WHAT A 100

 

In the just completed test at Motera in Ahmedabad, India managed to stave off an embarassing defeat to lowly ranked New Zealand thanks to the efforts of     V V S Laxman and Harbhajan Singh.

Laxman once again showed everyone in very clear terms why he is really ‘very very special’.This statement is fast becoming a cliche thanks to the exploits of Laxman in the recent matches against Sri Lanka and Australia.

While Laxman’s abilities and credentials cannot be questioned, Harbhajan Singh demonstrated his attitude and brought up his maiden 100 in first class cricket when it really mattered most.Not to forget the half century in the first innings in the same match.

With the 100, Harbhajan joined 3 other Indians who scored their maiden first class 100 in test matches.One of them is the great Kapil Dev.Predictably, after the match, some managed to ‘unearth’ a new all-rounder in Indian cricket. Mercifully, no one has the gall to draw comparisons between Kapil Dev and Harbhajan Singh!Of course, Sunil Gavaskar wants the selectors to make a batsman make way for another bowler in the wake of the 100 from Harbhajan.

Even as praises are showered on the batting efforts of Harbhajan, we have ignored the most important contribution that the off-spinner has to bring to his team. It is a matter of concern that while Harbhajan’s batting has improved, his bowling has gone into downhill. It is a worry that Australia and New Zealand managed to score in excess of 400 runs in the first innings of the previous three test matches in India.The primary role of Harbhajan is to take wickets although runs from his bat are also welcome.

THE STAND-OFF CONTINUES

The stand-off between the hockey players and Hockey India continues over the demands from the players relating to incentives and graded pay system.

 

Predictably, the people in charge of running the sport in the country have put forward some ‘ad-hoc’ proposals that the players have rejected. Hockey India is offering only Rs.25,000 per player while the players have asked for Rs.4.5 lakh each.Hockey India does not have the funds.The players at least want a written assurance from Hockey India which is also rejected.

 

The players have boycotted the conditioning camp for the forthcoming World Cup. Hockey India has given a 48 hour deadline for the players to take part in the camp.The players have also been warned that a team of ‘reserve’ players would be fielded in the World Cup.

 

Hockey India has criticised the money mindedness of the players and also has questioned the timing of the ‘revolt’. Hockey India has tried to use the card of playing for the nation.But as things are at the moment, the players are firm in their decision and are sticking to their demands.

 

I watched a press conference of the players where they pointed out that during the Azlan Shah tournament each player was provided $14 per day. On their tour to Argentina, the remuneration was $20 per day.These payments are pittances even when considers the pride of playing for the country.The men of Hockey India are least bothered about the image of the sport that has taken a lot of beating in the past few decades. People like Mattoo do not realise the pain and the sacrifices that the players make.

 

K P S Gill, the former top boss of Indian hockey claims that he could solve the problem in 10 minutes. This is utterly ludicrous since it is people like him who have taken the sport to such depths in the first place. In a way, Gill can do it. All he has to do is to hold the players at gun point and make them fall in line. Mr.Gill, these are players and not some criminals.

 

The Union Minister for Sports, M.S.Gill a self proclaimed saviour of Indian hockey wishes that the problem is solved immediately for the larger interest of the country.

 

The Governments of Madhya Pradesh and Punjab have offered help.Tomorrow, we may more such offers from Congress ruled states. This kind of attitude is something that is sickening to say the least.

Shah Rukh Khan has tweeted about this situation and a former actress /singer who now lives across the border in Pakistan has offered to hold concerts to raise funds.So much for the players and the sport!

 

The players have put forward the proposal that they can shell out money from their pockets to meet the expenses.

 

Ad hocism has plagued this country in all fields and sports is no exception.

 

It is only the players who have to think about national pride while people like Kalmadi, Gill etc. do not hesitate to hog all the limelight when the players bring laurels to the country.

 

What a coincidence that as I am typing this post, B B King is saying “The Thrill is Gone”.

Technorati Tags: HOCKEY,INDIA,HOCKEY INDIA,WORLD CUP,M S GILL,K P S GILL,SHAH RUKH KHAN

CRICKET REPORTING OR FORECASTING?

It came as a total surprise that the cricket correspondent of The New Indian Express is also someone having the ability to see the future.Writing in the Bhubaneswar edition and also on the net edition dated 3-11-09 under the headline 'INJURIES ROB SERIES OF SOME OF SPARK', Sandip G says "Doug Bollinger debuted impressively on a slow track in Delhi but was sized out in Mohali".

There are certain things that need some clarification.

1.Bollinger is a left-arm fast bowler who has been brought up on the hard and bouncy wickets of Australia. In that case he should have been uncomfortable with the 'slow' wicket of Delhi.

2.The Indians fielded first after winning the toss in Mohali. It was a day-night game and the newspaper could only include the first 50 overs when the Aussies batted and the Indians fielded.By the time the story of Sandip G was filed, Bollinger did not have a bowl in Mohali.However, when he actually bowled, Bollinger was not 'sized out' . In fact, the left-armer 'sized-up' with figures of 3 for 38 as the Indians could not chase down 251.

Wonder how such pathetic reporting finds place in a newspaper that speaks of quality!

WHY RAHUL DRAVID?

The recent form of Yuvraj Singh has compelled the selectors to include the left-hander in the test squad on the tour of Australia. With Sachin, Saurav, Laxman, Dravid and Jaffer being certainties, a spot for Yuvraj calls for a bold choice or a gamble. Many wise people have voiced the view that Yuvraj can be accommodated in the middle order only if Dravid is asked to give company to Jaffer at the start of the innings. Even the great Sunil Gavaskar has endorsed this view.

The idea that Dravid should open stems from the fact that the Karnataka batsman is the most competent when it comes to facing fast bowling on bouncy pitches. More importantly, Dravid opened the innings once before in Pakistan. So that makes Dravid a sort of a ‘natural choice’ for the role of the opener.

If Dravid is indeed compelled by the team management to open the innings, things could take a turn for the worst for the Indian team. If one cares to remember the last tour to down under, it was Dravid who was a crucial factor behind the team’s good show batting at one drop. With his confidence low, not only the team but also the batting of Dravid could suffer.

Why Dravid? The answer is pretty simple and straightforward. Dravid does not have many powerful backers among the former players and the media. In fact, Dravid is someone who can be dispensed with ostensibly in the name of larger interests.

The success or the failure of the team in the batting department depends mostly on the performance of Dravid.

HOME ADVANTAGE!

Sreesanth and R.P.Singh shall miss the first test at Delhi due to injuries. This is not the news. The news concerns the drafting of Ishant Sharma into the playing eleven. Munaf Patel is also called as a replacement.

Ishant Sharma made his debut in the test series in Bangladesh when the Indian team was on a mission to avenge the defeat in the World Cup. By all accounts, Sharma is someone who didn’t look like a bowler suited the highest level of the game. Even when faced with the prospect of bowling at the Bangladesh batsmen, there were few deliveries that looked threatening leave alone wickettaking ones.

So what has made Sharma the chosen one? The reason is far simpler and obvious. Sharma happens to play for Delhi at the domestic level. Let the BCCI make it a policy to include at least one player from the local team in case of matches played in India.

Irfan Pathan has the experience and he is definitely the better choice. But at the present point of time, Pathan is unable to convince the selectors.

Munaf Patel has only played a handful of tests and he looks and bowls like a veteran bowler of more than 100 tests. The pace has dropped alarmingly and the body language does not speak well. Of course, Pathan’s pace also is something that cannot worry any batsman of some class. But then Sharma looked pedestrian even in his debut test.

A NICE JINX!

In recent months Sachin Tendulkar has been getting out without making a century. In the process he has the distinction of notching up the most number of 90 plus scores in one dayers. This has led to the belief that there is jinx that prevents Sachin from having his 42nd ODI ton. It is sad that Sachin has been unable to get beyond the 90s. But that jinx has not helped Pakistan with India taking the series.

At times the talk about the jinx becomes ridiculous. We are talking about a batsman who has scored thousands of runs and a lot of hundreds. So it cannot be question of nervous nineties. It is more of a coincidence. Any lesser player would be proud to become the owner of the 90 plus scores that Sachin is accumulating these days.

There was a time when Sachin scored a 100 but India was not able to force the issue with the opposition. So it matters very little whether Sachin scores a 100 or falls in the nineties. What matters more is the win for India.

I believe Sachin also gives a greater importance to the fortunes of the team than to his own.

A NEW COLOUR OF SYCOPHANCY!

The third one dayer between India and Pakistan is to be played at Kanpur. That is not the news. A news channel reported that the UPCA (Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association) is likely to apply blue colour to the ground. It has nothing to do with the colour of the Indian team dress. The colour blue is associated with the ruling party in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

If this is true, then it gives a whole new dimension to the game of cricket. Instead of talking about the green of the ground, everyone shall be wondering about the blues! A real precedent is likely to be set. The different political parties ruling the states in India will surely want their party colours to be used for painting the cricket grounds.

With the state cricket associations dominated by politicians and shady characters and also government officials, it is no wonder that everyone wants to be in the good books of the party in power.

It is further reported that the UPCA has asked the BCCI not to give an invite to Shah Rukh Khan to watch the match at Kanpur. The official view is not to create any crowd trouble at the Green Park. I have an entirely different take on this. The authorities know very well that Khan’s presence could simply overshadow the presence of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

Is this sycophancy at its best or at its worst?

A WIN IS A WIN

India won the one-dayer against Ireland by nine wickets. Saurav Ganguly and Gautam Gambhir scored unbeaten half centuries to steer the team home after the target was revised under the Duckworth-Lewis system following a rain interruption after the lunch break.

But the easy victory does not tell the full story. The bowlers were not able to bowl out the home team for a lower score. The unheralded batsmen of Ireland were given enough bad balls to put up a decent score.

The top run maker in the history of one dayers was not able to show his class. Ganguly and Gambhir played scratchily with the timing going awry a number of times for both the left-handers.

A team that is supposedly in the revival mode on the road to greatness, this is not the best of starts. Perhaps, the low temperature could not warm up the Indians to the task.

Maybe, there is no room for any complaints because Ireland finished in the top eight at the World Cup. It is the win that counts, not the opponent.

THE GREAT COACH DEBATE: ARGUMENTATIVE INDIANS

Last night, a news channel-CNNIBN discussed whether the Indian cricket team needs a foreign coach or a native. These debates have really hogged the airtime as well as paper space, not to mention net space. Such debates have not really taken place ever since when a certain person of foreign origin was set to rule over our destinies. It is altogether another matter that the same person today wields supreme power, without owning any responsibility.


England went through the same routine when the coach for the football team was to be considered. Sven Goran Erikkson was appointed the coach. He is from Sweden and not from England. By all accounts, his tenure was much scrutinized and the Swede was also embroiled in a scandal. When he failed to deliver at the World Cup, the English F.A decided to end the contract. The FA has given the job to Steve McClaren. Many national football teams hire foreigners to improve their fortunes. Many also fall by the wayside once the results are less than impressive.


A section of the media and a few players as well as some of the Board officials appears to be enamoured with the idea of having a foreign coach. It is alleged that an Indian does not have the expertise and the experience to coach the team. Much was made over the laptop glitch that was faced by Mohinder Amarnath the last time when interviews were conducted for the post of the coach of the Indian team.


Every time the issue of coach comes up, there are parallels drawn with the Australian team. John Buchanan did not play at the international level and the new coach Tim Nielsen did never appear for the Australian team. Why are we so fascinated with the Australian model when we are radically different from the Aussies as far as our sporting culture is concerned?


In the whole issue the role of the ‘superstars’ is stinking to say the least. It is puzzling to hear that some of the players are calling for a foreign coach. Wonder what Ponting and company make out of this!


In my humble opinion, it matters very little whether the coach is Indian or not. What matters are the results and the outcome. To paraphrase Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese leader, the colour of the cat may be black or white but what is important that it should catch the mice.