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.

Lost Track: Circuits of Yore III - Bremgarten, Switzerland

Train journey to Bern was made several times before, but I always missed going out of the station and take the bus that would take me to Bremgarten, a small village north of Bern.

I missed the visit in 2009 due to numerous reasons, and I missed it again in 2010. This time around, I was determined to make a visit to this village and so I did. I wondered how it would have been sixty years ago when it hosted the Swiss GP in the Formula One calendar. The place was scenic and I went about exploring few areas of this village.

Bremgarten was the place that hosted Formula One and other Motorsport events under the umbrella of Swiss Grand Prix. Built originally as the motorcycle circuit in 1931, this track was built around the forests and hosted the first automobile race from 1934.

In spite of Bremgarten being accused as a treacherous circuit, it was a regular feature in the calendar of motorsports, managed to hold successfully the Swiss GP and Grand Prix of Bern (motorcycle races). Popularity was such that, when the Motorcycle championships which began in 1949 and the very next year, Formula One; both included Bremgarten to their respective racing calendars.

Giuseppe Farina won the inaugural Swiss GP on his way to claim the first ever Formula One World Championships. Juan Manuel Fangio was the winner in 1951. The going was fine till the news of 1955 Le Mans disaster hit the headlines across the world. Around 80 spectators were killed when a car driven by Pierre Levegh lost control. The car parts of Levegh’s Mercedes flew all over and caused what is considered as the most catastrophic accident in the history of motorsports.

The LeMans 24 hours racing disaster had serious consequences with several of the organisations were asked serious questions with regards to safety. Mercedes as a tribute to the victims withdrew from the race immediately and did not take part in the motorsports for the next 30 years.

Switzerland, known for its non-violence in the contemporary history took a step forward and held several talks immediately to look at the implications of such a disaster. Any chance of Swiss GP at Bremgarten returning to the F1 was closed once in for all when senate finally banned motorsports in 1958 on the grounds of the sport being unsafe for the spectators.

Juan Manuel Fangio driving his Mercedes around this 7.28 km circuit was the last winner at Bremgarten. Two races were held under the name of Swiss GP in France at Dijon circuit in 1975 and 1982. Clay Regazzoni, from the canton of Ticino (Switzerland) won the 1975 Swiss GP while Keke Rosberg won his only GP in 1982 enroute to his World Championship title.

I walked across the roads of Bremgarten recollecting all the knowledge I had on Swiss GP and wondered how it would be to have a race now in Switzerland. It turns out; the Swiss Government isn’t very keen in spite of a brief moment when overturning the ban was considered seriously.

Back in 2007, The Swiss Council of States (known as the Senat) had examined the law passed by the National Council to alter the terms of the Road Traffic Law of 1958 which prohibits circuit racing in Switzerland. The proposal was to allow racing on closed circuits in the country. The Council of States rejected to new law and although the legislation went back to the National Council with little hope, the law was never passed.

So on that note, and to add that Formula One is moving to different parts of the world, it is very unlikely Switzerland is going to build any circuits in the foreseeable future, at least not ones on which racing will take place.

Lost Track: Circuits of Yore II - AVUS, Berlin

Discussions on various aspects bring us a perspective that never would have entered our minds by itself. Talking about tracks that previously hosted is one such thing. In the second part of this series, focus is on a city, that previously hosted Olympic Games, has songs written over it, and till date remains as one of the popular destinations tourists visit, whenever they enter Germany.

Berlin, among other things, does have a rich tradition in motorsports. It all started in the late 1920’s when the first German Grand Prix was held in 1926. It was a proud moment as many of the German car manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, Porsche etc and other sports cars participated.

AVUS (Automobil-Verkehrs- und Übungs-Straße) located near the South-western districts of Berlin was known for its unique track characteristics. With two long straight roads connected by hairpins, AVUS underwent a lot of changes in order to sustain the competition from Nurburgring (which started hosting from 1927) and in an effort to make it as world’s fastest track. One such change is heavily documented and talked about is that of the addition of ‘North Curve’, a 43 degree banking made of bricks, was termed ‘Wall of Death’, by most race observers.

The long straights enticed the drivers to go full throttle and it is here the German motor racing legend Hermann Lang recorded the fastest race speed (260 km/h) and this was a record until the technological advancements at the Indy racing went a notch higher three decades later; than the record set by Lang in 1938.

With World War II and the ramifications of the same forced the circuit authorities to cut its length to 8.3 km from the original 19 km long circuit; Berlin Wall at the proximity of the circuit being one of the reasons to reduce the distance.

After hosting a successful non-championship race in 1954, AVUS made its entry in Formula One in 1959 as hosts of the annual German Grand Prix. Tony Brooks, Dan Gurney and Phil Hill (all Ferrari drivers) were on the podium. The race weekend saw the death of a supports car driver Jean Behra, when he lost control of his car at North curve. His death turned out to be a bad publicity to the track was deemed ‘unsafe’ according to International regulations, as a result of which in 1967, the notorious North curve was dismantled.

Safety of the drivers and of the motor racing fraternity is of the essence. Back in those days, life threatening accidents were accepted as – ‘Motor Racing Incidents’. But the awareness and the death of racing stalwarts in the latter years sent a strong message to the governing bodies to either increase the safety aspects of the car, or choose circuits that can reduce if not eliminate the terrible accidents.

AVUS never got an opportunity to participate in a Formula One season in the following seasons. It hosted several Formula 3, Touring car championships before the curtains came down in 1999.

Lost Track: Circuits of the Yore I - Aintree - British Grand Prix

The name of 'Aintree' takes its origin meaning ‘one tree’ or ‘Tree standing alone’. This Merseyside village located north of Liverpool city centre has a strong connection with the world of motor sports.

Currently, this venue is more renowned as a race-course where it hosts some of the famous names in the equestrian world. Previously it hosted the prestigious British Grand Prix four times and “Grand Prix d’Europe” once apart from other non-championship races.

Located on the A59 highway, a 30 minute bus ride from the Liverpool city centre, this venue itself is notable with a rich history comprising of unforgettable moments to the British racing public and the drivers. It was a cold windy afternoon when I and couple of other friends (in 2009) decided to have a look at this venue. The reception at the race course was very co-operative providing some inputs about the history and also took some time to show the new grand stands which were previously used as pit garages.

Founded in 1954, the Aintree circuit club has the distinction of being the first track based motor club. The first Formula One event in 1955 at this circuit created ripples across Great Britain. The hero, Stirling Moss, won his first GP at this very venue and thereby became the first Briton driver to win a home grand prix. This was so special at that time that, BBC arranged a special interview with Moss on account of his achievement.

The continuing popularity of the Buckinghamshire based track ‘Silverstone’ gave ‘Aintree’ enough competition, and a deal was struck to host the British GP alternatively to appease both circuit clubs. This trend continued till 1960 and Aintree hosted their last two events in 1961 and 1962. Another track by the name ‘Brands Hatch’ took the onus to share the British GP tacking with ‘Silverstone’.

Apart from hosting British GP, ‘Aintree’ also had the honour of hosting a world championship event under the name “Grand Prix d’Europe”. In 1957, on this occasion, another feather was added to the cap of British motorsports history. British drivers winning a British race in a British car was seen as a landmark event. Something previously the Ferrari’s or the Alfa Romeo’s managed. It was the turn of Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks winning for Vanwall made headlines and Moss became the most sort after driver in his country.

The only driver who participated both in a horse race and in a car race was the legendary Spanish driver ‘Alfonso De Portago’, who took part in the Grand National steeplechase event during his youth years and also participated in a non-championship car race few years later. Due to his untimely death at the 1957 Millie Migila event, he was unable to participate in that year’s Aintree GP.

In addition to the world events, Aintree also hosted non-championship events between 1954 and 1964. Since 1964, very few racing events have take place in spite of the racing club being active.

Currently, Aintree Motorcycle road racing club organizes motorcycle races six times a year and has a good following with excellent attendances. Currently the negotiations are on between the Liverpool city council and the motor club to modify the circuit to re-instate the motor sports activities such as Formula Ford, Formula Renault etc. It remains to be seen whether ‘Aintree’ circuit can come back to action or will it be standing alone.

Lost Track: The Circuits of the Yore - is a series covering the circuits that were once a regular feature in the calendar of formula one racing. The first article is about ‘Aintree’ that hosted British Grand Prix from 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961 and 1962.

15 Years Later - Journey of The Great Indian Wall continues

It took fifteen years to witness what I missed on the English summer of 1996. As a 11 year old kid, I used to run to my friend's house down the road to watch cricket. Our house had cable connection, but due to different cable operators, ESPN wasn't on our viewing menu. Disappointed I was, but wasn't depressing as I had a friend who told me he had ESPN on his menu.

It was the evening of 21st June; India started their innings after England unfolded for 344 which included a resurgent hundred by Jack Russell batting lower down the order. Third day of the Test match after having played street cricket with my friends, I rushed to Basava's house 300 meters away from my house. First thing I remember was Ajay Jadeja getting out to Ronnie Irani, in fact he was bowled. Five wickets down and carrying the burden of having earlier watched Lewis castling Sachin Tendulkar, I thought to myself, Let's see what's in store for India this time.

This was my first viewing of India - England Test match, held in England. It was Lord's. I missed the first Test match at Edgbaston because I spent more time mourning and fighting with the cable operators. Looking back, wish Basava had told me his house had ESPN telecast.

Coming back to the Test match, out comes Rahul Dravid, local boy and someone for whom I always prayed he did well. He had a series of poor run at Singer Cup in Singapore and in Sharjah Cup against Pakistan and South Africa. I liked Rahul Dravid more so because he was from Bangalore. Till date, he remains my second favourite cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar.

Rahul Dravid joins Saurav Ganguly in the middle. Ganguly gets out after making a wonderful 131. By then, Dravid had weathered the initial butterflies a debutant goes through. And at the end of third day's play he had reached the first milestone of scoring a fifty. He had his Bangalore mate Kumble alongside him.

Day 4 - 23rd June, Sunday; I had to go with my parents to visit some relatives and also to shop for my birthday. Back then, I had to buy chocolates and sweets for my fellow classmates and teachers. Also had to plan what kind of dishes and number of friends I would have to invite home the next day. The match would begin at 3.30 in the noon (Indian time) and I had some time.

After shopping and the visits, I rushed to Basava's house to watch cricket. Kumble was out by then and very soon Javagal Srinath had to return back to the pavilion. I was bit nervous and was praying for Dravid's century. He took his time, taking singles and was well supported by Paras Mhambrey, who was playing his second Test. And then the moment came, Rahul Dravid edges a delivery from Chris Lewis through to Jack Russell and thereby ended his moment of glory by scoring a century on debut. He missed the landmark by five runs.

I was a happy man to see Dravid finally scoring runs. He followed it up by 84 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham in the third Test. He never looked back in the Tests since then.

15 years and one month hence, on a Saturday afternoon - Rahul Dravid walked out to bat at Lord's in what seems to be his last Test at this very venue where he made his Test debut. Barring Tendulkar, no one else in the current squad witnessed his debut as a mate. In these 15 years, Dravid managed to develop a unique relationship with Lord's. In his 154th Test, Dravid became the first player to play at Lord's while being a active member of MCC, now made it extra special by scoring the hundred. In his fourth attempt he finally made it at a place where it all began for him.

In the years to come, this hundred by Dravid shall remain in my memory. It has a journey of a cricketer and also the journey of me as a follower. I am watching the match on my laptop, in the city of Zurich, quite different from the street when I first saw him bat. It just goes to show, 15 years indeed seems a long time, but 'The Wall' manages to stay firm and looks solid for few more years to come.

Sachin and the Tale of Two Nehru Stadiums

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

World Cup Story from the Kanmadikars

It feels great personally to have been in an era where one has seen the Indian cricket team winning the World Cup. Yes, I didn’t have the opportunity to be at the Wankhede stadium, but it does not matter. I am happy about the World Cup. Here in Indore, sitting in the board room of the MPCA, located at the Holkar stadium, I am beginning my preparations for IPL’s debut at Indore.
It feels great to be in a city that has a rich history in cricket, although fairly low in terms of the output of Test cricketers; but those who made it were of rich pedigree.
While on work, a certain gentleman Mr. Milind Kanmadikar knocks the board room and asks for me. Yes, I remember him, as I had spoken to him over phone in order to confirm his role as the home team liaison, we mutually scheduled the meeting. He was the liaison manager for the Canadian team which participated in the recently concluded Cricket World Cup. I enquired about his role with the Canadian team to have an insight about his role and he was very lucid that made us have some interesting conversation. My inquisitive mind did not stop.
I asked him if he was at Wankhede to witness the finals, he said “No” but my son Prasoon did. I got to meet Prasoon two days prior I met Mr. Milind. Prasoon is a freelance lawyer who also happens to be the Broadcast Liaison for the two IPL matches at Indore. Mr. Milind added– “I witnessed the 1983 World Cup at Lord’s”. I was impressed and he continues – “My father was the secretary of the BCCI during that time and courtesy, my dad I was able to watch the match”.
He was referring to none other than Anant Wagesh Kanmadikar, who is popularly known as “The Judge” was in fact a judge by profession. He was a popular cricket administrator whose highlight in administration was holding the post of secretary, BCCI from 1980 – 85. This small chat with Milind was enthralling. Mr. A.W. Kanmadikar was a towering personality in MPCA and Indian cricket administrative circles. He passed away in the year 2005, leaving behind a legacy that saw India winning the World Cup for the first time and also hosting the World Cup in 1987. In his honor MPCA conducts a district level junior tournament and the trophy is aptly named ‘A.W Kanmadikar trophy’.
We both had some commitments to attend and before bidding a bye, I asked if he wasn’t tempted to be at Wankhede. He replied, “I saw in 1983 and I wanted my son to witness this. He cried after India won the World Cup as his son had an opportunity to witness the same and now they both relate this rare joy of achievement among Indian cricket circles”.

Over the course of next few weeks, I will have an opportunity to interact with these gentlemen as Indore gears up to host the IPL for the first time.(L-R): Milind Kanmadikar, A.W. Kanmadikar, Prasoon Kanmadikar posing with the Kanmadikar trophy