CRICKET IN SWITZERLAND GOES PINK - A CRICKET BALL FOR MODERN TIMES

From 2015 season, Cricket Switzerland is using Dukes pink balls

Cricket in its traditional form was and is played primarily with red leather balls. Cricket balls through the ages were red because the ball-manufacturers in the 18th century England preferred 'red' dyes. This tradition carried on for generations until the time cricket got immersed in the world of commercialisation. Though, there has been one-day internationals with coloured clothing, night games and T20's - cricket at its core is played with red balls as it happens to be one of the few surviving cricketing traditions.

 

A GAME OF COLOURS - RED, WHITE, TO........PINK

The thought of coloured clothing disturbed this 'traditional' aspect of the sport. 'Red' ball, no longer fitted in with coloured clothing. The colour of the ball was changed to 'white', which meant - coloured clothing and night games were a reality and deemed practical for growth of the sport. In recent years, the governing body of cricket along with many cricket associations have pushed for day-night test matches (it has always been a day affair) with white clothing and thereby the ball required a new colour, something more conducive for the on-field personnel, spectators and to the broadcasters. Red, not suitable under lights and white ball with white clothing would be a disastrous combination - 'pink' became the unanimous colour.

The word 'pink' has a long history. In the 14^th century, anything that meant "to decorate with a perforated or punched pattern" was called 'to pink'. Of course, the decorations were of the flower 'Dianthus' which in Greek meant 'flower of Zeus', as named by Theophrastus, a Greek botanist. The colour of these flowers gave rise to the word 'pink' which we commonly use.

In the new millennium, an international cricket series included five-day affair 'tests' and coloured clothing 'one-day internationals'. With the advent of T20 cricket, the game shrunk - and the three hour cricket became an instant hit. Various leagues most notably, the Indian Premier League created ripples and cricket unleashed its newest and the bravest commercial avatar. This fast food formula made money and thus rocked the wooden chairs of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) - the governing body, the custodian who has the ultimate say on the laws of the game!

CHANGING WITH TIMES IS SMARTNESS

Since that landmark MCC's decision in 2009, when the committee waved a green flag to experiment with 'pink' balls, there has been several matches that were played (on a trial basis) with these new coloured balls. A women's international match between England and Australia as a part of Pink Sunday programme to support Breast Cancer Campaign happened to one of the first instances in international cricket to experiment with the pink balls.

In the last six years, there has been a first-class match between Durham and MCC played under lights at Abu Dhabi, a first-class match in the Caribbean and recently Cricket Australia has been at the forefront in having the combination of 'pink balls', 'white clothing' and 'day-night' first-class cricket work. It even created trials with the broadcaster last year and there is very likely, later this year, cricket would witness another revolution - the first day-night test match.

SWITZERLAND AMONG THE FEW TO USE PINK BALLS

For Cricket Switzerland and its cricket playing fraternity, the decision to switch to pink balls starting from 2015 season was simple and logical. Led by the President and ably supported by clubs and other committee members, the idea of pink balls and its experimentation was met with little resistance.

Switzerland doesn’t have the luxury or benefit of cricket only grounds & stadiums with sight-screens, and the background can often be white concrete sports buildings or apartment buildings, red brick housing, dark red & brown mountains, trees & forests (green in the summer, brown/red in the Spring and particularly in the Autumn).

'Visibility' is key when you play in the pastures of Swiss Alps in three different seasons

The above factors can make the traditional red ball difficult to see as a batsman, even more difficult as a fielder. The white alternative is better, but still not ideal as the facilities at public school and sports authorities are often white or grey. So the white ball gets lost in these too. Additionally the white ball tends to be of inferior quality compared to the red and thereby quickly loses its shine and colour on the rough artificial surfaces we have at most grounds, turning grey!

But mountains, buildings, stadiums, forests are not pink! Once we got over the array of jokes about using pink balls, the trials (for over a year) showed there are technical advantages of using the pink ball. They swing much like the red ball, and the one used (Duke's) retains its shine longer than the white and importantly its shape. Batsman see it better, spectators also find it easier to follow and the aging umpires also find it easier to judge.

Pink balls are easy to spot and it helps umpires and the spectators 

Cricket Switzerland believes in maintaining the traditional aspects of the sport (playing in whites); however, for practical purposes - like in this case turning to 'pink balls', it is simply a case of discovering a 'winning formula'. 

AUSTRALIA'S FIVE RINGS IN WORLD CUP CRICKET

There are five rings in the Olympic flag. They signify inhabited continents of the world - Asia, Africa, Americas, Australia and Europe. A truly international platform consisting of events from different sports where athletes from all over the world from these continents come and compete for the top honours. 

In cricket, it is relatively a very small group of nations. The challenge are the conditions and champions are those who master and excel in different environment. Australia for the past three decades have been a dominant force in the limited overs and today they won their fifth World Cup victory. With it, they also became the only country to have won their World Cups in all the five inhabited continents where cricket is played.

FIVE WINS IN FIVE CONTINENTS

It all started in 1987 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata when they won their maiden trophy against the run of play. Allan Border, a tough cricketer and a great leader marshaled his young team of players and was instrumental in guiding the squad to win against their arch-rivals England. Asia, check!

Twelve years later, in 1999 it was the turn of Steve Waugh, who inspired through his batting and leadership first to qualify into the knock-outs and to see his bowlers deliver in the semi-finals and the finals against South Africa and Pakistan respectively. Europe, check!

In 2003, World Cup fever hits Africa for the first time, and Australia by then were consistently winning most of their matches in ODIs and Tests. They continued their dominance and were hardly stretched throughout the tournament and in the finals at Johannesburg, Ricky Ponting single-handedly took the World Cup away from the Indians courtesy of a captain's innings. The total was just too much for the Indians and they fell short by a large margin. Africa, check!

With rotation policy of awarding World Cups in full swing, it was the turn of the Caribbean islands to host the 2007 World Cup. Ricky Ponting and his team once again entered as favourites and at the end of it, it was hardly a surprise when they claimed their 4th title without losing a match. Americas, check!

If there is one place this team would have loved to win, it was in front of their home crowd. This year, there was an opportunity. Teams have hardly beaten Australia in their home matches in the recent years and they started the tournament as the #1 team. In spite of losing their group match against New Zealand, the team always remained a strong contender. Since that loss at Eden Park against their Trans-Tasman rival, they were hardly challenged in the following matches. The bowling was a big plus and in the end it was the bowlers who delivered with Mitchell Starc leading the attack. His 22 wickets along with the strike force of Johnson, accuracy of Hazelwood and variations of Faulkner paved the way for their fifth title and a first in their home continent.

In Melbourne, just as Steven Smith scored the winning runs, one could see the excitement - but it was as if the victory was expected. There were no emotions but for joy, the victory seemed from the players interviews that it was just another game. The enthusiasm of 1987 was missing, the jubilant faces from the 1999 was missing and like the previous two World Cup wins, this World Cup win too was a mere formality. Maybe it is the favourite's curse if you may call it; emotions flow if there is an upset or when you are the underdog. I am sure, the scenes would have been different had New Zealand been on the winning side.

In the end, who cares as long as you have one more World Cup in your cupboard. The fever of the World Cup would die down in a few weeks time and Michael Clarke would have plenty of time to reflect upon his wonderful ODI career both as a player and as a captain. Four captains, five World Cup titles and all of them in five different continents. Needless to say, we just witnessed one of the cricketing greats just go about their usual business and have claimed what they feel is rightfully theirs - the Cricket World Cup. 

SO LONG, FAREWELL... AUF WIEDERSEHEN GOODBYE...

MS Dhoni's run out signaled India's exit once for all
Image Courtesy - abc.net.au

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies... The long held adage from Shawshank Redemption kept me going until the time... the time, when the red-light flickered from the bails.. MS Dhoni was run-out! That was the end, the final rites, call it whatever you want...

If anyone had told me before the start that India would be knocked out of the World Cup on the penultimate match of the tournament, fighting for a place for the finals, I would have accepted it, although reluctantly and probably also wonder if it was possible considering the way we bowled and batted at times leading up to the tournament. Since then, winning seven matches in a trot has been the reason why most Indian fans felt and mostly hoped for achieving the glory yet again by defeating the two best teams in the tournament - Australia and New Zealand.

Today's match, right from the start was all about hope, the great Indian hope. The Indian team knew this Australian team, all the Indian fans knew this Australian team and from what we have seen from these endless summer months of playing cricket in Australia, team India had to be at their best, if not more to reach the finals. They met a better side on the day and like most days with Australia in the recent past, the better side (Australia) won.

Is this disappointing? Yes, it is. A loss to a team you support is always a tough pill to swallow. That's about it. Losing the semi-finals in 1987 was a surprise, the 1992 campaign was a disaster, the 1996 campaign ended in tears, shame and what not; the 1999 tournament was a touch and go; the 2003 World Cup went down to the wire; the 2007 World Cup was embarrassing and we were the World Champions in 2011. Yes, today's loss took away the tag of 'world champions'. This year, the conditions were different, something Indians often found wanting, be it any form of the game and yet they managed to stretch till the last four.

   

IT WAS HOPE ALL THE WAY

India started well.. the bowlers kept the in-form Australia batsmen in check for the ten overs. When the bowling was tested and threatened to concede well in excess of 350, the bowlers came back well, taking wickets, restricting the Aussies to 328, the highest they conceded this tournament.

This was the semi-final, and there was no better occasion to finally win a match against the home team. The openers started well, and did not lose those early wickets in those 10 overs. Everything seemed fine, Indians were well on their way chasing those runs, and against the run of play the first wicket fell... and soon Virat Kohli left. Rohit Sharma looked set, pulls Mitchell Johnson for a six, the chase is underway in spite of those two hiccups, the very next ball, he is out. And since then, the run chase was all about hope. After struggling to find boundaries, Raina perished and in came the last hope. 

I don't believe in miracles - but this guy could perform some, the Indian cricketing version of Andy Dufresne - our captain cool, M S Dhoni. I was hoping, in his mind he would plan just the way Andy did and in the end, break the shackles Indians were under right since the time they arrived in Australia. A win today would have felt like that prison break! He did that four years ago, was I expecting too much? Is it just too much to ask from an individual in a team sport?

He tried his best to take it to the last minute, he held on, even when asking rate was 15 per over. I was hoping, he would do it.. though with each ball it seemed unrealistic. And his run-out signaled India's exit once for all. Team India would lose their first match of the tournament and with it, the hopes of a successive titles ended. Post analysis can be made - but it will not alter the result. We gotta live with the fact of Australia being a much better team than India and Indians did not go out without a fight (they fought for a good part of 80 overs).

On this note, the Indian team will finally depart Australia after having spent close to four months playing all-forms of cricket down under. The end was not sudden, it wasn't anti-climax as deep down everyone knew it was as best as they could have played.

Now.. it's time for the finals, and this Sunday, I will be hoping Kiwis would end up winning their maiden World Cup trophy. A new day, a new hope. 

BEYOND THE 10 COUNTRIES - CRICKET AND THE WORLD CUP

World Cup and the lesser known teams...how can they be separated? 

The year 2002 was the first time football World Cup was staged in Asia - and the event had finally reached the largest continent seventy years after the inception of this premier tournament. France, the defending champions of 1998, the European champions of 2000 was still the best team to beat and a favourite to retain the title. Senegal defeated France, yes it was a freakish goal by Diop - but that goal was enough to write a script for a team that was unheard of, in the world stage. It was the World Cup and there is something else that brings in the best of the lesser known teams. France then drew with Uruguay, lost by two goals to Denmark and as a result went out of the tournament without scoring a goal. This is just one such story and there are many such tales of World Cup and not just in football.

Football is popular for a reason; and if not for their global outlook and appeal, the game would not have succeeded and tasted fame in the modern era. Cricket cannot be compared to football - but is it wrong in trying to have the global appeal and look to emulate the father of all sports? No one likes to watch a strong team strangle a weak opponent on a daily basis and rarely people turn up to watch two minnows competing against each other. So what is the solution? Having cricket world cup reduced to just a test-playing nations affair is not the way, and irrespective of the number of teams, there will be minnows even in the big league, because ratings are what that counts - the number one, the chasers, race for avoiding the last place and so on.

THE GUARDIANS OF THE GAME

What is the role of the International Federation and whom do they report to? Is it the commercial partners, the association members, the fans or a fruitful combination of all? People and fans turn up to watch the innumerable bilateral series, countless ODI's and T20's. But that does not drive the sport globally if it does not travel beyond the boundaries. What does is that a relative, a friend or a group of people getting together in Afghanistan, Scotland, Ireland, Kenya, Canada, Bermuda, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Netherlands, UAE and many more from the Associate and Affiliate countries, because it is the World Cup! - a place where underdogs can dream of achieving glory just like many such stories we have in different sports. Global appeal is what cricket seriously aspires, then World Cup is the stage to showcase it, for there are no other words than World Cup which generates attention and more the countries, merrier it is.

Favourites winning is logical, predictable and worthy - but just as in life, in sports too all we seek are stories that are never being told before, something fresh, unique and tales that evoke interest. Beyond the hopes, against the odds, the victory over the might is what makes the headlines. In not providing such a opportunity, one needs to re-look at the term 'international' and 'world cup' as not having more teams is a recipe for stagnancy.

WILL COMMERCIAL PARTNERS BE UP TO THIS?

What are the roles played by the commercial partners who fund the game? I have never heard a business house complain if their name and product reached out to many places across the world. Ask Pepsi, what's their challenge is? Sixteen teams or even thirty two teams for a 50-day event is possible and will be the way to go. Thirty two teams divided into eight groups and then the knock out begins. What are we afraid of? If big teams do not make it past the first round? or will they lose in the round of sixteen? Should there a minimum number of matches guaranteed to evoke interest levels till the dusk of the tournament? or do you want to watch series of do or die contests? For a greater reach, few one-sided games can be excused and if we all seek only for the master teams, what will happen those apprentices who have ambitions to be a master one day or defeat them on a given day? Have we come so far ahead that, we have forgotten how we got here in the first place?

WHAT IS LIFE DEVOID OF SURPRISES

Familiarity breeds contempt and do I need to say more? The suspense of not knowing your opponent is what brings in the element of drama, the awe-inspiring moments, the breathtaking scenarios, the theatrics, the elite performers irrespective of their background till the time when winners takes all.

Whoever it is who needs to make decisions for the future of the World Cup, take a good look at the outside world, beyond the four walls where the decision would probably be made; understand the value of legacy and embrace the power in you, the ability to take this sport as it has been envisioned.

To be the best, you gotta be in the league of the best! And having a World Cup with less teams will only have limited reach and a very clouded future.  

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

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. 

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? 

Why so fuss over T20 and a cameo from Rahul Dravid

I have been hearing a lot of things about T20 and its effects on today's generation who wants to take up cricket. A lot of ex-cricketers complain it is not an ideal preparation for Test cricket. My question goes - Is it not left to an individual to choose what he wants or which format he would love to play cricket?

If we compare the present day cricket to our present lives, a lot has changed since the previous generation. We have good facilities coming up and things in general are improving than what it used to be. Of course, it means one had to give up things that were prevalent previously, but in the end no one is complaining for the change that is happening.

Coming back, I read a lot of media and public in general blame the Indian team for the disastrous Test series against England. Why was it so disastrous? A lot of reasons go into it and one being lack of preparation. As the cricket evolved, technology and better personnel are also available to ensure there is a constant churning of good players. The question is how soon are we going to adapt to the modern ways of playing cricket? How soon we are going to merge the modern day cricket with our modern lifestyle?

Look at the big picture - We have ten countries that are eligible to play Test cricket, the ultimate position to be for a cricketing nation. What about the other 194 countries? Surely not everyone is going to be able to play Test cricket and it is good in a way. After a lot of years and since the year 1877, we have 10 teams out of which Zimbabwe and Bangladesh are often criticised for not being up to the mark. So we have 8 nations that often produce the best Test cricket. Now do we want to go forward or just be happy with 8 nations? Any direction is welcome according to me, given a choice I would keep the best 10 teams for playing Test cricket.

And we have One day Internationals. The format was reborn after the success of the 2011 World Cup. When ODI began in 1971, there were a lot of people complaining about the format affecting the Test cricket. And here we are 40 years since the first ODI, things have improved and cricket has become a global commodity. For all those people, who just want Test cricket, it is important to note that, it is the ODI's and the T20's that bring in majority of the money. Yes, it is sad but a hard reality fact in today's sporting world, MONEY. Money is the power required to run the sport, any sport in general, with high standards and also sustain it over a period of time. Sooner or later one needs to accept this fact and. Or else bring in the change? How? That is what the running federation must find out?

I am inspired to write this blog post after watching Rahul Dravid hit three consecutive sixes off Samit Patel in Manchester against England. After scoring well over 10,000 runs in both ODI's and Test cricket, he makes his debut in T20 cricket for India. All I can say is, form is temporary, and class is permanent. He reminds me of Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption. And the line - 'Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies'. I can imagine him saying this line to someone whose chips are down. He never complained about T20 or ODI even though he was widely known only as a Test cricketer. To me, he just loves cricket and that's about it. Rest, his statistics speaks volume on his behalf.

Coming back to the topic - Charles Darwin once remarked it is all about survival of the fittest. Surely with better facilities available fitness should never be an issue in today’s cricket. To top it, there is no forcing for a cricketer to play every match. The formula should be - The fittest 11 and then the in-form 11 to play out a match. It is a simple formula but surrounded by complicated factors. Just like the corporate sector of today encourage employees to take some time off in order to work better; players must also be given the same option. The question of cricket fatigue would never come.

Let’s move forward now and invest in having a good player management and talent scout to keep churning out players day in and day out. The team that plays needs to play with the spirit of the game and the desire to win.

And to talk about globalisation of the sport - It is only possible with T20 to explore different markets of the world. For countries who want to play cricket, T20 is the format to begin with. One doesn't require a proper technique to learn the game. You play you learn. Cricket to be part of Olympics, T20 is the only way. The second source of money is Time.

I am a fan of cricket and I enjoy whatever format cricket is played. It is the game I love and I only want the sport to have worries about how to spread the game to different places than fighting over injuries, T20, ODI's and which format is being superior.

Back to the Old School of Cricket

After a long hiatus, it was good to see ball dominating the bat . For the past few months, minds around the world were fuelled in by the shots played all around the park in the 20-20 format; today at Sabina Park it was a different scene.
Oh yes, a 50- over match after IPL and T20 World Cup was a different diet for many cricket fans (new ones).
a. India struggling to score on a placid mirror track at Jamaica,
b. Indian batting undone by accurate bowling of the WestIndian pacemen,
c. There is nothing to look at the Indian score card barring, Dhoni's 95, R P Singh's 75-ball 23 and Yuvraj Singh's cameo of 35.

It was a pity, I couldnt watch this live after India were reduced to 82/8 in the 22nd over. The ninth wicket partnership of 102 runs gave India a formidable total to bowl at the Windies. In the end, it wasnt enough, Dhoni with his 95 has showed that, he hasnt lost his brains when most people thought he must regain his lost touch of striking the ball a long way.
Each cricketer goes through these phases, and Dhoni isnt just a slogger these days in the team. He is a wicket-keeper, middle order batsman and captain of the team. It was good to see him play a captain's knock.
Due credit to Windies and this game was easily won with 15 overs to spare in the end. This was a match that showcased, what 20-20 has done to most of the batsmen; the inability to hang in there and respect the bowlers early on when there is some assistance for them from the pitch.
No offense to the 20-20 format, its just that cricketers are at fault not 20-20. It's just a excuse when people accuse 20-20; and very few acknowledge that cricket is a different game because it gives a chance to showcase the versatility of cricketers in three different formats in International cricket. (5-day test match, 50-over One day International and 20-20)
It was good to see cricket going back to the Old school of having an even contest between bat and the ball.
Although games like this do not attract new spectators, it does keep the interests alive for the purists. Experiences such as today is a rarity these days for the Indian team and it can only help the team and indiviuals to work out their game thereby improving their approach to avoid similar situations in the future.

Complete match details at: http://www.cricinfo.com/wivind2009/engine/current/match/377314.html