My Two Cricketing Idols - Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid

I had completed my Engineering studies and was now a corporate. Few months later in December 2006, Indian cricket team were touring South Africa and part of their tour was a solitary T20 match. It was India’s first international T20 match and at the end of it, they emerged victorious. It was Sachin Tendulkar’s first and turned out to be his only T20 international. At the time of the first T20 World Cup in 2007, the trio of Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly and had opted out of T20 cricket internationally as they felt it was best suited for youngsters. Rest, it turned out to be an historic moment in the evolution of present day cricket. MS Dhoni led his young team to the title which changed the course of cricketing future - Birth of Indian Premier League and the successive T20 leagues around the world.

It was the summer of 2008 when Indian television and stadium goers had got a custom made cricket event which involved international cricketers spread across eight franchises or cities in India. Sachin Tendulkar represented his home city ‘Mumbai’ while Rahul Dravid turned out in red and gold colours for ‘Bangalore’. This year IPL completed six seasons and if I look back on that night of 18^th April 2008; I was celebrating my mother’s birthday with relatives and friends at home and the IPL carnival was not so far off from my place in Bangalore. For the first time Indian viewers were to be divided on city basis for its most worshipped sport. I am a Bangalorean and my cricketing idols were Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. I decided not to support anyone and I still maintain about picking my favourites on the match day or how I felt. C’est la vie for me when it comes to T20 cricket.

Around the fourth season of IPL I found myself to be in a situation where I was donning the outfits of the IPL central management team which operated the tournament. It was a dream for most youngsters, cricket fans, and game maniacs to be working on a job that involved cricket and cricketers. By that time, I had lost my innocence as a fan and looked at my idols in a different way. I became averse to the idea of clicking photographs with them and more so when it involved my revered cricketers (God knows, how many of my close friends and relatives I have denied). I was still a kid at heart when it came to these two cricketers or when it came to supporting them. Just that, I had become a more silent kid than continue being a naughty one. I felt I was different and if I ever get to meet them in person, I knew I would be not be like any other fans. Believe me it was different.

Looking back, I was thrilled when Sachin Tendulkar greeted me, shook hands and gave an autograph penned using his right hand (he is a left-handed writer) in a local cricket match and quite a similar euphoria when I met Rahul Dravid for the first time after winning a competition and second time at a game. I was a kid back then, the one who had his dreams fulfilled by these two cricketers. No they were not just cricketers, they were super-heroes to me.

And few years later I meet them as a professional. A lot had changed in my life – I was married by this time and yet I could not stop but admire these two cricketers. Yes, I was watching less of live cricket than I used to and yet was managing to follow the missed action through highlights, cricinfo and other medium of information.Cricket was not just a passion, it was my work too. 

Yesterday, both Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid played out their final limited overs game or should I say in coloured clothing. While Rahul Dravid has retired from all forms of the game internationally, Tendulkar continues to be a player in the longer version of the game (Test cricket) for India. While I am amassed and intrigued at the journey and accolades Tendulkar has been able to achieve, I am inspired by the course and journey Rahul Dravid endured. Sachin Tendulkar won his last T20 International for India, last One day international for India (including a World Cup), last IPL match for Mumbai Indians (including the trophy) and the last Champions League T20 again for Mumbai Indians (including the trophy). Even if he doesn’t play another Test for some reason or the other, he would still have the feat of winning his last Test match he played for India.

On the other hand – Rahul Dravid has not won a World Cup; he was part of the losing team on the occasion of his last Test, last ODI, his last T20 all for India, his last IPL match and the last Champion’s league T20 match with Rajasthan Royals.

Rahul Dravid will not play competitive cricket anymore and I am a grown up boy to understand his decision better than I would have few years ago. He will be missed but I am sure his family would not complain about this retirement. Personally, it was a warming experience to work with the same franchise Dravid captained and something which I cherish for a long time to come. The journey outweighs the destination and one such epitome to that is Rahul Dravid's career. 

Sachin Tendulkar has played 24 years of international cricket. I know he is not at his best at the moment and I also know he knows his cricket much better than I do. Is he destroying his legacy by not being at his best or is it a tale of perseverance and dedication to one’s skill? Frankly, it doesn’t matter to me. His effect on cricket lovers and to the world cricket has been enormous and a mighty positive one.

So on that note, I will cherish this period of dusk on the greatest cricketer I have witnessed in my lifetime. I was a five year old kid when he first played international cricket (1989) wearing the whites and he will end his playing career someday wearing whites. Among my list of childhood idols across all sports, he remains the last man standing. 

Image Courtesy: internationalreporter.com

Perils of Indian Cricket Administration

Last week, Cricket made headlines (again) for illegal activities concerning spot-fixing. A two-time World Cup winner, a first-class cricketer and a club cricketer all playing for the same franchise Rajasthan Royals were accused, taken to custody, their contracts suspended, banned and the investigations are still on. Not so long ago, in 2000 this game discovered the term match-fixing being added to its glossary. Spot-fixing is the latest addition.

 

 Illegal by its widely accepted definition is “Prohibited by law or by official or accepted rules”. While the connotations and the usage are unparalleled in today’s world, illegal is also a situation where there is a degree of punishment when a personnel or a firm involved.

 A lot of noise is heard at the moment in India; with social media easily accessible to public, the news is viral and with each passing hour there are updates and more dirt being unearthed. What is the truth? I ask this question each time when such allegations threaten to disrupt a sport, let alone be cricket. Quel dommage!

 Individuals or a collection of individuals may be playing for the same team, but their personalities are different. Just as their skill sets are unique, their sociological background and their vision towards life are varied. This is what team sports are made up of – a bunch of idiosyncratic athletes coming together with a simple purpose and a common goal – to win. It is their profession and like any other profession, sport is no different. Win at all costs is the mantra; losing at all costs?

 Losing is a constant part of the game; if done deliberately you discredit the effort put in by your peers and opposition. Cricket like many other games evolved from being a recreational sport to the present day business establishment. There are contracts, employee agreements and commitments which is necessary to fulfill.

 The business over recreation in its modern avatar became very evident in cricket with the advent of T20 cricket and since the conception of Indian Premier League (IPL). Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) in partnership with International Management Group (IMG) drew the league structure for IPL in 2008.

 Currently, IPL is in its sixth edition and barring the first season; each season had its share of controversies. This is nothing new for the tournament that unites the best of international cricketers from around the world for a good part of ten weeks. The teams are owned by well-known business magnates and few of the famous Indian movie celebrities. State Associations of Cricket are involved in tandem with BCCI and team owners as they provide the playing facilities, while the sponsors who pump in money to these franchises also play an important role. Not to forget, amidst all this, there are local Indian cricketers and umpires who are given a platform of their lives to showcase their respective talents to the global audience.

 With deals in the tune of millions of dollars for TV rights, Mobile rights, League Sponsorship this is easily one of the top leagues in the world when it comes to money involved. So with a short introduction to IPL, the basic question remains unanswered or I might say skewed. What is the purpose of IPL - Is it to promote cricket? Money?  To showcase cricketer’s talents?  To remain in the limelight or is it a cocktail of all the above factors?

 BCCI’s objective is simple – To make money from cricket and to utilise that money to promote cricket across the country. What about other stake holders? Their involvement in IPL is simple too -Win matches, increase their presence in the social circles and add IPL as an extension to their well established businesses. While this is true for owners, a lot of companies utilise IPL to showcase their products through advertisements and sponsorship. IPL is not merely for cricket, it is entertainment, business, money and fame with cricket as its vital ingredient.

 With cricket as the vital ingredient, it is the onus on the governing body BCCI in the lead with ICC as a indirect partner to take the moral responsibility for the smooth running of the league. India as a political nation is divided by region, language and caste politics. Indian cricket has them all - BCCI is the only organisation that had and has representatives from all the major political parties across India consistently in its governing body. With such a powerful network, it is perhaps explained why this unity can fail and is deemed ineffective when it comes to tackling or checking illegal activities or resolving conflicts of interests. That is the flip side of being democratic in an organisation where the rules can be skewed and altered easily while none of it all is explained in lay man’s language.

 What can BCCI do? While the responsibility of integrity rests with the individual athletes, BCCI can consider this latest fiasco to lead by example and demonstrate its might to educate the upcoming cricketers, strengthen its laws, rewrite it such that there is no scope for misinterpretation and finally look beyond money and take care of Indian cricket that lays the golden eggs.

 BCCI with its increased reach, stronger and deeper than the Indian Olympic Committee can set examples to other athletes in matters related to match-fixing, spot-fixing, doping, mentoring and faking age in junior cricket. While many of the cricketers earn good money by playing cricket, the present generation needs monitoring and the future generations to come needs education on the ill-traps of sport. BCCI needs to control cricket from playing and administrative aspects such that there are clear, well defined laws and rules to tackle such aforementioned issues.

Will they? Time can only answer. 

INDIA’S T20 AGONY IN WORLD STAGE – SHOULD WE LOOK BEYOND THE TRADITIONAL WAY OF PLAYING THIS FORMAT?

For India, in the end it all came down to the last match. Pity it was not the last match of the tournament. Prior to the match, the situation India was in reminded me those ODI multi-nation tournaments which India played in the 1990s and how they had to squeeze into the finals through mathematics. It was always about net-run rate, it still is.

In 2007 T20 World Cup, India after losing to New Zealand in the Super 8s bounced back well with a victory against England (Yes, the same match where Yuvraj Singh scored those six 6s) and had to face South Africa in the last match. A win would have ensured them a spot in semi-finals and for South Africa; they were playing for the net run-rate. Eventually they didn’t qualify and rest is history. India went on to win the inaugural T20 championships, T20 became the latest craze in India, BCCI cashes on this madness and launches IPL, Dhoni becomes the overnight star and many more can be added to this. Cricket was never the same in India and to a larger extent worldwide.

It has been five years and a week since that victory over Pakistan, and in between then and now three World Cups have already taken place with India failing to be in top four on each occasion. After India’s failure to advance to semi-finals, I wondered - Here is a case which is worrying for a country that by far has the best T20 league in place (IPL).

T20 cricket, when looked purely from cricket’s point of view was one of the best things that happened to cricket. It just made cricket get into an elite and I go on further saying, a sole league where a sport can be played in three dimensions. Additionally, T20 gives a chance to be part of the Olympics programme. Cricket is by far the only sport (compared to other sports) that offers a wide range of action a consumer can ask for - a quick bite, a hearty meal and a buffet spread over five days.

Though T20 was conceived in England, BCCI has been instrumental in making it grand courtesy of Indian Premier League (IPL).  Besides the controversies that are part of any sports league, IPL has made cricket a much calmer sport owing to interactions of international stars. The way it is structured, Indian cricketers – current and upcoming have a lot of benefits. More opportunities to learn new things, unlearn certain things which might prevent you from becoming better and re-learn the basics. So far it has been good, but I asked myself – What effect does it have on the national team? Why have we gone back ever since IPL started?

Can this be the one of the reasons - Indian players not being allowed to play in the abroad leagues? IPL might be a shorter version, but it does give a chance to play in foreign conditions which will come in handy. In the age of professionalism, injuries are just an excuse for mis-management and over commitment is a plane excuse for ignorance.

On contrary, Pakistan has been one of the most consistent performers in T20 World Cup formats. Lost to India by a whisker, won the next edition in 2009; missed the final by a whisker (courtesy of those sixes from Mike Hussey in the last two overs) and now semi-finalists again. Surely there must be something going right besides talent or luck? They do not have a good T20 league, do not have any international cricket at home and yet they are always been in the last four consistently in the last four T20 World Cups. I am not saying they are better than the Indian side, results definitely point in this direction and one cannot fail but notice their immense growth  as a T20 side. They are the only team to be in top four since 2007. The only solace for an Indian fan is the fact that they have yet to win against us in a World Cup match. Gone are those days when a victory against Pakistan was equivalent, in fact better than the World Cup. There are still people who belong to that school of fact – Personally it is great to win against them all the time, but it should not stop just there. Thankfully Indian cricket team knows that. What is it that we are missing? Why are we getting close to resemble the English football team that boasts of a high profile domestic league but produce inconsistent performances  in international tournaments.

M S Dhoni has now captained in four T20 World Cups, a record? Having captained consistently and successfully the Chennai Super Kings in IPL and Champions League, he has not been able to get the most of his national team to be in the top four. Yes, this format is a freak show where anything can happen. But this format is also a highly strategic one where often the best strategies hold you in a good stead. Did India as a team has been missing the point at crucial times in the last three World Cups?

I am not trying to be hard on this team. They have just lost one match in this tournament and still they find themselves in this uneasy situation. Is there a way to analyse this kind of performance? Or should we just blame our ill fate and move on with our lives? After all this is just a sport, isn’t it?

Well, to me this way of looking at it is a big ‘NO’. To a lot of people, sports and cricket in general might be a source of recreation. But this ‘recreation’ is also a profession. As in every other profession, if one fails there is a tendency to shake up things and try to look for alternative solutions to change the pattern. Cricket is no different.

This is where ‘homework’ comes into picture. I have loads of things running in my mind.

·        Is it time to look at the T20 format beyond the traditional means of thinking? Yes, several teams have been doing this consistently now.

·        Should we replace the players and form a new team – different players for different formats? – A lot of teams follow this.

·        Should we have a separate T20 support staff strengthened by analysts who might just think out of the box? – Well, to my knowledge there is not much evidence to suggest teams in cricket are following this.

In T20, just like the players, the support staffs are also in the ‘WIP’ mode. Is it not better to have a different/new set of backhand support that might just make a difference?

It is a point to consider and in a format like T20 such people have no lesser role than say contingency planners in any of the major events or companies. T20 is like a rapid chess game where you need to have a vision or an idea about all the different probabilities in a situation. One should have worked out different ways to tackle a situation, as there is less time (considering over rate issues) for captains to think efficiently.

This struck me hard ever since India lost to Australia. The manner in which we lost should have the think-tank minds ringing. Yes, a bad loss can happen at any time. Players take time to recover; in T20 games since time is crucial the support staff comes in handy. More so, if they are pro-active.

What must be done to nullify such a bad loss? It is all about winning the tournament right?  In such a scenario; could we have thought a better way while playing against Pakistan knowing that net run-rates can make a lot of difference?

Why don’t we start looking this format in a more analytically as different results can pose threats to one’s cause? One cannot expect players to do this; all they can do is prepare and polish their skills. Such analytical information will be a supplement when one gets to team meetings. I see a merit in such thinking and BCCI for instance can start to look at this T20 format differently than the traditional formats where teams do have time to adapt to prevailing conditions.

I had read this quote once – “One of life's most painful moments comes when we must admit that we didn't do our homework, that we are not prepared.” – Does Indian T20 team feel that way? 

WORKING WITH RAHUL DRAVID

Over the past two months I happened to live in Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan. Work being for IPL this season I was excited for many reasons. More so, this being a new venue for me and secondly the team which is based out of Jaipur is being captained by one of my two idols in cricket. Yes, the name is that of Rahul Dravid.

He retired not so long ago this year and what would you expect from a retired legend in IPL? More importantly, what would be Rahul expecting from himself. He was replacing Shane Warne as the captain, who had made an impact with the team and was pivotal in Rajasthan Royals winning the inaugural IPL title in 2008. Expectations and comparisons were being made, but the Wall was composed as he openly talked about his expectations for the season. He wanted to win and more importantly he wanted him and his team to perform well and keep getting better as the season progressed. 

Sawai Mansingh Stadium, the venue for Rajasthan Royals proved to be a good one with Royals winning their first three home matches. Ajinkya Rahane had found sublime touch and in the company of Rahul Dravid gave RR decent starts on a consistent basis.

Personally this piece is more on Dravid. I have never seen him being more vocal and animated on the field. He wanted to lead by example and so he did; be it with the bat or on the field, he was always there. Even when they had a string of defeats he was very clear on accepting where they went wrong instead of looking for excuses. Such a quality in a person is indeed admirable and how can you wish such a guy to lose a game? It was really hard.

Coming from Bangalore I do admit having a soft corner for the RCB team. On the night when Rahane scored a hundred in front of a packed Chinnaswamy stadium, i felt I was supporting Dravid, the local lad than the local team. Trust me, it wasn’t easy but over the past two years working with the league has helped me overcome this fact. Though I am not a passionate fan of RCB anymore, I do like them to win the title someday and this year I had a feeling RR deserved it, more so for Dravid.

The one run loss in Delhi didn’t help the cause and I feel personally that did affect RR mentally. Something went amiss though the team displayed strong character, it was evident somewhere it did affect them. And so after playing 14 matches in the league, it all came down to the last two matches. One at Hyderabad against Deccan Chargers and the other against Mumbai Indians at home in Jaipur.

I was looking forward to the match against the Chargers and in a way thought it would be a walk in the park. Upsets are common in sports and today what was witnessed is just another example as to why living in present is the best approach in sports, no matter how much one plans. Royals lost and so did I for a while. I didn’t want to work on the last match seeing the sad faces of the RR management team. Play-offs were this close and yet the defeat today has made it look so far. They don’t deserve to be placed seventh on the table, but such has been this season that there was very little margin for any errors.

I am not sure if Rahul will be back next year. It is entirely upto him as he looks forward to his first real break from cricket post-retirement. He might have not won the title this year, but surely he ensured his team would be known as the well behaved team in IPL 5. Few more days to go and then our paths might not cross the way it has been in the last few weeks. But the memory shall be there – Of the chats (though very little) we had, those pleasantries exchanged on a regular basis and just the way he went about playing cricket on the field; it was different, yet the flavour remained the same. It was just cooked differently.

The season is over for the RR team and I am not thinking beyond the 72^nd match of IPL. That will be the last match for RR and they will be just playing for pride, a win to wrap up a missed opportunity season.

Out of many memories, this one would last for some time. My niece Meghna is three years of age and over past one year has taken some interest to cricket. Not bad for a Swiss resident and this time in Jaipur she finally managed to get herself a cricket bat. A proper GM bat specially designed for young aged cricketers. Destiny; with few hours left for her to fly back, I found Dravid quietly eating his dinner as I entered the restaurant to have my dinner. He was kind enough to sign the bat for the little girl and that bat wasn’t just any bat after that moment. I am certain my niece had no idea what had just happened, but she will someday if at all she takes up cricket more seriously.

I have had some of the best times in Jaipur this year and fittingly did manage to find some time to know more of the city and got an opportunity to meet people and have an understanding of how they perceived this sport. And one among them was Dravid. 

Till next time, Rahul.... 

Sachin and the Tale of Two Nehru Stadiums

The best thing about the generation I grew up was about a special persona called ‘Sachin’. I was inspired more than anything else about this cricketer who continues to enthrall me in my daily life till date. My work for IPL had a special connection related to Sachin and indeed I can say I was fortunate my cricketing thirst was realized to an extent.

I had an opportunity to be at the two new venues of IPL. Both the stadiums had unique culture, style, work ethics, and mannerisms. The first look at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium at Kochi, it feels as though one is in a football stadium. It is true, the same venue hosted several football matches in the past including a match that had one lakh spectators. It is a huge stadium in the middle of a public road surrounded by many commercial SME’s.

I have been to cricket stadiums previously, but never once to a football converted cricket stadium. What do I remember about Kochi? Summer of 98 comes to my mind, as a 13 year old school going boy I had my summer holidays. April 98, scenes of Ajay Jadeja scoring a hundred, Kambli in his comeback match, Ajit Agarkar making his debut and vividly I remember the champion picking up 5 wickets for the first time in his career. Oh yes, after creating havoc in the Test series against Australia, it was time for the champ to show his magic with the ball. What amazed me was the leg spinners of his and the amount of turn he managed to get. Six years later, he repeated his feat with the ball against Pakistan by picking up a Michelle at the same venue.

The stats man in me was thrilled to have been in this stadium. Along with the IPL work, I was happy to have met the comrades of Kerala Cricket Association who have been part of Kochi cricket since its debut in 1998. In the free time, I tested my cricketing knowledge with them about the other matches played at Kochi.

While the matches were on at Kochi, I had an opportunity to travel Indore regularly to prepare the venue for IPL. From the humid weather, it was time I welcomed the dry heat of Indore. Apart from Food Street, Indore had a rich history of cricket with Holkars (before it was called Madhya Pradesh) having played their home matches at Indore. The venue for the two home matches of Kochi Tuskers was at the Holkar stadium, which had previously hosted just the two ODI’s. Both being India – England encounters in 2006 and 2008 respectively.

The first question I asked to MPCA (Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association), what about the other ground of Indore? The staff at MPCA was kind enough to give me the address of the same. One fine evening on my way to the airport, I decided to check out this venue. Call it co-incidence; it was the historic Nehru stadium of Indore I was talking about. Just to go back into history, this stadium never hosted an ODI after 2001. It hosted a tie match between India – Zimbabwe, World cup match between Australia – New Zealand in 1987, a controversial abandoned match on the Christmas of 97 between India – Sri Lanka and the eventful historic India – Australia ODI in 2001. Sachin became the first player in ODI’s to score run number 10,000 at this very ground.

Luck has it; the Nehru stadium has become a public play ground and doesn’t look like a venue that had previously hosted international matches. It was disappointing to see the ground reality of this venue. Well, that’s how things go I believe. Before getting in to the car, I managed to see the long bat signed by the entire team of victorious India of 1971 England tour. Next day, I was back in Kochi and walked around the Nehru stadium. I thought to myself – How contrasting the two venues of the same name are?