Glory at the Orange City

This Test was a historic one. Many records were broken in this match. The most significant record was the one which broke South Africa’s 9-year unbeaten streak on away tours, the highest after Australia’s 15-year streak. This test got over in just three days, which meant low-scoring encounters.

First off, it was a dismal performance on the part of South Africa. They registered on of their lowest scores ever when Ashwin and Co. bowled them out for 79. What an extra-ordinary Test this was! The first innings of the Indians who batted first ended at 215. Then, at stumps, South Africa was 11/2. On the second day, South Africa was bowled out for 79. Thereafter, India’s second innings ended at 173 on the same day. Then, at stumps, South Africa was at 29/2 with a target of 310 and three days of play left.

South Africa, though avoided further damage and humiliation by putting up some resistance. But, alas, they were bowled out for 185 and India comfortably won the match as well as the series.

Coming to India’s performance, I was disappointed bigtime by the Indian batting. Though their batting was far better than that of the South Africans and the highest individual score of the match, a knock of 40 came from India in the form of Murali Vijay. But, they more than made  up for it by restricting the Proteas to negligible scores. Ashwin was the chief perpetrator on an assistive wicket, capturing 12 wickets to take his tally of this series to 24. Ashwin could break his personal tally from a four match- Test match series; the best being 29 during India’s 4-0 thrashing of Australia at home in 2013. And going by the way Ashwin is bowling right now combined with the mighty unpredictable pitch at the Ferozshah Kotla, a fifer shouldn’t be a problem.

I think what Indian captain Virat Kohli said about the third day sums up the match perfectly. He said that on the third day, there was a team which was trying to stay alive in the match while the other was trying to win it.

This Test was special for me in a different way as it was played at my home town and it was the first time in the last three encounters at Nagpur against South Africa that India has won a match.      

I hope that India wins the fourth Test too and manages a whitewash of the Proteas. This would also mean a change in the ICC rankings. So, hope for the best and play on!!

A look-back on Zak

There was a time in Indian cricket when it was said that India does not have the ability to produce any real pacers, barring the likes of Kapil Dev. Even as India’s batting as well as fielding improved, this question seemed to haunt them everywhere: Where is that one bowler who we can look up and say: “This guy is a pacer.” And then the millennium turned. Come 2000, a young lad by the name of Zaheer Khan made his debut for India. People were getting an answer for their long-standing question. A new star had just entered the Indian team.

After being on the sidelines for roughly six years, he finally cemented his place in the ODI as well as Tests as India’s frontline pace bowler. According to me, this was mostly because of a turn of good fortune as he lost his place because of the arrival of two new bowlers and got his place because of the departure of two bowlers. After getting this valuable opportunity, he never let go and we saw the emergence of one of the world’s most prolific fast bowlers and the best just after Kapil Dev.
His high came in the 2011 World Cup where he emerged as India’s most successful bowler. The famous ‘knuckle ball’ reaped rewards.

He is right there with all the greats of cricket. If in Indian cricket, the 20th century saw the emergence of Kapil Dev, the 21st was the arrival of Zaheer Khan. He announced his retirement from international cricket after a career spanning 15 years. Hats off to him on a bravura career and I hope that there is another ‘Zak’ for the advancement of Indian cricket.

Finally, the Revelation

Ah! Finally the day has come. India has won a series overseas after a gap of four years and won a series in Sri Lanka after 22 years. Here are some of the things that I felt clicked for India in this recently – concluded series and made them a formidable team.

The ‘Aggressive’ mentality: India had not won any overseas Test series, and had hardly won any Test match against any strong team. Morale was down. In the middle of all this was MS Dhoni. Who was termed as Captain Cool in ODIs was blamed for lack of decisiveness in the longer format. As a result, he retired from Tests after the fourth Test in Australia and in came the rock star of the Indian dressing room, Virat Kohli as captain. And he brought a swagger into the team. He was determined to play the ‘aggressive’ brand of cricket and promised to bring vigour to an uninspired team. But whether that will work was not fully tested as the assignments he got were only of one Test. His first full – fledged assignment as Test captain was the tour of Sri Lanka. It presented to him an opportunity to prove his leadership as a captain. And how it worked! Apart from a few minor glitches, it worked wonders. Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra were in top form, and were successful in restricting the runs as well as taking wickets at regular intervals. Ashwin specially was in top form, picking up the highest number of wickets, 21 in 3 matches. Ishant Sharma too, was really good with the ball, constantly bowling bouncers and making optimum use of his Herculean height. He perhaps went too far with the aggressive attitude and was charged with a one – match ban for giving a send – off to some of the Sri Lankan batsmen. Well, something better than nothing.
The five – bowler theory: Virat Kohli actually implemented the aggressive mentality by bringing in five specialist bowlers, which worked wonders for the team. Even if substantially, this did add pressure to the inexperienced batting order and sometimes did fail. If not for some batsmen who stuck around and drove the innings, the results could have been entirely different than they are now.

Better fielding: Now, you can say that this was expected of this young squad. But in this series, they upped the ante, especially the slip cordon. And in them, Ajinkya Rahane is a name worth mentioning. He took an astonishing 8 catches in a match, setting a record. So, as a result, most of the wickets were ‘caught and bowled’. And the bowlers were indeed happy. In fact, of Ashwin’s tally of 21 wickets, 14 were catches. Of those, 4 were caught by Rahane.

People may debate that Sri Lanka was a comparatively easy team to beat as it is in a period of transition. But for all those who say this, India is also in a period of transition. And there were moments in the series from where even Sri Lanka could have won, but the Indians fought back on the basis of their merit and talent and clinched the series after trailing 1-0.

I wish good luck to the Indian team for the upcoming South Africa series starting from the 2^nd of October, which is at home. This is where the mettle and skill of this developing team will be tested to the fullest.

The Spectacular Fall of the Indians in the Gala at Galle

Its monsoon in the subcontinent and the new sporting season has just started. Every sport has just begun full- fledged. So has cricket for India. After what you can call a short break, India began with a short tour of Bangladesh. Though the hosts were defeated in Tests, they spectacularly trounced the Indians in the ODI matches. After that came a home series against Zimbabwe, which India obviously won. The next tour and their first comparatively strong opponent was Sri Lanka. This was, or rather is, Virat Kohli,s first full – fledged tour as captain of the Test team.

The first Test was held at Galle. This iconic ground, always known to be a happy hunting ground for the spinners, was no exception this time. The pitch was a beautiful turning track, a paradise for spinners. So Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra would be the trump cards for India.

India went into this tour with a different interface, one that of aggressiveness. And abiding by this strategy, the Indian team went into the first match with five bowlers (Four bowlers are the generally preferred option).

Now let’s turn to the match. The Sri Lankans, put to bat first on a damp wicket, surrendered meekly to the power of Ashwin. R Ashwin recorded his best Test figures, 6- 46 and bundled out the hosts for 183. Thereafter, the Indian batsmen also performed very well with Shikhar Dhawan scoring 134, Virat Kohli scoring 103 and Wriddhiman Saha supporting them ably with 60 runs. As a result of this, India scored a massive total of 375 and amassed a lead of 192 runs. And after this, at the end of the day, the Indian bowlers again showed their magic, reducing them to 5/2 at stumps. An easy Indian victory seemed on the cards.

But as they say in cricket, every match is played to the very last ball and no one knows what will happen at the end of the match, what will turn in whose favour. And that exactly happened in this match.

From where they could have easily won, one will be astonished to see the Indians threw their own easy win. After the hosts were reduced to 5/2, Dinesh Chandimal put on a valiant and consequently match-winning knock of 162 with able support from Mubarak, Thirimanne and Kumar Sangakkara, who is incidentally playing his last Test.  Here too, the bowlers displayed some vigor, with Ashwin picking up four wickets once again to take ten wickets in a Test match for the third time in his career, though he went for some runs. The Sri Lankans put up a score of 367 and India needed 176 runs to win the match.

But it was not to be. The factor which had troubled the hosts in the first innings troubled the Indians in their second innings, and that was spin. What Ashwin did for India in the first innings, Rangana Herath did for Sri Lanka in the second. Picking up 7 wickets for 47, he single – handedly gifted Kumar Sangakkara a dramatic win in his last match.

Perhaps, the India was over- confident after dominating the first 3 days of the match. Or perhaps it was Sri Lanka’s grit and determination, which clung on to the one chance that they got and sealed the match. Whatever it was, it was a humiliating defeat for India. Moreover, they lost the match on the 69^th Independence Day, which must have been excruciatingly painful for Virat and Co. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, might have won one of their most dramatic wins ever, and certainly their best win in the past two or three years.

If India already one down, it makes the second Test a do-or-die match as it is a three-match series.

Personally, I certainly hope along with millions of Indian fans that India wins the next match as it certainly has the potential of a match-winning unit.  

Photo sources: www.gettyimages.com, zeenews.india.com, www.rediff.com, www.firstpost.com, tribune.com.pk.

India Makes it Six Out of Six

Today, something historic happened on the world stage. India defeated Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval in the World Cup 2015. India has always been the better team while playing Pakistan, especially in the world cup. As a result, it has never lost to Pakistan in World Cups. This match was no different. It is interesting to analyze what worked in favor of India today.

Great cricket is all about a team performing well in all departments. At the end of the day, India proved to be a better team in all prospects: batting, bowling, fielding and Captaincy. Here is why I think so.

Batting 
Traditionally India’s strength has always been its batting. Today was no different.  Shikhar Dhawan, who had been struggling since a while, fired in this match. Virat Kohli, who had been given the responsibility of carrying the team through, executed his role perfectly with a swashbuckling century. Suresh Raina also provided the shots while Kohli was anchoring the innings. While scoring the runs, they maintained their wicket. This resulted in the formation of two important 100- run partnerships. The team also played risk- free without getting tempted to fire big shots during the mid-overs, while consistently maintaining the run rate. Pakistan, on the other hand, could not build a solid partnership barring a 68 – run stand between Ahmed Shahzad and Haris Sohail. Even the potentially dangerous Shahid Afridi got out for a measly 22. Misbah, as always, was the lone ranger, with a solid 76. Pakistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals which cost Pakistan the game.

Bowling
Indian bowlers have constantly been criticized for their performance recently. Bowling is often cited as India’s weakness. More so, on the Aussie conditions. However, in this match the bowling became one of India’s strength. Instead of restricting runs, they decided to go for the wickets and it paid off. The bowlers kept taking wickets at regular intervals, which eventually whisked the match out of Pakistan’s hands. Pakistan bowlers on the other hand could hardly maintain that pressure on the batsmen. They did well in the end, though, picking up wickets. If those wickets had been taken earlier, the result might have been different. The only silver lining was Sohail Khan. He captured five Indian scalps on World cup debut.

Fielding
India already is a very good fielding unit. They did well in this match as well. They created chances out of nowhere, even getting some of them. As a result, Pakistan was under pressure. Meanwhile, in Pakistan’s innings, the fielding was fairly good, but Umar Akmal, who was keeping wickets even when he wasn’t a specialist, missed a chance of Virat Kohli which cost them the match.

Captaincy
Dhoni’s captaincy proved to be superior again. Apart from winning the toss, two of his decisions paid off well. First was to review the Umpire’s decision on Umar Akmal. And second was to send Raina earlier in the order.

A champion team is one which does well in all areas: batting, bowling, fielding and captaincy. India played like a champion today and won. The tradition of crushing Pakistan on the World Cup pitch remains intact.

A look at the History of the World Cup

Welcome to the second biggest single – sport event in the world! The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Four years ago, it was held in Indian subcontinent. This time around, it has crossed the Indian Ocean and has come to Australasia. Yes, this time, it is being held in Australia as well as in New Zealand. The World Cup was held here last time in 1992, the year that Imran Khan’s Pakistanis lifted the Cup. The World Cup has travelled a long journey, and hopefully the journey will be unending. The World Cup has started from today, with the New Zealand – Sri Lanka clash kicking it off. 

So here is a look-back at the journey of the World Cup. Let’s see how the idea of the World Cup took fruit.

The Start of the World Cup

The man who dreamt of the World Cup was Kerry Packer, who was the owner of Australian TV Channel 9. He contracted well – known cricketers from around the world and paid them huge sums of money to play for his channel. He formed two teams – Australia and ‘Rest of the World’. Ian Chappell was the captain of the Australian team. Tony Grieg was the captain of the Rest of the World team. It consisted of famous players from England, South Africa, Pakistan and West Indies. It was called World Series Cricket (WSC). These players were banned from playing for their country. That is why; there was not a single Indian player on this team. Of course, that rule was relieved afterwards. Taking Packer’s idea a little forward, the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided to organize the World Cup in 1975. Most of the countries which played Test cricket regularly till 1975 participated in the First Prudential World Cup. It was held in England, which is where cricket started.

The First Prudential World Cup: 1975

The West Indies were one of the best teams at that time. Its squad consisted of the likes of Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding in the bowling department and Clive Lloyd, Vivian Richards, Gordon Greenidge among others in the batting line – up. As a result, the West Indies won the First World Cup by 17 runs by defeating Australia in the final held on the 21st of June, 1975.

 

The Second Prudential World Cup: 1979

The second Prudential World Cup was held in the English subcontinent again. We can say that this is a carbon copy of the first World Cup with some minor changes. The name of the World Cup was the same, so was the venue. And so was the winner. West Indies was again the winner. The only changes were; instead of Australia, there was England in the final along with the West Indies. Another change was the exit of East Africa and the entry of Canada into the World Cup.

   

The Third Prudential World Cup: 1983 

Things and fortunes were about to change for India.

It would have been a miracle if anyone had even thought of India winning the World Cup. Even though it had the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri, Roger Binny, and Sandeep Patil in their team, they were not so good a team in the fast paced ODI format. They were a decent Test unit. Cricket had come to India because of the British. Oh, and what they did in that British land! The World Cup was played in the English subcontinent for the third time. Zimbabwe had entered the World Cup this time. West Indies, once again, were the favorites to win the Cup and make it a hat – trick of World Cups for Clive Lloyd. But thing were about to change. And how!

 

The finals of the World Cup 1983

What a peculiarity! The strongest team in world cricket, the West Indies on one side and one of the weakest cricket teams at that time, India on the other side. But still India won. They won because of they were lion - hearted. The ability to put everything into a match is one of the reasons because of which India won the Cup.

 

Fourth Reliance World Cup: 1987

The World Cup shifted from subcontinent to subcontinent. This time it shifted from the English subcontinent to the Indian subcontinent. With the new venue, came the new winners. Australia won the Cup for the first time in 1987 by beating England in the final.  One more significant change was that the duration of a match changed from 60 overs to 50 overs. India made it to the Super Six Stage of this World Cup.

 

Fifth Benson and Hedges World Cup: 1992

Imran Khan’s Pakistan won this Cup after losing their first two matches and then winning all their remaining matches continuously, right till the final. Pakistan defeated England in the final. This World Cup was held in the Australian subcontinent. India finished seventh in this World Cup.

 

Sixth Wills World Cup: 1996

The World Cup returned to the Indian subcontinent once again. Sri Lanka won this World Cup and a third Asian giant in World cricket after India and Pakistan emerged. India made it till the semifinal stage of this Cup.

 

Seventh World Cup: 1999 - An era of domination begins.

This Cup was held in the English subcontinent and in Holland (present day Netherlands). England was one of the favorites to win this Cup and Australia was just a possibility. England never made it to the final and Australia lifted the World Cup for the second time in 1999 by beating Pakistan in the final. India made it till the Super Six stage of this World Cup.

Eighth ICC World Cup: 2003

This World Cup was held in the African continent, mainly in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya. Australia and India were at their peak, and were considered favorite. Incidentally, the final was played between the same two teams, with Australia making a landslide victory, to equate the record of two consecutive World Cup wins with the West Indies.

Ninth ICC World Cup: 2007

Australia continued their invincible run at the World Cup, by remaining unbeaten for two consecutive World Cups by beating Sri Lanka in the final. This World Cup was held in the Caribbean. India had a first round exit in this World Cup.

 

Tenth World Cup: 2011

Both the World Cups returned to India: the tournament and the trophy. India lifted the World Cup after 28 years after beating Sri Lanka in the final on the 2nd of April, 2011.

Now the World Cup has just started. I’m analyzing India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa as the favorites to win the World Cup. I will be following the World Cup extensively. On 15th February, India will start its campaign against Pakistan, which is always a high – profile game because of the political tension between the two neighbors. So, India will have to give their best from the very start of their title defence.