2012 ENDED THE WORLD (AS I KNOW IT)

2012 ENDED THE WORLD (AS I KNOW IT)

The world did not end in 2012, the Mayans were proved wrong. But 2012 was the end of the world as I know it.  Cricket is my passion, the most defining part of my identity and I have watched cricket for quite some years now, and never have I felt so cheated, so disheartened and so upset at the end of a calendar year as I have felt in 2012. All this for one reason, the big R word – RETIREMENT.

2012 has ended the careers of more cricketers I like than the entire last decade!
Rahul Dravid. Brett Lee. VVS Laxman. Mark Boucher. Andrew Strauss. Ricky Ponting. Sachin Tendulkar. Mike Hussey.
Cricket will never again be the same of me!

Picture this - when Australia come to their long won Final Frontier, India, in 203 for the away stage of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (something they so convincingly hold) and when the first wicket falls for either team, Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting WON’T walk in. There will be no VVS Laxman to guide the tail and team home when we falter. Oh and no Mr. Cricket taking on Indian spinners like he eats them for breakfast.

As for all the ODIs against Pakistan and England and Sri Lanka (this comes by default) there will be another opener walking out with Virender Sehwag, no biggie, it happens all the time. But also there will be no wait for the 50^th century, no asking ‘Sachin out hua kya, kitna banaya?’ not even ‘India doesn’t win when he scores a century’ because ODI cricket has lost its best exponent. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that SRT will no longer walk out in the Indian Blues ever again.

I have never seen Sachin Tendulkar bat in an ODI match live, even though I’ve seen him bat so many times. Come to think of it, I will never get to see Brett Lee bowl full throttle again, unless I go see him in KKR’s Purple. Neither have I seen the greatest Test wicket-keeper batsmen, mark Boucher, as his career was cut short by a series, when he was hot on the eye in a practice game in England and lost full visibility. And my favorite, most respected, Ashes-winning captain Andrew Strauss, no way to watch him play, again!

All this makes me realize how much cricket lost this year has. And it’s hard to say goodbye. To think that we might not be able to watch the Rahul Dravid cover drive, the Ricky Ponting Pull and Hook, the Sachin Tendulkar Straight Drive, the Brett Lee Yorker, in 2013 is enough to get me lamenting that 2012 is indeed the end of an era, an era of cricket legends, especially in Indian cricket.

As an Indian fan, I started the year on a hope and prayer that the New Year’s Test at Sydney brings back some semblance of teeth to Indian test cricket. As an Indian fan, I end the year on a hope and prayer for the same. As a cricket fan, I end the year with the lament that 2012 has left cricket poorer.

THANKS FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT, PUNTER

THANKS FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT, PUNTER

The Scoreboard says it right- Thanks Ricky!

After all the accolades and tributes that have flown in before, during and since the Perth Test when he ended a phenomenal cricket career, I have a confession to make.

I have never liked Ricky Ponting.

As a kid who watched the 2003 World Cup Finals with excessive optimism and prayers, it is hard to like him. His 140 not out, which demolished India’s hopes of winning the Trophy, was probably one of the best ODI innings played by an Australian; but I still disliked him. The 2004 Border-Gavaskar Trophy did not endear him any further as his gem of an innings in Melbourne took the game away. I was wickedly delighted when Ponting became the first captain since Allan Border to lose the Ashes in 2005. But then came 2007 and he also became the first captain in 86 years to clean sweep the Ashes, beating England 5-0 at home, in addition to being the Man of the Series. My dislike deepened. In 2006 he led Australia to a Champions Trophy victory (and pushed Sharad Pawar off the podium) I disliked him to the core. His attitude as Australian captain in the controversial 2008 India vs Australia Test series was enough for any Indian to start hating him. The subsequent Ashes defeats and unsuccessful tours to New Zealand and India, A World Cup defeat (where he did his best albeit) and it looked like the Ponting era was gone. He gave up captaincy and instead of going down, came up even more. He became the first cricketer to be part of 100 Test match wins at Galle & tormented India with a century at Sydney and a double at Adelaide. How could any Indian cricket fan like him!

However, the more my dislike grew, the more I felt another emotion toward Mr. Ricky Thomas Ponting – an emotion like 'grudging admiration'. The sheer power and proficiency of his game forcibly turned me from a grudge-keeper to a grudging admirer. But Ponting is known to have that effect on people. How can a cricket fan not like a batsman who can turn any delivery into a boundary with that trademark pull and hook? How can you not like watching him piling on the runs with his laidback smile? How can you not like his astute brains as skipper, be it field placements or sledging the opposition? The words obnoxious, stubborn, disagreeable, ruthless are all compliments to the man. And after playing 375 ODI matches and scoring 13,704 runs at average of 42.03 with 30 centuries and 82 half-centuries and after playing in five World Cups, winning three of those back-to-back and two of those as captain; And after 167 Tests scoring 13366 runs at an average of 52.21 with 41 centuries and 62 half-centuries and after winning Ashes 5-0, holding on to the ICC Test Mace for the longest time and having his name on pretty much every trophy there is, Ponting can afford to be obnoxious, stubborn, disagreeable, ruthless and anything else he wishes to be.

And therein lies the greatness of Ponting. His arrogance is a crown he wears on a high head, he is proud of his stubbornness because that has what has got him his plus 25,000 runs and every possible Trophy there is to be won as captain. He no longer is a part of the international cricket anymore, but such is his legacy that no other mortal could ever come close. Captain of the most successful, the most dominant side in world cricket for a decade with every possible series, tournament and trophy in his name, as a batsman, second only to Sachin Tendulkar in numbers and as a leader second to none in his ruthless, aggressive, effective style. Ponting doesn't ask to be loved, or even liked, he merely demands grudging admiration. As he walks in to the sunset, all I can say is - Thanks for the entertainment, Punter!

IT'S ALWAYS THRILLING IN MUMBAI!

First published on ESPNCricinfo.com http://www.espncricinfo.com/page2/content/story/593221.html

Choice of game

There is no reason not to go for an India vs England Test, even more so when the match is at Wankhede, a ground where India vs England has an unforgettable history. Who can forget the match back in 2006 where Shaun Udal became unlikely hero and India folded for 100 all-out. And this match has been just as topsy-turvy as the one 6 years back where

Key Performer

KP (Kevin Pietersen) has always been the KP (Key Performer) for England and this was no different as he played one of the best innings by an Englishman on Indian soil. His fluent 186 off 233 with 20 fours and 4 sixes, two of which were absolute crackers, was the highlight of the day. It did not matter if you were English or Indian, all spectators alike applauded the sheer magnificence of his bat whenever he scored a boundary. His century celebrations were trademark KP & there were very few people in the stands who did not join in the cheer. Interesting observation – far more people stood up for Pietersen than for other centurion Alastair Cook!

One thing you’d have changed about the day

Instead of changing one thing about today’s play, I’d change eight! The seven Indian wickets that fell like dominoes and the absolute insipid bowling earlier in the day.  As an irrational, emotional India fan, it was heart-breaking to watch the team crumble like this in home conditions. And as each of the 7 wickets fell in just about 30 overs, the last shreds of optimism evaporated. As an objective cricket watcher, it was exhilarating to see 15 wickets fall one after the other in one day.

The interplay you enjoyed the most

One hit the other all over the park for seemingly easy runs, the other got him out in an anti-climax dismissal after a brilliant innings. For obvious reasons, the contest I enjoyed the most was Kevin Pietersen vs Pragyan Ojha. KP’s susceptibility against left-arm spinners has given rise to much talk but he made little of it as he hoisted Ojha for 3 sixes and the same got better off him when , on the verge of a double hundred, he offered a thin edge into Dhoni’s gloves to end a splendid innings. I’d say that in this interplay, both Ojha and Petersen returned with equal honors.

Wow moment

The WOW Moment for me, strangely, wasn’t on the ground as such, but in the stands. The sheer energy and enthusiasm of the crowds is infectious – The cheering, the chanting, the chatting. The insane celebrations when an English wicket fell, the rhythmic clapping when the bowlers ran in to bowl, the wild slogan shouting when an Indian batsmen took guard, the roaring applause even for  singles, the standing ovation when Sachin Tendulkar entered the ground – this was the wow factor for me.

Player Watch

Alastair Cook. From starting the day with a solid century to ending the day on field, shining the ball & pepping his team up, captain Cook could do no wrong today. It was a treat to watch him bat as he brought up his second century of this series and lead from the front. His fielding was spirited and some sharp saves just served to increase the intensity of the other fielders. He must have gone off field a happy man with India on the mat.

Shot of the day                     

The Sachin Tendulkar Straight Drive. He scored only 8 runs off 2 boundaries but with his exquisite timing and clean hitting, his first four off Panesar is my shot of the day. Pietersen and Cook scored in hordes but the typical shot down the ground by the Master stands out above everything else.

Crowd meter

There is no describing the Wankhede crowd in a few lines, that will take a book! The upper tier of the North and SRT Stands, where I was seated, was probably the most vibrant stands with the constant cheering. Even the English supporters joined in the celebrations and overall it was a cordial atmosphere with a healthy dose of bantering between the Indians and English. One of the English supports sitting with us went on to say that it was the best place to watch cricket in India! 

              

Overall

It was disappointing, it was heart-breaking, it was frustrating as an Indian fan, but overall it was a brilliant day of Test cricket. It started with centuries by Cook and Pietersen, it went on to become a wicket-taking competition with 8 English and 7 Indian batsmen getting dismissed. So we got to see the best of both batting and bowling.  Mumbai has always given us some of the most interesting Test matches in the recent years and I am hoping that one too, miraculously, becomes a close contest.

Marks out of 10

9. The one mark lost is due to the uninspiring performance from the Indian team. Gautam Gambhir has played a crucial knock so far, but otherwise it has been a collectively disappointing outing. But full marks to the atmosphere created by the fans despite the disappointment.

ENGLAND NEED TOO MANY COOKS…

ENGLAND NEED TOO MANY COOKS…

This was the first Test of his first series as official captain. It could not have come at a more inopportune time. The team has lost its No. 1 Ranking, worse, they have lost their captain, the guy who got them to the top. Their most prolific batsman has been ‘re-integrated’ in the team and the dressing room atmosphere is less than cordial. They have come to India, a place with almost hostile conditions, for a series that is hyped up to be an almost Imperialist revenge like plot. In the midst of this, he is just a left-handed opening batsman who has to play for the first time without his trusted new-ball partner in less than favorable conditions, while forging a new partnership with a debutant, while keeping up with a headstrong Coach, while leading a stumbling team in a crucially difficult series.

All this sounds like a perfect recipe for disaster. But not if you are Alastair Cook.

England lost the first at Ahmadabad by 9 wickets, a result much better that expected. And all thanks to that rookie captain playing for the first time without the guidance of mentor Andrew Strauss. But Cook has no reason to be disheartened by his team’s loss. Because there was a huge win in there for him. Scoring a fighting century, a 374-ball 176 no less while your team is following on after getting out for 191 in the first innings, is the mark of not only a good batsman, but of a great cricketer. That right there is the biggest positive England can take from the loss.

T o be perfectly honest, England does not look half as the team that tormented India last summer, whitewashed them 4-0 and took over the Test mace. Over the last 12 months, a lot has changed for the England Test team, even though most of their frontline players remain the same. Although it is agreed that the situation is different as this series is being played in the sub-continent and not on the bouncy green tops back home. But then they played South Africa in the very same conditions and lost 2-0 in what was one of the most intense Test battles of 2012. England played West Indies at home before that and did just fine with a 2-0 victory. Of course I consider their 1-1 draw in Sri lanka as a plus in England’s favor because winning a Test match there takes great effort, for batsmen who are susceptible to spin on rank turners. (It must be said that major credit here goes to a certain Mr. Pietersen whose splendid century lit up the series & possibly saved it) But the pivotal point where England started losing the plot came as early as January, a time when they were still No. 1. England’s UAE tour, the Test bit of it, was disaster to say the least. Pakistan won the 3 match series 3-0, completely humiliating the visitors.

Cut to November, and after one Test down in the series, the challenges still remain the same for the Barmy Army. Kevin Pietresen can proclaimhis loathing for losses all he wants, truth is that they have a lot of ground to cover before the next Test in Mumbai starts. It is not about the English batsmen’s affinity (or rather the lack of it) for spin, it is not about the mental games of playing no spinners in the tour games, it is not about India preparing bone-dry, spinning pitches. If Cook and Matt Prior could have batted it out following on, there is no reason why the others couldn’t.  As the captain said post match, English batsmen failed because they did not trust their own methods. If England has to turn a new leaf, then it is the batting that will have to come out strongly, start using their feet, try not to come ahead and sweep every ball that spins. And they have an excellent example of the same in the form of Captain Cook.

He did not get the Man of the Match award, there was a Double Centurion from the opposite side who deserved it. But what he did get was respect, a lot of it. Alastair Cook’s gritty century won him a number of admirers, most of them Indian, and rightly so. He has set the tone for the series, one which if the rest of the team follows, it will be the perfectly intense competitionwe have been waiting for. It is always said that too many cooks spoil the broth, but in this case, I think England needs too many Cooks!

WELCOME TO BHARAT, BARMY ARMY

WELCOME TO BHARAT, BARMY ARMY

'Why India-England matters

England captain Alastair Cook with Coach Andy Flower.

The Three Lions have landed in Mumbai. Almost 14 months after inflicting an almost physically painful defeat on India. And as an ardent fan of the longest version of the game, I am so excited for this Test series to begin, it is bordering on obscene.

A lot of water (and tears) has passed under the bridge since that fateful summer when England not only whitewashed India 4-0, but also snatched away the No. 1 Ranking (Of course karma set the record straight here later!) India has changed no wait it has transformed. Two of our best batsmen have left, the third is on the threshold, the No. 1 spinner is no longer a certainty and a youngster has taken over the role. The opening batsmen’s capabilities are being questioned and the opening bowlers are lack lethality. The batting order isn’t set, the captain is in misery, the fielding looks mediocre. England too has had their own share of the roller-coaster. Talismanic captain Andrew Strauss has left, leaving the reins of a volatile team to Alastair Cook. KPgate has created an unreasonable stir fanned by Coach Flower. And they are no longer the best Test team in the world (according to rankings) BUT, this is irrespective, irrelevant, immaterial. All that matters is that there is an India vs England 4-Test series happening soon!

I do not want to see this as a revenge series or a chance to get payback England. I do not want to see this as Sachin Tendulkar’s last series (possibly). I do want to see this as a baptism by fire for Captain Cook. I do not want to see this as Pietersen’s re-integration series. I want to see this, only and only as a comprehensive Test series between two capable, former World No. 1 Test sides. I want to see this as an endorsement for what good Test cricket should be. I want to see this as a turning point for the Indian cricket team. So it doesn’t matter if it isn't a 4-0 whitewash (although this score line will make a billion people ecstatic), it doesn’t matter if England combat spin with their bat and go on to score big or India crumble to Swann and Panesar, it doesn't even matter if it is a drawn series. As long as cricket fans world over get to watch a thoroughly entertaining and enlightening Test series. Indian cricket needs a pivotal Test series against a good team, and I hope this series can fill this void.

Personally as well this series is important to me. I hope to start blogging regularly again throughout this series (of course I also hope to meet Kevin Pietersen or interview Alastair Cook or alter the backward, stereotyped mind of Steve Finn, but that’s another story) But most important I hope to go to the Wankhede Cricket Stadium and watch five days of pure, unadulterated Test cricket with the North Stand Gang. And a Kohli/KP century, Zaheer Khan fifer or Viru-Gauti shutting the critics mouths would be an added bonus!

But the biggest hope I have from this series is to see some semblance of positivity to return to most Indian cricket fans. The negative attitude (on twitter and otherwise) that I have seen towards the team & most players is disheartening. It is justified in some measure, there have been performances that no one can be proud of and there has been a phase even the staunchest fan would be tempted to give up. But true Indian cricket fans are those who got up on the morning of the Adelaide 2012 Test believing we could turn a 7-0 deficit and win this one. And I am one of them. So here is hoping that when England and India take the field at Ahmadabad, we see five such days of cricket that the faith in the Indian team and belief in good Test cricket returns. Welcome to Bharat, Barmy Army!

LIFE AFTER DRAVID AND LAXMAN?

LIFE AFTER DRAVID AND LAXMAN?

While other people are waiting for the Indian Test summer to begin, I am dreading it. I am honestly dreading the moment when the Indian cricket team will walk into Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at Hyderabad, dressed in pristine whites. I am dreading the moment when MS Dhoni and Ross Taylor will head for toss. I am dreading the moment when Dhoni will announce India’s playing XI. But most of all I am dreading the moment when India will come in to bat and the first (and then third) wicket will fall. When Rahul Dravid will not come in to bat.

For as long as I have watched cricket, I have never seen an Indian Test team without Rahul Dravid. And though this betrays my age and ignores the minimal matches he missed due to injury, it is true. I have never been upset at the fall of India’s first wicket, ever, even when Viru-Gauti were on song. Because my favourite batsman walked in at No. 3. And tomorrow if India bat first and Chris Martin or Neil Wagner clean up Virender Sehwag or Gautam Gambhir, and some Indian batsman walks into the middle, I for one will watch with wistful eyes. To make matter worse, when the third wicket will fall, VVS Laxman will not walk in. And what happens when India is fielding? Who will stand in the slip cordon? Who will be standing behind Dhoni, alongside Tendulkar? The emo Indian cricket tragic in me weeps, how will I ever watch India play Test cricket again?!?!

Will we ever be able to replace the indispensable duo of RSD-VVS? It has been almost four years since Sourav Ganguly retired and we still haven’t managed to have a settled No. 6 batsman. Will we find a batsman with the potential to take up the crucial No. 3 spot, let alone No. 5? The answer is no. I don not think India will ever manage to find two batsmen with the calibre of Dravid and Laxman to play Test cricket at the same time. But I wholeheartedly believe that India will find two batsmen good enough to take up the No. 3 and 5 slot, in Indian conditions, and deliver a worthy performance. Being an Indian cricket fan, I am an eternal optimist. And I believe that there will be life after Dravid and Laxman. Not a successful one maybe, but a satisfactory one.

So when the Indian team is announced at the toss tomorrow, I am going to try my best to not feel let down. Because if the two guys who will replace the two greatest Indian batsmen of our era, are considered good enough by Dravid and Laxman, then they are good enough for me. So tomorrow whoever walks in at No. 3 and No. 5 will have my full support. Be it Subramaniam Badrinath, Chesteshwar Pujara, Suresh Raina or Virat Kohli, I sincerely hope that 10-15 years down the line, some other fangirl will write similar tributes for them. As for now, I will watch the Test match tomorrow, filled with dread, and hope. Hope that there will be life after Dravid and Laxman for India. 

FAREWELL TO MY VERY, VERY SPECIAL HERO

FAREWELL TO MY VERY, VERY SPECIAL HERO

That's it folks. Farewell VVS Laxman

March, 2001 was a pivotal time for Indian Cricket. It wasn’t exactly ashes, but it was among the embers and we needed someone to come and savage it. On the back of a match-fixing scandal, change is captaincy, young, unbred players and uncertainty, Indian cricket needed a hero. And that hero came in the unexpected form of Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman.

I am one of the lucky few who started watching cricket at the start of 2000, and I believe that the new phase of Indian cricket started around the same time. I am also among the few who fell hopelessly in love with Indian Cricket team after the epic Kolkata Test in 2001. By this virtue, I am an eternal admirer of VVS Laxman. His Very, Very Special innings if 281 after following on in Australia’s historic defeat at the Eden Gardens, sealed his name in the Indian Test team, history books, cricket legends and our hearts. Ever since that day, Laxman has been my hero. Ganguly is Dada, Dravid is my idol, Tendulkar is India’s best batsman, but Laxman is the hero. Sometimes unsung, sometimes fallen, but always a hero.

Over the last few days, a lot has been said about his batting, his match-winning innings, his affinity for Australian bowlers, his contribution to the Indian Test team and I don’t think there is anything new I can add to his tribute. His batting was so exquisitely technical that even the coaching manuals would have to take notes. A slight flick of his wrists could fetch a four, in areas where you thought were impossible. His wrists were out-worldly  in the words of a friend, if put on auction, VVS Laxman’s wrists would fetch more than his bat! His presence on the crease was reassurance, India was in with a chance till he was there, even with 9 wickets down as he showed us in Mohali in 2010 against Australia.

Of course Laxman vs the Aussies is a different story altogether. There was a perceptible change in him, and in the Australians, whenever he came in to bat. And it comes as no surprise that almost all of his iconic knocks have come against the former World No. 1 side. It is said that is there was one Indian batsman they feared, it was him. Not Tendulkar, not Dravid, but Laxman, and rightly so, he could literally decimate them at will! The irony of life is that it was his failure against the very same team that has led to his retirement and me writing this. His last series came against his favourite opposition, in his favourite country but unfortunately with unfavourable results. I don’t want to delve into his retirement and the reasons for it, but only about the man and the void he has left behind.

But what I really loved about him was his attitude towards the game. VVS Laxman loves cricket, he absolutely loved his cricket. He played the game as a form of worship. His batting was veneration on the pitch he considered hallowed. And this is what I will miss the most – watching Laxman offer his devotions with the bat. He was not a great runner between the wickets, but his boundaries made up for that. He was an ok fielder, but his sharp slip catches made up for the runs leaked. His numbers don’t do him justice – 8781 runs in 134 Tests with an average of 45 doesn’t look spectacular. But his mere presence in the team made up for that. With VVS Laxman gone, world cricket has lost a true devotee, Indian cricket has lost its soldier and I have personally lost my hero. There is so much more I want to say, but cant. I am just glad, elated that I was there at Wankhede in November 2011 to watch Very, Very Special Laxman play his last Test match on Indian soil. At least I’ll die with the satisfaction of seeing him play live. Hopefully one day I will get to meet him, meet my hero.

I’ll conclude with borrowed words, lifted straight from my favourite writer Jarrod Kimber (hope he doesn’t mind too much) – “It’s not often you get a professional sportsman who plays just because he loves the game, without trying to prove anything to anyone, but just because of the thrill he gets out of playing a good shot. Players who make it look as easy as VVS do are often said to not care as much as others. When someone like him moves on, even if it was time for him to go, cricket loses something.  It loses a star, a poet and a cricketer. Cricket will move on without him, but it will miss him.  Very very will never quite do him justice.”