Silly M(a)id-on

Looking at Viru and Gauti makes me realise how much we were missing out on in the past few years with no settled openers. Even with a rock solid middle order there was always a piece missing from the puzzle. That seems complete now. Oh, except for Dravid. As for him, he either needs to fire in the next match(with a convincing innings, not a scratchy, coma-inducing half century) or he needs to be fired!

Onto England. They definitely are a better Test team than an ODI one. They can take back a lot of positives from the performances of Strauss, Collingwood, Flintoff and Swann. They were ahead of India till the end of Day 3 but erred badly when they needed to set India a target. Their batting lost the plot. But Sehwag was the one who actually took the game away from them. 387 should have been good enough. But he had other plans! And he executed them in such a manner that his innings overshadowed every other performance of the match.

Thanks you guys, for winning this game in such incredible style.

I write this piece with mixed feelings. I am still not very sure if going ahead with the test series is a good idea. First of all the sheer amount of security provided to cover just the players and the stadium(5000 is the number I am told) is mind boggling. Would that have an effect on the players' psyche? A lot has been said about the English players and their mental state in the aftermath of the terror attacks but surprisingly little has been written about the Indian players. After all the terror attack took place in their country, and in the case of Sachin Tendulkar, in his city. Like us, the Indian players too would be hurt, confused, angry, scared and cricket might not be high on their list. Also, would the extra security discourage people from coming out to watch the game, given that Ind vs Aus did not attract many people as it is. Or would they come out in huge numbers to show their solidarity(the new buzzword). I guess we will know tomorrow.

Secondly, the BCCI has done it again. It has picked out a venue where the weather could end up playing an important part. The track at Chennai is flat as it is. Losing a few hours to rain would not be ideal, to put it mildly.

On to the cricketing stuff now. India are clear favourites to win the series, weather permitting. The opening pair is looking solid. The middle order looks good. Yuvraj and Rahul have a point to prove and I bet they will come good. Anil will be missed very much but Bhajji, Mishra and Ojha will be quiet a handful for England. And the pace attack has never looked better. The English test team is definitely better than their ODI team, but they still have a lot to sort out before they lay claim to the series.

Ah, who knows! Maybe a couple of fantastic games is what is needed to lift the gloom of the past few days. Now that the game is on, let's get on with it people!

Is baar jab woh choti si bachchi mere paas apni kharonch le kar aayegi
Main usey phoo phoo kar nahin behlaoonga
Panapney doonga uski tees ko
Is baar nahin

Is baar jab main chehron par dard likha dekhoonga
Nahin gaoonga geet peeda bhula dene wale
Dard ko risney doonga,utarney doonga andar gehrey
Is baar nahin

Is baar main na marham lagaoonga
Na hi uthaoonga rui ke phahey
Aur na hi kahoonga ki tum aankein band karlo,gardan udhar kar lo main dawa lagata hoon
Dekhney doonga sabko hum sabko khuley nangey ghaav
Is baar nahin

Is baar jab uljhaney dekhoonga,chatpatahat dekhoonga
Nahin daudoonga uljhee door lapetney
Uljhaney doonga jab tak ulajh sake
Is baar nahin

Is baar karm ka hawala de kar nahin uthaoonga auzaar
Nahin karoonga phir se ek nayee shuruaat
Nahin banoonga misaal ek karmyogi ki
Nahin aaney doonga zindagi ko aasani se patri par
Utarney doonga usey keechad main,tedhey medhey raston pe
Nahin sookhney doonga deewaron par laga khoon
Halka nahin padney doonga uska rang
Is baar nahin banney doonga usey itna laachaar
Ki paan ki peek aur khoon ka fark hi khatm ho jaye
Is baar nahin

Is baar ghawon ko dekhna hai
Gaur se
Thoda lambe wakt tak
Kuch faisley
Aur uskey baad hausley
Kahin toh shuruat karni hi hogi
Is baar yahi tay kiya hai

... Prasoon Joshi

Update - This is a touching poem written by Adman and lyricist Prasoon Joshi that appeared on the news site Rediff today. Apologies to those who don't know Hindi. I am not the best person for translation. So if anyone can translate the above lines in English please let me know and I will link up their post to this one.

Hours after celebrating a resounding Indian win in Cuttack, I heard the news of Mumbai being under seige..Following the news, it seems as if the city has turned into a warzone. A Fidayeen style attack for the first time...

It is the same old story and yet it is not. Ministers and Prime Minister will say the same words they have said before. I guess they know their lines by heart now. (The Home Minister has been MIA though, from what I hear) In the course of the next few days, people will go back to doing whatever they do, and all will hail the spirit of Mumbai and forced normalcy will return. Those who lost their dear ones will move on with a void in their hearts for the rest of their lives and those who didn't will thank the heavens that it wasn't them this time.

I am one of those.

My mother was supposed to travel to Mumbai on Wednesday. To the very train station where one of the attacks took place. But her plan got cancelled on Tuesday itself for some reason. I shudder to think what would have happened had she gone as planned. But it is ok. We all will get over it in a few days.

Or will we?

How many such attacks have to take place before anything concrete is done?
Why does India seem to lack the will to do something about this?
Does the fact that there are more than a billion of us make the value of human life cheap in this country?
What can we as responsible citizens of the country do? (I really need the answer to this one)
More importantly, what makes young educated people take up this violent path? Is there something wrong with the social fabric of India?

So Austraila and NZL had to endure a "Bad Test wicket" for the first Test. A monster of a pitch, no less! 40 wickets tumbling in just over 3 days! And, as if that wasn't enough, poor Matty Hayden had to encounter delays while the sightscreen was being adjusted, hands on his hips, frustration mounting et al...damn you Third World, destroying everything cricket stands for with this substandard stuff!!

Oh wait...the match was not being played in the Indian subcontinent? It was played in Brisbane? In Australia? So, no vicious spin? Really? Ah, everything is alright then. Excellent, excellent pitch. Exciting cricket played over 3 days. All's well with the world.

In other news, Ponting is fined for slow over rates, again, and Symonds is in trouble after a fight in a pub, again...Dare I mention the phrase "Serial Offender"?

This is not happening! I try to get up at 9am on a Sunday (that's very very early by my standards, for those who don't know me) and for what??

I am inclined to blame the BCCI. Who is with me?

After the triumph in BG Trophy, India now looks ahead at a new challenge. Expectations are very high from Dhoni's men and no less than a thumping win would do. England's recent outings have not brought much joy to them which, inspite of what KP says, would have had an effect on the team morale for sure. Compared to that, the Indian team is in a much happy place. They will most definitely miss SRT and Ishant but there are good players in the squad to take their places and hopefully they will step up.

I expect a couple of close contests, but India should be able to sail through easily with a 5-2 win at the very least. The only way England can win the series is if India mess it up either by being complacent or conversely by trying too hard and over-attacking.

- Welcome Border-Gavaskar Trophy! It is nice to have you back. A 2-0 win is as comprehensive as it gets.
- Ind/Aus contests are beyond just cricket now. The animosity reminds me of Ind-Pak contests of before. Only it is worse now. It is on the field and off the field. The talk that goes on is more than just "mental disintegration". And honestly, I am getting a little bored of it now. Don't care who is doing the talking...or elbowing!!
- Finally, I am convinced that Indian fast bowlers have come of age. Zahir and Ishant have proved to be genuine strike bowlers. With RP Singh, Munaf Patel and Irfan Pathan (yes, I have not ruled him out as yet) on the bench, we have a genuine pace attack now. A far cry from the days when pacers were just required to take the shine off the ball so that the spinners could go do their thing. It is also a major reason why Indians are better travellers now.
- Ricky Ponting is losing it. He is not used to playing catch-up to teams, not 3 tests in a row anyway. And the pressure is showing. There have been quite a few bizzare decisions from him that I think he will find hard to live down. Opting and persisting with White and not giving Krejza a chance until the last test, not giving Lee a bowl in the Mohali clash for an extended period presumably because of sloppy over rates, the mad rush while chasing a near impossible 516 in the same test, the icing on the cake being bowling part-timers when India was at 166-6 on the 4th day in the final test, again because of sloppy over rates. Very rarely were the Aussies ahead in this series, and they never managed to go for the kill when they were in front. Their frustration was aptly summed up in Haddin's crazy attempt to stop the ball by throwing his glove at it! A "New-Age Cricket" tactic Mr. Ponting or did your team just run out of ideas?
- With the departure of Ganguly and Kumble it is the beginning of the end of an era in Indian cricket. With Kumble goes one of the last gentlemen of the game. And with Ganguly goes the architect of the Great Indian Makeover. Siddhartha Vaidyanathan has written a wonderful piece that aptly describes my state of mind. Although I am excited about the prospects of this Indian team, I can't but help look back at the past.
- MS Dhoni. He does bring something extra to the team , doesn't he? Almost seems as if there is some invisible force in the field when he is at the helm. Plus it does something to his wicketkeeping and batting as well. He seems to thrive on responsibility. I hope that the combined pressure of captaincy in all 3 forms plus wicketkeeping plus batting combined with the constant media scrutiny don't take its toll.
- Rahul Dravid..what can i say. I will be in India on holiday when the 2-Test series against England starts. I have a feeling it could be his last. So, I will make sure I follow all of it. Of course, would be glad if Dravid plays for much longer :)

And finally..Test Cricket is awesome!!

Looks like Team India has put itself in a bit of a spot here with some insensible batting. An all-too-familiar late order collapse is not what what , plus the usual generosity of spirit in giving Krezja an astounding debut. Hayden and Ponting are gone, but Hussey and Katich are looking good. So here is what I think should be done. (Another gem from the Department of the Bleeding Obvious coming up. I'll take the award now, thanks)

India need to send the Aussies packing ASAP with some attacking bowling and fielding (Dhoni, are you listening?).
Ideally I would want them to be dismissed by tea. The Indians cannot afford to let them get too close to 441, let alone concede a lead.
And then there is need to bat sensibly and not gift wickets away like in the 1st innings.

Also Rahul Dravid needs to bat down the order, specially if our openers start well. The man is under pressure and I suspect he will try and make one last bid to get some runs against his name and it may turn out to be a snoozefest! While I am on that, Rahul, could you please please please make a few runs in the second innings...with a decent strike rate?

I cannot make sense of selecting M Vijay for the final test. Aakash Chopra might have been a better choice in my opinion since he has played in a few test matches before. Somehow this selection reeks of provincialism, which is not something I expected from Srikkanth. And now Vijay is in the ODI squad too? After playing just 20 List A matches? Sounds like the selectors are trying to justify Vijay's Test selection as a well thought out plan and not just a hurried decision. Unfair on Badri, who I think deserved at least one more chance in the ODIs.

..which is strange because I never thought myself to be a huge Kumble fan. Of course, the man is a legend. Having more than 950 international wickets is no mean feat. And time and again he has proved that he can hold his own with the bat as well. Two innings come straight to mind when talking of Kumble's batting. One, his maiden Test hundred that came against England at the Oval which helped India pile up a huge score. Two, his innings in the Titan Cup clash against Australia in Bangalore. Sure, he made just 16 runs in a partnership of 52 runs but his role was not any less than Srinath's in pulling off that amazing win.

His commitment to the team needs no proof and he demands no less from his team mates. Enough has been said about his courage, the Antigua test where he bowled with a broken jaw and his last test in Delhi being cases in point. His record as a captain might be average but I feel he contributed a lot more than just leading the side. The dignity with which he handled the Sydney test aftermath is truly commendable, not many are capable of that. And to follow it up with a win in Perth was remarkable. Not only was it at a venue which is historically Australia's stronghold, it came against a team on a roll with 16 straight wins.

Ah, I think I figured out what my problem is. I took the man's presence for granted. And now that he is no longer a part of the team, I am starting to realise his importance. My mistake Anil Sir. Thank you for being a part of Indian Cricket. You will be truly missed.

Cricket for me is more than just sport. It has acted as a backdrop for fun times spent with friends and family. I have turned to it for inspiration when feeling bogged down by circumstances. Lately, I have also found it to be a sensible way of letting off steam. Curse that damned fielder who dropped the catch instead of yelling at your boss and getting fired :D. And of course, it has given me ample opportunites to celebrate the numerous hard earned triumphs. This game is one of those things that can evoke high passions in me. A smooth cover drive, a straight six over the bowler’s head, the sound of stumps being flattened by fiery pace, the almost-nicked deliveries, batsmen foxed by awesome googlies and dusras. What is not to like about this wonderful game?

So where did it all start? It’s all in the family dude!! My dad and a lot of my cousins are ardent followers of the game. One of them runs a popular blog. Cricket and I flirted for a bit for the first time in ’92. The backdrop was the one day series in South Africa in December that year. Schools were shut down because of the unfortunate riots that had broken out in India. So, since I could stay up late, the best thing to do was to follow cricket with my dad, me with my endless questions about the game and my dad only too happy to pass on the knowledge. Slowly I picked up the finer nuances of the game and began relishing Test contests too. During family gatherings I found myself sitting with dad, uncles and “bhaiyas” more interested in heated debates related to the game rather than spending time with my (girl)friends, who would inevitably get bored and leave. And by the time the ’96 WC began, I was hooked. The rise of Rahul Dravid later that year only increased my love for...err..the game :).

This blog is a space for my thoughts about the goings-on in the world of cricket. As long as you don’t expect hardcore intelligent analysis, we should be fine :).

Uh, one confession before I end this post. Even after almost 16 years of following this game I..er...still don’t quiet understand how the whole lbw thing works. I have tried, but somehow I can never tell. There, I said it. You can shoot me now.