IPL 2010: Delhi Daredevils Preview

IPL 2010: Delhi Daredevils Preview

Test cricket needs a leg up!

Is Chris Gayle now bored with the usual routine of his team falling apart against strong oppositions, primarily away from home? Back in the Caribbean, they still have a semblance of a shot at getting something out of a rubber, like against England in March. But when away, visiting these very opposition states, they just tend to fold up, even without a fight. It becomes a bit easier to understand why some one like Gayle would talk about it giving it all up and sounding too bored with the game, especially the one played in whites.
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Return to the Nineties! - By Chetan Narula

Feb. 4th 2009

Without a semblance of doubt, the nineties were the worst phase for Indian cricket. It was a time when the selectors really didn't know where the team was headed, the captain couldn't really answer the simplest of questions put to him and entry to the team was a revolving door, with umpteen players coming in and going out without any fingers pointed. It is a matter of fact that Mohd. Azhar holds the record for being the Indian captain under whom maximum players made their India debut. Read More

IPL Diaries!!! – By Chetan Narula.

Half Time Report!!!

So, the first round of the Indian Premier League is done and dusted. Almost all teams have played their seven matches, out of a total of 14 each, and there have been some interesting results. But before one gets to that, we need to take a look at the standings of the teams and remind ourselves as to how it came to transpire, what has indeed transpired.

Teams	Played	Wins	Losses	N/R	Tied	Points	Net Run Rate
Kings XI Punjab	7	5	2	0	0	10	+0.442
Rajasthan Royals	7	5	2	0	0	10	+0.436
Delhi DareDevils	6	4	2	0	0	8	+0.761
Chennai SuperKings	7	4	3	0	0	8	-0.005
Mumbai Indians	7	3	4	0	0	6	-0.455
Kolkata KnightRiders	6	2	4	0	0	4	+0.482
Hyderabad Deccan Chargers	7	2	5	0	0	4	-0.011
Bangalore Royal Challengers	7	2	5	0	0	4	-1.426

In between some great dancing and singing performances, some pretty hot cheerleading (one is very sad that they have to wear body-hugging, full-length outfits in this hot weather, darn the moral police!) and some beating-up of cricketers (that was a brawl, not a slap, if anyone is interested!), the action has been pretty gripping. If one were to say that the IPL has lived upto its billing, then it would not be a lie. Innovative shots, some excellent bowling, shrewd captaincy and good fielding have upped the ante of cricket this summer. And inspite of the heat, no one is complaining.

Coming back to the point, where we see what we are here to see, let us take a look at how the teams have fared so far in the tournament, now that the first round of matches is complete. Only Delhi DareDevils and Kolkata KnightRiders are yet to face each other, but they have already given enough evidence of what they are capable of, in their previous six matches. Here we go:

Kings XI Punjab: Slow starters, they were thrashed by both Chennai and Rajasthan Royals in their first two matches, and were looking for some team bonding since then, but it happens when you have young-but-gifted players from different cultures. Tom Moody has been able to motivate them, but more than that, it was the fiery spell of Brett Lee against Mumbai Indians that truly lifted the teams’ spirit. Ever since then, they have been on a roll, winning five matches in a row, and Preity Zinta is now grinning more than ever.

What they have done right: They play within their limits, especially Irfan Pathan and surprisingly, Sreesanth (maybe it was the slap!). They know that with players missing, top teams will flounder sooner rather than later and thus, with some good performances, they can easily win a few key matches. They have built the momentum at the right time, and with aggressive and confident players in their mix, they are a force to be reckoned with.

What they have done wrong: Their batting is a bit of a worry. They rely heavily on Sangakkara to fire, especially since Yuvraj has been a bit pre-occupied with captaining the side. He, alongwith Jayawardene, needs to up their game a bit. Jayawardene, on his part, needs to help Yuvi with some captaincy tips, when pressure increases.

Rajasthan Royals: Horrible loss first-up, smacked by Delhi DareDevils by ten wickets, and nobody gave them a chance there-after, the Royals from Jaipur have given a fitting reply to all the doubting Thomases, and now look good to challenge the best of the teams. They haven’t lost any players to international commitments and thus, the team-spirit that they have got going can continue in real good ways. It seems that their billing as an under-dog even before the start of the tournament has only helped to fire them up. Watch out!

What they have done right: They made Shane Warne the coach and captain of the team. No one is more pumped up than him on a cricket field and it is no doubt, that he might have been the best Australian captain ever, had his sex-life not propped up at the wrong time. Also, they are not afraid of letting loose their young players, whose energy and talent is vital for winning in this format. Plus the international players they bought have all got hands-full of T20 experience. Did they even do anything wrong?

What they have done wrong: Yes, they did. Two games they batted badly and they lost. This shows that their main weakness is somewhere in batting. Tie them up at the top and they lose their way, trying to force the pace. Both Delhi and Mumbai were able to squeeze them for runs and won their matches. Need some solidity in the middle-order.

Delhi DareDevils: If one is to be believed, then this is the team to beat this summer. No, not because the author is himself from Delhi, (he’s cheering for Kolkata (SRK), if you must know, and a bit for Mumbai, umm, Sachin!), it is simply because in this chitty-chitty bang-bang form of cricket, the Delhi bowlers have stood the tallest. Glenn Mcgrath, Mohammed Asif and Farvez Maharoof have done the unthinkable many times already, restricting batting line-ups and presenting their batsmen with nothing challengeable at all. Backed up by some good fielding and back-up bowlers, they already look the part of semi-finalists, that too comfortably.

What they have done right: They got their auction bids right. Landing up some good bowlers who also think, has served them well. Plus neither of them will be leaving mid-tournament, except Vettori, who is already gone, but that doesn’t seem to be much of a loss. And having Sehwag & Gambhir in the team has only helped, notching up some good run-rates with their help.

What they have done wrong: Sehwag, Gambhir and the lesser-known Shikhar Dhawan have just batted and batted. Guys give some one else a chance. For it is common belief that the Delhi batting in the middle and lower order leaves much to be desired. So if you are the captain against Delhi, bowl first, get the top three out and you will win the match. Ask Mohali and Mumbai, if you don’t believe it.

Chennai Superkings: This is another sad story of players leaving and the team’s one leg being chopped off. Hayden, Oram and Michael Hussey were the pillars of the team, and ever since their departure, Dhoni’s team is free-falling. Pretty much everything they have done has backfired in the last three matches, after actually winning four matches on the trot. Time to think harder, Yum Yus Dhoni.

What they have done right: Nothing, ever since their foreign players left. The ones left behind don’t seem to be that effective. Batting seems to be pretty ordinary, as it has lost much teeth at the top. Bowlers not getting decent totals to defend.

What they have done wrong: See above.

Mumbai Indians: Lost four in a row, then won three consecutively. They are the anti-Chennai team of the IPL. Cricket is as much a game requiring hard work as much it requires luck. And obviously some money is needed too. Now they have been doing the hard work, but hardly have got any luck. Sachin has already missed the first part of the tournament and his return will only boost the players, if nothing else will. They lost some tight matches early on, but seems like they have gotten their grip back.

What they have done right: They actually didn’t do it themselves, Harbhajan did. He slapped (the author still maintains it was a brawl!) Sreesanth and got chucked out of the tournament. That was the moment that lifted this team.

What they have done wrong: Money, they have got aplenty, look at Mukesh Ambani. Seems like he carries a crore as pocket change where ever he goes. But they still didn’t buy the best players available. Why?

Second, naming their team ‘Indians’. Why would Jayasuriya, Pollock and Luke Ronchi be fired up to give their best for a team they will certainly not identify with? That they are still giving their best is down to Ambani’s deep pockets.

Kolkata KnightRiders: It’s all downhill for SRK’s team at the moment. Having won their first two matches, they have now lost four on the trot and unless they are able to stem the rot, the self proclaimed favourites of the tournament won’t be able to make it to the semi-finals. They too have been hit hard with Mcullum and Ponting leaving, while Chris Gayle is lost to injury. Shoaib Akhtar has now joined them, after his ban was lifted, but bowling isn’t exactly the problem. Buck up, Dada!

What they have done right: They got off to a whirl-wind start and thanks to that match their run-rate is quite high. Some more of the same stuff is needed.

What they have done wrong: When the author spoke to their coach, John Buchanan, last Saturday, he said that they weren’t very worried and wouldn’t be looking to change their batting order, unless it was a calamity. That same evening they lost to Kings XI Punjab, their fourth consecutive loss. It’s a calamity now John and Sourav should come down the order.

Hyderabad Deccan Chargers: Umm, what does one say about a team whose captain himself isn’t qualified enough to play in the tournament. There is an argument doing the rounds that he has been playing well, holding one end up, while the likes of Adam Gilchrist and Shahid Afridi go berserk. Well, we don’t need some one holding an end here, and even if we do, a sixth standard student has a better strike rate than Laxman. Plus his captaincy has been thoughtless. He has absolutely no clue as to what is happening around him. They lost after setting a target of more than 200, taking nothing away from Rajasthan Royals, and before that failed to defend 110 on a square turner. Both punishable offences under any cricketing law.

What they have done right: Nothing so far, given that they are the strongest team on paper.

What they have done wrong: Deccan Chronicle made VVS Laxman the captain. He needs to drop himself from the team, yes you read it right!

Bangalore Royal Challengers: The official test team of the IPL. They have not been able to recover from the spanking they received on the opening day. It was such a brutal assault that it might have scarred this team forever. So, it happens in sport. Teams do recover but sometimes a lot of time is needed, however.

Vijay Mallya may have a lot of money, but he has no time. Because men in his position cannot afford to be made to look stupid. And the way, Dravid has gone about assembling his team and then, leading the team, Mallya would be feeling nothing else. Their season is almost over and they need some serious rebuilding to stand a chance next year. All those test players need to go and they have a long list to replace.

What they have done right: Not Applicable

What they have done wrong: Their team sheet reads as such; Dravid, Jaffer, Kallis, Anil Kumble, Sunil Joshi. Does one need say more?

IPL Diaries!!! – By Chetan Narula.

A Road Less Traveled.

This is one of the few articles that I have written in first person. Ever since gaining experience in my magazine Cricket Today, I have moved away from giving first person accounts, but 3^rd May 2008 was such a day in my life that needs this description.

Almost five years ago, in October 2003, the New Zealand cricket team was in India for a two Test match series, followed by a tri-series also involving Australia. The second test match was played at Mohali from 16^th to 20^th October. I was in my second year in college. By the way, I was doing my Mechanical engineering.

Coming back, it was probably the only weekend that I stayed in hostel during my college days, given that my college was just 200 kms away from Delhi, and not counting any exam days. But even on this weekend, it seemed as though time had stopped in the hostel. Not a soul stirred and it was too damn difficult to even see Saturday go by. And then, like a bolt from the blue, I realized that since I couldn’t go home now, I could still travel 200 kms in the opposite direction and see a cricket match in a stadium for the first time in my life. The decision had been made.

And so, I got up at 5 am the next morning. Put on the India t-shirt I had bought for the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, and suddenly it hit me that this is what I had actually bought the tri-coloured piece of cloth for, especially since I had watched the world championship from the confines of my drawing room. With my ‘roomie’ in tow, we traveled by bullock-cart, tractor, truck and bus to reach Chandigarh by 9 in the morning. This was the easy part, for we didn’t have tickets.

Now cricket is a religion in this country, and wherever the Indian team (the demi-gods) is playing, it is but obvious that the crowds will be in a huge number. And so they were. Getting to the ticket window would have lost us about five hours and seeing the rush, it was obvious that it would have proved futile in the end. Not to mention the Punjab Police were getting ready to lathi-charge the maddening crowd. So we tried a more ‘Indian’ way to get in. Bought two tickets, in black, for two hundred bucks. Now, they were five day tickets, which are available for 50 bucks apiece. But even at that price it seemed a bargain.

So far luck had been with us. We got there in time, got the tickets early and at a reasonable price. And we went in, reaching our seats in another half an hour. New Zealand were batting, trying for a healthy lead against the homeside. I saw my hero, Sachin Tendulkar, fielding near the boundary. But unlike others, instead of calling out to him and trying to get him to wave back at us, I simply stood there watching intently, taking this moment in, realizing this was a mere mortal, and not a ‘God’ as we make him out to be.

It was that moment in time that I wondered aloud, as to how will I be able to bridge this gap between a commoner (me) and this God, yet ‘Mortal Genius’. I had already decided that after my engineering, I was going to pursue mass communications and be a news broadcaster/anchor. But somehow it dawned on me that this wasn’t going to be enough, or what I actually wanted to end up doing.

India batted soon enough and Sehwag lit up the day with an awesome hundred, two towering sixes amongst the 130 runs. But the highlight of the day for me was Rahul Dravid’s defensive play. Daryl Tuffey was charging in at full steam and bowled a good length ball. The response was rock solid, the ball hit his bat and like it had literally hit a wall, it just fell to the ground at the batsman’s toes. A truly wonderful moment.

I, however, returned with a heavy heart as Sachin didn’t get a chance to play. Plus the ever poking question as to what to do about the thoughts I had earlier. On the way back, my room-mate stayed back and I took the journey alone, which gave me a lot of time to think. Some facts dawned on me, that I had been watching sports intently now for the last few years. Sacrificing studies, bunking college, returning home mid-week to catch the world cup, incurring the wrath of my parents, still watching cricket everyday, football & David Beckham every weekend, and F1 & Ferrari every alternate weekend. I was eating, drinking and breathing sports action on television, literally living sports. It was then that I decided to make sports my livelihood.

As I mentioned 3^rd May 2008 was a memorable day for me. This was the day that I covered my first match as a sports journalist, and that too at the same ground where I had made this decision, watching Kings XI Punjab taken on Kolkata Knight Riders. The same road was traveled as it was five years ago.

Just that the entry to the stadium, and for that matter, the entire experience was different. The Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali has forever, etched a place in my heart.

It felt as if I had finally reached somewhere in my quest, during which I have been lost many a times, not knowing what to do. Sitting in the press box, I saw that there is a new dawn on the horizon but as I look onwards, I do realize one thing. I have miles to go yet before I finally get to sleep.

Note: For the record, we re-sold the two tickets for 100 bucks that day in 2003, to two guys who wanted to see the last day action. I still wonder how many times those two tickets changed hands during those five days.

OOPS!!!


Hey guys i am really sorry for not updating this blog for the past 10 days. Actually have been very busy with my book release and then its post production work, and now with the May issue of my magazine.

However, now I am free and will be leaving for Mohali today to cover tomorrow's match. So expect an exclusive from there on Sunday.

Apologies again,

Cheers

IPL Diaries – By Chetan Narula

The Big Bang!!!

One has so often wondered what a spectacle the beginning of the universe might have been. Matter in the form of a point exploding into millions of stars, planets and inter-planetary stuff flying away from each other at a head spinning speed. And sample this in a picturesque setting of the Big Bang. If only we had a picture of it to save as a wallpaper on our desktops.

18^th april 2008 provided us, mere mortals, a chance to witness the Big Bang as it might have happened. The curtains went up on one of the most highly anticipated events in cricket history, nay sports history. For the IPL curtain raiser was anything else but a disappointment. Against a perfect backdrop, the showcase event in Indian cricket was declared open.

That the IPL will be a hit with the fans was somewhat in doubt, say two days ago. But the full house at the Chinnaswamy stadium proved otherwise. Cricket in India is a sacred religion and at one of its biggest carnivals, how could the fans, rather devotees, not pay their homage? That it was going to be a spectacle was always a certainty, given that IPL and entertainment are best buddies already. The Vijay Mallya factor, however, surpassed anything & everything that one could have fathomed, and it will be interesting to see how opening ceremonies will now compare in the near future. He isn’t called the ‘King of Good Times’ for nothing, now is he?

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy provided a spectacular start to the proceedings with some of their hit numbers. Sixteen stilt walkers, eight acrobats who performed gravity-defying stunts on ropes of silk, eight rapellers dressed in the colours of the eight teams skimmed down from the stadium roofs on super-thin wires, and eight bubble dancers spinning & dancing in giant transparent bubbles left spectators in a total trance. But the special cheers were reserved for the Washington Redskin cheerleaders, for obvious reasons, and watching them left one wishing, if only they could be present in all the matches.

Entertainment was the name of the game, so much so, that even with the home team reeling, the local crowd was enjoying the music being played in the stadium. If for once you thought that there would be grim faces, think again, and maybe this is where the IPL will still be found wanting, come the end. For building fan loyalties will need more than such elaborate fanfare, although it remains to be seen what the other home teams can come up with.

Coming to the cricket, yes there was some, mainly from one man alone. Brendon McCullum batted as if he was picking the bat up for the last time in his life. His innings was so belligerent that it is the most terrific hitting the author has ever seen. Not to mention, that one feels that his ferocious attack on the hapless bowlers is yet to sink in. 13 sixes and 10 fours! If it were test cricket or even ODIs, then one can fathom the possibility of some one hitting out in this fashion, fed up with the drab proceedings. But this is T20 for crying out loud, where the ball is supposed to travel in all directions. But to travel like this? It was just simply staggering to watch. One can never claim that 159 will not be overcome as the highest score, but it will take some doing, and our only hope should be that we watch that match as well.

Now that we are talking cricket, away from all the hype and hoopla, it was good to see the spirit in the Kolkata KnightRiders. Ponting was seen hugging Ishant like a brother after he bowled Dravid and this only means that the bitterness of the test series in January will soon be a thing of the past. The Royal Challengers, however, looked forlorn. But if you have just been ravaged the way they were, you too will be wishing you weren’t there.

Of course, Mallya made sure he wasn’t there, atleast not on the television, as King Khan got one across him. The former won’t be too happy about it, especially in wake of the pre-match comments he made. But one can’t see the Royal Challengers do anything of note, if Wasim Jaffer continues to think he is playing test cricket. A strike rate of 40 in T20, when an hour ago, we saw something resembling lightning? Surely one can be forgiven if there is an urge to shoot Jaffer at sight. Kolkata, and for that matter, SRK will be flying high. One can’t begin to imagine the reception that awaits them when they play their next game at Eden Gardens. Shahrukh admitted that he would lose out a lot, if his gamble doesn’t pay off and will have to return to making movies. On the contrary, it seems likely that he will be quitting films soon.

In the previous article, it was stated that the first match will go a long way in predicting which way this tournament is headed. IPL would be a huge hit, this was never under doubt, but now it seems, the tournament will be a bigger hit than humanly thought possible. Welcome to the new age!

IPL Diaries – By Chetan Narula

A Curtain Raiser

Lights, Camera, Action! On 18^th April 2008, at 7 pm IST, the world will sit witness to a new page being written in the annals of cricket history, when the first season of the Indian Premier League gets underway at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The first match will be played between Royal Challengers and Kolkatta KnightRiders, and it promises to be a mouth watering spectacle, and not just because it pitches the best in business against the best in films.

Yes, it is more than just Vijay Mallya and Shah Rukh Khan pitting their teams against each other, to see whose cricket, and business acumen comes out on top. Let us for a while leave that to the honchos in the European football leagues. Because a sterner test lies ahead for not only the two Fanchise owners, but also, the BCCI and in particular, Lalit Modi, the father of the IPL. For the first match will go a long way in deciding the fate of the multi-million dollar baby.

What one is trying to imply is, that in a jiffy, the IPL won’t become near and dear to the cricket crazy millions of this country. Like any other sane object of entertainment or leisure, this too will only grow from strength to strength, however it needs a major shot in the arm if it needs to do so. Why this so, one is is tempted to ask? Well, to start with, there is no culture of following sports in this country. What sets us apart from the football or cricket traditions followed in other countries, say England, is the simple fact that almost every night after returning from home, these people do not lumber up in bed, or waste their time watching dim-witted family sagas on the television. They actually shell out their hard earned cash to watch their football, cricket or rugby heroes play their rival teams and along with it, guzzle a beer or two.

No, one is not making a case of higher alcohol consumption here, instead what is being highlighted is the way that these long standing football cultures have been built. Teams like Manchester United and Arsenal were formed hundreds of years ago and they have since developed into multi-million dollar clubs, who now own academies as well as some of the world’s best footballers. While they didn’t grow over one season alone, the international competition was born out of the rivalries of the clubs. And, then of course, there came the money. The IPL, instead, is a case of the process being reversed. Take international rivalries and put them in the not so enthralling scenario of domestic cricket, to make it more appealing to the average Indian fan. And all this made possible, only by pumping in humongous wads of currency notes.

Here, one is trying to bring out the biggest headache that the IPL, or the franchises rather, will face, to the fore. And that is to pull away the couch potatoes from, well, their couches. To ask the middle class man to spend upto 250 bucks on a match ticket for seven matches over a period of forty odd days, is something they don’t normally do, not even on four consecutive weekends of a month, irrespective of the ever increasing GDP. And this brings us to the cards played by the BCCI, in order to lure the common man out of his home to the stadium nearest to him.

Go international, whenever in doubt in cricket, just go international. And that is precisely what the board did, and before them, Zee Group’s ICL. Getting foreign players to play in these twenty20 leagues is a well judged move. After all, these players starve for the kind of money there is in Indian cricket, especially New Zealand cricket, who are so cash strapped that as many as 15 players, current and retired are playing in the two leagues combined.

So much so, that some players have taken an early retirement from their budding international careers to play T20 in the dust of India. Shaun Pollock, Adam Gilchrist, Stephen Fleming are just a few of the prominent names. Maybe at their age, international cricket was actually getting too much for them. But what about some one like Justin Kemp or Lou Vincent, who are not even 30, and by virtue of playing in ICL cant play international cricket now. The latter, at one time, even complaining of depression, did the whiff of money make it all go away?

International players, after all, may not be the answer to the dilemma faced by the organizers. Consider this, in a match between Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians, you will be expected to cheer for Mohd. Asif against Sachin Tendulkar, or, Sanath Jayasuriya against Sehwag. Is that really possible? Will a Delhi fan ever do that, or for that matter, a Mumbaikar? Cricketers in India are demi-gods, the game is a religion and taking it to the masses, while there are no international rivalries involved, is something the masses will be apprehensive of. It has been tried before, the Premier Hockey League being a prime example, but then that is hockey and it doesn’t exactly set the fans’ imagination on fire.

All this is going to test the patience of the men (and one woman) who have bought the franchises. For these are the platforms on which the revenue generation models will be developed. For the IPL is nothing but a business opportunity for these spendthrifts, and considering a very old saying, they will want to reap more than they have sown. Ticket prices will need to be at a premium; for only then the common man will make the effort to watch the matches live. Only then will the huge stadiums be full to capacity and only then, will the whole venture be successful. Another option is to market the merchandise but given that it takes years to build fan followings, one wonders how much will they sell. One other option is to follow the Kolkatta Franchise model and put everything in the Eden Gardens, up for sale.

Talking about SRK, the talk shifts to the first match and there are many expectations. There are going to be eight international players, eight young stars ready to make a mark and not to forget stalwarts like Ganguly and Dravid, who will be the first ones to experience this new chapter in cricket history. The biggest point, however, is the way the match is expected to be played out. If it is a close one, or a high scoring one, and maybe someone is kind enough to hit four-five consecutive sixes, then we have a tournament on our hands.

Even then, there will be dark clouds hanging over the fate of the tournament. Events like these take a long time to settle in. Fan following is not created overnight inspite of the huge amount of money. Nor are the heroes jeered against so easily. But such is the beauty of sport that such incidences have occurred. In the last football world cup in 2006, Cristiano Ronaldo got Wayne Rooney sent off, Portugal beat England, and yet, today the former’s popularity charts in England are tearing up the roof. Similarly, there will be millions who will be tuning in to watch and you never know what to expect from the unpredictable game of cricket.

Lights, Camera, Action! Let the drama begin!

Yorked!!! – By Chetan Narula.

What's the fuss all about???

So Rahul Dravid gets dropped (or rested, whichever way one wants to look at it) from the ODI squad and there’s a huge hullabaloo about it all over. Yes, a player of his stature has not found a place in the team which is worrying, but that’s a different proposition altogether. More important is the fact however, that this man was captain of this very team about until two months back. Suddenly, he will be sitting in his drawing room and watch the team play their arch-rivals. What changed is what he ought to be thinking.

What changed is something that will be looked at towards the end. Right now, it is important to wonder about the implications of the decision. By no way, one is suggesting that the decision is wrong, or right, for that matter. Everything needs time to marinate, more so, everything in Indian cricket. So, again, what might be the implications?

No strength in the middle order, for one. Who will Dhoni look up to when Shoaib Akhtar and Mohd. Asif rip apart the top order, in an early morning start? Or when chasing a big target, the team loses a few quick wickets, and begins to meander from its path. And of course, he will be missed every time, Sehwag is found napping at first slip. Though, let it be clear, that by no way, “The Wall” is being made to look indispensable here.

For everything has a sell-by date. More so, the kind of cricket Dravid plays, when the country has just taken to T20, like fish to water. Thus, Sehwag, Uthappa and Ganguly could all drop down the order. Rohit Sharma can be groomed for the job too. The point is, with two big series coming up, should Dravid have been the one taking the fall?

Maybe yes, since he was out-of-touch, inspite of what people say. One won’t use the word ‘form’ in his case, simply because, players such as him, don’t have anything called form in their dictionary. But even by those standards, he has had a less than mediocre 2007. One ODI innings in England, though, isn’t enough anymore it seems, nor are the tons of runs he has scored over the past decade. That said, maybe no, is another option. What is Ganguly still doing in the team when his 100-plus-balls-innings aren’t helping the team either? Is this a hint for Dada too, come the next selection meeting?

So far, it seems to be a simple enough logic to drop (err rest) him. Let him sit out for two matches. Let him clear his head and in the meanwhile, we will get to see some youngsters tried out. So, why all the noise then? Are all the retired cricketers and so called ‘cricket pundits’ failing to see the simple but obvious cricketing logic behind this? If no, then they are simply ignorant, inspite of having been there and done that. If yes, then what is forcing them to do so?

The answer is a simple phone call. Dilip Vengsarkar returning the favor to his ex-captain, as even Dravid chose not to inform him of his resignation. Now, while one is laughing his/her head off at this egotistical gesture by two grown ups, some objectivity is required to look at it, whatever way you look at it. Rahul Dravid is rested for two matches and is not even given a deserved courtesy call, inspite of his services to the country for the past decade. Obviously this rang a million bells of some conspiracy everywhere, when there is none. For the Karnataka player is getting what we know as tit-for-tat.

For simplification purposes, let us consider an army captain, who has just won a minor battle at the front. But he’s all fed up with the monitoring of his ways by his superiors and, in Dravid’s case, the constant media & public glare. At the end of it, while his immediate superior is away at another front, the captain goes to the head-quarters and puts in his papers. Then he calmly walks away, as if nothing has happened. The immediate superior isn’t informed and gets to know through alternative means. What is he supposed to do?

Well, in the army, the superior won’t greet the captain, the next time he sees him. He would be shot, called a traitor, if he already hasn’t been. One is not suggesting anything similar in this case, but the fact is that what goes around comes around. You simply can’t relinquish the second most important post in India (the prime minister’s being the most important one, one thinks) and walk-off without absolutely no rhyme or reason. Thanks to the huge media presence, Vengsarkar was directly seen as the reason for the same.

It is no hidden fact that the two didn’t see eye-to-eye on many occasions previously, be it team’s selection or the coach’s. And this seems to have been the last straw. Plus the Mumbai lobby theory. Or previously, the Bengal lobby theory. And the fact that Sachin Tendulkar who maybe rightly named test captain, will also be incarcerated under this same logic, is a sad testimonial to the affairs of Indian cricket.

Now before the average Indian fan gets ahead of himself, it has to be cleared out that he might actually return for the next three ODIs. Consider India trailing 2-0 and the picture will be more than obvious then. Already, Pakistan have started rubbing it in, it being Dravid’s absence. Anyways, he is still very much a part of the test plan, no doubt about that, and obviously, when Down Under, will be part of the ODI ones as well, as the pitches will demand it. But then again, parameter seems to be the criteria now and he will have to perform, something he is very much capable of.

As promised, towards the end, we discuss, what changed in Dravid’s life? The simple fact that he let go of the second most powerful job coupled with his spiraling-down performances and obviously rubbing some one as important as the selection committee wrong. Getting away with murder would have been easier.

Flying Lap!!! – By Chetan Narula.

Did the best man win???

Sport can be real cruel sometimes. Lewis Hamilton found that out the wrong way, first in China and then in Brazil. It can be pretty hard when you have been leading the world driver s championship from the second race onwards, only to see it slip away in the last race. But that said, his competitors have been there and done that. Kimi Raikkonen, third time lucky this year, has previously twice tripped at the last hurdle. Of course, one can now add Fernando Alonso to that list as well. Read More.

Yorked!!! – By Chetan Narula.

The beginning of the end???

India beat Australia in the last match of the recently concluded ODI series. The least it brought to the average Indian fan was a satisfactory smile and maybe the hope that their beloved team would do much better in the times to come. For one man though, it brought nothing more than some nail-biting memories from the late-90s, frustration and a bit of disappointment. That man is the ex-India captain, Rahul Dravid.

‘The Wall’ was told, on the eve of the match, that he wasn’t in the playing eleven and as usual, this has struck a discord amongst the many “pundits” across the girth of this nation. Some would argue that it was a wrong decision, some would still try and bask the team in the wake of their T20 triumph, and thus justify it as the right way to go. But which of the two is right? Are they both right? Or are they both equally wrong? No one knows, yet.

On hindsight, it was a good decision. Dravid, given his past accolades, has done little of notice this season. He had a mediocre series in England, where for the first time in recent memory, the team won a test series without a sizeable contribution from him, the 90-ball-12-runs notwithstanding. The ODIs were no better and then the shell shocking decision to relinquish the captaincy. The point here is, was that decision supposed to get him in-form? Maybe, may be not.

What made this particular decision to leave him out, look ridiculous, was that they played Dinesh Karthik instead of him. Had dinesh gone on to score some valuable runs and helped India score a half decent win, maybe then the team think tank would have been spot on. But as we all know, that all decisions don’t come out right always. Not every time, can Dhoni expect to throw the ball to some one like Joginder Sharma and expect him to win the match. Sooner or later, it is bound to backfire.

Why, one may ask? Class is the answer. As the age old saying goes, class is permanent, form is temporary. Or may be it is the other way round. The point is that on any given day, some one like Rahul Dravid will always bring more quality to the side than any of the Dinesh Karthiks or Rohit Sharmas. The only thing that the team management or even the selectors need to do is, select on the basis of merit. And thus, finally one can rest the debate by concluding that, on the basis of current form and the fact that it as after all a dead rubber, the “dropping” or “resting”, (whatever you would want to call it) was justified.

However, the debate doesn’t end here. Rameez Raja goes on to say that all the big three of Indian cricket should only play ODIs. Wasim Akram will agree as well as might some others. Dilip Vengsarkar, head of the selection committee being amongst them. But they, for all their money’s worth, are wrong.

There is no denying that the three are ageing, rather quickly it seems. But the only countable win that came in the series, came because of the seniors. If some one were to say that the team is capable of winning without them, then there is serious doubt over that person’s cricketing intellect. T20 is one thing but both in the tests & ODIs, their experience is valuable. With the series against Pakistan and then Australia down under just round the corner, it is for sure that once again the trio of Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly will prove their detractors wrong.

But, again, there is some shade to their path forward. The trio must understand that now the patience of both the selectors as well as the public runs thinner than it ever did. Constant performance is the only requisite and past laurels are, well, past laurels. Also, they must pick and choose their matches more often. For example, in the coming months, there might be a few ‘dead’ ties, which they would do well to skip on their own and not only give the youngsters a chance, but get themselves energized too. The fact that they were not considered for the Challengers Trophy can only be a boon to them, if one is capable enough to read between the lines.

It is beyond doubt that they have the required temperament. They are, after all, the three best batsmen in either forms of the game. They have to believe that their time is not yet up and also that they still have a lot to offer to Indian cricket. The end is yet far, far away.

And, make no mistake, each of the three has earned the right to decide for themselves, when they want to bid adieu. One only hopes that they know when it is time. But more than that, one prays that the rest, who are around them, don’t make that decision for them.

Flying Lap!!! – By Chetan Narula.

Anticipating a thriller…

Sport cannot get more ironical than this. The very same year Formula One earned a bad name because of Stepneygate and the very ethics of the teams being questioned the world over, it will still however, witness one of the greatest spectacles in the history of motorsport, come Sunday. All those very same people who doubted its very basis the world over will tune in to watch Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso win the title.

Formula 1 could have done without the spy saga but, lets be honest, it needed this tight race for the championship as a shot in the arm, especially after the great Michael Schumacher left us fans (read F1) at tenterhooks last season. In the words of none other than Bernie Eccelstone himself, the sport needed a saviour. And so, thank god for Lewis Hamilton. Err, shouldn’t we thank Ron Dennis?

Indeed Hamilton will be thanking his mentor, his second father or team principal, whatever he calls him. From a very young age, Ron has nurtured this driver to see this day, when he would bring back glory to his team and finally end Mclaren’s quest for their own Schumacher. And as we stand just three days away from a historic grand prix weekend, the signs are truly ominous for this to happen.

Quite simply, Hamilton has the numbers in his favour to drive conservatively and win the title, come race day. Alonso has already stated that he needs a miracle to win the WDC for a third time running and obviously then, Kimi needs more than a miracle. But if we leave aside the points for one second, is it really possible that a rookie could pull off such a huge upset in his very first year in the sport?

May be yes, may be not. He has the talent and more importantly the car to do the needful. But maybe not, because Hamilton has shown that he can wilt under pressure. That happened first at his home race in Britain, where at Silverstone, he first almost lost out his track position to the Finn and then eventually did lose it when he made his first error in the pits. It is only logical that the pressure will only increase on him considering that atleast every British fan of the sport will be rooting for him on Sunday.

Add to it the fact that he has never raced at Interlagos. Yes, he has the famed Mclaren simulator at his aid and of course, has spent time on his PlayStation as well. But after all, if that were the real thing, then aren’t we all world champions in our own right? The point is on an unknown circuit, under pressure from two rivals, and of course, adding the rain factor to it, the situation suddenly doesn’t look really rosy from here. If one is to consider the only two races where he hasn’t scored points this season, Nurburgring and Shanghai, we see only one common factor, rain.

There is always the argument however, that he won in the rain at Fuji. Yes, he did, but let’s just put that in perspective. Half that race was driven behind the safety car. And of course, Ferrari’s big foul up with the intermediate tyres cost them the race. When Kimi began his charge in the later stages at Fuji, he looked unstoppable. The other factor is that both in Germany and in China, Hamilton failed to look after his tyres in the mix of dry and wet, which ultimately proved critical.

Even then Fernando Alonso would say that his chances are no good. This is because Mclaren will provide both their drivers with equal opportunity. Yes, the very same thing the Spaniard has not desired the whole season. Again if it weren’t for Ron’s ethics, he wouldn’t be here. Simply because, after blackmailing your own team, one doesn’t usually get away without any punishment. But he did. And that might just come back to haunt Dennis.

For there is no way that one sees Fernando Alonso driving for the Silver Arrows next season. So will the Spaniard do the unthinkable and be overtly aggressive on the race track? The first corner at Brazil is a bit squeezed for space and obviously in the wet, things will only be trickier. The big question is if at all Alonso is that desperate to leave Mclaren or hurt them so badly that he will jeopardize both his and Lewis’ chances? If yes, then certainly there is no place for him at Woking next year.

Did one mention two rivals for Lewis earlier? Well make it three. Because Kimi will only win if there is Felippe Massa playing the supporting acts. Even then things aren’t exactly cut out for the Iceman. He has to come first, and then hope that Alonso finishes no higher than third, and even then Hamilton has to be sixth or lower. Indeed a tough ask but then stranger things have happened in sport.

There is only one guarantee though. That is, we will have a champion, even after all that has happened this year. Which one, that’s a question, even the most hallowed punters or pundits of the sport will avoid.

Yorked!!! – By Chetan Narula.

About time, we had a new coach…

On 4^th April 2007, Greg Chappell resigned from the post of the Indian cricket team’s coach after an embarrassing early exit from the ODI world cup. 190 days later, the Indian team still doesn’t have its new coach selected as yet.

Everybody has witnessed the drama that unfolded since Chappell’s exit. Just for refreshing the memory, Dav Whatmore was supposed to be the favourite to replace the Aussie, but somewhere something went wrong and he wasn’t short listed after the initial round of discussions held by the coach selecting committee. Then, as if pulling rabbits out of the hat, the BCCI invited Graham Ford and John Emburey for an interview. Ford agreed principally only to later refuse, adding yet another mysterious chapter to Indian cricket history.

So finally some sense prevailed and the BCCI then invited applications via advertisement for the coach’s post, the way it is supposed to be done. Some 20 ‘coaches’ have applied, among them being, Chandrakant Pandit, Richard Done, Tim Boon, Kepler Wessels and Martin Crowe. But rumour has it that the Board is unhappy with the ‘lack of quality among the current applicants’, the process is yet to proceed beyond the application stage.

Anyhow, the team went to England without a coach, won the T20 world cup and is now facing the ODI world champions at home without one too, so one can only imagine how long it will actually be before one sees a new face in control of the team. The point is that it needs to be done fast, the selection of the coach that is. Simply, because it will only get tougher for the team in the months to come as first our arch rivals come calling and then the looming tour down-under. But why suddenly does one feel the need for a person-in-charge? The answer follows hence.

There is no doubt that the seniors ought to command deserved respect from the juniors and the juniors should be only too happy to give it, if they are treated well in return as well as given their due. Although the captain has commented about how invaluable the trio of Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly actually is, to the team, the selectors don’t seem to be agreeing whole heartedly. Which, in turn is not surprising, as when was the last time, the selection committee agreed with the Indian captain?

This time, however, it could lead to a fairly more troublesome situation. Clearly, any sensible cricket follower would be foolish to write off the trio just because we won the T20 without them. But that doesn’t mean that they should be playing all possible matches. The time has come in Indian cricket, thankfully, when rotation of players becomes a focal point. And this is where the new coach could be the most useful. With a younger captain asking the seniors to sit out games, even the inconsequential ones, or the selectors wielding their axes, would be in nobody’s interests. Although all three are seasoned campaigners and experienced enough, only a coach can make them understand as well as advice on which matches they should play or, well, skip without hurting any sentiments.

The next point emanates from the point above. Dhoni is a bold captain no doubt, but he’s become one in a very short span in international cricket. He’s been successful in an even shorter span so naturally all eyes are on him. Not only of the Indians’ but the opponents’ as well. What remains to be seen is how he will cope with the pressure as all Indian captains traditionally begin to lose it within a year of ascertaining captaincy. Be it Azhar, Sachin, Dravid or even Dada, all have suffered sooner rather than later. Dhoni’s troubles have already begun as the team trails Australia at home, so the sooner the coach comes to relieve some pressure and responsibility, the better.

Australians are at the pinnacle of not only this sport, but mostly in all the sports they participate in. no wonder the opposition and especially the captain feels tremendous pressure against them. and dhoni is beginning to feel it. A couple of tosses have gone wrong coupled with a few decisions as well. But this is no report card on his captaincy, not yet. The point is that something as important as the batting order hasn’t been sorted out is a cause for concern. Why is dravid scratching around at no.5 or why isn’t dhoni coming in at no.3? why isn’t gambhir opening despite the fact that either of tendulkar or ganguly, are capable enough of dropping down to the middle. Some one needs to be assertive enough to take a stand on this and clearly the team management is currently not upto it.

Then there is the small matter of the overall responsibility of the team, their conduct and their on/off field antics. Venkatesh Prasad and robin singh might be doing a fine job but they are at best support staff. If some one like sreesanth continues with his monkey antics on the field, somebody s got to pull his reigns in at some point or the other. Dropping him is no solution as he has a wonderful bowling brain and we need to rest the overburdened bowlers. In short, this is just another case in point which demands an immediate arrival of a coach.

The overall bone of contention is that as we progress in the season, the pressure on the team is only going to mount. With the success in the tests in England and then in south Africa, maybe the board feels the team could go on a bit longer. But what they fail to understand is that the team is being supported at the moment by the home fans. This will not work in Australia as they will need some one to take off all the steam in pressure cooker like conditions. But even before that against the Pakistanis, even the fans might not be so forgiving if the team meanders at home against them. the Indian public, after all, does have a fickle memory.

The above discussed questions, all need to be answered and quick. Although the team management might be scratching their brains over these issues, it s amply clear that we really need some one who does this twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. He is called the coach.