Another year, another India Pakistan one day international series. Has the idea of an Indo-Pak encounter lost its aura? No longer does the blood boil and the stomach churn. Although a month of quality cricket is expected, there is no longer the air of expectation, war is no longer in the air. Is this an impact of the ever increasing number of Indo-Pak contests or is this the effect of the historic Peace Process? The Friendship series as the India-Pakistan series was once called has been reduced to just that - a friendly event.

Although the media would like to play up the concept of “badla” and introduce some element of intrigue into the series, personally ,the India-Australia series is the one I am looking forward to. The result of the India - Pakistan series will be meaningless - forgotten. A year from now people will ask, what was the scoreline? Was it 2-3 or 1-4. And why will it matter. By next year there will be yet another series and a victory here or a loss there can be buried easily. But the India-Australia series down under is happening after 4 long years and the next one might not happen for a while. And an India -Australia series wins hands down in terms of the sheer quality of cricket expected. It is the challenge of beating the invincibles that excites one and all. How many people would agree that an India-Australia series is far more exciting today than an India- Pakistan series?

Test Series

While the India-Pakistan magic may not longer work in the shorter version, personally I am looking forward to the Test series which will follow the meaningless One-dayers. An interesting fact to note is that this will be the first home test series for India since March 2006 against England.The test series will be the platform for the new Indian Test Captain to set himself up and to fine tune his team for the upcoming tour of Australia. The venues for the test matches are Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore. All three venues have seen some famous India-Pakistan Test encounters. The most memorable being Kumble’s 10 wicket haul at the Kotla. Kumble must be raring to run in at the Kotla. The Eden Gardens which played host to the controversial Asian Test championship game in 1999 is the venue for the second test and Bangalore where Pakistan have usually outperformed India  is the venue for the third test. The choice of venues, the lack of quality test cricket at home in recent years and the build up to the India-Australia series are all the right ingredients that provide the background for an interesting test series.

India and Pakistan always seem to perform as well as the other when they play each other.
They always match up as equals - It does not matter where they are ranked in the ICC Test Cricket ratings and who looks stronger - man for man, on paper. Once the players walk out to the centre in Delhi the series will have begun. 0-0, and all to play for. While the war-like nature of India-Pakistan Cricket may no longer persist - war or no war, emergency or autocracy - the test matches promise to be fascinating games of cricket - nothing more, nothing less.

The NKP Challenger Trophy has come to an end and a team called India Blue have won the title. What this means to the team or any of the players is anybody’s guess. This is because the selection committee has a mind of its own. The Challenger Trophy was started by the Indian Cricket Board in the late nineties to provide a platform for the best players in the domestic scene to showcase their talent against the senior team. But like all other initiatives taken by the board (including the National Cricket Academy and the Pitches Committee) the Challenger trophy has been descended into mediocrity and threatens to stay there.

Unnecessarily Rested:

What was the need to rest somebody like Rahul Dravid? He has been in very poor form of late and this could have been a great opportunity for Dravid to get some runs under his belt. Instead he has now been dropped sorry rested from the national squad putting a big dent on his confidence. Forget Rahul Dravid, what about the rest of the first team? Barring a few (such as Dhoni) not all the players have been playing every single game over the past few months.The only problem is that there is a world of difference when Dinesh Karthik or a Gautham Gambhir scores a century against a line up of Sreesanth, Zaheer and Pathan or somebody like Praveen Kumar bowls an impressive spell to Tendulkar or Dravid. You know then the men deserve a place in the national squad.

Raw Deal:

Surely S Badrinath must be wondering what he must to do to win a spot in the final XI. And when he DOES get that spot, expect him to walk in at either 54/5 or with 2 overs to go, not make too much runs and promptly be dropped for the next game. He did make the squad for the final one-dayer (dead rubber) against Australia and yet wasn’t played.Worse, as Prem Panicker points out, our chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar believes that Gautham Gambhir is a middle-order batsman and Rohit Sharma (who is incidentally IN the team) is waiting in the wings! Another couple of years in the fringes and Badrinath will probably find his career going the way of state teammate S. Sharath (tons of runs at the domestic level but no interest shown by the selectors)

And what has Virendra Sehwag done to get back into the national squad? I always believed that his best position is right at the top and yet chances are its going to Tendulkar and Ganguly who are going to be opening the innings. In his three innings in the Challenger Trophy he made 1, 75 and 9. Compare that to Raina (92,64, 50) or Badrinath (41,82, and 55) and Vengsarkar’s assertion that the selection is made on form and fitness makes absolutely no sense.

Almost a decade

I just happen to figure out one stat which i am pretty sure not anyone will be aware.The last time india won against australia CHASING was way back in 1998 at sharjah in trying circumstances.The famous 148 by sachin on his birthday led them to that victory.Its startling to see that it has been 9 years since they beat them batting second.My heart was in my mouth today when India looked like winning the match when Dhoni and Utthapa were batting but the record still stays intact.They are going to meet each other another 7 times in the next 4 months and lets see if the record can cross a decade.Next time we chase against the aussies make sure whom the bet is placed on.

India has finally reached the pinnacle of glory this week and I am not talking about the Sensex crossing the 17,000 mark for the first time. I am of course talking about India’s greatest-ever achievement in the sports arena - beating Pakistan in the Final to become World Champions in Twenty20 Cricket.

For all their toil and subsequent humiliation in this year’s ODI World Cup, the Indian players have redeemed themselves by their triumph in the Twenty20 format, a moment of crowing glory for a sport par excellence. We cursed the players, hit their homes with stones, promised we would never watch cricket again, after the ODI World Cup debacle but we will forever sing this team’s praises, at least until we win our next World Cup. I am sure a Ten10 World Cup is just around the corner.

In the midst of all the celebrations comes the dampener that Indian hockey players (it seems they won the Asia Cup a few weeks back) are protesting against the ’step-motherly’ treatment’ meted out by the various state governments who decided to award lakhs of money to the victorious cricketers from their respective states, but ignored the hockey players.

There are similar accusations against the Punjab, Jharkhand and Haryana governments, and Air India, and the Sahara Group, a sponsor for both the cricket and hockey teams.

Some of us might wrongly mistake Vikram Kanth, Raghunath, Sunil and Tirkey for Kollywood heroes but it seems they are some of our national hockey players who feel irked that the Karnataka government has announced a cash reward of Rs.5 lakh each to the members of the victorious Indian cricket team. If the government succumb to these players’ demands, before long all other sportspersons in India would go on a hunger-strike.

I don’t understand this entire hullabaloo about cash rewards. Agreed that some cricketers make millions from endorsements but what about a couple of lesser players earning much less compared to the crores earned by some senior players. After all, they cheered their team on from the dug-out and helped tie the shoe-laces of the players going out to bat. Tell me, who has enough money? After all, money is worthless unless some people have it and others do not.

Cricket is more than a religion (as any fan would reiterate!) in India and that is because we won the World Cup about 25 years ago and in spite of years of under-achievement, countless humiliations, and match-fixing scandals, Indians love their sports, which is not just restricted to cricket. We do cheer for Sania sometimes.

Just 11 countries from all over Asia took part in the Asia Cup. On the other hand, 12 countries (not including Namibia, Bermuda, Canada, Ethiopia) from all over the world participated in the World Twenty20 Championships. The Indians scored 57 goals and conceded just 5 in the Asia Cup but then Yuvraj scored 6 sixers in an over! We all know which is front-page news. And, Yuvraj will kick Tirkey’s ass right out of the ground.

Also, Shahrukh might have portrayed the role of a hockey coach in Chak De India…but we all noticed that the star of Indian Cinema preferred to cheer the Indian Cricket team in the Twenty20 final in South Africa than cheer the Indian hockey team at home.

The hockey players are envious of the cricketers just because the Sahara Group has decided to award a house each for the cricketers but gave the finger to the victorious hockey team. These hockey players should be satisfied with the commendation letters they received from the President of India. They can sell the letters on e-bay and if they are lucky, they might even manage to get the same amount of money that our cricketers spend on their hair-cuts. Those losers.

We have not won any medal in our national sport hockey (after 1980) be it in the Olympics or the World Cup. But in cricket, after years of ignominy, we have won the greatest of them all…the World Twenty20 Championships. With a feeling of smugness, we showered the victorious cricket team with flowers during their victory parade. Perhaps, it is time to make Cricket the national game. We do not care even if India wins medals in the Olympics and the World Cup. We will watch only Cricket. Who gives a damn about medals in other sports? We have won the Twenty20 World Cup and that’s all matters, this is enough to keep us happy…at least for another 25 years.

The Moment:

Misbah-ul-Haq moves to the offside and looks to scoop the ball over short fine-leg. The camera follows the ball and the next moment is frozen in my head. Watching the ball suspended in mid air, I felt the cheeky Haq had pulled it off and then the ball dropped and there, with a look of absolute disbelief on his face was Shanthakumaran Sreesanth to put the finishing touch to what has to be arguably India’s biggest sporting achievement in the last two decades. Unbelievable stuff. Pure unbridled Joy!

It still hasn’t sunk in- the team that went into the tournament with a new captain, the team that had played the least number of games in the this format, the team that was written off before even the first ball had been bowled has done it. They didn’t do well, they didn’t just make the final, the didn’t just make a statement, they won the bloody thing!

And just look at who they beat!- the English (the men who started this format) ,the South Africans (the hosts), the bloody Aussies (world champions) and then the enemy, Pakistan. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men deserve all the plaudits and the awards they are going to get.

Humdinger of a Final:

After winning the toss, Dhoni decided to bat and some inspired bowling by the Pakistani pacemen restricted India to just 157 of the 20 overs. The total was built around a fine 75 by Gautam Gambhir who played a very responsible knock even as wickets fell at regular intervals at the other hand. The law of averages finally caught up with Yuvraj who struggled for a bit before getting giving Umar Gul his first wicket. Gul went on to shatter Dhoni’s stumps and only some quick hitting at the end from the new kid Rohit Sharma helped India get past the 150 mark.

Brilliant Bowling from Singh and Pathan:

Watching Imran Nazir wallop Sreesanth for 20 runs in the second over, I felt that this match was done and dusted. But RP Singh had other ideas, after getting Hafeez in the first over, he cleaned Kamran Akmal up in the third over. An inspired piece of fielding from young Robin Uthappa got rid of Imran Nazir and then Irfan Pathan got into the act.

Using all his experience, Pathan managed to bowl the perfect spell, mixing his deliveries, and not giving anything away. He got rid of the captain Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi in one over and then came back to shatter Arafat’s stumps. At this stage Pakistan needed 54 from 4 overs and just when I felt that India had gotten home safe, Misbah-Ul-Haq carted Harbhajan for three sixes and then Sohail Tanveer followed it up with two more off Sreesanth.

The final over:

12 runs needed of the last over and with only Joginder Sharma and Harbhajan Singh left, Dhoni tossed the ball to Joginder. Inspired captaincy that for sure. I for one would have surely given it to the more experienced Harbhajan Singh. And does Dhoni have balls! After a shocking wide and straight six over long on, Joginder got his man!

You beauty!

Spare a thought:

For Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly. No way would the selectors have had the balls to drop the holy trinity. Instead the three opted out. More than 1000 one day internationals between them, hundreds of tests, over three decades of cricket combined and yet they miss out on the biggest achievement of their time.

Final Thoughts:

I know the 1983 world cup victory will be considered more significant than this one but I wasn’t around for that game and if you are reading this, chances are you weren’t either. Cricket is probably the only thing that truly unites this country and if you are like me you will probably remember that moment for a long time to come.

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

Its not surprising that the video of Yuvraj Singh’s has got more than 250,000 hits in less than 18 hours. In a brilliant display of power hitting, Yuvraj absolutely decimated Stuart Broad’s bowling.

You can watch the video here

Yuvraj started with a majestic heave over midwicket, flicked the next one over squareleg (my favourite shot of the six). The third ball went soaring over extra cover and the fourth was dismissed over backward point as Broad went round the wicket. Yuvraj got down on one knee and swatted the fifth ball of the over over midwicket and finally smacked the sixth over mid on.

Magical stuff!

Guardian’s Over by Over Report.

19th over: India 207-3 (Dhoni 7, Yuvraj Singh 50) Yuvraj Singh had to be restrained by umpire Doctrove from getting involved in some verbals with Flintoff at the end of the last over and decides to take out his ever-present anger on Broad instead, absolutely CLATTERING his first ball over backward square for six. Incredible. And the next ball disappears for six as well, this time courtesy of a pick-up/sweep. The camera pans on to Flintoff, who - truth be told - looks a little sheepish. And then Yuvraj lifts Broad’s third ball over extra cover for six more! Three in three! And it’s four in four as Broad serves up a full-toss that is spanked over backward point. FOUR IN FOUR! And now it’s FIVE OUT OF OUT OF FIVE, this time with an almighty slog-sweep. Stunning stuff! Yuvraj was hit for five sixes in five balls by Mascarenhas at The Oval recently. Now he’s taking revenge. And he’s done it! SIX SIXES IN AN OVER with a mow over long-on. Quite staggering! And that’s his fifty off 12 balls!

In his article, A cure for cricket’s cancer, Ian Chappell argues that 20-20 will benefit the test and one day forms by improving the quality of competition and cricket.

While the points he makes are quite valid, I am not certain whether 20-20 cricket can actually bridge the gap in quality between the minnows and the big teams. The odd upset will happen but it is unlikely to be translated into performances in a 50 over game leave alone tests. Also, to fit in that many more 20-20 games, number of playing days in a year will increase or tests will be sacrificed (I don’t think they’ll cut down on one-dayers).

The former will mean that big stars will have to rest for matches and my belief is, the established stars will stay away from 20-20. While this will create a new range of favourites and so on, it will be a pity to have the most skilled players stay away from a format as it doesn’t do enough justice to their skills. In a few years though this will change with a new breed of cricketers who have played this form from their junior levels and hence you  will see every big team practice a rotation policy very seriously. The latter is a devastating blow for any serious cricket watcher. A good test match with all its twists and turns has something to suit every taste. The recent test series in England being a good example. Significantly reducing test cricket though seems to be a real possibility. 

At the end of the day what keeps the cash registers ringing will become the dominant form. But authorities must do their best to ensure that we strike the right balance. And here Chappell’s suggestions point in the right direction - cut the flab out from tests and one-dayers, package them well and they will probably flourish.

It has been a while since India and Pakistan were involved in a close game and they chose the right moment to revamp their rivalry. India has never lost to Pakistan in a world cup and this was Pakistan’s chance to end this streak. A great match was in the offing.

These teams did not let anyone down and have done both the TRP ratings and ICC a great favour. The new exciting format has just enticed a huge audience. Somehow India have managed to hold on to a 100% record in 20-20 internationals. They are still to lose a game and the best part is in the 3 games played they have managed 3 out of the 4 possible results.

Mixed Batting Performance:

In spite of all the drama which preceded the game regarding Rahul Dravid and his resignation the Men in Blue managed to keep their nerve during key moments and came out victorious. Mohammad Asif started out weaving his magic with his immaculate line and length. The Indians never seem to get the better of him. Sehwag making his comeback has not improved on his footwork one bit and was dismissed just the way he used to earlier. Robin Uthappa was the only one who played with a lot of flair and confidence.
Cameos from Irfan Pathan and MS Dhoni helped India surpass the 140 barrier.

The Pakistan Response:

Usually in a 20-20 game a target of 140 should have been a cakewalk but the conditions at Durban were not so favourable for batting. Pakistan struggled to get going and some great bowling by Irfan Pathan put Pakistan on the backfoot. India had the match in its hands when they got Afridi but Agarkar had other ideas. The “SO CALLED” all rounder of this side did what he does best. He gave 17 runs in the penultimate over to give Pakistan the edge. They needed 12 of the final over and misab-ul haq who was silencing his critics continued to do that with some amazing improvization.

With 2 balls to go Pakistan needed one to win and a great start to the ramzan season was beckoning. Sreesanth and Yuvi kept their cool and managed a run out in the last ball to finish the game. It had ended in a tie and the crowd got their money’s worth.

The bowl out

This new format had another surprise in store for the spectators which the ICC called as a bowl-out.It was cricket’s version of the penalty shootout where the bowlers had to hit the stumps and each team had 5 shots at it. I was not fascinated by the idea but from an entertainment point of view it was fine. India managed to win the bowl-out 3 to zilch and this helped India maintain their track record of not losing to Pakistan in a world cup. Kudos to the Indian team.

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