INDIA-PAKISTAN, WORLD CUP CRICKET AND BEYOND

It has been twenty-three years and the saga of the victory delight continues. India-Pakistan at the World Cup is not just a match, a lot more than a ODI. Ask anyone on the streets, or Indians living in different parts of the world, even a non-cricket fan will give his or her opinion on this encounter. Reactions, plenty of them has ensured the hype continues till the time India meets its neighbour next time in a World Cup. The hype, the tension and a series of creative ads, all these provide excess baggage to what is supposed to be a scheduled cricket match in a World Cup. So far, it isn't been that way and I am not sure it will be normal keeping in mind the political relations we have. On any given day, this dual on the cricket field makes headlines and nothing short of victory would suffice for the supporters. Yes, it is a sport, there will be ups and downs, etc, etc - but they all cease to exist on one's mind come match day.

Waking up at four in the morning after having slept for just three hours was my way of getting ready to join the action that took place in Adelaide last Sunday. I was never up this early to watch a India-Pakistan match! I boarded the first train of the Sunday morning to reach a place where the match was being screened live - and I was not alone in this journey. This was the sixth time India was playing Pakistan and  each of those six encounters weren't the same, expect that India managed to win in all of it. Every time India faced Pakistan in a World Cup, my definition and understanding of the game of cricket had strengthened and these six encounters also serves well for my metamorphosis as a cricket fan and life in general.

A SCHOOL BOY'S RUSH HOURS

My first introduction to cricket World Cup coincided with the first ever meeting of the arch-rivals India and Pakistan. A group encounter in Sydney, the 1992 match was a day-night affair, and as a seven-year old, I watched India win by bowling Pakistan out. The match being on a weekday, I only witnessed the second innings and flashes of this first victory still remains fresh in my memory. Probably, the win was the sole consolation for India's campaign as they managed only two wins from their eight matches. Pakistan would go on to win the World Cup. I took up cricket coaching lessons post the World Cup and cricket was permanently engrained since that time.

UNDERSTANDING WHAT INDIA-PAKISTAN WAS ALL ABOUT

By the time the next World Cup began, India repeatedly found it tough to get past Pakistan - remember the Friday evenings of Sharjah? However, World Cup was a different ball game and the two teams lined up to face each other in the quarterfinals stage in Bangalore, my home town. It was a Saturday afternoon, and I was not fortunate to be on the ground unlike few of my cousins and friends. Television was my solace and along with few other friends and family members (who also faced my fate), we watched every ball, absorbed all the drama that took place and cherished India's victory and with it, the passage to the semi-finals. If the defeat at the hands of Srilanka was embarrassing, the quarter-finals lose would have been unthinkable. The lose against Srilanka was puzzling to me as I repeatedly pestered my father as to what was happening! I was in tears and didn't have an idea as to why wickets fell every five minutes.

THE TEENS AND THE PLAYING DAYS

I was in class ten, and the timings of England matches suited my schedule. My classes post my summer holidays began just when the Super six round had started. After a royal defeat at the hands of Australia, the match against Pakistan in Manchester was a knock-out match for India. And outside the grounds, tensions of different sorts loomed as the two countries were engaged in a war in Kargil. While soldiers did their best, the attention and pressure were on these two teams like never before. A defeat for Pakistan was inconsequential - but the result was not just restricted to cricket. It was winning a war and trust me, I cannot imagine what might have been the reaction of fanatics if the result was anything but a victory. India didn't make it to the final four while Pakistan were humbled by the Australian team in the finals. This exit was overlooked as for most of the Indians, their world cup was to defeat Pakistan and nothing else. But, like many of the cricket fans, I was disappointed when India exited after the Super Six stage.

THE COLLEGE YEARS - FROM PLAYING TO MERE SUPPORTING

Four years later, World Cup moved to the African continent for the first time and by this time I was in my first year of engineering. A group of us gathered at a friend's place and lived through every over of the game. While Anwar ambled his way and scored the first century for an India-Pakistan encounter, Sachin Tendulkar breezed his way, demolishing the trio of pace men, the Pakistan's backbone with disdain. This was attacking batsmanship at its best, and people like me who witnessed it live can only explain what each stroke coming out of Tendulkar's bat felt like. That was an innings which had to be experienced as it happened, the feelings of watching it now does not provide the same essence as it did on the evening of March 1^st, 2003. India won the match and thereby made Pakistan difficult to qualify for the next round. We took our bikes out and went on the streets to join the victory parade! What a thrill, what an experience!

THE PROFESSIONAL

The year 2007 was an anti-climax as both India and Pakistan, who on paper were assured of meeting in Super eights were out of the tournaments at the group stage. I must admit, I was holidaying in Goa when both the teams played their respective matches against Bangladesh (India) and Ireland (Pakistan). I was earning by this time and had plans to also visit the Caribbean islands, if India progressed further. If, only!

WORLD CUP WEDDING

I chose to work in the sports industry as a result of cricket. If cricket had not fascinated me when I was about six, probably I would not have pursued further in sports. As it turns out, I was in India and in the middle of my wedding preparations when the World Cup 2011 returned to the sub-continent after 15 years.

I was in Indore on the day of the semi-finals of the 2011 ICC World Cup. By this time, I was married and had experienced my first World Cup match live on the ground. My flight back to Kochi was planned so that we could catch the start of the game. Instead, there were issues with the flight and I landed in Delhi, Hyderabad and finally in Kochi a good seven hours later. By that time, I had missed Tendulkar's awkward 85, Sehwag's five boundaries in an over and Wahab Riaz silencing the local crowd by getting Yuvraj Singh out for a golden duck. At work, we had our TV screen on and work took a back step as the entire working staff of the Kochi cricket stadium were in front of a TV. We decided to get back to our hotel and alone in my hotel room I saw the Pakistani resistance fading away. India won the match, Sachin took his third MoM for India-Pakistan encounters, and India went on to win the World Cup few days later. As a fan and a follower of Indian cricket, my dream of watching India win the World Cup came true.

MOVING ON

Now I have just entered my 30's and I just had a long day last Sunday - a day which saw Kohli scoring a hundred, a first for an Indian (for India-Pakistan WC encounters). This match was a first without Sachin Tendulkar and that is indicator of how long these encounters have been placed. Like always, this encounter too started out as a match which both teams could win. I am not sure whether the weight of those five defeats fell heavy on Pakistani players; in my opinion after watching all the six encounters live, repeat and highlights many times over, the only conclusion is - that India always managed to be the better side come the D-day. There is no other explanation and for statistics, they do not matter when the players from both sides start fresh on a different day, at a new venue in a future tournament. This 6-0 in favour of India, I must admit has been a joy simply because of the moments that connects various stages of my life, a timeline or a milestone where I can reflect upon how cricket and my life overall has been a series of  love-hate moments; how it has given me pleasure and pain; made me accept the outcomes better; face the challenges and look forward to all those exciting things that are yet to happen. 

OFFLINE & ONLINE CRICKET

I left India for my Master studies in 2009. The course involved sports but when it came to cricket, it seemed as though it was an alien sport.

Except for few Indians in my batch there was absolutely zero interest on cricket and we were the most recognisable Indians, more than Sachin Tendulkar. This is where it hit me, and quite hard. I was in Switzerland and not in India.

It was on a Sunday morning that year on my way back to the room I got a message from my friend. That was the time when I had a normal mobile phone with no internet - no tabs or smart phones. I had to rely on Wi-Fi connection if I were to be connected online. There was cricket being played and it involved India, but no where I saw the buzz or could find enthusiastic people to discuss about it.

I checked the scores on Cricinfo only to find Tendulkar had hit 163 before he left the field retired hurt. How could I have missed it? I cursed myself and in a state of desperation, I found a remedy. A friend of mine, a cricket enthusiast himself gave me the link to a website where I could watch the highlights. I watched it once, twice and few more times.

When the Indians played New Zealand in the 1^st Test at Hamilton, I stayed awake till about 4 am watching Tendulkar construct a brilliant innings of 160. It felt different as I had never watched an innings of his live on a laptop. And earlier in India, I had to wake up early to watch a live match from New Zealand and now I had to sleep late.

Over the course of the year, I watched him score a match winning hundred against Sri Lanka, a mammoth effort against Australia. His 175 at Hyderabad reminded of the desert storm innings when he plundered the Australian attack.

I started watching cricket through my laptop regularly; it reminded me the time when I used to watch and follow cricket with my family, friends or even strangers. Be it at someone’s place, or at work or even on a street, cricket was followed religiously and that was the buzz I was missing. Cricket was such a wonderful ice breaker that I started missing the conversations on this sport. Where were the opinionated minds?

After a year of staying and studying in Switzerland, I was back in India on an assignment. I was working late on that evening when I got to know about Sachin’s double hundred, the first in ODI’s. I was sweating it out on a afternoon when I saw the scoreboard of him scoring a Test double hundred against Sri Lanka, I was busily running to different parts of Delhi when he made another double hundred against Australia and I was chatting with my friend on a cold evening with no TV cable connection when he had scored that 50^th Test hundred against South Africa at Centurion. He went on to score one more at Cape Town and I missed that too. To sum it up, I had missed the best phase of Tendulkar’s cricketing career in the 21^st century. How could I? Why did I not watch all the matches just like the old times?

A couple of weeks before I was to get married, World Cup 2011 had started. I was in Bangalore and didn’t want to miss the chance of watching a match live. After struggling for close to six hours, my cousin and I did manage to buy ourselves a ticket each. Tendulkar scored 120 off 115 deliveries and it was his 98^th international hundred. It was to be my first World Cup match and as it stands, it was to be the last time I would watch Sachin score a hundred live on the ground.

I didn’t watch him take that single at Nagpur which gave him his 99^th hundred. Like many others, I too waited for him to score his 100^th hundred. It wasn’t to be in the World Cup, not when he toured England, not when West Indies toured India or when Indians toured Down Under.

I was in Jaipur working for IPL and a meeting was scheduled to discuss about the preparations for the upcoming tournament. As we went inside the meeting room, there were about 4-5 gentlemen representing Rajasthan cricket hooked on to TV. Sachin was batting and was close to the landmark.

My heart wanted to stay and watch him score that hundred, while my professional head wanted me to go ahead with the meeting. There was a visible reluctance among many to go ahead with the meeting and even my manager wanted to stay back as he didn’t want to ruin the joy of watching Sachin getting to his 100^th hundred. In fact, he too was keen to watch the proceedings on TV. He was an ex-cricketer himself and he knew his statistics quite well.

The next 15- 20 minutes went by and finally the moment had arrived. It was not one of his best hundreds and Tendulkar would agree to it. But the burden was lifted. A huge sigh of relief and what next was left for this cricketer? Since then he has announced his retirement in both ODI’s and in the T20 format. Now, he is bowing out of the game in less than ten days time.

I was not in Kolkata and also was not to be in Mumbai for his 200^th Test. Like it was four years ago, I caught all the action on the laptop and by this time I have made few friends with whom I can talk about cricket here in Switzerland.

Life as a cricket fan is a lot easier these days, thanks to the internet and smart phones. I can follow live scores, catch the highlights, watch live cricket or even archive videos.

As I prepare to watch his final few moments in international cricket I know for sure, irrespective of where I reside and what’s going on in my life, a glimpse of a Tendulkar’s innings will remind me of those random memories of mine associated with cricket.

I put my feet on the lake and the water gushes away. I am not the same person anymore as the water which gushed my feet is long gone replaced by a fresh stream. Cricket will not be the same to me. 

SACHIN AND THOSE WONDER YEARS

Sachin Tendulkar will no longer be donning the Blue Team India shirt bearing the number 10. He no longer will be opening the innings and more so, he no longer be scheming the bowlers with his continuous onslaught of boundaries and clever play. I know he will be part of Test cricket, but his retirement from ODI’s gives me a feeling of being a patient who is in his/her last stages of life. The end is not too far.

  

I am saying this because he has been a constant in my life ever since I can go back in my life. Travelogue from the early 90’s till now, my journey of cricket has been defined by Tendulkar and I can say that cricket viewing will not be the same. I know no player is bigger than the game, but to me I hooked on to cricket because of Sachin Tendulkar.

I would say I am lucky; I was at the right age when I started watching cricket; in only his second year into cricket I was barely six years of age and the image of his curled hair covered with his white helmet coming on to bat is fresh on my mind. It was in New Zealand where he scored his first run in ODI’s. Then the big series was the Australian tour where I remember his wicket taking abilities to tie the match at Perth against the West Indies along his bravado facing the fast bowlers scoring some decent knocks. Then the World Cup, waking up early to watch the matches. Remember the knocks at Sydney, Hamilton or Dunedin?

With school being very close to my place, I always used to rush back home to catch the glimpse of the match and if I did miss the matches, I use to catch them on highlights or watch the news (both Hindi and English) to just see few shots of the match. I must say, watching him play rubbed me into playing cricket as well. I was not that great a cricketer, but was a good enough player and that was entirely inspired by Sachin Tendulkar. I faced my friends who wore Fair and Lovely on their nose and came fast at me; I was determined to hit them apart. This was the effect of watching a lot of Indian cricket played in Australia and South Africa.

By this time, Sachin was on my walls courtesy the Boost posters. I never liked Boost, preferred Bournvita over it for taste; I used to buy them just to have Sachin’s poster. I remember the time when collecting post cards of Sachin was a past time to me; be it on a Sunny bike or the Big Fun bubble gum cards or sometime later those Sahara Cup and 1996 World Cup cards. I used to force my parents to subscribe to Sportstar magazine because I wanted to read and look at those pictures on cricket. 

Coming back from school was almost done in a hurry; rather to watch the last few minutes of cricket or to go out play cricket. Even the lunch break was spent in 5 minutes of eating and 35 minutes of watching cricket either at home or at a nearby friend’s place. Cricket was wired in me and I can’t but stop think for a moment that there was life beyond cricket. All this before I was even 9 years of age and then this happened.

My dad used to play cricket, corporate cricket in the 80’s and early 90’s. He loved cricket so much that he once hugged Vivian Richards at Chinnaswamy stadium. I was not born that time, but that story is a legend in our family. Richards was my dad’s hero and I can understand how ecstatic he must have felt meeting his hero. In 1993, when Indian team was down at Bangalore playing a double-wicket tournament, I went in with my sister to watch it. My dad took us to the pavilion and I was with my boyish exuberance met one cricketer after the other, getting their autographs. And then saw my hero, my idol standing about 100m from me. I could see him, his curled hair and his strapped left hand. He wasn’t taking part in the tournament but that was not what was on my mind. I took my little sister and ran towards him like how Usain Bolt would have done for a 100m race. Just about 80m, a security guard stopped my run with his lathi stick and I was scared. I looked back and saw few kids of my age too wanting to get an autograph of Sachin. Just when we thought it wouldn’t happen, I heard a voice “Un logon ko bula” (Call those guys in). Lathi lifted and we all rushed to him. I cherish the autograph as it was signed from his wrong hand and shook hands with him.

But that happened nearly 20 years ago but still remains a fond memory; so does his 463 ODI appearances. I might have not seen all his 18,426 runs scored from his bat, but have followed religiously everyone of it through some means. His 49 centuries and 96 half-centuries is a testament to his sheer hunger; his cameo of breezing 30’s and 40’s were a thrill and brought a lot of adrenaline. Be it those cracking square cuts, blasting cover drives, punch of the back foot, those breath taking straight drives, his mighty slog sweeps, feather touch flicks and glances; the delicate paddle sweeps, lap shots with occasional hits over the slips, third man and coming down the track to a spinner. He has done it all in every part of the World where cricket is played.

I was up on that Sunday early morning when I watched Tendulkar open the batting for the first time; was there at a aunt’s place on Ganapati festival to watch him score his maiden ODI hundred; was hitting the wall in frustration when he was stumped for the first time in ODI cricket; watched his first match as a captain and score a hundred; lifting Titan Cup as a captain; his blistering cameo in Durban; hundreds against Pakistan in Independence Cup 98; his first 5-wicket haul; Sand storming innings at Sharjah; Score a record breaking partnership with Ganguly in Srilanka; his record breaking 18^th century; vengeance against Olonga at Sharjah; scoring an emotional hundred at Bristol; his 186 at Hyderabad; last of his captaincy; his innocence during the match-fixing incidents; his verbal duel with Mc Grath in Nairobi; his 10,000^th run at Nehru stadium, Indore; his foot injury against West Indies; his first ODI hundred in South Africa against the Proteas; opening the innings with Sehwag; hundred at Durham;  his breathtaking knocks at the World Cup 2003; finals against Australia; his solo effort at Rawalpindi; the catch off Inzamam; the tennis elbow injury; come back innings against Srilanka; his demotion to number 4; World Cup 2007 disappointment; his first hundred in Australia; winning the tri-series in Australia; his epic in New Zealand; best innings for a losing cause against Australia; World Cup hundreds; seeing me held afloat by his teammates and give a lap of honour at his home crowd and watching him hold the trophy, a dream come true.

The above were just few glimpses over a period of time, but I am sure with time and my gifted memory many more such incidents of his will come to my mind. His cricketing feats have been an inspiration to my life and will continue so in bridging my nascent days with my growing age. He is the identity through which I recall my childhood days and all those moments that are so dear to my life. I look at all my scrap books where I collected thousands of his pictures and wonder a quote from The Wonder Years.

"You start out life with a clean slate. Then you begin to make your mark. You face decisions, make choices. You keep moving forward. But sooner or later there comes a time where you look back over where you have been...and wonder who you really are."

The past 24 hours was such a time for me where I went back in time; rediscovered who I am, my connection with cricket and Sachin and relived those wonder years. 

SACHIN TENDULKAR...... MY SUPERMAN

While the debate is on all across the country, my mind goes back to a scene from the 2006 movie ‘Superman Returns’. Lois Lane had just won a Pulitzer Prize for her article - ‘Why World doesn’t need Superman’; it is strange that our own cricket’s superman finds a similar situation from the Lois Lane type of admirers. Though, none can come close to being Lois Lane and with that in mind, the personal vent is justified. 

 I thought hard and have been thinking occasionally since the first time I read an article that stated “Endulkar” (after 3^rd Test at Karachi, 2006) regarding people’s opinion on him. I was shocked to have read such a headline being made and wondered who would have had the temerity to make such a statement. After all, the author was no Lois Lane to make such statements to our Superman. But statements were made and that were followed up by a host of personalities in the cricketing world giving their two cents as to why Sachin must retire. Technical reasons, personal reasons and every possible reason that one can think of were to be seen or read across the media. He was 33 years and people just didn’t want to see Superman without his powers. They were forcing him to take up the role of ‘Clark Kent’ so that another Superman can flourish. People forgot that, there were places up for grabs for other Superhero spots; no - the focus was and is entirely on Superman.

Circa 2007-2011 - Just like in Superman returns just when people were getting used to the fact that Superman’s powers had waned and thought about moving on without him, a series of performances reinstated the faith and made people believe in him all over again – Cricketing world indeed requires a Superman. Indian cricket required Sachin Tendulkar and if one person who deserves the World Cup, it had to be him was what I heard. And so the wishes came true in front of his home crowd (Mumbai) comparable to Metropolis; the very same venue which had booed him (3^rd Test against England in Mumbai, 2006) as though he was a traitor or some sort of criminal. If he didn’t deserve any cheers or applause, it is understandable; but certainly not this sort of disrespect. But such were the standards of Superman that even his own people could not fathom the situation and deserted him in open air visible to all the viewers around the globe. No complaints, he went on.

After having experienced a roller-coaster ride in the last six years, our superman is at that juncture wherein he is forced to take a call. People have moved on with times, we do not have patience anymore and we think everything and every person must be treated in the same way and yet in our professional and personal lives we choose to make clear distinctions. Let’s remove the personal lives and talk only about the professional lives. We talk about him because people would listen or we truly mean by what we say about Tendulkar? Is it true people want to see more of Clark Kent as they are bored of Superman’s adventures?

Quentin Tarantino once quoted – “Superman stands alone. Superman did not become Superman, Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he is Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red S is the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears, the glasses the business suit, that's the costume. That's the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He's weak, unsure of himself... he's a coward. Clark Kent is Superman's critique on the whole human race, sort of like Beatrix Kiddo and Mrs. Tommy Plumpton.” 

Tendulkar was born to bat, circumstances if one could create helped him realise his true potential, and those circumstances and support has been well documented through several interviews from the man himself. I remember once attending an interview of his, live in Mumbai (post World Cup) where he talked about his fears. I vividly recall the words; the situation he was in when he was suffering with tennis elbow. He was speaking about his life - just as Clark Kent would have done. He was unsure and how weak he felt, how he hoped he didn’t end his career through an injury. After having overcome all that, he finds himself in a situation where in he can run, he can hide, but he cannot escape the wrath. The only way out for Clark Kent was to become Superman all over again. And that he did, till about recently.

Personally I like Tendulkar’s cricketing story to be a fairy tale; no not a fairy tale but a super-hero story from which I and many others can get inspired from. Since birth apart from my family, he has been the only constant in my life. Maybe he didn’t inspire me to become a very good cricketer and make a career in cricket (though I wasn’t that bad a cricketer); but he did inspire me to have a dream, work hard to get them and continuously work on it.

And yes, we need heroes to sustain a Sport. Take any sport and ask any person across the world; name a sport you shall hear a hero, or an inspirational athlete and not the rules and regulations. It happened to Michael Jordan, Michael Schumacher and now to Sachin Tendulkar. Jordan’s legacy made a lot of people take up basketball, Michael Schumacher inspired a lot of Germans and others to take up F1 and you can see that with the current crop of F1 drivers (namely fellow German Vettel). The same is true with Sachin, his contribution isn’t just about the numbers; it goes well beyond them. The very team that won the World Cup in 2011 have openly stated Sachin to be their inspiration to take up the sport. Yes, he cannot go on like this forever – we want to embrace the Greek philosophy of living; to make way for the next generation. But who are the worthy contenders?

No matter what accomplishments he would have made, the once well-wishers or his critics will remind him of this – “We ordinary people might lack your great talent or extraordinary cricketing skills, Mr. Sachin, but never underestimate the power of the human mind. We carry the most dangerous weapon on Earth inside these thick skulls of ours.” 

People have indeed unleashed this most dangerous weapon they possess. We in India never praise a team as a whole, only individuals; so guess it is understood on the flip side we criticise an individual and not the team. He is beginning to appear more like Clark Kent; this time sadly it is on the cricket ground.

Irrespective of what happens in the coming days, I believe and I hope to see Superman leaving the cricket ground and not Clark Kent. If fate were to not be like that, all I would like to say this to you Sachin – “You will always be remembered by me as a Superman”. ....... Period

DIFFERENT CAPTAINS FOR DIFFERENT FORMATS: INDIAN CRICKET STORY

Usain Bolt proved it once again at the recently concluded Olympics that he is no fluke. The performances he put up at the Beijing Olympics were just the starting point and over the last few years he has consistently shown that he is a short-distance legend. Well, he can only get better in terms of performance as even if he fails to make a mark in the next Olympics and other World Championships, he will still be known as a ‘top performer’.  Ask him to prove his credentials in middle-distance or a marathon, I do not think he will be right up there. But hey, this isn’t a conclusion - But having been part of two sessions with him, it is unlikely he is going to change his line and would stick to short-distance blasts. It is a simply a matter of choice to maintain optimum performance and to stay at the top of your game consistently.

I am looking at the state of our Indian captain and how he has been faring in the last few months. What can I talk about his credentials? He won the first T20 World Cup as a captain; he led the side that was crowned as #1 side in both Tests and ODI’s and not to forget the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011. In domestic cricket, barring T20 he has not been active in any of the other formats. He has led Chennai Super kings pretty well and till date remains the only captain who has captained a franchise for five years straight. In short, since 2007 he has been a captain in T20s and ODIs for India; from 2008 October he has been captaining in all the 3 formats. It has been four years, non-stop action for him with small breaks here and there. No other player in international cricket had this kind of a schedule in the last four years; and plus he is a wicket-keeper and one of the key batsman in the team. Does he deserve a break? You bet!!!

What lies ahead? – M.S. Dhoni might be looking at 2015 World Cup and nothing more beyond it. It might not be a surprise if he decides to opt out of cricket completely before that. Personal choice must always be respected, but if the choice is based upon the factor of ‘burn out’ then the whole system must be introspected. You don’t want to lose a player of his calibre or for that matter any good player in that way and it must also not reach a stage where he is in side only as a captain. 

Transition is the essence and it can be brought about slowly instead of making any drastic changes.

A lot of them have suggested changing the captaincy? Is it because of results? I do not think that is the right way to look at it. You do not need to change a captain just because of results – A captain is a mere reflection of the team he possesses, nothing more. A good captain is separated from a great captain in terms of his vision and how does he use the resources available to him. As the results have been inconsistently for the past 18 months, is it time to remove M.S. Dhoni as captain and put Virat Kohli instead, as everything seems to be going correct with that guy at the moment? A very tempting proposition, but must be looked at from close quarters.

This is how I look at it – Cricket captains over the last decade have had many challenges than their predecessors. A lot of them had to adapt to the increase in volume of T20 cricket in addition to ODI’s and Test cricket. I cannot think of any other captain but Dhoni who has managed the transition quite well, but like Ian Chappell once famously mentioned, I am beginning to think – Has Dhoni reached his used by date as a captain? Does it affecting him perform better by being the captain for all the 3 formats?

This is what I asked myself and I was not looking at stats to come up with a case for Dhoni. After constant arguments within myself over past two days, I still feel he has few years (2-3 years) captaincy left in him, but it might not be in the manner he is going at the moment. With the cricket schedule only getting stiffer and to add other commitments off the field, things are not going to be easy and this is what I came up with.

Let Dhoni give up T20 captaincy with immediate effect - I know this will burn a lot of money in many people’s pockets, but he is very much capable of doing so, if he is convinced as to why it is necessary. Make Virat Kohli the captain and let him understand the perks and perils of being in the hot seat slowly. Giving Kohli the captaincy in all the three formats at the moment isn’t such a great idea as he is our #1 batsman at the moment. He must be concentrating in honing his batting skills and become a better batter. There will be some tough times for him as a batsman and you do not want additional burden of captaincy over his head. I strongly believe another 2-3 years of him not being the captain in both ODI’s and Tests would do a lot of good to him and to the team in the long run. He looks very much like a marathon horse rider, and hence he must be given the right foundations to educate himself before leading the side. He is aggressive and in the mould of Ricky Ponting when it comes to batting and he is just 23 years of age.

Now what about Dhoni? Does it matter if he isn’t part of T20? If he is willing to play it would be not a bad option if he plays just as a keeper-batsman. For ODI’s he is still a great batter, and a positive thing would be to have him just as a batter-captain while you start grooming the next wicketkeeper. This can be one of the options as I do not see him giving up T20 cricket entirely. For Tests, I want him as a keeper-batsman. A very much in Gilly mode, I believe strongly that India misses the attacking batsman in Dhoni in Tests.

When was the last time we saw him score that quick-fire fifty, or a hundred in Tests; when was the last time he came into bat when opposition was on top and score like the way Gilly did consistently. He used to, but somewhere the attacking nature of his batting went missing. Indian team needs a resurrected Dhoni, not as a captain at the moment, but as that batsman who was very consistent. It is also worth noting the fact that, if stop-gap arrangements are to be made in captaincy, then look to Tests and do not start with T20s and ODIs. Test cricket is a marathon and requires a special degree of preparation to remain on top. India did it with Anil Kumble, and the team progressed quite well before he handed the reins of captaincy over to Dhoni.

So while I propose Dhoni to be the captain for the ODI team, I am saying it is time to look at Virat Kohli for T20’s and one of the veterans to take up the mantle of Test captaincy.

If this kind of arrangement breeds inconsistency and breaks the constancy associated with Indian cricket so far; then it is time to upset the current orderliness as our players have to learn to perform under different leaders. When worked as a team under an able leader, it does not matter much. Australia had it with Steve Waugh and for some time with Ricky Ponting. This way, the pressures of being Indian cricket captain is well distributed among the three captains. The law of physics holds good and is a time tested one – ‘The building built with foundation that bears the load equally as a whole is a sign of a good structure.’ Dhoni was the sole foundation which was burdened with a lot of stress and cracks started to appear in the structure. Instead of demolishing the building, it is time to call upon reinforcements as there is nothing wrong with the building; it just requires a proper maintenance along with few preventive measures, which was long overdue.

Hope Indian cricket surprises us with visionary ideas. It is time to press the action button instead of relying on the typical reaction button. With a new selection panel in place, it isn’t such a bad idea to look at different ways to play the three forms of cricket. History cannot be completely accounted to the ever-changing dynamics of this game and it’s always been the out-of-box thinking that has helped teams to get to the top and more importantly for the game to evolve and reach out to many more in the world.

So it would be a surprise if Bolt or other athletes do a 100m, 5000m and a marathon simultaneously in the near future. Previously, you did have people doing multiple disciplines in running but currently the games have advanced so much that, you need different thinking processes to excel. In cricket, skills have not changed. It still is all about bowling, batting, keeping and fielding – but what has changed is the manner in which it is being executed. 

While the game of football has remained unchanged with little changes to it, cricket on the other hand relies heavily on a commander who in tandem with his comrades has made a significant difference to the game. While skill has always been respected and adored; the person who had/has the abilities to use them on the field is revered. Why be stressed and tired, when you can be fresh by placing different horses (captains) for different courses (formats)? 

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? 

100 HUNDREDS IS JUST A NUMBER

It was a day of introspection and honestly I didn't think much about the game (India- Bangladesh) as I had work and safely thought India would win the match. It was late in the night when I checked for scores. India had lost the match and I didn’t think much after that.

Earlier in the day, I had a meeting scheduled at 4 pm with some cricket officials. My manager and I were on time to catch up on few pending issues. Most of them were busy watching cricket and why not I thought. Tendulkar was batting on 89 and it was 5 minutes past four. We sat and thought to ourselves, the meeting would be delayed. I was in a way wanting to watch Sachin bat, like I always do.  If work takes precedence; then I wouldn’t mind switching off as I know I can watch the highlights package. But it so happens I end up being there whenever he has scored a hundred.  That very moment I thought to myself he is going to score a hundred. Ten minutes hence, boss and I had finished our cup of tea but the century wouldn’t come.

Strangely enough all the officials got up and were ready to leave the hall. I was surprised by this act of theirs and in that moment I stood up too (Gosh, what was I thinking????). My boss intervened and said – “Guys, we can do this after he scores a hundred”. Slightly assured everyone got back to their respective chairs and so we continued watching the match. I wondered in between the deliveries about the decision to sit and watch the game and was surprised I actually was ready to leave the hall. My thoughts were interrupted by Sachin’s eagerness to take the quick singles. I had never seen him that nervous and believe me I have watched him bat for a long time in my life. For once I felt he wanted to achieve his milestone in order to attain salvation. This so called ‘100^th hundred’ was hurting him and the only way out was to score it. Only a hundred would have given him the freedom and he had 99 of them; but the elusive one was all that mattered. The rest didn’t matter.

Twenty minutes past four and I see him score a boundary and now I was certain he would score. He reached 99 and my thoughts went back to the run out in Ireland, caught behind twice against Pakistan and England. My gut told me he would get it this time. I took out my phone and wanted to record this moment. Two short videos were all I managed to take as he wasn’t able to get that single. Over gone and he had to wait for some more time and everybody had to wait for some more time. Shortly the moment arrived as he promptly nudged the ball to the leg-side, jogged for a single and there you go. His celebrations were minimal but it did carry a point. He pointed his hand to the Indian flag on his helmet and that said it all.

Frankly I didn’t react much and to be honest I wasn’t overly bothered that he achieved something great. I was quietly happy for him and delighted to have witnessed in what might go down as one of the historical moments in cricket. We all got up, did the stadium recce and on our way back saw the local press going bizarre. It was Jaipur and one had press asking questions like - “How do you feel about Sachin scoring his 100^th hundred?” I couldn’t hear much as the fire crackers were being burst and next thing I was being stuffed with ladoos, not one but two big ones.

Now, what does this Tendulkar hundred mean?

I have heard a lot of things written and said over the last one year. I was delighted to see his hunger to score runs and his willingness to score the big runs. He still has the passion to play and personally I feel his absence will be felt whenever he chooses to retire. It isn’t the first time in cricket or in a particular team such a situation has occurred; nevertheless his retirement is going to pinch a little extra. Team India should not be affected but the way I will look at cricket will be interesting. I haven’t quite seen cricket without Tendulkar. I know he has been sporadic over the last few years but he was always there and continues to be there. Till when, to be honest I am not thinking much about it at the moment.

I chose to look back on the journey that took him to his 100 hundreds. In my room lazing down, switching channels lying down on a sofa, I flashed back to those moments I remember of Sachin. It is too many to be honest. From the day of shaking his hand as an eight year old and keeping a collection of his photos that appeared in various magazines till the time listening to him speaking about his fears and the worst feelings he had to endure during his playing career last year after the World Cup victory. It was just too much to remember as I eased myself into the present world.

Before going to bed, I asked myself a question – Will I still wake up like I did not so long ago to watch him bat? Or now that he has achieved the milestone, will I take it easy? What a silly question, I thought?

Like him, even I have grown and in this phase of my development I have learnt to celebrate the happy moments in a silent manner. I have read and heard a lot of comparisons of Tendulkar with other cricketers, then this bloke isn’t just another person from the block. He had worthy peers and yet with this milestone (all to himself), he seems to be in zone where he is peerless. The three digit club in the international hundreds column is all his and from the looks of how cricket is going to evolve, it would take some beating to emulate such an achievement. Records are meant to be broken, yet Bradman’s record average is untouched and seems very unlikely to be matched; now this worthy successor of Bradman from Mumbai has just done something very similar. Every rule has an exception; in cricket we now seem to have two exceptions.

In an era where I have been lucky to watch the brute of Ponting, the class of Lara, the toughness of Steve Waugh, the versatility of Kallis and the presence of Wall, none has impressed to the extent Sachin has. There may have been a lot of reasons to this, but one thing that stands out to me is – I have never seen any other cricketer in my generation who has enjoyed the game better than Sachin; this ability of his stands out in a world where we constantly look for reasons or situations to enjoy our life.

Should he retire - another question I am constantly asked being his fan? I feel as his fan, he should never retire. But retiring is a part of every athlete’s career.

Sachin chose to play cricket, work those extra hours in honing the skills, practicing constantly in the nets, to sacrifice the normal teen and adult life, to have managed to come back from career threatening injuries, to modify his technique in combating any errors, learn from the failures and going after his dreams, maintaining integrity, dignity and controversy free life .

When a person has managed to choose many different things that has helped cricket and to an extent a sense of delight to most Indians and cricket lovers across the world, isn’t it right to let Sachin to make that all important final decision? 

ADELAIDE – SCENE OF THE INDIAN WHITE WASH

Letting the chances go by, suffering and finally humiliation; Summing the theme of the first 3 Tests Team India came into the 4^th Test having a long gap and one wonders if there could have been a 3-day match organized just to keep the cricket flowing instead of having nets alone. Did we overlook this gap when the schedule was drawn up?

Reality as it stood in Adelaide; with one test to go there was nothing much to lose since the Border-Gavaskar trophy was already taken. Winning the dead rubber would only salvage some pride but not repair the dents.

M.S Dhoni who was banned for this Test for over-rate issues gets time to plan mentally for the T-20 and the ODI series while Sehwag, the stand-by captain had hopes of continuing his good record as captain. Prior to this match, Adelaide has been dear and kind to the Indian team in the recent past, having won in 2003/04 season and dominant for most parts in 2007/08 season. This time the scene was different and any result has no bearing to the morale of the team, as the damage had already been done. Any positives out of this test will be an indicator as to what where the team is headed or if at all there is light at the end of this dark tunnel.

Michael Clarke winning the toss on a good batting track had every intention of keeping Indians on the field for long; not surprisingly he opted to bat. Ashwin was back in the team replacing for Vinay Kumar and Wriddhiman Saha would keep for the first time in Tests after having made his debut earlier in 2010 as a batsman. Did India miss a trick by not opting Ojha instead of a third seamer?

Indians had a good start as Australians found themselves in a situation like the previous Tests;  losing the top order and only to have two of their in-form batsman making the rescue act. It was time for the sequel of ‘Pup and the Punter Show’ – and the show went on much to the frustration of Indian fans and delight to all the Australians. Runs flowed continuously for 95 overs, spanning close to 400 minutes which yielding 386 runs in the process. For people who love records, this partnership was for statistical delight – the partnership was the highest for India-Australia Tests for any wicket. The selectors must be patting themselves for having kept Ponting in the team, as it weren’t to his revival Australians would have struggled to post those big totals which has been the difference between the two teams in the entire series.

Captaincy must be a great thing; ask Clarke and he will vouch for it as he is in the best form of his life. Not sure if it has to do with lack of penetration by Indian bowlers or really good quality batting. From what I have seen from the series, it was clearly evident Indian bowling lacked penetration at crucial junctures and intensity was missing when partnerships were built. Barring Melbourne Test, India never looked like picking 20 wickets and the failure of batting didn’t help the bowlers either as Clarke went on to make another double hundred and thereby became the first captain to hit a triple and double hundred in the same series.

It isn’t a pleasing sight when you are a fan and even the most cynical Indian fan would not have anticipated the extent the Australians have been drubbing the bowling attack in this series. It has been just three innings and those three innings have seriously dented the confidence of the bowling attack; This in spite of having the luxury of having injury free bowlers, unlike in England. The misery finally ended with Ryan Harris hitting a six off Ashwin and Clarke declared the innings  after his team posted 604 runs in little over five sessions of play.

What do you expect from the Indian batting this around? All I knew for a fact that, if Australia were to win the Test, Indians have to be dismissed twice. With 21 overs left on the second day and three more days, I hoped one brave act from our line-up. Sehwag blazed away scoring boundaries before getting out to Siddle. Not to mention, India did manage to get their highest opening partnership of the series, a meager 26 runs. Enter Rahul Dravid, a run later the brick was disturbed yet again. I am no expert talking about his technique and I shall only say, he is a much better player than this. Not often I have got this feeling, but in this series, I felt Dravid looked like getting out on most occasions whenever he came out to bat. I was speechless when he was beaten and was left with no explanation as the replays kept showing him getting bowled.  The feeling only got worse when the broadcaster displayed all his previous dismissals in the series.  Another day, I was left with wondering – Will the third day be the day?

On the third morning, barely the Republic parade had started; Indian batting line-up had a parade of their own losing five wickets for just over an hundred on board. A republic day hundred was what the whole of India hoped for, but it didn’t happen from the bat of Sachin. Gambhir and Laxman soon left and it seemed even a good batting track wouldn’t be of much assistance to the mental state of the Indian team. Will be there another low score? and by this time I was used to getting up early and watching India perform badly with the bat.

Kohli and Saha, a fresh pair was a pleasant sight to watch. For the first time, there was some intent and purpose in the way they batted. The pair went on to add 114 runs before an error of judgment from Saha at the stroke of tea; almost went through a session wicket less. Almost!!

With wickets  falling at the other end there were some anxious moments whether or not Kohli would score India’s first century of the tour. He got there finally and erupted like a wounded gladiator having just won a hard fought battle. His hundred was redemption of sorts, a personal victory more than anything else. His maiden hundred will be the highlight of the tour and a glimmer of hope for the batting line-up that someone stood up and made it big while for many the pride was lost in their final playing days.

It wasn’t a green top wicket - the batting order was disturbed by sheer discipline and Indians were lost all the wickets for 272. Clarke didn’t impose the follow-on; with the pitch still good to bat coupled with the heat, it wasn’t such a bad idea to give the strike bowlers some rest for a session or two before going all out on the Indian line-up.

It will be the final showdown in Australia for many of the batsmen and they will have no option but to save the match, avoid another white wash in less than six months or wilt away in the heat of the battle. But they had to wait as Australians opted to bat for some time.

Bowlers again stuck to their task and picked up the first three wickets easily. Barring the Perth massacre, the Australian top-order has rarely troubled the Indians. In quest for quick runs, the resurgent Aussies went after the bowling with Ponting having another good hit and showed no signs of being under pressure. Clarke declaring with a lead of 500 and with little over five sessions to bat out, the Indian batting was merely a formality as one expected nothing but a miracle to avoid the whitewash.

Looking at the batting scores posted in the series, even the highly regarded optimists wouldn’t have bet on India winning this Test. Logic!!! But cricket in the past has defied logic and has shown miracles don’t just happen on ice. I hoped for one last glory with track being flat. Frankly the finale started on a low note with Gambhir getting out cheaply as Sehwag opened up his attacking instincts with boundaries coming at ease. It was the first innings at Melbourne did Sehwag last play such a knock and when Lyon tried to strangle him for runs, the stand-by captain could not resist the temptation for too long and mistimed a full toss to Ricky Ponting.

Sachin Tendulkar in what seems like his final outing in Australia came to the crease with no expectations whatsoever. Or was that an exaggeration from my side? The 100^th hundred talks had taken a back seat ever since India’s surrender at Perth. But expectations are like nails, they keep growing and can only be cut, trimmed from time to time but can never eliminate it. His hundred would have appeased few on the ground who had a tough time supporting the Indian team. Indians were the favourites coming into this series and never played like the ones with the top tag. The procession soon followed first with Dravid getting out to a wide delivery and then Sachin trying to defend Lyon’s ball gave a easy catch to short leg. Irrespective of what had happened to the little master, he was given a standing ovation send off for the memories of 20 years. As he walked back to the pavilion having had the worst Australian series individually, he must have wondered how life seems like a full circle. India had lost 4-0 when he had first toured Australia and now in what seems like his last tour, India were in the brink of losing 4-0. He has seen much better days and who knows he might make another trip to Australia, if form and body holds up.

VVS Laxman and Kohli put on some resistance before Lyon managed to induce a false stroke from Laxman and was out caught at short mid-wicket. Surely, I saw Laxman to have played his last innings in Australia. His career took a notice when he made that hundred 12 years ago at Sydney. It feels a curtain has been drawn and he has all the time to decide in the coming months as to where his career and life was headed.

With few overs to go in the day, Ishant Sharma walked in as a night watchman. The decision to protect the night watchman proved costly for Kohli as he was short of the crease when he tried to take a tricky single. With four wickets and a day to go, the question was how long the tail resistance would last?

The final four wickets could add only 35 runs and India had their second whitewash in as many away series. Not only they plummeted to number three in the Test rankings, it was a hard fact to believe that they are still ahead of Australia in the ICC Official rankings, although they are just ahead on mere technical basis. Later in the day with England losing to Pakistan on a spin-friendly track, I asked myself as to who really is Numero Uno at the moment?  It would take few more series and years to find a team which is suited to play in all conditions.

A few of the players likes of Dravid and Laxman would not be there for the ODI series, but the bulk of the squad will be boosted by few fresh minded ones who have come to Australia for the two T20 matches and a tri-series with Sri Lanka as the third team. The outlook will be different as India would like to repeat the heroics of 2008 when they won the tri-series. Will they perform as expected from World Champions ? or Would the white wash have an impact on the psyche going into the shorter versions of the game?  Time will tell