NEEDED A NEW SPIN

The English cricket team lost the one-day series in Pakistan and they lost the seven match series in India as well. I believe the English won only one match in India. The English media went hoarse with the calls saying that the English team does not take the limited overs version of the game seriously. But the same people were over the moon when England did better in the one-dayers before the last Ashes.

Now England have been beaten in a one-day series by Sri Lanka. Wonder, if the home team took the matches seriously. The fact is otherwise. If analysed carefully, there are very few players in the England team who fit the one-day game. Flintoff is good for both the tests and the one-dayers. So is the case with Kevin Pietersen. Speaking about Pietersen, he is the best English batsmen since the Ashes. But very often, after a good start, he throws his wicket away in the one-dayers. Collingwood is another player who is a very good one-day player. He can bat, bowl and field excellently.

Apart from these players, there are not many who have match winning abilities in the one dayers. Michael Vaughan was never a good one day player. Trescothick and Strauss do not have the ability to take on the opposition bowlers that is so important in the early stages of the limited overs game.

In the bowling department, there are no such English bowlers who can mix the pace and create problems for the batsmen of the opposing teams. There is no spinner to bring down the opposition run rate.

So it is time that the English team gets its act together in the one-dayers. Or, they have to accept the fact that they are not a good one day side.

ST.KITTS

UNFAIR WEATHER AND MEDIOCRE CRICKET

Atkinson the famous pitch maker or more properly, the pitch curator, promised a good sporting wicket for the third test at St. Kitts. But in the end, the pitch is a true batsman’s paradise.

In the three days of cricket, the home team was able to complete the first innings and the visiting Indians have lost only two wickets. Of course, rains played the spoilsport by curtailing the cricket. To be fair, the home batsmen were not intent on scoring the runs quickly and the visiting bowlers were not able to dislodge them.

Commentators like Siddhu and Manjrekar blamed Lara for the prolonged boredom over the three days. Chanderpaul boosted his home average against India and took a lot of flak for the slow approach. Lara and the West Indies team management had a plan to deny the Indians the chance of a victory. The winning of the toss helped them. The lack of a proper bowling plan from the Indians aided the home team in its cause. The fielding placements left a lot to be desired.

The debutant umpire Brian Jerling made life uncomfortable for the Indian bowlers, especially, Anil Kumble. Of course, umpriring decisions or non-decisions are a part of this great game.

WORLD CUP UPDATE

GERMANY AND ARGENTINA THROUGH

Germany and Argentina are through the quarterfinals of the 2006 world cup, though in contrasting styles. Germany scored two early goals and Podolski was the scorer on both the occasions. The Swedes fluffed up their lines and Henrik Larsson missed a penalty. That is how the game can be cruel sometimes. Larsson is the all time scorer for Sweden and he missed a penalty. The Germans are a safe bet to go all the distance with all the support they get from their supporters.

The Argentines were jolted by an early goal from the Mexicans, though a melee at the goal resulted in the equalizer. It was only in the extra time the match was decided.

ENGLAND HAS TO PERFORM OR PERISH

All the talk is over. Now it is time for the overhyped footballers of England to finally show to the world that they have the heart and the ability to compete with the best. Of course, Ecuador are not really in the same league as their more famous South American compatriots, Brazil and Argentina.

In the three first round matches, Beckham and company have displayed little of their skills and talent. Peter Crouch does not really look like scoring goals. Joe Cole and Gerrard not to forget Lampard have looked good. Michael Owen has suffered a horrible injury.

Most of the English footballers look classy in the Premier League but when it comes to the international scene, it is a completely different story.

THERE ARE NO CLEAR FAVOURITES

Portugal and Holland fight out for a quarterfinal spot. Both the teams have so far displayed an uninspiring brand of football. Portugal is always a paradox with all the talent available and so is Holland. It is a last chance for the likes of Figo to achieve greatness at the exalted scene while Christian Ronaldo, Robben and Van Persie would strive for the ultimate recognition.

The Dutch teams of the 1980s and the 1990s could not achieve much except for the win in the European championship of 1988. That team had the talent but in the world cup of 1990, they lost out to the eventual winners, Germany. It was alleged that the Dutch teams suffered from internal strife.

The match is also a contest between two coaches of different styles and strategies. Scolari brings the Brazilian flavour while Van Basten is more focused on defence.

In my humble opinion, the match should go all the distance to the extra time and even to the penalty shots.

WORLD CUP UPDATE

ARGENTINA LOOK DIFFERENT

The second match of the day features Argentina and Mexico. The 1986 winners look a class above the rest and Mexico have a lot to worry over. But Mexico are no pushovers, The last few matches between the two have been close contests.

However, few would dare to bet against the likes of Riquelme, Messi, Ayala and others. No doubt, this is the best Argentine team since the one led by Diego Maradona to win in 1986.

WORLD CUP UPDATE

GERMANY START THE FAVOURITE

The German team is favoured to win against Sweden. The strikers of the home team, Podolski and Klose are in good touch and with the inspirational Ballack in the midfield, few would like to think otherwise. The Germans are always good in defence and the present defenders are not likely to allow much room to the opponents. But the biggest strength of the Germans is Ballack who orchestrates all the forward moves with great skill and creativity. No wonder, the home supporters were disappointed with the injury of Ballack on the eve of the tournament opener against Costa Rica.

GHANA

Ghana remains the only country from Africa to go to the second round of the 2006 world cup. The talent on show by the African teams that included the likes of Ivory Coast, Togo, Angola besides Ghana was exceptional, although the goals and the victories belonged to the opponents. Only the magicians from South America surpassed some of the skills displayed by the Africans. It is this brand of football from Africa that makes one sit up and take notice. One thing that is spectacular of the African footballers is the way the goals are celebrated. Roger Milla had his own style while the Nigerians like Kaanu put up their own style. This time also every goal was celebrated in a different and an unique way.

Ghana are unlucky in a way to play Brazil in the second round but that is something that the likes of Appiah would relish. The footballers from Africa see the world cup as an opportunity for better future in the lucrative leagues of Europe.

The only Ghanian to get international recognition is the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. Now a whole country and a continent can be proud of a group of Ghanians.

WORLD CUP UPDATE

LES BLEUS PULL IT OFF

The line-up for the second round has been completed. France fought off the stubborn resolve from Togo and scored two goals. The French have been joined by Switzerland who got the better of South Korea. With this defeat for the Koreans, there is no representative left in the world cup.

Spain consolidated their position at the top of Group H and Ukraine also go through to the second round.

ST.KITTS TEST

WHAT A FAST WICKET

Despite all talk from Lara about the ‘fastness’ of the pitch, the wicket at St. Kitts has not bothered the batsmen of the home team on the first day. The home just lost one wicket for a score of just over 200 runs on a day cut short by rain. Of course, the Indian bowlers also helped the cause of the home team. Barring Munaf Patel and Kumble, the other bowlers were thrashed by Gayle to all parts of the Warner Park. Gayle had a new sponsor for his bat and as to show off the new sticker, the left hander sent the ball over the fence 5 times.

There is something wrong with the Indian think-tank. Pathan was dropped after receiving tips from the great Andy Roberts. V.R.V.Singh was dropped justifiably so after the first two matches. Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth replaced these two bowlers. The Kerala bowler is proving to be a favourite of Gayle and Harbhajan could not make any impact, at least one the first day.
The Indians have do something dramatic on the second day of the match to take the match in their direction.

What has happened to the ‘pitch consultant’ who was supposed to make all the difference? If anyone wants, I am offering myself to prepare wickets.

WORLD CUP UPDATE

HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN

For a team that boasts the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry in its ranks, these are surely hard times. The Les Bleus have struggled since the last world cup and the showing in the first two matches does not inspire any confidence. He French have to beat South Korea to go through to the second round. The French could not go past the first round in the last edition.

I strongly believe that Henry and company have not able to replicate their club success at the international level. For a player who finished at the top of the goal scoring heap for the last two seasons in the English Premier League, Henry could find the net only once in the first two matches. Zidane has seen great days and the suspension makes him sit out the crucial match. If only the others play to their potential, Zidane can try one last time.

WORLD CUP UPDATE

THE PHENOM DOES IT IN STYLE


Everyone doubted the ability of Ronaldo to contribute anything of substance to the Brazilian effort. For a large part of the season injury kept Ronaldo out of the game. He was clearly overweight and struggled to find the touch and rhythm in the first games of the 2006 world cup. But in the match against Japan, Ronaldo managed two goals to tie with the all time leading goal scorer in the world cup, Gerd Muller.

Critics can undermine the effort citing the weakness of the opposition, in this case Japan. But the important part is that Ronaldo seemed to enjoy the game. That may yet prove to be dangerous for the opposition in the matches to come.

WORLD CUP UPDATE

BRAZIL HAS TO SHOW THE TRUE COLOURS
It is time for the Brazilians to show the magic that has so far eluded the fans in the first two matches. One can safely predict the outcome of the match between Brazil and Japan. But then the display from the likes of Ronaldinho and company has been laboured and unimpressive. That is the cause for worry for the champions have to get past opponents stronger than Croatia, Australia and Japan from the second round.

WORLD CUP UPDATE

GROUP E GOES TO THE WIRE

The first round has provided very little by way of surprises but Group E has the potential. All the four teams, Italy, Czech Republic, Ghana and the United States have good chances of making through to the second round. The race is even tighter when it comes to the first three. Italy just needs a draw while Czech Republic and Ghana need a win.

Italy takes on Czech Republic and might just defend to secure a single point. With Koller injured, the attacking options are very limited for the Czechs. The Ghanians are the favourites to beat the U.S. The Africans are carrying the hopes of an entire continent and that can be pressure enough.

LACK OF PENETRATION

Many years ago when I was just starting out on cricket, my uncle asked me whether I was a bowler or a batsman. I wanted to be a batsman and on times rolled the arm over. He was disappointed. Being an avid fan of cricket, he was frustrated at the lack of penetration in the Indian bowling line-up. At the same time, he was disappointed over the poor showing of the Indian batsmen when facing the fast bowlers.

To this day, the same story continues to the chagrin of the Indian cricket fan. It is the lack of a fast bowler who can bowl swinging yorkers, that has cost India many a match. The inability to close out the last two test matches in the West Indies is also a pointer in this direction. It is not that every bowler can become a Waqar Younis or a Wasim Akram, but at least no Indian bowler has ever looked like bowling those yorkers on a consistent basis.

Zaheer Khan came into the reckoning with superb yorkers in the ICC Champions Trophy in Kenya. If I remember correctly, it was a special from Zaheer that defeated Steve Waugh. But over time, Zaheer fluffed his lines and is now out of the Indian team. Pathan never relied on this kind of a ball to bag his wickets. Srinath was the best fast bowler to play for India since Kapil Dev. He also never bowled a yorker. Of the current lot, Munaf has got the pace and the attitude.

The yorker bowled with pace and aimed at the right direction can be a very potent weapon bowling on unresponsive pitches and at lower order batsmen.

LOOKING AHEAD OF THE THIRD TEST

India lost a great chance to win the first two test matches of the series. It is time that India finally does enough to win the elusive test match abroad. The team management is short of ideas, that is, those based on reason. The much-touted five bowler strategy was simply tossed into the seas. For a coach and a captain who are supposedly not defensive, this one is certainly not an attacking strategy.

Whatever do people like Ian Bishop say, it is time that V.R.V. Singh is removed from the playing eleven. Here is a ‘fast’ bowler who looks and bowls like a veteran of more than 100 test matches. His walk back to the bowling mark is something that takes the cake. His disinterested walk is not something that is cool for a fast bowler. Pathan continues to surprise with his lack of pace and imagination. Sreesanth is only fury without being able to subdue the batsmen.

Of the bowlers, Kumble and Munaf looked the part, while Sehwag is the surprise packet. The fielding, especially, the close-in ones do not inspire much confidence. This is astonishing considering the credentials of Greg Chappell as a catcher of repute in the slips.

WORLD CUP UPDATE

A PROUD RECORD
Sweden managed to keep their proud record against England intact. Twice in the match, the Swedes came from behind to level the score. The goal of Joe Cole reminded of the goal scored by Ronaldinho in the last world cup against England. Owen is in all likelihood going to miss the rest of the world cup. England have not looked the cup material. It is more hype than substance.

The home team scored a third win in their group thanks to the efforts of the Poles, Klose and Podolski. Klose now has 9 goals in the world cup and with Ronaldo not in a position to add to his tally, the German can catch up with the all time goal scorer in the history of the world cup.

The world cup is over for first timers Trinidad and Tobago. Their progress so far is nothing short of remarkable.

GANGULY-ONLY QUESTIONS, NO ANSWERS

New material has been added to the Ganguly saga. It is surprising that the former Indian captain has decided to challenge Jagmohan Dalmiya for the control of the Cricket Association of Bengal. Ganguly has received the backing of the government of West Bengal. Politics, for sure, makes strange bedfellows.

Is this the Ganguly way of distancing himself from the Dalmiya ? Does Ganguly think that his ouster from the Indian team is not due to poor form but because of the changes in the power equation ? Has Sharad Pawar given any indication that such a move would clear the way for the rehabilitation of the left hander ? Or has Ganguly decided to finally hang his cricketing boots and take to cricket politics in a big way, in the time honoured Indian way ? That would mean taking the ultimate revenge on his ‘enemies’.

In any case, there are only questions, no answers.

WORLD CUP

UPDATE

ARGENTINA CRACK THE WHIP

Argentina put up an awesome display to demolish Serbia and Montenegro. It was not that the team from the Balkans is ordinary. S&M, in fact, topped the European qualifying group that also included Spain. The final scoreline of 6-0 in favour of the Argentines would suggest otherwise.

The quality of the football on show from Riquelme, Crespo, Tevez and others was simply superb. Lionel Messi made and entry well into the second half and he made a great impact. He scored one goal and made another.

At times, Argentina was toying with the opponent team. A greater number of goals looked a possibility the way the South Americans went about their task.

The quality that separates the Argentines from Brazil’s Samba boys is the strong defensive game alongwith the touch that is so typical of South America. With today’s show, Argentina has simply reinforced the belief that it can go all the distance.

But the ultimate question is whether the Argentines have peaked a little too early. Of course, there is no cause for complaint as the other favourite teams have so far put up very ordinary displays.

WORLD CUP

The first round matches have entered the second stage with England, Germany and Ecuador having made sure of qualifying to the knock out phase. Germany scored 4 goals in the first match of the finals. But the hosts found the going tough in the match against Poland. The winner could only be scored in the injury time. England also made heavy weather in both their matches. The winner in the opening match came from the Paraguayans. The first timer Trinidad and Tobago caused a lot of problems for the English before Crouch and Gerrard scored the late goals. The surprise packet is Ecuador who scored 3 against Costa Rica. The South Americans were able to beat the fancied Poland in their first match.

Brazil was not convincing in the match against Croatia. There were few flashes of brilliance that is a signature of the Samba boys. There is some concern over the health of Ronaldo. Hope things are not going to take us back to the finals of 1998.

Argentina looked solid in the first match and so too the Czech Republic. Of course, one has to realize that the Czechs were playing against the United States.

Spain proved to be the best of all the teams. But in the past also the Spanish only flattered to deceive.

ABSENCE OF A SPORTING CULTURE

My father is interested in sports and games and that is the reason why my siblings and me do the same. My mother has the habit of making expert comments when she is least expected to. The football world cup is going to kick off from today and last night there was the mandatory discussion in the house.

My father was dismayed that countries like Togo and Trinidad and Tobago have made it to the biggest prize in football while India with a population that is one sixth of the worlds’ is down in the list. Many theories have been offered to explain the failure in mainstream sporting events (read non-cricket). A common reason is the lack of facilities and the lack of government support and patronage to sports like football. Notwithstanding the presence of people like K P S Gill, Priyaranjan Dasmunshi and Suresh Kalmadi and scores of others who are least interested in the health of sports or the sportspersons, I have a different theory.

As Indians, we don’t have a sporting culture or tradition. How many Indian parents encourage their children to take to sports seriously? How many families treat sporting events as family get togethers? Poverty is often cited as a reason for the lack of attention given to sports. In that case, no world class athlete or sportsperson would have come out of Africa or South America. I have come across parents who do not want to have cable television in the home for the fear of spoiling the children from watching sports and games.

We have awards in sports that are named after mythological characters like Arjuna or Dronacharya. There is no award that is named after a famous athlete. That is something which surely does not inspire Indians to take to sports.

My mother was not very much enthusiastic when my brothers and me used to play. She was more concerned about studies and our careers. The discussion ended when she commented that Indians are more interested in watching daily soaps on the television.

ANTIGUA TEST

The first test between India and the West Indies and the last test match at the Antigua Recreation Ground ended in a draw on the last ball of the match. The Indians who were behind the home team, looked the better side on days four and five, well almost.

Just as the bowlers could not finish in Karachi after the spectacular burst from Pathan, this time also they could not dislodge the tailenders. Then Kamran Akmal was the stumbling block, but Bradshaw and company do not possess similar batting abilities.

The strategy of playing five bowlers did not work in the end. V R V Singh was someone who looked completely lost. At times he just was ambling back to the run up mark and he did not inspire any confidence when the team was looking for wickets. Sreesanth was taken to the cleaners in the first innings but that did not stop him from offering glares and his mouth to the Windies batsmen. What a sight it was! Munaf Patel also looked out of sorts. It was Kumble who kept India in the hunt with able support from the new look Sehwag.

The much vaunted batting line-up came unstuck in the first innings and in the second innings with the pitch showing signs of easing off, the Indian batsmen could make big runs. Also, the bowlers of the home team were also guilty of undermining their side. Probably, they just ran out of gas.

There were few let offs from Indian fielders that proved costly in the end. Jaffer could not latch on to a chance off the blade of Chanderpaul. It is foolish for the slip fielders to stand that far when neither the pitch nor the bowlers were really that fast. Speaking about Chanderpaul, he once again feasted on the Indian bowling. Gayle is just continuing with the form that he showed in the one dayers. Lara once again could not make a big score against India.

With the draw, India have left a great chance to win a test and put the home team under pressure. With that, chances of a series win have also become slim.

ALL SOUND AND NO ACTION?

After the fourth match in the current one-day series in the Windies, the captain of the home team was speaking about the ‘comment’ of the Indian coach. India won the first match of the series at Jamaica and the coach came out with the statement that the Windies have ‘forgotten the winning habit’. Brian Lara asserted that the comment was ‘sly’ and that his team was out to prove the Indian coach wrong.

Having read many times about a similar comment made by the then English captain Tony Greig that his team would make the visiting Windies team ‘grovel’, I wondered about the possible repercussions. The West Indians were out to prove a point and they beat the English convincingly. A number of batsmen of the English team agree that the bowling faced was the most hostile. While the present team does not boast of Andy Roberts and Michael Holding, there was always a possibility of hurting the pride of the home team.

In the past decade, many former players and greats of yesteryears felt that the poor showing of the Windies was in part due to the lack of the pride playing for the country. But the sly remark of the Indian coach may have brought the sense of pride and that is a strong enough cause of worry for the Indians in the forthcoming test series.

SPARE A THOUGHT FOR GANGULY

In the aftermath of the loss of the fourth one dayer in the Windies, there was a lot of debate and discussion about the possible reasons for the loss suffered by India. In a particular television news channel, viewers were asked to vote via SMS the ‘culprit’ responsible for the loss of the series. Not surprisingly, the main accused was the Chairman of the Selectors, Kiran More. The second position was taken by Greg Chappell and the Indian skipper, Rahul Dravid came third.

One other point the viewers made was the non-inclusion of Ganguly, the much maligned man of Indian cricket, at least for some. It is not surprising since the left-hander happened to be the biggest match winner in one-dayers, with the sole exception of a certain gentleman named Sachin Tendulkar. It was foolish to say the least that there was a gross error of judgement in not taking Ganguly for the one-dayers, especially with the absence of Tendulkar due to injury.

The argument of Chappell and company that Ganguly was past his prime, when it came to running between the wickets and in the field, did not cut much ice when players handpicked and groomed fell by the wayside. Just imagine Ramesh Powar fielding the boundary. In a match, Powar slid and allowed the ball to touch the rope for a four. Ganguly could not have done worse. Further, Ganguly’s bowling would have been useful, even as another ‘experiment’.

Ganguly has become a pariah and the enemy number one for a large number of people. Harsha Bhogle has, in his scheme of things, has already made Ganguly retire. If Chappell is a true professional, then why should not be there any accountability? People have used the same justifications to sack Ganguly.

It was a well known fact that the Windies were a very weak team. New Zealand and South Africa completed clean sweeps while India are struggling to keep pace. With the kind of cricket displayed by India so far, the win the test series is still going to be a dream.

ST.KITTS

WINDIES GO ONE UP




The home team won with just the last ball to spare in the third one dayer of the current series. Incidentally, this is the first international match to be played at Warner Park. All the three matches have been very close ones, each going to the last over. But that does not hide the truth that the Windies outplayed India in the third match.

Sehwag and Kaif took their team to a strong position after the early dismissal of Dravid. But the other batsmen could not sustain the tempo and the innings of the tourists ended having posted a not so impressive total. The last 15 overs of the Indian innings just produced 42 runs. The slow bowlers like Samuels and Gayle proved to be difficult to score runs off. The absence of the in-form Yuvraj was very much felt.

Needing to score just under 250 runs in 50 overs, the home team was not expected to be stretched. But the Windies managed to do that despite the sterling knocks from Sarwan and Chanderpaul. These two have been thorns in the Indian flesh in the past, and this time was no different. Sarwan has an exceptional record against the Indians, which does not quite match his record when it comes to teams like Australia. The same is the case with Chanderpaul who has never shown his dislike for the Indian attacks.

Initially, the Indian bowlers were treated with disrespect with the exception of Agarkar. Pathan seems to be in a trance as he went all over the park. Harbhajan once again showed the control he has over the Caribbean batsmen. Powar was taken to the cleaners by Sarwan and with this showing, it is time the management takes a new look at the Mumbai off-spinner.

With the team being considered as a strong contender for the world cup in 2007, India ought to outplay an opposition as mediocre as the Windies.

TEST TEAM FOR WINDIES

The Indian team for the test matches does not have any surprises except for the inclusion of V V S Laxman and the non-inclusion of Ajit Agarkar. Probably, the last minute decision of Sachin to miss the tour gave the batsman from Hyderabad another tilt at test match glory. I am a big fan of Laxman but with the theories and ideas of Greg Chappell, it was always doubtful.

I have never been a supporter of Agarkar. I have always felt that the Mumbai bowler gets the opportunities just because he comes from a particular part of the country. But in the three one dayers, he has been a revelation. He bowled exceedingly well and a test slot was awaited. But the selectors led by the irrepressible Kiran More sprang a surprise by excluding Agarkar from the test side. The last time Punjab bowler V R V Singh was in the team, the selectors did not know about the injury he was carrying. Hope this time he is fully fit. I reckon the obsession with this bowler is more to do with the kind of influence that a particular gentleman wields in the present dispensation. The inclusion of Powar is baffling, to say the least. Maybe, that is something to do with the representation from Mumbai.With Kumble and Harbhajan, the Mumbai spinner will only sit on the bench. Wasim Jaffer will return to the test team to open the innings and that will spare us from the ‘sacrifices’ made by Dravid while opening the batting.

Raina has been included in the test squad following his impressive performances in the shorter version of the game. After a long time, the selectors have shown some sense in picking a second wicket keeper in Dinesh Kartik. Since it is a four match series, it is wise to have some contingent plan.

Lastly, the timing of the announcement when the one dayers are still to be played is curious, as always is the case with the current selection panel.

DOES THAT INCLUDE MR.CHAPPELL?

Greg Chappell has been in the news ever since he was appointed the coach of the Indian team. The spat with Saurav and the subsequent events have been well documented. A supposed injury caused the Aussie to show a particular finger. It is also well publicized the desire of Chappell to make India the second best team in the world. The wins over Sri Lanka, England and Pakistan, especially in the limited overs game has enhanced the reputation of Chappell. A lot of coverage has been given in the press about the ‘processes’ and ‘experiments’ that contributed to the success. However, the same could not help India save test matches, one in Pakistan and one in India.


I was going through an interview that Chappell gave to Rohit Brijnath in Sportstar (May 20, 2006). Chappell believes that India has to get good results in test matches by 2006. In case, India is not able to achieve this objective, then in Chappell’s words “ we’ve got wrong people”. When persisted with the question, Chappell says “ at the end of the day the players have got to play. It could be a reflection on the selectors, it could be a reflection on the system in India that produces cricketers, it could be a reflection on a lot of people”.

Chappell, who has earned the reputation of being honest and candid, does not think anything about the role of the coach. If the players have to play and the selectors have to do their jobs, then what is the coach going to do? In that case, it is not justified to employ someone who does not want to be accountable.

JAMAICA

SECOND ODI- WINDIES DRAW LEVEL

The sequence of chasing targets has come to an end thanks to a most inept display. I don’t like to underestimate the strength of the Windies, but that team from the Caribbean is mediocre to say the least. If the Indian team cannot come up with a convincing display against such opponents, then all the ‘experiments’ and ‘processes’ do not mean anything.

In recent years, most of the touring teams to the Caribbean have been victorious in both the versions of the game. The home team has been outplayed on a number of occasions. The only saving grace has been the batting of a few individuals. In the first game, the Indian line up nearly threw it all away, before scrapping a win. Now, in the second game, a target of less than 200 runs seemed beyond the superstars.

With the kind of money, the players ought to respond in a more professional manner. It would serve the team better, if the players concentrate on their game.

NOT THE RIGHT VIEW

I read the write ups of Ms. Sharda Ugra with interest. But I don’t agree with her views on Asia (India Today, May 15, 2006) getting the chance to host the cricket World Cup in 2011. Her argument is that since cricket is by far the most popular sport in the subcontinent, the event should have gone to some other country where cricket can be popularized.

Ms.Ugra cites events like the football World Cup that have been hosted in South Korea and Japan in 2002 and that South Africa gets the chance to host the same in 2010. It is true that FIFA has tried out to reach countries of Asia and Africa. But let us not forget that the first world cup in football was held in 1938 and only in 2002 the world body decided to take football outside the traditional venues! The same is the case with other sporting events.

It is the money and the popularity that influence such decisions today. Windies gets to host the world cup in 2007. England hosted the first three editions and another in 1999. It is Australia that has hosted only one in 1992. But Australia has so far hosted the Olympic games and the Commonwealth games twice each. Australia has so strong sporting culture and traditions that the average Australian would not be unhappy to lose out this chance.

India now excels in very few sports on a world level. Cricket, even though played only in a handful of countries is the most popular sport. So there is nothing wrong with Asia getting the chance to host another world cup.

SUMMER OF 1985

India won the World Championship of Cricket in 1985. The year also was eventful for me. I entered into college leaving behind uniforms and the school bags. The Indian victory came just before I sat down to write the class 10 examinations.

With no television, one had to depend on newspapers and occasionally on the radio. In the recent weeks, I saw all the action on television, courtesy, ESPN and Star Sports. Behind the win, the Indians did the ‘basics’ right.

Srikkanth played shots all over the ground and he was not afraid to take to the air, something that coaches at the junior level despise of. Ravi Shastri batted and bowled like a true champion of champions. Kapil Dev bowled well and played an important knock like the one against New Zealand. Sunil Gavaskar and Azharuddin batted well.

All the bowlers had their moments and were ably supported by the fielders. The fielders covered the large grounds in Australia well and took most of the catches. Basically, everyone contributed his might. The team did not rely on an individual and that really made all the difference.

This win and the victory in the World Cup in 1983 was the reason why I follow cricket till today.

JAMAICA

In the end, India pulled off a win with just one ball to spare. India made heavy weather of the target having been comfortably placed at one point, with the good partnership between Dravid and Kaif. Dravid batted like a dream while Kaif’s was a scrappy one.

The decision to field first after winning the toss continues to baffle me.The decision could have been prompted either with the confidence of chasing well the targets or the inability to face the ball on a wicket that was green. I don’t expect the team think tank to be defensive in their approach while being confronted with a wicket that offered assistance to the faster bowlers.

The Indian bowlers were taken apart by Chris Gayle who seems to relish this attack. The other destroyers of Indian attacks like Chanderpaul and Sarwan could not make a big contribution and that kept the Windies total within the reach of India. Lara has never played a spectacular knock against the Indians and that is a cause of worry, since the left-hander wants to make it big in his final stint as captain.

The win should not take away some of the concerns for the Indians. Irfan Pathan was not effective. It was only Agarkar and Harbhajan who could control the runs.

DRAW AT LORD'S

The test match between England and Sri Lanka at Lord’s finished as a draw. England was on the front foot for nearly four days. The weather and the dropped catches saw Lanka save the match from a certain defeat. Of course, Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain played the innings of his life. He made a 50 in the first and got a ton the second time round.

In the first innings, the Lankans were thoroughly outplayed, with both the ball and the bat. The bowling was not penetrative and the English made merry. Trescothick, Strauss, Cook, Collingwood all made runs. KP made a big hundred and Flintoff carted a few shots over the boundary. Matthew Hoggard and Mahmood then used the conditions well to make the Lankans follow on.


In the second innings, most of the Lankan batsmen contributed with the bat. Just as the dropped catches made a draw possible, an umpiring error could have proven costly for Sri Lanka. A ball from Flintoff brushed the pullover of Jayawardene and the umpire gave the batsman out, caught behind. There was justice in the end, with the draw.

BORN TO RUN?

There was surprise and awe in the deeds of a four year old. Here is Buddhia Singh who at only four years can run for kilometers. The fact that he hails from Orissa is more cause for cheer. There are very few sportspersons from this state. In cricket we had SS Das and Debashish Mohanty and in hockey there are Dilip Tirkey and others. But Buddhia has the potential to become the biggest athlete from the state and the country. Well, almost.


Buddhia comes from a very poor family, so poor that at one point his mother contemplated selling him for mere Rs.800 (less than US $20). In comes Biranchi, a Judo coach who takes with him Buddhia. The little wonder is ever since with Biranchi.


Even as Biranchi was showing to the world the potential of his protégé, there were calls that the child was exploited. A few Public Interest Litigations were also filed in the Courts, ostensibly to protect Buddhia. Some doctors alleged that the diet given to Buddhia and the training methods adopted by Biranchi were causing great damage to the frail Buddhia.


A week ago, Buddhia was to run a distance of 70 kilometers in an attempt to set a record. But the heat of May took its toll and after a grueling 65 kilometers, the boy had to be taken away for medical treatment. As the media and the coach were rejoicing over the record, Buddhia was taken away for a medical check-up after instructions from the state government. A team of doctors came up with the opinion that the running could cause severe damage to the body of Buddhia. The government warned of action against the coach.


The coach dismisses all the allegations saying that they are a part of a larger conspiracy. Now, what does the future hold for Buddhia? Is he going to disappear after promising a lot ? What do the experts and the government plan to ensure a good future for Buddhia?

NOT AGAIN!

I am fed up with the ‘second best’ thing. The dislike is partly because it was the name of a theory that I could not comprehend for a long time. A lot of media coverage was given over the ‘efforts’ of the coach and the support staff to take India to the second spot in the list of the cricket playing nations.

Now, the ‘second best’ bug has bitten the entire television fraternity. Every channel was proud to report the ascension of Rahul Dravid to the second position in the list of the best test batsmen.

When are we going to come out of this fixation with rankings and statistics? The last time we were fixated with this ranking business is when the media reported on a daily basis the rank of Sania Mirza.

BURNOUT?

In recent days, everyone, that is, the players, the media and the administrators have been showing concern over the ‘burnout’ caused by too much cricket. Even a newcomer like Dhoni is also concerned and has offered a solution. Dhoni wants the team management to come up with a rotation policy. With an Australian at the helm, ideas also sound different.

Sehwag wants the authorities to ensure that the players get extended breaks between matches. For the last one season, Sehwag has been spending more time in the dressing room, rather than at the batting crease !

I fully agree with the view of Sunil Gavaskar over the issue of too much cricket. The players are much better looked after now in terms of the money. The fact that they represent the country should be motivational enough. Playing 100 days out of a total of 365 days is tiresome, to say the least.

The Indian cricketers are a pampered lot and their views on the burnout issue only reinforces that belief. Look at the tennis players who slog it out on a daily basis. The same is with the footballers. Let us for a moment think about Leander and Bhupathi. They give everything for the sake of the country in Davis Cup in the midst of the packed schedule that modern tennis is. Yet, never have they complained.

Things like ‘patriotism’ can sound old fashioned and even jingoistic to the Indian cricketer of the present day.

ARSENAL VERSUS BARCELONA

Arsenal will meet Barcelona in the finals of the Champions League. Watched the two semifinals (second leg) live-something that I have done after a while, considering the timings for India. However, none of the two matches lived upto the expectations, with Arsenal and Barcelona playing it safe, protecting the one goal advantage from the first leg of the semifinals. It was a dull affair with players like Henry and Ronaldinho.

Arsenal were lucky to scrape through against a spirited Villareal. The Spanish team was unlucky to miss several chances, despite enjoying most of the ball possession. In the end, the Arsenal ‘keeper Jens Lehmann saved a penalty from a disputable decision.

Barcelona are on the verge of clinching the Primera Liga title and that raised the expectations. But Ronaldinho and his team could not go past the Italian defence.

In my opinion, Barcelona start as the favourites.

MY ATLAS

I was going through Gideon Haigh's Game for Anything-Writings on Cricket where in the first section titled Past Masters, the author takes up the case of the West Indian great, George Headley. Headley was, among other things, called the Black Bradman, which in my humble opinion, does not do justice to the mighty contribution made to the game in the West Indies.. C.B. Fry, the English cricketer called Headley, 'Atlas' and Haigh follows suit. The tag was in reference to the heavy burden that was placed on the shoulders of Headley in the batting department.

Haigh writes,”the complications of a role such as Headley's must be understood as the most formidable in cricket. Great players usually play in good teams. This is the reason they become great, because they have the opportunity to bat with competent partners and in favourable circumstances, or to bowl with reliable backup and alert fieldsmen. The lot of the outstanding player in a mediocre team is disproportionately harder, not merely because of the absence of able support and the likelihood of losing causes, but because the scenarios encountered tend over time to distort one's natural game.”
Haigh writes how Headley was given a small opportunity to captain the West Indian side, inspite of his credentials. The only reason could be found in racial equations, as asserted by Learie Constantaine and C.L.R. James.

Haigh made me think about the Atlaslike figure of Indian cricket. For a while, I thought about the likes of Vinoo Mankad and Lala Amarnath. Then I turned to players who really made me take to cricket. This includes Sunil Gavaskar, Gundappa Vishwanath, Mohinder Amarnath and Kapil Dev. This is followed by the present 'superstars' with Sachin leading the list that also includes Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, and V.V.S. Laxman. But none of them actually can become the Atlaslike figure that Haigh conjures of Headley. I have my sound reasons for this. All of them have, at times, been members of great teams, savouring success. Most of them have also had the honour of captaining the Indian team. Vinoo Mankad, Mohinder and Laxman, could not become captains.

For a long while, Sachin carried the Indian batting on his shoulders. He was the only Indian to command the respect and admiration of the opposing teams. Rahul Dravid has taken the leading role now with Sachin taking the backseat. But both Rahul and Sachin have got the recognition and honour that they richly deserve. And so is the case with Saurav Gangluy.Laxman once again, misses the cut.

But my vote goes to Anil Kumble. He has remained the workhorse of the Indian cricket team, without actually getting the recognition of the cricket followers, commentators, or the selectors. Lesser peers of the Karnataka bowler have captured greater heights of public adulation, while Kumble has been seen the also ran. First the criticism that he was a spinner who could not turn the ball. There is nothing worse for an Indian cricket follower to come across a spinner who cannot make the ball turn. Then came all the talk with regard to the rather 'poor' record of Kumble on foreign pitches, that is, outside the subcontinent. Kumble has answered all the criticism in his own way, without, ever showing his anger or frustration in public when any news channel would have loved to show the soundbites.

There was a time when Kumble was trusted by the captain to bowl at the death in the shorter version of the game. But then, all of a sudden, he was shunted out of the squad for the team that played in the World Cup of 2003. The then captain and the coach also did not hesitate to keep him out of the test teams, when playing outside home. Things were not well for India in Australia until Kumble returned to the playing eleven. Kumble had a big role in the historic series win in Pakistan. But the selectors thought fit to rest him for the series in Bangladesh. The same selectors were not keen to rest a batsman named Sachin, who duly got hundred on that tour. Kumble has never blamed the ball nor the pitch for failures while everyone gives credit to these things whenever he takes wickets.





Kumble had never been considered a captaincy material, although newcomers like Sehwag and Kaif are considered future prospects. For a while, Kumble was made the vice-captain but he could not get the promotion with 'natural' leaders like Sachin, Ganguly and Dravid in the team. I still remember vividly the voice of the commentator who went ballistic against Kumble. The team lost a match in Sri Lanka and the margin was very small. What was the fault of Kumble? The commentator felt the shot played by him was 'irresponsible' since Kumble was the vice-captain of the side.

I fully agree with the words of Haigh about the difficulties of playing in a mediocre team. The perfomances of Warne are recognised because the sides including him are outstanding. The efforts of Kumble are not given the recognition even after getting more than 500 wickets in test cricket. Even now, there are critics who point out to the number of wickets taken on home pitches. In that case, why forget the role of Kumble in shaping the record of the Indian team on home soil?

For me, the most striking image is the sight of Kumble taking the wicket of the great Brian Lara, with a broken jaw. So Anil Kumble is my favourite cricketer.

This tribute may seem as unconventional and unglamorous as the leg spin of Kumble.

THE CAPTAINCY DEBATE

“Captaincy is ninety percent luck and ten percent skill”-Richie Benaud.

Richie Benaud is well respected as a commentator and as a good captain of his generation. The defeat of the Aussies in a one dayer after posting a record total and the decision of Rahul Dravid to bowl first in the Mumbai test after winning the toss, has reopened the captaincy debate.

Much is made of the man-management skills and the astuteness of the cricket captains of the present and the past. But as Benaud puts it, there is only a limited amount of skill involved, where the captain has to take the right decision at the right time.

What was Ponting doing when his bowlers were thrashed all over the park after he and his batsmen posted a total in excess of 400? Ponting allowed the game to be taken away from his hands and even as the South African batsmen threw their wickets away, they could win the game. Normally, Ponting is praised for his thinking and cricketing acumen, both of which were not visible on that day.

Conventional wisdom says that the side winning the toss has to bat first on the pitches of the subcontinent. Dravid went the other way and paid the price by losing the test to England. There were explanations galore after the defeat. But the wins in the one dayers have put the Indian captain on a higher plane for his captaincy skills.

If a matter as small as a toss can decide the outcome of the matches, then the captain should be asked to master the art of making the winning calls. With 'super' coaches like Greg Chappell calling the shots in matters relating to selection and the strategies, there is very little for the captain to do.

FATULLAH TEST

SO NEAR AND YET SO FAR

Australia have another test win and Ponting has scored another 100. Both these have become so common that there is nothing to be surprised about. But this win and 100 are different. The win has come over Bangladesh and the 100 went a long way in securing the win for the Aussies.

For the first three days, it was the home team that called the shots. On the first day, the batsmen of the home team scored more than 300 runs that had the likes of Brett Lee, Shane Warne, Stuart Clark and Jason Gillespie, on a comeback. The second leg spinner, MacGill took eight wickets that restricted the Bangladesh total. When the Aussies batted, it was the 100 from Adam Gilchrist that took them past the follow-on mark. The home team was in control of the match until the third innings of the test.

The batsmen of the home team did not appear as confident as they did in the first innings. The batsmen who played shots in the first innings, were too tentative the second time round. Probably, the thought of scoring a win over the best team was putting too much pressure on their bodies and minds. The Aussies were given a target of just over 300 runs.

Only Ponting, Hayden and for a little while, Hussey resisted the bowling attack. Hayden and Ponting forged a good stand, but it was the captain, Ponting who took his team home.

For a test which was expected to be over in under three days, the match went to the fifth. That should be something of an achievement for the Bangla tigers, but a win for the home team could have been the biggest upset in the history of cricket, especially, coming on the heels of the South African one day win.

SECOND OF THE SECOND OF THE SECOND………………..

It was astonishing to find that everyone connected with the Indian cricket team, right from the coach onwards and the media talking about the desire to be the second best team in the world, after the all-conquering Aussies. Now, India, Pakistan and England and not forgetting Mickey Arthur’s Proteas are supposedly in the race for the tag of ‘second best’. With India losing to Pakistan in the test series, and the defeat at Mumbai, they have slipped to being the second of the second of the second of…………. the second best.

It was quite ludicrous to read in the media, glowing tributes to the methods employed by Chappell and his team to make India the second best team. I am not sure whether Chappell ever said this. But if there is any truth, then it is time to do something that the English FA did to Sven Goran Erikson.

“…WE PLAYED WELL AGAINST SRI LANKA”

So stated the Indian captain Rahul Dravid in a press conference after the humiliating defeat at the hands of the English. A team that was expected to lose, especially, after the loss of key players, managed to turn the tables on the host. England managed to win the Ashes after a long time with Ricky Ponting being the Aussie captain to be forced to part with the famous urn. Now, Rahul Dravid has the bear the tag of being the first Indian captain to lose a test to England on the Indian soil in 21 years.

The visitors actually grew in confidence and strength as the series progressed. Their batsmen were not given a chance while coping the Indian spinners. But they played with a degree of authority, not associated with any of the English teams of the past. Cook was a surprise package while Strauss got into the act only in the third test. Pietersen played a couple of good knocks and Flintoff was simply superb. Collingwood and Bell also played the supporting part well.

In the bowling department, Hoggard and Flintoff added to their reputation while Anderson made the best of the opportunity he received. Monty Panesar was spoken in rather dismissive terms. Remember the famous quote of Miandad on Irfan Pathan ? Panesar did not set the pitch on fire but managed to create ripples. Shaun Udal got into the act in the third test.

In the Indian camp, Sehwag and Sachin were failures. The man from Najafgarh could not simply negotiate the rising delivery, notwithstanding his knock in the second test. Sachin was simply scratchy and so was the new batting found, Yuvraj. Jaffer and Dravid were good but failed at the wrong time. About the bowlers, Kumble , Sreesanth and Munaf Patel were the picks. Harbhajan failed to create any impression even with the SG ball in his hands and the familiar home conditions. Irfan is looking more like a batsman who can bowl.

It is a well known fact that Sri Lanka are one of the worst when it comes to playing in overseas conditions. So the rejoicement over the win earlier in the season was quite premature. When push came to shove in Pakistan, the Indians were beaten in the third test.

'MOUTH' SHUT?

It is difficult to watch the Chamions League games live as the telecast is made well past the midnight hour India time. But then Barcelona managed to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. It would take more than the loudmouth of Mourinho to defeat the Spanish league leaders who have a two away goal advantage. For the first time, Mourinho was realistic after the loss. Remember the last time? Mourinho was quite convinced that Liverpool was not the best team in Europe after their success. Add to it the controversy over the Barcelona coach having a talk with the referee.

Chelsea are on track to win the English Premier League for the second year in a row. But the rather poor showing on the European stage and the recent shock defeat in England have put question marks over the power of money in assembling a team. Incidentally, the man who is chased by Chelsea, Samuel Eto'o scored the winner.

END OF THE ROAD?

(Photo courtesy cricinfo.com


There were very few surprises in the Indian team that is to take on England. The injury to Yuvraj meant the inclusion of Kaif. He is a good player who on most occasions has delivered the goods. But, unfortunately, Kaif has always been on the fringes. Laxman looked out of sorts on the tour to Pakistan. Of course, to be fair, most of the batsmen looked like stoned during the third test.

Saurav Ganguly should have got a chance. Now since the selection is over, it is time the lefthander took stock of the situation. The whole world is up in arms against the inclusion of Ganguly. Everyone is fully behind the selectors and the powers that run Indian cricket. It is surreal and something that does not fully reflect the drama that is Indian cricket.

Cricket historians in time would remind us the intrigue that surrounded Indian cricket in general and Ganguly, in particular.

SAURAV DILEMNA

Saurav Ganguly continues to evoke strong reactions(Cricinfo Magazine,February 2006). Sadly, the performance of the Indian team in the one dayers leaves little room for the left hander to make a comeback. Paradoxically, a poor run in the limited overs version by the team could have made the clamour for his inclusion in the team a lot stronger. As an Indian, I don't want the team to lose to any team, and especially, not to Pakistan. At the same time, I cannot but scheme how to make Ganguly a part of the team once again.

I agree with the view that players with age on their side have to be tried out for the long term interest of the team. But it makes little sense to try someone just for the sake for trying. In the two innings that he played, Gambhir was not upto the mark. On any given day, Ganguly, is definitely a lot superior to the Delhi batsman. It was also not too long ago, that Saurav was replaced by Wasim Jaffer for the test at Ahmedabad and the Mumbai opener was made to warm the bench.

Ganguly baiters would cite the inability of the man to handle fast bowling especially, the short pitched stuff. But look at the way, the Indian batsmen collapsed to their feet, in the third test in Pakistan. The wicket was no way near to the Brisbane test where Ganguly made a ton on the great tour to down under. Few also remember the century scored at Leeds which resulted in a victory for India.

Clearly, this is a case of applying different criteria to different people. Suddenly, it became a fashion to whip Saurav, particularly after the incidents in Zimbabwe.

Whatever happens to Saurav, I am proud of his achievements. He was the one who made the entire country proud by standing upto his opponents.

UNSUNG HEROES

The retirement of Narendra Hirwani from the Indian first class scene did not get the attention that it deserved. Few of today's cricket followers can talk about the achievements of the leg spinner. It was Hirwani who spun India to an improbable win at Chepauk, then in Madras over the mighty West Indies captained by Viv Richards. For the record, Hirwani took 16 wickets in his debut match.

Hirwani made leg spin glamorous with the sharp turn and the dark glasses. For many of my contemporaries, leg spin was something to gain cricket glory.Add to the cricketing exploits, the alleged romantic affair with a budding television actress. After the heady start, there was a decline in the cricketing fortunes of Hirwani. But he continued to make many a domestic batsman to dance to his spin, year after year.

In the same lines, Rajinder Goel of Haryana and Padmakar Shivalkar of Bombay and not to forget V.V.Kumar of Madras continued to serve their teams long after their hopes of playing for the country faded. Also, mention has to be made of Kanwaljeet Singh of Hyderabad and Ananthapadmanabhan of Kerala who played every season for a long time as if their survival depended on it. To this list of spinners, a medium pacer by the name of Zaidi has to be added.

It is these gentlemen who have made Indian cricket richer by the effort and the often ignored performance. Cynics may scoff that this reflects the lack of new players. Perhaps, they were not as lucky as the few who represented the country or that they were simply born at the wrong time.

COOL RUNNINGS 2?

The winter Olympics are underway in Turin. Indians don't have anything to look for. The Indian athlete Shiva Kesavan created a stir on the eve of the opening ceremony and finished 25th in his event. That is not the reason behind this post.

Remember 'Cool Runnings'? It was a movie that featured the attempt at glory by the bobsled team from Jamaica in the 1988 winter Olympics at Calgary, Canada. Yes, it is about a team from the sunbaked island of Jamaica where there is no possibility of any snow. Actually, three sprinters from the Caribbean island failed to make to the summer Olympics for the sprint events. The three then got hold of a fellow countryman to go to Canada. In the end, there was no medal for the Jamaicans but their attempt was highly commendable.

I was watching the sports bulletin on the BBC before the start of the compeition at Turin. It featured an athlete by the name Robel( forgive me for not giving his full name) form of all places, Ethiopia. You heard it right; he is from an African country. Followers of athletics know that Ethiopia is more famous for producing great middle and long distance runners. Now it came as a shock rather than a surprise to me hear about an athlete in the winter Olympics from an African country.

It does not matter if Robel wins any medal or not.

Any filmmaker from Hollywood interested in making 'Cool Runnings2'?

VB SERIES

The South Africans lost three matches too miss out the finals of the VB Series. They had to win just one to go to the finals. But it was Sri Lanka who are going to meet the host Australia in the finals.

Nothing went right for the Proteas despite all the big talk from the likes of their coach and captain. A few months back, the same captain was praised by the Indian media for his batting as well as his tactical acumen. Now, Smith proved to be a big failure on both the counts. There was a suggestion that the absence of players like Kallis and Nel was a big blow to the fortunes on the tour to down under. Kallis, though he has the statistics to boast, has never looked to win matches in the shorter version of the game. Nel is a good bowler, though makes most of his emotional quotient on the field to terrify his opponents. At best, he is lively bowler in the test matches.

Gibbs has the skills but did not show any application to threaten the rival teams. The best South African batsman was the wicketkeeper Mark Boucher. It came as a surprise when Boucher was not included in the team to India. The rest are just not upto the scratch when it comes to take the likes of Australia.

COME ON, INZAMAM

The recent success of Pakistan has made most of the players and ex-players of that country more expressive. Inzamam, is someone who is not known for his verbal skills. But the dismissal of the Pakistan captain in the first one-dayer has prompted a reaction.

Inzamam was declared out for obstructing the field. It is interesting to note that he was involved in a similar incident in the test series with England. In the match at Peshawar, Inzamam was well out of the crease and so there was justification for the appeal of the Indians. At this rate, all batsmen would make an attempt to stop the ball, thereby, surviving runouts. For someone so experienced, it makes little sense to blame the opposition for conduct unbecoming for a sportsman. If Inzamam is conscious of upholding the spirit of sportsmanship, then he should not cry over spilt milk.

Moin Khan is another who is afflicted with the severe case of verbal diarrhoea. He is in no position to talk about sporting spirit. Was there a sporting conduct with the Younis Khan appealing for bad light when the equation was in their favour?

DEATH OF A SPORTSTAR

It was in the summer of 1984 that my father introduced us to The Sportstar and that probably explains the liking I have for Liverpool. Those were the days when there was no television and the newspapers carried black and white images of my favourite sportspersons. The Sportstar showed us the true colour of sports coupled with some of the finest prose we could lay our hands on. It was a habit that I shared with my brothers for weeks and years; for more than 20 years. My brother who is abroad, goes for the online edition week after week. I must confess that over the years, I have lost touch with this wonderful friend.

Each issue of The Sportstar was something that me and my brothers did not mind having a fight. Being the eldest, I had the final say. Also, I was the one who got it from the newstand. The initial issues were marked by the rise of a German tennis player called Boris Becker. Liverpool with people like Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush were the best footballers with the exception of Maradona and Platini. Golf gave us Ballesteros (hope I spell the name correctly).

Of course, the best coverage was with regard to cricket. The photographs were simply superb. There was a special centrefold photograph that gave me the opportunity to decorate the walls of my hostel room. There are still some photographs that are highly valuable for us.

R.Mohan and Nirmal Sekhar amazed us with their writing skills. There was also Robin Marlar for cricket and Peter Bodo for tennis. Then there is the peerless Brian Glanville talking sense of football. He was and still is aiming his guns or his pen at people like Sepp Blatter. I haven't touched a tennis racquet in my life but 'Stan Smith's tennis class' gave enough inspiration to go for a imaginary backhand shot down the line. It was much later that I heard the Dire Straits going full throttle with 'Sultans of Swing'. The Sportstar was the first to give the phrase 'Sultan of Swing' on a cover to mark the 15 wicket haul of Richard Hadlee in the Brisbane test. The special issues before a major sporting event and after were highly coveted.

In the later years, Sunil Gavaskar graced the pages and soon a number of former players joined the bandwagon. There were high quality articles interspersed with mediocre stuff. That, I believe started the slide. People like Rohit Brijnath continue to do the good work even today.

What really prompted me to write is the new look of The Sportstar. It was recently relaunched in a tabloid form. There are no longer any photos on glossy paper. The new look makes The Sportstar a very pale shadow of its former self. The newstand owner was sad to report the alarming loss of leaders. While 30 copies were sold in a week, this week only one copy was picked up by a reader. Change is needed, but not in this way.

WELL SAID, ASIF

After the second test that ended in a draw, Mohd. Asif was speaking to a channel. What hit me was the confidence of the bowler who was only two tests old. Asif caused problems to the Indian batting line-up in Faisalabad too. He was confident about the Pakistan bowling attack and opined that the Indian batsmen could face trouble on wickets assisting the faster bowlers.

Initially, this was something straight out of the books of Miandad, Moin Khan and others. But it turned out to be true as the famed Indian top order was blown away.

A TURNAROUND INDEED

Before the last tour to Pakistan, it was Indians who appeared to be well prepared and well organised. It showed in the results when the Indians emerged victorious in both the test matches and the one-dayers. This time round, the hosts looked well prepared with some clear strategy in mind.

Javed Miandad was the coach of the Pakistan team. True to his habit, Miandad was full of sound bites. The most famous or most infamous line concerned Irfan Pathan. He observed that bowlers like Pathan were plenty in Pakistan. On the other hand, the Indian coach was John Wright who rarely caused any surprises with his verbal utterances. Miandad was sometimes behaving like the coach of a football team, shouting at his players or giving instructions from the balcony.

This time round, the roles have been reversed. Bob Woolmer does like to stay out of the limelight, preferring to work the strategy. On the other camp, we have Greg Chappell who rarely stays out of controversy, though sometimes not his fault. Miandad's role has been taken over by the likes of Raj Singh Dungarpur, though, after the start of the test series, the gentleman has rarely uttered a word in public. The actions of Sharad Pawar and Kiran More only added to the broth that is Indian cricket.

On the last tour, the Indian players appeared to be focussed while there was a chop and change approach to the Pakistan team. The Indians were riding the crest of a wave while there was tremendous pressure on the host team. There was very little sledging from the Pakistani side, except the Akhtar and Sehwag confrontation during the Multan test. But this time round, the players of the home team left no stone unturned to assert their confidence. Even a player like Afridi who was not sure of a regular place in the Pakistan team just a couple of series' ago, is now an important player.

There is something that is different this time. The Indians had a point to prove on their last tour and they were motivated. This time it is Inzamam and company who showed the hunger for success.

DOWN AND OUT?

(photo courtesy cricinfo.com)

The sight of Sachin Tendulkar falling to the ground after being bowled by Asif in the second innings of the Karachi test was depressing. Of course, it was not the first time that Tendulkar tried to give the impression that the ball kept low. That gave cue to the media that the ball which got the wicket of Tendulkar was a 'shooter'.

Anyone who has played a bit of cricket on the dusty turfs of India, knows what it is like to be confronted with a shooter. A shooter rarely has any upward movement; it just slithers to the wickets.
Tendulkar has not been brought up and bred on the hard and bouncy wickets of Australia.

STOP THE FINGER POINTING

Greg Chappell has the knack of showing his finger. The first time it was in Kolkata that was attributed to some kind of injury. Now the Aussie has pointed, not shown , his finger at the bowling action of Shoaib Akhtar. This comes at a bad time after India were trashed comprehensively in the Karachi test match.

That Akhtar is chucking is something that is visible to everyone. But the ICC and the wise men who make the laws relating to the game of cricket have allowed this type of chucking to take place in the name of 15 degrees. When the ICC and the Umpires have no objection to the action of Akhtar, there is very little that Chappell can achieve.

If Chappell wanted to achieve something good for the game in the long run, he should have highlighted the case much before the tour to Pakistan. The chucking controversy does not start and end with Akhtar.

With the kind of performance in Karachi, fingers are sure to be pointed at Chappell, even when the fingers do not require any medical attention

A CRICKETING PARADOX

For a long time I am puzzled about the inability of the Indian batsmen when it comes to the short pitched bowling. This is because at the junior level, most of the wickets are matting wickets. The mats are made from coir-the fibre derived from coconut. The coir mats give pace and bounce to the ball. Balls pitched on good length also are extremely uncomfortable to deal with. With a fair bit of practice on such wickets one has to acquire some skills needed to face the rising ball.


The mats make ordinary bowlers appear lethal so much that on turf wickets they fail. The mats do not give any assistance to the spinners and so that in many ways explains the dearth of quality spinners in the country once famous for its 'spin quartet'.


In my humble opinion, the batting failure on seaming and bouncy tracks is a paradox. Suggestions resolving the paradox are welcome.

KARACHI TEST-DAY TWO

By the end of day two, the home team further strengthened their position. Having dismissed the Indian team for a low score, Pakistan scored at a rate more than 4.5 runs per over to have a lead of 180 runs with eight wickets and three days left. The openers Butt and Farhat made half centuries. Younis Khan and Mohd. Yousuf are at the wicket but the biggest threat is likely to come from Akmal, Razzaq and Afridi. With the pitch showing signs of easing up, the Indian bowlers could not pose any danger the second time round today.

Ganguly was looking good before a reckless shot caused his dismissal. Yuvraj was not too happy at the leg before decision. Replays showed how the ball hit the pad first before brushing the bat. Dhoni was not comfortable with the pace and the bounce. Pathan took advantage of the dropped chances and scored valuable runs in the company of Kumble and Zaheer. Mohd. Asif bowled well over a long spell.

Barring a miracle, there is very little chance for India to save the match let alone winning it.

VB SERIES

The Australians were led by Adam Gilchrist at Perth to a victory over the Sri Lankans. This further consolidates the position of the home team as far as the points table is concerned. Gilchrist came into his own after a long time taking apart the Lankan bowling attack. There is no better sight in world cricket today Gilchrist makes big runs. This should sound a warning to the rival teams. There was even talk that he should be dropped from the one day squad. After the century on Sunday, Gilchrist was quite ecstatic and jutifiably so.


The Lankan batting is heavily dependent on Jayasuriya and when he fails, the team scores limps towards respectability. Sangakkara is the only other batsmen who is able most of the bowling attacks and he too fell for a small score. Jayawardena is a run machine when it comes to the subcontinental wickets and Attapatu feasts on docile attacks. The bowling is also no great shakes either excepting Vaas and Muralitharan.


The match between Sri Lanka and South Africa should decide the second finalist that takes on Australia. It is difficult to hope for a victory to the Sri Lankans on a pitch such as Perth.

VB SERIES

The rotation policy employed by the Australians has come in for a bit of stick. Surprisingly, Steve Waugh wants it scrapped when it was during his reign as captain, it was introduced. It is true that the 'rest' given to the players is not justified in the light of the amount of cricket played by the Aussies after the Ashes.


In the entire episode, the resting of Ponting was quite ridiculous. The captain of the Australian team was not allowed to take his team out to the middle on the Australia Day. I believe this was the result of poor planning. The selectors did not want to take the blame and so Ponting was rested even for Sunday's match against Sri Lanka. Imagine the reaction if a Sachin or a Sehwag were to be rested for a match that had to be played on January 26th or August 15th. It is not possible to know the reaction in Australia sitting somewhere in India.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

In the end, Roger Federer kept intact his record in Grandslam finals and went on to win the Australian Open. Marcos Baghdatis kept the Swiss on the backfoot for the first two sets and then in the third and the fourth sets, it was all one way. Perhaps, this win was the most difficult for Federer considering the opponents he had to face, especially during the second fortnight. Maybe, there is now a belief that Federer could be beaten.


Nothing can be taken away from Baghdatis even after the defeat in the finals. He is one who is going to achieve greater things in the future.

Mahesh Bhupathi combined well with Martina Hingis to win the mixed doubles event. This is the sixth one for Bhupathi and with a different partner.

KARACHI TEST-DAY ONE

At the end of the first day, the home team is ahead with the big guns of the Indian batting line-up back in the dressing room. The strategy of having a lively wicket for the last test of the series after two batting friendly tracks has almost paid off for the Pakistanis.

The hattrick in the very first over of the match was sensational. The exploits of Pathan were followed by the good work of Zaheer and Rudra Pratap Singh. However, somewhere along the day, the Indian bowlers forgot their lines and Akmal and company took their team score to some respectability. The keeper of the home team is someone who is clearly relishing the Indian batting. In fact, most of the Pakistan wicketkeepers have had this habit in the past also. But none of them were as spectacular as the current gloveman.

The Indian batsmen were unable to capitalise on the good work of their bowlers and lost four wickets for less than hundred runs on the board. Saurav Ganguly has a lot on his plate. His performance with the bat will not only help his team but also give him a new lease of life. The same goes for Yuvraj who is rated highly by the team management. Dhoni has to do something special with the bat to compensate for his shoddy keeping.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

The ladies final has turned to be an anti-climax with the forcible retirement of the favourite of Justine Henin-Hardenne in the second set. The first set was won by Mauresmo and the Frenchwoman was leading in the second set.

Indians have a lot at stake with Paes and Damm playing in the doubles finals today.

MORE SURPRISES

There have been reports in the media that Saurav Ganguly could be included in the playing eleven for the third test at Karachi at the expense of Harbhajan Singh. There are two aspects to this decision. It is a surprise that Ganguly is considered inspite of the opposition from the likes of Chappell, Dungarpur and Dravid. The second relates to Harbhajan. The off-spinner has till now not much success on pitches outside India. Blame it on the pitches or on the ball, the record speaks for itself.

The thinktank have to include Ganguly in the third test. They don't want to repeat the mistake that was committed during the third test at Ahmedabad. Now with all the hot air about the green top at Karachi, there is a need to give an opportunity to Ganguly. If, he fails to deliver, then Ganguly has his cricketing fate sealed. Perhaps, this is what Pawar and company had in mind when a strong case was made for the inclusion of the former captain in the side to Pakistan.

Call me anything but there was a bitter taste in the mouth in the aftermath of the decision to have Ganguly on the bench for the second test at Faisalabad. There was very little logic to play five bowlers where even 10 bowlers would have failed. There was a one point agenda- make Ganguly sit on the bench. Chappell and Dravid are too keen to please their masters, especially when big brother, Dungarpur is present with the touring team.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Roger Federer is through to the final of a grand slam once again. It is not surprising; what is important is the somewhat stiff opposition that the Swiss had to face . Haas and Davydenko had taken the champion to a distance that was unthinkable last season. In the semifinals, Kiefer looked good for two sets and then the resistance faded.

Federer has to face the 'new kid on the block' Marcos Baghdatis in the final. The Cypriot showed his mettle by beating Nalbandian after being two sets down in the semis. But Federer is in a different class. Of course, Baghdatis has nothing to lose. The pressure is on Federer.

In the ladies side, the final features the Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne and the Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo. The Belgian starts the favourite and her opponent has to do something extraordinary to win her first major.

The Indian fans have a lot to look forward in the men's doubles with Paes and Damm taking on the top team of the Bryan brothers. In the mixed doubles Bhupathi and Hingis are into the finals with Paes losing out.

In the womens' doubles, the Chinese team have won over the favourites. Looks like the Chinese have begun to make their mark in tennis-a racquet sport.

FAISALABAD TEST-DAY TWO

At stumps on the second day, India put up 110 runs on the board for the loss of Sehwag. Dravid and the others in the batting line-up have to bat really well to take the match beyond the home team. Dravid was in his usual composed self while Laxman appeared shaky at times.


The home team pushed towards the 600 mark thanks to the hitting from Afridi. Inzamam also got to his ton despite being troubled by a bad back. The Indian bowlers had to suffer with Shoaib Akhtar also in the mood for some runs. For a change, Kamran Akmal did not trouble the Indians and the scorers.


The Indian team management and the bowlers seem to lose their heads when confronted with the likes of Afridi. He is someone who has the habit of feasting on the Indian attack, be it in the tests or the one-dayers. Other teams have sorted out the threat of Afridi by bowling short stuff moving away to the off. There was no attempt from any bowler to test the patience of Afridi. For a while, it seemed that Afridi had to find a way of giving his wicket away and the Indian bowlers were just going through their motions.


Irfan Pathan has completely lost his plot as far as the bowling is concerned. He is on the verge of becoming an useful lower order batsman having the ability to bowl. It is really hard to understand the logic behind his loss of pace. If he cannot bowl fast at this young age, then something must be done. I believe it is the faulty advice from the experts that has done this. Fast bowlers cut down on the pace in order to reduce the stress on their bodies after playing for a long time. Pathan has not even played for more than a couple of full seasons!


The debutante, R.P.Singh bowled commendably to bag 4 wickets. Zaheer Khan got the wicket of the Pakistan skipper with a terrific delivery.

HOME ADVANTAGE IS LEGIT

Finally, someone(Mukul Kesavan, Cricinfo Magazine) has the courage to defend the performances of teams like India on home turf which is something that is routinely derided by the media. Actually, a win is a win and much is made out of the 'poor' record of India abroad. It is also sad that the records of players is also put in that kind of a perspective. This is unfair when desi media also joins chorus with the likes of Peter Roebuck in calling the pitches in India to be unfit for 'good' cricket.


The last time Australia came to India the test at Mumbai was won by the home team although the tourists had the series already in their pocket. Predictably, the home team won with the help of spinners relishing the conditions. The Indians also happened to play the Aussie bowlers well on a pitch where good strokeplay was difficult. Roebuck went on for days calling the pitch something where the ball jumped like fat on a hot fan. It is interesting to note that a non-regular bowler like Michael Clarke got 6 Indian wickets.


If a Ricky Ponting fails on the Indian wickets, as in 2001, it is put to badluck or worse bad wickets. But if an Indian batsmen fails to negotiate the short pitched stuff, then it is put to poor technique to worse to the lack of commitment. If an Indian spinner fails in Australia or England, then fun is made of his record. But the same yardstick is not applied when a pace bowler fails to deliver in India. What is detestable is the total unanimity with which Indian media and the so-called tellyexperts call for the immediate revamping of the pitches in India.


People fail to recognise that cricket is not the only sport nor India is the only country that seeks to take advantage of the familiar conditions. Davis Cup matches are played on surfaces which benefit the home country. India contested a final which was played in Sweden. Typically, the event was held on clay which was meat and drink for the home team which had most of the best in their ranks. Of course, grass would not have mattered for the likes of Mats Wilander and company. But then the Swedes did not take any chance with Vijay and Ramesh Krishnan being good players of grass. Every effort is made in football to make the visiting team uncomfortable.


It is no doubt that a good team has to win on all surfaces and a good players has to score runs and take wickets on all kinds of pitches. There are very few teams in the history of cricket who have done this. The West Indies teams led by Clive Lloyd was the one team feared by their opponents at home and away. There are very few players who have done consistently well under all conditions.


I don't agree with the view that poor umpiring is something that takes the gloss off wins in a home series. All umpires in the past have displayed various degrees of prejudice and bias and so the scores even out for all the teams. Now with the neutral umpires that is a non-issue.

FIRST TEST AT LAHORE

The first test between India and Pakistan ended in a draw with the sides unable to complete two innings. This was a sort of an anticlimax coming after all the talk of preparing a greentop to make the Indian batsmen struggle. The bowlers became insignificant with most of the batsmen having a whale of time.


What I found interesting on the days leading to the test were the torrents of advice and predictions coming from the former players across the border. Imran Khan led the way with the others following suit. None wanted to be left behind in the whole exercise of psyching up the Pakistan team to take the rival. The last time round when India went on to win the series, Akram was roundly criticised for giving advice to Indian players such as Pathan. Now the leftarmer did not want to miss any photoop or otherwise to show his loyalty and patriotism. However, with the mighty stand forged by Sehwag and Dravid, everything changed and Akram talked about the presssure on the Pakistan team. Imran Khan was busy giving tips to Sami before the match and the way the bowler was ineffective, the tips were not really useful.


The saving grace from the last tour was the absence of Sidhu from the commentator box.

VB SERIES

After three matches, all the three sides are equally placed with a win and a loss each. There is an interesting aspect to the three matches wherein the side winning the toss finished on the losing side. First it was the turn of Sri Lanka and then South Africa turned the tables on the hosts. Today, the Sri Lankans beat the Proteas comfortably. Predictably, everyone questioned the wisdom of Graeme Smith in asking the Sri Lankans to make first use of the wicket .


The captain has to take all the flak in such a situation. Nasser Hussain was quite assertive of this fact during the rain break in the run feast in Pakistan. He reminded the decision at Brisbane where the Aussies were asked to bat first and that set the tone for a disastrous Ashes campaign. If I remember correctly, Azharuddin won the toss and put England in which resulted in Graham Gooch getting a triple in the first and a ton in the second innings.


Surely, the captain has a lot to think about.

MEGA DEAL?

The marketing arm of BCCI led by Lalit Modi was proud to announce the fact that the Indian cricket team or rather the BCCI has overtaken the likes of Juventus, Manchester United etc. as the richest sporting body in the world. This announcement was made after the near Rs.200 crores deal with Nike.

But there is one thing amiss in all this. That is, the lack of any accountability. Manchester United is run with a professional approach. The same is the case with most of the big football clubs all over the world. It is interesting to note that all are privately owned and some like Manchester United are also listed on the stock exchange. But BCCI does not even have any permanent office address of its own. During the days of Dalmiya, everything was run from Kolkata. Now, with Pawar at the top, things are made or undone in Mumbai.

There is another thing that has come to my mind in the aftermath of the deal with Nike. None of the players have any endorsement deals with Nike. The biggest one, Sachin endorses Adidas; ditto with Sehwag. The others have contracts with Reebok. Does this deal with Nike not result in a conflict of interest? We may very well witness a row between the players and the Board as in the case involving the West Indies.

THE WHEEL HAS TURNED A FULL CIRCLE

The wheel has turned a full circle; the transfer of power has been complete. I am talking about the appointment of Raj Singh Dungarpur as the Manager of the team to Pakistan. Until now, he was acting as the spokesperson for the anti-Jagmohan Dalmiya camp. Now his statements would carry the official sanction. It is persons of this kind that have damaged Indian cricket in the past and would continue to do the same for the years to come.

It is this gentleman who happened to find something in Azharuddin. No doubt, India with Azharuddin and Wadekar did win a couple of home series for India. But in general they took India at least a decade back vis-a-vis other teams. Everyone knows how the then captain found himself in the thick of the match-fixing scandal.

What has really upset me is the statement of Raj Singh on the possibility of Saurav Ganguly making a comeback. The newly appointed manager made some startling revelations to a news channel. On asked about the observations of Greg Chappell on the former Indian captain faking injuries, Raj Singh replied in the affirmative. He cited the 1999 World Cup match against Pakistan and the test matches at Nagpur and Mumbai against Australia as the evidence of Ganguly faking injuries.

Despite all this Raj Singh promised full backing if Ganguly was included in the touring party to Pakistan!

PERTH TEST

The test match at Perth featuring Australia and South Africa finished in a draw. This is a rarity since in recent times test matches have been witnessing runs scored at a fast rate. There is another rarity that Australia could not finish off their rivals in a day and a bit, on arguably the fastest pitch. This is what separates the present Australian team from that under Steve Waugh. Despite having the likes of McGrath, Warne and Brett Lee the Aussies have lacked the cutting edge.

The South Africans were never in the hunt for the target of 491 runs despite all the big talk from their skipper, Graeme Smith. In the first innings, the two sides appeared to be evenly matched reminding one of the matches between the two teams when the Proteas just returned to the fold of international cricket.

The South Africans were surprisingly uninspiring in the fielding department, letting off a few of the Aussie batsmen. Brad Hodge was dropped on 13 and he went on to score a double hundred in his third test match.

The South Africans were able to save the match thanks to the marathon innings played by Jacques Rudolph. The left hander was at the crease for the entire 5th day. That is something of a novelty these days since batsmen are far more inclined to play the shots rather than occupy the crease. This innings was certainly something that batsmen of the past such as Boycott, Gavaskar would have been proud of.

Warne was once again in the headlines for the right reasons. He became the highest wickettaker in one calendar year going past his countryman Dennis Lillee. It is to be seen whether he can take 12 wickets in the boxing day test at Melbourne to score a century of a different kind.

AHMEDABAD TEST-DAY THREE

By the end of the third day, the Indians are in a commanding position in the third test at Motera. Harbhajan finished the Lankan first innings with a haul of 7 wickets, incidentally, in his 50th test match.

The Indian top order failed to click the second time and the lower order came to the rescue once again giving India a lead of over 400 runs. Yuvraj has once again played a tremendous innings after not troubling the scorer in the first innings. Is that a record of sorts?

The real mystery is the inability of Muralitharan to pick wickets by the bagful as is his wont. Does it have something to do with the fact that SG balls are used in India and not the Kookaburra balls that Murali uses back home? Or does it have to do something with the team composition. There was a news item about how Sanath Jayasuriya destroyed his television after the win by India at Delhi.

AHMEDABAD TEST-DAY TWO

The end of the second day at Motera saw India in a strong position with Sri Lanka losing 5 wickets for not many runs. This time Harbhajan was the tormentor with 4 wickets with the other going to Irfan Pathan.

On the first day a score of 398 looked impossible with 5 Indian batsmen back in the hut for less than 100 runs on the board. But thanks to Laxman, Dhoni and Pathan, India could recover to the present position. Laxman again underlined his class with a century. However, he could not carry on to post a big score. Pathan continues to impress with his temperament and class. Kumble and Agarkar also did their bit to frustrate the visitors.

The main talking point in the college staff common room was the strange action of Lasith Malinga. The batsmen found it pretty difficult to judge the ball since the bowling arm came suddenly from the back of the umpire. I saw him earlier on a tour to Australia where he was more than impressive.

AHMEDABAD TEST-DAY ONE

As expected, Wasim Jaffer, the new hope of Indian cricket was made to sit on the bench. The team management or the think-tank need to be congratulated for their courage in making the Mumbai opener warm up the bench, especially in the aftermath of his controversial selection.

Coming to the test match at Ahmedabad, the Indians were in a deep hole, thanks to some lackadaisical batting, including from one Sachin Tendulkar. Gambhir did not deserve the extended run given his repeated failures. With this kind of scores behind him, it is scary to think of the team against the likes of Pakistan and England. The captain for this match, Sehwag is carrying his natural game a little too far in the interests of the team. Yuvraj is not known for his ability to play spin and this showed today. Kaif was not at all comfortable after the long lay-off from test cricket.

Laxman has done it again when more heralded batsmen bit the dust at Motera. There were some streaky shots interspersed with the trademark away from the body that guided the ball beyond the balls. In the morning I read somewhere about the knocks played by Laxman in low scoring innings. Dhoni seemed unfazed by the spin and went to play some meaty shots. Irfan Pathan has really shown wisdom beyond his years. Laxman and Pathan have to stay at the wicket long enough on the second day to dent the hopes of the Lankans.

My congratulations to Anil Kumble on achieving the landmark of 100 tests. Here is one cricketer who has always stuck to his job even when he was dropped unceremoniously. He was made to miss the World Cup and there were no protests in Bangalore.

TWO WRONGS MAKING A RIGHT

Kiran More was not very reliable with the wicketkeeping gloves in his playing days. After all, he was the man who made Graham Gooch a great player. In that match, More grassed a chance and the English opener went to score the highest number of runs in a test match.

It came as no surprise that the Chairman of selectors went on to justify the selection of Saurav Ganguly on the ground that the former Indian captain was needed for his all-round ability. More than a few questions were raised considering the exclusion of Ganguly from the one day team where his all-round skills are more helpful for the team.

Now, when Saurav put up a good show in the second test, the selectors dropped him in favour of Wasim Jaffer who to nobody's surprise hails from the new power centre of Indian cricket, Mumbai. Of course, More can now claim that the selection of Ganguly for the first two test matches was beyond his control with pressure from some members of the selection panel. This time with a more friendly panel, More can be proud of having corrected the mistake. Talk about two wrongs making a right.

It is people like More backed by the likes of Raj Singh Dungarpur who give Indian cricket the bad name that it has. To my surprise the role of More was not investigated in the Abhijit Kale episode.

The exclusion of Ganguly and the inclusion of Jaffer in the team for the third test is something that is going to please people like Ravi Shastri. The former player had always expressed his dislike for Ganguly the captain. He always cited the case of Australia and tried to pretend like an Australian with borrowed phrases and accent.
If domestic performances are any yardstick for selection, then what about Zaheer Khan? Is the left arm paceman given ignored because he does not play for Mumbai? Does Ajit Agarkar continue in the squad for being a part of the Mumbai team?

A couple of months back, Saurav Ganguly was a hated figure and now he has become a martyr or even a saint. Kiran More and his backers deserve all the credit for this amazing transformation.

WATCH OUT

It was not a surprise that the Chennai test ended in a draw after just four sessions of cricket. It was, of course, a surprise that the Lankans managed to put the Indians in a spot of bother. The Indians could put up only 167 runs, their lowest score against the Lankans so far.

Muralitharan was more than a handful on the pitch that had uneven bounce. All the Indian batsmen struggled including the likes of Sachin and Rahul. Only Sehwag was looking comfortable. Ganguly added another single digit to this career tally while Laxman got himself involved in a runout in the company of Ganguly. The right hander from Hyderabad is a poor runner between the wickets and Ganguly is always a reluctant runner.

On Monday the Lankans, especially, Mahela Jayawardene batted very fluently. Suddenly, the pitch did not show any devils. It can be argued that the sun did the favours for Sri Lanka. On the flip side, it can be pointed out that the Indian batsmen were not simply upto the task of test batting.

It is after eight long years that Sri Lanka are in India for test cricket. In all these years, Muralitharan has picked loads of wickets on similar pitches back home. And, in all these years Indian batsmen have not played a good spinner with the exception of Shane Warne and Saqlain Mushtaq. The off spinner from Pakistan took 5 wickets in consecutive innings of two test matches.

My take is that the Indians have got to take on Muralitharan to have any chance of denying the Lankans a test win on Indian soil. At the same time, the Indian spinners and more specifically, Kumble needs to get on to the wicket taking mode.