Cricforu

Legends are never born; they are made through toils of hard work, sweat in practice sessions day in and day out. Rahul Dravid truly is one. Even as the talk of him ready to call it quits from Test cricket grow louder, it is learnt that the former Indian captain could hang his boots from Test cricket on the last day of the Adelaide Test on Saturday. Remember, he already retired from ODIs last year.

A series whitewash, calls for his blood from everyone has made not only the purists sad but also worried. Not long ago, Dravid led the charge with blistering centuries at the Old Blighty. A total of 194 runs at a below-par average of 24.25 is not the way Dravid would have wanted to bid adieu to the game which gave him everything. And the right-hander returned the favour in kind. Dravid gave cricket his all.

He practiced hard, ran harder and played the game the hardest. Adelaide was the same place where Dravid notched up his maiden double century against Steve Waugh’s men during the 2003-04 tour Down Under.

More than centuries being scored from his willow, it is the margins of the victories that has pleased Dravid over the years. Be it Adelaide, Headingley or Rawalpindi, Dravid has been up for the task.

In a team sport, Dravid has made many sit and notice his sheer demeanour of playing match-winning knocks one after another. He would trudge to the crease as much like a man on a mission. He would consolidate, create gaps and pierce them with aplomb. Dravid was the creator of India’s destinies on innumerable occasions. But, like any movie on screen, the end has to come. In Dravid’s case, it has proved to be a tumultous one.

During the current series against Australia —-his defence has failed him completely. A part of me still can’t believe that Dravid may not be in the Indian whites again.

It is a disbelief that has engulfed me for the past few hours and I somehow, somewhere feel that a part of me has been lost, lost forever.

As I wait (yes, I still do) with bated breath to catch a glimpse of the Adelaide Test between India and Australia, a certain fear grips me.

It probably will be the last time we would see the Big Three  — Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman — in action in a Test match overseas as there is a sleu of home Tests coming up as the year progresses. I don’t want to get into the debate of whether youngsters should take groomed immediately to upstage Laxman or Dravid’s place in the Test side or the legends should call it quits at the end of the series, but to have watched them grace and take Indian cricket to the greatest heights can’t be taken away.

I agree with the fact the top-five of this Indian batting line-up which has accrued 48745 runs at 50.93 in Tests, but have fallen woefully short in the last two series abroad. While it has been a collective failure, the talk of Laxman or Dravid facing the axe is uncalled for. Agreed, it is high time that  Rohit Sharma stopped warming the benches and take the field, but to be showing the legends scant respect despite their ordinary run is just not on.

They still are your best bets, and one deserves more respect for having served you for over a decade-and-half. It may be the last time Laxman would (if at all he is picked in the final XI of the Adelaide Test) use his magical wand (yes, am talking about his bat) to bisect the fields to a precision that would make a surgeon proud. It could be the last time Dravid would be unleash those crisp cover drives that would have taken years of sweat and toil in the nets. Dreadfully enough, it would be the last time Sachin has a chance to script his 100th International ton in Tests in Australia.

This very thought would shatter the mood and morale of many a fan who would come to watch the greats wield their willows on Tuesday. I am not someone who advocates the theory of chopping and taking a knee-jerk reaction, but I am afraid many heads will roll at the conclusion of this series and it may bring a halt to the legends’ journey in the longest form of the game.

I don’t want to ponder about who will play, who will be omitted, who will sail this turbulence and who won’t, but there is a churning in my stomach that is slowing passing on a message which is hard to be ignored.

I have to admit, albeit shamelessly, that despite India getting pasted at the ongoing 4-match Test series against Australia, I had woken up diligently to watch them perish day in and day out.

Along with me, there have been countless who would have patiently seen yet another dream India winning a Test series in Australia being butchered mercilessly. As India sank to yet another defeat in the Perth Test on Sunday, there was an ardent fan thousands of kilometres away who lost his battle with his life.

Yes, here is a real life story of a tea-seller in a remote place in central part of India—Nagpur. I first met Mohan Gawande during my trip to Nagpur to cover the World Cup 2011 games last year.

Passionate, proficient and a keen student of the game, Mohan’s shop was not like a normal tea-selling shop in Sitabuldi, Nagpur. With a small TV set to be abreast with what was happening in the world of cricket, Mohan read the game much like thos who write about it and rant about it sitting in the commentary box.

During one of my conversations with him, Mohan predicted that India’s batting will be thoroughly exposed if the much-hyped middle-order fail to perform. Well, one didn’t have to Albert Einstein to read that, but Mohan looked very worried. Despite coming back after my stint there, I often conversed with him, and his relatives had begun to worry about his state of health. Much like the Indian team, Mohan’s health had taken a beating. He was bed-ridden for the last 2 months as a bout of pneumonia had taken its toll.

For someone who took pride in announcing that he has watched most of India’s matches across the world in the last three decades, Mohan firmly believed that this team would make a mark in the series Down Under. During my last conversation with him just after the debacle in the Sydney Test, Mohan had mentioned, “Somehow I feel we were not up to the mark. Indian team is waging a losing battle against Australia, much similar to mine with life.”

He breathed his last on Sunday. While my heart goes out to his family, I do not know how many more Mohans across the world would have died (mentally) after seeing such a sorry show put up by this Indian team.

Today, I don’t want to mull on the reasons of India’s defeat in Australia. There is a silent prayer on my lips as I wonder whether cricket in India too will meet a fate akin to Mohan. I surely hope not.

Wham, wham, wham, wham…….no am not describing any Phantom or a Batman movie, but Australia’s opening Bat Man David Warner. On a day when India’s old bats struggled, bided time, left deliveries outside the corridor of uncertainty, and shamelessly perished, Warner gave a lesson on authoritative batsmanship.

His innings of 104 came in just 80 balls, more importantly it contained 13 hits to the fence and 3 sweetly times ones sailing past the ropes. The southpaw sizzled in what was according to the statisticians, the joint fourth-fastest century in Tests, and put Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men completely out of the contest on the very first day of the third Test at the WACA Ground in Perth on Friday.

Such was Warner’s onslaught that out of Australia’s total of 149 without loss, the left-hander was sitting pretty on 104, while his partner-in-crime Ed Cowan was unconquered on 40. One thing which would be most demoralising for India was the pace with which the Australian openers hit them and within the space of the first 17 overs, Warner had crossed the 80-run mark in his individual capacity.

Another damning statistic was the scoreline at the end of the first 20 overs. While India had managed about 50-odd for the loss of 2 wickets, their counterparts were sitting pretty at 146 sans any loss. There was intent from the Australians when they came onto bat after guzzling the Indian  innings for a paltry total of 161. Once again the shot selection was poor, the footwork missing and the same mistakes being made in the middle.

Not one batsman looked in command of the situation. The normally swift Sachin Tendulkar had to work hard for his 15, while VVS Laxman did hang in there and just when it looked like he was going to prolong his stay, he departed. The last six wickets fell for just 30 runs tells the story of India’s journey Down Under.

I wonder how many in this Indian team will maintain their own berths after the Test at Perth.

Most of the Indian fans will be finding themselves in a familiar territory. Yet another overseas series involving the Indian cricket team, and yet again, the men who took the field have failed to deliver.

As the India-Australia Test series reaches the WACA (Western Australia Cricket Association) in Perth, the threat of the scoreline going 0-3 in favour of the hosts loom large. Who is to be blamed for this royal mess? Who is to be blamed for organising unwanted series such the one against West Indies in India right before this important one? Who is to be blamed with injuries becoming more frequent for the young guns (Praveen Kumar, Varun Aaron are part of the injured bench) than it should have been? Who is to be blamed if the big three (Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman) have no replacements at all in the Test side?

The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) is the one to who needs to be rapped on their knuckles. Winners in any form of sport are known for having their priorities in place.

The moment former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly called it quits, there should have been a player of the likes Rohit Sharma who should have been drafted and given an extended run. The powers to be should have realised that other batting stalwarts too would be bidding adieu sooner or later. The Big Three are not getting younger by the day, and it would have made perfect sense for them to be phased out, much like a long-serving employee who was with you through thick and thin.

Trust me; it is never easy to tell a player that his time is up and legends such as Rahul Dravid or Laxman are too proud and level-headed to wait for the axe to fall on their heads. The rebuilding phase will mean that the likes of Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohlis are given an extended in Tests and given the cushion of featuring in the playing XI despite failures. If one looks at India’s record since the Boxing Day Test in 2007, Dhoni’s team have just won four while going in 12 Tests out of 27 played. It is quite human to be caught with the way the Big Four have batted with panache for years now and to have overlooked at the transition, but if it has to happen, it is NOW. Not to forget, the seniors do need to be treated by not just the men who do the commentary, but those who watch and those who chose the teams. We all do know that a repeat of the fateful tour of England looms large, but we can’t conveniently turn a blind eye to the past and look to conquer the future.

Given the way India is performing against Australia in the four-match Test series, I will not be surprised if the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) actually reschedules the Perth and Adelaide Test back in Chennai and in Bengaluru. Jokes apart, I have never understood the logic behind harping about individual brilliance regardless of the collective failure of the team.

Agreed, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid have over the years scripted sensational knocks across the world, but one can count on the number of the victories India secured during the period. Be it the one in Perth in 2007-08 series against Australia, the one against the same opponents in Adelaide in 2003-04 series or against the Proteas in Durban last year have all won on the backdrops of individual brilliance.

Now, when these stalwarts have not made significant contributions with the willow in the ongoing series and even in the Tests against England, fingers are being pointed out at them. Not at the team? Well, that’s the way it works in Indian cricket.

One wonders how the big three of Indian batting will be taking the loss in the first two Tests. It is not as if they have not tried, but their performances haven’t met the expectations of anyone.

When the series against Australia began, the discussions centered on how it was a good chance for India to win their maiden series Down Under. With the dreams being put to rest, the team must be in a huddle to salvage their backs now.

The talk of a few big names asked to sit out, and young guns like Rohit Sharma being drafted in sounds good on paper, not on practice. For starters, the need of the hour is to showcase patience and arrest the slide quickly. While Australia asked tough questions, Indians were left searching for solutions. As of now, it has proven to be a one-sided affair barring those few moments in the Melbourne Test.

Worse, the Indian team’s decision to stay away from the game despite being 0-2 down in the series has had the pundits fuming. The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led team went for go-karting on Monday instead of nets, which surely has not gone well with former greats such as Sunil Gavaskar.

“There is no attitude to go there. You have to go there and practice cricket. Should not a two-day game have been organised in Perth because that’s the fastest pitch in Australia,” Gavaskar told a news channel.

That’s not all. It has been reported that pacer Ishant Sharma did a Virat Kohli on Monday at the same go-karting event. Ishant showed his middle finger to assembled cricket fans at the go-karting do angering many.

With everyone knowing that a bouncy wicket await India in Perth, it would have been wise for the team to have put in more hours in practice than shopping, sight-seeing or worse, garnering the ire of the fans. But that’s not how Dhoni’s team planned. With the third Test scheduled to start from Friday, the result of the series seems to be a foregone conclusion for many, unless India script a turnaround. Will they do it? Watch this space for more.

The India-Australia Test series is turning out to be grossly one-sided and I shudder to think that if a side boasting of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag can’t deliver the goods, who else will?
To be honest, it’s just about 10 days since the series and I feel it has been a month. The Indian team seemed to have donned the Santa Claus hats, gifting one win after another. To have crossed the 300-run mark just once in four innings so far against this Australian attack is not pardonable.
This period calls for grit, not glamour. This period calls for playing the ball on merit, not panache. This period calls for application more than anything else. If Australians can bat out sessions, why can’t India?
Ever since the series began, I have had this odd feeling of the era of 1990’s being replayed. Runs in buckets being scored by the Australians, Indian batting caving in meekly, Sachin Tendulkar scoring a quickfire 30-40 or even crossing 50s, while the rest fold up cheaply.
Friday morning promised a lot with Sachin and Gautam Gambhir battling to save the Test. For the better part of the first session, the promise was intact till Gambhir’s shot ballooned to David Warner at point for India to lose their fourth, and the giggles were back in the Australian dressing room. The shaky Indian dressing room sent fourth innings specialist Vangipurappu Venkatsai Laxman to a rousing reception, and the Hyderabadi appeared understandably edgy.
But Michael Clarke surprisingly allowed Laxman to settle down with the advent of off-spinner Nathan Lyon at the crease. Rasping cover drives, quick-footed flicks towards the square boundaries flowed from Laxman’s willow and the match was slowly beginning to shift balance, yes, only just.
Tendulkar was concentration personified. He knew where the fielders were and essayed his shots accordingly. Dodge this — Sachin had cut Pattinson towards the point boundary, and Clarke plugged the gap by bringing in a fielder from covers.
Next ball was similar in length and what does Sachin do? Use his willow to steer past the cover region much to the agony of the bowler and the fielding captain. It was Master at his very best. But the romance with Sachin’s innings met with a sad end. Sachin’s supposedly last Test innings in Sydney ended when he was beaten with drift and bounce as offered a slip catch off ‘part-timer’ Clarke which was gleefully accepted by Michael Hussey.
The lesser said about the rest of the Indian batting, the better. The margin of loss — an innings and 68 runs — will definitely demoralise the Indian side. As I said earlier, application in the middle is more important than those hours of sweat being shed at practice. The likes of Virat Kohli and some famous names in the batting order will be under notice.
The Perth Test which starts at the WACA (West Australian Cricket Association) Ground in a few days time will test Dhoni and his team. Will they stand up for the challenge? Going by the way this team has performed, I have my doubts. After the massacre in Melbourne, the seige at Sydney, a pummelling at Perth is all Clarke will be dreaming off. Looks like his dreams could come true.

How do you win with losers? Better still, how do you lose with winners? Well, this exactly sums up the fortunes of Australia and India in their ongoing Test series. While Australia pulled off a win in Melbourne with the help of rookies in the form of Ed Cowan, James Pattinson, Nathan Lyon their opponents failed as collective unit barring the brilliance of Sachin Tendulkar.

In a game where fortunes change hands frequently, Australia won more points of play than India in Melbourne, but it could be a different tale for the hosts when they face Dhoni’s men in Sydney from January 3 to 7.

The good news is that India’s batsmen have done well in this ground. For starters, Sachin Tendulkar averages a monstrous 221 in this ground, having hit his highest Test of 241* during the 2003-04 tour. VVS Laxman has hit centuries each time (thrice) he has stepped into the ground which speaks volumes about the way he has tormented the Aussies over the past decade.

The Australians have called up Ryan Harris who can swing the ball appreciably and operates on a tight channel. The headache for Mickey Arthur will be to accommodate Harris in the playing XI and one would say Nathan Lyon will have to sit out.

India will have to pull their socks up and come up with a stellar show if the motor mouths would have to be silenced. The SCG has in it to aid both batters and the bowlers, but application is a must.

Runs will come if you stay at the crease and this is applicable to everyone who walks into the centre. Virat Kohli could get the chop in favour of Rohit Sharma. With Virat appearing woefully out of form, Rohit should get the nod.

India will want to come out of the ODI mindset in order to accrue more runs as that’s the only way to put the Australians under pressure. The Indian bowlers did their job in the first Test and one would expect them to come all guns blazing yet again.

On the other hand, Australia, one up in the series will not want to give an inch to their opponents as that would split the series wide open. With regards to the prediction, the Sydney Test offers India a good chance to hit back at the critics and those who have begun to mercilessly point finger at the shortcomings of this team. Time for the big guns to bring those weapons of mass destruction and set the stage ablaze.

Old foes and bad habits are hard to leave by. For India, the year ended much akin to the way it all started. If it was Mark Boucher and Jacques Kallis who frustrated India at the Newlands at the start of the year in the series against South Africa, the likes of James Pattinson and Peter Siddle put their side much ahead of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side in the Melbourne Test.

The issues seriously lies in the way India open up once they smell a partnership happening. When Australia were tottering at 27 for 4, one would have expected India to have brought in more fielders in close-catching positions. On the contrary, Dhoni spread the field, gifting Christmas gifts to Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, and the duo obliged and how.

Delivering the sucker punch has never been India’s forte and we continue to commit the same mistakes. Another good example was in the Nottingham Test when England were eight down for just over 100, before Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad took India apart. What separated Dhoni from his counterpart Michael Clarke is the innovativeness the latter brought in his approach. While Dhoni succeeded in finding ways to dismiss the top-order, his strategy fell way short when it came to removing the tailenders. And when Pattinson and Ben Hilfenhaus added over 50-60 crucial runs on Day Four, the game was in Australia’s pocket. More the regular batters, the tailenders, with their gritty display, have this uncanny knack of frustrating the fielders. What it does is sap the likes of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir who are already in the mental build-up of padding up and it gets delayed further. As cricket is all about momentum, the longer the Australian tail wagged, the taller the ask for India.

If one has to sit and analyse India’s show this year, the highlight would invariably be on the historic World Cup victory which came at our own backyard. Barring the series wins against an ordinary West Indies and a stupendous win at Durban, India’s Test report card has nothing much to showcase.What’s to look forward? Well, the Sydney Test which kickstarts from January 3 presents a good chance for India to mend their ways.

Dhoni will have to sit and do some soul-searching, ensuring that his team starts the year well as it would definitely bring more spice to the contest. For the time being, the Agneepath series is turning out to be Agony-path for Dhoni’s men.

Grumble, crumble, rumble and stumble—read one of the placards at the massive Melbourne Cricket Ground that aptly signified India’s abject surrender in the first Test against Australia on Thursday. Not for nothing are we termed as poor travellers and for the fourth time in succession, India lost their first Test in an overseas series. Worryingly enough, this is India’s fifth Test loss in as many matches outside India.

Whenever there is a loss, the onus on those who failed to make an impression becomes pronounced. In this case, barring Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid (in the first innings), none of the Indian batsmen had the stomach for fight. It is beyond comprehension as to how Australia managed to score 240 in their second innings when they were 27 for 4 at one stage. More than line and length, it is the body language and the lack of planning on Day Four which left many baffled.

James Pattinson is no Ricky Ponting. But, he put a price on his wicket scoring a brilliant 37, a quality that needs to be thought to the Indian batters. India’s loss on Thursday exposed the shortcomings that has been the talking about right from the tour to England earlier this year. The loss will hurt India even more because the bowling attack was not the best in the world. The likes of James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and Nathan Lyon would not have given sleepless nights to the Indians, but they inflicted a defeat which was painful and Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team will have a lot of soul-searching to do before the second Test in Sydney commences on January 2. Amongst the positives (if you can call that), India will be happy with the way Umesh Yadav bowled.

Umesh, nicknamed the Nagpur Express, bowled a teasing line that troubled every Australian batter. Sachin continued to bat well and doubts on him reaching the 100th international ton is only a matter of time as he looked at the crease and more importantly, played with a lot of panache and fluency which has been the hallmark of his batting. As India decides on the playing XI, I expect a few surprises and would definitely want to try a give Rohit Sharma his debut cap.