India's Cup of Woes

India never looked a team which could lift the T20 World Cup 2012. I don’t say it by dint of the team’s talent, but by the incongruities of its make-up. Success in sports needs a full-proof attempt, as everything else in life. Even in the shortened format of T20, where a few shots or deliveries can define the course of the match, one needs incisive bowling, adept batsmanship and agile fielding on the park. India somehow lacked this roundness in the team.

Its batsmen, barring Virat Kohli, never looked like getting runs. They always had the dagger of next bowl getting them out. Virat is an example now-a-days how batsmanship can be made an object of passion. I have seen Indian batsmen-Gambhir, Sehwag, Yuvraj etc, in form, when run-making for them was just a footloose exercise. But it was by virtue of their form, not by intent. Kohli is making runs, as if he always wants to make a century, and win the match by himself. Hence there are no extravagant shots even after reaching a century, no lenient running between the wickets and no overt barrage of successive sixes or fours. I have seen Sachin play like that earlier.

In bowling, however, there is not even a single example as Virat’s. The bowlers are mere trundlers. The analysis of their pathetic state has been done to every limit conceivable, so no point in redoing it. However it is bewildering to find them so wretched fielders. Ideally by dint of their bowling exercise, they should be the best fielders in the side. However, it seems, they have harboured this belief that running is to be done only while bowling. Who will do the fielding then?

Seriously can you succeed then on a regular basis? It is to Dhoni’s credit that he managed to win the One-Day World Cup 2011, despite some of the above deficiencies, though to a lesser extent, prevalent in the team even then. In this edition, some of the decisions of Dhoni did look baffling, but it is always easier to raise fingers afterwards than earlier. Dhoni still looks the best bet to captain India, but it won’t be bad either if he is relieved from the captaincy duty from one of the formats.

Anyway, where does the team go now? A full home series against England ensues. The expectation from the team is to win it hands-down. Also the series is supposed to be a breeding ground for the changes to be done, for bigger challenges ahead. Thus it is a series already foretold in the minds of the Indian viewers. The reality though is that the series may not be such a cakewalk, considering the potential of English bowling. The series hence is a likely pitfall where immediacy could be buried in the pursuit of longevity. But that is worth trying, if Indian Cricket Team is aiming to be a ubiquitous and perennial winner.

Why this Down Under dream?

I remember a thought that had lurked excitedly and disturbingly inside me, before the India-Aus World Cup Final, 2003. Nay, it was a question rather. What would have I preferred, World Cup 2003 Win or then-impending Australia Test Series, 2003-04 Win. As if God were to grant my wish really, I kept answering myself back, Down Under ….. It showed where my priorities lay and how flushed I was with the golden run of the team that World Cup had just become an add-on. I was enthused with the prospect of a golden-run of the Indian team in the near future. Alas! It didn’t happen; India lost the final and missed the golden opportunity to win the series in Australia next year.

The flashback was played yet again, before the World Cup final last year. And my answer remained the same, though it took longer, owing to the declined awe of Australian power and air-brushed euphoria of World Cup played at home. So, when India won the World Cup in heroic style, I beamed that the destiny might be completed this time, considering the portents are good. Then England happened …. It was consoled to be an unfortunate (injury-ridden) and momentary (World Cup win infused lethargy) incident.

The start of Australian tour thus was not just anticipated with excitement but sense of fulfillment . The repeated columns on how the current tour will be a nirvana for the much-vaunted trio of Indian middle-order batsmen added an also-truth to that. I hurriedly bought a Sony LED TV and Airtel Connection to soak in those early-morning quilt-laden rubbed-eyes moments of viewership of lush-green Australian grounds being stoked by our batsmen and bowlers.

The initial worry was the fitness of the bowlers. Post 10 days now after the Sydney test, how this discussion point has evaporated faster than camphor. In fact, the whole discussion is down and dusted now. If at all there is any, it is about avoiding a whitewash. Pity …. A big pity …. Dreams have to wait now …. perhaps there are no dreams either.

At the crossroads, again

Seldom do your weaknesses remain hidden for a long time. Like the boxed spring, they erupt as soon as the lid is removed. Indian lid, the famed batting didn’t work this series, and it was all kibosh for the Indian team. English bowlers were exemplary on their wickets, and trumped the Indian batsmen. Our bowlers on the other hand couldn’t match them, so the defeat was inevitable. You can sum up comprehensively this English summer in these few words.

India was able to maintain its top ranking for the last 18 months because of their match-winners and not because of their team. Batting ensured that the team didn’t lose many matches, and a few exemplary bowling performances nicked one or two wins. Most of India’s last series wins or draws have been thus 1-0 or 1-1 or likewise. These were enough to sustain the hold. But the pattern couldn’t have been repeated when confronted with a better team. It was a long-drawn conclusion, so the recent drubbing doesn’t come as a surprise to me.

Instead I think it might give India the need and space to rethink its future. The series defeat could be an elixir of sorts, ala the World Cup first-round exit of 2007. No better time now to take Test Matches on priority and not by default, and groom both batsmen and bowlers for their demands. It won’t happen though. Wins back in home grounds will push these concerns back into the shed until we lose again overseas, and then again back into shed …. the ugly pattern which had been a theme in the 90s. This also retrospectively brings into perspective how great our batting had been during the last decade, who transcended the system to best the conditions overseas. Alas, we realize things when they are about to leave us.

It is not an official farewell to the team though. They can again climb back to the top, but the prospects look bleak. Live with it. And on the same note, also appreciate the newly crowned champions, the English cricket team. They deserve to be number one, as they have risen here by winning matches and not jugglery, as the Indian team had during their stay. They ought not to be compared and scrutinized like a flogged and crossed king. We will have time to judge their worth when they come to the subcontinent. But for the time being, rethink or rejoice, depending on which side of the planet you belong to.

India Wins the World Cup!!!

Not the sense of method, but the sense of timing. It is true for all the historical moments, be they of love, war or sports. Indian Cricket team achieved a unique timing orchestration during this World Cup campaign. Never renowned for its ‘hitting the straps at the right time’, in fact, having never watched it ever do it in my entire viewership career, this World Cup win might prove to be a watershed moment.

Buoy! Brilliantly they played in Quarters, Semis and Finals. Before that, they were also-runs. In knockouts they played like champions. This team is still not in the league of dominant Aussies or Windies of yore. But their spirit indeed was. The chase against Australia in quarter-finals was one of the finest, the win against Pakistan in the Semis one of the scrappiest, and the heist against Sri Lanka in the Finals one of the bravest. Their championship thus can not be contested at any ground. Sometimes, a few things other than play of bat and ball define the stuff the legends are made of.

Sadly this aspect was never associated with India. Until now. 1983 World Cup win stirred the sleeping nation. This win will instill the champion mentality, in all aspects, that are known as India. Who knows? But world, we indeed are coming.

Barack Obama on Sachin

Mr. BARAK OBAMA :- "I dont know about Cricket,But Still I watch cricket to see Sachin's Play.Not becoz I love his play its becoz to know the reason Why my country's Production 5 % down when He's in Batting."

Many of us Wonder why did he commented this ... if you want to know the reason .. read below

When Sachin Tendulkar travelled to Pakistan to face one of the finest bowling attacks ever assembled in cricket,
Michael Schumacher was yet to race a F1 car,
Lance Armstrong had never been to the Tour de France,
Diego Maradona was still the captain of a world champion Argentina team,
Pete Sampras had never won a Grand Slam.

When Tendulkar embarked on a glorious career taming Imran and company,
Roger Federer was a name unheard of
; Lionel Messi was in his nappies,
Usain Bolt was an unknown kid in the Jamaican backwaters.

The Berlin Wall was still intact, USSR was one big, big country,
Dr Manmohan Singh was yet to “open” the Nehruvian economy.
It seems while Time was having his toll on every individual on the face of this planet, he excused one man. Time stands frozen in front of Sachin Tendulkar. We have had champions, we have had legends, but we have never had another Sachin Tendulkar and we never will.

India-South Africa Test Series 2010-11: A synopsis

In acknowledging your shortcomings lies your catharsis, and also victory. That is how I will describe the recently concluded India-SA Test Series. India achieved or managed or inflicted, whichever suits your perception, a drawn Test Series for the first time on the South African soil.

It was a series, high on octane value and also turgid on triteness index. The first Test in Centurion, where India were brushed aside by an innings was the wont indictment of India’s much-maligned off-shore records. The Durban victory in the second Test then showcased the recently acquired steely resolve of fightback in the current team, which has propelled and maintained them at the numero uno spot. The third Test in Cape Town was what demonstrated the aforementioned brilliance and banality at the same time. The 3rd day epitomized the spirit and skill of Test cricket, when Dale Steyn charged with a mix of verve and venom was dishing out some of the most lethal deliveries ever seen, and Sachin Tendulkar, with a mix of fortitude and firmness, was countering them with aplomb. It was once-in-a-year show, and frankly speaking, will bedeck my memory for some time to come. But what followed in the next two days was a massive antithesis. I should have expected it, considering India’s still-poor record in crossing over the line. Having SA effectively down for 128 for 6 on the 4th day, what India needed was just one spell of inspired bowling from one of the fast bowlers to wrap up the innings. What followed was a trivial stuff, Ishant Sharma spraying the balls on the leg side letting Boucher to get into the groove. However well Kallis played, I believe it was Indian bowlers who pulled the South Africans out of the quagmire. Good that India managed a draw on the last day to bring some parity on the proceedings, highlighting some flaw in the much-hyped South African bowling too.

The bottomline remains that India is the number one team; no one should begrudge that, as they have achieved it through winning matches and not through sorcery. They are not a finished product though, amply highlighted by their inability to finish off the series. Their weakest link continues to be their bowling. But somehow, which is beyond me too, this bowling has contrived the energy and skill to win solitary or important matches to win or draw the series. This also shows how much scope there is for improvement, and if that potential comes to roost, even the earlierAustralian/West Indian type hegemony is not out of reach.

Some say it was the best chance for India to win in SA, as the stupendous set of senior batsmen may not be at their disposal the next time around. Agreed. But it is also a far before the time conjecture. As Rahul Dravid has commented, “If we can keep a core group of 4-5 fast bowlers going well in the next few years, we can definitely continue what we have started.” I concur, and hence implore the concerned authorities to heed to the cry for better bowling stock. I have harped on this in earlier blogs too. But does it make a difference? No.

The recently organized madness of mercenary auction of IPL-4 would have driven home the point for you.

The Centurion Loss

India lost in Centurion, and by a big margin – an innings and 25 runs to be precise. But this time around, rather than being critical, I am a bit sympathetic towards them. No, I am not taking into account just the lost toss and the subsequent throw into the demon’s mouth like pitch, but the whole arrangement that had accompanied the Indian tour party.

How many times have we seen India faltering in the First Test on a foreign tour? Probably every time. But whenever they have been able to survive that test, they have done well in the subsequent matches, for example-the famous Lords survival on 2006 England tour, Ganguly-inspired Brisbane display in 2003-04 Australia tour, even the Wanderers win in South Africa in 2006 came after some experience gained during the horrendous one-day series (4-0 defeat for India) that preceded it. So, a bit of practice is a must. Am I saying anything unbeknown? This is something that has been preached to BCCI every time they schedule a tour. The management changes, but not the thinking. Alas! We don’t know why? And they keep on aggravating the situation- not even a single tour match before the Test Series this time around is nothing more than callousness of abominable order.

The first day capitulation still may not be drawn to the lack of practice match, as the pitch was the outcome of a prolonged weather play. It was just the nature of bowling and conditions that did India in. Any other batting line would have struggled too. Indian bowling could have resurrected things for India, but they were not suited for such bouncy pitches. They are trundles on lifeless pitches, and barely effective on bouncy ones. Their best showing comes on swinging ones. So, really can’t be too mystified by their sad performance here.

The biggest dose of condoning of their show though comes from some sort of belief in this team. It has displayed some amazing fight backs this year. Some of India’s best wins against the odds came this year-Against South Africa in Kolkata, Sri Lanka in Colombo, Australia in Mohali and Bangalore. Even the second innings batting, esp. by the openers, was a perfect retribution. So, I am hopeful that they will strike back when the situation suits them, and it will happen sometime sooner than later. I can’t expect them to win the next 2 matches. But I think this is gonna be a drawn series. That would still be a great result. With the current set of bowlers, we are still not ready for series wins in South Africa and Australia. May be the next decade will provide those moments. For the time being, though, hope for the best and relish whatever comes. Tendulkar’s 50th ton is a case in point.