One of the members of the Indian team, to whom I had sent a congratulatory SMS Sunday evening, responded with this: It’s been a long time coming — we’ve dreamed of this and worked towards this all our playing lives; feels good. Now to maintain it.

Therein lies the catch: sometime early next year if not sooner, India will find itself overtaken in the rankings, for no fault of the team’s.

When a Simon Wilde writes that India does not “deserve” to be number one, it’s difficult not to take issue. The team has worked towards this; it has gone from a group labeled the worst travelers in cricket to a side that holds its own even when playing away from home. And it made it to the top of the table thanks to a points system it did not devise — the same points system, incidentally, that saw England being named the number two side in the world even as it was on a hiding to nothing in the Ashes series Down Under.

While Wilde, thus, is easy to dismiss, Jamie Pandaram’s piece in the Sydney Morning Herald is more on the money. Ignore the bit about surveys showing that only seven percent of Indians like Tests — a survey is as good as the sample, and a 500-or-so sample size is no way indicative of the mood of a nation of one billion plus [besides, checked out the crowds that turned up, especially in Kanpur and at the Brabourne?]. Ignore, too, the bit where Pandaram keeps talking of the paucity of home Tests — the larger point is, we are just not playing enough Tests, period.

A Rahul Dravid or VVS Laxman, for instance, will get to play two Tests against Bangladesh in December this year. They were then slated to play three home Tests against South Africa in February — but the FTP cryptically says they will be ‘rescheduled’ — a euphemism for maybe some other year, if at all. Effectively, thus, the Test team will wait till May 2010 before, hold your breath, playing Zimbabwe in two Tests. Then we wait till sometime in November, when we host New Zealand for three Tests, before going to South Africa in December 2010 for three Tests. That is a grand total of 8 Tests over a 12-month span, including a — with all due respect — no-account series against Zimbabwe. In that same span we will play 17 ODIs besides the Asia Cup — and the schedule for India makes plenty of room for the IPL and Champions League.

While Pandaram’s piece gets side-tracked [incidentally, the likes of SMH and Wilde might want to note that as this is written, Australia at home has been outplayed, and is struggling to stave off defeat against a West Indies side currently ranked number 8 -- the lowest in its history], Cricinfo nails the main point down:

During the period in which India have only two Tests – against Bangladesh – to maintain a hold on their No. 1 position, South Africa play at least four and Australia eight. A 2-0 win against Bangladesh isn’t likely to give India too many ratings points either, so they could be overtaken depending on how South Africa do against England, and how Australia go against West Indies and Pakistan at home, and in the away series in New Zealand and against Pakistan in England.

”We just go out and play whatever is scheduled,” Gary Kirsten is quoted as saying. A current member of the side put it more pithily: “We’ve dreamed of the number one rating from the time John (Wright) [whose effusion here is, knowing the man, not pro forma but comes from the heart] took over as coach. Seems a pity we finally got there only to lose it by default. Not because we are not good enough, but because we won’t play enough.”

That point about working towards a dream was well taken. Anil Kumble — who has done more than his fair share in pushing the team to the top and who, sadly, retired before the final step was taken — writes of just how much the team wanted this, in his latest column:

Almost two years back we sat down and planned for this day, so you can imagine the feeling among all concerned now that the task has been achieved. Back then, we knew that in the next 18 months or so we would play almost every team in the world, either home or away. We made a conscious effort to sit down and discuss the way to the top. The team goal was simple. We were fifth in the rankings and said to ourselves: “Let’s go out there and win every series from here on, as that is the only route to the top.”

The team has done its bit. As, come to think of it, has the BCCI, by its own lights: Rs 25 lakh per player as reward, there you go, quit cribbing and keep in mind we are able to pay you this money because of all the billions we earn through the IPL and assorted ODIs [seven of them against Australia next year, after seven against the same team this year].

Ask the players, and they’ll tell you they’d rather have more Tests. Ask the fans, and they’ll tell you if the BCCI schedules series against South Africa and Australia, billing them as the games that will settle this argument for good and all, we’ll queue up outside the grounds.

The real pity is that captains beginning with Sourav Ganguly, and coaches starting with John Wright, have worked with focus towards building a competitive Test team. Now we have one — but thanks to the Board, we won’t get to see it play as much as it should.

In Lagaan, Khulbushan Kharbanda plays the role of a king who erupts with joy when Aamir Khan sends the English on the leather hunt so much that he almost comes to clutch his necklace but restrains himself. No, he did not have a seizure.

It was a symbolic moment where the royals did only one thing that was known to them, hand over ornamental gifts or pieces of land for the bearer of good news, even though he might be the tip of it or the messenger. It was not as if Aamir single-handedly did the star turn.

The way this Indian cricket board always reacts to developments, especially the ones concerning the team’s performance on the field, reminds one of those kings. Yes, India is No 1 in the Test rankings and it is a moment to applaud. But does that mean that only the current team members get a share of a cash bonus of 25 million rupees – the equivalent of the necklace?

Even more heartening is that the lead characters of the show are down to earth about it. From coach Gary Kirsten to Sachin Tendulkar to Virender Sehwag, every body is giving the other the credit; team work. If one’s opinion is of any significance, the only man who made it possible was Sehwag.

But Krishnamachari Srikkanth was spot on when he said, “do not forget Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble.”

Even the support staff to Kirsten will get rewards but is it fair? What about those who gave their inputs over the last two years. Did the winning process start only after Kirsten came in? Who gets how much credit and for what reference point of time?

Even if a fair analysis of each contribution would have been made, it seems stupid that the team will get paid and then see the rankings position slip up because we do not have any Tests lined up for the next six months except Bangladesh.

And this from a board who is never serious about saving the Tests. Playing at obscure grounds, batting paradises for 22-yard tracks and played on week days; the Board of Control for Cricket in India could well direct that money to ensuring that the No 1 ranking stays for long.

It was 8.30pm in the evening and i was reading news online. It has been a month now i have been watching TED,India videos regularly. It all started from Mr.Dev Dutt Patnaik’s lecture on the Myths of India and of the West. Suddenly yesterday i was surprised by this video on the Soft Power of India by Dr.Shashi Tharoor. It was a gripping lecture with less of gyan and a complete pragmatic approach on how India should attract the world through its Soft Power. India’s Soft Power which i believe lies in its diverse culture, the entrepreneurial brigade, the ignited minds of India and the generation next individuals who believe it in making big with a vision of their own.
Whenever a merger or acquisition takes place India, which has been the case in the past 5yrs, it makes news across continents. There has been an increase in the percentage of foreign investment, and it will grow in the mere future for sure, considering the fact that a major sector of the rural market hasn’t been tapped as yet.
Dreams were converted into a reality for the farmers and fishermen ever since Reliance launched its mobile services. Thanks to their services they had to offer to the rural areas where life is now at a different level altogether . Fishermen now make deals over the mobile instead of the traditional method of going from door to door in the market to get the best possible price for their goods.
In a country where cricket is a religion which has produced one greatest cricketers of the era, the BCCI is one the richest cricketing boards in the world. The IPL(Indian Premier League) has seen immense response and has been accepted as a game of nerves all over. It has a massive fan following with not only the Indian players as well as the international players flying down to India and giving their best at various levels of the game.
Despite the recession that the whole world has gone through, economists have said that India has witnessed a good and steady progress over the last year. The latest in the news is that Indian entities listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq added $5.33 billion to their market capitalisation, out of which $2.08 billion were added by Infosys and ICICI Bank.
Even the troubled Mahindra Satyam saw a value addition of $364 million to $3.26 billion,Wipro rose by $249 million to USD 29.96 billion while auto maker Tata Motors saw a growth of $846 million to its valuation at $7.02 billion and HDFC Bank rose up by $736 million to $19.76 billion.
It’s simply amazing to see on how the IVY League individuals like Narayan Murthy, Nandan Nelikani,Sunil Mittal, Azim Premji, Kishore Biyani and the Ambani Brothers have created successful business models and brought India to this stage. A stage where every individual in this world views India with immense respect and dignity. As the management professor Peter Drucker once said: “Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision”.
With the emergence of the youth brigade going ahead and voting, this country is witnessing a major cultural shift and in the way this country needs to be governed. That’s what I call the “Soft Power of India”.

Okay. Time for all the cheerleaders/patriots/chestbeaters to come to the party, not that they don’t when India win all the time, for that matter even against Namibia or in the future, against Afghanistan. Yes, India have been confirmed as the World no. 1 team by the very ICC Rankings, that some Indians rejected, when they were ranked no. 8 after a runners-up performance in the 2003 World Cup. I am not too sure if we should delve into it too much, but hey, celebrate it – but just. The rankings themselves don’t inspire too much confidence, shall I say, but still – for whatever it is worth a World no. 1 ranking is on paper, it calls for a small grin on the face. On this note, my question is simple – does this ranking anyway mean India are the best team in the world ? I don’t think so, and nor should any sane-minded person in this country. At the same time, I wouldn’t question these rankings, because in a way they stay the same for all teams. But it does raise some important questions and arguments for which I am sure neither the BCCI or the so-called cricket media will come up with. So why waste time, here it goes.

Argument #1: Yes, India haven’t beaten Australia in Australia just yet, or for that matter are yet to beat South Africa away from home too. Do these things count ? Hell yes, they do. As much as it does for Australia when they visit India and must beat them to be considered the best in the business. Yes, India have beaten England, West Indies and New Zealand away from home, the latter two unfortunately failing to inspire any confidence in this format over a period of time. Yet, when we went to Australia, we were inevitably found out. And no, I don’t discount Bucknor from the scheme of my analysis, but hey, for all your worth, you should have still saved that Test match in Sydney. You didn’t, and lost the series. Yes, had they drawn the series, I, for one would have given a wee more credit than what usual.But yes, an honest acknowledgment, this team has come a long way since then, and every match and series win has indeed played its small/big part in the mathematics of these rankings. Sure.

Argument #2: How much of this is a reflection of Indian cricket ? Unfortunately not. The board still sees cricket through their smokescreen of making profit over development of the game – and you can’t expect much from them too. Except for once, we won’t just be termed as the richest cricket board in the world, but some mediapersons will even take it a step further by calling India the “best team in the world”. Sorry, that’s just an illusion. Go and watch those domestic games, that no one quite cares about these days, and see a) how they’re conducted and b) how they’re played. Appalling conditions to begin with, most of the captains being batsmen, scoring tons and tons of runs every season to lay their claim for those one or two open spots in the Indian team, and yet fail to knock the doors. And I am afraid, any World no. 1 side will have a cricketing system that is quite complementary to the team’s progress at the top, and usually (take out the sub-continent) reflect its team’s performance at the highest level. If anything, these rankings should turn out to be a wake-up call for the BCCI to take a hard look at itself and try and answer those very unanswered questions that remain in every cricket fan’s mind in this country. But, knowing them, they’ll prefer pressing the snooze button than wake up to it. Also, it is about time the BCCI realizes that such moments don’t come often, where at least your team is World no. 1. So, instead of offering cash-rewards and plots to the members of this team (which will happen in due course, indeed, dump some money into the development of the game and of course doing just about everything to ensure that this team stays in that pole position for a long time.

Argument #3: Also, we need to have a good hard look at where our priorities lie ? Australia have played 10+ Test matches this year, and India, unfortunately, I don’t remember them playing more than 6-7. Correct me if I am wrong. So, yes – Test matches should undoubtedly be a priority, can’t afford to be a sideshow to all the glamour and glitz you see for six weeks in the IPL. And lastly, before I end this – must also say – there is need not just to develop talent, but to recognize it. If certain players like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane or even a Subramanium Badrinath are doing well in the domestic circuit (for whatever it’s worth is), blood them in for the upcoming Bangladesh tour, at the expense of the more experienced ones, who can afford to miss this series citing ‘rest’ or whatever they might want to come up with. A World no. 1 team, among many things also has 2-3 players for every position, apart from a more or less settled line-up, and plays the game with a squad and not just eleven players. You saw what Murali Vijay was capable of, now persist with him for the next series, just to keep his form and everything else going. Remember this, World no. 1 teams also create a wee-bit of insecurity among their players, of course for good reasons and just as an incentive for others to be around if the regulars fail. And by that, I mean a kick on the backside, everytime complacency creeps in (which somehow Indian cricketers carry in their kit-bags).

Yes, I am sure tomorrow’s newspapers will go absolutely berserk about this, lacking perspectives, talking about the achievement rather than the reality, but I’d give them that bit for one day. The moment we choose to overplay this whole World no. 1 business, we’ll be caught on the wrong foot. Expect to see headlines like “On top of the World”, “Numero Uno”, “India reach Pole Position” and perhaps even the “Best in Tests” ones, but hey…as much as they want to drive home the point, sensible analysts of the game like us will always be around to remind them, that this, if anything represents a beginning and not the destination. The moment we believe that we’ve achieved everything, i.e. conquered the Everest, I’ll take a bet on this, and say one foot wrong, and you’re back at the base camp – bruised, hurt and scarred. I say again – A World no. 1 ranking is not an achievement, but a responsibility and an opportunity – to go on and do bigger things and perhaps set the bar for others to follow – just like what Australia did. Remember, as some football folks would say, you’d rather be a Manchester United (the best club in the world) than a Manchester City (the richest club in the world) . But hey, it’s upto you to make that choice…

PS: You know you’re not the best sporting team in the world if you don’t trend on twitter, and unfortunately India haven’t. I rest my case . Now over to you.

No takers for Team India sponsorship!! http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/top-stories/No-takers-for-Team-India-sponsorship/articleshow/5262362.cms

BCCI may be puzzled but it is not so unthinkable – at least at BCCI’s current asking price. Gone are the days when miniature radios literally grew out of common man’s ears for the entire five days duration of a test match. Or half the office personnel took a ‘sick leave’ because a crucial one – dayer was on. 

The nation was cricket-mad for long but in recent times interest in the game is witnessing a continual decline. There is an overdose of cricket. And overdoses KILL. Add in not enough match wins and fewer championship wins and the public has enough and valid reasons to lose interest in the game. In recent times the laurels brought in by Team India have been few and far between. The first T20 World Cup seems a thing of the distant past.

The marketer is savvy too. He has an option of lot more avenues to choose from for his rupee and for his brand’s visibility – especially in these economically hard times.

This is the most obvious explanation as to why the marketers have shied away from the BCCI tender.

BUT there might be a deeper and more valid reason for the marketer to be afraid of committing hara-kiri!! If someone like Sachin Tendulkar is being berated for being an Indian first and Marathi next – what if there comes a time when there is no ‘Indian’ team left! The sponsor would then be left with holding empty jerseys with no ‘Indians’ to adorn them.

A classic cliche in Indian cinema is the criminal who tries to gain legitimacy by standing for an election and getting elected. Something quite like that but not the same thing is afoot with the former India captain and middle-order batsman Mohammed Azharuddin.

Consigned to the dustbin of cricketing memory by the matchfixing scandal, the gentle, softspoken Hyderabadi was magically thrust on the people of Moradabad by the Congress party, who not only flocked to his election meetings in droves but elected him with a thumping majority.

With the suffix “MP” now after Azhar’s name, a delegation of Congress leaders led by former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh who has the ear of Rahul Gandhi, and including BCCI functionary and Congress Rajya Sabha member Rajiv Shukla, have petitioned BCCI president Sharad Pawar to lift the ban on Azhar.

“We want the lifetime ban to go from the man who brought laurels to the country with his skills. There were many players in the match-fixing case but they are all free of the ban. Why should the one on Azhar continue?” Singh is quoted as saying.

Since Azharuddin is too old to make a comeback, the lift-ban plea, according to reports, is designed to remove the taint on the “middle-order miyan” in the Congress’ bid to package him into a “Muslim mascot” in Uttar Pradesh, where the party has big plans.

Question: Should the ban be lifted? Was the ban too harsh to start with, especially with Azhar requiring just one Test to complete 100 in a career? Can politics be used to overturn a cricketing ban? If any crime is pardonable with the passage of time, is anything worth the time?

Dileep Premachandran has come up with perhaps a known argument -

This is a series where the No. 1 ranking is at stake. You’d think that results mattered. But while Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka leave little to chance as they pursue that ambition, India are content with being world leaders: at signing TV deals and producing bog-standard pitches.

And that’s something even Pradeep Magazine seems to agree with -

But what would sadden and hurt them the most is the way the Indian Board is allowing Tests to die a slow death.

And I still hold on to my earlier argument about how India must lead the revival of Test cricket. But, sorry, not with such tracks. The wicket saw close to 1600 runs being scored over 3 innings (1598 to be precise) and only 21 wickets of a possible 40 taken, and a side bowled out only once. These are staggering numbers, which of course will be forgotten in due course of time, only with the romance of a Tendulkar hundred still lingering in public memory. On the same day, only two Ranji sides – Tamil Nadu and Mumbai were able to clinch outright wins against relatively weaker oppositions in Punjab (not the same as 3 years back) and Himachal Pradesh. The rest of the matches played in both the Super League and the Plate League were dead draws as usual. So, here’s the diagnosis, but is the Board willing to treat the syndrome ? I heavily doubt it.

I have a simple theory when it comes to playing Test cricket. Quite a simple one, at that – if I may add – you play to your strengths and the opposition’s weaknesses. Here was an opportunity for India to come up with a result-wicket, to further their credentials as the number 1 team in Tests, and what they produce is dull, paata and flat wickets that leaves Test cricket in this country on a virtual life support. So, coming back to my strengths and weaknesses theory – if I were the Indian captain or Gary Kirsten (not that I’d love these roles), I’d have come up with a track which gave my players the best chance to win the Test i.e. a bowler-friendly wicket against an opposition that doesn’t adjust to seaming/swinging/bouncy conditions easily. Easier said than done, because it has been proven in the past that even Indian batsmen to an extent, tend to look human themselves on these wickets. And if someone comes up with a futile argument that India’s strength is spin-bowling, I’d have to disagree vehemently. Neither Harbhajan Singh nor Amit Mishra possess the ability to run through sides for starters and when both of them are struggling to find their rhythm, I don’t even see a remote possibility of that happening.

As observed in the past few years, we have a tendency of making a fool of ourselves when it comes to preparing wickets for specific oppositions. You don’t prepare a green top as it was done in Nagpur against Australia in 2004 or in the same vein, not at least against South Africa as they did in 2008 at Ahmedabad, when Dale Steyn & Co bowled the Indians out for 75. That’s a) foolish and b) self-defeating. But where you can and you must ensure a green top is against sides like Sri Lanka, whose batsmen may not have the ability to last themselves on these wickets. The game, if played on a green track might last 4 days or not even that, but at least you give yourself and even the opposition (if their bowlers are good enough) a chance to win the game. And, if the Indians consider their strength to be spin bowling, there are specific oppositions – the so-called “poor players of spin” – to produce what I’d call crumbling pitches or minefields. Of course, with the quality spin attack that Sri Lanka possess even with an off-colour Murali, Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath – a crumbling pitch in this series may only result in an embarrassment. And off-late, commentators tend to believe that India’s pacers have done well at home as compared to the spinners and hence, a green top seems like your best chance of forcing a result.

It’s a case of now or never for India when it comes to uplifting the standards of cricket in this country – be it at all levels. Ranji Trophy or international cricket. It’s all fair to conduct a tournament like the IPL or even the Champions League or whatever it is called, which probably the BCCI uses as a facade to mask all its ills at the grassroot level. About time Indian cricket stops living in this denial about what the IPL has done for the game in India, and about time they introspect and realize what they have done to Test cricket or even first-class cricket in this country. If all we care about is stupid landmarks like a 43rd Test hundred or 30k runs for Sachin Tendulkar, sure we must continue to produce such wickets. But sorry, if you want to be the World no. 1 team, you need to win as many games and series as possible. And hey, if you’re aiming for the top, your batsmen and bowlers must be able to play in all conditions, including green tops.

Last thoughts – the BCCI must ensure severe penalties – which may include a ban for 2 years – at venues which produce dead tracks. Set a precedent, others will take note and start producing good cricket wickets. Now is the time we can and we must ensure that Test cricket survives, if flourishes seems too optimistic a word, in this country. About time the BCCI cared for the game.

As they say, age does not a wise person make.

Sachin Tendulkar had famously said a couple of days back that Mumbai is for all Indians (or was it a Mumbai Indians pun ?). Bal Thackeray goes for the easy bait :

“There was no need for him to take a cheeky single by making such remarks,” Sena mouthpiece Sammana quoted Thackeray as saying.

“By making these remarks, you have got run-out on the pitch of Marathi psyche. You were not even born when the ‘Marathi Manoos’ got Mumbai and 105 Marathi people sacrificed their lives to get Mumbai,” he said.

Anyone wants to take a guess who got run-out here ? You have one chance.

All the Sena had to do was keep quiet about the issue — didn’t 50 years of the Congress teach everyone this one small thing ?

It also says :

Thackeray expressed displeasure that Sachin “left the crease” and moved to the pitch of politics by making these remarks which have hurt Marathi sentiment.

If an average person should not talk about politics, who do you think votes leaders into power ? As much as this attitude irks me, I cannot help but admire how politicians want the average person to stay away from politics, except of course during elections.

And now an open letter to all kinds of Sainiks :

Listen up Sainiks, and I mean to say this in the sweetest way possible – You don’t mess with Tendulkar. You go around hitting everyone in Mumbai, but you don’t mess with Tendulkar. You comply (allegedly) with rioters, but you don’t mess with Tendulkar. You dig up pitches, but you don’t mess with Tendulkar. You do all the nonsense in the world, but you DON’T mess with Tendulkar.

A minor statistic – you have around 5 million voters. The guy has a billion die-hard fans — and that’s only just Indians.

So if it comes down to choosing between you and Tendulkar for Maharashtrians, you stand as much a chance as Warne stands with Tendulkar. As irrational as it sounds, it is true.

So what did you get — you don’t mess with Tendulkar.

Yours sincerely,

P.S. : Oh and you also don’t mess with the BCCI. Recall the last person who messed with them and isn’t messed up now.

BCCI (Board of control for cricket in India) is undoubtedly the richest Cricket Control board in the world. The earnings have multiplied many times, thanks to the money spinning brain child of Mr.Lalit Modi – Indian Premier League (IPL) .

The structure of the IPL was much on the lines of how the football clubs leagues work eg : English Premier League (EPL). The initiative invited lot of doubts initially with people unsure if the Indian Cricket Audience is ready for a state wise loyalty but IPL came through and we all know what a grand success story it is.

Cashing on the ever increasing popularity of IPL and its increasing brand value, BCCI has decided to up the stakes for sponsors vying for an opportunity to get associated with Team India.

The fresh bids for jersey sponsorship might see BCCI overtake one of the biggest football clubs in the world-Manchester United.

RedDevils’s current t-shirt sponsorship deal is approximately Rs. 650 crores for 4 years whereas BCCI is expecting around Rs.800 crore in sponsorship money for a 4 year deal. (Source: Espn)

BCCI is asking for a minimum reserve price of Rs 3 crore for each Test, ODI or Twenty20 game. Interesting to note here is that BCCI is asking the same price for Twenty 20 even though this format of the game has the least duration.

But, with the increasing popularity of the version, the sponsors might as well get the best bang out of their buck even if the eyeball attraction time is comparatively smaller.

The current sponsor SAHARA is paying around 2 crore each for an ODI and a Test match and Rs 1.5 crore for a T20 game. With the fresh bids rolling out, SAHARA might have to reconsider their sponsorship or be ready to dole out truck loads of cash.

BCCI has pulled out a rabbit from the hat with IPL as far as the revenues are concerned. Moreover, along with increasing revenues the brand value of Team India (BCCI) has zoomed too.

The stakes have been raised many folds but will the ROI (Return on Interest) also increase correspondingly for the sponsors. The sponsors will be betting on attracting maximum eyeballs wherever Indian team is playing.

But, shouldn’t the team performance act as an influencing factor too. If the team performance does not match the expectations of the audience, will enough people be watching the Sponsor’s logo on the player’s jerseys.

I have my doubts but then given the buzz surrounding the IPL and Indian team’s decent performance, the bidding process might attract enough players trying to outbid each other.

Do you think the BCCI will have enough bidders for the new deal or the asking price is too high this time around?

On his blog, Hindustan Times sports editor Anand Vasu says that by a singular stroke of good fortune, chairman of the national selectors Krish Srikkanth is under no compulsion to explain his actions to the media.

That line made me think — of a series of selection related issues dating back to 1997, in which the central figures were Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin and then chairman of selectors Ramakant Desai. The links below serve as a capsule  history of that period:

The problem began in July 1997, when then captain Sachin Tendulkar participated in, and later stormed out of, a selection committee meeting. Outlook has the story. [From the same era, another instance].

Fast forward to January 5. 1998: at a selection committee meeting, Sachin Tendulkar was sacked, and Mohammad Azharuddin reinstated, as national captain. This is the smoke and mirrors story of how it was done.

The selection committee then announced its team for the ‘Bangladesh Silver Jubilee Independence Cup’ [you will remember that this was the period in Indian cricket when the main purpose of the BCCI/Jagmohan Dalmiya was to organize various jamborees in Bangladesh; the fact that Dalmiya's construction firm at that point in time was doing major business in that country was merely one of those bizarre coincidences. Or was it?]. The practice at the time was for the chairman of the selection committee and the secretary of the BCCI to announce the team list, and then take questions from the media.

That meeting took place at the CCI, in Mumbai. At the time, I had recorded the one memory that, even today, remains vivid:

I came away with one abiding memory — of Desai, unable to answer questions relating to the omission of Rahul Dravid, pounding the table with his fists, the foam of spittle that was the visible symptom of his heart ailment flecking the corners of his mouth.

Four months later, Desai died. Age, and a heart ailment, were the stated reasons; this however was the real cause.

The story has a sequel: two weeks after that January 2008 selection meeting, the BCCI put out a two-line memo, sent to all media offices: ‘It has been decided that in future, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India will read out the team list at the completion of each meeting of the selection committee. No questions will be entertained from the media.’

In India, cricketing discourse today, unfortunately revolves around one-dayers and twenty20 cricket. Test cricket is in this country is as good as a forgotten format, or one that exists, but public consumption of the format is negligible. The state of Test match cricket in India is hardly desirable, and by India, I speak for the sub-continent (Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) and unless these very nations, with India at the forefront take the initiative to save this format of the game, not just through aggressive marketing, but ensuring that Test match cricket is given it’s due position in a cricketer’s mind and equally in the viewer/audience’s minds. If India is considered to be epicenter of cricket, the focal point of all decisions taken today, India must also ensure that Test cricket doesn’t die a slow, painful death, in this country.

If figures are anything to go by, the recent MCC World Cricket Committee research report paints a rather gloomy picture. Does India really care about Test cricket as others ? Doesn’t seem that way, at all. England, Australia and to an extent South Africa have indirectly taken up a responsibility to save this format of the game. I think Test cricket is at its healthiest there, and the only debate or discourse there is how the player is affected, by the proliferation of these T20 competitions and has nothing to do with the future of the format itself. In India, though, the problem is that the BCCI has created a Frankenstein monster via the IPL and Champions League or whatever it is, for it’s own commercial interests, and now with it’s popularity and reach growing out of control, Test cricket has virtually been pushed out of the priority list in India. Publicly, they might be putting up a brave face regarding Test cricket’s sanctity or how it is the ultimate format etc., but privately, they’re happy earning billions through TV deals, sponsorship for the shorter and the shortest format. Which is why this unfortunate development, where an India vs Sri Lanka Test Series, a battle between the no. 2 and the no. 3 countries in the ICC Test Rankings at the moment, has no commercial takers.

One of the most futile arguments Indian cricket fans, administrators and everyone concerned with the game come up with is about market forces and their role in how Test cricket has virtually become invisible in this country. The problem here is, if everything were to be dictated by market forces, India shouldn’t be a Test playing nation. My contention is that it has been the BCCI’s abject failure with regards to taking Test cricket beyond certain venues, promoting Test cricket as aggressively as the way they do with the shorter formats, and importantly – not giving Test cricket the importance it deserves, barring one or two series, that has off-late acquired the marquee status. Even as the MCC World Committee and the ICC comes up with innovative suggestions regarding the revival of Test cricket, India is most likely to shoot these proposals down. The reason ? Not enough takers for Test cricket, which simply put is a fragile argument. If anyone were to dig deep into why Test cricket hasn’t succeeded in this country, there’ll be a host of issues – not just commercial, but administrative ones, or simply cricketing ones (bad pitches) which I am sure the BCCI, in it’s typically arrogant fashion, would refuse to debate about.

I, for a minute don’t think Test cricket is dead – it’s only in this part of the world (the subcontinent) where it’s become the least attractive format of the game. But, I equally think, if with the sort of power and commercial strength India wields in cricket today, it must also work aggressively to ensure that Test cricket is not just here to stay, but here to stay and flourish. For that, the BCCI along with the PCB and possibly SLC, need to think hard, possibly out of the box, and come up with a solution to find more takers for the game. Moving out of traditional venues is a possible suggestion (England has opened up newer markets in centers like Cardiff. Same with Australia – Cairns and Darwin), because those centers could be cricket-starved and any form of the game would be welcome there (although it seems like a quick-fix). Nature of pitches could be another one worth exploring (not that it’s not been proposed before), but to have result-oriented matches, is in the interest of both Indian cricket and Test cricket on the whole. For a Board that generates billions of dollars in revenue, they just do not care about spectators enough. That’s one way of bringing more people into the game. Better grounds, better facilities for the spectators will do just about enough to convince them to bring their kids over for a hard, intense five day battle. And possibly, we need to ensure that ticket prices must be at the most affordable. The BCCI needs to prioritize gate receipts as an important form of revenue generation. One of the reasons, it simply doesn’t bother, is the magnitude of the TV deals it inks. That pretty much covers up all costs for people who may not turn up in the ground. And unfortunately, that’s the worst message you can send out to your potential market – don’t come to the ground, you always have the television to watch the match on.

I think it is about time India steps up to this perceived challenge and does its bit to not just save Test cricket, but take it to a different level. And, it’s not that it can’t be done, but what it needs is an open acknowledgment of years of neglect of Test cricket in this country and thereby start afresh. There’s no point in celebrating India’s success as a potential World no. 1 Test side, if there are no takers for the very game they excel in. There’s no point in beating our chests with that jingoistic fervor, even if India thrash Sri Lanka 3-0, and the grounds don’t fill up. If both the cases (India winning and healthy turnout) are fulfilled, at least we’ve made a start in giving Test cricket its due.

I guess time has come for the Indian Cricket Players as well as the administrative staffs to take a few weeks, if not months, holidays. They certainly are tired of performing.

Firstly, the selection team without Vengsarkar and co seems to be doing a terrible job. Srikanth has traditionally been a man of strong words and action… somehow the fire is missing in the way he is currently carrying out his job. No risks taken, no introduction of some fresh talents and just rotating the existing 20-25 players around trying to get the combination right. It’s been terrible last few months for Indian Cricket, inconsistent performance that has lead to the downfall, with only more to follow. As a first step, I strongly feel that the 5 wise men need to get their act together. They need to motivate some budding domestic cricketers and pump them into the international arena and give some high level exposure. It may or may not succeed. But I still feel it’s worth a try. It’s sad that after 20 years of Cricket, the team still sit safe on Tendulkar’s tiring old shoulders.

Secondly, Dhoni should stop ACTING cool. Yes he has the pressure to perform and at the same time live up to the tag Captain Cool. But off late, it has kind of become very apparent that he is not cool but just acting cool. His field placements are faltering. His ability to think on the feet has taken some beating. He is going clueless on the bowling changes and all of these are very visible on the field and finally on the results. I remember Younis Khan once mentioning that Dhoni’s captaincy will come into test once the luck factor isolates him. I guess he was absolutely true. Now that Dhoni is not winning many tosses, his players are in bad form, it’s the time for him to stand up and show what he’s made of.

Lalit Modi should be asked to step out of Indian Cricket arena forever. This is because he did a criminal mistake of injecting the taste of money into the blood of budding cricketers, so much so that they now play for money than for country. He created a monster called IPL that has eaten up the hearts of all budding cricketers. While the standard of living of these cricketers have improved big time, the quality of cricket they play has come down drastically. Time is not far before we see that we find it difficult to find 11 men fit to play 5 day cricket. I guess Modi has to own the responsibility of pushing Indian cricket to this sad state. I guess the ICL from Zee and Kapil Dev was made with better intend and would have given better results had the BCCI allowed him to stay on.

Talking about BCCI, I consider them as the biggest terror infrastructure in India! It’s high time these political rogues are shown the exit door and a few sensible people with good intend are brought in for the good. The moment the people running the show gets money minded, it flows down from top to bottom and gets into the nerves of all the employees of the terror organization – BCCI.

Overall, I feel the entire Cricketing domain in India requires a complete revamp – The people need to change, the infrastructure has to improve, players have to be brought up with care and should be injected the right thoughts and so on. The domestic circuit has to improve big time and if these basics are not taken care of, god save Indian Cricket!

Signing Off…

C’est le Spiegel qui a sorti l’info en Europe: quelque 20 millions d’euros issus du cartel de Medellin, l’organisation du fameux narcotrafiquant Pablo Escobar, dormiraient toujours sur des comptes bancaires européens. Et pas dans n’importe quels pays: le Luxembourg et la Suisse, précise l’hebdomadaire allemand. Il va même plus loin en donnant des noms de banques concernées: la suisse UBS et la luxembourgeoise BGL, fraîchement rachetée par BNP Paribas.

Le Spiegel se base en fait sur l’enquête de l’hebdomadaire colombien Semana. Ce dernier publie un article très détaillé avec le nom des banques concernées et les sommes déposées. On y apprend au passage que le Spiegel a fait une petite sélection des pays concernés: il a omis de citer les banques britannique et espagnole où de l’argent aurait été déposé.

En tout cas, la reprise de l’article du Spiegel ce matin dans la presse luxembourgeoise a fortement fait réagir BGL BNP Paribas, la banque mise en cause. Et, pour une fois, il a été très facile d’obtenir une réaction de la part d’un banquier luxembourgeois. Une réponse claire et rapide: “c’est vrai mais c’est de l’histoire ancienne”.

Et en effet, les comptes concernés sont connus depuis 20 ans par la justice, ce qu’a confirmé aujourd’hui le procureur d’Etat adjoint du Luxembourg, Jean-Paul Frising. En octobre 1989, puis janvier 1990, la justice luxembourgeoise reçoit des demandes des autorités américaines pour geler des comptes bancaires liés au cartel de Medellin. Ce qui a donc été fait il y a 20 ans, c’est pour cela que “c’est de l’histoire ancienne”.

Au moins trois comptes sont concernés, d’après l’article de la Semana. Deux ouverts à la BGL (l’actuelle BGL BNP Paribas) et un à feu la Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI). Le montant est estimé à quelque 4,5 millions de dollars par l’hebdomadaire colombien. Jean-Paul Frising a évoqué aujourd’hui la somme de 5 à 10 millions d’euros. Les intérêts ont rapporté…

Et selon la justice luxembourgeoise, la situation n’a rien de douteuse. C’est juste l’histoire d’une procédure judiciaire qui n’en fini pas. La raison? L’inertie américaine. Car depuis leur demande de geler les avoirs, les autorités américaines n’auraient pas montré beaucoup d’entrain pour faire bouger les choses. En gros, avec la mort de Pablo Escobar, l’avenir des quelques millions d’euros encore dormant sur des comptes on ne sait plus trop où, ce n’est plus une priorité. Résultat, l’argent dort à poing fermé sur plusieurs comptes de banques européennes mais aussi panaméennes. Et il risque de dormir encore longtemps. Pour savoir quand la situation pourrait évoluer, le procureur d’Etat adjoint m’a conseillé de m’adresser directement à la justice américaine. Si quelqu’un a des contacts là-bas, je suis preneuse.

Se pose quand même la question de l’ouverture de ces comptes litigieux. D’après la Semana, qui se base sur les déclarations de celui qui se présente comme le banquier occulte de Pablo Escobar, les comptes auraient la plupart du temps été ouverts à l’aide de faux passeports. De ce point de vue, les banques n’ont donc pas grand chose à se reprocher.

Mais le nom de Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) m’a quand même fait tiquer. Il a comme un parfum de scandale. Ce qui est effectivement le cas puisque cette banque pakistanaise installée au Luxembourg était notoirement liée au cartel de la drogue colombien. Elle a fait faillite en 1991 après la mise à jour de ses activité illicites (je n’étais pas grande à l’époque, d’où ma méconnaissance de cette histoire). Le Luxembourg avait alors été montré du doigt, critiqué pour avoir été le maillon faible du réseau de la BCCI.

Du coup, je comprends mieux pourquoi la BGL BNP Paribas a été si prompt à répondre. La banque ne veut pas qu’on ressorte cette triste affaire pour la finance luxembourgeoise. Mais pour ceux qu’elle intéresse, il y a une certaine version de l’affaire, avec des documents d’époque,  ici.

I must congratulate you on achieving the seemingly impossible: you have managed to make me watch cricket on Doordarshan.

Not because the national broadcaster has suddenly transformed into something rich and strange – not a chance. The images still look like they came out wrong in the color wash, and the Hindi commentators continue to provide spontaneous, if largely unintentional, amusement.

I discovered Doordarshan largely by accident. At some point during Sunday’s ODI at Guwahati, I went to get a cup of tea and came back to find an ad break that stretched interminably. I wondered why: Had drinks been called for? Or did a wicket fall? Was the batsman fiddling with the sightscreen?

I didn’t have a clue. My restless fingers accidentally hit the ‘guide’ button on the remote, and right up top on the list I saw that DD was showing the game. I hopped over – and found that a new batsman was taking strike. So I was right. A wicket had fallen; there were some replays to show where the ball had pitched and where Hawkeye thought it would hit; a new batsman had walked in – and you did not in your wisdom think I’d be remotely interested in any of these things.

Instead, when a ball from Bollinger hit MS Dhoni on the pad, you waited only long enough to see the umpire begin to raise his hand, and you promptly switched to an ad the tag line of which was ‘Dhak Dhak Go!’. Don’t get me wrong – I am truly appreciative of the sense of humor implicit in that choice of advertisement.

But India was on the skids at the time; Dhoni seemed to be digging in to try and author a turnaround and I really wanted to see if that was a fair decision, whether the wicket had fallen because of the bowler’s skill, the batsman’s inability, or the umpire’s idiocy. Instead, I learnt that some form of automobile lubricant is now available in a 90 ml packing and that it costs Shah Rukh Khan only Rs 7 per sachet to keep his good looks.

At that point I switched to DD, and learnt that the ball had landed within the stumps, but was going straight on, which meant that it was possibly missing off stump, which meant that Dhoni’s attempt at revival had been cut short by the umpire.

All of this may not be as important as the fact that lubricants come in 90 ml packages and some brand of skin bleach now costs only seven bucks a go – but what to say, there is no accounting for tastes, and mine run to the cricket, not to being fair and handsome [No point, no, when you reach an age where chance-met lovelies call you ‘uncle’?].

Don’t get me wrong – I know why you have to be quick on the trigger; I appreciate why you squeeze advertisements in at any and all moments when ball and bat are not in close proximity. After all, if you pay Rs 2400 crore to the BCCI, the only way you are going to make it back is by selling as many ad spots as you possibly can, and then cutting every conceivable corner to rack up the play count.

I had hoped that things would change once your four-year contract ended, but I see that you have this cozy deal with the BCCI whereby you have the option of renewing your contract without going through the tedious formalities of a competitive tender.

But see, all that is your problem. Mine is that I want to see as much of the cricket as I possibly can.

Adios.

I admit, I woke up late on Sunday morning. But, it wasn’t a typical one at that. By 9:30 am IST, half the Indian team, which opted to bat first were back in the dressing room for a meager total of 27, and the other five were just about to begin a battle to save from being marooned. As we figured out later, 170 was a score, chased down rather easily by the Aussies, but then again – some of the questions asked in the previous part weren’t quite answered, nor am I expecting them to be done anytime soon (unless Sri Lanka give India a hiding of their lives in the next series). So, I just thought, why not raise the next set of questions and answers – quite on the lines of burnout, bench strength and accountability.

Question #1 : Is burnout a problem with this team ? If yes, why are they not being upfront and honest about it ?

Answer: Indeed. It’s not nuclear science that burnout is a serious concern for the Indian cricket team. But, until and unless players are forthcoming and honest about it, I am afraid, it’ll remain a concern. In a casual discussions with some people involved with the setup, contrasting opinions is what I get to hear. While the public admission is that burnout is never an issue with our cricketers, privately they take a different view of the topic. Read between the lines and you’d know there is a problem, which the players are quite constantly living in denial about. How much cricket is enough cricket ? No one quite has the answer for that question, thanks to contractual engagements with both the franchises who play in the IPL and their respective commercial sponsors. At the end of the day, as it’s been said before, and at the cost of being repetitive, the body comes first – not currency notes or cheques. By burnout, I don’t necessarily mean on the field engagements itself nor do I refer to injuries (cliched “part of the game”). Travelling the length and breadth of a country is equally exhausting, go ask the journalists. Or even for that matter, spending a hard-earned break (like they did between the West Indies ODIs and the Sri Lanka triangular) satisfying commercial engagements, instead of giving their mind and body enough rest to come back stronger and fitter for important challenges ahead. The BCCI, as usual needs to be accountable for not going hard on cricketers, who don’t bother themselves with taking care of the body. I don’t quite have the numbers, but the average Indian cricketer plays close to 200-250 days of cricket in a calendar year. If this is the case, poor scheduling is to blame. Add the headache of the IPL and redundant cash-cows like the Champions League, and the number swells up. What the BCCI needs to do is to enforce some discipline on the contracted (to BCCI) cricketers, to put their body before commerce first. If not, there’s no way out of it.

Question #2: Is international cricket turning into a squad-based game ? If yes, is the Indian bench not good enough ?

Answer: Yes, it is increasingly going the football way, not just in terms of the ridiculous club vs country debate, but also in terms of the fact that a squad plays a critical role in determining a team’s sustainability and it’s strength. As we saw, the strength of the bench was by far the most vital difference between the two sides (In Australia’s case, the bench was the strength and in India’s case, the weakness). Even with first choice players like Brett Lee, James Hopes, Tim Paine (an original replacement for Brad Haddin), Michael Clarke, Peter Siddle and Moises Henriques returning home through injuries of different natures, Australia found quick and ready replacements through the series, which not just highlighted the depth of players available to them, but equally spoke highly of the quality of the bench. Out goes someone and in comes someone else, equally capable of doing the job. On the other hand, India were found vaunting in this regard. The same squad played through the six matches and even men who replaced the outgoers, the quality wasn’t just there to be seen. What India needs now and it’s almost imperative on their part, with 2011 World Cup looming large, is to rekindle the Greg Chappell formula of having a strong bench. What I mean by a bench is 5 quality players, who at a given moment can seamlessly slot into the side, and when given an opportunity, perform to their best abilities. But, unfortunately, we have a tradition of passengers – the likes of Sudeep Tyagi, Amit Mishra and co, who in hindsight should have been given a go in this series. It’s about time the BCCI gets going with the A-team programme all over again, which could help in playing a critical role in a) developing a bench and b) importantly, ensure that it plays against quality opposition and not the likes of Zimbabwe, Kenya and Bangladesh (as most A teams in India are designed for).

Question #3 : In this performance-related sport, why isn’t anyone held accountable for the recent dip in results ?

Answer: Sorry to say, and it’s common knowledge now, that accountability is the bane of the Indian system, not just the cricketing system. But, the earlier we realize that this game is getting increasingly professional, the better it would be. India have put in below-par performances in the past three high-profile tournaments (I am not counting the inconsequential tours of West Indies and Sri Lanka). Even after defeats in the World T20, ICC Champions’ Trophy and the recent loss to Australia, no one has been held accountable, except those two coaches who have been fired. And that’s not accountability by any sense of the word. As usual, there will be no explanation from the BCCI or the selectors and that age-old cliche of “winning and losing is a part of the game” will come out shortly. Have the selectors picked the wrong team ? Possibly. You can’t pick Rahul Dravid as a band-aid against short-bowling and dump him when needed because of the want for younger players. That’s not accountability either. Some players in this eleven have been performing abysmally with continued impunity in these past three tournaments. Why not get rid of them and give others a chance ? Or is it that, this is logically the best eleven we have ? So much for a BCCI that boasts about IPL creating high quality cricketers. It’s time some heads start rolling. By that I don’t say sack Dhoni, but there are other people who have contributed to this mess and must be held accountable for their positions. Possibly the selectors, for not looking beyond a certain group of players who they believe can do the job, and for reasons that are not entirely cricketing. It’s time to fix-it now, for another defeat against Sri Lanka, and you’re back to square one.

Indian cricket needs some honest introspection. It’s not a question of getting the eleven right, or the sixteen right. It’s after all a question of getting the whole system right. Players need to be more honest in their respective cases and speak out against these problems – mainly player burnout and fatigue. About time that Indian cricket paid some attention to the dwindling reserve and feeder system and also, someone, whoever it is took responsibility for the recent results or the lack of it. Till then, as a hawk, I’ll continue my questionings.

PS: Involve yourself with some question that you have, possibly we can together do some soul-searching and come up with solutions and answers.

Here’s the Part I of these Qs and As for Indian cricket.

I have many problems with the IPL, but my biggest is that it will shove other international series out the window while it settles into the cricket room. For some fans, that’s not a big deal, since there are already far too many stupid series going on (seven matches between England and Australia? Really? Series after series between the West Indies and England?).

Fine. But when you actually get down to cutting series left and right, you face some very difficult choices that are bound to make some countries happy, and others not. Some of the big-league countries — India, Australia, England, South Africa — would be happy to just play themselves, leaving the small fry to themselves (West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh).

But while that may yield higher fan satisfaction, it essentially makes cricket an even smaller club than it already is. Besides, all sports have to endure some “boring” matches — I usually skip the first four rounds of any tennis Grand Slam, only to tune in once I hear that an underdog has beaten a known, seeded athlete.

We forget that today’s minnows are tomorrow’s top ranks. What was Sri Lanka in the 1980s? For that matter, what was India? Sure, most times Bangaldesh plays Australia (or anyone plays Australia, for that matter), we know who’ll win and who will lose. But there’s always that small chance that fortune will, just this once, anoint the other team.

It may sound like a very obvious reaction of disappointment at the performance of the Indian cricket team versus Australia today. But then it’s not. It’s more to do with the attitude of a cricketer in the Indian cricket team. No prizes for guessing. It’s Virender Sehwag!!

I cannot think of any cricketer who has been given innumerable opportunities to perform. But almost each time, he has disappointed. Especially in crucial matches. And that’s even more hurting! How on earth could he play such rash and irresponsible strokes time and time again?? One could argue that its the way he plays! Well, to me that’s bull-shit and is merely trying to find a way around the problem instead of addressing the problem. Aren’t there attacking players like Yuvaraj, Tendulkar and Raina etc who have similar, if not the same style of batting? And haven’t they modified their batting style according to the situation? If that’s right and makes sense, then what’s wrong with Sehwag and his non-sensical approach to batting?

Well,  the answer is simple. He cannot change and is very thick skinned (typical Delhi brat) to listen to any suggestions. He wants to maintain the status-quo as far as his batting style is concerned. So what should the BCCI and selectors do? The solution is simple too. Just keep him OUT of the team and ensure that he has CHANGED his approach to batting for good. Consistency will only come, if you have your head on your shoulders. Which as of now is not the case with Sehwag.

One cannot rest on past laurels in competitive sports. Agreed that he played a very good knock in Multan (he has been called Multan-ka-Sultan since then) against Pakistan (India’s sworn arch-rival in cricket and other wise as well). But then, what after that?? The Indian team cannot keep him in the side in the hope that he will make a good knock one day! That’s like expecting a sandstorm in the Arctic. Well, the way Global Warming has been reaching such alarming proportions, one cannot rule out that possibility. With Sehwag, expect the unexpected!

Sorry, I had to come up with this after so this tweet -

1. Rehman Malik – Pakistan’s Interior Minister, or Billu Barber (here’s why) – for making absurd charges about alleged Indian involvement in Waziristan and Balochistan, of course without any evidence, even if he claims to have “convincing” proof.

2. Lalit Modi - Commissioner, Magistrate or whatever this man calls himself – for this Alice in Wonderland view about the IPL, that it is “reviving” Indian cricket, contrary to perceptions of the IPL destroying Indian cricket.

3. Mohan Bhagwat – RSS Chief, or SarSanghsomethings – For still fantasizing about Akhand Bharat (Undivided India) and satisfying himself and the other Sangh folks with the same.

4. Rajnath Singh – Outgoing BJP President (worst of all time, some might argue) – for brazenly brushing aside that the BJP isn’t suffering from any problems, when the whole world knows that the party is living in a delusion of grandeur. And coming up with excuses for recent performances by the BJP, poor ones at that.

5. Shashank Manohar – Sharad Pawar’s right-hand man in BCCI and currently President – for his gross self-promotion of the VCA Ground in Jamtha as one of the best in the country, despite it being 15-20 kms from Nagpur. Sorry, boss – not happening !

6. Maj Gen Athar Abbas – This young and charming DG of Pakistan’s ISPR or Baghdad Bob or Comical Ali as Foreign Policy called him – for validating Rehman Malik’s golden words and reasserting Indian involvement in Waziristan and allegedly funding the Taliban.

7. Rafa Benitez – Manager of a football club (Liverpool), that hasn’t won the Premier League…hmm…ever – for still believing that his team could win both – the Premier League and the Champions League (when they’re on the brink of exit from the latter and have suffered 5 defeats in the former).

8. Mamata Banerjee – Union Minister for Bengal and Buddha-bashing – for her not being able to decide who is involved with the Maoists – is it her party, the Trinamool or the Communist. Decide, Didi, decide.

9. Asif Ali Zardari - President of Pakistan and Mr. 100% these days – for presenting these romanticized versions of democracy when the Army is quite clearly the REAL power-center in Pakistan.

10. Kishenji - India’s Hakeemullah Mehsud and the public covered face of the Maoist ideology – for making no sense when he talks, and now that he’s spoken – saying he’ll continue to terrorize the people, while also responding to talks from the Govt.

11. Maulana Madani – one of India’s most prominent Mullahs – for not realizing that the real problems of the Indian Muslims are related to their livelihood – education, food, shelter, upliftment etc and not ‘to sing or not to sing Vande Mataram’ or ‘to watch or not to watch movies/television’. Smells of dark ages, indeed.

12th Man – Uddhav Thackerey - Supposedly Shiv Sena Prez, now known as Raj Thackerey’s poor cousin – for insisting that Shiv Sena had not lost the elections and the so-called Marathi Manoos hasn’t woken up yet, what defiance !

At the end of it all, there’s only one thing I can say about this. #FAIL

PS: I haven’t yet picked the captain and the wicketkeeper, would be glad if you’d help me out with it

There were two cricket matches being played in a single inning yesterday – one, a superhuman effort by Sachin Tendulkar, who single-handedly took India close, and the other, by the rest – who despite their undisputed talent, lacked the required temperament to take India over the line. Tendulkar’s innings might prompt me to write a 5000-word essay, but I don’t think that is even required at this stage, for the man reproduced something from the 1990s to a) make a game out of something that was drifting away and b) take India to a position from where few teams would have lost. And importantly, this is not to blame or incriminate Ravindra Jadeja for last night’s loss, but his brief knock and many other similar performances ask many questions, for which it’s only rightful to seek answers. Alas!, we may never get one. But that shouldn’t stop one from asking these relevant questions.

Question #1 – Do our youngsters like Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli lack the 50-over mentality ?

Answer: Pretty much so. I somehow think twenty20 cricket, particularly IPL has somewhere invaded into the mentality of the young Indian cricketer. Monetary influences might be stretching it too far, but just the way the cricketer thinks in certain situations, makes me think so. Jadeja’s case prompted me to seek answers – why would the kid go even attempt a single that wasn’t on ? Perhaps, he went by his instincts, which is something of paramount importance in T20 cricket, and on a given day, comes off in ODIs, but hey, it doesn’t always work. And it wasn’t even a hell-broke-loose situation, if my memory serves me right. Was tailor-made for sensible, good old common-sense cricket, but what took over were impulses, often handy in the shortest format. In a way, these cricketers haven’t quite transformed from being “fantastic” T20 cricketers to good/handy ODI players. As Mike Hussey said in an interview, “Playing first-class cricket for donkey years, gives you an opportunity to know your game inside out, which you may have, when you play international cricket.” From their performances in this series, it’s evident that both Jadeja and Kohli don’t know their game well enough. Most importantly, their very role in this team. Might come with experience, but sorry boss, this situation demanded some maturity and not implosion. This is where you’re found out mentally.

Question #2 – What about spin bowling ? Are our spinners too scared of being hit ? And don’t we have alternatives ?

Answer: The only bowler in this whole series who’s even given himself a chance of picking wickets (read: not buying wickets) and genuinely deceiving the batsman in the air, with control, flight and guile has been Nathan Hauritz. Tendulkar danced down the track and dispatched him for two consecutive sixes in that one over yesterday, yet, he flighted the next delivery. Contrast that with Harbhajan Singh, who’s only getting flatter, faster and bowling a middle-leg line, spearing it in – which hardly gives him a chance to fox the batsman, and as a spin-bowler, that’s something you’d never want to do. Has T20 prompted this mindset in spin bowlers ? Maybe. Where are those attacking fields ? The slip almost is invisible. Again a mindset problem. Or, are the roles of the Indian spinner changing ? Is he just a bowler, the captain is happy to let concede 40-50 runs off 10 overs and get a wicket or two (mostly due to batsman errors ?). And most importantly, do we have alternatives ? Ravichandran Ashwin is an option (the guy claims to have 6 deliveries, and I saw him defeat Dhoni brilliantly with the carrom-ball in the Challenger), Pragyan Ojha is out of the radar as of now, Piyush Chawla seems to be the forgotten one, and Amit Mishra, who I thought has done exceedingly well in the few chances he’s been given, is relegated to the bench. Has Harbhajan’s position in this team become so untenable ? Possibly his one-yr media contract with Neo Cricket (official rights holder for the BCCI) may well have the answer, apart from his clout within the Delhi-based media.

Question #3 Should IPL performances be good enough to pick national players for other formats ?

Answer: Not at all. I think this recent phenomenon needs to be explored deeply, else consequences are grave. Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli have all made the grade (less in the case of Ravi Jadeja, because he was the joint highest-wicket taker in the Ranji last year with Dhawal Kulkarni) because of their pyrotechnics in a format, that has absolutely nothing to do with ODIs. RP Singh made a comeback into the setup with his wickets (albeit the economy doesn’t make for great reading), and now is trying to sort himself out for UP against Karnataka. IPL form should NOT be the basis for judging a cricketer’s ability or temperament – because let me put this on record, whatever people may think – T20 cricket is a different jar of fish altogther. It makes you think differently as a cricketer, i.e remain 2 overs ahead of where you ought to be. And, it’s not that there’s a dearth of quality one-day cricketers in this country – go look around and you might find some handy ones (I am not even talking of Rohit Sharma here) – the likes of Murali Vijay,  Subramaniam Badrinath, Ajinkya Rahane etc. Is there a lethargy on the part of our selectors to go watch Ranji matches ? If that is indeed true, then Indian cricket is to lose. Let’s also remember this (even though the cliche goes – If you’re a good cricketer, you’ll be able to play any format) – a good T20 batsman, NEED not be a great an ODI cricketer and vice-versa – a man of 17,168 runs is not quite the same in a format 30-over less. What this might eventually do, is end up creating specialists, if it hasn’t already – as in the case of England, South Africa et al.

The problem with Indian cricket, particularly the BCCI, is that it perennially lives in denial, neither open to criticism from any quarter, as you might have seen in that Lalit Modi interview nor open to suggestions. If this doesn’t end anytime soon, despite short-term results and the unparalleled media-created jingoism, Indian cricket may well be on it’s wane. I would hope the Board answers these questions, but hey…is anyone even reading ?

…..
ગઈ કાલ ની મેચ જોઈ…અને સચિન નો પ્રયત્ન પણ જોયો….પણ સચિન ના અંત પછી આપણા પુન્છાડીયા કલાકારો ( હું એમને એમના કામ કાજ મુજબ સાચા નામ થી જ બોલાવું છું) ફટ ફટ કરી ને જલ્દી થી પરત આવી ગયા..અને  આપણે માત્ર ત્રણ રન થી  મેચ હારી ગયા ….હવે તાત્પર્ય શું છે ? તમે બધા યાર!!!  ક્રિકેટ માટે આટલા બધા ઇમોશનલ ના થાવ….આ કલાકારો હારે યા જીતે એમને તો કરોડો રૂપિયા મળવા ના જ છેને…આપણું નકામું લોહી ઉકાળી ને શું ફાયદો.. ? આપણે કેટલા ટકા? એના કરતા સબ ટીવી પર જઈ ને  નવી પણ અર્થ પૂર્ણ સીરીઅલ ” લાપત્તા ગંજ” જુવો ને….એના પર જોવા મળતો કટાક્ષ હ્રિદય સ્પર્શી છે….અને મન નું સાચા અર્થ માં રંજન એને કહેવાય…..આપણા ક્રિકેટરો(  ઉર્ફે . કલાકારો) BCCI  માટે રમે છે નહિ કે દેશ માટે….એમને advertisements  કરવા દો…અને કમાવા દો…..
જલસા કરો ને….

be with me….

Raj

As always, Dileep Premachandran has a brilliant column in The Guardian. Rather than write my own blog post, I’m just going to deconstruct his so you can fully appreciate the argument:

Point #1: The Champions League failed in India, largely because cricket is still about nationalism in India, not the game itself –

India went out in the first round in South Africa, and according to aMap, the average rating for the competition was 1.1 [meaning 1.1% of the homes surveyed were watching the games]. Interest peaked during the India-Pakistan encounter which had a rating of 6.2 (industry insiders say that any rating above 3 is a good one). The figure for the first few days of Champions League action? 0.74.

Point #2: Cricket fatigue doesn’t help, as the administrators kill the goose with the golden eggs –

There was a time when the first touch of late-autumn chill had cricket aficionados in a tizzy about the new season. Now, with the sport played all year round, who can summon up that excitement? “Look at the English Premier League,” says Arora. “They have a fixed three-month break at the end of each season. By the end of that, fans are desperate for play to start again. How can you have that desperation if you play all the time?”

Point #3: Indian cricket administrators are also still remarkably inept, using a ridiculous rotation schedule among still shabby stadiums that are also hung with still ridiculous reservations for VIPs who don’t show up. Phew! –

India may remain the game’s financial hub for the foreseeable future, but there seems to be no effort to create a genuine cricket culture. Where’s the annual marquee Test, the equivalent of Boxing Day at the MCG, July at Lord’s or New Year in Cape Town? Why is there a ridiculous rotation system that has denied Eden Gardens, India’s liveliest venue by far, a Test since December 2007? In that time, Mohali, where Tendulkar went past Brian Lara’s record for most Test runs in front of silent concrete stands and a few bussed-in schoolkids, has hosted two games.

There’s still more in that article worth reading that I haven’t quoted. Yeah, it’s that good. All hail. Read it.

India has come a long way in the field of cricket, an international outdoor game. Almost all Indian states have contributed immensely push India forward to international level in the world of cricket. On 25th October, Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat and president of Gujarat Cricket Association expressed his wish to elevate Gujarat to a hub of cricket. It is the only Indian state to be home to three associations of the game.

The only hub of three cricket bodies – Gujarat Cricket Association, Baroda Cricket Association and Saurasthra Cricket Association is the state of Gujarat. So the state possesses the potentiality to be developed and regarded as a hub of cricket in India. During a session of discussion on cricket-relate matters with Chirayu Amin BCCI vice-president and BCA chief, Niranjan Shah SCA secretary and Amit Shah GCA vice-president, Modi said, “Gujarat is only state in the entire country where three cricket associations exist and so there is every scope for developing it as a hub of cricket”.

The first ODI between India and Australia is the backdrop of this discussion on the role of Gujarat in the field of Indian cricket. The Gujarat Chief Minister has witnessed an ODI in Kolkata, the city that has been the host to international matches since 1983. The development of cricket has become a priority with Modi after he became the president of GCA last month. He wants a representative from Gujarat to be in the national team.

“You know how it is, boss — nothing has changed,” Robin Singh told me.

He was not talking the day after finding out in the papers that he had been sacked as national fielding coach — this comment was made in 2003, when Robin and I [and Wasim Akram] were guests of the Michigan Cricket Association at its tournament finale and awards gala.

At the time, Robin had not yet officially retired from international cricket, but he had known for a while that his playing career was over, and had made the transition to coaching. He had just had a very good stint with the national under-19 team, so I was surprised when he told me he was in the US seeking a coaching gig with USACA.

I thought you were set as the U-19 coach, I remarked. That is when Robin, with that trademark lopsided grin, told me “You remember how in our playing days we used to call you guys up before every team selection to know if we were going to make it? Nothing has changed — I still need journalists to tell me what is happening in my life.”

‘Robin’ and ’sad’ don’t belong in the same sentence — his chief characteristic is his equipoise, an ability to take whatever comes his way with a smile and a joke. And yet, that was among the saddest things I had ever heard from a professional.

He had, Robin said, been coaching U-19 on someone’s say-so. A board official called him up and told him he had the job; he did it. Through that period, he had no formal meeting with anyone in the board, no contract spelling out his duties, no idea who if anyone he was supposed to report to, and certainly no idea what he was going to be paid and when.

And when it was all over, Robin waited. “I thought someone would call, tell me if they were satisfied or not, tell me what I was supposed to do next. No one called — how long am I supposed to wait?” And so he was in the US, shopping for jobs.

History repeated. Just before the 2007 tour of Bangladesh, Robin got a call telling him he would be fielding coach for the side — a job he has done for a little over two years with no official letter, no contract, and a non-negotiable compensation that was often paid only when Robin reminded the authorities of his existence.

He wasn’t answering his phone last night; had I managed to connect, it is a fair bet that he would have said, “You know how it is — nothing has changed.”

Hiring and firing its employees is of course the BCCI’s prerogative. [Though you have to wonder if they apply to themselves the standards they hold others to. To cite the most recent instance, it is the BCCI's head of the pitches committee, Daljit Singh, who worked from April this year till date to personally produce a wicket at the Firozeshah Kotla that is, not to mince words, a disgrace. All we ever heard on the subject was a laconic 'Oh, new pitches take a year to settle down,' from the man himself; not a yip out of his fellow honchos in the administration.]

But is it too much to ask that the BCCI follow basic principles of human decency while carrying out that function? Would it have been too much for someone in the board to have called Venky Prasad and Robin Singh and told them they were due for the axe, to have spared them the humiliation of finding out from the media?

I’m not making the case that they should have been retained — I don’t know how effective they were. But then, neither does the BCCI — and that august body took its decision without consulting the two people who were in a position to know: the captain and the coach.

Various officials — who, of course, only speak to the media on condition of anonymity — have pointed at the dramatic decline in form of the likes of Ishant Sharma [Cricinfo breaks down his performance] and RP Singh to justify sacking Prasad. In a post on Sreesanth a couple of days ago, I’d linked to Alan Donald’s comments about the bowler’s training habits.

Donald said they had extensive talks about the training routine, and reckoned Sreesanth had plenty of areas to work on. “First of all, his training habits are not good and the way he goes on to the field need to change. Then, he doesn’t put enough time on specifics.”

I’m willing to bet the same is true for Ishant, RP, Irfan and others. Prescribing the training routine and monitoring it is certainly one of the functions of a bowling coach. Was it done, in each of these instances? Did the player concerned follow the coach’s prescription, or just flip him the bird and do his own thing? What are the reasons for the dramatic decline in form of various promising bowlers?

Answers to these and related questions [What lines and lengths does he prescribe for the bowlers for each game, for instance, and how effective is he in identifying what his bowlers need to do in any given set of conditions? For my money, the most effective bowling coach we ever had was Bruce Reid -- who handled a young Irfan and his mates brilliantly on India's tour of Australia, working with the raw newcomers on skills and techniques, and also using his knowledge of local conditions to guide them on how they had to bowl each day, in each game] are the basis on which you can evaluate a bowling coach’s performance.

Did the BCCI carry out such an analysis? No. Did it even seek opinions from the captain, coach, senior players and the bowlers themselves? No.

So what was the basis of the decision to sack Prasad? A whim of the moment. Everyone’s talking about the decline in Ishant, so let’s “take action” — that just about sums up this latest piece of rank idiocy. [Incidentally, if Ishant's bowling is now so beyond the pale as to justify the sacking of his bowling coach, why is the bowler himself still in the team?]

Take the case of fielding standards. For me, one of the joys of IPL-2 was watching the byplay between Herschelle Gibbs at point and Rohit Sharma well inside the ring at cover. They showed off for one another, they took obvious delight in each other’s exploits, they put on a show — and in the process, lifted the overall standards of the team.

Great all-round fielding is a ‘team culture’ thing. You can have very good fielders in a team — Yuvraj, Rohit, Raina — without it being a great fielding unit [Adam Gilchrist, speaking during the presentation ceremony after the Chargers' last loss, said the basics, like good fielding, which "the good teams take pride in", the Chargers just didn't do]. Just as great individual fielding lifts a team, lackadaisical fielding lowers the standards of even the best — and ‘lackadaisical’ is a mild word to describe the Indian team in the field.

How much of this is the fielding coach’s fault? [By way of disclosure: Robin is a friend of long standing]. What training techniques, fielding drills, does the coach use? How rigorously are these prescriptions followed? What authority does the fielding coach have to haul up errant, chronically lazy, players? Can he enforce discipline?

[Some years ago, when our fielding standards or lack thereof became so bad even the apologists ran out of excuses, Jagmohan Dalmiya as then BCCI head made a pompous announcement. He said the national coach and physio had been empowered to be strict with the players; that at the start of the preparatory camp each player would be put through the beep and other tests, and any who failed would not be considered for selection. The outcome? Five senior players flat out refused to take the test. The coach called the selectors to report. The selectors called Dalmiya. Dalmiya instructed them to pick the players anyway. All five were selected.]

None of this concerns the BCCI. It hired a bowling coach and a fielding coach when it felt like it; it sacked them, ditto.

And to compound the irony, it says it is in no rush to hire replacements. Explain this to me?

Item: Our bowling standards have fallen off. Item: Our fielding is pathetic.

So ‘action’ is taken — the bowling and fielding coaches are sacked. \

And we now head into a seven-game series against the world’s number one outfit with a pack of off-form bowlers and hopeless fielders — and the board says there is absolutely no hurry to provide them with coaches in these two disciplines?

Cognitive dissonance, anyone?

PS: Happy Diwali, everyone. Heading into a three and a half day weekend; barring an odd post or two later today, am off blog till Tuesday.