And the Sojourn Continues...

Well, maybe it is a little late to be talking about this topic, as enough has been written as well as said about this one. Nonetheless, it never gets old.

A fresh breath of life

It was a refreshing Test season. Sure, it was quite a bit long. But, it was still one of the most scintillating seasons of cricket, particularly Test cricket, in recent years. Even for a team like India, which has absolutely dominated its opponents in its own backyard, it was an engaging experience. And much more importantly, this grand home season of Test cricket breathed a fresh ease of life into the beleaguered format that Test cricket had become, facing dwindling interest and low attendance. This season also hoisted India to the top of the Test rankings, and with a long limited-overs season ahead, this mace is set to remain with the land of Hanuman for a long time to come.

India vs. New Zealand

First up was New Zealand. A strong team, but one that tends to lose momentum at crucial intervals. This series was a crucial one for newly-appointed captain Virat Kohli, to justify his claim as an inspirational leader. And that he did. India romped to a series whitewash, with their captain in red-hot form. There was a short pause to the Test cricket, because of an ODI series, after which action resumed against England.

India vs. England

This series was a special one for me, as it was my first experience inside that little world that goes by the name of the Wankhede stadium. Team India, as well as its captain, were on song, resulting in drawn first Test and a 4-0 whitewash. The spin twins, Ashwin and Jadeja, were spot-on, as they were in the previous series. The consequent limited-overs series resulted in the only series loss for India this entire season. But what it also witnessed was the emergence of young man named Kedar Jadhav; and the resurgence of an old faithful, Yuvraj Singh. It also has to be noted that the Test series produced India's second triple-centurion, Karun Nair, the first, of course being the great Virendra Sehwag.

India vs. Bangladesh

There was the one-off Test against Bangladesh.This match was historic in its own right, as it was the first India-Bangladesh Test carried out on Indian soil. The result, however, wasn't as historic; India trounced Bangladesh by 208 runs.

India vs. Australia

Then came the cherry on top of the cake. The Border-Gavaskar trophy. This climax to the Test season was the most engaging of all. Two firsts happened here which hadn't happened in the season gone by: India lost a Test match; and Virat Kohli did not score a double hundred in this series. Both the teams swung back and forth, both by sessions and words, but it was India who had the last laugh, at least where it was important:on the field. This series was a standout because of a fact which was quite unprecedented in India: In this series, the Indian pacers came to the fore, specially Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma, also Bhuvaneshwar Kumar in the last match. This series also brought India's first male chinaman bowler to the limelight - Kuldeep Yadav. This was probably the best Test series played on Indian soil in the past 7-8 years. With the conclusion of this series, India extended its unbeaten run at home.

Something to look forward to...

The differences that were created during this intensely-fought series have since ceased to exist, as the IPL goes beyond geographical barriers of the nations.
This season, particularly this series, has fed an elixir of life to the ailing old man that Test cricket has now become, prolonging its life even further.

Yeh Das Saal Aapke Naam

Ah! Here comes India's annual festival! And like most of our festivals, this one doesn't occur on the same date every year. But unlike other festivals, this one isn't ancient. In fact, it just turned 10 years old.

Yes, I am talking about the decennial celebration of the world's first-ever T20 league, the IPL. And as we gear up to welcome this festival once more, I can only ponder and exclaim in wonder at the lightning-speed at which this phenomenon has spread across the world. 

Even the most hardcore Test cricket purist will have to admit, albeit forcefully, that T20 cricket has struck a chord with a fan from every age-group. The IPL has simply amplified this in our over-populated, cricket-crazy nation. 

There is a second side to this coin, though. The glitz and instant glamour of this world has left the door open for the unfortunate practice of match-fixing and rendezvous with bookies having criminal tendencies.Young players get instantly attracted to such short-term infatuations, as was seen with some young players in 2013.

Even though this problem cannot entirely be sidelined, a more efficient administration can help restrict such incidents from occurring. What may not be under the control of these good administrators, and is a good thing, is the impact the IPL has on Indian cricket, largely. More players are being produced by the IPL than the traditional first-class establishment. The IPL is also a vital test of form for already-established players. On a much broader spectrum, it has established India as a financial superpower, which is an unprecedented phenomenon. Never before did India see itself as a truly global frontrunner.

So, as India gears up to welcome what was described as "the best cricket league in the world" by RCB captain Virat Kohli, I hope this season throws up some unexpected surprise packages. I hope that it inspires the same amount of confidence in players and fans alike. So, let the celebrations be on a different level altogether! Because, as it was said by the IPL promoters themselves, "Yeh Das Saal Aapke Naam". 

  

And the Journey Begins....

Ha! That was one good series, wasn’t it? Gave a lot of us some meat to chew on, maybe some nails too. Recognize what I’m speaking about? Of course, the recently concluded India – Sri Lanka bilateral T20 Series.
This series was kind of a dress rehearsal for the upcoming World T20 to be held in the Indian sub – continent. It is a good thing that the Indian team is getting quite a few matches to play before the World T20, which of course is a morale – booster. It allows the team management and the captain to decide on the roles of the players in the team, which is ever – important.
Okay, let’s move on to the matches. India carried forward their winning combination from the Australia series. As the squad that was announced was common for the recent series, the Asia Cup as well as the World T20, it was pleasantly surprising to see Pawan Negi in the squad. The squad is a perfect mixture of youth and experience, with the old warhorses Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh all coming in from the Australia series. Virat Kohli was rested for this series.  As for Sri Lanka, it was a very inexperienced side to boot, with Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thisara Perera and Dinesh Chandimal being among the recognized faces. Dilhara Fernando was one of the seniors making a comeback. 
  
Though inexperienced, this side gave a tough fight to Big Brother, defeating India comprehensively in the first match. But thereon, it was India all the way as they cruised to two consecutive wins, the second one being the standout. India restricted Sri Lanka to its lowest T20 total ever, a paltry 82. Obviously, India cruised through the match.

 A particular standout from the second match, especially, from Sri Lanka’s perspective, was Thisara Perera’s hat – trick. He got Hardik Pandya, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh off consecutive balls to become the fourth man to achieve this feat in T20Is. Even the youngsters of Sri Lanka such as Dushmantha Chameera and Dasun Shanaka, who created an impression.

Overall, it was a good series for cricket. After suffering a few hiccups in the first game, India backed themselves to clinch the series. This win further consolidates India’s No.1 ranking in T20Is. Now, the next big thing in Indian cricket will be the Asia Cup, again a T20 series. So, revel in the T20 fervour, until the IPL. Cheerio!

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.

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.

When God Retires....

On 16th November 2013, an unforgettable event occurred in cricketing history. Just one day after his historic debut 24 years ago, the God of Cricket retired from all formats of competitive cricket. Sachin Tendulkar, one of the greatest players of the game of cricket bid adieu to Cricket. There are unbeaten records to his name. Some examples are:
1. Most number of runs in the history of cricket. (34,357 runs)
2. Maximum number of international centuries. (100 centuries)
3. Most number of matches played by any player. (664 matches)
There are many more. This blog is too small to accommodate all of them.

Sachin Tendulkar was a young lad, 16 years old when he made his debut for India. He started playing cricket at the age of 11, as a punishment from his brother Ajit Tendulkar. There, at the coaching club, he met Ramakant Achrekar or Achrekar Sir, Tendulkar’s first coach. From that moment, he fell in love with the game. He would go to Shivaji Park every day, first batting in three different nets, then batting for some time, then taking throw downs from his friends and then batting again in different nets before finally hitting the sack.
You might have read the word ‘batting’ in the above lines many times. This was Sachin Tendulkar’s life. Batting, batting and batting. Yuvraj Singh has written in his book, that first his life was cricket, cricket and cricket. Then, after cancer, his life was cricket, cricket and cancer. It was similar with Sachin, just there was no change in the three words.
The magic that started right from his debut innings when the little boy faced the fierce attack by Wasim Akrams, Imran Khans and Waqar Younises of the world; and continued till his last innings at the Wankhede. What happened in between is possibly the biggest history created by any individual on a cricket field. When the Little Master retired there were tears in everyone’s eyes. But the tears were of joy, not sadness. He had inspired a generation of players and people, inspiring them to play for India and giving them the belief that Indians can beat other countries in their own backyard, not only at home.
This is his retirement speech:

Now comes perhaps the biggest question in Indian cricket history: Who after Tendulkar? There are many talented young batsmen in the Indian squad, like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara in Test cricket. But none of them can fill the boots of Sachin Tendulkar. Many fans have said that Virat Kohli is the replacement for Tendulkar, but Virat Kohli is still struggling in Test cricket. Some say Cheteshwar Pujara, but he still has not been tested on foreign soil and not even in One-Day cricket. Some say Shikhar Dhawan, but he is still in the start of his career. And some say Rohit Sharma, but even he has just started his Test career. We will have to see how these batsmen fare in the upcoming South Africa tour.
Rest assured, I bid adieu again to Sachin Tendulkar for inspiring so many generations of people. As it is said, God can retire from the field, but he will never retire from our hearts.