Yorked!!! – By Chetan Narula.

When a nightmare became reality……

The television crew in Queen’s Park Oval is really cruel. As the last wickets of the day were falling, the joyful faces of the Bangladeshi team were being beamed all over the world. So were the despondent faces in the Indian dressing room. The world watched as the Bangladeshi dreams came true as also India’s biggest nightmare.

For the first time since God knows when, an Indian captain won the toss and made the right decision in a crunch match. Winning the toss and using the pitch first where the ball would surely seam and swing. And it did. Zaheer, Agarkar and Munaf turned magicians in their initial spells. Yes the very same three who had been tamed by the Bangladeshis and troubled by the Bermudans. The Sri Lankans could not put bat to ball in the first ten overs. The only proper shot that comes to mind is the one where Tharanga cover drove Zaheer in the air for four. Rest all were either mistimed or edges which didn’t find the fielders.

For the first time in the competition, the Indian bowling had come into its own. Zaheer swinging it both ways and Munaf holding a tight line. Even Agarkar found his rhythm at just the right time. Jayasuriya left early, and so did Jayawardene. But just two wickets for all the laudable efforts put in? Yes lady luck has been not with us on this tour. Maybe they need to bring their wives the next time. Lankan wives were here, seen dancing all along.

It is very rare that something goes totally right for the Indians on the field. And the fact that our highly rated spinner wasn’t upto the mark proves just that. The fact that he was playing in Kumble’s place can never be justified. Yes the Sri Lankans have been successful against him, but every match is a new match. On hind sight, if Kumble would have been bowling to the inexperienced Lankan middle order, things might have been different. Harbhajan, it seems, is content in bowling out his quota by containing the opposition, taking wickets is something he doesn’t feel the need for. What India needed from him, were 10 overs which could deliver two wickets. What if they would come at a cost of 50 runs. He gave away 53 anyways.

Coming to the fifth bowler, it sometimes is beyond belief what Rahul Dravid is thinking. Giving the ball to Ganguly, who quite frankly hasn’t bowled that much recently, was very questionable. I know he snapped up Sangakkara, but let us be frank. That was more because the Lankan keeper played a stupid shot rather than the bowler doing anything magical. For me that was a mistake. Sehwag should have come on to bowl as Harbhajan was proving to be ineffective. However it was the maestro Tendulkar brought into the attack.

The reason why Dravid has failed to impress me as a captain is because he tends to over do things. Sachin bowled his six overs beautifully and the fifth bowler’s quota was up. No need to bowl him when you have three pace bowlers who were in fine rhythm today. But to see Sachin bowl those extra two overs, while there were new batsmen at the crease, was like watching some one commit hara kiri. Two costly overs and the Sri Lankan total was over 250. Something we didn’t want, talk about psychological advantage that is. It is one thing starting your run chase with required rate of 4.9 or something and absolutely another with the asking rate being 5.1. The psychology is different.

And it was clear, what it did to the Lankan mentality. Vaas bowled off cutters to Uthappa and his genuine balls to Ganguly. Which brings us to the pathetic display of batting by the Indians. Ganguly is an opener who has clearly forgotten what opening is all about. He used 120 balls for 60 against the Bangladeshis, a 114 for 80 odd against the Bermudans and 23 here for 7 runs. He didn’t rotate the strike and it not only brought pressure on subsequent batsmen, it brought pressure on Uthappa too. The young batsman was very unlucky to be caught like that, but then as I said, lady luck wasn’t at all with us.

Ganguly departed next trying to break the shackles, he himself had binded on the team. And what a blinder Murali took. Moments like these lift the entire team, much like the catch, Dhoni had taken earlier in the day to dismiss Jayawardene. Even the Indians fielded superbly well. Coming back, Tendulkar came to the crease with a million hopes on him. Nothing new about that. Except that this is not his position. This isn’t playing from where he has become the fear of the bowlers. This is no.4, where he is under pressure. A position where Dilhara Fernando, a bowler who has played only 3 matches in the last 15 months is able to dictate terms to him. And the result was all there to see. Again lady luck was found wanting. On any other day, that edge would have missed the leg stump and gone for four. But not this day. Not this day.

Sehwag played an unusual knock. Waiting for the loose ball and biding his time. Could it be his day? Could the new Sehwag save India the blushes. But what he can do with the bat, surely Murali can do better with the ball. And then we saw a master class. Open off side, with a slip in place, bowling round the wickets and bowling just the doosras. Murali is a champion bowler and here was the moment where Jayawardene proved his mettle as a better captain. The spinner was doing the trick for Lanka something Bhajji had failed to do for the Indians. The bounce and turn the young off spinner got in his first over must have delighted both Kumble and Murali. Sadly only one used the resources.

One after another, the batsmen departed. Sehwag could not counter Murali s guile, nor could Dhoni. Yuvraj, one of the best runners in the team, chose this day to misjudge a run. Only “The Wall” showed them how to bat. How to score runs under pressure. How to stand alone in the face of adversity. And as he showed us, there were no devils in the pitch. Sadly the decision to bowl first was again undone by the pressure under which the mighty Indian batting line up wilted again.

India can still qualify if Bernuda beat Bangladesh. But that’s more like a case of if the mouse Jerry had been a cat, he would have been Tom. The losses will be huge. Almost to the tune of 1500 crores. Take for example the Pepsi “Cheer India” bands launched only two days ago. Who is going to buy them now? And for what? It is all in the hands of the merry Bermudans. Sadly praying for a miracle is something we do in every world cup. I had just hoped this time it would be different.

Last but not the least, a devastated Dravid answered Laxman Sivaramakrishnan’s questions at the presentation. His last words to the Indian captain were “Better luck next time”. 2011 seems very far off from here.

Yorked!!! – By Chetan Narula.

A lot to worry about……

If they think they have redeemed themselves with the win over Bermuda, then Dravid and company are mistaken. They may have gotten two points and some confidence going but as far as positives are concerned, that’s about it in terms of what we got out of the match. Confidence does play a major role in international cricket and it is good that the team got some before the vital clash against Sri Lanka but as we know things in Indian cricket turn around faster than tides.

Yes we scored the maximum number of runs in an innings in a world cup match. Yes Sehwag stroked to a ton and the rest also came to the party. Yes we scored the highest margin of victory in an ODI ever. But does that really matter? I mean it was against Bermuda who aren’t exactly even the best amongst the minnows. Err, we encountered better ones recently remember?

To drive home my point, we will take the above points into consideration as to why the team management may be making a mistake they got anything else out of this game. Because as far as I am concerned, India is still closer to the exit door rather than the gate to super 8.

It is very difficult to understand what is happening to Virender Sehwag’s career at this stage. Surely as far as the world cup is concerned, he has cemented his place in the side for the rest of the matches (one or more, remains to be seen). But then again he hasn’t proved any of his critics wrong with this knock. Will you bet on him to fire against Sri Lanka or other even better attacks given that the Bermudan bowlers were at best military medium? I won’t, given his tendency to relax until the donkey is on his back again.

Not that this necessarily means he will fail against the Lankans. Sehwag if you plan to, please don’t. And same goes for the others as well. The way they batted is well, like the way they ought to have batted against the Bangladeshis. Not paying much respect to the bowlers. And that is where Sourav Ganguly, in particular, is going wrong. It is one thing when the team management asks you to hold up one end and try to bat out the innings but then it is totally another thing to pay respect to the Bermudans and play 114 balls for 80 odd runs. What are you waiting for Mr. Ganguly? 50 overs to be up? Get a move on with your strike rate sir, because as happened with Bangladesh, so will happen with other teams who surely have better bowling options. They will strangle you for runs and then choke you to death. If our neighbours could do it, surely it can happen again. So Dada, please unleash the stroke maker the world knows you to be. Atleast, in the match against Sri Lankans.

Then again the middle order didn’t get the quality time it needs to play well. Sachin and Yuvraj are proving to be two important cogs in the middle-order wheel no doubt, and their performances will give much heart to the think tank. But Dhoni continues to struggle like he did last on last year’s tour and Dravid hasn’t spent much time either on the field. Another worrying point is Robin Uthappa’s dry run. Surely this will give the management to ponder a lot as to whether or not to include Dinesh Karthik in the eleven on the 23rd.

However these are the least of our worries. If we can’t get Bermuda out cheaply, and have already failed to bowl the Bangladeshis out, then let us be frank, our attack is pedestrian at best. Save for the efforts of Zaheer, this bowling performance will be giving the team management and the fans alike, sleepless nights. Agarkar can’t bowl straight, its either the legs of the batsmen or short of length giving too much room. Munaf is expensive in his second spell. And if Kumble struggles against the batsmen of Bermuda, with Harbhajan not too effective against the Bangladeshis, then we have a serious problem on our hands.

Because we do not have a bowling attack that can defend low totals or bowl out opposition cheaply. The performance in the two matches surely proves the practice matches’ results worth less. If we look at the bowling reserves, we have Sreesanth and Pathan only to look at. Sreesanth has the knack of picking up wickets but his economy rate makes Agarkar look like the world’s best bowler. Plus Pathan isn’t in the right frame of mind as of now. If they play him, will he play as an all-rounder, a bowler or a batsman? Surely nobody is there to explain it to him, as the past suggests. Also there is none to backup the spinners. They are among the best in the world, remember? If they are struggling, what chances do Powar and company have, right? That’s no justification, which means the team balance is questionable. Again Pathan’s form could have been the key. But as some one might say, the selectors’ hands were tied.

The only bowlers who seem to have done well are the part timers. In whatever bowling they have done, Sehwag and Tendulkar have impressed. But they have been brought on very late. Sehwag came on when the Bangladeshis required less than 30 runs to win, but still ended up taking two wickets. Sachin was nearly unplayable yesterday where as the Bermudans played Kumble with aplomb. This in fact questions the attitude of the team. Do they not know the run-rate factor could prove crucial? Then why not show some urgency to bowl out a not-so-decent batting line-up quickly. In the match against our neighbours, the shoulders drooped once they were past 130. I mean do they even have the right attitude to win the world cup? And what was the coach doing cooling off in the pavilion, when he should be sending out messages to get things going.

Even if India qualifies for the super 8, these latter points put a big question mark on the ability and desire to win the cup. I know the team is taking one match at a time and not get ahead of themselves at this time, when it is absolutely necessary to beat Sri Lanka. But even to do that, they need to find some answers. And they need to find them quick.

Yorked!!! – by Chetan Narula.

The worst day in Indian cricket.

Shock, awe, terror, trepidation, despair, misery, gloom, anguish, dejection, despondency, indignation, resentment, antipathy. All these together do not reflect my mood. I am still at a loss for words. Exactly what an average Indian cricket fan must be feeling because his favourite team in the world just lost to Bangladesh, a minnow given the gigantic proportions of the cup.

Unbelievable as it may sound, but it is true. Indians did wake up on Sunday hoping that the previous night had been a nightmare. But once the television sets were switched on again, the dreaded truth lay bare in front of them. We had just lost to our neighbours, who are quite young in international cricket, given the amount of cricket Sachin Tendulkar alone has played. But it all went waste. It all went waste.

As much as I would like to harp about Bangladesh being fabulous in every department, for once I cannot control my emotions as a fan and thus will leave that analysis to a more neutral person. For the record, however, Bangladesh restricted India to a paltry 191. The ferocious Indian batting line up could not handle the pace of Mashrafe Mortaza, and the best players of spin could not handle three left arm slow bowlers. And then three under-21 players came out and stroked their way to 50s as if to mock the Indian bowlers, while they easily chased down the target. It cannot get worse than this.

What we will do is take a look one by one at the Indian players who played their part in arguably the worst defeat for Indian cricket ever. Worst, because this is the world cup. It is one thing losing to them otherwise, but in the big tournament, it is a different matter.

Greg Chappell for one has to understand that. We are not some guinea pigs sir, that you keep on experimenting with us till your last breath as Indian coach. I mean come on now, what was Robin Uthappa doing at no.3. Either you play an opener in the opener’s slot or you play a middle order batsman Dinesh Karthick there. Even sehwag and ganguly could have come at no.3 because they have quite a bit of experience and have done well at the top in the middle.

Rahul Dravid: Only God knows when an Indian captain will learn to choose the correct option after winning the toss. Sourav did it in 2003, and now this. I mean they were here last year weren’t they? Don’t they know the ball swings early on in the Carribean? And with Zaheer, Munaf and Agarkar in the side, did he really want to bowl when the wicket had eased out for batting, especially when we were playing just one specialist spinner? Answer up Dravid.

Virender Sehwag: What do you say to this man, who has defied all previous history, in taking if not his place in the team, then atleast his wicket for granted. I mean, you may be a triple tonner in tests sir, but the shot you got out to, is worthy only of gully cricket. No place for that sort of stuff in the international arena. I don’t see a place for him in the team altogether, but it is Dravid who has to open his eyes. But I am quite sure that on his bowling prowess he will make the cut against Bermuda. Talk about blasphemy.

Sachin tendulkar: You are the best batsman in the world. The one with the best technique to attack or defend as you please. You are the Bradman of this era. But there is another thing that you are. The inventor of new ways to get out. Driving on a ball that turns in, get an inside edge, ball hits the pad, and keeper messes up before finally catching it. We have seen it all Sachin. The question is, are we ever going to see you lift a world cup?

MS Dhoni, Harbhajan: Ducks? That’s what they score when the previous day, all the news channels carried out news how the Indian lower order was practicing power hitting. A bit more introspection required especially from Dhoni. Karthik is waiting in the wings and we know that the think tank likes to experiment.

Zaheer, Munaf, Agarkar: Not much fault with them except that they were bowling too much on the batsmen’s legs or too short of length. But then again, the way the Bangladeshis batted, clearly they disturbed their line and length. Bowling on a placid track, didn’t help either.

Ganguly, Yuvraj: Nothing much they did wrong or nothing else they could have done. Except that Ganguly ought to have shown some urgency early on in his innings. Plus one can’t also really blame Uthappa for what happened. He is meant to play attacking shots. We will also take into account his inexperience.

Why we lost was because these highly experienced and talented men just could not get their act right. The powerplays brought runs in a trickle, so much so only 24 runs were scored in the first 10 overs. Ganguly took 120 balls to score his fifty. Yes he was the lone man standing but a bit more urgency than the safety first approach could have been beneficial. Plus what is it with Sachin and left arm bowlers? Add Abdur Razzak to the list of Giles, Jayasuriya and Raymond price. And last but not the least, 5 wickets for 2 runs is the stuff dreams are made of. Bangladeshi ones I am sure. My memory betrays me if I try to even recall a similar streak of Indian dismissals.

All is not lost yet unlike in Pakistan’s case. We can still qualify but it is not in our hands alone. Sri Lanka’s run rate is too high and Bangladesh will play Bermuda last. Not only we have to win the last two matches comfortably but also pray that Sri Lanka beat the living daylights out of Bangladesh, so much so that their run rate becomes irreparable against Bermuda. Our fate is no more in our hands.

The thought of India out of the world cup in the first round, is an edgy one. Ask the advertisers if the fans’ condition is not enough proof. But it is not an improbable one. If that happens, it will surely surpass this as the worst day in our cricketing history. As a fan, I am mentally scarred by this loss forever. Not ready for the next one just yet. Not yet.