misfortune. People like Tiwary and Rayudu (I was struck by a top-notch, classy cover drive hit by the latter today - keep catching these glimpses as someone or the other watches IPL at home) abound in domestic cricket today and that is where Indian cricket (at least batting) looks healthy. These players have developed their pedigreed batting by growing up playing ANOTHER format, and IPL is ONLY reaping the benefits.






Sangakkara peppered the mid wicket boundary the other day...and before you shut your eyes to conjure up slog sweeps or across the line hits, let me mention that ALL his shots were vertical bat drives. Yes, they really were even if you keep staring at me disbelievingly for the next fortnight..


Even now class is bred in only one variety of the game. First class cricket. It may well change after some years of T20; maybe slogs to mid wicket will be the ONLY 'classy shots'!! I have no problems with those shots; as a fan of my favourite cricket team such shots can very well win us the match. It is the 'ONLY' that bites me as a fan of cricket (as against fan of a team).


I remain one of the biggest fans of Jayasuriya, the first mega product of One-day cricket. But what will you choose if you have the choice between (i) having THE ODD Jayasuriya / Dhoni (alternative batsmanship styles based on modern formats) and (ii) having ALL batsmen modelled on ONLY Jayasuriya (or Dhoni)? Or WORSE still, all of them modelled ONLY on some 3rd generation guy who becomes the first mega product of T20 (hits across the line to mid-wicket ONLY, for instance)?

Again it is the 'ONLY' that I am questioning.

[developed from a note on my Facebook page]

When Destiny wilts and begins to comply to your will...

"itni shiddat se maine tumhe paane ki koshish ki hai



ki har zarre ne mujhe tumse milane ki saazish ki hai....



kehte hai agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaaho toh poori kaynaat tumhein usse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai...aap sabne mujhe meri chahat se mila diya...thanks, thanks very much, kehte hai ki filmon ki tarah hamari zindagi mein bhi end tak sab theek hee ho jaata hai..happys endings...aur agar theek naa ho toh woh the end nahi, picture abhi baaki hai mere dost"

- quote from Hindi film Om Shanti Om, based on Paolo Coelho's similar thought in his novel 'The Alchemist'
-----------
In a 1999 WC Super six match which could have eliminated the Australians, Steve Waugh scored only the 2nd international hundred of his career when he came in at fifty something for three chasing 250+ against a formadable South African attack. Gibbs, the 2nd best fielder in the world after Rhodes at the time and certainly the world's joint best catcher with Rhodes and Mark Waugh, famously 'dropped' him by throwing the ball in celebration too soon after catching..that Steve Waugh ton allowed Australia to win 3 world cups and start a phenomenal winning streak of unbeaten matches that took 12 years to stop.

Anybody with only 2 hundreds in ODI's who did better, and at a more opportune time? Destiny intervened that day, perhaps.
Probably because Steven Rodger Waugh wanted that Cup badly enough.



Cut to 2011. Another Cricket world cup.
Sachin Tendulkar. He generally gets bad calls from umpires, some of them especially in crucial moments in Test matches. But extension of Test innings is the last thing on his mind today.
The only thing he wants badly today is an ODI World Cup win. He went the whole distance to a final once 8 years back but returned empty handed from the last step.
How badly does he want to win the 2011 World Cup?

So badly that Destiny is forced to comply and contrive to make it happen, as that saying goes. It certainly did so today, by returning back ALL (and I mean all - six to be precise) of Sachin's career earnings of 'bad dismissals' with interest in ONE SINGLE innings, the one innings that needed him to succeed for his team to take him where he wanted to - playing a 2nd WC final. And play that game at home, the city where he grew up in and learnt his cricket, the city where his elder brother & other family members made sacrifices to let him become what he is today. And possibly win the game, to attain his one remaining unfulfilled dream. The one he wants badly, very badly, so badly that destiny is beginning to comply. "Itni shiddat se" and all that.
Quite un-dramatic, isn't it?
Almost as un-dramatic as that win coming through Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar scoring his 100th international hundred in the final. For destiny also took care, probably with an understanding half-smile on her face,  that Sachin did not end up getting his 100th ton in a semi final which will be remembered as much for him getting 6 lives as for India playing Pakistan in a semi final match for the 1st time in a WC to come up tops.

[shared as a note on my Facebook page]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: This post has been insipred by a comment of Rajdeep Saedesai to the tune of 'Things getting set up for a Sachin dominated finale in Mumbai' on CNN IBN today after India won the semi final against Pakistan