A `mismatch' again; this time at the `Bull-ring'!!!
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on Monday, March 24, 2003 - The day after Australia won the final beating India.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan11.html
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There was the unmistakeable aroma of tension in the air when Saurav Ganguly walked out to toss the coin. Luck favoured him but common sense had already deserted him. The fate of the Final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 in Johannesburg, South Africa was decided the moment Ganguly, the captain of the Indian team decided to put the Australians into bat after having won the all-important toss.
The defensive decision proved that Ganguly did not want himself and the other batsmen in his team to be exposed to the Aussie fast bowlers. More importantly, it clearly conveyed that the Indians went into the match with the belief that they can not win it. The Australian captain Ricky Ponting grabbed the gift with an euphoric smile and what followed was, as they say, `HISTORY'.
True to the atmosphere at the imposing amphitheatre known as the `Bull-ring', the Australian batsmen tortured the Indian bowlers like bull-tamers going about their task with sharp weapons on the help-less bulls. The Indian medium-pace trio was one of the best in the tournament. Not today. None of them were relaxed enough to perform to their potential. The ball just wouldn't leave their hands on time and thus they ended up bowling way too short of the ideal length. The fact that they went for 214 runs from just 27 overs conveys the real story.
Adam Gilchrist loves such length just too much to let go of the opportunity. The match was decided within the first few overs. Once Gilchrist and Hayden started to play the way they did, there was no looking back. The shoulders of the Indian fielders drooped and they just wanted to get over with it at the earliest. The bowling-rate of the Indians (16 overs per hour) stands as ample proof to this. But haste indeed makes waste.
Ricky Ponting played the innings of his life to rewrite a spate of records. It was his `day' and he could do whatever he wanted to and get away with it. Demien Martin played the ideal supporting role. He had come back from an injury, but never once did he look uncomfortable or unfit. His innings was no less valuable than the one from Ponting.
Once such a total was put on the board, there was no way the Indians were going to reach it. Even Rain could not save the Indians today. Sehwag played some great shots in what was to be his highest score of the tournament but that was never enough. The Aussies were just too good for the Indians.
But all is not lost for the Indians. They can take heart from the good showing in the tournament. When the event was in its initial stages, none gave any chance to them and they have proved everyone wrong. Well, almost !
Now how does anybody beat the Aussies ?! One possible way is to bring in new rules in the lines of Formula 1 Motor sports. Ferrari was invincible in the past few years and the circuit was losing its popularity. This season, the rules have been modified drastically (though one may say unfairly) and as a result, the first two races have not seen any Ferrari face on the podium. Maybe, to make the World Cup more competitive in 2007, the ICC can introduce a rule making all Aussie right handers to bat and bowl left-handed and vice versa.
But then, I wont be surprised if the Aussies come in with an `AMBIDEXTROUS' team and still dominate world cricket !!!
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Saturday, March 22, 2003
An authoritative display
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on Friday, March 21, 2003 - The day after India's win over Kenya in the Semi-final.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan10.html
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The Kenyans had played out of their skins to reach this stage. And there were quite a few people who were hoping that they could win their Semifinal match against the Indians and reach the final too. If it had indeed happened, it would probably have gone down as the biggest ever upset the game has even seen. The Kenyans had nothing to lose while the Indians had everything at stake.
Saurav ganguly decided to bat first and out came Sachin Tendulkar and Virendar Sehwag. Over the next three hours and a half, the Indian batsmen taught the Kenyans a lesson or two on how to bat on a pitch where the ball was not coming onto the bat.
Although he began with caution, Tendulkar gradually opened out and added yet another fitfy to his kitty in this tournament. He was in a murderous mood having a hundred in sight while he got out to an amazing display of athleticism and timing on the field by the Kenyans. Had he got a reprive, Tendulkar might have ended up with yet another huge score.
Ganguly once again proved that he is one of the best players of slow bowling after the ball loses its shine. He is one batsman who doesn't waste any opportunity which presents itself. The result was a majestic unbeaten hundred - his third in this edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup. He has scored all his runs against the lesser teams so far but his confidence is sky-high now. India needs Ganguly to fire against the Australians in the final if they are to cause an upset.
Ganguly should be more flexible about his batting position. If an early wicket falls, Rahul Dravid may be a better option. It can even be Dinesh Mongia coming in at number three rather than Ganguly getting exposed to the fiery pace of Brett Lee earlier in the innings.
Sehwag once again threw his wicket away after having settled down nicely. He has not had a big score so far in this tournament and one is due. I hope it comes in the final. He is too good a player to be clubbed with Dinesh Mongia in the list of failures. The latter also has one final chance to redeem some pride.
Even if Kaif scored only a few runs, his ability to rotate the strike and more importantly reach the other end in a jiffy was the key to India reaching this huge total. Yuvaraj also chipped in with his show of power to ensure a total way beyond the reach of the Kenyans.
The Indian bowlers were fantastic once again. They never gave any room for any of the Kenyans to free their arms. The final part of the Kenyan innings was used by the part-time bowlers to catch up with some match-practice. Tendulkar was clearly rusty as he has not been used regularly by his captain. He took some time to settle down and ultimately ended up with a couple of wickets too.
Now the Indians go to Johannesburg for the biggest match of their careers. The Australians will come hard at the Indians trying to remind them of their earlier loss to them in the preliminary round. A billion fans and more will be praying for an Indian win in the final. It is now time for Saurav Ganguly and his men to display all they have. Both the teams have been on a roll with continuous wins. All good things should come to an end. I hope it is the Aussie run that ends.
Rahul Dravid's injury is a cause for concern. A crucial catch may be the difference between winning the biggest prize in the game and bungling at the final hurdle. The team management should think about playing him as a specialist batsman and bring in Parthiv Patel as the specialist wicket-keeper in place of Mongia. But the problem here is that Parthiv Patel has played almost no cricket at this level. His selection ahead of proven campaigners like Vijay Dahia and Ajay Ratra is a colossal mistake by the selectors. Dravid's ability or otherwise may decide the fate of the all-important final.
In sport, or for that matter anything in life, nothing comes easy. As the great man Swami Vivekanda put it...
`A WINNER IS A WINNER NOT IN THE ABSENCE OF, BUT IN SPITE OF PROBLEMS'!
GO INDIA GO !!!
______________________________________________________________
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on Friday, March 21, 2003 - The day after India's win over Kenya in the Semi-final.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan10.html
______________________________________________________________
The Kenyans had played out of their skins to reach this stage. And there were quite a few people who were hoping that they could win their Semifinal match against the Indians and reach the final too. If it had indeed happened, it would probably have gone down as the biggest ever upset the game has even seen. The Kenyans had nothing to lose while the Indians had everything at stake.
Saurav ganguly decided to bat first and out came Sachin Tendulkar and Virendar Sehwag. Over the next three hours and a half, the Indian batsmen taught the Kenyans a lesson or two on how to bat on a pitch where the ball was not coming onto the bat.
Although he began with caution, Tendulkar gradually opened out and added yet another fitfy to his kitty in this tournament. He was in a murderous mood having a hundred in sight while he got out to an amazing display of athleticism and timing on the field by the Kenyans. Had he got a reprive, Tendulkar might have ended up with yet another huge score.
Ganguly once again proved that he is one of the best players of slow bowling after the ball loses its shine. He is one batsman who doesn't waste any opportunity which presents itself. The result was a majestic unbeaten hundred - his third in this edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup. He has scored all his runs against the lesser teams so far but his confidence is sky-high now. India needs Ganguly to fire against the Australians in the final if they are to cause an upset.
Ganguly should be more flexible about his batting position. If an early wicket falls, Rahul Dravid may be a better option. It can even be Dinesh Mongia coming in at number three rather than Ganguly getting exposed to the fiery pace of Brett Lee earlier in the innings.
Sehwag once again threw his wicket away after having settled down nicely. He has not had a big score so far in this tournament and one is due. I hope it comes in the final. He is too good a player to be clubbed with Dinesh Mongia in the list of failures. The latter also has one final chance to redeem some pride.
Even if Kaif scored only a few runs, his ability to rotate the strike and more importantly reach the other end in a jiffy was the key to India reaching this huge total. Yuvaraj also chipped in with his show of power to ensure a total way beyond the reach of the Kenyans.
The Indian bowlers were fantastic once again. They never gave any room for any of the Kenyans to free their arms. The final part of the Kenyan innings was used by the part-time bowlers to catch up with some match-practice. Tendulkar was clearly rusty as he has not been used regularly by his captain. He took some time to settle down and ultimately ended up with a couple of wickets too.
Now the Indians go to Johannesburg for the biggest match of their careers. The Australians will come hard at the Indians trying to remind them of their earlier loss to them in the preliminary round. A billion fans and more will be praying for an Indian win in the final. It is now time for Saurav Ganguly and his men to display all they have. Both the teams have been on a roll with continuous wins. All good things should come to an end. I hope it is the Aussie run that ends.
Rahul Dravid's injury is a cause for concern. A crucial catch may be the difference between winning the biggest prize in the game and bungling at the final hurdle. The team management should think about playing him as a specialist batsman and bring in Parthiv Patel as the specialist wicket-keeper in place of Mongia. But the problem here is that Parthiv Patel has played almost no cricket at this level. His selection ahead of proven campaigners like Vijay Dahia and Ajay Ratra is a colossal mistake by the selectors. Dravid's ability or otherwise may decide the fate of the all-important final.
In sport, or for that matter anything in life, nothing comes easy. As the great man Swami Vivekanda put it...
`A WINNER IS A WINNER NOT IN THE ABSENCE OF, BUT IN SPITE OF PROBLEMS'!
GO INDIA GO !!!
______________________________________________________________
Friday, March 14, 2003
A payback in style!!!
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on Friday, March 14, 2003 - The day of India's win over New Zealand in the Super Six stage.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan9.html
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After India’s match against Kenya, I had pointed out that, Saurav Ganguly became the first player to score two hundreds this world cup albeit against bowlers who did not have the pace to test him. I had also hoped that he had realized that his place is well and truly in the middle order when the ball is softer. Obviously, he has NOT realized it and he paid the price for it against New Zealand in the super six encounter of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 in South Africa. Ganguly just was not good enough to stand against the firepower of Shane Bond.
Earlier Sehwag, who deserves a few raps on his knuckles, threw away his wicket playing a horrible shot and soon after Ganguly’s departure, Tendulkar had a rush of blood and could not resist an uppish shot, this after having already hit three boundaries in that over. The pressure on India increased manifold because of the early loss of wickets and they made rough weather of the small target set for them to win the match. It all boils down to being FLEXIBLE according to the demands of the conditions. The situation today needed a Rahul Dravid or Mohammad Kaif to be there in the middle at number 3.
Some sensible Cricket from Mohammad Kaif and Rahul Dravid ensured that there were no further hiccups. They chose the bad balls to hit and played the better ball with just the right respect. They rotated the strike at will and never allowed any bowler to settle down.
Kaif proved his value to the team today with his amazing fielding as well as his lightning-quick running between the wickets. He has a cool head on his shoulders. He produced yet another match-winning innings today under pressure. He was not flustered even when Macmillain tried to spoil his concentration with a few choice words. One need not be a professional lip-reader to decipher what he said. The TV cameras were good enough.
In the process, India has most certainly eliminated New Zealand from the tournament. They were beaten hollow by New Zealand earlier this year and they have paid back for the same in kind.
Earlier in the day, when New Zealand batted, Zaheer Khan breathed fire. He was unfortunate to have been overlooked by Ganguly before completing his bowling quota. He had taken four wickets in eight overs and he deserved a chance to go for what could easily have been a career-first five-wicket haul.
Overall, it was a good day for the Indians. After the early hiccups in this tournament, they have now aquitted themselves well winning seven matches in a row. They are expected to easily win the eighth one too – against Kenya in the semi final. And, for the ninth, they may have to overcome Australia.
That will be the true test of character for the Indians!!!
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on Friday, March 14, 2003 - The day of India's win over New Zealand in the Super Six stage.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan9.html
_______________________________________________________
After India’s match against Kenya, I had pointed out that, Saurav Ganguly became the first player to score two hundreds this world cup albeit against bowlers who did not have the pace to test him. I had also hoped that he had realized that his place is well and truly in the middle order when the ball is softer. Obviously, he has NOT realized it and he paid the price for it against New Zealand in the super six encounter of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 in South Africa. Ganguly just was not good enough to stand against the firepower of Shane Bond.
Earlier Sehwag, who deserves a few raps on his knuckles, threw away his wicket playing a horrible shot and soon after Ganguly’s departure, Tendulkar had a rush of blood and could not resist an uppish shot, this after having already hit three boundaries in that over. The pressure on India increased manifold because of the early loss of wickets and they made rough weather of the small target set for them to win the match. It all boils down to being FLEXIBLE according to the demands of the conditions. The situation today needed a Rahul Dravid or Mohammad Kaif to be there in the middle at number 3.
Some sensible Cricket from Mohammad Kaif and Rahul Dravid ensured that there were no further hiccups. They chose the bad balls to hit and played the better ball with just the right respect. They rotated the strike at will and never allowed any bowler to settle down.
Kaif proved his value to the team today with his amazing fielding as well as his lightning-quick running between the wickets. He has a cool head on his shoulders. He produced yet another match-winning innings today under pressure. He was not flustered even when Macmillain tried to spoil his concentration with a few choice words. One need not be a professional lip-reader to decipher what he said. The TV cameras were good enough.
In the process, India has most certainly eliminated New Zealand from the tournament. They were beaten hollow by New Zealand earlier this year and they have paid back for the same in kind.
Earlier in the day, when New Zealand batted, Zaheer Khan breathed fire. He was unfortunate to have been overlooked by Ganguly before completing his bowling quota. He had taken four wickets in eight overs and he deserved a chance to go for what could easily have been a career-first five-wicket haul.
Overall, it was a good day for the Indians. After the early hiccups in this tournament, they have now aquitted themselves well winning seven matches in a row. They are expected to easily win the eighth one too – against Kenya in the semi final. And, for the ninth, they may have to overcome Australia.
That will be the true test of character for the Indians!!!
Thursday, March 13, 2003
The African `Hunters’ and the `Professional’ Kangaroos !!!
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
Thursday, March 13, 2003
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The Austrian HERMANN MAIER, popularly known as the `HERMINATOR’, skied downhill to win the title at the 2003 World championships in February. He had returned to competitive skiing only in January with the 73 (Yes – Seventy Three!) fractures held together with a few metal plates and more than a hundred screws inserted into his leg. Last year, a car had collided with his motorcycle nearly costing him his leg.
The Puerto Rican JUAN `CHI-CHI’ RODRIGUES is one of the great showmen in sports history. In a career which has spanned four decades, Chi-Chi won 22 Senior PGA Tour titles, 8 regular PGA Tours and has career earnings of over 7 million dollars. The point here is that he had a crooked elbow which prevented him from taking a `normal’ golf-swing. He was a true `Scrambler’ thriving on unorthodox shots. What is more amazing is that he could not afford the golfing equipment till he had his first tournament victory as an amateur. He began caddying at the age of six and actually learned how to play golf with clubs fashioned out of guava tree limbs and tin cans hammered into balls. From the start he has become one of the most successful and widely recognized names in the game of golf.
The SOUTH KOREAN Football team literally painted the competition Red to reach the semifinals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Football championships. And they did not have even a single superstar with experience in the high-profile European leagues.
The Swiss Sailing team ALINGHI won Race Five of the America’s Cup Match in Auckland beating the New Zealand All-Blacks Yachting team on the first Sunday of this month and with it, for the first time in its 152-year history, the America’s Cup is going to Europe.
There have been quite a few Sporting achievements in the past which have thrown up great surprises. And there have been quite a few of them this ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 too.
Coming from Canada, JOHN MICHAEL DAVISON created history by scoring the fastest ever century in World cup games.
From being a team with one of the weakest bowling attacks, especially in the fast-bowling department, the Indians today seem to be having the most potent bowling attack of all the participating teams. The fast-bowling trio of JAVAGAL SRINATH, ZAHEER KHAN and ASHISH NEHRA are just dreaded by the opposition.
The mighty SOUTH AFRICANS, starting the tournament as one of the favorites, couldn’t even cross the first hurdle. Their all-rounder JAQUES KALLIS, widely regarded as the best in the world, languishes at the very bottom of performance-charts.
But the mother of all achievements has been the performance of the KENYANS in this competition. With a match still to come in their super-six campaign, the Kenyans are sitting pretty at number three in the table, having already booked a semifinal spot against the Indians.
When the ICC wanted a preliminary squad to be announced in December, Kenya could not get the required 30 names. The team is a crack combination made up of expats and tribal hunters. Three sets of brothers are in the team making it seem as if only three native families know the game. And qualifying for the semi-finals has ensured them at least US$400000 in prize-money which is probably more than what the Kenyan Cricket Association has seen in all its existence.
Let us all stand up and applaud this amazing achievement of the Kenyans. They have proved that they deserve to be where they are. They have shown tremendous resolve and competitive instincts all through and have thoroughly entertained us with some fantastic Cricket. Now, they deserve more respect from every one of us who follow this great game.
Amidst all these surprises, there has been a constant. The AUSTRALIAN Cricket Team is making the others look like minnows. They have put one professional display after another and have been ruthless in the demolition of their opposition so far. Every time they looked like being in trouble, somebody has stood up and delivered. They are playing that quality of Cricket which many other teams can not even dream about.
If the Australians continue to play this way, the others – including the Indians – will have to be satisfied with competing for the runners-up tag.
Any challengers out there?!
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By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
Thursday, March 13, 2003
________________________________________________________________
The Austrian HERMANN MAIER, popularly known as the `HERMINATOR’, skied downhill to win the title at the 2003 World championships in February. He had returned to competitive skiing only in January with the 73 (Yes – Seventy Three!) fractures held together with a few metal plates and more than a hundred screws inserted into his leg. Last year, a car had collided with his motorcycle nearly costing him his leg.
The Puerto Rican JUAN `CHI-CHI’ RODRIGUES is one of the great showmen in sports history. In a career which has spanned four decades, Chi-Chi won 22 Senior PGA Tour titles, 8 regular PGA Tours and has career earnings of over 7 million dollars. The point here is that he had a crooked elbow which prevented him from taking a `normal’ golf-swing. He was a true `Scrambler’ thriving on unorthodox shots. What is more amazing is that he could not afford the golfing equipment till he had his first tournament victory as an amateur. He began caddying at the age of six and actually learned how to play golf with clubs fashioned out of guava tree limbs and tin cans hammered into balls. From the start he has become one of the most successful and widely recognized names in the game of golf.
The SOUTH KOREAN Football team literally painted the competition Red to reach the semifinals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Football championships. And they did not have even a single superstar with experience in the high-profile European leagues.
The Swiss Sailing team ALINGHI won Race Five of the America’s Cup Match in Auckland beating the New Zealand All-Blacks Yachting team on the first Sunday of this month and with it, for the first time in its 152-year history, the America’s Cup is going to Europe.
There have been quite a few Sporting achievements in the past which have thrown up great surprises. And there have been quite a few of them this ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 too.
Coming from Canada, JOHN MICHAEL DAVISON created history by scoring the fastest ever century in World cup games.
From being a team with one of the weakest bowling attacks, especially in the fast-bowling department, the Indians today seem to be having the most potent bowling attack of all the participating teams. The fast-bowling trio of JAVAGAL SRINATH, ZAHEER KHAN and ASHISH NEHRA are just dreaded by the opposition.
The mighty SOUTH AFRICANS, starting the tournament as one of the favorites, couldn’t even cross the first hurdle. Their all-rounder JAQUES KALLIS, widely regarded as the best in the world, languishes at the very bottom of performance-charts.
But the mother of all achievements has been the performance of the KENYANS in this competition. With a match still to come in their super-six campaign, the Kenyans are sitting pretty at number three in the table, having already booked a semifinal spot against the Indians.
When the ICC wanted a preliminary squad to be announced in December, Kenya could not get the required 30 names. The team is a crack combination made up of expats and tribal hunters. Three sets of brothers are in the team making it seem as if only three native families know the game. And qualifying for the semi-finals has ensured them at least US$400000 in prize-money which is probably more than what the Kenyan Cricket Association has seen in all its existence.
Let us all stand up and applaud this amazing achievement of the Kenyans. They have proved that they deserve to be where they are. They have shown tremendous resolve and competitive instincts all through and have thoroughly entertained us with some fantastic Cricket. Now, they deserve more respect from every one of us who follow this great game.
Amidst all these surprises, there has been a constant. The AUSTRALIAN Cricket Team is making the others look like minnows. They have put one professional display after another and have been ruthless in the demolition of their opposition so far. Every time they looked like being in trouble, somebody has stood up and delivered. They are playing that quality of Cricket which many other teams can not even dream about.
If the Australians continue to play this way, the others – including the Indians – will have to be satisfied with competing for the runners-up tag.
Any challengers out there?!
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Tuesday, March 11, 2003
A Clinical Performance !!!
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on Tuesday, March 11, 2003 - The day after India's win over Sri Lanka in the Super Six stage.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan8.html
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WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME INDIA HAD A COMPREHENSIVE VICTORY OF THIS MAGNITUDE AGAINST ANOTHER TEST-PLAYING NATION ?!
India's 183 run victory over Sri Lanka today in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 was HUGE by any standards. One does not remember such an occasion in the recent past. The Indians just blew away the lankans and bulldozed their way into the semifinals of the tournament.
The most important aspect of this win is that it was not produced by a single individual even if there were some stellar individual contributions. It was a team-effort all the way and this is a great sign for the prospects of the team in the near future. The Indians can be happy about all the positives that have emerged from this amazing victory.
Ganguly finally seems to have got back his rythm and his innings today was as good as any he has played in the past few years. When he is batting well, Ganguly is also much more authoritative as a captain. The smile is back on his face and all his teammates support him to the core. It is vital for him to carry this form into the subsequent matches.
Srinath is in the best form of his life. He is bowling a probing line and is making the lives of all opposition batsmen difficult. Along with Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra, he forms probably the most potent fast-bowling attack India has ever had. This bowling unit is performing well and this needs to continue.
Sehwag played some beautiful shots on his was to a fifty but he threw it all away. He should put a price on his wicket and convert the starts into big hundreds.
And what can one say about Sachin Tendulkar's innings today. Till the time he decided to slow down in order to reach his hundred, which he ultimately falied to reach, he had the Lankans pinned down to the mat. Tendulkar is in a `ZONE' of his own at the moment and nobody is even remotely close to his standards.
The Indians are peaking at the right time. They should not let go of this momentum. Their ultimate test will come when they meet the mighty Aussies. Unless something extraordinary happens, the Aussies are STILL the favourites to take home this edition of the World Cup.
Let us all pray for the EXTRAORDINARY!!!
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By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on Tuesday, March 11, 2003 - The day after India's win over Sri Lanka in the Super Six stage.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan8.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME INDIA HAD A COMPREHENSIVE VICTORY OF THIS MAGNITUDE AGAINST ANOTHER TEST-PLAYING NATION ?!
India's 183 run victory over Sri Lanka today in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 was HUGE by any standards. One does not remember such an occasion in the recent past. The Indians just blew away the lankans and bulldozed their way into the semifinals of the tournament.
The most important aspect of this win is that it was not produced by a single individual even if there were some stellar individual contributions. It was a team-effort all the way and this is a great sign for the prospects of the team in the near future. The Indians can be happy about all the positives that have emerged from this amazing victory.
Ganguly finally seems to have got back his rythm and his innings today was as good as any he has played in the past few years. When he is batting well, Ganguly is also much more authoritative as a captain. The smile is back on his face and all his teammates support him to the core. It is vital for him to carry this form into the subsequent matches.
Srinath is in the best form of his life. He is bowling a probing line and is making the lives of all opposition batsmen difficult. Along with Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra, he forms probably the most potent fast-bowling attack India has ever had. This bowling unit is performing well and this needs to continue.
Sehwag played some beautiful shots on his was to a fifty but he threw it all away. He should put a price on his wicket and convert the starts into big hundreds.
And what can one say about Sachin Tendulkar's innings today. Till the time he decided to slow down in order to reach his hundred, which he ultimately falied to reach, he had the Lankans pinned down to the mat. Tendulkar is in a `ZONE' of his own at the moment and nobody is even remotely close to his standards.
The Indians are peaking at the right time. They should not let go of this momentum. Their ultimate test will come when they meet the mighty Aussies. Unless something extraordinary happens, the Aussies are STILL the favourites to take home this edition of the World Cup.
Let us all pray for the EXTRAORDINARY!!!
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Saturday, March 08, 2003
A wake up call at the right time for the Indians!!!
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on Saturday, March 8, 2003 - The day after India's win over Kenya in the Super Six stage.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan7.html
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Their progress to this stage was seen as someting FARCICAL. They were called the `LUCKIEST EVER CRICKET TEAM'. Whenever they had put up some creditable display previously, it was written off as `ONE-OFF'. Even their fantastic win over the past title-holder Sri Lanka in the preliminary round was not taken seriously by anyone. The KENYANS were waiting for another opportunity to prove themselves.
And Prove they did in the Super-Six encounter against the mighty Indians in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 in South Africa. It came as a rude wake-up call to the Indians who were LISTLESS till an youngster decided to take the responsibility and carry the team home. This performance by the Kenyans shows that they have indeed arrived at the Big League and their reaching this stage of the tournament is no plain luck.
For the kind of show the Indians put on the field when the Kenyans batted, they do deserve some brickbats. They had a few days break before this match and they looked very stiff. It was almost like they were taking the field after a long off-season lay-off. The catching was pathetic and the ground-fielding was at best mediocre. This kind of a performance can not see them through against better sides. There is no room for complacency if you want to be the best.
The Indians had a disastrous start to their innings. It is very clear that Sehwag's rythm is upset. This maybe because he was not allowed to open in the first two matches of the tournament. He is basically a player who rides on his confidence. India cannot afford to have a Sehwag who lacks in confidence. He is too good a player at the top to lose and the team think-tank should make him realize that his wicket is really precious. If he survives the first half-hour or so, the result can be absolutely devastating for the opposition.
Tendulkar also failed but not before he played one of the best shots of the tournament so far - a straight drive (or should we call it a pat-back) which was the epitome of perfection. Maybe it is good that he has failed in this match rather than a crucial knock-out encounter at a later stage in the tournament. The law of averages is bound to catch up with anyone and maybe with this failure behind him now, he will score runs by the tons again.
Rahul Dravid's innings was definitely not the best we have seen from him so far. He scratched around painfully and was never sure of himself in the middle. But he did put a price on his wicket and it resulted in a reasonable partnership with Ganguly even if it was as fast as an ailing snail.
Ganguly had his moments of difficulties before he settled down to play a well-paced knock. Now, he is the only player to have scored two hundreds in this world cup so far, albeit against bowlers who have not been able to push him on the back-foot consistently enough.Hopefully he has regained his confidence. He is too good a player when the ball is soft and by now he should have realized that his place is well and truly in the middle order. Gone are those days when he just WALKED down the pitch to slog the pace bowlers. He has obviously been restrained from doing it now as the bowlers are allowed one bouncer per over. This innings was very important for the team and Ganguly. The Indians need a few more of these from him if they are to win the cup.
But the man who made the difference between India winning this match and going down to Kenya was Yuvraj Singh. So often in the past he has had only the slog overs to bat in. Today there was an opportunity for him to prove a point and he did it in grand style. The striking feature of his innings today was that he curbed his natural instincts and cut out all risks. He showed tremendous maturity and shot selection. And he ensured that he stayed on till the job is finished. Had he exited early, the Kenyans might have wrapped up the match. Dinesh Mongia should thank Yuvraj Singh for not giving him an opportunity in the middle.
The cool and composed presense of Yuvraj Singh in the middle eased the pressure on Ganguly and ensured that he could end up with a big score. Yuvraj handled the spinners (against whom he is considered to be weak) admirably well and he deserves a slot higher up in the order. His progress has been rapid and he has the potential to end up as a clinical FINISHER like Michael Bevan is for Australia.
The Indians are almost assured of a place in the semifinal now. They can play with a lot less pressure against the Kiwis and the Lankans. But they should remember that the Australian Juggernaut is rolling on relentlessly and a perfect performance is needed if they are to be stopped. The Aussies are also in a luxurious position to manipulate things and choose the opponents and the venue for their semifinal round. The Indians will have to beat them at some point in time if they are to win this tournament.
HEY YE MEN IN BLUE, ARE YE READY TO BELL THE OZ CATS ?!
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on Saturday, March 8, 2003 - The day after India's win over Kenya in the Super Six stage.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan7.html
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Their progress to this stage was seen as someting FARCICAL. They were called the `LUCKIEST EVER CRICKET TEAM'. Whenever they had put up some creditable display previously, it was written off as `ONE-OFF'. Even their fantastic win over the past title-holder Sri Lanka in the preliminary round was not taken seriously by anyone. The KENYANS were waiting for another opportunity to prove themselves.
And Prove they did in the Super-Six encounter against the mighty Indians in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 in South Africa. It came as a rude wake-up call to the Indians who were LISTLESS till an youngster decided to take the responsibility and carry the team home. This performance by the Kenyans shows that they have indeed arrived at the Big League and their reaching this stage of the tournament is no plain luck.
For the kind of show the Indians put on the field when the Kenyans batted, they do deserve some brickbats. They had a few days break before this match and they looked very stiff. It was almost like they were taking the field after a long off-season lay-off. The catching was pathetic and the ground-fielding was at best mediocre. This kind of a performance can not see them through against better sides. There is no room for complacency if you want to be the best.
The Indians had a disastrous start to their innings. It is very clear that Sehwag's rythm is upset. This maybe because he was not allowed to open in the first two matches of the tournament. He is basically a player who rides on his confidence. India cannot afford to have a Sehwag who lacks in confidence. He is too good a player at the top to lose and the team think-tank should make him realize that his wicket is really precious. If he survives the first half-hour or so, the result can be absolutely devastating for the opposition.
Tendulkar also failed but not before he played one of the best shots of the tournament so far - a straight drive (or should we call it a pat-back) which was the epitome of perfection. Maybe it is good that he has failed in this match rather than a crucial knock-out encounter at a later stage in the tournament. The law of averages is bound to catch up with anyone and maybe with this failure behind him now, he will score runs by the tons again.
Rahul Dravid's innings was definitely not the best we have seen from him so far. He scratched around painfully and was never sure of himself in the middle. But he did put a price on his wicket and it resulted in a reasonable partnership with Ganguly even if it was as fast as an ailing snail.
Ganguly had his moments of difficulties before he settled down to play a well-paced knock. Now, he is the only player to have scored two hundreds in this world cup so far, albeit against bowlers who have not been able to push him on the back-foot consistently enough.Hopefully he has regained his confidence. He is too good a player when the ball is soft and by now he should have realized that his place is well and truly in the middle order. Gone are those days when he just WALKED down the pitch to slog the pace bowlers. He has obviously been restrained from doing it now as the bowlers are allowed one bouncer per over. This innings was very important for the team and Ganguly. The Indians need a few more of these from him if they are to win the cup.
But the man who made the difference between India winning this match and going down to Kenya was Yuvraj Singh. So often in the past he has had only the slog overs to bat in. Today there was an opportunity for him to prove a point and he did it in grand style. The striking feature of his innings today was that he curbed his natural instincts and cut out all risks. He showed tremendous maturity and shot selection. And he ensured that he stayed on till the job is finished. Had he exited early, the Kenyans might have wrapped up the match. Dinesh Mongia should thank Yuvraj Singh for not giving him an opportunity in the middle.
The cool and composed presense of Yuvraj Singh in the middle eased the pressure on Ganguly and ensured that he could end up with a big score. Yuvraj handled the spinners (against whom he is considered to be weak) admirably well and he deserves a slot higher up in the order. His progress has been rapid and he has the potential to end up as a clinical FINISHER like Michael Bevan is for Australia.
The Indians are almost assured of a place in the semifinal now. They can play with a lot less pressure against the Kiwis and the Lankans. But they should remember that the Australian Juggernaut is rolling on relentlessly and a perfect performance is needed if they are to be stopped. The Aussies are also in a luxurious position to manipulate things and choose the opponents and the venue for their semifinal round. The Indians will have to beat them at some point in time if they are to win this tournament.
HEY YE MEN IN BLUE, ARE YE READY TO BELL THE OZ CATS ?!
Sunday, March 02, 2003
The God, the Devil and Sachin Tendulkar!!!
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on Sunday, March 2, 2003 - The day after India's win over Pakistan.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan6.htm
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JOHN MICHAEL DAVISON would have been a worried man watching India take on Pakistan in the preliminary round of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 at the Supersport Park in Centurion today. After all, he had set the record for the `fastest century' in any world cup game only a few days ago. Playing for the minnows Canada and facing the mighty West Indians, he had to play out of his skin to achieve it. And the record was in real danger of being rewritten. It would have been rewritten had one SACHIN TENDULKAR not suffered from cramps midway through his innings.
It was a battle between GOD and the DEVIL. God seemed to be winning it all the way when he blessed us with an opportunity to watch one of the best ever innings played on a Cricket-pitch. It was sheer poetry right through till the Devil decided to have his own brief moments of glory. First he gave painful cramps to Tendulkar and then he robbed him off another magnificent century thereby keeping the record of the Canadian intact.
But God it was who had the last laugh as India deservedly ended up victorious in the encounter billed as `the Grandmother of all battles'. Tendulkar's innings at the top made it a no-contest within a few minutes into the Indian innings.
The Bowling figures of the `dreaded' Pakistani attack says it all. When Shoaib Akthar went for 72 runs in his quota of 10 overs, Waqar Younis went for 71 runs in just 8.4 overs. Some statistician can analyse and tell us whether these are the worst ever performances of their respective celebrated careers.
Let us not talk about the statistics here; not about the overall match; not about India entering the Super Six stage with 8 valuable points in their kitty; not even about some niggling problems the Indians still have to take care of if they are to perform better. We can save all those to another time. Let us talk about the one individual to whom India-scaling-the-ultimate-peak-in-world-cricket matters more than anything else in his life. Let us celebrate SACHIN RAMESH TENDULKAR.
If anybody had any doubts about his status as the world's best batsman, he cleared them all emphatically today. He is a country mile ahead of anyone else even dreaming about competing with him. No superlative can do enough justice to his innings today. He was in an altogether different world soaring over the mere mortals. Even the magician Akram couldn't come anywhere close to him today.
`NOW OR NEVER' is the motivating caption in the Indian dressing room for this world cup. And the person who has taken it in all its seriousness is Tendulkar. He has been the best in the business consistently for more than a decade now. He owns almost every record imaginable and is most definitely seen as the `GOD' of the game. And he knows he may never have another opportunity to get the only reward he has never been able to get so far - A World Cup winners medal.
He is committed to the team's cause and is putting his heart and soul into making India the world champions. And his wishes can come true if only the rest of the team learn to have him as the core and play around him. If he gets the necesary support from the others, there is no opposition - Australia included - who can prevent India from becoming the world champions.
Let us all get together and raise a toast to Sachin Tendulkar today and cheer him on his way to bringing us more joy. May the Devil become an uninterrupting spectator while God continues to bless us with more breathtaking acts by this alltime great cricketer.
GO SACHIN GO !!!
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By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on Sunday, March 2, 2003 - The day after India's win over Pakistan.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan6.htm
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JOHN MICHAEL DAVISON would have been a worried man watching India take on Pakistan in the preliminary round of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 at the Supersport Park in Centurion today. After all, he had set the record for the `fastest century' in any world cup game only a few days ago. Playing for the minnows Canada and facing the mighty West Indians, he had to play out of his skin to achieve it. And the record was in real danger of being rewritten. It would have been rewritten had one SACHIN TENDULKAR not suffered from cramps midway through his innings.
It was a battle between GOD and the DEVIL. God seemed to be winning it all the way when he blessed us with an opportunity to watch one of the best ever innings played on a Cricket-pitch. It was sheer poetry right through till the Devil decided to have his own brief moments of glory. First he gave painful cramps to Tendulkar and then he robbed him off another magnificent century thereby keeping the record of the Canadian intact.
But God it was who had the last laugh as India deservedly ended up victorious in the encounter billed as `the Grandmother of all battles'. Tendulkar's innings at the top made it a no-contest within a few minutes into the Indian innings.
The Bowling figures of the `dreaded' Pakistani attack says it all. When Shoaib Akthar went for 72 runs in his quota of 10 overs, Waqar Younis went for 71 runs in just 8.4 overs. Some statistician can analyse and tell us whether these are the worst ever performances of their respective celebrated careers.
Let us not talk about the statistics here; not about the overall match; not about India entering the Super Six stage with 8 valuable points in their kitty; not even about some niggling problems the Indians still have to take care of if they are to perform better. We can save all those to another time. Let us talk about the one individual to whom India-scaling-the-ultimate-peak-in-world-cricket matters more than anything else in his life. Let us celebrate SACHIN RAMESH TENDULKAR.
If anybody had any doubts about his status as the world's best batsman, he cleared them all emphatically today. He is a country mile ahead of anyone else even dreaming about competing with him. No superlative can do enough justice to his innings today. He was in an altogether different world soaring over the mere mortals. Even the magician Akram couldn't come anywhere close to him today.
`NOW OR NEVER' is the motivating caption in the Indian dressing room for this world cup. And the person who has taken it in all its seriousness is Tendulkar. He has been the best in the business consistently for more than a decade now. He owns almost every record imaginable and is most definitely seen as the `GOD' of the game. And he knows he may never have another opportunity to get the only reward he has never been able to get so far - A World Cup winners medal.
He is committed to the team's cause and is putting his heart and soul into making India the world champions. And his wishes can come true if only the rest of the team learn to have him as the core and play around him. If he gets the necesary support from the others, there is no opposition - Australia included - who can prevent India from becoming the world champions.
Let us all get together and raise a toast to Sachin Tendulkar today and cheer him on his way to bringing us more joy. May the Devil become an uninterrupting spectator while God continues to bless us with more breathtaking acts by this alltime great cricketer.
GO SACHIN GO !!!
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Thursday, February 27, 2003
A near-perfect performance by the Indians!!!
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on the 27th of February, 2003 - The day after India's win over England.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan5.htm
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The Indians put up a comprehensive all-round show to beat the Englishmen at Durban in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003. This victory has taken them closer to qualifying for the `Super-six' stage of the tournament. In fact they can aim to enter the next stage with a good eight points in their kitty.
The title could very well have been `A PERFECT PERFORMANCE BY THE INDIANS'. But there were a few baffling decisions by the Indian think-tank which could prove Costly in the later stages of the tournament.
* One of them certainly was the decision to send Dinesh Mongia into bat ahead of Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh. Mongia has looked awfully out of place and today was no exception. This slowed down the momentum considerably and the team ended up atleast forty runs shorter than the initial promise. The viability of Mongia's place in the playing eleven should be under serious consideration now. No team can afford to carry a liability.
* More baffling was Ganguly persisting with Harbajan Singh and himself while bowling after Ashish Nehra had reduced England to 8 for 108. Harbajan Singh was clearly having an offday and was struggling to strike the right line and length. Ganguly should have brought back Srinath and Zaheer Khan right away and ensured that England was skittled out for as low a total as possible. He failed to do so and Flintoff severely dented India's Net-Run-Rate. This could adversely affect India's chances in the long run.
* Also one feels sorry for Anil Kumble. The team management should clearly define his role and ensure that his confidence is not dented. Maybe they can go in with six batsmen and find a place for Kumble in the eleven.
* After a glimpse of good form in the previous match, Saurav Ganguly struggled again. He couldn't rotate the strike and finally succumbed to the pressure with a desperate shot. This also meant that bowlers like Flintoff got away with miserly spells. One hopes that Ganguly will return to better form soon.
The Indians also had plenty to feel happy about. Ashish Nehra probably bowled the best spell of his life and definitely the best by an Indian in terms of statistics in a World Cup game. He has always shown a lot of promise and this fantastic performance should boost his confidence. This will result in him being a lot more consistent.
Srinath and Khan also bowled spectacular spells at the top and they whould be happy that Nehra has arrived to share their burden. The third seamer has been a problem for India for a long time now and after today's show, the attack will look much more menacing.
Rahul Dravid proved his value to the team once again with a gem of an innings and a few catches behind the stumps. Without his well-paced knock and his partnership with the ever-improving Yuvraj singh, India could have never reached this competitive total. The team management should ensure that both Dravid and Yuvraj Singh get to bat atleast one slot up the order.
And Sachin Tendulkar once again showed why he is the best in the world. He showed great commitment and his innings was as good as any he has played. Had only Ganguly ran the single when Tendulkar, when on 49, drove the ball into the covers, he might have got another big score. He could not get the single for another 10 balls and this upset his rythm.
Another plus was the fielding. Kaif epitomized the commitment they had on the field today with the `Jonty Rhodean' run out of Knight early on in the England innings. This immediately lifted the spirits of the others and they all showed positive body-language and threw themselves at everything.
This victory has eased the pressure on the Indians and they can go into their match against the Pakistanis in a far relaxed state of mind. If they continue their current form, the Indians should be counted as favourites in that match.
They can even count as favourites to win the cup after the mighty Aussies!!!
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Monday, February 24, 2003
A job well done; many more to go!!!
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on the 24th of February, 2003 - The day after India's win over Namibia.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan4.htm
________________________________
`PIETERMARITZBURG'
Pronouncing this tongue-twister of a name would have been more difficult to the Indian cricketers than going through their Pool-A match against the minnows Namibians in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003. They put up a fantastic display in all areas of the game thereby ending up winning comprehensively.
It was a no-contest all the way and the Indians had a few positives emerging from the win. The first and foremost should be the return to run-scoring-ways of the captain Saurav Ganguly.
Ganguly has struggled for form for the past few months and he showed a lot of promise on course to his unbeaten hundred. This must have instilled a lot of confidence in him and it was evident in the way he led the side against a team which had given a scare to the Englishmen in their previous match.
Every Indian fan was waiting for this moment. For India to do well Ganguly must be confident and only a captain who is leading by example can command respect and demand performances from his team-mates. Let us hope he carries on in the same vein in the matches to come.
That it was Sachin Tendulkar who really laid the foundation is almost overshadowed by this great turnaround by his captain. Tendulkar added another record or two while compiling a workmanlike hundred-and-a-half. He is almost back to his best and this takes the pressure off the others who can bat around him. He is clearly enjoying his return to the opening slot and when he is in song no bowler can be a threat to him.
A win is a win against any opposition and the Indians were almost ruthless in their performance. They now have two important matches ahead of them against England and Pakistan. They can go through to the next stage with one more win. But they should go for wins in both the matches as it will brighten their prospects of reaching the semifinals as they will be entering the super-six stage with an additional four points in their kitty.
If the Australians top Pool-A and go into the super-six stage with the maximum-possible 12 points - which they will in all likelihood - they will be in a position to manipulate things and almost choose their opponents in the semifinal stage. This will be possible as they will get to play the last league match of the super-six stage (1st Position of Pool- A Vs 2nd Positioin of Pool-B on March 15, 2003).
The Indians should be wary of this possibility and they should go all out and pick up as many points as possible on their way into the next stage. It is not going to be easy as the next two opponents are no minnows like Namibia. The Englishmen have their tails up at the moment having had an emphatic win against the mercurial Pakistanis. And the Pakistanis would also go all out to defeat the Indians on March 1.
The fact that Ganguly and his men appear to have found the missing `CLUE' they have been talking about, does augur well for the prospects of the team in this all-important tournament. They have gathered vital momentum and they should not let this slip. It is much more important than pronouncing tongue-twisters like `PIETERMARITZBURG' !!!
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By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on the 24th of February, 2003 - The day after India's win over Namibia.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan4.htm
________________________________
`PIETERMARITZBURG'
Pronouncing this tongue-twister of a name would have been more difficult to the Indian cricketers than going through their Pool-A match against the minnows Namibians in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003. They put up a fantastic display in all areas of the game thereby ending up winning comprehensively.
It was a no-contest all the way and the Indians had a few positives emerging from the win. The first and foremost should be the return to run-scoring-ways of the captain Saurav Ganguly.
Ganguly has struggled for form for the past few months and he showed a lot of promise on course to his unbeaten hundred. This must have instilled a lot of confidence in him and it was evident in the way he led the side against a team which had given a scare to the Englishmen in their previous match.
Every Indian fan was waiting for this moment. For India to do well Ganguly must be confident and only a captain who is leading by example can command respect and demand performances from his team-mates. Let us hope he carries on in the same vein in the matches to come.
That it was Sachin Tendulkar who really laid the foundation is almost overshadowed by this great turnaround by his captain. Tendulkar added another record or two while compiling a workmanlike hundred-and-a-half. He is almost back to his best and this takes the pressure off the others who can bat around him. He is clearly enjoying his return to the opening slot and when he is in song no bowler can be a threat to him.
A win is a win against any opposition and the Indians were almost ruthless in their performance. They now have two important matches ahead of them against England and Pakistan. They can go through to the next stage with one more win. But they should go for wins in both the matches as it will brighten their prospects of reaching the semifinals as they will be entering the super-six stage with an additional four points in their kitty.
If the Australians top Pool-A and go into the super-six stage with the maximum-possible 12 points - which they will in all likelihood - they will be in a position to manipulate things and almost choose their opponents in the semifinal stage. This will be possible as they will get to play the last league match of the super-six stage (1st Position of Pool- A Vs 2nd Positioin of Pool-B on March 15, 2003).
The Indians should be wary of this possibility and they should go all out and pick up as many points as possible on their way into the next stage. It is not going to be easy as the next two opponents are no minnows like Namibia. The Englishmen have their tails up at the moment having had an emphatic win against the mercurial Pakistanis. And the Pakistanis would also go all out to defeat the Indians on March 1.
The fact that Ganguly and his men appear to have found the missing `CLUE' they have been talking about, does augur well for the prospects of the team in this all-important tournament. They have gathered vital momentum and they should not let this slip. It is much more important than pronouncing tongue-twisters like `PIETERMARITZBURG' !!!
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Thursday, February 20, 2003
Answers to the 10 Questions from Sanjay Jha
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan February 17, 2003.
This was in response to the 10 questions Mr. Sanjay Jha of Cricketnext had asked to the people of India about the Indian Team after there were reports of demostrations and violence due to the bad performance of the team. I suggest you read his article first. The following link will take you there...
http://www.cricketnext.com/features1/sanjayjha/sanjayjha062.htm
_____________________________________________________________________
Hi !
I read your article and your 10 questions for the people of India. While I am deeply hurt by the behaviour or miscreants (under the umbrella of fans), I think it is my duty to put forth a few points. Let me make it clear that I do NOT support this dastardly act in anyway.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Question 1) Do you really believe that Sourav Ganguly & Co are happy that they are losing?
Answer: NO. And I dont think anyone else believes so either. But I dont think that they are as bothered about the defeats as they should be. With these kind of performances, they should have been feeling MISERABLE. If they are, they wouldn't have been throwing their wickets as regularly as they have been doing.
Question 2) Do you sometimes have a lean trot at your work or at your club level game or in your personal life, which lasts longer than you would like it to? And this despite your trying your best to overcome it?
Answer: YES. But I dont think we can equate this to that. If I am undergoing a bad phase personally, it is only me who is affected. Here, the entire nation's pride is at stake. Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid have gone on record saying that they dont have any CLUE as to what the problem is. If that is the case, they dont have any business to be in the team any longer. Let the others come in and try to find the clue. And I do NOT believe that they are trying their best to overcome it. Tapan Joshi wrote in Cricketnext about the attitude prevailing in the dressing room before they took the field after the dismal batting failure against the Australians - Instead of motivating the team to go for a win, the captain apparently wanted them to try and get out of there as soon as possible. If this is the way they try their `BEST', one dreads the day their `next best' will come into play.
Question 3) If at the end of two matches, one which India has won, and one which it has lost to Australia (who are incidentally favorites to win the World Cup, and perhaps one of the greatest teams ever in the modern day cricketing world) if we are to lose heart so early and easily, aren’t we the biggest �Elosers �Eof all ourselves? Who are we to blame our cricketers for developing a ‘loser�Emind-set?
Answer: Losing to one of the greatest teams is not the problem; the manner in which they lose IS. They just capitulated without even a semblance of a will to fight it out and this, according to me, IS the quality of `LOSERS'. And winning against the minnows was good. But the way they won was definitely not impressive. And let us not forget that they have come into the world cup after having lost the series against the West Indies at home and then being blown away in New Zealand. So this is not `JUST ONE LOSS'.
Question 4) Do you give India 0% chance of winning the World Cup after the defeat against Australia? If you have even an iota of faith in your team, should you be whining, cursing and complaining all the time?
Answer: Certinly they have more that 0% chance of winning. But I dont think we can give them 100% chance either. All these whining, cursing and complaining come into the picture only because the Indian public has so much about the team, but the team is not doing any justice to the faith imposed on them. The average Indian fan feels cheated.
Question 5) Why do you grudge your players their product endorsements, and commercial rights to earn their living? Unlike the majority of us who have a regular secure long-term occupations, they have a limited span of career (often cut short by injury - look at Jonty Rhodes, or form, selection politics, others, a la Shane Warne) to make their life earnings. And everyone does not become a TV commentator or a columnist. Would you give up your right to earn a legitimate income when you are being offered the same on a silver platter? Is being rich and successful a crime?
Answer: NO. It is NOT a crime to be rich and successful. But it definitely becomes a concern if money becomes the first priority. Even when they were losing miserably in New Zealand, they had a hectic schedule shooting for commercials. And one cannot forget the episode before the tour of England, when they refused to play domestic cricket requesting `REST' and were on their way to South Africa for shooting commercials and even raised a major hue and cry when the board prevented them from doing so. And they were ready to boycott the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka and even floated ICPA with much fanfare. One of the first points in ICPA was that all the first-class cricketers will be taken care of. Can anybody name atleast ONE first class cricketer apart from the Internationals who has so far benefited from the ICPA ?
Question 6) Hasn’t the same Indian team, with a similar team composition, done us proud right until the disastrous tour of New Zealand? Everyone scoffed and sniggered at the West Indies sometime back and look how happening they suddenly look? Don’t we have the maturity to understand the volatilities and slumps and plateaus that can happen to both form and performance at any given time? Is losing a cardinal sin? How about discussing the amazing skills of the Aussies and the sunny spirit of the Dutch?
Answer: YES. The same team did us proud. But that is the very problem. Age-old performances are taken as the parameter to select the team and most end up retaining their place without any worthwhile performances for months. There are many examples in the current team - Saurav Ganguly, Mohammad Kaif, Dinesh Mongia, Ashish Nehra, Anil Kumble (Remember he was DROPPED during the series against West indies and god knows on what basis he was brought back in), Ajit Agarkar, Parthiv Patel (Can anyone explain why he was chosen ahead of Vijay Dahiya or Ajay ratra?) - to name a few.
There is a CARTEL among the core of the team and they ensure that NOBODY else gets a decent run to show their talent. How many players have we seen going off without an opportunity or any justifiable reason -
VIJAY DAHIYA (does anybody remember the Australian series?)
VVS LAKSHMAN (His latest run was definitely better that many others selected)
RAKESH PATEL, AJAY RATRA, LAKSHMIPATHY BALAJI, TINU YOHANNAN & JAY PEE YADAV
HEMANG BADANI (His average 31.19 is better than Dinesh Mongia's 27.25, Yuvraj Singh's 27.64 and Mohammad Kaif's 30.08. He is as good a fielder and he was never given so many opportunities)
MURALI KARTIK (he was easily the best bowler on view against the West Indies and was not even in the squad for the newzealand one day series).
And how many of us have heard about YERE GOUD, K N ANANTHAPADMANABHAN, MITHUN MANHAS, SRIDHARAN SHARATH, KANWALJIT SINGH, UTPAL CHATTERJEE, SUNIL SUBRAMANIAN, JATIN PARANJPE, PANKAJ DHARMANI, AMOL MUZUMDAR and many more who have toiled many a season without any recognition or monetary benefit?
Who knows, some of these players could have played a key role in continuing the success the Indian team enjoyed last year.
Many youngsters were apparently THREATENED by some of the seniors not to sign the agreements before the ICC Champions Trophy. And NONE who signed it find themselves in the current Indian team. Does anybody talk about it?
The `Amazing Skills' of the Aussies is due to the fact that nobody can take their places for granted and they don't hesitate to drop anybody if they don't perform. Unfortunately, the current Indian players do NOT see any threat to their places and thus they are COMPLACENT. Remember, even Kumble could come back after having lost his place to Murali Kartik during the West Indies series.
Question 7) Do we appreciate the way the South African public is handling their disappointment so far, hosts and favorites, and yet facing the prospect of not making it to the Super Six? It’s easy to say that they have played good cricket but a loss is still a loss. By the way, the Indians under Mohd Azharuddin were playing outstanding cricket too (in fact, they had just earlier played a phenomenal game to beat Pakistan in Bangalore) but we were so unforgiving when they lost to the Sri Lankans, and that too in the semi-finals? So where do we draw the line between sanity and senility?
Answer: I agree with you COMPLETELY. Anyone indulging in violence should be Punished appropriately. There is no room for any such acts in this beautiful game.
Question 8) Are you aware of the fact that the Brazilian team was not even likely to qualify for the World Cup in soccer, but eventually ended up winning it last year? In the last cricket World Cup, Australia came back from the abysmal dumps to win seven matches in a row to win the title when the were facing the prospect of an early elimination? Remember the Pakistan victory in 1992? Or at best, our own in 1983? Do you then concur that a difficult beginning often prepares you for tougher matches at a later stage?
Answer: I sincerely hope that they will also emerge victorious. But such a terrible start doesn't ASSURE success. Does it ?
Question 9) When you are going through a bad patch, what encourages and motivates you? Someone who humiliates you further, rubs salt into your wounds, castigates you incessantly, and reminds you of the consequences of your failure? Or someone who tells you to move on, and inspires you to believe in your abilities, and to treat every failure as a stepping-stone to further success? And that finally it is a sport - a game - and a gentleman’s game at that - even today. What do you think is the Indian team expecting from us when they are perceptibly struggling?
Answer: The team certainly will do well with some support when in trouble. But then they should put in their best efforts for them to DESERVE the support. Read Tapan Joshi's report on the Australia match again.
Question 10) Should the team bounce back and put up a great show, will those of us who have accused them of self-profiteering, deliberate intent to lose, and all sorts of uncharitable remarks, seek to compensate them for the same? Will the same people go to Mohd Kaif’s house and paint it white again? Will we start doing a victory procession after every match to express our solidarity for the team? Or will we suddenly become the next biggest turn coats in town, and say, “They are playing better because of the pressures they knew we were giving them�E???
Answer: If they indeed put up a great show, it will be the BEST thing to happen. And sure there will be victory processions and festivities. And the success will be well and truly their own!
Best regards
Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
Director - Sales
INCA Tech Solutions
A-4, Madhuban Apartments
Adugodi, Hosur Road
Bangalore - 560030. INDIA.
DID: +91 80 5506568
Phone: +91 80 5531641
Fax: +91 80 5500378
Mobile: +91 98454 64477
E-mail: venkii76@hotmail.com
______________________________________________________________
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan February 17, 2003.
This was in response to the 10 questions Mr. Sanjay Jha of Cricketnext had asked to the people of India about the Indian Team after there were reports of demostrations and violence due to the bad performance of the team. I suggest you read his article first. The following link will take you there...
http://www.cricketnext.com/features1/sanjayjha/sanjayjha062.htm
_____________________________________________________________________
Hi !
I read your article and your 10 questions for the people of India. While I am deeply hurt by the behaviour or miscreants (under the umbrella of fans), I think it is my duty to put forth a few points. Let me make it clear that I do NOT support this dastardly act in anyway.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Question 1) Do you really believe that Sourav Ganguly & Co are happy that they are losing?
Answer: NO. And I dont think anyone else believes so either. But I dont think that they are as bothered about the defeats as they should be. With these kind of performances, they should have been feeling MISERABLE. If they are, they wouldn't have been throwing their wickets as regularly as they have been doing.
Question 2) Do you sometimes have a lean trot at your work or at your club level game or in your personal life, which lasts longer than you would like it to? And this despite your trying your best to overcome it?
Answer: YES. But I dont think we can equate this to that. If I am undergoing a bad phase personally, it is only me who is affected. Here, the entire nation's pride is at stake. Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid have gone on record saying that they dont have any CLUE as to what the problem is. If that is the case, they dont have any business to be in the team any longer. Let the others come in and try to find the clue. And I do NOT believe that they are trying their best to overcome it. Tapan Joshi wrote in Cricketnext about the attitude prevailing in the dressing room before they took the field after the dismal batting failure against the Australians - Instead of motivating the team to go for a win, the captain apparently wanted them to try and get out of there as soon as possible. If this is the way they try their `BEST', one dreads the day their `next best' will come into play.
Question 3) If at the end of two matches, one which India has won, and one which it has lost to Australia (who are incidentally favorites to win the World Cup, and perhaps one of the greatest teams ever in the modern day cricketing world) if we are to lose heart so early and easily, aren’t we the biggest �Elosers �Eof all ourselves? Who are we to blame our cricketers for developing a ‘loser�Emind-set?
Answer: Losing to one of the greatest teams is not the problem; the manner in which they lose IS. They just capitulated without even a semblance of a will to fight it out and this, according to me, IS the quality of `LOSERS'. And winning against the minnows was good. But the way they won was definitely not impressive. And let us not forget that they have come into the world cup after having lost the series against the West Indies at home and then being blown away in New Zealand. So this is not `JUST ONE LOSS'.
Question 4) Do you give India 0% chance of winning the World Cup after the defeat against Australia? If you have even an iota of faith in your team, should you be whining, cursing and complaining all the time?
Answer: Certinly they have more that 0% chance of winning. But I dont think we can give them 100% chance either. All these whining, cursing and complaining come into the picture only because the Indian public has so much about the team, but the team is not doing any justice to the faith imposed on them. The average Indian fan feels cheated.
Question 5) Why do you grudge your players their product endorsements, and commercial rights to earn their living? Unlike the majority of us who have a regular secure long-term occupations, they have a limited span of career (often cut short by injury - look at Jonty Rhodes, or form, selection politics, others, a la Shane Warne) to make their life earnings. And everyone does not become a TV commentator or a columnist. Would you give up your right to earn a legitimate income when you are being offered the same on a silver platter? Is being rich and successful a crime?
Answer: NO. It is NOT a crime to be rich and successful. But it definitely becomes a concern if money becomes the first priority. Even when they were losing miserably in New Zealand, they had a hectic schedule shooting for commercials. And one cannot forget the episode before the tour of England, when they refused to play domestic cricket requesting `REST' and were on their way to South Africa for shooting commercials and even raised a major hue and cry when the board prevented them from doing so. And they were ready to boycott the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka and even floated ICPA with much fanfare. One of the first points in ICPA was that all the first-class cricketers will be taken care of. Can anybody name atleast ONE first class cricketer apart from the Internationals who has so far benefited from the ICPA ?
Question 6) Hasn’t the same Indian team, with a similar team composition, done us proud right until the disastrous tour of New Zealand? Everyone scoffed and sniggered at the West Indies sometime back and look how happening they suddenly look? Don’t we have the maturity to understand the volatilities and slumps and plateaus that can happen to both form and performance at any given time? Is losing a cardinal sin? How about discussing the amazing skills of the Aussies and the sunny spirit of the Dutch?
Answer: YES. The same team did us proud. But that is the very problem. Age-old performances are taken as the parameter to select the team and most end up retaining their place without any worthwhile performances for months. There are many examples in the current team - Saurav Ganguly, Mohammad Kaif, Dinesh Mongia, Ashish Nehra, Anil Kumble (Remember he was DROPPED during the series against West indies and god knows on what basis he was brought back in), Ajit Agarkar, Parthiv Patel (Can anyone explain why he was chosen ahead of Vijay Dahiya or Ajay ratra?) - to name a few.
There is a CARTEL among the core of the team and they ensure that NOBODY else gets a decent run to show their talent. How many players have we seen going off without an opportunity or any justifiable reason -
VIJAY DAHIYA (does anybody remember the Australian series?)
VVS LAKSHMAN (His latest run was definitely better that many others selected)
RAKESH PATEL, AJAY RATRA, LAKSHMIPATHY BALAJI, TINU YOHANNAN & JAY PEE YADAV
HEMANG BADANI (His average 31.19 is better than Dinesh Mongia's 27.25, Yuvraj Singh's 27.64 and Mohammad Kaif's 30.08. He is as good a fielder and he was never given so many opportunities)
MURALI KARTIK (he was easily the best bowler on view against the West Indies and was not even in the squad for the newzealand one day series).
And how many of us have heard about YERE GOUD, K N ANANTHAPADMANABHAN, MITHUN MANHAS, SRIDHARAN SHARATH, KANWALJIT SINGH, UTPAL CHATTERJEE, SUNIL SUBRAMANIAN, JATIN PARANJPE, PANKAJ DHARMANI, AMOL MUZUMDAR and many more who have toiled many a season without any recognition or monetary benefit?
Who knows, some of these players could have played a key role in continuing the success the Indian team enjoyed last year.
Many youngsters were apparently THREATENED by some of the seniors not to sign the agreements before the ICC Champions Trophy. And NONE who signed it find themselves in the current Indian team. Does anybody talk about it?
The `Amazing Skills' of the Aussies is due to the fact that nobody can take their places for granted and they don't hesitate to drop anybody if they don't perform. Unfortunately, the current Indian players do NOT see any threat to their places and thus they are COMPLACENT. Remember, even Kumble could come back after having lost his place to Murali Kartik during the West Indies series.
Question 7) Do we appreciate the way the South African public is handling their disappointment so far, hosts and favorites, and yet facing the prospect of not making it to the Super Six? It’s easy to say that they have played good cricket but a loss is still a loss. By the way, the Indians under Mohd Azharuddin were playing outstanding cricket too (in fact, they had just earlier played a phenomenal game to beat Pakistan in Bangalore) but we were so unforgiving when they lost to the Sri Lankans, and that too in the semi-finals? So where do we draw the line between sanity and senility?
Answer: I agree with you COMPLETELY. Anyone indulging in violence should be Punished appropriately. There is no room for any such acts in this beautiful game.
Question 8) Are you aware of the fact that the Brazilian team was not even likely to qualify for the World Cup in soccer, but eventually ended up winning it last year? In the last cricket World Cup, Australia came back from the abysmal dumps to win seven matches in a row to win the title when the were facing the prospect of an early elimination? Remember the Pakistan victory in 1992? Or at best, our own in 1983? Do you then concur that a difficult beginning often prepares you for tougher matches at a later stage?
Answer: I sincerely hope that they will also emerge victorious. But such a terrible start doesn't ASSURE success. Does it ?
Question 9) When you are going through a bad patch, what encourages and motivates you? Someone who humiliates you further, rubs salt into your wounds, castigates you incessantly, and reminds you of the consequences of your failure? Or someone who tells you to move on, and inspires you to believe in your abilities, and to treat every failure as a stepping-stone to further success? And that finally it is a sport - a game - and a gentleman’s game at that - even today. What do you think is the Indian team expecting from us when they are perceptibly struggling?
Answer: The team certainly will do well with some support when in trouble. But then they should put in their best efforts for them to DESERVE the support. Read Tapan Joshi's report on the Australia match again.
Question 10) Should the team bounce back and put up a great show, will those of us who have accused them of self-profiteering, deliberate intent to lose, and all sorts of uncharitable remarks, seek to compensate them for the same? Will the same people go to Mohd Kaif’s house and paint it white again? Will we start doing a victory procession after every match to express our solidarity for the team? Or will we suddenly become the next biggest turn coats in town, and say, “They are playing better because of the pressures they knew we were giving them�E???
Answer: If they indeed put up a great show, it will be the BEST thing to happen. And sure there will be victory processions and festivities. And the success will be well and truly their own!
Best regards
Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
Director - Sales
INCA Tech Solutions
A-4, Madhuban Apartments
Adugodi, Hosur Road
Bangalore - 560030. INDIA.
DID: +91 80 5506568
Phone: +91 80 5531641
Fax: +91 80 5500378
Mobile: +91 98454 64477
E-mail: venkii76@hotmail.com
______________________________________________________________
Some Pride Redeemed!!!
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on the 20th of February, 2003 - The day after India's win over Zimbabwe.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan3.htm
________________________________________________
The defining moment of India's facile win over Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 had come before the first ball was bowled in the contest. After having held on fast to the opening slot like a child clinging on to her favourite stuffed toy, Sourav Ganguly finally decided to give it up. It was probably the best decision he had ever made on or off the field in his stint as the captain of the Indian cricket team.
What followed was a small but definitely positive step towards the turnaround in the team's fortunes. True, the Zimbabweans are nowhere near world-class but this victory would have gone a long way in boosting the sagging morale of the Indians. It showed on the field when Saurav Ganguly and his boys huddled together after the fall of every wicket. The body language was much better and one hopes that this will continue into the future.
Sehwag got his rightful place at the top of the batting line-up and one could see the confidence radiating as he walked into the middle with his idol Sachin Tendulkar. There was a healthy competition between the master and his clone in sending the ball to the far corners of the cricket ground. This was heart-breaking stuff for the Zimbabweans while every Indian rejoiced.
After a near-century partnership at a run-a-ball, the decision to send in Dinesh Mongia ahead of Rahul Dravid at number 3 was baffling. He was all at sea and struggled to score even singles and give strike to the man in full flow at the other end. This clearly upset the rhythm of Tendulkar and the result was the maestro missing what would have been a fine century. Also the momentum of the team was lost and they ended up at least 40 runs short of the initial promise.
Srinath is really enjoying his cricket after his comeback. His length is much fuller and this has reflected in his fantastic performances in New Zealand and now in the World Cup. He is at his best when he is relaxed and the team would do well to ensure that he continues to be relaxed. His strikes early in the Zimbabwean innings ensured that they could never recover.
Ganguly did well to pick up a few wickets and even celebrated every wicket as though the victim was Brian Lara or Mathew Hayden. Earlier he had thrown away his wicket playing an atrocious shot and he should not forget the fact that his job is to score runs for the sake of the team. Unless he does that, he cannot command respect from his teammates or demand performances from them.
This victory was sweet and is definitely a positive happening. But let us not go gaga over this, as it has come against a mediocre team. The Indians have a long way to go. They should keep their feet firmly on the ground and increase their efforts multifold to do it.
The benchmark at the moment should be Australia. This will be a great team the day it starts to win consistently against them!!!
___________________________________________________________
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on the 20th of February, 2003 - The day after India's win over Zimbabwe.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan3.htm
________________________________________________
The defining moment of India's facile win over Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 had come before the first ball was bowled in the contest. After having held on fast to the opening slot like a child clinging on to her favourite stuffed toy, Sourav Ganguly finally decided to give it up. It was probably the best decision he had ever made on or off the field in his stint as the captain of the Indian cricket team.
What followed was a small but definitely positive step towards the turnaround in the team's fortunes. True, the Zimbabweans are nowhere near world-class but this victory would have gone a long way in boosting the sagging morale of the Indians. It showed on the field when Saurav Ganguly and his boys huddled together after the fall of every wicket. The body language was much better and one hopes that this will continue into the future.
Sehwag got his rightful place at the top of the batting line-up and one could see the confidence radiating as he walked into the middle with his idol Sachin Tendulkar. There was a healthy competition between the master and his clone in sending the ball to the far corners of the cricket ground. This was heart-breaking stuff for the Zimbabweans while every Indian rejoiced.
After a near-century partnership at a run-a-ball, the decision to send in Dinesh Mongia ahead of Rahul Dravid at number 3 was baffling. He was all at sea and struggled to score even singles and give strike to the man in full flow at the other end. This clearly upset the rhythm of Tendulkar and the result was the maestro missing what would have been a fine century. Also the momentum of the team was lost and they ended up at least 40 runs short of the initial promise.
Srinath is really enjoying his cricket after his comeback. His length is much fuller and this has reflected in his fantastic performances in New Zealand and now in the World Cup. He is at his best when he is relaxed and the team would do well to ensure that he continues to be relaxed. His strikes early in the Zimbabwean innings ensured that they could never recover.
Ganguly did well to pick up a few wickets and even celebrated every wicket as though the victim was Brian Lara or Mathew Hayden. Earlier he had thrown away his wicket playing an atrocious shot and he should not forget the fact that his job is to score runs for the sake of the team. Unless he does that, he cannot command respect from his teammates or demand performances from them.
This victory was sweet and is definitely a positive happening. But let us not go gaga over this, as it has come against a mediocre team. The Indians have a long way to go. They should keep their feet firmly on the ground and increase their efforts multifold to do it.
The benchmark at the moment should be Australia. This will be a great team the day it starts to win consistently against them!!!
___________________________________________________________
Saturday, February 15, 2003
The `Mismatch' at Centurion !!!
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on the 16th of February, 2003 - The day after India lost Comprehensively to Australia.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan2.html
______________________________
The highest partnership for India against Australia at the Centurion was between Harbajan Singh and Anil Kumble. It was worth 40 valuable runs and was for the eighth wicket. That sums up the kind of performance on display by the Indians.
It was a no-contest all the way. The rut started even before the first ball was bowled when Saurav Ganguly walked into the middle with Sachin Tendulkar. Yes. He merely laid the foundation for another personal failure. When these Aussies get on top early in the match it is just not possible for any team to claw back into the match. They just come at you relentlessly and beat you into submission.
This decision of Ganguly to open the innings is just baffling to say the least. He has been going through the leanest run of his career and any cricketer will tell you that it affects you mentally and the best way to come out of it is to spend some time in the middle. And these Aussies have the best new-ball attack at the moment (A bowler of the class of Jason Gillespie doesnt even get to lay his hands on the new ball !!!), and it is very unlikely that they are going to allow you the luxury of time in the middle if you are not at your best.
And you have an explosive batsman in Virendar Sehwag who has done extraordinarily well (Taking into account the `ordinary' display of others from either side during the India-Newzealand series), who is robbed of his rightful slot which is opening. The best thing that Ganguly could have done for himself and the interest of the team is to come lower down the order. The Aussies came into the match with no more that 3 quality bowlers and Ganguly could have utilized this. After all, even in this woeful form of his, he can back himself a lot more confidently against the Hoggs, Lehmans and the Symonds' than against the Lees, McGraths and the Gillespies.
If Ganguly continues to talk about `Bad pitches', `Application', `Performance against the opposition in the past' and `the Best Batting Lineup', he will be fooling none but himself. Let us wake up to the REALITY - This Indian team is just NOT upto International Standards and they do NOT deserve to win. Only a series of `Miracles' can transform this team. And, `Miracles' dont happen everyday (If they do, they no longer are seen as Miracles - They just become `Habits' like the Australians have been showing for the better part of the past decade).
Everybody believes that the secret of the Aussie success lies in their seemingly-unlimites supply-chain of talent. Sure, this keeps everyone on their toes all the time and there is no room for Complacency. Nobody can take their place for granted and everyone plays every match as though it is their last.
The bigger achievement of the people who are behind Australian Cricket is much different from this. Inspite of the cut-throat competion for a place in the team, the players bond together as a team. Once in the team, they are not jealous of their team-mates' success. They just go out and enjoy whatever they do - whether they are batting, bowling, fielding or even encouraging their teammates from the bench. One just cannot help but admire this quality.
One only hopes that the Indians have learnt a thing or two from the others and they could come out a much better UNIT in the matches to come. We definitely are not out of the tournament yet and Ganguly and his men can still turn things around and redeem some pride.
There are enough examples from History and Sports for Ganguly's men to look up to. To quote the famed Swimmer MARK SPITZ -
`EVEN WINNERS DO NOT LIKE TO DO WHAT LOSERS DO NOT LIKE TO DO; BUT THEY DO IT ANYWAY !!!'
_______________________________________
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on the 16th of February, 2003 - The day after India lost Comprehensively to Australia.
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan2.html
______________________________
The highest partnership for India against Australia at the Centurion was between Harbajan Singh and Anil Kumble. It was worth 40 valuable runs and was for the eighth wicket. That sums up the kind of performance on display by the Indians.
It was a no-contest all the way. The rut started even before the first ball was bowled when Saurav Ganguly walked into the middle with Sachin Tendulkar. Yes. He merely laid the foundation for another personal failure. When these Aussies get on top early in the match it is just not possible for any team to claw back into the match. They just come at you relentlessly and beat you into submission.
This decision of Ganguly to open the innings is just baffling to say the least. He has been going through the leanest run of his career and any cricketer will tell you that it affects you mentally and the best way to come out of it is to spend some time in the middle. And these Aussies have the best new-ball attack at the moment (A bowler of the class of Jason Gillespie doesnt even get to lay his hands on the new ball !!!), and it is very unlikely that they are going to allow you the luxury of time in the middle if you are not at your best.
And you have an explosive batsman in Virendar Sehwag who has done extraordinarily well (Taking into account the `ordinary' display of others from either side during the India-Newzealand series), who is robbed of his rightful slot which is opening. The best thing that Ganguly could have done for himself and the interest of the team is to come lower down the order. The Aussies came into the match with no more that 3 quality bowlers and Ganguly could have utilized this. After all, even in this woeful form of his, he can back himself a lot more confidently against the Hoggs, Lehmans and the Symonds' than against the Lees, McGraths and the Gillespies.
If Ganguly continues to talk about `Bad pitches', `Application', `Performance against the opposition in the past' and `the Best Batting Lineup', he will be fooling none but himself. Let us wake up to the REALITY - This Indian team is just NOT upto International Standards and they do NOT deserve to win. Only a series of `Miracles' can transform this team. And, `Miracles' dont happen everyday (If they do, they no longer are seen as Miracles - They just become `Habits' like the Australians have been showing for the better part of the past decade).
Everybody believes that the secret of the Aussie success lies in their seemingly-unlimites supply-chain of talent. Sure, this keeps everyone on their toes all the time and there is no room for Complacency. Nobody can take their place for granted and everyone plays every match as though it is their last.
The bigger achievement of the people who are behind Australian Cricket is much different from this. Inspite of the cut-throat competion for a place in the team, the players bond together as a team. Once in the team, they are not jealous of their team-mates' success. They just go out and enjoy whatever they do - whether they are batting, bowling, fielding or even encouraging their teammates from the bench. One just cannot help but admire this quality.
One only hopes that the Indians have learnt a thing or two from the others and they could come out a much better UNIT in the matches to come. We definitely are not out of the tournament yet and Ganguly and his men can still turn things around and redeem some pride.
There are enough examples from History and Sports for Ganguly's men to look up to. To quote the famed Swimmer MARK SPITZ -
`EVEN WINNERS DO NOT LIKE TO DO WHAT LOSERS DO NOT LIKE TO DO; BUT THEY DO IT ANYWAY !!!'
_______________________________________
A point or two to pick up from the others!!!
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
__________________________________
We are barely a week into the ICC World Cup 2003 and we have already witnessed some astonishing Cricket. The Dutch gave a hard time to the famed Indian batting lineup at Paarl. Erstwhile the Canadians beat the Bangladeshis by a huge victory margin and the `Men in Black’ beat the Caribbeans in an all-important encounter which may probably be the defining moment in their quest to progressing in the tournament.
As Saurav Ganguly and his men get into their crucial clash against the tournament-favourite men from down-under, one hopes that they have learn from the Canadians, the Dutch and the New Zealanders.
None of the three teams can boast of Superstars to the level of a Tendulkar, Ganguly, Sehwag or Dravid. But they had one common virtue which resulted in their astonishing performances – COMMITMENT ON THE FIELD.
Considering the fact that they have come into the tournament with virtually no cricket at all for the past 6 months due to below-freezing temperatures in their countries, the Dutch and the Canadians put up an amazing display of fielding. The enthusiasm and the commitment carried them through.
And if there was a difference between the Kiwis and the West Indians, it was again fielding. Carl Hooper admitted that at the end of the match. The Kiwis threw themselves at every ball as if their lives depended on it. Indeed, they could have very easily been out of the tournament had they lost the match as they had lost to Sri Lanka in their first match have already decided to forfeit points in their match against Kenya.
It was an all-round team effort which saw the Kiwis through and it was epitomized by the `Relay-throw’ run-out of Brian Lara. West Indies never really recovered from the shock.
Coming back to the Indians, there have been a lot of calls for Mohammad Kaif to be dropped. Even Saurav Gangauly has gone on record saying that Kaif will `get one more chance’.
The argument against Kaif is that he has scored only 130 runs in his past 13 innings and is woefully out of form.
The point is that the inning prior to the 13, was a Brilliant, unbeaten 111 against Zimbabwe in Colombo when the famed Super stars including Ganguly had returned to the pavilion for next to nothing on the board having been unable to withstand the onslaught of a bowler named Douglas Hondo. Had the Indians lost that match, they could have been out of the tournament.
Let us admit the fact. Mohammad Kaif has played more match-winning innings in the recent past than anyone else but Yuvraj Singh. And this `anyone-else’ includes Saurav Ganguly and Sachin tendulkar.
Also, 7 of the `13 innings’ being talked about were in Newzealand. Does anyone talk about Ganguly’s averages (which is less than Kaif’s) in the recent past and say that he should drop himself?!
And we must add atleast 20 runs per match to Kaif just for his commitment on the field. Everybody will agree that a run saved is more than a run scored. And Kaif certainly saves tens of them every time he is on the field. Can anybody talk about the fielding skills of the other `heavy weights’?!
Let us forget this nonsense and talk about the task on hand. Australia is no mean opposition. Let the Indians `apply’ themselves and show the `commitment’ displayed by some of the lesser sides. After all, every Indian is hoping for an Indian win at the Centurion.
CHALO INDIA!!!
___________________________
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
__________________________________
We are barely a week into the ICC World Cup 2003 and we have already witnessed some astonishing Cricket. The Dutch gave a hard time to the famed Indian batting lineup at Paarl. Erstwhile the Canadians beat the Bangladeshis by a huge victory margin and the `Men in Black’ beat the Caribbeans in an all-important encounter which may probably be the defining moment in their quest to progressing in the tournament.
As Saurav Ganguly and his men get into their crucial clash against the tournament-favourite men from down-under, one hopes that they have learn from the Canadians, the Dutch and the New Zealanders.
None of the three teams can boast of Superstars to the level of a Tendulkar, Ganguly, Sehwag or Dravid. But they had one common virtue which resulted in their astonishing performances – COMMITMENT ON THE FIELD.
Considering the fact that they have come into the tournament with virtually no cricket at all for the past 6 months due to below-freezing temperatures in their countries, the Dutch and the Canadians put up an amazing display of fielding. The enthusiasm and the commitment carried them through.
And if there was a difference between the Kiwis and the West Indians, it was again fielding. Carl Hooper admitted that at the end of the match. The Kiwis threw themselves at every ball as if their lives depended on it. Indeed, they could have very easily been out of the tournament had they lost the match as they had lost to Sri Lanka in their first match have already decided to forfeit points in their match against Kenya.
It was an all-round team effort which saw the Kiwis through and it was epitomized by the `Relay-throw’ run-out of Brian Lara. West Indies never really recovered from the shock.
Coming back to the Indians, there have been a lot of calls for Mohammad Kaif to be dropped. Even Saurav Gangauly has gone on record saying that Kaif will `get one more chance’.
The argument against Kaif is that he has scored only 130 runs in his past 13 innings and is woefully out of form.
The point is that the inning prior to the 13, was a Brilliant, unbeaten 111 against Zimbabwe in Colombo when the famed Super stars including Ganguly had returned to the pavilion for next to nothing on the board having been unable to withstand the onslaught of a bowler named Douglas Hondo. Had the Indians lost that match, they could have been out of the tournament.
Let us admit the fact. Mohammad Kaif has played more match-winning innings in the recent past than anyone else but Yuvraj Singh. And this `anyone-else’ includes Saurav Ganguly and Sachin tendulkar.
Also, 7 of the `13 innings’ being talked about were in Newzealand. Does anyone talk about Ganguly’s averages (which is less than Kaif’s) in the recent past and say that he should drop himself?!
And we must add atleast 20 runs per match to Kaif just for his commitment on the field. Everybody will agree that a run saved is more than a run scored. And Kaif certainly saves tens of them every time he is on the field. Can anybody talk about the fielding skills of the other `heavy weights’?!
Let us forget this nonsense and talk about the task on hand. Australia is no mean opposition. Let the Indians `apply’ themselves and show the `commitment’ displayed by some of the lesser sides. After all, every Indian is hoping for an Indian win at the Centurion.
CHALO INDIA!!!
___________________________
Friday, February 14, 2003
This is one of my ealier articles. It appeared in CRICKETNEXT on March 23, 2002. Just wondering how relevant it is today.
http://www.cricketnext.com/news1/next/reporters/rep782.htm
:)
Will we ever improve?
By Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
____________________________________________
Chennai, March 23, 2002.
I am an Indian and by default a passionate follower of the game of cricket. I have been involved in the game as a cricketer playing the game at the First Division Level and now am an umpire with the State Panel of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. This is the first time I am putting down my thoughts on the plague affecting the state of the game in India - THE NATIONAL SENIOR SELECTION COMMITTEE.
The Indian Test team for the West Indies has been announced with Ajay Ratra, Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Mongia and Deep Dasgupta being included in the 16.
I am astonished to find that Gautham Gambhir was not even DISCUSSED by the selectors. Don't you think that having scored a double century against the visiting Zimbabweans, he should have been the automatic first choice to partner Shiv Sundar Das as an opener?
I feel that a double century is SPECIAL in ANY class of cricket and when someone has scored one against a FULL-STRENGTH international attack, he definitely deserves a look in. He should have PLAYED the Test series against Zimbabwe in the first place.
Yes, Jaffer has been performing well in the Duleep trophy with 2 centuries and an equal number of half centuries. But his achievement is NO way comparable to Gambhir's.
If Gambhir has missed out now, it is going to dent his confidence and he is now left wondering what more he should achieve to get the nod. And NOW is the right time to bring him in as he is in GOOD FORM. This was proved when Yuvraj Singh was brought in when he was in form and he scored runs in the one-dayers.
One really feels pity for the young opener from Delhi. And now let me come to the part which disturbs me MOST...
I write this after having gone through numerous newspapers and online cricket websites. NOT ONE correspondent has mentioned about the non-inclusion of Gautham Gambhir. This is really PAINFUL.
The same happened to Vijay Dahiya too. Nobody asked why he was NOT included after he recovered from his injury. Remember he had performed well whenever he was given a chance and that came against the mighty Australians.
Now one suspects that Deep Dasgupta is being persisted with due to non-sporting reasons. I think the match-fixing enquiry has to include the SELECTORS too as they can ensure that the team cannot win by selecting players according to their whims and fancies. They are in far greater control of the match. An individual player cannot fix a match all by himself.
And, the Selectors had NO RIGHT to drop CONNOR WILLIAMS as he was NEVER given a chance. If they feel that he is NOT good enough, he should have NEVER been chosen in the first place for touring South Africa.
I have a feeling that atleast TWO other cricketers are going to go down without getting enough chances when ther are in good form. Murali Karthik should have been there in the 16 to West Indies. One should NOT talk about his performance in ONE one-day game in which anyway everyone got the stick. AND he IS a wicket-taking bowler and his attacking style is more suited for the longer version of the game. He is another talented youngster left to wonder what more he has to do to get the nod.
Remember he has been playing domestic cricket for the team with the least resources and STILL managed to take them to a victory in our premier domestic competition almost single-handedly.
Tinu Yohanan, I am sure, is NOT going to get the chances he deserves. He was the first-choice partner for Srinath in ONE match against England and he bowled well too. The next match he was dumped and then for the series against Zimbabwe, Zaheer Khan came back into the squad and overtook Tinu for a place in the eleven too.
Now, even in the West Indies where the wickets are going to aid the fast bowlers, I have a feeling that Tinu will sit out and Sanjay Bangar will be the third seamer. The Indian think tank will NOT go with 3 seamers, 1 all rounder and 1 spinner which WILL be the ideal combination simply because they do NOT have the GUTS to ask either Anil Kumble or Harbajan Singh sit out of the playing eleven.
On his current form Harbajan should be chosen ahead of Kumble but WHO IS TO BELL THE CAT ?!
What more do these youngsters have to do ?!!
___________________________________________________
http://www.cricketnext.com/news1/next/reporters/rep782.htm
:)
Will we ever improve?
By Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
____________________________________________
Chennai, March 23, 2002.
I am an Indian and by default a passionate follower of the game of cricket. I have been involved in the game as a cricketer playing the game at the First Division Level and now am an umpire with the State Panel of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. This is the first time I am putting down my thoughts on the plague affecting the state of the game in India - THE NATIONAL SENIOR SELECTION COMMITTEE.
The Indian Test team for the West Indies has been announced with Ajay Ratra, Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Mongia and Deep Dasgupta being included in the 16.
I am astonished to find that Gautham Gambhir was not even DISCUSSED by the selectors. Don't you think that having scored a double century against the visiting Zimbabweans, he should have been the automatic first choice to partner Shiv Sundar Das as an opener?
I feel that a double century is SPECIAL in ANY class of cricket and when someone has scored one against a FULL-STRENGTH international attack, he definitely deserves a look in. He should have PLAYED the Test series against Zimbabwe in the first place.
Yes, Jaffer has been performing well in the Duleep trophy with 2 centuries and an equal number of half centuries. But his achievement is NO way comparable to Gambhir's.
If Gambhir has missed out now, it is going to dent his confidence and he is now left wondering what more he should achieve to get the nod. And NOW is the right time to bring him in as he is in GOOD FORM. This was proved when Yuvraj Singh was brought in when he was in form and he scored runs in the one-dayers.
One really feels pity for the young opener from Delhi. And now let me come to the part which disturbs me MOST...
I write this after having gone through numerous newspapers and online cricket websites. NOT ONE correspondent has mentioned about the non-inclusion of Gautham Gambhir. This is really PAINFUL.
The same happened to Vijay Dahiya too. Nobody asked why he was NOT included after he recovered from his injury. Remember he had performed well whenever he was given a chance and that came against the mighty Australians.
Now one suspects that Deep Dasgupta is being persisted with due to non-sporting reasons. I think the match-fixing enquiry has to include the SELECTORS too as they can ensure that the team cannot win by selecting players according to their whims and fancies. They are in far greater control of the match. An individual player cannot fix a match all by himself.
And, the Selectors had NO RIGHT to drop CONNOR WILLIAMS as he was NEVER given a chance. If they feel that he is NOT good enough, he should have NEVER been chosen in the first place for touring South Africa.
I have a feeling that atleast TWO other cricketers are going to go down without getting enough chances when ther are in good form. Murali Karthik should have been there in the 16 to West Indies. One should NOT talk about his performance in ONE one-day game in which anyway everyone got the stick. AND he IS a wicket-taking bowler and his attacking style is more suited for the longer version of the game. He is another talented youngster left to wonder what more he has to do to get the nod.
Remember he has been playing domestic cricket for the team with the least resources and STILL managed to take them to a victory in our premier domestic competition almost single-handedly.
Tinu Yohanan, I am sure, is NOT going to get the chances he deserves. He was the first-choice partner for Srinath in ONE match against England and he bowled well too. The next match he was dumped and then for the series against Zimbabwe, Zaheer Khan came back into the squad and overtook Tinu for a place in the eleven too.
Now, even in the West Indies where the wickets are going to aid the fast bowlers, I have a feeling that Tinu will sit out and Sanjay Bangar will be the third seamer. The Indian think tank will NOT go with 3 seamers, 1 all rounder and 1 spinner which WILL be the ideal combination simply because they do NOT have the GUTS to ask either Anil Kumble or Harbajan Singh sit out of the playing eleven.
On his current form Harbajan should be chosen ahead of Kumble but WHO IS TO BELL THE CAT ?!
What more do these youngsters have to do ?!!
___________________________________________________
Thursday, February 13, 2003
Hi !
This is the URL where my articles are published every day
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/Krishnan.html
:)
__________________________________________
This is the URL where my articles are published every day
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/Krishnan.html
:)
__________________________________________
Ganguly should be more flexible
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on the 13h of February, 2003
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan1.html
__________________________________
D Van Bunge should be a proud man. He comes from a country where the game of Cricket is as popular as Ice-hockey is in India. The entire annual budget for Cricket in their country is less than what some of the Indian superstars earn per day.
And yet he can proudly boast that in a match where names like Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Virendar Sehwag figured in, he emerged the top-scorer. This is no mean achievement. After all, he comes from a country called Holland.
The inexplicable display of the Indians against the Dutch minnows at the ICC World Cup in South Africa should certainly raise quite a few questions about the actual ability of the so called GREAT CRICKETERS.
`We have been playing good Cricket over the past 12 months or so and we are confident that we will perform better’ – This should sound familiar to all those who have been following Indian Cricket. This has been the standard comment from Saurav Ganguly, after every poor show.
What have they done after they emerged victorious in the ICC Champions Trophy played in Srilanka?!
They lost the one day series at home against the West Indies, took some historical battering in New Zealand, lost even to a provincial side in South Africa and now comes this pathetic performance.
Mr. Ganguly, isn’t it time to stop repeating the same old dialogue again and look towards setting things right?
A captain, who is not leading by example, can never demand the best out of his team. Ganguly looked clueless even against the amateur Dutch Bowling attack. Maybe, it is time for him to think about throwing out the ego factor, accepting things as they are and coming down from some of his so-far-hard-and-fast notions, the most glaring of them being his refusal to vacate the opening position.
Yuvraj Singh has been stroking the ball very well and has looked to be the most confident of the lot, next only to Sehwag. Maybe he can come in at number 3 after Sachin and Sehwag. This will provide him an opportunity to play himself in and build a longer innings. At the moment, his problem is that he always finds himself in the middle when the team is tottering. He is a free-flowing stroke-maker and he is forced to curb his natural instincts.
Yuvraj looks much more mature now and swapping places with him will give Ganguly an opportunity to avoid the new ball. Even if he puts up a brave face, his confidence must be in tatters and this change will do him a lot of good. And, at the present rate, the team won’t lose anything even if Ganguly fails to score lower down the order.
If the Indians refuse to be flexible in their approach, they can’t be competitive at all and it will not be a surprise if they fail to reach even the next stage of the tournament.
Let us all hope that they avert more disasters and we wont see any more proud men like D VAN BUNGE!
___________________________________________________
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
This was published in CRICKETNEXT.COM on the 13h of February, 2003
http://www.cricketnext.com/yoursay/krishnan/krishnan1.html
__________________________________
D Van Bunge should be a proud man. He comes from a country where the game of Cricket is as popular as Ice-hockey is in India. The entire annual budget for Cricket in their country is less than what some of the Indian superstars earn per day.
And yet he can proudly boast that in a match where names like Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Virendar Sehwag figured in, he emerged the top-scorer. This is no mean achievement. After all, he comes from a country called Holland.
The inexplicable display of the Indians against the Dutch minnows at the ICC World Cup in South Africa should certainly raise quite a few questions about the actual ability of the so called GREAT CRICKETERS.
`We have been playing good Cricket over the past 12 months or so and we are confident that we will perform better’ – This should sound familiar to all those who have been following Indian Cricket. This has been the standard comment from Saurav Ganguly, after every poor show.
What have they done after they emerged victorious in the ICC Champions Trophy played in Srilanka?!
They lost the one day series at home against the West Indies, took some historical battering in New Zealand, lost even to a provincial side in South Africa and now comes this pathetic performance.
Mr. Ganguly, isn’t it time to stop repeating the same old dialogue again and look towards setting things right?
A captain, who is not leading by example, can never demand the best out of his team. Ganguly looked clueless even against the amateur Dutch Bowling attack. Maybe, it is time for him to think about throwing out the ego factor, accepting things as they are and coming down from some of his so-far-hard-and-fast notions, the most glaring of them being his refusal to vacate the opening position.
Yuvraj Singh has been stroking the ball very well and has looked to be the most confident of the lot, next only to Sehwag. Maybe he can come in at number 3 after Sachin and Sehwag. This will provide him an opportunity to play himself in and build a longer innings. At the moment, his problem is that he always finds himself in the middle when the team is tottering. He is a free-flowing stroke-maker and he is forced to curb his natural instincts.
Yuvraj looks much more mature now and swapping places with him will give Ganguly an opportunity to avoid the new ball. Even if he puts up a brave face, his confidence must be in tatters and this change will do him a lot of good. And, at the present rate, the team won’t lose anything even if Ganguly fails to score lower down the order.
If the Indians refuse to be flexible in their approach, they can’t be competitive at all and it will not be a surprise if they fail to reach even the next stage of the tournament.
Let us all hope that they avert more disasters and we wont see any more proud men like D VAN BUNGE!
___________________________________________________
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
Australia’s Bench-strength to the fore
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
__________________________________
They could choose a 15 without the Waugh twins, Stuart McGill, Justin Langer, Greg Blewett or Martin Love who can walk into any other team.
The Australian Selectors were thought to have blundered especially in not choosing Steve Waugh, the man with nerves of steel, for their campaign in South Africa.
Before the team went into their crucial first match against the dangerously unpredictable Pakistanis, they had more problems on and off the Cricket-field.
First Shane Watson, the first-choice all-rounder in the squad reported unfit and had to be replaced with Ian Harvey at the last minute.
Darren Lehmann had to sit out of the opening-match serving suspension for a racial-slur. This reduced their number to 14.
The ever-dependable Michael Bevan had still not recovered from an injury and so was not available for selection, thereby reducing the number to 13.
And the biggest setback came on match eve as Shane Warne, rated by Wisden as the greatest-ever bowler, tested positive for a banned diuretic (A masking-agent used to hide the presence of performance-enhancing drugs by athletes) and had to withdraw from the squad.
And this reduced the number of players available for selection for the important match to just 12.
The Australians were thought to be in deep trouble in terms of skills as well as morale. There was no way a team could perform at the highest stage with all these problems. Their middle-order, with very little experience, looked extremely shaky and their bowling department looked considerably weaker without Warne.
The Pakistanis felt that the match was there for the taking and were all fired up. They were determined to make amends for their loss to the Aussies in the finals of the last edition of the competition.
And they seemed to be well and truly on their way to achieving it when Aussies were tottering at 4 down for 86 with just 15.5 overs into the match. The Aussie lower middle-order and the tail never seemed to have any chance against the formidable Pakistani bowling line-up consisting of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akthar.
If Australia had to come out of the rut, somebody had to play out of their skin. And they surely could have done with a Michael Bevan or Steve Waugh. The Aussie-fan contingent had gone into mourning.
In walked Andrew Symonds at number 6. He has always been seen as a bloke with loads of natural-talent but he never converted it into actual performance. It was probably the greatest ever opportunity for him to vindicate himself.
His innings over the next two hours and a half, would go down in history as one of the best ever in a cup game. He drove the ball with gay abandon, cut with silken grace, lofted with ferocious power and brutally walloped the ball to all areas of the ground.
Andrew Symonds had arrived and the Pakistanis had no answer to his blitzkrieg. The result was a mammoth total of 310 to be overhauled in 49 overs. The game had completely turned on its head.
Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie showed their class while Brett Lee was breathing fire consistently clocking 96 miles per hour. He had a point to prove to his rival Akthar and prove he did with a few deliveries clocking 98+ mph.
But then three good bowlers won’t make your day and 20 overs had still to be accounted for. And all they had were Harvey, Hogg and Symonds.
Again, the Australian bench-strength strength was in display as both Harvey and Hogg proved that they belong here at the big stage. They shared 7 wickets between them and ensured that Australia did not miss any of the big names.
Harvey was a revelation mixing his pace extremely well and always keeping the batsmen guessing. Hogg bowled a great line and was unlucky not to have picked up a few more wickets.
The Aussies have proved why they are the world-champions and the favorites to defend their title. They are mentally many levels above the others and every single individual believes that they are superior.
Now, with the kind of bench-strength they have, the Australian selectors have a problem of plenty and it will be interesting to see who gets to play and who doesn’t against India when Bevan and Lehmann will be available for selection.
Any guesses?!
___________________________________________________
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
__________________________________
They could choose a 15 without the Waugh twins, Stuart McGill, Justin Langer, Greg Blewett or Martin Love who can walk into any other team.
The Australian Selectors were thought to have blundered especially in not choosing Steve Waugh, the man with nerves of steel, for their campaign in South Africa.
Before the team went into their crucial first match against the dangerously unpredictable Pakistanis, they had more problems on and off the Cricket-field.
First Shane Watson, the first-choice all-rounder in the squad reported unfit and had to be replaced with Ian Harvey at the last minute.
Darren Lehmann had to sit out of the opening-match serving suspension for a racial-slur. This reduced their number to 14.
The ever-dependable Michael Bevan had still not recovered from an injury and so was not available for selection, thereby reducing the number to 13.
And the biggest setback came on match eve as Shane Warne, rated by Wisden as the greatest-ever bowler, tested positive for a banned diuretic (A masking-agent used to hide the presence of performance-enhancing drugs by athletes) and had to withdraw from the squad.
And this reduced the number of players available for selection for the important match to just 12.
The Australians were thought to be in deep trouble in terms of skills as well as morale. There was no way a team could perform at the highest stage with all these problems. Their middle-order, with very little experience, looked extremely shaky and their bowling department looked considerably weaker without Warne.
The Pakistanis felt that the match was there for the taking and were all fired up. They were determined to make amends for their loss to the Aussies in the finals of the last edition of the competition.
And they seemed to be well and truly on their way to achieving it when Aussies were tottering at 4 down for 86 with just 15.5 overs into the match. The Aussie lower middle-order and the tail never seemed to have any chance against the formidable Pakistani bowling line-up consisting of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akthar.
If Australia had to come out of the rut, somebody had to play out of their skin. And they surely could have done with a Michael Bevan or Steve Waugh. The Aussie-fan contingent had gone into mourning.
In walked Andrew Symonds at number 6. He has always been seen as a bloke with loads of natural-talent but he never converted it into actual performance. It was probably the greatest ever opportunity for him to vindicate himself.
His innings over the next two hours and a half, would go down in history as one of the best ever in a cup game. He drove the ball with gay abandon, cut with silken grace, lofted with ferocious power and brutally walloped the ball to all areas of the ground.
Andrew Symonds had arrived and the Pakistanis had no answer to his blitzkrieg. The result was a mammoth total of 310 to be overhauled in 49 overs. The game had completely turned on its head.
Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie showed their class while Brett Lee was breathing fire consistently clocking 96 miles per hour. He had a point to prove to his rival Akthar and prove he did with a few deliveries clocking 98+ mph.
But then three good bowlers won’t make your day and 20 overs had still to be accounted for. And all they had were Harvey, Hogg and Symonds.
Again, the Australian bench-strength strength was in display as both Harvey and Hogg proved that they belong here at the big stage. They shared 7 wickets between them and ensured that Australia did not miss any of the big names.
Harvey was a revelation mixing his pace extremely well and always keeping the batsmen guessing. Hogg bowled a great line and was unlucky not to have picked up a few more wickets.
The Aussies have proved why they are the world-champions and the favorites to defend their title. They are mentally many levels above the others and every single individual believes that they are superior.
Now, with the kind of bench-strength they have, the Australian selectors have a problem of plenty and it will be interesting to see who gets to play and who doesn’t against India when Bevan and Lehmann will be available for selection.
Any guesses?!
___________________________________________________
Monday, February 10, 2003
Of `Pundits', Loud-mouths and a Genius !!!
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
__________________________________
They said he is past his heydays...
They said he hasn’t played competitive Cricket for several months and he can’t play anymore...
They said he is an egoist, and has other priorities in life...
They said he is NOT a Team-man and none of his own teammates want him...
They even said he should not be chosen for the World cup as the team was doing well without him and his entry will be more of a negative influence...
The self-styled PUNDITS have long been voicing their opinions on matters cricket and otherwise. The history of the World is so replete with their predictions and they definitely have a mass-following who take their words as the gospel truth.
But Brian Charles Lara has different ideas. When nobody gave him as much a semblance of a chance, he comes back with a bang. And what an occasion he chose to do it!
Lara’s innings of 116 against the Formidable South-Africans in the opening encounter of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 is definitely one of the greatest ever displays of Genius to happen on a Cricket-field.
That they reserve their best for the Big-stage is what separate the Great from the mere-mortals. And Lara is definitely up there at the very top of the list of the best.
Yes. He would have been walking back to the pavilion after just one ball had Kallis latched on to the ball off Ntini. But there again, the greats capitalize on the chances offered to them. That is, if you can really call that a chance. It was not in any way even close to half a chance. Only the sheer athleticism of Kallis made it look like a chance.
The West Indians were tottering when he walked in. He took his time to settle in and the rest is, as they say, HISTORY!
The CLASS was visible from minute ONE. The timing was back in his shots and the sheer elegance was there for everyone to enjoy. With clean orthodox cricket-shots, this innings was a Purists-delight.
Whatever opposition Lara had was only internal to him. He had to prove it to himself more than to anyone else. And he managed to do it authoritatively.
All the others in the West-Indian team had to do was to bat around Lara. He forms the core, radiating confidence, and the others definitely benefit from it. After all, the opposition bowlers tend to forget their tricks when this man is on song.
The West-Indians were clearly the better team at Newlands, Cape Town. Even the almost-savage dare-devilry of Lance `ZULU' Klusner couldn’t get the Porteas a win.
Brian Lara has arrived again!
He is fit, and more importantly HUNGRY. Let the lesser mortals be satisfied with the leftovers.
This world cup has got of to the best of starts possible. And Lara's Magic-wand will do more talking. The `Pundits' are definitely going to have more wounds to lick on.
But then they also said the World is FLAT and the Sun goes around us!!!
_____________________________________________________
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
__________________________________
They said he is past his heydays...
They said he hasn’t played competitive Cricket for several months and he can’t play anymore...
They said he is an egoist, and has other priorities in life...
They said he is NOT a Team-man and none of his own teammates want him...
They even said he should not be chosen for the World cup as the team was doing well without him and his entry will be more of a negative influence...
The self-styled PUNDITS have long been voicing their opinions on matters cricket and otherwise. The history of the World is so replete with their predictions and they definitely have a mass-following who take their words as the gospel truth.
But Brian Charles Lara has different ideas. When nobody gave him as much a semblance of a chance, he comes back with a bang. And what an occasion he chose to do it!
Lara’s innings of 116 against the Formidable South-Africans in the opening encounter of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 is definitely one of the greatest ever displays of Genius to happen on a Cricket-field.
That they reserve their best for the Big-stage is what separate the Great from the mere-mortals. And Lara is definitely up there at the very top of the list of the best.
Yes. He would have been walking back to the pavilion after just one ball had Kallis latched on to the ball off Ntini. But there again, the greats capitalize on the chances offered to them. That is, if you can really call that a chance. It was not in any way even close to half a chance. Only the sheer athleticism of Kallis made it look like a chance.
The West Indians were tottering when he walked in. He took his time to settle in and the rest is, as they say, HISTORY!
The CLASS was visible from minute ONE. The timing was back in his shots and the sheer elegance was there for everyone to enjoy. With clean orthodox cricket-shots, this innings was a Purists-delight.
Whatever opposition Lara had was only internal to him. He had to prove it to himself more than to anyone else. And he managed to do it authoritatively.
All the others in the West-Indian team had to do was to bat around Lara. He forms the core, radiating confidence, and the others definitely benefit from it. After all, the opposition bowlers tend to forget their tricks when this man is on song.
The West-Indians were clearly the better team at Newlands, Cape Town. Even the almost-savage dare-devilry of Lance `ZULU' Klusner couldn’t get the Porteas a win.
Brian Lara has arrived again!
He is fit, and more importantly HUNGRY. Let the lesser mortals be satisfied with the leftovers.
This world cup has got of to the best of starts possible. And Lara's Magic-wand will do more talking. The `Pundits' are definitely going to have more wounds to lick on.
But then they also said the World is FLAT and the Sun goes around us!!!
_____________________________________________________
Thursday, February 06, 2003
A Beautiful Dream !
_________________________________________________________________________
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
Umpire in the State Panel of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association
_________________________________________________________________________
`NASA loses Columbia: the world loses 7 Astronauts’
`Ilan Ramon: A Beautiful Dream !’
These were the headlines in a British and an Israeli Daily respectively on February 2, 2003. The same day, a `National Newspaper’ in India SCREAMED with the banner-headline...
`We are Fit and raring to go: Sachin Tendulkar’.
If one is familiar with the passionate way the game of Cricket is followed by the Indian public, this would have been no surprise at all.
With the 8th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup competition in South Africa barely a few days away, the game is well and truly all-pervasive.
Add to it the hype generated by the corporate world wanting to cash in on this quadrennial opportunity, Cricket is on every Indian’s mind. It is almost omnipotent.
Every Indian worth his salt is WILLING the Indians to return home with the coveted prize. Tens of thousands of Indian supporters are traveling to South Africa to be part of the action, albeit from the sidelines and Millions more have conveyed their best wishes to the team through various activities – from signing `Good-luck’ bats to sending e-mails.
Special prayers are scheduled in many Temples, Churches and Mosques while many more are promised by the loyal fan if his God makes his Dreams come true.
The Indian Team, as many believe, can indeed pull it off. Although coming out of the recent poor form and going all the way will be a Miracle.
Miracles do happen. The young Turks Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif proved it one sunny mid-summers day at Lords. But Cricket, the game, is a Great leveler. Ask Steven Fleming, Andre Adams, Jacob Oram and Darryl Tuffey and they will vouch for it. And so will Saurav Ganguly and Co., even if not so openly.
Yes, this team has the `potential’ to go all the way. But this the MOST abused word in Sport. Every team has the `Potential’ but few convert it into reality.
One cannot rely on Miracles to happen every time. A few teams, like Australia, have made it a HABIT. They perform miracles so very regularly that it just ceases to be seen as a Miracle. Ask Steve Waugh and Herschelle Gibbs about a dropped catch; Michael Bevan and the Newzealanders about Jan 29, 2002; Andy Flintoff and Brett Lee about the recent VB Series Finals; VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid about the Kotkata test Vs Australia.
Teams like Australia seem to have an unlimited supply-chain of talented Cricketers. They are able to say NO to the Waugh twins, Stuart Mcgill, Love, Blewett and many more who will be able to walk into any other international playing eleven.
Even the Indian selectors have said NO to some talented cricketers – VVS Laxman has been miles ahead in terms of performance in the recent past than Dinesh Mongia (We are talking about contrasting batting averages of 46+ and 10 respectively in their last 10 ODIs). And Hemang Badani has better averages (with great fielding to boot) than either of the two. Or consider Murali Kartik who is left wondering what more he has to do.
Setting all these aside and coming to the team selected, there is an air of unpredictability surrounding the Indian team. They are Certainly NOT the favorites but they are most definitely one of the dark-horses.
On their day, if they are able to put their act together, they can surprise any other team on show. For that to happen, first and foremost they have to BELIEVE that they can win. This is where teams like Australia score over most others. Right from the word go, their positive body-language radiates high intensity and the hunger to win.
The Indians are in the tougher group and they cannot afford to relax as points are carried forward to the next stage. Winning eleven matches on the trot is a Huge ask for any team and that is why NO team is seen as a Clear-favorite.
A lot depends on Sachin Tendulkar who will be hungry after a rare lean-patch and who, when on song can decide any match single-handedly. And if Ganguly regains his magical touch, the opponents are in for a leather-hunt.
Not to forget Sehwag, who is probably the most explosive customer in world cricket at present. The popular opinion is that Ganguly and Sehwag must open the innings with Tendulkar coming in at number 3 and Dravid, arguably the most underrated cricketer today, following at number 4.
If Kaif and Yuvraj also get going, the Indians definitely have one of the best batting line-ups. But a lot will depend on their seventh choice – A wicket-keeper, a batsman, an all-rounder (if we indeed have one) or an additional bowler. No team can afford to have a dummy in the eleven. Whoever gets to play, he better perform if his team is to win.
The bowling department indeed looks weaker than some other teams but India never had an explosive bowling attack. With Srinath, Zaheer, Kumble, Harbajan, Nehra and Agarkar, the attack is quite experienced, and if they have learnt from their past and put their thoughts into action, they can indeed create problems to any batting lineup.
Another important factor will be Fielding. In today’s cricket, fitness and endurance play the most-important role in any team’s success. I am sure John Wright has worked very hard on this aspect and we will have to keep our fingers crossed till they deliver.
Let us all understand that Cricket, today, is Technology-intensive and every team will come out with an action-plan to counter every individual in every other team. Ultimately it will boil down to converting these plans into ACTION.
A lot of self-belief and a generous dose of Miracle are required now. Let us all hope that the Indians can play `out of their skins’ for the entire duration of the tournament and indeed emerge victorious.
Like every other Indian who has been associated with this great game, I too have a dream - about India winning the world cup. And I cherish every moment of the dream.
Oh, What a Beautiful Dream!!!
___________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
By: Venkatachalam. A. Krishnan
Umpire in the State Panel of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association
_________________________________________________________________________
`NASA loses Columbia: the world loses 7 Astronauts’
`Ilan Ramon: A Beautiful Dream !’
These were the headlines in a British and an Israeli Daily respectively on February 2, 2003. The same day, a `National Newspaper’ in India SCREAMED with the banner-headline...
`We are Fit and raring to go: Sachin Tendulkar’.
If one is familiar with the passionate way the game of Cricket is followed by the Indian public, this would have been no surprise at all.
With the 8th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup competition in South Africa barely a few days away, the game is well and truly all-pervasive.
Add to it the hype generated by the corporate world wanting to cash in on this quadrennial opportunity, Cricket is on every Indian’s mind. It is almost omnipotent.
Every Indian worth his salt is WILLING the Indians to return home with the coveted prize. Tens of thousands of Indian supporters are traveling to South Africa to be part of the action, albeit from the sidelines and Millions more have conveyed their best wishes to the team through various activities – from signing `Good-luck’ bats to sending e-mails.
Special prayers are scheduled in many Temples, Churches and Mosques while many more are promised by the loyal fan if his God makes his Dreams come true.
The Indian Team, as many believe, can indeed pull it off. Although coming out of the recent poor form and going all the way will be a Miracle.
Miracles do happen. The young Turks Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif proved it one sunny mid-summers day at Lords. But Cricket, the game, is a Great leveler. Ask Steven Fleming, Andre Adams, Jacob Oram and Darryl Tuffey and they will vouch for it. And so will Saurav Ganguly and Co., even if not so openly.
Yes, this team has the `potential’ to go all the way. But this the MOST abused word in Sport. Every team has the `Potential’ but few convert it into reality.
One cannot rely on Miracles to happen every time. A few teams, like Australia, have made it a HABIT. They perform miracles so very regularly that it just ceases to be seen as a Miracle. Ask Steve Waugh and Herschelle Gibbs about a dropped catch; Michael Bevan and the Newzealanders about Jan 29, 2002; Andy Flintoff and Brett Lee about the recent VB Series Finals; VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid about the Kotkata test Vs Australia.
Teams like Australia seem to have an unlimited supply-chain of talented Cricketers. They are able to say NO to the Waugh twins, Stuart Mcgill, Love, Blewett and many more who will be able to walk into any other international playing eleven.
Even the Indian selectors have said NO to some talented cricketers – VVS Laxman has been miles ahead in terms of performance in the recent past than Dinesh Mongia (We are talking about contrasting batting averages of 46+ and 10 respectively in their last 10 ODIs). And Hemang Badani has better averages (with great fielding to boot) than either of the two. Or consider Murali Kartik who is left wondering what more he has to do.
Setting all these aside and coming to the team selected, there is an air of unpredictability surrounding the Indian team. They are Certainly NOT the favorites but they are most definitely one of the dark-horses.
On their day, if they are able to put their act together, they can surprise any other team on show. For that to happen, first and foremost they have to BELIEVE that they can win. This is where teams like Australia score over most others. Right from the word go, their positive body-language radiates high intensity and the hunger to win.
The Indians are in the tougher group and they cannot afford to relax as points are carried forward to the next stage. Winning eleven matches on the trot is a Huge ask for any team and that is why NO team is seen as a Clear-favorite.
A lot depends on Sachin Tendulkar who will be hungry after a rare lean-patch and who, when on song can decide any match single-handedly. And if Ganguly regains his magical touch, the opponents are in for a leather-hunt.
Not to forget Sehwag, who is probably the most explosive customer in world cricket at present. The popular opinion is that Ganguly and Sehwag must open the innings with Tendulkar coming in at number 3 and Dravid, arguably the most underrated cricketer today, following at number 4.
If Kaif and Yuvraj also get going, the Indians definitely have one of the best batting line-ups. But a lot will depend on their seventh choice – A wicket-keeper, a batsman, an all-rounder (if we indeed have one) or an additional bowler. No team can afford to have a dummy in the eleven. Whoever gets to play, he better perform if his team is to win.
The bowling department indeed looks weaker than some other teams but India never had an explosive bowling attack. With Srinath, Zaheer, Kumble, Harbajan, Nehra and Agarkar, the attack is quite experienced, and if they have learnt from their past and put their thoughts into action, they can indeed create problems to any batting lineup.
Another important factor will be Fielding. In today’s cricket, fitness and endurance play the most-important role in any team’s success. I am sure John Wright has worked very hard on this aspect and we will have to keep our fingers crossed till they deliver.
Let us all understand that Cricket, today, is Technology-intensive and every team will come out with an action-plan to counter every individual in every other team. Ultimately it will boil down to converting these plans into ACTION.
A lot of self-belief and a generous dose of Miracle are required now. Let us all hope that the Indians can play `out of their skins’ for the entire duration of the tournament and indeed emerge victorious.
Like every other Indian who has been associated with this great game, I too have a dream - about India winning the world cup. And I cherish every moment of the dream.
Oh, What a Beautiful Dream!!!
___________________________________________________________________________
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