Great Spectacle

Its been 2 weeks into the first 20-20 world cup and we have got a fitting end to this wonderful tournament. Somethings remain the same while some have changed drastically. Which bookie would have predicted a INDO-PAK final or who would have expected the South Africans to go out from the tournament. The tournament has witnessed everything from sixes to cheer leaders to wickets. Its been a carnival of cricket and has definitely made up for the world cup debacle. And last but not the least the greatest rivals in cricket are battling it out for the coveted trophy at the BULL RING which is slowly turning out to be one of the best grounds in International cricket right now.

Chokers !!

Sadly though the South Africans are never part of any of the biggies and its becoming a huge problem for them.With the amount of talent they posess its high time they win big tournaments. They have a reputation of choking during critical times and they have not let anyone down.Again all they needed was a paltry 125 to qualify to the next stage but they failed to cross the line.Either its a curse on the South Africans or a psychological battle they are facing. Ever since Alan Donald failed to go past the crease on that evenful day in edgbaston in the 1999 world cup semifinal South africa have been falling short.That loss has definitely created a huge impact on the proteas and it is visible even now.Hopefully they pull up their socks during the next big tournaments atleast.

Finally!!!

Both India and Pakistan are having a great streak and the buoyance with which they are taking the field has done them wonders.Irrespective of what happens in the final i am sure we will get a great reception back home.Dhoni has been a great captain and has led the side really well.His counterpart shoaib malik has led his young side with a lot of vigour and passion.The fact that expectations were minimal has helped both teams achieve what they have in this tournament.Hopefully India can give one last shot at the pakistanis and if the final is anything like the first stage we are in for a classic.A dream Final is finally becoming a reality!!

G-man also blogs at lecteurs bonjour

The Indian team which looked so out of sorts in the first test match and survived only because of the weather, came back to win the series 1-0 giving them their first test series victory in England in 20 years. The series was a great advertisement for test cricket, say what you want about one day cricket but nothing compares to a great test match played between two good sides on a sporting wicket.
We definitely could have won the Oval’s test but good batting displays from Pietersen and bell ensured that England saved the match. I still believe Dravid made the right decision in not enforcing the follow on- he must have felt that Kumble would have a better chance of getting wickets on a crumbling fifth day wicket.
Anyway, we won 1-0 and here are the series ratings:

Wasim Jaffer 6

Jaffer’s biggest contribution of the series undoubtedly came in the second test at Nottingham when he and Karthik put on 147 for the first wicket and squashed any chances of a English victory. He had starts in one inning in all three tests (58, 62 and 35) but never went on to make it count. But he has done enough to ensure he pads up in the first test match against Pakistan in New Delhi on November 22nd.

Dinesh Karthik 8

Undoubtedly the biggest surprise of the series- what were the odds that Karthik would finish the three test matches as India’s highest run getter. 263 runs in 6 innings at an average of 43.8 showed that the faith that Dravid has in him was not unfounded. Had a terrible start in Lords when he dropped the sitter of all sitters off the bat of Strauss, but came strongly in the second innings to post a fighting 60. Scores of 77 and 91 in the second and third tests show that this youngster has both the talent and the drive to thrive at the international level. And I must add, almost all English pundits were singing his praises through the series.

Rahul Dravid 5

A very poor series by Dravid’s high standards- scores of 2 and 9 in Lords, 37 and 11 in Nottingham and 55 and 12 in Oval are a total contrast to his achievements in the 2002 series. And the 12 (of 96 balls!) must rank his worst batting display ever. A good series as a captain, how will he work with the new coach remains to be seen.

Sachin Tendulkar 7

Sachin deserved a century in this series, too bad he fell short on two occasions with one of them thanks to a terrible umpiring decision. His determination to put runs on the board didn’t go unnoticed. If his body holds up, we can definitely hope to see the little master for another two years. But he will definitely have to cut down on some meaningless one day internationals.

Saurav Ganguly 8

Ganguly’s knock of 57 in the second innings of the Oval test must rank as his best knock since the famous 144 at the Gabba. Much like Tendulkar, the sheer will to make runs was all too apparent over the course of the test matches. 249 runs at an average of 50 from three test matches will hold him in good stead in Australia. Now, if only he could something about his running between the wickets.

VVS Laxman 6
To his credit, Laxman made runs in all three test matches. And two of the knocks came in very trying conditions. But unfortunately for him , he couldn’t come up with a big one. Laxman ended up with 205 runs at a very respectable average of 51. However, it seems to me that the man can never cement his position in the final XI!
MS Dhoni 7

If Dhoni was under pressure from Karthk for the slot of the wicket keeper, he certainly didn’t let it show. Two very crucial and contrasting knocks capped off a good series for Dhoni. A very uncharacteristic and fighting 76 at Lords saved the test match for India (with a little help from the weather) but a belligerent 92 off just 83 balls at the Oval just showed why Indian fans are crazy about the man.

Anil Kumble 7

Anil Kumble may have ended up with 14 wickets in the series but it certainly wasn’t one of his better performances. But then with Zaheer and RP Singh in fine form , he certainly didn’t need to be at his best. He will always remember this series for that fine 110( a knock which helped him go one up on Warne). But the good thing is that Kumble is bowling a lot slower than before, and certainly one hopes that he can produce the goods down under.

Zaheer Khan 8

18 wickets. Man of the series. Comparisons with Wasim Akram. Life cannot get better for Zaheer Khan. And a lot of his success has to do with his stint in the county circuit. Now, if only we can find out who threw the jelly beans in the second test. Indian cricket will always thankful to that cricketer for firing Zaheer up! Zaheer’s second inning performance at Nottingham must rank as one of the best performances by an Indian fast bowler.

RP Singh 7
12 wickets at an average of 28 meant that RP Singh had a reasonable series. Plus, his name will go up on the Lords honours board for his 5 wickets. Something that Sachin has never been able to do. His dismissals of Pietersen and Prior in the second test were something to remember.

Sreesanth 6

A lot of talent but at times during the series, I felt Sreesanth had absolutely lost it. I don’t see why he has to abuse the batsman after each delivery. Aggression is fine but this is carrying it a bit too far. Will need his head sorted before he plays Pakistan and men like Prasad and Srinath will certainly help him. Did bowl extremely well in the second innings of the Oval test though.

P.S: Just realized that both the teams only used 11 players in the series. This must be a new record!

Dinesh Karthik- 91

Rahul Dravid- 55 -

Sachin Tendulkar- 82 -

VVS Laxman- 51

MS Dhoni- 92

Anil Kumble- 110

Mr. Extras- 54.

Total - 664.

Too bad Karthik, Tendulkar and Dhoni missed their centuries. And Dravid and Laxman looked set for hundreds too. But there
will be other chances for them. The man of the hour is undoubtedly Anil ‘Jumbo’ Kumble. A 100 against England in England is extremely special and full credit to him for taking this chance. And the innings was rather entertaining.
One of the sweetest days ever! I am just numb. I just hope we can go on and force a win over the next three days. This is turning out to be a super special Oval Test match.

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 actually 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 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 wasn’t writing about vultures but about Indian cricket fans again!

Let’s 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 doesn’t 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 from the team. I have heard calls for Dravid’s head too. He too should be dropped really.

4. Sachin Tendulkar - He doesn’t measure up to himself anymore. We dont care if he is still good enough to play international cricket. He couldn’t 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 don’t like him and demand he be dropped. He too scored a 50 only to retain his place in the side - didn’t 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!

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 began 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.

The openers:

The performance of Jaffer and Karthik in the tour has been very heartening. There is no doubt that the two played and missed a few times, but that it is just expected in England. It looks the two have virtually cemented their positions for the tour of Australia in December. I believe the two have both the technique and the application to thrive in most conditions (barring Australia of course). Their 147 run opening stand definitely showed the English a thing or two about batting in such conditions!

Zaheer Khan:

For a long suffering Indian cricket fan, it was absolutely brilliant to watch an Indian paceman run in hard and torment the opposition. One just hopes that he will have the same control in the third test match as well. The manner in which Zaheer has come back after being the wilderness should provide some encouragement to his statement Irfan Pathan.

Tendulkar and Ganguly:

For all the flak they have been taking and there have been many, both Sachin and Saurav have maintained a very dignified silence. Sure, Sachin failed in the Lords test but he showed that he still has the mental strength to come back and score big. Real pity he missed out on his 38th century. Saurav’s determination to keep his place in the team was obvious to see and for once he didn’t get bogged down by the conditions and chose to play his natural game. And what the hell was Simon Taufel thinking when he gave both these men out!

The Sledging War:

A big thank you to the English player who came up with the Jellybeans idea! Watching Zaheer dish it out to Kevin Pietersen, I couldn’t help thinking that this definitely is the best legacy of the Ganguly era. Indian cricketers have never been known to stand up against rough opposition but over the last 5 years things have changed. It was good to see the Indian team giving it as good as they got. And the whole jellybeans drama is just ridiculous.

A powercut prevented me from writing a morose review of the first day’s play of the Lords test match. All the familiar ingredients of Indian cricket team’s travails abroad were there- a clueless captain, nervous fast bowlers, dropped catches and the opposition batsman raking up the runs. England ended the first day at 280 odd for 4, with the last two wickets falling near the end of the day’s play.

The second day has been nothing short of remarkable, reminding us what test match cricket is all about. After a thundershower and some excellent mopping up display by the groundsmen, the Indian pacemen went about dismantling the English batting lineup. Sidebottom’s stumps were shattered right away by Singh, then Pietersen played a very lose shot to give Dhoni a regulation catch off Khan.

Ten minutes later, Sreesanth joined in the party with wickets of Matt Prior, Chris Tremlett and Monty Panesar in quick succession. Good swing bowling and all three dismissals being LBWs, the young lad obviously having learned some valuable lessons from the first day’s play. Khan’s dismissal of Bell, soon after meant that India had taken 6 wickets in just 11 overs. England dismissed for 298, six of the last seven batsmen scoring just 2 runs between them. An astonishing afternoon by Indian standards, really.

Indian First Innings:

After the quick dismissals of Karthik and Dravid; Jaffer and Tendulkar set about ressurecting the innings with a lot of patience. Tendulkar played really well for his 37 before getting out to Anderson. Jaffer’s wicket late in the day means that the test match is evenly poised. India ending the day on 145/4, 153 adrift of England’s first innings score.

I am hoping for a good knock from Laxman- it seems to me that he is always (and sometimes unfairly) one bad knock away from being dropped. A good innings here will set him up well for the next two test matches. Also, its going to be very interesting to see how Dhoni performs, with all the talk of dropping him for Yuvraj Singh. And how will the Indian team play Panesar? And what of the weather! Hopefully, we will see atleast 75 overs play tomorrow with India taking the first innings lead and with Laxman scoring a fine century.