Sachin's Swang Song

Warning: This is a very emotional post. It comes from a die-hard Sachin Fan.

Dear Sachin,

I got up this morning and like every morning the first thing I did was to open my laptop and go to Cricinfo. Today I was taken aback as I saw the headlines as 'Sachin Tendulkar retires from ODI cricket'. It took me a few seconds to believe what has actually happened.

Sachin, Thanks a lot for all that you have provided for us. Now that you have decided not to play the limited over format, it makes me sad.  It is hard to imagine how a full-strength Indian team would look, without the name 'Sachin Tendulkar' on it. And, so I am never going to see you play that exquisite straight-drive in coloured clothing. Never again would I see you open the batting for India. Never again would I be so nervous when India starts batting in an ODI. Never again, would I sit on the same chair and ask my mates not to move while the game is going on.

I knew it was coming but did not expect it this way. There were no warnings -- no farewell match - nothing. You just quietly moved away. I knew it had to happen some day - but when it has actually happened, it is not sinking in. I was so eagerly waiting for the Pakistan series to watch you bat in ODIs. But as the adage goes - All good things have to come to an end. I truly consider myself blessed to have been born in the same era as you have played your cricket.

Sachin, I thank you not for the runs you scored or the boundaries you hit. I thank you because even the gloomy days of Indian cricket you were the reason we smiled. You brought a smile to my face even when India lost; especially those days in the 90s. I still remember that disastrous tour of Australia we had in 99. I used to get early in the morning to watch the match, despite knowing that India had no chance in the game. But, I knew that I would not be disappointed as you were batting.

So, what were my favourite knocks of yours? I love the 175 you scored at Hyderabad. We lost that game by a whisker. But you played one of the most outstanding knocks I had ever seen. Then the 98 you scored against Pakistan - 2003 WC. I love that knock because I feel you enjoyed it the most. Then the desert-storm at Sharjah. I was too young to understand the game when you played it, but I have seen it over and over again on YouTube. Of course the 200* against South Africa. We had a huge celebration in our hostel rooms when you became the first person to break the 200 - barrier.

But Sachin, numbers will tell their story themselves. I do not need to say anything. 49 hundreds, 18,426 runs at an astounding average and strike-rate may never be matched again. The entire India is grateful to you, not because you were the greatest batsman of your era but for the amount of joy that you gave. There was a time when India slept well when you played well. If you had a bad day, I am certain, the average happiness in India was low.  We treated your success as our personal success.

Sachin, wish you fantastic luck with the rest of you cricket career. I am sure, you have few more master-pieces left which you would unveil soon.

Wishing you great success ahead,
A TRUE FAN

India and Test Cricket?

I have been a supporter of the T20 revolution. I have always welcomed the IPL with open arms. I am not the one who says, "T20 is not cricket". I do believe playing Twenty 20 does require a completely different set of skills which are worth appreciating.

Recent developments in Indian cricket worry me. Are we disrespecting the purest form of the game? It is not just the 8-0 away defeats that really bother me. I am also not particularly concerned about the fact that two English spinners were able to run through an Indian batting line up. I do understand that in sport, such things do happen. Did we not bowl out South Africa for 80 odd on a green top a few years back. Then, did we not win against South Africa in Durban on another green top? And the WACA win? Playing on extreme conditions have backfired for so many other teams (while playing against us). So, the Mumbai loss is not a concern for me. Even as we stand at the brink of losing another test at Kolkata, it is not the result that really concerns me.

What bothers me is no one in our cricket administration seems to be really concerned about the away loses. There seems to be no preparation for our next away tournament in South Africa. What is the batting line up we would have? Would a Sehwag - Gambhir opening combination still work? Despite the failure in 8 matches, would we persist with the same combination? Who will bat at number 6. And at number 4? Is Sachin going to South Africa? If he is not going to South Africa, isn't it better that a youngster gets chance to bat in home conditions before heads to South Africa? What about our bowling attack? Would Zaheer go there? If he is not going, would it not be better to give a young pacer a go, before an important overseas tour? There are so many such questions to which our administrators seem to have no answers.

It almost seems to me that India is not giving enough respect to Test cricket ; in fact we have stared disrespecting the purest form of the game, which is really sad. I am not calling for sacking Dhoni, but no question marks on a captain's place even after losing 8 away games is unheard off in any cricketing administration. India's nonchalance towards this entire issue shows that we are really not concerned about doing well in Tests. 

Let me get one thing quite straight, I rarely whine about the Indian team losing. I honestly do not mind it. I understand that in sport sometimes things just do not work. But, I get irritated when the team is not sad about doing so poorly. I get a feeling that the only people bothered about India doing well in Test match cricket are fans like me, the commentators and columnists.  

I am not a fan who wants India to win all the time. I know it is not possible. And by that I am actually asking for too much. All I want is an honest effort every time they take the field. I want to see in the intensity. The rush of the blood because they are playing for India. It is that intensity that has driven me to watch the game. But now, that seems to have gone. I have become quite nonchalant with the results; because I get the feeling I am the only one who cares.

I know there is a lot of talent in India. We can still surprise everyone and win in South Africa. But for that something has to change - The Attitude. If that requires to drop MS, so be it.

Well as an Indian fan my line up for the first Australia Test is:

Unmukt Chand, Abhinav Mukund, Cheteshwar Pujara (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Manoj Tiwary, Wridhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Ravi Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Ashok Dinda, Pragyan Ojha.  Ravindra Jadeja (12th Man)

The World Rejoices when they win

I was told there were crackers being burnt on the streets of Bangalore as the final of the World T20 concluded. The Bangaloreans forgot their differences with it's neighboring state over the Cauvery issue and plunged into joy as the World T20 concluded. No, they were not celebrating an Indian win - but a win of a cluster of American nations miles apart - the West Indies. I am certain the West Indies win must have brought joy not just to Barbados, Trinidad, Guyana or Antigua but every part of the cricketing world - and probably even to Sri Lanka. 

They are just that kind of a team. It is that brand of cricket they play, that makes everyone fall in love with them. It is the brand of cricket for which I cannot use an adjective; for there is none. It is just the Caribbean way of playing the game. They play it hard and yet they are always aware of the fact that it is just a game. They play the game with a smile, irrespective of the match situation. They are a kind of team, you do not want to see on the losing side. It is just inexplicable, how they charm everyone irrespective of their nationality. Probably it is the way the celebrate - they make us feel part of the triumph. Or probably it is the smile with which they play that casts a spell on us. Or probably it is that boisterous laugh they manage even in between a tense contest. Or it is just their approach to the game which gravitates us towards them. They remind us of the way we played cricket (or any sport) when we were kids; desperately wanting to win but in the complete consciousness of it being 'just a game'. Compete fiercely while playing but forget about the game and share a joke with the opponents moments after the game concluded.

During the entire tumultuous period of West Indian cricket, the one that remained constant was the way they played cricket - the attitude towards the game. And thus they have more well-wishers across the globe than any other country. When Australia was the most dominant side, everyone outside Australia would have celebrated an Australian loss. I am sure, that was not the case when the Windies dominated. The world has loved to see the West Indies play cricket. Whether it was Sobers, Richards, Holding, Marshall or it was Lara, Walsh, Ambrose or the modern day players like Gayle, Pollard, Narine, Samuels there is one thing that is always common - the amount joy that pervades when they play cricket.

These bunch of West Indians might not have all the cricket records to their name. These bunch might not be ranked among the greatest cricketers of all time. They are no Richards or Holding or Roberts. But these bunch of West Indians at Colombo have touched the hearts of the entire cricket watching public. They have brought a smile on the faces of all those who have followed this edition of World T20. I know for sure that this West Indies team has been the reason many watched this WT20 and there can no bigger compliment than that. No record would give you the joy than the fact that you have become the reason for people to watch the game.

I had written previously that a victory in World T20 could begin the much-awaited revival of West Indian cricket. Now, that has happened. I really hope this does embark a new era in West Indies cricket. Their cricket has definitely improved in the past couple of years. I really wish and hope that this is the beginning of the things to come for their is no other team (barring my home nation - India) whose success tastes sweeter to me.

MS Dhoni: Has he already created a place for himself in history?

On April 5th 2005, at Vishakhapatnam, a young lad with long hair from Jharkhand, a state which has almost no cricketing history announced himself in the international scene. From then on Dhoni's career took off. Just 2 years after that knock MS Dhoni captained India to a T20 World Cup Triumph in South Africa. Dhoni's rise in cricket has been quite dramatic. It has just been around 5 years since Dhoni captained an Indian team. In this span he has ticked almost all the boxes - won the T20 World Cup- won the 50 over World Cup - lead his side to world no. 1 in Test Cricket - became the first Indian captain not to loose a test series in South Africa- Has never lost a home test series - Has won a couple of IPL silverware - Has won a Champions league silverware - Has been a part of the ICC ODI team 6 times (4 times a captain) - Has been a part of the ICC Test team twice (on both occasions as a captain) - Has won the ODI player of the year twice. 

These are great achievements for any player. But when you take into consideration that it has not even been 7 years since MS Dhoni has made is Test debut, these achievements become simply astonishing. Put his wicket-keeping also into perspective and then those achievements look quite mind boggling. Anyone who has played the game or even seen it enough would know that wicket-keeping is one of the most tiring jobs in cricket. To captain side while keeping for the length of the time he has done and with the success which he has is quite remarkable. And he does it without a break - he does wicket keeping even for his franchise team, CSK. Which means that throughout the year, he plays all the three formats as a wicket-keeper batsman who captains his side (whether it is India or CSK). This is quite incredible. A great virtue of MS which goes unnoticed so many times is his extraordinary fitness. Playing almost 8 years of international cricket (5 of them as a captain), he has not once faced any fitness issues. On the contrary he has remained arguably the fastest runner between the wickets in the country (if not in the world).

One criticism that Dhoni has always faced is his batting in overseas conditions. People have often rightly pointed out that he is not quite the batsman he is at home when he plays overseas. Although that statement is perfectly true, I have not seen any wicket-keeper batsman who has batted with the same success he does at home in the overseas conditions.

Wicket-Kepeer	Batting average at Home	Batting average overseas
MS Dhoni	45.42	31.72 *
Adam Gilchrist	47.42	38.72 **
Mark Boucher	30.30	28.54 **
Alec Stewart	39.30	28.45 ***
Matt Prior	42.61	39.54 ***

* By away I mean (Australia, Englans, SA and NZ)
** By away I mean (the sub-continent and England)
*** By away I mean (the sub-continent and Australia) 

Only one wicket-keeper batsman stands out as absolutely outstanding in both alien and home conditions. He is Zimbabwe's Andy Flower. Barring Flower it is clear that the batting averages of other wicket-keepers do dip considerably when they play in alien conditions. Dhoni's batting average is quite respectable in front the legends of wicket-keeping of the past decade or a decade and a half. It is also important to make note that none of these keepers led their side for the period of time Dhoni has.

So, has MS Dhoni made a place for himself in the annuls of cricketing history? I would say 'YES'. Dhoni is easily one the greatest ODI wicket-keeper batsman the game as ever seen, along side Adam Gilchrist. Dhoni as a batsman is more versatile, he can be the accumulator as well the demolish-er. In test cricket he is definitely one of the greatest India has ever seen. In the world stage, when people talk about the really good wicket-keepers who have played MS's name should definitely pop up.

As a captain in Test Cricket, many times he might have erred with his field placements. He has been criticized for going into the defensive a bit too early. But on the positive side, MS never gives you the impression that he runs out of ideas. He maintains that same calm yogic demeanor irrespective of the match situation. He never lets his shoulders drop and even in the most difficult of circumstances, his body language makes you believe that there is another trick up his sleeve - a very important trait for a captain. Even if Dhoni is clueless about what has to be done, he never lets anyone know what he feels.

Dhoni is just 31. I believe he has quite a bit of cricket left in him. I am pretty certain when his career finishes MS would be a much better Test batsman. With the amount of work load Dhoni carries, he stretching beyond the 2015 WC looks difficult. But when goes, he would one the greatest ODI cricketers of all time and a very fine test cricketer.

The Cricketing Poet: VVS Laxman

As VVS Laxman retires, it brings an end to an extraordinary career. As one does on such occasions, I would like to look back upon the career of this wonderful batting genius. Laxman played cricket for India in a very special era. It was an era where India had arguably its best ever middle order. VVS Laxman was one of the major pillars of the Indian batting in that era. Out of the four giants of Indian batting, I had found VVS was the most attractive. His batting was almost like the manifestation of the divine. When Laxman batted, it was not just about the number of runs he scored but also the manner in which those runs came. When he batted, the context of the game, the opposition and everything else lost meaning. There was an artist's touch to his batting. When Laxman played, he did not merely hit a boundary. He wrapped it with his magic.

Blessed with divine timing and freakish wrists, VVS conjured some breathtaking shots. The brand of cricket that Laxman played can never be taught to anyone. It is an ability one has to be just blessed with. He could gracefully cover drive a half-volley to the boundary for a four. He would flick the same delivery to the mid-wicket boundary just as gracefully he had cover driven the ball. In fact he could play at least four different strokes to the same delivery and each of those strokes would be leave you gasping, with mouth wide open. 

Laxman was not all about this mystical player who could play these seemingly impossible strokes. I had always thought there are two kinds of batsman. The first charmed you with their grace. They kept you riveted to their batting - pulled of shots from impossible angles, almost as if they were defying gravity. The second were the 'get the job done' kind of players. These were the guys you needed in tough situations. They fought hard with courage, may not be looking elegant but got the runs. Laxman combined these two diverse batting methodologies. He was gritty and yet so elegant.

Laxman had built the reputation of being India's crisis man. When the chips were down, when it looked gloomy and bleak, VVS Laxman found his comfort zone. When the rest of the team faltered, Laxman rose to the occasion. Laxman has scripted many improbable wins, pulling victory from the jaws of defeat. It began in Kolkata against the mighty Australians. The 281 he scored against Australia in that historic test match of 2001, is regarded as the greatest innings ever played by any Indian in test match cricket. From that day Laxman has given hope even in the darkest hour. 

Another great quality of Laxman was his ability to play with the tail. He brings out the best of what the tail-enders have got. Whether it was Ishant Sharma in Mohali or Zaheer Khan in Durban, Laxman rallied with them and produced match winning partnerships.

In the 134 matches VVS Laxman played, he scored 8781 at an average of 45.97 scoring 17 hundreds. These outstanding statistics for any cricketer. But when you put the fact that for the better part of his career he batted at number 6, these statistics look even better. I am certain that if he would have batted at number 3 or 4, he would have scored at least 10-15 centuries more and averaged may be 5 - 8 runs higher. But Indian cricket was best served with him batting at number 6. This is what Laxman has always stood for - putting the team's needs above his. Laxman's career can never be judged by the numbers. His contribution is way beyond those 17 hundreds he scored. 

Laxman has never been the darling of the masses. He has rarely featured in advertisements. That is purely because Laxman was a cricketer of the elite. Like Shakespeare or Milton, whose work can only be appreciated only by the connoisseurs of English language, Laxman's batting was an art that could be understood and appreciated only by the devoted fans of cricket. 

As Laxman calls it a day, poetry stops in Indian cricket. In my opinion he would the cricketer who would be missed the most. Rather than getting bogged down, he faced adversity face to face and invariably thrived in such situations. I have been privileged to be born in an era where I could follow the career of the greatest poet of Indian Cricket.   

Wrap up of the Olympics!

The Olympics has concluded and indeed on a very historic note as far Indian sport is concerned. On the 12th August 2012, Sushil Kumar became the first ever Indian athlete (individual athlete) to win back to back Olympic medals. Sushil Kumar bettered his performance from Beijing and won the silver medal. 

Now that the games are over it is a good time to sit and reflect back on how India fared in the games. Although the Gold remained elusive till the end, this was India's best ever medal haul. In fact India doubled it's medal count from Beijing. From Atlanta and Sydney where we had just won one Bronze or the years before that when we had a long dry spell, to finish with 6 medals is an astounding achievement and I am thrilled with this performance. At this point, I would like to address a really flawed argument - 'How can a country of 1.2 billion produce only 6 medals?'  We need to realize the fact that we not a sporting power house. 76% of the medals lie in Track/Field events and aquatics, where India does not have any history. I would even go on to say that perhaps we are not naturally built, to produce great Track/Field events. The weather conditions that prevail, the diet of the Indians and probably the genetic factors does not make Indians naturally very athletic which is important for these events. To corroborate that, even in our most celebrated sport- cricket, we have produced really few genuine fast bowlers- Fast Bowling being an art which requires genuine athleticism. In India, traditionally the brain takes precedence over the brawn and probably there is very little tradition of taking part in such events. Keeping all this in mind, having won 6 medals is indeed an achievement to be proud of.

Vijay Kumar, the Subedar from Indian Army and Gagan Narang by winning medals have made shooting India's most successful individual sport. In the past 3 years India has won 4 medals in shooting.

Fighting all odds, from a village in the eastern most state of the country Manipur, came the mother of two 5 year olds - Mary Kom. Mary Kom's story is both inspiring and historic. She stood on the podium when the event was introduced for the first time in Olympics. Also, when we keep in mind that she was fighting in a higher weight category than her usual fly-weight category, which was not there in Olympics, the success tastes sweeter.

Saina Nehwal's story has been that of sacrifice and single-minded devotion towards the game. The hours spent in the training translated into a Bronze Medal. This achievement is also a story of another great Indian player - Pullela Gopichand who is living is dream of winning medals through his student. Gopichand's contribution to Indian Badminton as a coach has been fantastic.

Yogeshwar Dutt brought a different success story. He is a seasoned wrestler and was competing in his 3rd Olympics. He was tantalizingly close to a medal in Beijing and almost fell short again in London when he lost his pre-quarter final bout. Fortunately, he entered the repacharge round. In a span of 40 minutes Dutt fought his heart out and won 3 bouts. In the Bronze Medal match he came from behind to win his bout. Dutt's story has been that of an ever lasting hunger and the desire for the Olympic Medal. It is to Dutt's credit that despite the disappointments he was able to his passion and desire alive.

By bettering his Beijing performance Sushil Kumar has etched his name in the pages of India's sporting history. Sushil Kumar became the only Indian to have multiple medals in an individual event. Despite illness Sushil fought his way to a Silver medal.


The Non-Medal winning Heroes

It has not just been the medals that makes me feel happy. There were so many other heartening performance. Joydeep Kamarkar's effort in Men's 50m Rifle Prone was one such performance. There were so many moments in the game, when Joydeep looked good to win a medal and in the end it was just a matter of couple of points between him and the Bronze medal winner.

Krishna Poonia (Women's Discus Throw) and Vikas Gowda (Men's Discus Throw) were other positives. As I have already mentioned India has never been a country which has excelled in track/field events. So, the very fact that they qualified for the finals is something to take pride in and celebrate. Krishna Poonia became only the 6th Indian to qualify in the finals of a track/field event. The 7th Indian to qualify also happening in the same Olympics in the form of Vikas Gowda is a very positive sign. Milkha Singh, Gurbachan Singh Radhwana, PT Usha, Sriram Singh and Anju Bobby George are other Indians to have qualified for the finals.

Irfan Thodi finished an impressive 10th in the 20KM Walk race. Yet again, such a performance is really refreshing.

Cynics may say that by celebrating the mere qualification of our athletes into the finals or celebrating an athlete finishing in the top 10, we are setting our bar too low. I do not share that view. We need to remind ourselves that in athletics, India has almost no history of great achievements. Putting that into perspective, we would realize that 3 of our sportsmen doing well in athletics is indeed something to take pride in. I hope this rather than being an abrupt peak be the beginning of the gradual improvement in India's performance at athletics.

The 20 year old boxer from Manipur, Devendro Singh is one of the biggest non-medal winning heroes for India. In fact the AIBA chairman believed that the verdict of his quarter-final bout should have gone in his favor, which would have meant that he was at least ensured of a bronze medal. But, not getting into the problems we had with our boxing verdicts, Devendro Singh Laishram is a great talent to be watched closely. The amount energy with which he fought his bouts, was indeed great to watch. His pre-quarterfinal bout was against Mongolia's Purevdorjin Sedamba, who was the Silver Medalist in the 2008 Games. Contrary to all expectations Devendro trounced the Mongolian 16-11. I am certain, if groomed properly, Devendro Singh would be a huge medal hope in Rio.

18 year old wrestler, Amit Kumar's was another performance, which has kindled hope for the future. Though beaten in the quarterfinals, and not being able to win his repacharge rounds (one must keep in mind that he had lost the toss both the times in the repacharge), he has shown, with proper coaching he is a wrestler to look forward to.

The performance of Parupali Kashyap, in the Men's Badminton and Jwala Guttha and Ashwini Popanna (in Women's doubles) were other such highlights. In this Olympics along with the medal winners, there were many such inspired performances which showed, India does have a very decent pool of sportsmen. 

The Downers

There have been a few disappointing moments - Deepika Kumari in Archery and Ronjan Sodhi in Double Trap Shooting were big downers. Perhaps, we could have had a few more medals in boxing if the rub of the green would have favored India. In Tennis I feel India definitely had the potential. The events that happened prior to the games were really disappointing. I believe those events extinguished any chances of winning. It is a pity, that two India's greatest doubles Tennis players - Leander Paes and Mashesh Bhuapati will have finish their careers without a single Olympics doubles medal. 

The biggest disappointment was Indian hockey. India failed to qualify for the Beijing Games and when it qualified for the London games they finished last (12th) loosing all the games. Expecting India to win a medal was too far-fetched. I had believed that a top 6 finish would be equivalent to a medal winning performance. But, coming 12th is indeed disheartening. The answer to the question whether we can get back the lost legacy in hockey seems more and more in the negative which is really sad. 

This Olympics has shown that Shooting, Boxing and Wrestling could be India's forte with a lot of talent emerging from these areas. Now, we look forward to 2016. Let's hope that in Rio we touch the double digits as far as the medals are concerned! 

The Rise of West Indies?

When the New Zealand and West Indies are playing test cricket, it is hard for me to decide whom to support. One one hand I want the resurgence of West Indies cricket on the other hand I fear  the demise New Zealand cricket. West Indies and New Zealand both are very important members of out cricketing family. West Indies add a very unique flavor to the game. The style with which they play the game- the kind of cricketers they produce are the ones who compete fiercely on the field but at the same time do not the game too seriously. New Zealand on the other side have been this poor kid who has always tried to maximize what he has. They have never been a team of stars. Sir Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe are probably the only two starts that NZ have ever produced. Despite the paucity of stars, NZ have always been competitive at the world stage. It is the resilience of NZ that has always fascinated me. Thus, it is really hard to see any of these two teams lose. 

This series has kindled a hope for the long awaited resurgence in West Indian cricket. The arrival of Chris Gayle has had a very positive impact on the team. It was so important that Gayle used all his talent for the betterment of West Indies cricket rather than draining it away playing for the T20 leagues all over the world. Marlon Samules finally seems to realize the potential he is with the bat.  Powell and Bravo are a few other good batsman in the West Indian ranks. Shiv Chanderpaul has always been the crisis man who fights the solitary battle for the WI.  

Sunil Naraine and Kemar Roach add a great strength to the Windies' bowling attack. Roach in particular has been extremely impressive. One attribute which is so rare to find in modern fast bowlers which Kemar Roach has is that he rarely gets injured. He does display good fitness levels which are very important for a quick bowler. Darren Sammy may not be a great batsman or a very penetrative bowler but he does give the impression of being a very good man-manager which is very important for a team like West Indies which is going through a very turbulent phase.

I am not saying that this performance over  NZ will mark a revival in the WI cricket. To expect them to be a side of 80s and 90s is too far fetched. I understand that it has a long way to go. But, things do look much brighter now. With the arrival of Gayle, the batting looks much more solid. With bowlers like Naraine and Roach WI look like a side which can pick up 20 wickets. It does bring a ray of hope and probably their is indeed light at the end of the long tunnel of darkness which the WI cricket has traveled through. The performance of WI in this series, keeping aside the wins does send a glimmer of hope.

I suspect this World T20 could be the turning point in WI cricket if they do well. Sometimes all teams need is an inspiration. WI on paper do look a very potential side. With Gayle, Pollard, Bravo and Naraine they are side to reckon with. If they indeed become the World T20 champions it would go a long way not only to inspire it's cricketers do well in other formats but would also re-kindle the interest in the game in the Caribbean which does seem on a steep decline.

Thus it is important that the administration and player alike keep their vested interests away move forward for the betterment of cricket in the West Indies. They surely have the potential to be a force to reckon with again. The question is can the potential be tapped properly and used completely. The last thing cricket wants is young talented blokes in the Caribbean wiling their time away playing just beach cricket.