AUSTRALIA IS THE FAVOURITE

The first of the Super8 matches of the World Cup kicks off today at Antigua with the home team facing Australia.

It is a tough call for the home team to face the world champions but the Windies have in the recent past emerged winners. The Aussies were expected to face a stern test in the match against South Africa. The Aussie big guns fired in the batting department to put up a big score. The Proteas were in the game until the midway and then fell behind the asking rate. With that display, Ponting and company have managed to shut the mouths of those who predicted their decline following the losses in Australia and New Zealand.

Brian Lara has to be at his best to inspire his colleagues and also to thwart off the Aussies. Gayle has not given the starts so far in this tournament. It is time that the likes of Gayle, Sarwan and Bravo to prove their worth.

In the bowling side of the match, it is the Aussies who look the stronger team. It was Brad Hogg who took the key wicket of Gibbs to keep the South Africans down. The Windies have to take the threat of Hogg rather seriously.

Speaking of Antigua, the match is not played on the Antigua Recreation Ground at St. Johns where Brian Lara posted two world record scores in test cricket. The match venue is the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium at St.Peters, Antigua.

The name should inspire the two teams to put in a memorable display.

FROM VIRTUAL TO REALITY

Till last night, the Indian team was ‘virtually out’ of the World Cup. But with Bangladesh triumphing over Bermuda, India is truly out. That is what the television experts want us to believe.

Bermuda was never going to upset Bangladesh. The most optimistic of the fans of Indian cricket was confident of Bangladesh going through to the round of ‘Super8’.

The match itself was interrupted several times by rain and in the end it was a 21 over a side game. Each time the covers were removed and the match restarted, Bermuda lost wickets. It was only in the last 5 overs that some big shots were played and the score was pushed up to 94.

Bangladesh lost 3 wickets in the process. But they had the nerves to stay calm and finish the game with a lot of balls to spare. Ashraful who had been overshadowed so far by younger players stayed till the end.

I expected to see Dwayne Leverock come up with a catch similar to the one taken against India. But there was no such luck.

WAS IT AN ABERRATION?

The Indian team christened as ‘Team India’ and ‘Men in Blue’ put up an unforgettable display in the West Indies to be knocked out of the tournament in the first round. The defeat has the media and the cricket loving public in anger. This defeat has once again raised the question of the ability of the Indian team to win the world cup.

Every team since 1983 has been regarded as the best ever and is promptly put in the reckoning for the top prize in the cricket world. But there has only been disappointment for the genuine cricket fan. The only time since 1983 that has played as a unit was in 2003 when it lost to Australia in the finals.

The poor showing of the team has brought one question to my mind. Was the win in 1983 an aberration, a fluke? This question brings anger to the cricket followers in the country. Mind you, I also consider myself to be a fan who doesn’t believe in effigy burning or demolishing half constructed buildings.

The win in 1983 was the only time that the Indian team played with purpose, with honesty and with a belief. The core of the same team went on to win the World Championship of Cricket in Australia in 1985. Those wins ought to have made better players and teams. But instead, the teams have become something of a joke.

The win in 1983 created demigods out of cricket players. The cricket player became a marketing tool.

The win in 1983 made cricket administration a much sought after occupation. No wonder even at the grassroots level, the game is run by people who know very little about the game or the needs of the players.

The win in 1983 and the subsequent advent of the satellite television channels has resulted in a frenzy that is at best irrational.

So despite being knowledgeable enough to say that the team of 1983 won the top prize due to simple cricketing fundamentals, I cannot but feel that the win was more of an aberration on account of the dismal shows put by the Indian team.

QUO VADIS?

Cricket players of yesteryears have never had it so good with so many 24 hours news channels wanting to cash in on the opportunity provided by the world cup. Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. But there is a limit to the non-stop nonsense.

NDTV has engaged the services of Navjot Sidhu and Ajay Jadeja. The MP from Punjab is an acknowledged master of the gibberish. He did not mince any words following the shock defeat of the Indians in the match against Bangladesh. Sidhu, if one remembers correctly, had run away from the tour of England in 1996. So he is not at all qualified to pass judgments on the commitment of the present day players, despite his cricketing achievements. Such comments got Sidhu the boot from EspnStar during the world cup of 2003.

It was surreal to watch and hear Jadeja talk of match fixing and the role of the betting syndicates in major cricket events following the murder of Bob Woolmer. Jadeja himself was caught in the betting and match fixing scandal that brought an end to his international cricket career.

But the cake goes to CNN-IBN which prides itself on the ‘whatever it takes’ attitude. It provided a phone number to the viewers for asking their queries on the murder of Woolmer to Waqar Younis. Waqar was a terrific bowler. Then what makes him qualified to solve the murder mystery is itself a great mystery.

The channels raised the hype to such levels that everyone started to believe in the cup winning ability of the Indian team. Then one defeat changed everything. The tragic death of Woolmer saw the channels expressing concerns over the effects of stress on the modern cricket players, particularly those from the sub-continent. They cautioned the fans to reduce the pressure of expectations on the players.

The channels ought to display some responsibility and maturity.

TOO MUCH DEFENSIVE

Watching Sri Lanka give a trashing to Bangladesh, only one thing crossed my mind. The Indian team as a whole, barring Yuvraj Singh appeared too much defensive in the match against Bangladesh. Even Ganguly, who top scored for India played too many dot balls.

Jayasuriya and company took the Bangladesh bowlers to the cleaners and the left arm spinners who were treated with utmost caution by even Sachin were taken apart in a clinical display. Suddenly the team that supposedly came of age with the win over India was shown its true stature in the world cricketing hierarchy.

The Indian bowlers appeared clueless when the Bangladesh bowlers played their shots. The same batsmen could not handle the bowling firepower of the Lankans. Zaheer Khan was put over the fence by a batsman who used his feet.

The decision of Dravid to bat first after winning the toss has been considered the reason behind the defeat in the first match. That was the only decision that was not defensive. Dravid followed the footsteps of the Aussie captains who don’t mind batting first even on the pitches that offer help to bowlers. But the rest of the action on the day was defensive to say the least.

It is now going to be very tough for the Indians to beat the islanders and advance to the second stage of the tournament. The Lankan display last night is sure to add to the pressure faced by the Indian team.

A LONG WAY TO GO

The loss to Bangladesh sparked off a lot of anger on the streets and the television channels. The win over lowly ranked Bermuda seems to have erased all the bad feelings. That is the extreme reaction of the typical Indian fan.

Now the real battle is to be won with the match against Sri Lanka. The islanders have been beaten on Indian soil in recent times but this high-pressure encounter may mar the chances of India. Even if the Indians manage a win, there is no certainty of a place in the Super 8 with a lot of calculations to find the net run rate.

Things may get more complicated if the encounter is washed out. Then Bangladesh and Sri Lanka advance to the next round.

CHANGE OF APPAREL

Some the members of the Indian team bound for the world cup in West Indies showed off the new apparel designed by the official sponsor Nike. The new apparel is claimed to be lighter than the previous one. It is supposed to provide better cooling in the warm climes of the Caribbean.

All the news channels and newspapers came up with these facts. One channel went on the air saying that the world cup winning squad of 1983 was dressed in all whites. The reason was no team played cricket wearing coloured clothes at least as far as the world cup was concerned. It was only in Australia that coloured clothing was the norm as far as the one dayers were concerned.

For years my brothers and me have been unable to understand why the colour of the Indian team is rather bland compared to the clothing of other teams like Australia. I am not speaking about the blue colour but the light shade of the colour. The new apparel is dull to say the least. The previous one was more appealing.

Will the change of apparel and the new fabric bring any luck to the team?

INCREDIBLE

New Zealand has done it three times in a row. First the Australians were handed out their first ever 10 wicket loss in limited overs cricket and then scores of over 300 were chased down successfully twice with a day separating the two.

The victory of South Africa while chasing over 400 was stupendous and the victories for New Zealand are simply incredible. In all the cases, the much vaunted bowling and fielding of the Aussie team were left lacking at crucial occasions.

It can be argued that the Aussies were handicapped by the absence of key players.

It can be argued in the lines of Adam Gilchrist that the Aussies needed rest after the Ashes.

It can also be argued that the losses do not make the Aussies any less threatening in the word cup.

For the time being let us enjoy the fact that the Kiwi has managed to fly.

THE AUSSIES ARE BEATABLE

It always takes a special effort to beat the Aussies, be it in the test matches or in the one-dayers. The loss in the finals of the Commonwealth Bank tri-series and then the two losses in the Chappell-Hadlee trophy to the underdogs is something straight out of the imagination of fiction writers of some repute.

The losses to England were nothing short of an upset, while the Kiwis are always strong on their home turf and have in the past, shown commitment of the highest class when facing their trans-Tasman rivals.

The losses to New Zealand were suffered when some of the key players in the Aussie one-day machine are either rested or injured. However, the record books are never going to show this fact. There is something that is to be realized by other teams around the world. Australia is beatable and the reputation of the team should not be a factor for the opponents. The Indian team has to learn this lesson for the mere thought of facing the Aussies unsettles even the best.

Even the best captain can be made to look like a novice. Ricky Ponting appeared out of his wits when Gibbs, Smith and Boucher overhauled a score of over 400. Hussey too, appeared clueless when the likes of Taylor, Fulton and Macmillan took on the might of the Aussie bowlers.

There is another thing that emerges out of the victories for the Kiwis. The team led by Stephen Fleming could not reach the finals of the tri-series in Australia. Yet, on home grounds, they managed to upstage their more famous rivals. Home advantage always counts and teams should not be ashamed to count on this factor.

The Indian media has managed to raise the visions of an Indian win in the World Cup. The win over Sri Lanka and the losses suffered by the Aussies have given strength to this fallacious theory. The Aussies cannot be taken lightly and the Indians have a long way to go.

MATCH FIXING, AGAIN?

The matter of match fixing has reared its ugly head once again with the Nagpur police making allegations that Marlon Samuels of the West Indies had a number of telephone conversations with a bookie Mukesh Kochchar before the match against India. It is alleged that the player concerned had a lot to talk about the strategy adopted by his team. For the record, India won the match and Samuels lost his wicket to a rash shot when he looked settled.

I don’t quite agree with the contention that the player in question was attracted to big bucks since cricket is not as remunerative in the West Indies as in case of other countries. If that is the case, what would explain the involvement of a player like Azharuddin who made a lot of money from cricket. Corruption is rampant at the highest levels of official machinery where the pay packets are quite big. Teachers of colleges and universities indulge in practices like private tuitions even when they are well paid. It is not a question of how much one is getting, but how much one is likely to receive.

Predictably, the Indian cricket officials have come up with the assertion that Indian players are clean. I am not saying that they are involved, but it would be foolish to deny altogether. Let us not forget that people like Ali Bacher first denied vehemently when the Indian police alleged that Hansie Cronje was involved in match fixing.

HAIR RAISING INDEED

The Australian umpire at the heart of the controversy involving Pakistan and England when a test match was called off after the Pakistan team refused to take to the field following ball-tampering allegations, Darrell Hair has dropped a bombshell.

Mr.Hair was dropped from the panel of Elite umpires after the Pakistan team was exonerated of the ball-tampering charges. His partner Billy Doctrove from the West Indies, however, was not found guilty of ‘bringing the game into disrepute’. This is what has prompted Mr.Hair to sue the ICC and the Pakistan Cricket Board on the grounds of ‘racial discrimination’.

If the demand for half a million dollars from Mr.Hair in the event of losing his job was obnoxious, this latest legal action is even more disgusting.

At the heart of the problem is the way the ICC handled the whole issue in the first place. Some action should have been taken against Mr.Doctrove also.

Looks like Darrell Hair has chosen the path taken by Shilpa Shetty on her way to glory.

WHOSE PRIORITIES?

Even as one talks about the market forces hitting India, the Licence-Permit Raj days are not over in the true sense of the term. Nimbus a private agency got the rights to broadcast cricket in India after being the highest bidder. It outbid even the likes of EspnStar and Zee Sports. The state controlled broadcaster, Prasar Bharati was not even a bidder, if my memory serves me right. Nimbus started a television channel Neo Sports to telecast, among other things, cricket.

But things did not go smoothly as soon as India took on the West Indies. People were angry since not many could watch the first two matches live as if our lives depended on cricket. Make no mistake; I am a big follower of the wonderful game. But this is ludicrous.

Not to be cowed down by the market dynamics, the Information and Broadcasting Minister went on the airwaves threatening action to make Nimbus see reason. Matters went to the judiciary and Doordarshan (the state television) was allowed to telecast the match after a delay of 7 minutes. We watched ‘live’ scores on news channels and the ‘deferred live’ on Doordarshan.

Soon after the series was over, the Union Cabinet met and the wise people came out with an Ordinance. This Ordinance would become a law once the Parliament is in session. With this, it is now imperative for private broadcasters to share the live feeds of ‘important’ sporting events in ‘public interest’.

Luckily, or unluckily, the Minister made no efforts to make Channel 4 telecast the show ‘Big Brother’ for many Indians felt offended (incorrectly) over the so-called ‘racist’ remarks against an Indian actress.

Thankfully, the Minister did not feel the need to put this new piece of Legislation in the 9th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. That would have a whole new meaning to the concept of the ‘welfare state’.

So the lessons have to be learnt and quickly. No private broadcaster should ever bid for the rights to telecast cricket in India. If at all, the rights are secured after payments of millions, free feeds have to be given to Doordarshan.

In the Mahabharata, Dhritarashtra wanted to know the details of the epic war fought out between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. The problem was the king was blind. This made his aide Sanjaya narrate the war ‘live’ using Doordarshan. The Information and Broadcasting Minister wants Indians to be glued to the television watching cricket. The reason- we all are blind and oblivious to every other thing that takes place.

COOL SWISS VS. RED HOT CHILE

The men’s final of the Australian Open 2007 features Roger Federer and Fernando Gonzalez. The two men reached the finals after annihilating their opponents. Federer did not look that convincing until the semifinals. Andy Roddick beat the Swiss World number 1 in the event preceding the first Grand Slam of the year. This made the American a real contender for the top prize. He also looked the part until he ran into the ‘Federer Express’.

I also believe that Federer keeps the best for the top players but even by his lofty standards the semifinals was simply awesome. Roddick was handed out a tennis master class. Federer won 10 games in a row and in the process, took a set to love. Some of the shots were out of the world. He defied all principles of physics and geometry and made the ball obey his racquet. One shot in the first set took the beating. Federer was on the move and Roddick made a shot that looked like a winner but the champion took the ball on the half volley and took the breath away. In each of the three sets, Roddick was broken in the first game.

Federer looked supremely confident of his abilities and his instincts. He challenged the rulings and every time Federer was proved correct.

The other finalist is the Chilean, Gonzalez who pulverized the German, Tommy Haas. The Chilean also looked awesome in the previous rounds when he disposed off the likes of Rafael Nadal.

It remains to be seen whether the cool Swiss overcomes the Chilean or the red hot Chile melts away the ice.

NOT A STRAIGHT DRIVE, COLONEL

After his playing days were over, Dilip Vengsarkar wrote a weekly column in The Hindu called ‘The Straight Drive’. As the Chairman of the selection panel, his moves are not as straight as some of his drives during his playing days.

The decision to make Sachin the vice-captain for the one-day series against the West Indies defies all logic. Vengsarkar and company has justified the decision on the ground that the vice-captain ought to be experienced. Since Sachin is more experienced than Dravid, the speculation is rife that the Mumbai batsman is likely to be made captain for a third time.

This time it is not a straight drive, it is a cross batted heave that seldom pays dividend to the batsman.

MORE ON GIBBS

The reaction of the father of Herschelle Gibbs after the South African batsman was banned from two matches after making ‘racial comments’ on the Pakistanis is in poor taste. Gibbs senior attacked the ICC for its knee-jerk response. The ICC is itself to be blamed for these kind of reactions, for it hardly covered itself in glory during the dark days of the match fixing episode.

One thing that has come out of the outburst of Gibbs senior is the fact that Pakistan has allowed two of its players to go to South Africa even after being found guilty of consuming performance enhancing substances. The ICC has a lot to answer.

A GOOD CALL

The ICC match referee Chris Broad rightly handed out a two-test suspension to Herschelle Gibbs of South Africa. The South African player was heard making some remarks on the Pakistani players that were deemed ‘racial’. The ICC in its Code of Conduct makes it clear that:

“Players and/or team officials shall not verbally abuse, assault, intimidate or attempt to assault or intimidate any umpire, spectator, referee, player or team official. Nor shall any player or team official engage in any conduct towards or speak to any other player, umpire, spectator, referee or team official in a manner which offends, insults, humiliates, intimidates, disparages or vilifies the other person on the basis of that person’s race, religion, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin”.

Gibbs has decided to appeal on the grounds that the remarks were not meant for public consumption but only for his teammates. Further, he was provoked by a section of the crowd into making such a statement.

The cake in this whole issue should go to the coach of the South African team who believes that the stump microphones are the reason for Gibbs getting caught.

A STEP IN THE BACKWARD DIRECTION

The Indian selectors took a real step backward by naming Sachin Tendulkar as the Vice-captain for the forthcoming series against the Windies. Sehwag was stripped of the post midway through the tour of South Africa and Laxman was elevated to the post. Now, with both Sehwag and Laxman out of favour, the selectors had to find someone to deputise for Dravid.

A two time former captain is being asked to be the Vice-captain and that begs the question over the so-called forward-looking policy of M/s. Chappell and company. It is even more surprising that Sachin actually took up the job.

Is this a way of giving more role to Sachin in the decision making process?

Is this a way of making Sachin take up greater responsibility in the larger interests of the team?

Whatever the reason, it is something that only Indian cricket can be proud of.

COMMONWEALTH BANK TRISERIES

FOR SECOND PLACE

As expected, Australia won the first two matches of the Commonwealth Bank tri-series. The wins over England and New Zealand were comfortable.

The third match features New Zealand and England. England has lost Kevin Pietersen to injury. It is a pity since Pietersen looked the best English batsman on tour. The return of Michael Vaughn after a long injury layoff has certainly freed Flintoff from the burden of captaincy. But Vaughn does not have the one day record that some of his top order contemporaries of other teams boast of.

New Zealand has done reasonably well with the limited resources. But the injuries to the likes of Oram and Styris have weakened the team. The failure of Astle to fire at the top has surely tested the Kiwis in recent times.

The match will go a long way in deciding the second placed team in the tournament.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2007

LOOKING AHEAD

The first tennis Grand Slam of the year kicks off on Monday in Melbourne. The win of Andy Roddick over Roger Federer in the warm-up event makes the American a genuine contender for the top prize. The win may only be an aberration but Federer is still beatable. Of course, champions have the knack of shifting gears on the big occasion.

Nadal can match anyone stroke for stroke and step for step. But outside of the clay courts of Paris, the Spaniard has not done too well in the big events. Safin can on his day upset even the best. But the Russian has done precious little ever since he won the Open a few years ago. The home favourite, Lleyton Hewitt is always a serious challenger.

In the ladies part of the event, Sharapova and Mauresmo look the best bets with the withdrawal of Henin-Hardenne.

For the Indian fans, the ‘Indian-Express’ still continues to be the fascination. Although Paes and Bhupathi play with different partners, their progress will be keenly watched. Sania has played well in the recent days, suggesting some improvement in her form.

THE USUAL STUFF

The selection of the team to face the West Indies in the first of the four one-day matches at home, is hardly surprising, except for the recall of Suresh Raina and the dumping of Laxman. Raina proved to be a failure for a large part of his international exposure and a few good outings in the Ranji trophy earned his recall. At the same time, the selectors could afford to omit Laxman after giving him very little opportunity in the shorter version of the game.

The dropping of Sehwag was on expected lines and so was the recall of Saurav Ganguly. It is a pity that the man who could play the most attacking game, is on the sidelines.

Vengsarkar and company have hardly earned any brownie points on the way things were handled in the tour of South Africa. Munaf played the third test even when there were doubts over his fitness. The worst part was the decision of the team management to let Sehwag partner Jaffer in the third test. All these happened when the Chairman of Selectors was with the team.

Truly, Indian cricket doesn’t cease to throw up surprises.