The Pavilion View of Cricket

Friday, November 19, 2021

Farewell, special one

Was it the left image? Or was it the right?

Today I am not sure which one.

Back in mid 2000s I saw this photo in an ESPNcricinfo report on the day's Test cricket.
This was from one of the two back-to-back Test series between the top cricket sides of the time.

The pic was my first meeting with ABdV. Today he declared that he is done. From all cricket. There won't be another majestic pic of this classy entertainer creating memories while executing another cover drive..or some other "360 degree shot".

Have a great "cricketing afterlife", legend.

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[Realisation: as people age, their blogs are less and less about cricket, more about memories and nostalgia that they cling to..and paying tribute to the "cricket" they used to watch back in the day.]

Sunday, November 14, 2021

Gilly is 50 today

As you go past your teens, into the 20s and later, you keep admiring new cricketers of the new era without idolising them as much.

Once in a while, however, a great player comes and takes you by the scruff of neck..leaving you with no option. You are taken aback. You are taken back to a wondrous teenage where everything is possible. You find you have become an ardent fan.

Happy 50th Birthday, Adam Gilchrist.

Thursday, October 14, 2021

The eternal friend

We all have that one friend.

A guy with no airs. Smiles from back of pic at your moment of glory. Never minds if you forget to call him to a party.

Yet when you are in trouble, he is generally the first to get your call.

"Yaar ek help chahiye...please"

"Ab batayega bhi?"

Indian Cricket has Rahul Dravid. Inside the 22 yards till Jan 2012, and outside it thereafter.

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Rahul Dravid is likely to be approached by the Indian cricket board to be the interim coach for India’s home series against New Zealand. Head coach Ravi Shastri and the core of the support staff will move on after the T20 World Cup but the board has realised the search for a new coach could take longer than expected and hence wants an experienced hand like Dravid at the helm as a stop-gap arrangement.

It’s learnt that a few Australian coaches expressed interest in the job, but the BCCI isn’t keen as they are focussing on an Indian for the role, before they look elsewhere. The BCCI had wanted Dravid to become the full-time coach of the Indian team but he had refused, it’s learnt, as he didn’t want to travel too much.

Dravid is the in-charge of the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

The Indian board later approached a few more coaches but are yet to get a positive response.

The BCCI has not officially put out an advertisement for the coach but has been looking around for a candidate who could fit the bill. The Indian cricket board is first trying to find out the availability of potential candidates before putting out an advertisement.

“We wanted the candidate whom we feel is best suited for the job to agree first (to apply for the job),” a BCCI official explained their rationale to delay the advertisement. “We don’t want a situation where we get applications but no one is seen as ideal. It will be embarrassing for the board and for the candidates too. So it’s better to find a suitable candidate first, till then Dravid can be interim coach,” a BCCI official said.

The board had initially considered the possibility of requesting Shastri to continue till that New Zealand series but have since changed their mind. Dravid has coached the second-string Indian team in Sri Lanka when the main team were concurrently playing in Australia earlier this year. India are scheduled to play two Tests and three T20’s against New Zealand immediately after the T20 World Cup.

The tenure of Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar comes to an end after the T20 World Cup. Indian team Trainer Nick Webb too will quit after the T20 World Cup.

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