Another Disastrous Campaign

It was another day of mediocre and gutless cricket by the Indian team which has left its fans disappointed and has thrown it on the verge of exit from the T20 world cup which is being held at West Indies. The performance of the team is reminiscent of the last T20 world cup which was held in England ten months back. While the setting has changed the actors and their performances remain the same. It seems that the Indian team has learned nothing from its past mistakes. Players have again been caught off guard against the short pitched deliveries. The team which boasts of one of the most vibrant and explosive batting line up on paper has again failed to meet the standards of international cricket.

While the players are definitely to be blamed for this dismal lackluster performance of the team, the BCCI is equally to be blamed with biggest culprit being the IPL. Many people have argued that IPL has actually helped in the development of cricket in India. While the privy purses that it has to offer has certainly helped certain individuals, on the whole it has just given India more number of second-rate players who have been handy in the minor skirmishes that IPL has to offer but have failed to fight the battles of the international cricket. One can only feel anguish by looking at the performances of Murli Vijay and Ravindra Jadeja who were very successful in the different versions of the IPL but have looked thoroughly incompetent in the world cup. The one and a half month of continuous cricket has also left players like Sehwag injured. The same was the case last year when India was not able to play with its full bench strength.

While flat batsmen friendly pitches and short boundaries have helped produce some very high scoring matches and have helped sell the brand IPL, they have left the batsmen unprepared for the higher levels of cricket. Also these wicket provide almost no assistance to the bowlers and have pushed them on the back foot. There are no incentives for the bowlers to bend their backs and generate pace. They are rather forced to cut the pace and to rely on variations like slow back-of-the-hand deliveries. Over the years many fast bowlers who had initially emerged as a good prospect ended up cutting their pace.

Though India would be playing the 2011 World Cup matches at home grounds to its advantage, there is still a necessity to produce more bowler conducive pitches for the domestic level cricket to help players develop their game in the long run. Lets hope that BCCI makes the necessary changes in the future because it would be emotionally tormenting to see Indian team perform in a similar manner in the future tournaments.

The Unforunate One

Yes, I confess. I didn't watch him play yesterday. Rather, I couldn't watch him. And I can't believe that. The first double hundred in an ODI and I couldn't watch it. But in my defence, I was travelling yesterday. I was sitting on the Delhi Airport when I heard the sounds of cheering and clapping. At first I thought a group is celebrating some occasion on the airport. But I could hear same sounds from other parts as well. After a while, people again clapped and cheered. And this time it was louder.

I didn't realize what was happeing. Because of all the exhaustion of travelling, it didn't register my mind that it could be something related to the match. But then I got a call from a friend and it was then that I got to know the reason. I first got surprised, sat in unbelief, and when I let the news sink in, I cursed. How could I miss the occason ?

I found out later that first round of clappings were for Amla who stopped a boundary and let Tendulkar take the strike. By the way, Dhoni should go and thank him personally sometime. God knows what would have happened to him if Tendulkar was not able to score that ever elusive double century in an ODI. I do remeber how people were criticizing Dinesh Kartik for not letting Tendulkar complete his century few weeks ago and this was even a bigger occasion. No prize for guessing that second round of applause were for the master himself. Though I am not the greatest of Tendulkar fans, I still feel that he deserved it.

I redeemed my sin as soon as I came back by watching the highlights. It was indeed a flawless innings with no lucky escapes. It was all brilliant timing and placement, a flat and faithful pitch and some loose bowling. And though I liked the match, I think that the pitches should be made more bowler friendly. At least give them something to work on. But neverthless, it was a nice match and I would always regret not watching it.

Test Cricket At Its Best

The last one or two months have been good for test cricket. Some of the most exciting and close matches have been played in this duration. Whether it was India-Sri Lanka, Pakistan-New Zealand, Pakistan-Australia, Australia-West Indies or England-South Africa, every series has had few close matches. And not to forget the Ranji Trophy final that we had this year. We have truly witnessed some amazing cricket. Most of it is due to the changed mentality of the cricketers. Of late, they have started playing for the results. This combined with the effect of T20s and ODIs on the batting style has ensured that test cricket is no more 5 days of lull, boring play. Even the draws that have been played were very exciting like the ones in the England - South Africa series.

People had feared that in this fast age world, test cricket would become obsolete. That it would lose its charm and would be replaced by the shorter versions. But from what I see, it has changed for better. In fact, I like it more than the shorter version these days. And the thing that I like most about it is the fact that unlike the shorter versions, each game creates its memories. More often than not, T20s and ODIs are forgettable. Its very rare to see someone reminiscing about a good ODI or a good T20. But a good test match leaves its impact. The five day cricketing marathon has always had its takers and would continue to have it. Hoping to see some good match in the coming series, especially in the India - South Africa series. By the way, the series will have 1 ODI at Kanpur also. And fortunately, there are no exams clashing with the match this time. Hoping to finally see a match in the Green Park.

Test Cricket is Beautiful

Test crckiet is having a good run these days. Earlier, it was Sri Lanka and Pakistan and now it is Australia and England in Ashes. The last 2 tests were an absolute pleasure for any cricket fan. Though I have not been able to watch any games but I am following them very closely. Its really so nice to see some test cricket. After IPL and T20 world cup, cricket was looking boring. T20 is mostly about mind less hard hitting. It is just good in small doses because after some times, all the matches looks more or less same.

But it just took a week of great test cricket to bring back the lost excitement. Test cricket is just so beautiful and elegant. Those jam packed slip cordons for the fast bowlers with edges coming there every now and then, all those close fielders for the spinners eagerly waiting for an inside edge, the straight drives against fast bowlers and square cut against spinners are just a treat. And when its Ashes, its really an icing on the cake. All these years with the exception of 2005 Ashes series, Australia has mostly dominated the matches. But it is still so delightful to watch the matches. I especially love the way English men watch their cricket. Coming early in the morning with an umbrell, beer and a newspaper and having a nap sometimes in between. The first match though ended with a thrilling finish was mostly one sided. I hope that the coming matches are bit more close.

And finally it rained..

For a change, it was not a hot wave of wind that woke me up in the morning. It was a cool moist breeze. And few minutes later, it was raining. The much needed respite finally came. For the past few days, this was the main topic of conversation, whether in mess or with friends. There were heavy drops for few minutes and then there was a light drizzle. But it was sufficient enough to bring down the temperature. For most part of the day afterwards, it was cloudy and humid and I was feeling more comfortable outdoors than indoors.

Rest of the day was same. Though in the afternoon, I was a bit worried that all this period in idleness could destroy the remaining grey cells of my brain. So I started solving some puzzles from techinterview for the placements. And it really felt nice to exercise the mind after that long time. I have always felt that the reason I loved preparing for JEE was that it was challenging and one really had to strain his mind to reach at the solutions. All those questions of mechanics, probability, integrals were like puzzles. There was no one principle to solve all the questions. One really had to work out. And this is one thing that I hate about IIT education. Many a times, you don't even have to understand things to reach at the solution. You have a formula and you even have a calculator. And sometimes, you can't even find relation in theory and practice. I really feel that in the past 4 years, my mind has rusted.

It seems that team India is back to its old ways. The eight wicket defeat was really embarrasing. Though it could have been worst had Dhoni and RP not forged that ninth wicket partnership. Except for Dinesh Karthik, all other top order batsmen fell playing some loose shots. Jadeja again never looked good enough for the highest level. Though I still think that it would be too early to make any judgments and that he should be given few more chances. But the best part of the Indian innings was the way Dhoni batted. He was not looking fit for a T20 match, but in the ODI, his style of batting is really looking handy. It was really nice to see mails from his supporters on Cricinfo.

And after a brief haitus due to 'A passage to India', I have again started reading. This time, I am reading 'Lucky Jim'. The novel is pretty light and comic and is also listed in the Time magazine's list of 100 best novels from 1923-2005('A passage to India' was listed too but I really found that book quite boring). I am hoping to finish it in the next few days.

Thats it for today. Bye.

Casualty of T20

After a fortnight(well not even a fortnight), Indian cricket team is back in the business in the West Indies for the 4 ODIs. First of all, whats the sense of having 4 ODIs. You should either have 3 matches or 5 matches so that the series is decided under all circumstances. But I guess 3 is too less and 5 is too much. Thats why the boards have settled for 4 matches. Or it could be that the rhetoric of everybody is a winner is catching up. I once read a nice quote about it. It said that whoever said that statement must have been a loser. Well enough of crap now. I am digressing from the topic.

So here I am in my room following the match on Cricinfo. Live matches on the TV is a luxury that we can't avail in the hostels. Its been quite a long time since we had an ODI. Firstly, there was the IPL and then the T20 world cup. And now, I really can't feel the passion with which I used to follow the ODIs earlier. You look at the scoreboard and see 80 runs in 16 odd overs. It looks so slow. 50 overs have suddenly started to seem as too many. And devoting 7 hours for a single game seems like a waste. It is too early to say but it appears to me that ODI would eventually lose to T20. The calculated and patient 50 over game is really not a match to the fast, roller coster ride of a T20 game. ODIs can become one sided. In T20, you only need one good over to turn the game in your favour. The games are very often quite close. The margin of victory is 15-20 runs.

Test cricket, however, I feel would remain unaffected by this. Test cricket has its different niche. It has its own fans and followers. It was always a different type of cricket, one where the premium was always on skill and stamina. As said by many, it would always remain one the greatest spectacles of sport. Althought, the growing number of T20 matches have definitely reduced the frequency of Test mataches played every year. But neverthless, it has maintained its charm. And as for the ODIs, only the time could tell now where does it future lies.

Pakistan wins T20 world cup :(

This is just miserable. I was not that upset when India got out from the world cup. They deserved it. But I am really upset now after Pakistan has won. It was the last team after Australia that I would have liked to see winning the world cup. But again, I think they deserved it. This win by Pakistan, to me, looks so much like the Indian win last time. Both the teams were underdogs. Both the teams had players who were capable of giving good individual performance. And both the teams played together as a team to win the cup.

Pakistan played well and performed when it really mattered. It was a surprising come back after their defeat at the hands of the English side. To start with, they were a rusty side and the press conference after their first game really confirms my assertion. I am sure that even Younis Khan would not have believed in his chance at the beginning as was clear from his attitude in that conference. But the Pakistani players just gained their momentum from there on.

It was quite an easy journey for them to the semi finals as the only test team that they had defeated till then was New Zealand. And had they been defeated by South Africans, it would just have been a matter of luck favouring their way by giving them easy draws. But their win over Sri Lanka and South Africa, two of the best sides in the tournament really makes them a deserving winner. Boom Boom Afridi got his batting form at the right time. This guy always surprises me. After having started as a batsman, he moved on to become Pakistan's best bowler. His faster ones are really fast and he has quite many bowling variations in his armoury. Umar Gul was terrific to the extent that people doubted about the bowl being tempered after the reverse swing that he was obtaining. I don't know how much truth is there in it but regardless of it, his performance was fabulous.

Saqlain Mushtaq, it seems, had an everlasting impact on Pakistan. Many Pakistani spinners have tried to emulate him with Saeed Ajmal being the latest one in the list. He along with Amir and Razzaq really made Pakistani bowling line up formidable. For Razzaq, it was really a dream run. After having to forego his international career for a while due to his association with the ICl, it was really the kind of performance that he would have wanted. He has definitely consolidated his position in the Pakistani line up.

And this win also gives me a good opportunity to criticize the IPL once again. After having said by many that IPL will be a good practice ground for the Indian team, the tournament was finally won by a side that had no participation in it. Fitness of the player, it seems, can never ever replace anything in the game. I hope that before the next world cup, the Indian side has a good rest and all the players would play with 100% match fitness.

Team India Zindabaad !!

What has IPL given to the Indian cricket team ? It has given an injured Sehwag, players whose capabilities are blown out of proportions based on their performances against the minnows of domestic circuit and an over confident team. It was really pathetic to see team India playing. The performance was poor, miserable, wretched. I am falling short of adejectives here. After having defeated Bangladesh and Ireland in the first round of the world cup, India lost their real games. And rightly speaking, a team which could not achieve a target of 154 didn't really deserve to go to the semi final round. The team failed in every department. The Indian pacers never looked in a position to contain the oppositions' batsmen in any of the games. And the batsmen made heroes out of pacers like Stuart Broad and for that matter Pollard in game against West Indies. And their treatment to the short pictched deliveries was really shocking. However due credit should also be given to the English pacers for continuously bowling that short pitched length and coming up with good bouncers in nearly every over, something which their Indian counterparts failed to do. Except for Yuvraj and Yusuf Pathan, the Indian batting line up looked rusted. Ravindra Jadeja was unable to accelerate the innings at a time when it was really needed. He was even unable to rotate the strike. And the pressure developed led to Gambhir giving away his wicket. I am sure that an 'elderly member' like Sachin would have done a much better job. All the pre tournament suppositions as to how the South African IPL experience would help the Indian players to get accustomed to the similar conditions in England just failed. Dhoni in particular didn't look like remotely like a batsman he used to be when he started his international career. It seems that too much of cricket really has done some harm to him. But as our dear Mahi says in that Aircel advertisement, its the time to move on.

Why we hate Australia ?

First of all this is not meant to be a hate speech as a reaction to the recent instances of attacks on the Indians in Australia. Although I do condemn what has happened there and think that people should now get out of their illusion of superiority. But this is not what I want to write about. I am here talking about the Australian cricket team. After their ouster from the T20 world cup, I was happy. I was ecstatic. After seeing the result, there was a punch in the air and some brief shouting. And I am sure that most of us were wanting it really badly.

So why do we hate this Australian cricket team ? Why do we want to see them getting defeated ? Why does that dismal and disarrayed face of Ponting gives you that immense satisfaction that all those who hate that team must have felt ? A reasonable argument is that it is because its a team that has won 3 World cups, has dominated test cricket like anything, has produced some of the most finest players in cricket and that they are the most potent challenge to India's rise to the top in the world cricket.

But is this the reason that we go till the extent of celebrating their failures ? I think that there is more to it than this. I think that this hatred is the accumulation of all those moments when we have seen them resorting to anything to win that one match, the moments when we have seen them disgracing some of the most graceful and elegant cricketers, their incapability to accept the their defeat to and to allow their opponents to savour their moments of glory. You see their arrogance. You see them sledging the players, you see them tussling with the umpires. I don't say that other teams don't resort to these things. They do but not as often and as regularly as Australians. And I also don't say that I don't like sledging. I like it for the fact that it has added the spice and that X-factor to that yesteryear's game of the gentlemen. But I don't like it when I see Andrew Symonds sledging young Manish Pandey in an IPL match or when I see Michael Slater sledging Dravid for asking for a re look at a catch where the ball did touch the ground. Its the moment like these that fills you with hatred against them. I don't hate their guts. I just hate their attitude. And now when they are out it really doesn't matter to me as to who wins the title. Although I would always vouch for the Indian side. So best of luck to the Indian side. And I do hope that we get to see some breath taking close games, something for which T20 is renowned.