Sales and a Run Chase

They say that sales gives you stories to tell people if nothing else - as does cricket but that not where the similarities end.

For one Sales and a difficult run chase are pretty much very similar. By difficult run chase i do not neccessarily mean that 434 run chase - as in not always a high figure but also tricky lower run chases on tough pitches like say this one.

In both sales and a run chase you have a target to achieve and both seem really really tough to begin with. As with sales, in run chases if the team believes that the target is unachievable then chances are that it will not be met no matter what. So the captain needs to bring the team together in the mid inning break or a meeting and convince them all that they can in fact do it

In a run chase - you will want one of your best players to play a huge knock and have the others supporting him through the innings - ideally we would want a couple of partnerships to take us along like this maybe?. In sales too - one would want schemes on the top selling packs and everyone would ensure that those key packs sell as per plan - while all the others chip in to ensure a final victorious result

Sometimes runchases are like these (we did not win this - but it was more than a win for most of us - technicalities be damned) where one member of the team fires big time and the rest cup badly - but this player has ensured that his match winning knock covers up for the shortfall created by the failure of others resulting in eventual victory. However some run chases have every player of the team firing and playing their part in the win - "Teamwork" as they call it.

Sales then cant be too different can it? Sometimes some territories fall short of their targets - but someone else over achieves to ensure that the overall team target is met and hence the celebrations can begin. On some other occassions everyone does their targets leading to a 100% plus over all achievement - the celebrations start either ways.

Often in a run chase - the team falls short of the target inspite of someone putting in an awesome performance. So he gets the man of the match award inspite of his team losing. Just like in sales where the high performers walk off with their incentive even if the team has failed.

Many a great players have been asked about great run chases - Most concur that if they wickets in hand for the final 10 overs then they can go out and blast out the runs needed to win. So they would say that we can make 90 in the last 10 - so basically by 40 overs we need to be at N-90 to be comfortable for the win. In sales too the last day sales account for a lot - a common blitzkreig at the end.

But then again "well begun is half done". Here similar but differences crop up. While in Cricket you need an assault at the top in the first 15 - in Sales you just need to ensure that you dont have to play a huge catchup at the end - here its more about keeping the wickets in hand rather than pinch hitting. Ofcourse if you happen to indulge in some clean hitting - it is always welcomed :)

And as in cricket in sales - Success breeds Success.

So there - finally i have linked my job and my passion together !


Credits: Thanks to Sid (aka 123 Kid) for searching the links of matches i asked for

Time

Time tommorrow for a lot of people to prove a lot of points...

1. Dravid to slap those bloodsucking fools aka fans with a big ton

2. Jaffer to prove that he can play against any opposition

3. Sachin to play that elusive 4th inning match winning knock

4. Laxman to prove that the bouncer from Lee that got his wicket was a one off and that he can murder short pitched balls

5. Ganguly to prove that Brisbane 2003 was not a flash in the pan and that he can reel off innings like those in Melbourne as well

6. Yuvraj to prove that he indeed deserves to be in the team at the cost of Dravid sacrificing as an opener

7. Dhoni to prove that he can handle pressure enough to be the natural test capn as well

8. Kumble to prove that the batsmen can win matches and he can just sit back and relax and not come out to bat as the team scores 500 :)

In 2003 we came quietly but determined to upset the Aussies - hell we had pulled a grand escape against them at home. But no one then expected India to put up an even fight.
This time things are different - its a unit that has won outside India consistently and they are expected to put up a fight.

Last time - we drew Brisbane thanks largely to Dada's fighting knock and that set the tone for the series. Here if we save Melbourne (read win - there is no way for a draw unless weather intervenes) we will already have begun the fight - this time only more brutally.

Aye Aye Cap'n

They had just lost their match against Bangladesh - traumatic experience that - it threatened their very existence in the World Cup. The captain had a frown on his face - an expression of worry. Their coach - never known to smile - was probably ready with a dose of abuse. The captain wore the burden of loss. Bermuda won, Lanka not - we were out.

Would the captain survive? Would the core of the team survive? Would the coach survive?
The coach went - the seniors were under the scanner - the marginals were sacrificed but the captain survived. Bangladesh without two of the seniors in ODIs and with them in tests - revenge was taken without waiting for it to go cold.

The captain took them to a long tour of England and Redemption. He won against the Africans. He won the Test series (the seniors shone too) and did very well in the ODI series only to lose it marginally. The captain was on a high and looked like he would take us to Australia to complete what was left undone the last time they went there but unexpectedly he quit. Just like that - out of the blue, Rahul Dravid the Wall had turned his back on the captaincy to focus on his main art - his bread and butter - his batting.

Meanwhile a young team under MSD was playing in South Africa and winning a World Cup against all odds. Heroes were born and welcomed such. Dhoni also ascended the ODI captaincy. As usual the public and the selectors had taken stands. The contrasts of the performances in the ODI and T20 World Cups had brought forth a wave of support for 'youngsters' - the seniors were looked upon as unwanted baggage. Why dont they go now was the call! Ingrates who asked such questions - but these questions were to become large ones.

The series against Aussies followed and Rahul "failed" in all of 5 innings. And that was it - the axe was out for the ex-captain. We dont need you was the message! Our youngsters will perform - and drat those two Saurav and Sachin for performing and making it impossible to sack them as well. Never mind - they will fail in an inning or two and we will perform that cut too eh?


It was unjustified as hell. For the man had played well one tour back in England. For the man had been India's saving grace for uncountable series and matches before that. It was one series that one of India's most prolific scorer failed and he got the worst possible punishment. People had escaped with murder and here he was arrested and prosecuted for breaking the traffic lights.

And then they pick another guy who too is out of form with the reasoning that "He is a proven matchwinner and his record against Pak is really good". One assumes that Dravid is a proven matchloser ? But then rationality was never Indian Cricket's strong point eh?

With that we lost the one player who could see off a 20/3 situation or come in at 170/2 and launch a finishing move. Or for that matter come in a guide a run chase to its logical conclusion. A man for any situation - someone you could trust to take on any situation - no questions asked.

The one player who would do any role for the team and not complain. But rationality - no thats not our forte for sure!

And the drama - that never ends. Sachin refuses the Test captaincy - the selectors stumped again. (a wise decision by Sachin no doubt and i might write about it later)

But finally Kumble picked as the captain - a decision that i couldnt agree with whole heartedly. Kumble deserves the honour no doubt for his long contribution but currently one wonders if he would automatically be the first choice spinner for the team. There have now been more than 2 occassions tailormade for Kumble to spin his magic and take us to victory but on both occassions he was off key and the win didnt come our way.

Nevertheless lets hope his grit wins the day for us.

TOI says

http://cricket.indiatimes.com/Wholl_fill_Inzamams_big_shoes/articleshow/2506533.cms

Note this:

There are talented youngsters like Misbah-ul-Haq, who have the skills, but going by the evidence of what happened in World Twenty20, they crack under pressure. Who can forget Inzamam's glorious 122 off 105 balls that went in vain in the famous Karachi ODI?

and this

This tour offers the perfect opportunity for Misbah-ul-Haq to seal his case as the future batting star of Pakistan cricket.

What! Youngster at 33? Future Star at 33 ??

I guess Obelix says it best here - just replace the Indians with the Times of Indians and you have a perfect quote.

Future Watch

This series is an attempt to capture the likely future of Indian Cricket. Hence time / information permitting one will attempt to run a Domestic Cricket roundup to identify consistent performers in Indian Domestic Cricket


The Domestic season started off today in Rajkot with the Ranji Champs Mumbai taking on a fairly strong Rest of India in the Irani Trophy. The Mumbai team had a very interesting look to it - with a mix of established "stars" like Agarkar, Jaffer, Powar and the contender to the throne of the unluckiest Indian Cricket - Amol Muzumdar featuring in it. Some guys who made their name last season with good performances like Kukreja and Nayar and then the absolute newbies like Rahane, Naik, Abdulla and WK Gurav.

And they were to take on an RoI side that looked suspiciously like a 2nd XI for India - Kaif, Parthiv, Raina, Munaf and Chopra amongst those who have played for India, Bose and Ishant the two who have some experience bringing out the drinks for Indian players and then the challengers in Badri, Tewary and spinners Ojha and Mishra.

A tough and interesting encounter always looks likely.

On the basis of the play on Day 1 - Nayyar has confirmed that he is indeed a player to watch out for. His performances last season were pivotal to Mumbai winning the Ranji and today with a superb attacking century he has surely done his reputation no harm whatsover - if he can shine again with the ball - we might have someone on our hands here.

Munaf has proven time and again that with his fitness - he should never even be knocking on the India doors and todays performance was no different - perhaps he deserves a long toil again on the Ranji circuit. That might knock some sense into his head.

Bose - the star bowler of last season - is a bit of a mystery. With a lack of real pace - he depends much on his accuracy and his ability to move the ball. All well in bowling friendly conditions. But his real test will be against International opposition on a belter but he seems good enough to get an opportunity. And at the rate at which our pacers get injured and given the likelihood of Sreesanth getting banned for 5 matches after every 2 matches - his chance will come sooner rather than later.

Over all a good day for Mumbai and one hopes they start off the season with a victory and some more silverware in their already over flowing cupboard.

Cricket & More ??

Its increasingly becoming difficult to justify the title of this blog what with the "More" posts being completely non-existent and the cricket posts flowing unabashed.

So the hunt is on for a new title. Regular readers encouraged to contribute new titles - will be treated to free publicity on this very blog.

*Wishful thinking on two counts that! Firstly imagining regular readers and then imagining that publicity on this blog is actually a treat*

But then hope is a good thing aint it ? So lets see some new names here!

So Long!

Its probably curtains for Ajit Agarkar in international cricket. However given the fragile nature of all bowlers fast in India (except Kumble - i mean the fast bowlers who dont call themselves spinners. Also not Prasad - i did not mean Slow Bowlers who insist on calling themselves fast) he might yet have another chance to add to the numerous ones he has already had.

Agarkar has easily been the most frustrating of Indian Cricketers in recent time (Sreesanth might be staking a claim to that honour soon though). A player most Indians have loved to hate. A player who might well be forgotten or if remembered only for his profligacy or for his duck scoring streak. This post is dedicated to Agarkar, to remind us of some of the glory moments he was responsible for India, a post asking for him to be regarded in a kinder light than he has been granted during his playing days.

Aged 20 and a few days with a debut against the Australians, Agarkar had taken just three matches to make an impact with a 4 wicket haul against the Australians and then embarked on a brilliant 2o match tour to snare the record of the fastest 50 wickets in ODIs. India had discovered a young wicket taker who was extremely efficient in the field. Stories of his ability with the bat meant that all had hopes of finally getting that successor to Kapil Dev. But the story of Agarkar's career has not been the 5 brilliant balls he bowls in an over but rather that 6th poor balls which disappears to the boundary regularly. His batting never really lived up to his potential but he had his moments. The fastest Indian ODI 50, a test century at Lords (a feat that has eluded even Sachin), an ODI top score of 95 and precious few match winning knocks at the death - Agarkar has always been the "What If he lived up to his potential" man for India.

But even if one decides that all this can be forgotten - that it doesnt really deserve a mention in the long run - no one should really grudge Agarkar his moment of glory in Adelaide. A moment easily on par with winning a World Cup - beating Australia in Australia in a test match. A typical Australian first inning powered by a 242 from Ponting had seen them post 556 in the first inning with the implicit expectation of seeing India fold up and hand over the series lead to Australia. They did not count for Dravid and VVS to play knocks that rivalled the one by Ponting to take India to a improbable 523 conceding a very acceptable and unexpected 33 run lead. One expected a tame draw. But Ajit Agarkar - tiny and frail looking, ears flapping in the wind - generating some good pace - came on and bowled the spell of his life scalping 6 wickets with his bunny Langer, Ponting and Katich amongst them. (Sachin left his tiny signature on the game picking up Martyn and Steve Waugh but more on Sachin later - this post is about the other Mumbaikar Agarkar) and India had bowled out the mighty Australians for 196 leaving India with 230 to win. Easy ? Tough?

Who else but the Wall to take us through. While we will all remember his triumphant tears when he cut the ball for a boundary - lets just keep our thoughts on the man who was with him at the other end - who with his 6 wicket spell had made possible one of the greatest Indian test triumphs.

Agarkar will look back at his career with a mixture of satisfaction and regret. Satisfaction because of his above mentioned achievements. Regret for each and every boundary ball bowled amidst an otherwise good over. Regret for always being evaluated as an allrounder and being pulled down inspite of having bowled really well. Regret for having moved from being the best Indian ODI bowler over the last 2 years to being out of the team in a span of 3 months. Regret for being just another cricketer inspite of having picked up 288 ODI wickets. Regret for what could have been if only he had lived up to his potential.

So long Ajit and thanks for some good times! We will forever wish there could have been more from you!

Thou Shalt Not Pass - 3

Its true. You just cant. Never mind if you have Misbah in your side trying to pull off something unthinkable - when its the World Cup and when you are Pakistan playing India - thou simply shalt not pass.

It aint matter if you bowl full even if you are Umar Gul,
For the king of in swing is RP Singh.

His balls might all be wide to the offside,
But to dig you six feet under - theres' Joginder!

A six here a four there - his shots are a barrage
Put your hands together for Yuvraj

A captain courageous - his thinking cap on,
Dhoni is a winner - he is the mon!

That ends prematurely my feeble attempt at rhyme.
Perhaps I shouldnt even try to capture this match in words. It was easily one of the best.

And yeah Pak - you still cant pass!

For the earlier posts in the Thou Shalt Not Pass series you can find them here
Part 2
Part 1

A tale of two finalists

17th March 2007 - India was playing Bangladesh in the world cup while at the same time Pakistan was battling Ireland. This was the World Cup and one expected the two rivals to face off at Barbados on 15th April 2007. Instead many hopes were to be dashed. An expected India Pakistan high voltage World Cup clash had turned into a low key Ireland Bangladesh match - while fans in both countries were cursing the irony. There ofcourse was madness in both countries.

India came to the T20 WC having played all of one match in that format before. Pakistan had played 4 but had usual dressing room trouble before the match - Shoaib hits Asif with a bat with Afridi giggling along the way. No chance for either of them - Out of the Super 8s for them for sure.

But both teams specialise in pulling off the unexpected most of the time be it winning or losing. These two teams are the undisputed top 2 when it comes to dashing expectations

So after a cracking match between themselves - they stepped into the super 8s. India lost to New Zealand and looked like the pre tournament ratings were correct. After all they had to play England and South Africa in succession - the teams which had the most T20 exposure. But a team full of new youngsters and old-wanting-to-make-comebackers decided that they had nothing to lose and set out to win two stunning matches - one on the back of yuvraj and the other on the back of RP. India were in the semis of a World Cup - not the one in Windies but they made it for the poor cousin's party

While Pakistan clobbered Lanka and Australia and made their way to the semis pretty much unchallenged. They were looking good.

And then the semis. An option - the more likely one - was a trans Tasmanian final. The other most desired one was the Sub Continental one.

For two teams which left the ODI world cup in disgrace - the tale of the T20 WC has been rewarding. Some outstanding play by both teams has taken them to an unexpected WC final. A dream lineup that one can ever get. For those who travelled all the way to SA on 15th April only to see Ireland play Bangla those coupons get redeemed on 24th September. It may have come 5 months too late but a India Pakistan World Cup final is the stuff dreams are made of.

For a disastrous ODI WC final - this is the best balm to soothe those old wounds

Thou Shalt not Pass - 2

They first met in 1992 where Pakistan would emerge eventual champions and India would have a disastrous campaign but not before they had their laughs by beating Pakistan in this match. It was a low total propped up only by a late stand between a young lad by the name of Sachin Tendulkar and a veteran all rounder by the name of Kapil Dev. But then a good bowling effort ensured that India would go on to win the match. Two quick wickets followed by a threatening partnership - broken again by that lad (SRT) and India were on their way to run through the rest of the side - thanks to some great bowling by everyone.

The next one was in 1996 in Bangalore - a quarter final which meant that the team that lost would be knocked out of the World Cup. A critical match which saw the captain Akram drop out of the match injured - later to become a controversial decision. But some steady batting by Navjot Singh Sidhu and some explosive batting by Ajay Jadeja - his inning ruined Waqar's brilliant figures as he leaked runs and more runs. India had a competitive total that would challenge Pakistan. But Sohail and Anwar had different ideas as they proceeded to thump Srinath and Prasad to all corners of the ground. And then after carting one Prasad delivery to the fence - Sohail gestured that it was what all Prasad deliveries deserved. "You bowl it there and I will send it there". Next ball - over confidence - bowled. Prasad using some choice expletives and telling Sohail exactly where to go. It was the most aggressive moment demonstrated by Prasad ever since accidentally crushing an ant in his school days. And post that the Indians kept getting wickets and won despite brief Pakistani spells of resurgence. And another WC match was theirs.

The travel to England in 1999 was to prove better for the Pakistanis than the Indians but another WC encounter was to be won by India. Another low scoring encounter and another match where Prasad thumped his presence on the game. 5 wickets for the man turned around the match for India and their record was kept intact.

It was however here in 2003 where Pakistan had their best chance of posting a victory. A super century by Saeed Anwar had taken Pak to 273 - a total which looked tough on the pitch. But they hadnt really bargained for a Sachin special. Never before had a match so emphatically been put out of reach in 5 over. Sachin and Sehwag climbed into Shoaib, Waqar and Akram and in 5 overs - the Pakistanis were deflated. Sachin continued his march till cramps and a Shoaib snorter denied him a well deserved century. And the cool headed finishing from Yuvi and Dravid ensured that it was to be 4/4 for the Indians.

And then it was yesterday - a different kind of a world cup - a shortened game. Some terrific bowling from Asif indicated that a different result was likely in a different game. 141 in 20 overs - perhaps a low total by T20 standards. But for once the conditions suited bowlers. For once the fielders actually fielded - who could say that this was Indian fielding after what one had seen in England. But some really good bowling by practically all the bowlers (Pathan in particular) till that one bad over by Agarkar made it seem that India would pull off another win in the World Cups. But with 12 needed off the last over - it looked like Pak would take it, Misbah ul Haq with two boundaries in the last over was certain to be a hero what with just 1 needed off 2. But the madman Sreesanth kept his cool and we had a run out last ball for a tie. The Indians had ensured they wouldnt lose to Pak in any World Cup of any sort. We did win off the bowl out any way.

And that perhaps was India saying "Thou Shalt not pass" to Pakistan. For come what may - a World Cup match between India and Pakistan is rightfully India's.

A matter of viewpoint

Paul Collingwood had this to say "I think overall the standard of umpiring has been pretty high," he said. "There's been some decisions that probably haven't been correct at times but we all make mistakes."

A classical case of how his experience has shaped his opinion. After all the standard of umpiring helped him get both Sachin and Dada as test scalps. Why would he not be happy? Perhaps the Lords match lost its edge and handed it to England on a platter thanks to the same standard - ofcourse he would be pleased.

On the other hand try convincing Sachin Tendulkar that the standard of umpiring was pretty high. Denied thrice by the umpires - he is not going to be an easy person to convince.

Bowling

Aleem Dar did bowl a really really good line and length yesterday - after all it takes some excellent bowling to get both Dravid and Sachin (with 25000 ODI runs between them) out in the same spell.

Well Bowled Sir!

Break time speech

"Gentlemen - this is it! This is your chance. This is the Lords - the Mecca of Cricket. This is your redemption time for the World Cup. Today we fight not just the English but also the Pakistani. Aleem Dar has taken it up with us - and its for us to prove that we can beat them all in one go.

This my friends is the Lords - This is the place where we have pulled off some stunners. Last time we played here - it was the rain. This time its up to us. We had the 1983 final here- we defended 183 against a stronger team. We have a 4 run buffer this time around. Most of us saw it happen - no - not you Piyush.

We can get them. The last time we played a final here - we chased 326 unbelievably. Unfortunately we had to see Dada naked after that - but thats life! Yuvraj - you were there and you did it. This time if we win - I promise you, that you wont see me naked.

Lets do this - for the million times that we were done in by the umps. For the million times that the Englishmen have appeared snooty with us. Lets do them not just with fast balls but also slow ones - slower than ever - let them get bored while waiting for them to reach. Oh Ramesh - wipe that silly grin off your face.

This is it. This is to ensure we come out winning all series on this tour. This is for us"

~ The Wall

"End"ulkar

Set of Numbers 1 :- 4,99,93,8,17,99,8,55,71,94
Set of Numbers 2:- 101, 31, 122*, 37, 16, 91, 1, 82, 1

Opinion 1

Opinion 2

Set of Numbers 1 is Sachin in ODIs on this tour. Set of numbers 2 is Sachin in tests this year. The two opinions are the ones saying Endulkar and Chappel asking Sachin to look up a mirror and retire seeing his reflection there. There were also opinions by Kapil asking Sachin to quit and stop playing selfishly. Anyone who has seen Sachin this series or even before - would attest to one fact - his love for the game remains undiminished. His commitment is beyond question. And for those who thought his talent was gone - kindly refer set of numbers1 and 2. Those in the Mumbai crowd who dared boo him - please cover your faces with some black shit.

For Sachin doesnt need to hear some Mishra to tell him that he is over the hill. For a player of his unquestionable class - he goes on his own terms. As he pleases. Where he pleases

Till then the critics can mull overSachins bat presumably saying "Up Yours" to opinions expressed above and ones similar to these.

We WON !!!!

I tuned into the match just before the 50th over in the England inning. Dot. Catch sliding for 6. 6. 6. 6. 6. WHOA - why the hell was Yuvi bowling the last with Powar having one left? Damn - this is going to cost us was the clear signal then

Sachin and Saurav over the last few months have heard the phrase "Turning the clock back" over a million times. They would be forgiven for thinking to wonder if the clock had ever stopped. True - they went out of form for some time - Dada even out of the team (deservedly then). But then they stay true to the cliche - "Form temporary, Class permanent".

They started off firmly - running the singles with purpose and hitting the boundary till that over when Sachin climbed in to get 3 consecutive boundaries. And that was game on. Dada at the other end played as well as ever - hoicking Broad for a huge six after a verbal showdown. Did we mention game on ?

Sachin was Sachin. Drive - Cut - Pull - he did it all with flair and composure known only to Sachin. It was a charge reminiscent of the WC Pakistan match and unfortunately so was the end. But he had done his job - set up a brilliant run chase in vintage manner - most of the times an inning better than his 1998 form

So what has the man supposedly over the hill done this Summer in ODIs? 4,99,93,8,17,99,8,55,71,94

Not bad for an over the hill 34 yr old eh ?

Gambhir slow off the blocks but stayed on to contribute to the chase with some big shots. Yuvi and Dravid out in quick succession and it was back to the brink. Memories of 146-5 anyone?

This time Dhoni and Uthappa - Dhoni showing his intelligent cricket again - scrappy but effective - keeping India in the game. Uthappa swaying his bat - sometimes classy sometimes lucky but the runs kept coming. 12 off the last over and Uthappa had made himself a hero. If he were to do nothing more - he will be remembered for this one - just like Kanitkar is.

But it was superb watching the match. Sachin? Man of the match. This is one super over the hill tour.


Acknowledgments: Brat for saving me the trouble of hunting statsguru on this one

Blast from the Future

Time travel is not a possibility as of now. But peeps into the future are generously available in the 2 practice matches played by India (although one of it really was an ODI). The next generation of Indian players were out there - the guys who will start occupying spaces which will be left gaping open once Sachin Saurav Dravid move out. The trinity is going to be one difficult proposition to replace no doubt!

Amongst those on view - the bowlers seem to show that the future - atleast for the near future is in good hands. A pace bowling attack of Zak, RP, Agarkar, Munaf with Sreesanth, Pathan on the bench is always good news in the pace bowling department. A department which for many years would see imposters and be blanked out - is suddenly rich.

The spin bowling compartment has seen Powar and Chawla rise to the challenge admirably - so even that department seems to be largely in good hands what with an erstwhile match winner by the name of Harbhajan Singh Bhajji on the bench.

But the batting is where our problems seem to start. Apart from the fact that we will look for replacements for 3 batters who have been in the team for a long time - we are looking for replacements to Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly arguably the top batsmen of their generation. Not only are we looking for competent replacements - we will be measuring those replacements against the standards set by these three. And thats when the new guys will feel the pressure. For suddenly a good player isnt going to be enough for us simply because he can never be a Sachin.

Its a scary thought seeing India batting without the three. Its a scary thought having Yuvraj as the best batsman and possibly Dhoni as the second best in the team. Its a scary thought having Gambhir, Uthappa as replacements. But who knows maybe these guys might just turn out well as a team and the sum of their parts turn out to be formidable. But till there is such proof - the hunt for replacement to the Trinity is going to be a long painful one

Kumble.

Respect. Totally deserved for wonderful and long career.

P.S: - He has made my "Thou shalt not pass" post redundant.

Priority Extras

At the time of going to print, Matt Prior had let through 33 byes and 13 leg byes. Not to mention the two dropped catches.

Fitting that a trash talker must now be feeling like total trash.

Thou shalt not pass

When God was sitting in that neat office of His and looking down at the Lords -
India struggling to save the match - He glanced at his past records and thought
that maybe - just maybe He owed that luck to the Indians. But ever a fair guy,
He put in a clause. If the Indians had to get away with a draw at Lords - He
insisted that they sacrifice their personal rewards for the series win.
Unbeknownst to the Indian players, their guardian angels agreed - knowing fully
well that the Indian fans too deserved the series. So it was decided and put
down in pen and paper or whatever heavenly instruments they used. No Indian
batsman would cross a century in this test. But the series was to be theirs.

Small price.

Edit: Kumble is 7 runs away from showing me the finger for this post

Howzzat Ump?

"Dude! We need to break this partnership" So said Vaughan to Collingwood when Sachin and Saurav looked like running away with the game.

"Err ..umm ..how? I am not really the best bowler you know!" - Collingwood

"But you look like the guy who could get the ump on ur side"

"Well .. ok ..if you insist!"

Which game is this you ask? The one in which the umpire gave a decision a blind man would have gotten away with - while Collingwood was bowling. Hmmm - but.... doesnt that like happen in every match now?

I suppose that Vaughan gets frustrated with seeing Sachin and Saurav bat - then he looks around and says that Colly seems like the only one whose pace will make the umpire sleep and then make the umpire slip in that attrocious decision. You got to forgive the umpire though - rudely waken up from a nap by the loud appealing - and then the immense pressure for him to make a decision. He probably sees Prior mouthing a mouthful at him and you have to forgive him for raising his finger.

Collingwood too has to be lauded for balancing his "wickets" and picking me Sachin and Saurav alternately. Atleast he is fair and equitable in his dealings.

On the other hand - the umpires seem to have decided that as a judgement giver - they are rightfully annointed by God to deal justice. So while God saved India in the form of rains at Lords - as annointed ambassadors of heavenly justice - the umpires have taken it upon them to "even things out".

That they cant tell even from odd is the real travesty

A pack of vultures

What do vultures do? They keep circling their prey and wait for it to get injured or tire and then they attack. Now the victim might acutally have it in it to push the vultures away and move ahead with a surge of energy. The vultures back off but still keep circling - waiting to see if the surge of energy was a temporary loss of reason or a continued display of energy. The moment the victim slacks off - they are there again to attack and claim their undeserved pound of flesh.

So why am I writing about vultures? Why this sudden fancy for vultures? Fine. Let me rephrase that paragraph a bit

What do Indian Cricket fans do? They wait for every opportunity to see one of the cricketers to fail and then gleefully jump in on the criticism bandwagon. They demand for the heads of players at will. Only till the player actually proves the fans wrong and performs solidly. Even then the fans and critics back off just for a bit - grudingly - waiting for that window where they can be proven right again. They wait for the player to fail again and then jump right in with retirement calls.

Not much difference eh? So essentially I could claim that I wasnt writing about vultures but about Indian cricket fans again!

Lets just have a look at the current Indian team and see if my theory is right

1. Dinesh Karthick - People have taken exception to his not being a specialist opener and hence have ridiculed his being in the team.

2. Wasim Jaffer - The bugger apparently plays a big knock only when he is close to being dropped. He too doesnt really deserve to be in the team according to experts

3. Rahul Dravid - So what if he has been India's most consistent and brilliant player over the last few years? He failed in the Lords test and even the Trent bridge test. More importantly by siding with Chappel he alienated himself for the team. I have heard calls for Dravid's head too. He too should be dropped really.

4. Sachin Tendulkar - He doesnt measure up to himself anymore. We dont care if he is still good enough to play international cricket. He couldnt even score the 9 runs needed to get his own century and we call him great and talented? Drop the bugger!

5. Saurav Ganguly - The man had been dropped already. He played selfishly in the WC. He is playing slowly only to hang on to his place in the team. Plus he antagonises the team. Drop him too please

6. VVS Laxman - So what if he has class and still is consistent? We dont like him and demand he be dropped. He too scored a 50 only to retain his place in the side - didnt he?

7. MS Dhoni - The man is a goalkeeper and a clueless batsman in England. It was the rains who saved us and not his fighting knock. Our team and players really cant do anything on their own - its only luck which saves us. So there lets get rid of him.

Whew. Thats the entire Indian batting order dropped! Bring on the new guys - the vultures are still hungry!

The turnaround

A shock loss to Bangladesh, a determined thrashing of Bermuda that included a emotional hug between Sachin and Dravid that indicated they would reach the next stage come what may and finally a disappointing collapse against Lanka. The Indians were out of a competition many tipped them to be contenders for. An emotional country had reacted spurring on a stupid board to take action against the players. Fingers were raised and heads were called for. Honour was clearly at stake. A long journey for redemption was awaiting the players.

It begun in a easy place - in Bangladesh where as the media hyped it Revenge was on the menu. Seniors were "rested" and the juniors managed to win the ODIs. But for the rested seniors - Sachin and Saurav there were points to prove. Sachin battled on to get two hundreds - determined but laboured. Not quite Sachin they said. Over the hill they said. Retire was the call.
Two Hoots was the answer.

The journey had begun with the easy steps taken. Onward they went to the United Kingdom with a battle to fight with the Africans of the Southern variety. Two nineties in 2 ODIs from the big man - one laboured one cracking and the Indians were winners. The more difficult step had been taken. The smile was back as was the spring in the step. Cricket was enjoyable yet again.

The Tests beckoned. The practice game saw the England Lions taking on the Indians. With 4 cheap wickets down all seemed lost. After all it was only the man who shouldve retired and a prince who never quite looked like getting to the throne at the crease. The man-who-shouldve-retired threw his head back - the bat on the ball and leather was belted. 177 of the best and then again the doubters had to hold back their harsh words. Would he still get the better of them?

The first test. Lords. Never an international century here. Jinxed. Failure. A streaky first salvo till Anderson got one to swing in. And then the ball that did happen twice in the blue moon. He had been Montied - once too many it was. The test looked lost. Till Dhoni decided his place in the side merited a fighter knock. Till rains decided that they owed India a few. Till Bucknor decided not to go anti India this time atleast. They got out of jail. However the doubters were purring in joy - they had evidence to launch the "Retire" campaign again.

Till Trent Bridge. Only till then. Because once Zaheer had done his deed - the openers partied and soon Sachin was there. Circumspect but purposeful. Hit on the head. Boundaries hit many times more. A duel with Sidebottom - perhaps lucky but more importantly persistent and classy he survived to get a classy 91 till Taufel decided someone should take over Bucknor's mantle.
A Ganguly special followed by another Taufel special - India were on their way to victory

And yet again Zaheer did his deed - superbly - with RP getting the nomination for best supporting act. 73 to chase and barring a few hiccups India had won.

The long journey to redemption was well on its way both for India and Sachin. It will only be complete if the series is won and more importantly later if Australia is felled.

I for one would gladly exchange a world cup for beating Aussie in Aussie in a test series. For without great dreams we have no great future.

Fifty

I have crossed 50 posts - slow and in a stuggling manner. But as they say in Test Cricket - what really matters is that I am still hanging in there.

Sitara News - Sansani bhari Khabar

An excerpt from hypothetical coverage from a hypothetical news channel

Aur hume yeh khaas jaankari mili hai ki Sachin Tendulkar ne Ice-cream khaane ke liye apni wicket gavayi. Yeh unki aur umpire ki mili bhagat thi ki unko galat tareeke se out diya gaya. Akhir kya ice-cream desh se jyada mahatvapurna ho gayi hai? Waqt aa gaya hai ki Sachin retire karein ya Public ki gaali ke hakdaar bane

"Ye Re Ye Re Pavsaa"

Translated from Marathi that would mean "Come Come oh Rain!" That easily was the most heard prayer by God yesterday and after having ignored many such pleas starting from the WC 2003 finals - He thought that it was about time to relent and finally signalled the Rain Department to shower on Lords. Ofcourse the Department was in complete readiness for that command by raining all around the ground (except on it till that command came in) for the best part of the day. Perhaps they too were wanting to see if the Indians were upto a fight - to see if they could survive two sessions. They did - thanks in no small measure to Dhoni who yet again showed he has the brains - and then the Gods obliged.

One cant really blame the Gods for delaying the rains till the last minute possible - after all if we had a spine we would have lasted for 15 minutes in the Kingston test against West Indies - taken the rains that were so strong that they lasted for 2 weeks and washed out 2 ODIs. But no - we did not do the hanging around and instead had downpour of tears instead of the rains.

But perhaps yesterday was the luck we deserved - not for any great achievement in the field - but just for Dhoni's insistence on keeping the strike as far as possible though the Gods might have been tempted to deny India the luck given the way Zak and RP tried to gift it all away.

But it stayed. India will take the luck - grin - and move on to Trent Bridge where hopefully the Batsmen will realise that they are infact supposed to be one of the best lineups in the world and perform accordingly.

What also is heartening is the statistic that every time in an England Series that India has failed to lose the first test - they have gone on to win the series. So perhaps the rains in the first test mean that a series victory is heading our way.

The Last Laps

One always tends to get nostalgic when one knows that one is doing something for the last time. When you have done it time and again repeatedly - and when you know that this is it - this is the last time you will be there - its only natural that one will get nostalgic or look at things indulgently. Its all the same - there is relief and there is that sadness at knowing that never again will you be able to do it again. Be it the last exam, or the last game or whatever - one has the right to be indulgent and look at the past - which if you look at it indulgently would have been good.

For Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly and Kumble the last lap has begun. After making zillions of rounds around the race track - they will now start seeing the places they have seen so many times for one last time - passing by all the milestones. The last lap has begun for them all.

For Sachin, Dravid and Ganguly - England holds a special place. First Century for Sach, 3 centuries on Debut for Ganguly and a confident 95 on debut for Dravid. England 1996 was where the germs of a superb middle order were first laid.

And since then we have seen some stunning knocks on the tours to England. Dravid's gritty 147 at Headingley followed by the 193 by Sachin and the 120 odd by Ganguly just to name a masterpiece each by the three of them.

It will be really interesting to see how they sign off on the tour. For Sachin who had announced himself with a gritty match saving century (maiden at that) as a teenager - it will be paramount that he goes out in similar fashion to the match against the England Lions.

This is the first of the milestones on the last lap - Australia awaits. And winning here is the only way we can go to Oz Land looking to win

Dark Side 1; Shiny Star 0

Many weeks ago I published a post regarding the Dark Lord's loss to the Dark Side. Now allow me to educate you about the Shiny Star's loss to the Dark Side. The Shiny star in question is our very own Dhingra - another stalwart of H-Mezz who also has succumbed to the Dark Side. When he got married he was carrying this ecstatic expression. Little was he to know that he was now about to fall to the Dark Side.

This is a true incident which occurred in the state/city of Delhi in the presence of the one and only 123 Kid (Well he insists that he be called Sid - one never knows why - but for all practical purposes we shall refer to him as the Kid or sometimes merely as Kid). So there was this time when I was in Delhi hawking some tea (again) and we decided that the 3 of us would meet for dinner - an event that was planned three days in advance and confirmed 2 hours before the decided meeting time. But it was then that the Dark Side struck! Dhingra in all his naivety committed to meeting us without actually seeking permission from the Dark Side. And then about 30 mins to the rendezvous time - he had to pull out because he was not feeling well. One could have believed that had he not used the excuse of having an "headache". What actually clinched the deal is that he actually then decided to visit us for 15 minutes at the restaurant - obviously in a tearing hurry because he had been allowed the 15 mins with a curfew imposed.

So Dhingra came - he smiled - he talked and then he ran off citing ill health and the headache no doubt! But it was clear that we had sadly lost him to the Dark Side!

With 2 H-Mezz stalwarts having been lost to the Dark Side, one wonder what the result would be when Kid gets married eventually (well the child marriage laws might just be ammended - you never know!

Sigh! Life can throw so many twists that its actually scary.

Welcome back

Its been long since I came this way - mostly because life has been quite packed over the last month or so. Also because there has been almost no inclination to blog. Even this is going to be one forced post. But when India has been playing cricket - there cant not be a post from my side.

While the series is been seen as a pointless one - it should have been one, actually all matches played in the month of May in the subcontinent are by default pointless - it actually has thrown up one positive - or rather reinforced a positive. Dinesh Karthick is here and hopefully to stay. Confident, assured and mature - he is what India needs. Also the matches have shown that Dhoni is all about the brains and not just about the hard hits.
Well I always claimed that this blog was one of positive reviews for Indian Cricket - so you can hardly expect me to crib about the quality of opposition right?

Amongst other news - Sachin and Saurav have scored centuries - always good news. Lets hope they reprise that achievement in England and then Australia.

Dark Side 1 : Dark Lord 0

To those from IIMB, there needs to be no introduction to the Dark Lord. For those who dont know him, he spouts his depressing stuff here.
For those confused about what the Dark Side means - all you need to know is that he got married last month.

So I couldnt attend his marriage on account of hawking tea in the Desert and could only meet him on my return. I had unexpectedly landed in Bandra and gave him a call - asked him if he was free to meet - a moments thought and he agreed. We met - over a cup of coffee. We talked for a while. There was that slight embarrased smile on his face as he answered all questions about the newness in his life. It was like the old times - except till that time when he received a call. The expressions changed from confident and suave to worried and petrified. Then he started glancing at his watch and towards the door. I asked the obvious question - was it your wife, are u required home immediately. He mumbled. Then loudly said that not to worry we could sit. I took it at face value - the glancing at the watch became staring at the watch.

Soon he asked if we should leave. Without mentioning a drink or an evening session (For context everytime we met, he would ask if we should go drink and I would refuse). Then he got up - a spring in his step, a marked hurry. And then he was gone, sucumbed to the all pervasive phone call.

And thus was one lost to the dark side

Using the rod

Imagine a kid who has just failed in his examinations and has his report card reviewed by his parents. The parents - naturally angry at his poor performance - decide to clamp down on the kid in order to straighten him up. The easiest way they believe is to deprive the kid of all his priveleges and they think that the longing for them will make him do better next time around. So off goes his allowance and his free time - he gets grounded. But they ignore that maybe a systemic change might have been better off.

So similarly what does our cricket board do when it reviews the performance of our players? It decides to show them who their daddy is and clamps down on the players. While I can see the intention behind the moves, I have issues with the way the board has tried to implement it.

For example if the logic is that due to endorsements, the players dont get enough time to focus on the game - there was no need to undemocratically limit the number of endorsements for the players. Simply increase the number of mandatory camps the players must attend. Increase the number of domestic matches the players have to play compulsorily to be selected to the team. Create blackout periods where only training and cricket is focussed on but allow the players a specified time where they can go earn money from endorsements to the highest of their capabilites. Market forces will anyway ensure that money earned is proportional to performance on field.

The fact is that we have no bench strength and it can only be built through ensuring competetive domestic matches - which means that international players have to be routinely involved in these matches. How else will we know just how good a player really is? India A and U19 tours abroad hopefully will also help the cause. Finally I do hope the BCCI actually implements fast green pitches in as many locations as possible for domestic cricket - so that we have players who can actually play. Having said that as long as Kumble still plays test cricket, please have spinning beauties for Home test matches. No one wants to see a Nagpur green pitch while playing against the Aussies - the word i think is suicide.

The board might do well to realise that they support cricket which includes the players. Having anti-player diktats just smells of appeasement politics - hardly a surprise given that politicians run BCCI anyway. Maybe we can have control handed over to the players yeah?

They say that to spare the rod is to spoil the child. But to use the rod excessively is to have a child who will kick the parents out when its his turn.

One year on

Wuhooo! This blog celebrates its first birthday today. For a blog that promised to die and fizzle out, this is more than what I bargained for. Ofcourse the blog is a resounding failure but that can not be a detterent. So what if there are no readers or commentators - we shall live on and perhaps some day even celebrate our Independence day.

Ah well! Its all pointless! Happy BDay Blog!

Confronting Reality

Its extremely funny how we cant handle a touch of mortality from the guys we attribute "Godhood" (?) or greatness too. We want Sachin to retire not because he isnt good enough to be in the team anymore (he definitely is) but because he isnt living up to the mental image we have of him. Because he isnt doing his ordained job of fulfilling our wet dreams. And now when he speaks out - in what is a completely rare occassion - about someone questioning his commitment to the team - mind you his commitment is questioned not form or capability and I would imagine that his commitment was one thing beyond any question - the moment he shows that he is a mortal too - we are saddened and shocked by his behavior.

Maybe the fault lies not just in the team/players/board/media/coach but also us? Is that worth a consideration?

No Sun - No Fun!

I am supposed to be in a Desert. Its supposed to be hot here - so hot that you should be drinking water to keep yourself from fainting. So hot that you should probably wear a cap and sunglasses all the time - just so you dont get sick due to the heat.

Its a farce - a huge farce this desert business. Well - atleast in these months. On odd days it does get hot and they throw up a sand storm to convince you about the existence of the desert but for most part the weather is pleasant here. Evenings - some have been chilly too.

But I was willing to live with pleasant weather - thinking nice bonus and what not. Plus I was always told that deserts have extreme weathers - hot by day, cold by night.

But today has been a shocker - its RAINING here! Raining! Desert Rain! The weather is actually gloomy and grey and dark at 10.30 in the morning - its DARK out there. So depressingly gloomy.

Apparently this is the weather they have in Cal - gleeful fellow trainees tell me - That explains a lot of things about bongs i suppose!

No Sun - No Fun! is all I have to say.

Against the Flow

This is the 3rd consecutive post on the same theme – the theme that asks for supporters and not fans. Every time I feel disappointed with the Indian team’s performance – the coverage on the news channels (alright – I get just Sahara Samay here, and its bad but I am sure its representative of the kind of coverage that goes on) and the kind of reactions expressed, just drive me to want to support the Indian team.

Cricket is a sport – a game. Its not a question of life and death. We as fans/supporters have every right to feel cheated/disappointed/angry with the team’s performance. We however have no right to abuse their personal space and their families. The police having to spend resources to protect the houses of our players is ridiculous – not for the action – but for the need arising to do it.

The players are not in the game to fulfill our fantasies and dreams. That we make them our heros and our messiahs is our own problem. It’s a career for them. Its what gives them their daily bread and luxuries. They can make money only over a limited timeframe – a shelf life shall we say? It is absolutely valid for them to earn money from other avenues like promotions and advertisements. To suggest that their advertisements are the cause of their poor performance is sheer stupidity. Does your work get affected by your dealing on the stock market or investing your money in banks? Or for that matter by your working for your local Rotary Club or heck even by your watching a movie? The board and the coach arrange for sufficient matches and training camps. As long as the players attend these – we have no right to cry foul.

Saying that the players should be banned from advertisements is completely unfair – as is suggesting that their performance should dictate the amount they get paid for advertisements. It’s a statement unfair not only to the players but also to the companies they represent in the ads. Let the market decide what they should pay whom. Also next time we read a report saying that a player’s sex life affects quality of performance on the sports field – will we go ahead and regulate his sex life too?

The players DO NOT work on tax-payers money. We do not pay him his salary. Just like we don’t demand that Amitabh Bacchan should only be paid if we like the movie, we have no right to demand that the player should only be paid if we like what he does on the ground.

Also while a loss in the first round is shameful and unexpected – it does not mean that the team is shit. TV channels seem thrilled to get opinions from viewers that literally use these words about them. It means that our performance was not good enough this time around. If we have doubts about the quality of their performance – we have the option to stop watching their games altogether – without wanting them stoned/burnt or worse killed.

“India Great” when we win a match and “India Worst” when we lose a match – and have these emotions swing wildly every match is not a done thing. Just like everyone else, the players too will appreciate stability of emotions. Either hate the team and do not follow them or support them and bear the low performances. Do not be like the creepy friend who only sticks to you when you have the money to spend on him. No one wants the wild swinging between Havans and prayers and then effigy burning and stoning.

The MPs and MLAs demanding a probe into the performance will be better off allowing the CBI to conduct the probes into them in a free and fair manner. And would you mind being not corrupt for a change please? And minding some slightly more important business about running the country?

Can the channels and people concentrate their efforts on tracking down real villans and criminals rather than attack the soft targets that the players are?
Finally what are we really pissed about – the fact that we crashed out of the WC or the fact that rich cricketers crashed out of the WC ?

I know I have repeated my points over and over again but then so do the newschannels.

The end of a dream.

WC 2003. We had a dream. Ponting had a bigger dream.
WC 2007. We had a dream. We woke up too soon.

Yesterday we crashed out of the world cup. We might still make it if Bermuda beat Bangla - but we rather not make it that way. We are out.

While I was quite ok with the Bangladesh loss - we were surprised and they did play quite well, the match against Lanka was a disaster. 255 was chaseable through the strategy of batting out 50. Did not happen and thus ended the World Cup for Team India. And in all probabilities the last WC match for Sachin, Ganguly and Dravid. The big 3 have bowed out of the cup with only one man having put up a fight. Sure Sachin got a ripper of a ball - but this was one match where he shouldnt have been ripped. Dada - I dont know what the hell he was thinking. Yuvraj ???

*Sigh* Its all ended in a heap. Now we will witness old unsuccesful fat players play the sharp critic, news channels will have a field day and the players will be generally made to believe they shouldnt have been born.

Dravid will probably lose captaincy. Greg will go. Maybe Uthappa will have signed a resignation letter with his shot. All this desirable? Maybe not. Any other option? Sadly sanity will not prevail.

Lets just remember that the players are humans too. They did not want to lose either. They are breadwinners for their families (sure the bread is made of gold but that shouldnt matter). They have a right to make millions from Advertisements. If they do not perform - the market forces will take care of that. We have no right to grudge them their earnings. They dont get paid taxpayers money. The MPs and MLAs do. Do we ransack their houses when they get caught for scams or dont work?

Dreams do get shattered every now and then. But its always the pursuit of the next dream that eggs us on.

Cheers
Pushkar
A Team India loyalist
Shaken, stirred but still a loyalist.

Wanted: Supporters not Fans

Cricket is a religion in India. The players are treated like Gods.Perhaps true - When we attack temples and mosques that represent the real Gods - why would the treatment be any different for the sporting Gods?

We are a country of hype - no one would ever deny that. We are a country of extremes - no one would deny that either. But it seems that we are a country of fanatics too. For who gave us the right to attack a cricketers house? Who gave us the right to pelt stones at the their families? Who told us that we owned the cricketers and we could treat them anywhich way we wanted?

Cricket may be a religion, it may be a passion, it may be a first love for many - but why do we insist on forgetting that above all else it is still a sport. Not a battle of life and death. A sport in which victory and loss are fickle guests for every team. A sport which is made exciting by its cliched but true glorious uncertainties and twists and turns. If everything went to plan and the stronger team were to win all the time - not only would the game be no fun - India wouldnt ever have been the World Champions in 1983.

The Indian team has plenty of fans - nay fanatics but seemingly just a handful of supporters. Its almost as if an army of Team India -Baiters (News Channels, Ex-Cricketers and Fanatics) just wait for a chance to start abusing the players and to push them off the pedestal they stand on. But hold on a minute - who put them on the pedestal? For the life of me, I cant remember a Sachin or a Rahul proclaiming that they were sporting Gods and should be worshipped as such? That their place was on a pedestal? If we put them on the pedestal - lets atleast respect their personal lifes just that little bit.

Criticism? Sure but let it involve a balanced view. Disappointment? Ofcourse! Frustration? That our right. Attacks? Hell no.

But amongst all the rambling - my expression of thoughts is not even a patch on Rudyard Kipling's classic - "And if you can face Triumph and Disaster - and treat those two imposters just the same - you will be a man my son!"

About time - we accepted the lows of Indian cricket with the highs.

Nostalgia.

This month of February has seen me have bouts of Nostalgia a lot of times. First it was that trip back to campus for Unmaad. 3 days back on campus - with a lot of people from the senior batch, a lot of people from my batch and ofcourse all the juniors. Its impossible not to be nostalgic - especially when u sit at H-Bar with two other fellow H-Mezzers and chat. We almost expected one of the others to suddenly pop out of their erstwhile rooms and it would all start again - the random conversations, the TAS ball cricket, the usual banter and poking-fun-at-others.
There were the L^2 parties - with the same familiar junta - the same faces - the same memories. The same chants, the same jokes - the familiarity and warmth of the campus we were so used to for 2 years.

Unmaad 2006 was one of the hugest things for me - Unmaad 2007 was yet another trip down that old memory lane. Standing there ahead of the barricades with Lucky Ali-Indian Ocean- Junoon playing, dancing with friends there and talking about how that time last year - it was Ian Anderson with Tull out there.

It was all great fun but I always knew I was going to return to campus in a week's time for a company ppt. It was in that visit when it finally struck - that would be my last visit to the campus as a "senior" with my juniors still on campus. The next visit (if and when) would be as an "alumnus". It doesnt need many reasons to start missing campus and the life there.

Then while in Delhi - with my batchmates, it was nostalgia time all over again, so much so that we all simultaneously missed L^2 when some popular L^2 song started playing in the background.

Many months back i had posted this. I guess almost a year out of campus, things still havent changed. I still miss all those things.

I guess its funny - while in the first year, we all long to see the end of the 4 terms and want things to hurry. By term 6 we are hoping that time would slow down and at the same time looking forward to making money. Post placements one hopes that "that" particular time would never have ended.

But to use the cliche - all good things come to an end and its only when they have ended that you really appreciate how good they really were.

An Irish saying "May the best times of your life become the worst times of your life". All I can say is that it will take some doing for the future moments to demote those moments but I hope it happens

Future Gazing

For all you know, Irfan Pathan might be recognised in the future as one of the best no.3 batsmen in the world, known for his propensity to pick up vital breakthroughs with his part time bowling.

Rollercoasters

Usually they come attached with a warning that they might be unsuitable for heart patients and the like. Indian Cricket however comes unattached with any such strings but whos really complaining? The pieces are slowly beggining to fall into place - ofcourse you never know when they might be rocked again - but unlike the last close loss versus the Windies, this time around India have bounced back strongly.

Often while solving a jigsaw puzzle, all it takes to finish it off is getting that one critical piece in place and the rest takes care of itself. For anyone following Indian Cricket - it wouldnt take long to realise that the most critical piece in this team is the captain himself Rahul Dravid. Over the last year he has batted at all positions from 1 to 7 with varying degrees of success. However the one place where he has had success and more importantly the team has had success has been the no.5 position. Dravid undoubtedly is the best repairman in the Indian team and hence the best guy to go to when we need an innings to be rebuilt - hence the best guy when wickets have fallen cheaply - say a 50/3, Dravid coming in and one would have to feel reassured.

Over the last couple of years Rahul has also developed into India's best finisher - push the ball into the gaps, run the ones and twos, hit the boundaries and generally either finish off a run chase or end the inning with a flourish. So say at a 200/3 with 13 odd overs to go, Dravid would be a safe guy to have there.

Imagine the guys batting at 1-4 - would you not feel secure if you knew that Dravid was there to watch your back? One cant help but feel that a Dravid at 5 would end up creating a peaceful scenario for all around.

The other pieces have mostly fallen into place - Dhoni has been a brilliant no.6 - he has brains along with the brawn and that makes him really good. Yuvraj coming back to form and fluency basically solves the question of who will bat at 4. Ganguly has come back to international cricket with a vengeance that only bodes well for us. And that brings me to the call to reinstate the old firm of Sachin and Saurav to the top of the order. Their century partnership at Rajkot proves that they still have the coordination and fluency to bat together

A backup of Karthick, Uthappa and Sehwag (who should be whipped and caned for his runout today) looks good.

Indian batting will in all probablities continue their round trip from excellence to selfdestruction but in excellence it looks pretty much looks as good as it gets. And by subscribing to the rollercoaster of Indian cricket, one has anyway foregone the risks of heart attacks - statutory warnings be damned.

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Also posted on Sportsnob

A tale of three teams

This is a tale of three teams. Australia, England and India. At first sight - the champions, the downtrodden and the middle ground?

A week back - Australia were invincible, England could do no right and India were back on the ascendancy. 11 February 2007, the stakes have changed. These three teams are all at their own crossroads - to ponder their future and take a path that will decide their fate at the World Cup in the West Indies.

Australia last lost a best of three finals in 1992-93. To lose to England today would be nothing short of a miracle. To have lost three consecutive matches to England is something Ricky Ponting wouldnt have thought of in his worst nightmare. But that non-existent nightmare has become a reality. Usually one would have expected Australia to look at the loss in the first final grimly, tighten their belt, summon all their brutal energies and crush England and crush them convincingly. After all the Aussies would want to punish England for making them play a third final. But England pulled one out of that hat and rode to a victory - a thumping one at that.

A victory that has brought both teams to unfamiliar territory. The victory possibly will bring England to face a pleasant fact - that their team is not really all that bad and perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea for them to really try hard for the World Cup. Its not the serious five day game but really after the 5-0 Ashes loss - lets look at this shorter game a little more seriously huh? They can treat this victory as a launching pad and go for it all. Or in typical English style - they could have several pints of warm beer - talk about the victory for ages and forget about winning any further matches.

Australia on the other hand seem to have taken Symond's loss pretty badly. For a side that has a bench strength good enough to beat most other first sides - its fairly surprising. To lose 3 matches on a trot to England is a shocker. Having failed to crush England after the first final - one wonders how Australia will take this defeat. What looked like an unneccessary 3 match series against New Zealand has suddenly become crucial. New Zealand can either bury Aussie confidence - or more likely you might find the Aussies shrugging off the final loss to England, chewing gum, gulping Fosters and resume regular business just as if nothing really happened.

The most intriguing side though has to be India. Its been a long journey for them. Great run - win 17 matches on a trot chasing and then that 4-1 loss in Windies and India were on a bad patch continuing up to the South African series where they lost 4-0. Coming back to the Indian pitches, they played strongly to win the series against the Windies. Until today. They exercised that card which they know best - To lose a match that was as good as won. The last time they lost a match that went this close was in West Indies when Dwayne Bravo bowled that slower one to Yuvraj Singh. The result was a string of losses after that. And that makes this close loss to Sri Lanka even more worrying. India is yet again on the crossroads. They could shrug it off and go on to win the next 2 matches and still be contenders in the World Cup or they could go on the path they know best - downhill.

A week back - Australia were invincible, India were on their way up and England were finding a way to dig deeper. Today Australia are bewildered, England ecstatic and India devastated. Whoever will want to question cricket being a funny game?

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You can also read this on Sportsnob here and a much watered down version on Sportingo here

Quick Comment: Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar has been the best batsman in the world. No questions asked. What made him the best was his ability to make the toughest and most dangerous of pitches seem placid while all around him struggled to come to terms with the pitch. The most fearful bowlers seemed like ordinary net bowlers. He was feared.

He still retains that capability . To play that brilliant knock when all others struggle. But what has displaced him from his position of the best in the world (apart from a raging Ponting ofcourse) is a new ability that seems to have crept into his game. He has also started to make placid pitches look like minefields. Some ordinary bowlers are given respect that they wouldnt get a few years back.

And there I think is where Sachin has become less of a threat. But to take him lightly - thats a fool's job to do. For even a Tendulkar at powers lower than his peak is more than a handful for any team in the world.

Good Riddance

It serves the Eden crowd perfectly that the match got washed out. In fact there should be no international matches at Eden. Let that crowd feel happy watching Bengal v/s XYZ team and cheer the Bengali players all their life.

Last time an international was held at Eden Gardens - India was playing South Africa. India were sans Ganguly and as a result the crowd decided that they were happier supporting South Africa. South African runs were cheered, those of Indians booed. Indian mistakes were cheered, their super shots or good balls were jeered. The South Africans had more support in Eden than they have ever had in South Africa.

For a crowd that cannot support its own team - there should be no joy of watching that team play. Next lets not wait for nature to dispense justice. Let there be no matches at Eden.

P.S. :- I havent even mentioned the earlier shameful acts by the Eden crowd - ofcourse none of that compares with this one.

Quick Comment: Market Research

Its always a good idea to get in touch with your customers and find what they really want. A vague parallel would be Mel Gibson in what women want!
Now in the case of this blog - an unsolicited market research scenario has happened. Instead of me getting in touch with a sample of my regular readers, some of them have gotten in touch with me and registered their complaints about the contents of many posts in this blog.
After having chosen a statistically significant sample for researching this complaint - I have the results.
Atleast 20% of the regular readers find that the 'more' from the 'Cricket & More' has gone missing and there is need for the 'more' part to be addressed.

Its a thought to ponder on. Cricket will always be the leading theme of this blog but it wouldnt hurt to have a little variety.

Nice Guys

A brilliant article to read here
Nothing I could ever write on the topic could ever come close to the article
Enjoy!

Turnaround

Zero points from the first three matches. Shame and relegation looked likely. Mumbai were staring at being booted out of the competition that they had won 36 times before. But its not for nothing that Mumbai cricket has so many legends and stories associated with it. They say Mumbai cricket is 'khadoos' where the players dont give an inch and fight to the finish - and have it in them to pull off a stunner when all looks lost.

Mumbai did that yet again. They went on to win the next 3 matches - with bonus points no less and stormed into the semis.

And if one thought that it was the end of their turnaround heroics - they decided to fight back from 0/5 in the second inning in the semis to post a stunning win - courtesy heroics from Vinayak Samant.

And then the finals - picking up 6 wickets in 21 balls to seal the issue just when it looked like Bengal was threatening to upstage Mumbai.

What can i say but Mumbai rocks!

A post of Self Indulgence

Regular readers of this blog (bwahahahahahaa - this one still cracks me up - Still i do seem to have atleast 10 ppl who keep popping into this place) will notice a few changes in the blog. It might undergo a few more changes - which ofcourse will depend on my enthu levels.

One startling fact is that this blog now has over 25 posts. Not bad for a blog that promised to stillborn. More startling is that there are atleast 10 people who visit it regularly - ofcourse it means that their jobs offer a lot of free time but as they say in cricket - "It doesnt matter how the runs come as long as they do" - a philosophy pioneered by Jimmy Padams - ofcourse he just understood that he should use the pad to block the ball - but atleast he got it to some extent.

Regular readers will notice the presence of a search box right next to the newest post. It has the option to search my blog/the whole web/cricinfo. Makes life simpler for those who want to check if the stats I throw around are made up or really genuine. This ofcourse makes my life tougher as now I have to be authentic but I shall bank on the fact that these readers will be too lazy to really want to check anything up.

You will also hopefully notice a lot of posts titled Quick Comments - Basically used when I want to notch up another post and when I have no enthu to put in a real post per se. Also you might come across more posts titled PJs - dangerous cause it might cause my readers to stop visiting for fear of being bombarded with more bad jokes.

Also due to finally having switched over to the new blogger, my posts will have labels.

Most importantly - the title is no longer Ramblings - it has been renamed as "Cricket and More" - An optimist's viewpoint on Indian Cricket and Life". I still will ramble but there is no reason I shouldnt have a pseud title!

So then - Keep reading and commenting for this blog is here to stay.

Thank God for...

Home Series before the World Cup. It has not only helped in deciding a team for the WC but also given that much need dose of confidence to the team.

Let me take a stab at the team to the WC

The Confirmed
Rahul Dravid
Sachin Tendulkar
Saurav Ganguly
Yuvraj Singh
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Ajit Agarkar
Anil Kumble
Zaheer Khan
Harbhajan Singh

The almost there
Dinesh Karthick
S.Sreesanth
Robin Uthappa

The discards with a case
Virender Sehwag
Irfan Pathan

The other contenders
Munaf Patel
Ramesh Powar

So basically it looks like a fight between these 7 for 6 spots. This ofcourse assumes that Uthappa has snatched a chance over Gambhir already. Powar will have to fight it out with Sree/Munaf/Pathan.
And given that Pathan is atleast an accomplished bat - it will be a choice between Sreesanth Munaf and Powar for the last 2 spots.

It looks like a good team - especially with Yuvraj - Sachin - Dravid in the middle. Not to mention a comeback to form for Ganguly.

Atleast this now is beginning to look like a team that will be competitive in the Cup.

And yes should we still sack Sachin? Sure!

PJ: Who stole....

You have been warned. There is a PJ coming up. I wash my hands off all frustrations you might feel.
This came up while in Traimbak - the skies were clear of any pollution and the stars were out in all their strength.

While watching the Orion (also known as the Great Hunter) - a thought came to mind. What if the light from one of the stars stopped reaching us earlier than the rest? Some one named Hunter might make a killing by writing a book titled "Who stole my belt".

You were warned.

Quick Comment

The third test - i guess was lucky not to have been able to follow/witness the last 2 days.
We had no business of not winning that test - forget losing or drawing it.

The reason I missed the two days is that I have been on my rural stint. More on that in a later post.

..... They remain the same

That match in Sydney had a similar start with Ganguly winning the toss - the openers playing well enough. And guess who were at the crease when day ended? Sachin and Laxman: the same pair ending yesterday's play.

Cricketers and teams are at times a fairly superstitious lot. I wouldnt be surprised if the reason for Laxman striding out instead of a night watchman was that they wanted the same pair to take guard as the one that did at Sydney.

Ofcourse it could all still go horribly wrong - but I would rather look at the positives and keep my fingers crossed.

With Anil Kumble in the side - things cant go too wrong can they?

The more things change....

It was the Australian season 2003/04. It was an Indian team visiting those shores as holders of the Border-Gavaskar trophy. It was expected to be passed on to the Aussies meekly. Losing 2-0 would have been respectable. What is funny about the Indian team is that they generally give 2 hoots for the expectations one way or the other.

Brisbane saw a gutsy knock from Saurav and then Adelaide happened. Dravid, Laxman, Agarkar, Kumble. What a game! What a performance! Dravid cried after hitting the winning runs. No writer can sum up the emotions better. We went to Boxing Day with history knocking on our doors - pleading to be let in while the Aussies were trying hard to drag it away. For a while on the first day Viru laughed in the faces of the Aussies and defied them - nearly letting history slip in a glorious moment for the Indians. But it was not to be. The Aussies came back and dragged history away and kept the series alive.

It was the South African season 2006/07. It was an Indian team visiting those shores as an improved test side and a plummeting one day side. They folded 4-0 in the ODIs and were expected to go down 3-0 in the tests. Again funnily enough the Indian team gave 2 hoots for the expectations.

The first test saw a steady batting performance and a brilliant bowling performance. Saurav, Laxman, Sachin, Rahul, Sreesanth, Zaheer, Kumble. The Indians celebrated with champagne. Writers might be able to sum up the emotions nearly as well but the impact of the victory was for all to see! India went one up.

And yet again it was boxing day when history beckoned. She figured that they didnt let me in in Melbourne - maybe Durban might just let me slip in. Till day 2 - it looked like the Indians might just pull the rug on the Africans but Ntini and Pollock and Prince ensured that it was not to be.

Sydney is the most spinner friendly ground in Australia. Capetown they say is the most spinner friendly ground in South Africa. Sydney had Tugga going, Sydney had Steve Bucknor, Sydney had Parthiv Patel. CapeTown has an opportunity for the Indians and none of the above three. Freakishly enough there have been many similarities between that series and this.

Lets hope Sachin and Laxman score as many here as they did in Sydney. Lets hope that this time though we go the full distance and pull it off.

History and Opportunity are very egoistical knockers - they dont do so repeatedly. Lets hope we answer their call this time.