Sachin and Australia

Two days after I write something on Tendulkar and 20 years at the top, he reiterates one of my points about the true definition of greatness – how you perform against the very best. You can read it here.

 

 

Mind the hair gel

After the Thrilla in Manila, Muhammad Ali was to say: “Joe Frazier, I’ll tell the world right now, brings out the best in me.” The cricketers of India and Australia appear to operate on the same principle. India, such a disappointment at the Champions Trophy in South Africa, have rediscovered their spirit. Australia, with an injury list that makes Rafael Benítez’s woes at Liverpool look trivial, have shown the same fortitude that Frazier did on that long-ago night when he was reduced to fighting from memory.

 

After falling four runs short in Vadodara, India were markedly superior in both Nagpur and Delhi. When they then produced their best fielding and bowling display of the series – four run-outs included – to restrict Australia to 250 on a beautiful batting pitch in Mohali, it seemed as though the series tide was about to turn decisively their way.

 

You can read the full article here.

Natural Born Slugger

It’s unlikely that Shahid Afridi has ever listened to Fort Minor’s hip-hop hit, Remember the Name. But if someone was to translate it for him, there’s every chance that the lyrics would resonate with a proud Pathan who has lived most of his life in Karachi.

He feels so unlike everybody else, alone

In spite of the fact that some people still think that they know him

But **** ‘em, he knows the code

It’s not about the salary

It’s all about reality and making some noise

The noise associated with Afridi’s batting ever since he exploded on to the scene 13 years ago has been Boom Boom. Virender Sehwag destroys attacks with far greater consistency, and Albie Morkel can hit the ball further, but when it comes to reducing batsmanship to its most primal form, no one does it quite like Afridi. In doing so, he often brings out the Neanderthal in the fans too.

I recall a game at Kanpur in April 2005. Pakistan had come from two down to square the series, and with President Musharraf and Manmohan Singh to be part of the audience for the final game in Delhi, the match at Green Park had real significance. It was hardly a batting paradise either. The sluggish pitch and accurate bowling had stymied India’s top order, but with Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Kaif finding form, Pakistan needed to score at exactly five an over to win.

Second innings

Even if Ashish Nehra had never played another game for India, he would always have had memories of Kingsmead, the famous old ground in Durban where he bowled 10 overs on the trot to decimate England’s World Cup dreams in 2003. The numbers were special enough – 6 for 23, the best figures for an Indian in a World Cup – but most people recall the tireless effort on a humid night, with the Indian Ocean’s roar eclipsed by that of the partisan crowd. There was also the moment that spawned all the “Nehra goes bananas” headlines, as he wolfed one down and promptly threw up by the side of the pitch.

By then, it was the English who were feeling a little ill. In truth, that game should have been Sachin Tendulkar’s stage. On the eve of the game, Andrew Caddick had dared to suggest that the man with 34 one-day hundreds [at the time] was vulnerable when opening the innings. Angus Fraser, his one-time teammate, was one of many dubious about Caddick’s attempt at what Steve Waugh called “mental disintegration” and the Independent ran a story by him that was headlined: Caddick foolishly throws down gauntlet to Tendulkar.

 

Tendulkar greeted Caddick with the most emphatic of sixes over midwicket, but that evening, even he was put in the shade by Nehra’s metronomic accuracy. He bowled just one short ball all night, and with the exception of Alec Stewart, who was trapped in front, the other wickets were all edges to the wicketkeeper or slip. It was a spell that had everything: genuine pace, subtle movement off the seam and just enough variation to keep the batsmen guessing. Few knew at the time that Nehra was already crocked, and in the queue for ankle surgery.

Indian spice to the Big Bash?

After missing out on Kieron Pollard, New South Wales are said to have their eyes on Rohit Sharma and Dinesh Karthik. If something comes of it, both players – currently out of India’s 50-over picture – would benefit hugely from the experience. Karthik has impressed me each time I’ve seen him play for the Delhi Daredevils, and Rohit seems to revel in the format. Australian pitches are nowhere near as pace-and-bounce friendly as they used to be, and I can see both men making a mark if given the chance. They’ll certainly become better players as a result.

Fielding flaws hamper India’s progress

Clumsy dives over the ball, with a lack of elegance that would make Jürgen Klinsmann cringe. Batsmen marooned in the crease admiring strokes that don’t make it to the boundary. Catches grassed, run-out chances squandered. Made-for-TV throws at the stumps when a simple lob to the wicketkeeper would do. The fielding coach sacked before a game had been played. If India do go on to defeat Australia in the ongoing seven-match one-day series, it’s almost certainly going to be despite their fielding and not because of it. That they’re even considered one of the top teams in the world when nearly half the squad are a liability in the field is a miracle in itself.

 

Some, though, are beginning to lose patience. In his column for the Mumbai Mirror, Suresh Menon, one of India’s most experienced cricket writers, harked back to a forgettable past. “In the early days of Indian cricket, the Maharajahs thought nothing of actually having their servants fielding for them,” he wrote. “Not even a Test captain — the Maharajkumar of Vizianagaram — was above this.

 

You can read the full article here.

When sport doesn’t matter

Around half an hour after the India-Australia series began in Vadodara, Huma Akram passed away in a Chennai hospital. The World Cup final at the MCG apart, Chennai was probably the scene of Wasim Akram’s finest hour, as his Pakistan team won a thrilling Test by 12 runs a decade ago. More important than the result though was the standing ovation that they got from the crowd at Chepauk. There’ll be plenty of people who were in the stands that day who’ll shed a tear for the Pakistan legend today. Australia may have won a close game on Sunday, but it was one of those occasions when sport ceased to matter. Compared to matters of life and death, what’s a game of cricket?

Sloppy India run Australia close

The eventual margin of defeat flattered India. But for Shane Watson’s predictable full tosses outside off stump and Peter Siddle bizarrely opting to go round the wicket, they wouldn’t have got so close, and an undeserved victory would have brushed under the carpet shoddy attention to basics. Credit to Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar for taking India close, but when you make so many mistakes, you don’t deserve to cross the line.

Ishant Sharma showed signs of returning to something like form with a decent spell, but that was offset by pretty awful bowling from Praveen and Harbhajan. At the pace that he bowls, Praveen can’t afford to drop the ball short or stray both sides of the wicket. If he gets carried away thinking that he’s a fast bowler, he’ll get pasted like he did today. When he keeps it tight and full and swings it away, he’s far more of a threat.

Harbhajan could watch how Nathan Hauritz bowled today. On surfaces like this that are full of runs, sticking to the basics is a far better option. Until he went for a few at the end, Hauritz’s first eight overs cost just 21. Most importantly though, India simply must field better to give Australia a game. Some of the outfielding was just wretched, and the trend of batsmen standing back to admire shots instead of running full pelt needs to be addressed immediately. India played out 162 dot balls to Australia’s 139. The role model in that regard was Michael Hussey, whose 54-ball 73 included just nine balls that he didn’t score from.

With Yuvraj Singh due to return, both India’s batting and bowling will improve, and they can take heart from the fact that they got so close despite being so sloppy. On the flip side, Siddle and Brett Lee will surely improve after their Champions League exertions, and Watson’s likely to think twice before floating full tosses outside off stump. It should be an interesting series.

The eventual margin of defeat flattered India. But for Shane Watson’s predictable full tosses outside off stump and Peter Siddle bizarrely opting to go round the wicket, they wouldn’t have got so close, and an undeserved victory would have brushed under the carpet shoddy attention to basics. Credit to Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar for taking India close, but when you make so many mistakes, you don’t deserve to cross the line.

Ishant Sharma showed signs of returning to something like form with a decent spell, but that was offset by pretty awful bowling from Praveen and Harbhajan. At the pace that he bowls, Praveen can’t afford to drop the ball short or stray both sides of the wicket. If he gets carried away thinking that he’s a fast bowler, he’ll get pasted like he did today. When he keeps it tight and full and swings it away, he’s far more of a threat.

Harbhajan could watch how Nathan Hauritz bowled today. On surfaces like this that are full of runs, sticking to the basics is a far better option. Until he went for a few at the end, Hauritz’s first eight overs cost just 21.

Is India all cricketed out?

Once they know that they’re driving you to a cricket ground, cabbies in India can be loquacious company, some with views so trenchant that they’d make the loons on the 606 phone-ins blush. Over the last fortnight, though, there’s been barely any cricket chat, despite the stadiums in Delhi and Hyderabad being far from the madding crowd.

One cabbie in Delhi even asked if I was going to watch India play Australia [there is a one-day game on 31 October]. When I told him I was about to watch the Daredevils, he just shook his head. At the next traffic light, he turned to me and said: “How can you watch these games? The [Indian] players are all split up. I wouldn’t even know who to cheer for.”

Unlike many fellow journalists who see the event as an unwelcome addition to an overcrowded calendar, I’m not a Champions League cynic. I’ve watched more than a dozen matches live, and seen some great performances.

You can read the full article here.

Are baggage-handlers treated this shabbily?

A little over a week ago, in an interview with a news magazine, Manoj Prabhakar referred to Venkatesh Prasad, India’s bowling coach, as a baggage handler. He blamed Prasad for the downturn in fortunes of India’s pace bowlers, especially Ishant Sharma.

Now, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has sacked Prasad, and Robin Singh, the fielding coach. There was no courtesy call first to inform either man. Prasad got the news from the media. Baggage-handler, eh? I bet they aren’t treated so shabbily after two and a half years of service.

As for young bowlers losing the plot, maybe the board would do well to listen to one of their own. “One of the senior players called up after the Champions Trophy and said other players [youngsters] did not feel it [the loss as much as him], said Ratnakar Shetty, the chief administrative officer in a recent interview with PTI. “He said there was no feeling whether we won or not. There is no sadness [after losing].”

“You can see the change in attitude and focus which seems to have gone to things other than cricket. They are attracted by the different style of entertainment that is part of these events. This is worrisome. Some of these youngsters have become very big. Some of them feel that playing in Ranji Trophy is not as important as playing in the IPL.”

Didn’t anyone see this coming, when young men with not even one consistent season behind them went for twice the money that Glenn McGrath, Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne did? As you sow…

A little over a week ago, in an interview with a news magazine, Manoj Prabhakar referred to Venkatesh Prasad, India’s bowling coach, as a baggage handler. He blamed Prasad for the downturn in fortunes of India’s pace bowlers, especially Ishant Sharma.

Now, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has sacked Prasad, and Robin Singh, the fielding coach. There was no courtesy call first to inform either man. Prasad got the news from the media. Baggage-handler, eh? I bet they aren’t treated so shabbily after two and a half years of service.

As for young bowlers losing the plot, maybe the board would do well to listen to one of their own.