Cricforu

It was a movie that was cut short because the hero departed before killing the villain. The hero here was none other than Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, while it was a set of 11 villains hovering over him in the ring at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Tuesday. Tendulkar walked in to the usual rousing reception in the second session of the day’s play. An upper cut for six over third-man off Peter Siddle right after the tea break was the shot that would have got the crowd on its feet.

Tendulkar was in for a big hit in the middle. He mixed power with panache, and looked at ease —cutting, defending and caressing the cherry to all parts of the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Day 2 of the India-Australia Test series.

A wristy shot, yet another upper cut and a scorching cover drive towards cover boundary ensured that Sachin turned the heat on the Australian side, muck akin to the sun that was warming the massive stadium. But the shot of the day from the Little Master was to arrive a few overs later.

Sachin hit a slightly over pitched delivery by Ben Hilfenhaus over the on-side fence. It wasn’t a bad delivery firstly. Just that Sachin had enough time to get into a position to give the ball the required direction, bisecting the fieldsmen in mid-on and mid-off whilst the ball raced away. It was a shot that would have made the dressing room stand on it feet and applaud. It was vintage stuff from Sachin Tendulkar. The show was on.
The Master was in a relentless mood, and never once flinched even when he played and missed a few. Bad balls punished, good balls treated on merit—Sachin appeared to be a man on a mission. More than those crisp shots that Tendulkar employed, it was those defence shots that was straight out a coaching manual for thousands who had come to watch at the MCG, and millions catching the action on television.
He brought out all shots in his armoury as Tendulkar raced to his fifty in just 55 deliveries.

But the crowd wanted more, much more. Tendulkar was beginning to excite the crowd before being cleaned up by Peter Siddle in the last over of the day for a fluent 73 off 98 balls. For the statisticians, Sachin is still on 99 international hundreds, but for the common fan like me–it was entertainment at the highest level.  It need not always be a century; even a masterful innings is enough to keep the fan engaged.

One must not forget, Tendulkar got a beauty of a ball to be left dejected.

If there is one Indian who is under more pressure than our honourable Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, then it undoubtedly has to be a certain Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. With chants of “Saccchiiinnnnn….Sachhhhiiiinnnn……Sachhhhiiiiiinnnnnn” bringing the ground to a standstill everytime he takes guard be it during practice or in a match, the ever calm and composed legend has one more monkey which needs to be removed off his back. Yes, the impending 100^th international century, so to speak.

Of late, no newspaper preview featuring Indian side has been complete without ringing in a mention of the landmark that awaits the great man. Tendulkar did come dangerously close to getting that magical century at the Wankhede Stadium last month before ‘India’s No.1 villain’ Ravi Rampaul brought an end to the fairytale.

Let me ask you something? Do you know how many wickets Shane Warne has taken internationally? Not many would know. Infact, most won’t.

For the so-called cricket afficianados who want to know, he has 1001 dismissals (293 in One-dayers and 708 in Tests). Now, that brings everyone to this important question. What makes this 100^th international century for Sachin a no-meaner? Simple, you are arriving at that number by adding the centuries which Sachin has scored in Tests (51) and in ODIs (48).

What does this mean?

You are combining two different sets of yardsticks and achievements in order to signal a century which in my view is just not correct.

Does that mean Sachin’s debut Test century against England at the Old Trafford in 1990 equal to his debut ODI ton in the Singer Series in Colombo against Australia years later? No. It is not.

Here is why both can’t be compared. Scoring a Test century requires different sets of skillsets—-longer hours of concentration and higher levels of perseverance. Unlike in ODIs, the best in the bowling attack will be at you for hours in Tests, and can keep attacking you till they either get you or tire themselves out.

There are no powerplays in Tests where you can go bang-bang, and one has to be in the peak of his fitness in order to get to that three-figure mark, not in ODIs.

However, this in no way means that ODI hundreds are a cakewalk. But to be clubbing them both and coining a new name for them –international hundreds—is not something which should be done in the first place.

To top it all, writing endlessly about this so-called event is to show scant respect for the man who has toiled hard for the last 22 years in order to bring glory and victories for India. Sachin has brought joy to millions and continues to do so.

But, over the past few innings, Sachin seems to have been weighed down by the expectations, and the earlier he rings in the three-figure mark, the better it is for him and for the Indian team. Sachin at his sublimal best is a threat to the opposition ranks, and a treat to the thousands who would turn up to watch him at various grounds where India plays in Australia this summer.

Yet another series, yet another set of worries. No, am not talking about strategies, but of injuries and the effect it can have on the Indian dressing room as they gear up for the first Test on Boxing Day against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. With Ishant Sharma ‘reportedly’ suffering from an ankle injury, talks about replacements have already begun. As usual, there has been a lot of ambiguity about his fitness. Zaheer Khan too did not look pleasing in his spell.

Fitness woes have worried many teams, and interestingly, I too bought this idea of too much cricket taking the sheen out of the players. But, injuries to Varun Aaron, Shaun Marsh and newbies such as Pattinson have completely crucified the ‘over-cricket’ theory.

Flashback to the era of Kapil Devs and Allan Borders who hardly missed Test matches and it could raise a few eyebrows somewhere. Players such as Kapil, Dennis Lillee, and Jeff Thompson were natural athletes who went on to become legends without too much tinkering in their bowling action or attitude towards the game. In one of his interviews, Wasim Akram, one of best left-arm pacers the game has seen, said, “The bowlers must be on the field running, than being on the gym lifting weights.”

The importance of preserving natural talents can’t be overstressed. Legends such as Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar were not ‘perfect’ when they started off, but their coaches never once tried to change their batting stance. “Minor alterations are fine, but not major ones. With Laxman, I never once tried to change the way he played, simply because it used to work for him. Others in the Academy tried, but sans much success,” concedes John Manoj, coach of VVS Laxman.

For a sport that has produced cricketing wonders such as Gavaskar, Mohinder Amarnath, Dilip Vengsarkar, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has over the years by-passed these players and gone for foreign names to coach the national side. It is not to put the likes of Greg Chappell, Gary Kirsten and Duncan Fletcher down, but players of the calibre of Gavaskar and Vengsarkar would have done something right in their playing days to have won so many caps for the country.

The emphasis on modern methods is absolutely fine, but must not be overdone. I am yet to understand the logic behind starting a practice with a session of football, but that’s exactly what the Indian team does.

Have we ever seen a football team practice cricket as part of their training session? NO.

Training methods must be modern, but not with over-analysis that puts a doubt in the mind of the player. Don’t we all like to see ‘natural’ talents in action? We all do. I am afraid; there are a lot of bowlers and even some batsmen who are being manufactured according to some of the coaches’ whims and wishes, which can be very damaging.

Anything that is not natural will not last long and the earlier the so-called modern day coaches realise this, the better it is for the game and for its countless practitioners.

As Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men made their way into the international terminal exit at the Canberra International airport, they would have surely felt at home. Why? While there would be a considerable amount of Indians cheering them on from the stands as they play their first tour game at the Manuka Oval in Canberra, the Dhoni’s devils will be aware that they are up against one of the weakest Australian line-ups in recent memory.

Moments of brilliance have led to phases of shoddy shows on the field, and the seven-run defeat at the hands of New Zealand will give sleepless nights to Michael Clarke and his team. The Australian selector will know that the loss in Hobart was Australia’s 16^th since 2008 which meant that only West Indies (who have forever been on the crossroads) and Bangladesh (who continue to baffle the purists with their ordinary outings) have lost more Tests.

The series between the two sides will nevertheless be a high-voltage series, with both sides trying to outdo one another.

Test cricket, since its inception in the 19^th century, have always been about battling the odds. While India hopes to fit in 11 fit men for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, their opponents will be vying for 11 men who FIT into the scheme of things. The performance of the top-order is a worry for the Aussies as no one after the axing of Simon Katich has played to the potential and the debut century of David Warner should bring the smirk back on Clarke’s face. The consistently inconsistent form of Philip Hughes continues to baffle his teammates and the paying public.

Clarke has plenty to worry about. The patchy form of former skipper Ricky Ponting notwithstanding, the hosts’ biggest worry has been the No.3 position in the batting order. With Ponting shunted down the order, Usman Khawaja has not exactly set the house on fire. Australia’s misery does not end there. Mr Cricket —– Michael Hussey too has been found wanting, with scores in his last seven innings reading —–1, 0,29,0, 15, 8 and 0. More than the scores which are pathetic for the calibre for Hussey, it is the mode of dismissals that would worry even the best of the batters.

Literally every Australian batsman has been found wanting when it comes to the moving delivery, a chink in the armoury that would be exploited by their opposition.

The once No.1 ranked side have been blessed with regular production of good bowlers in the form of Nathan Lyon, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc, but to bowling to the likes of Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid is a different breed of beast altogether.

The Indians, who were thrashed by the Englishmen, arrive on the backdrop of victories against a second-grade West Indies side, but a Test win is a Test win. The Indians have batsmen who are capable of turning the tide in their side’s favour. India has Sachin Tendulkar who has amassed a behemoth 3151 runs at 60.59 against the Aussies in 31 matches while VVS has accrued 2279 at 55.58 from just 25 Tests.

The likes of Dravid (1949 from 28 games) and Sehwag (1513 from 16) add not just meat, but plenty of weight to the Indian arsenal.

The return of Zaheer Khan and the influx of pacers such as Umesh Yadav lend solidity to India’s cherry-hurling department.

While Dhoni will be praying that he gets a fit XI that takes the field on December 26 in the first Test, Clarke will be hoping for a change in fortunes as his side looks to save a crumbling empire that is fast losing its last assortment of bricks.

He may just be 8 ODIs old, but West Indian leg-spinner Anthony Martin has caught the attention of many with his never-say-die spirit and fierce competitiveness. Anthony, who turned 29 this month, comes across as a cricketer with a strong head over his shoulders.

“I learnt early in my life that I have to work hard for things that I want, and to remain humble all the time. It is important to give your best everytime you step on to the field,” said Anthony.

The 29-year-old had his first brush with the game as a pacer, before meeting with an accident that tweaked his career, quite literally. “I damaged my back during that accident. But, my love for the game ensured that I did something to stay in it. So, I started bowling spin,” Anthony confessed.

Anthony’s eyes light up when he talks about the passion of playing for the West Indies. “This is what I have wanted to do all my life. To be able to play for West Indies and to represent the people out there gives me the greatest joy,” he said.

If you thought Anthony only performed the role of a leg-spinner with ease, then you are mistaken. Anthony is proficient at saving lives too, as he works as a fireman back home in Antigua.

So, when Anthony is not rolling his arm over at the ground, one would find him busy essaying an even more crucial role, that of a saviour.

On his trip to the sub-continent, Anthony said, “India is a fascinating place. The people have been friendly and are always ready to help.”

The head sat perfectly inside the blue helmet as the Little Master walked serenely to the centre to take guard in pursuit of what was to be his 100th international hundred. For Sachin, it was not just those 30 odd runs that had to knocked off, but the fact that this century had to be off his back before the treacherous tour of Australia comes up in a couple of weeks.
From the receptionist at the hotel where the Indian team is housed in Mumbai, to the person who would be serving him lunch or dinner or breakfast, everyone would have given Sachin enough hints on the task that awaited him in the coming days and weeks.
It is often said that in India, there are a billion coaches, each having their own method of reaching landmarks and crossing milestones. To live amongst such a partisan crowd and to keep performing the way Sachin has done for the last 22 years is an achievement in itself. No amount of awards or adulations can match the pressure that is handled by Sachin.
Whenever Sachin is off the field, he is seen wearing those gigantic headphones to keep his attention away from the common man who wants a hundred everytime he walks to the centre.
For a champion who has scripted past the 100th run in international cricket 99 times before, Sachin does know how to get past that mark.
Yes, the wait for the millions will be painful and interminable. Those rasping drives and upper cuts kept the sell-out crowd at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday on their feet, only for him to depart, six short of what would have yet another classic century.
For the media barons, the pages that were cast, statistics that were kept ready for the occasion, designers who had to step in early to the office to churn out the ‘Sachin Special’ page, will have an anxious wait. Just a little more, perhaps.
Even as he sits in the dressing room pondering over his dismissal, it will be important for Sachin and for the Indian team to realise that the topic of his 100th ton will be brought up again and again and….again. Better for the Little Master to get the thing done in the upcoming ODIs against the West Indies.
But, do you really think the analysts will breathe easy? Nay!
If Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar hits a century in the ODIs, it will be his 49th in that format. Did I hear someone say that we should then channelise our thought processes towards his 50th ODI ton?
OMG! Can we leave Sachin alone, please?

He first started with a mere brick and as he grew in size, stature and experience, Rahul Dravid, over the years weaved not just magic with the willow, but also gave the purists and his fans the joy of watching batting in its purest form.

In his decade-and-half innings with international cricket, not for once has the former Indian captain given anything but 100 per cent. Interestingly, Dravid always finished second. How? Right from his debut Test at Lord’s in 1996 where he fell agonisingly short of a well-deserved century, his compatriot, Sourav Ganguly stole the limelight with a debut ton. If that was not enough, his debut hundred at Chepauk in May 1997 was overshadowed by Saeed Anwar’s brilliant 194.

His chanceless 145 at the LB Stadium in Hyderabad was yet again overshadowed by Sachin Tendulkar‘s 189.

Unlike some of his other teammates, Dravid’s life or what he wears off the field has never been a subject of intense scrutiny or debate. But once he gets the bat in his hand, he is the master of his own destiny. Those rasping cover-drives and flicks towards mid-wicket boundary are shots that are constantly written and embedded as part of India’s cricketing folklore. Dravid’s knocks — both in Tests and ODIs — are lessons for youngsters on how to consolidate and rebuild the innings when your side is in a spot of bother. It may have lacked the finesses of a certain VVS Laxman or the frenzied pace of Virender Sehwag, but Dravid ensured that he did hardwork to take the team out of the glut.

The turn of the millennnium saw Dravid bat in a variety of positions in ODIs and sometimes in Tests too. He would bat. He would keep wickets, he would be asked to take strike when the chips were down. And, he would do it all with aplomb. Not surprisingly, Dravid has not missed a game because of injury, spasms etc. which showcases his levels of fitness and the way he has been in shape.

It would be fair to say that durability is the other name for Dravid. As he hit his 36^th Test century on Monday, I had the good fortune to watch it on screen and admire the man who continues to do his job —-score runs, and, by truckloads!

At 36, former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting is not getting any younger. Worse still, he will turn 37 in December and with scores 8 and 0 at the atrocious Newlands Test; pressure on Punter is getting too suffocating.

Ever since he lost the Ashes to England earlier this year, critics have been baying for the legendary right-hander’s blood to not just give the captaincy away, but also hang up his boots. The final straw came in the form of the quarterfinal loss to India in the World Cup which was Ponting’s last as Australian skipper. With his form not getting any better, Ponting’s place in the side has come under heavy cloud.

The last 14 innings have fetched just a measly 245 runs from Ponting’s willow and that’s not good enough. What has been even shocking has been the manner in which the Ponting got dismissed in the first Test at Cape Town. Ponting shuffled across and was adjudged leg-before, a sign of a player who is low on confidence.

He looked anxious at the start and his feet failed to move, a contrast to the Ponting of old, who would judge the length of the ball right from the beginning. But he has looked a pale shadow of himself and from frying pan; Ponting’s batting seems to be headed straight into fire.

There are others too in the side who have not contributed significantly. Names such as Phil Hughes, Brad Haddin does crop up but Ponting does belong to a different breed of batters. The world has not seen many pull the cricket ball better than Ponting.

However, the last one year has been barren for Ponting. He did show glimpses of his brilliance in that hundred against India in the World Cup, but with just one international century in the last 55 innings, Ponting, according to many, is fighting a losing cause.

Watching Ponting’s chanceless 196 against England at the Gabba, Brisbane, in 2006-07 Ashes series, it is hard to imagine that he would even have to see this day when ex-Australian cricketers question his very presence in the side. How long he would play will depend on how much he scores in the coming games. But one can surely say that Ponting will just not walk away without a fight. Naysayers, watch out for the famous Aussie fight. All it requires is one big innings and the smiles will be back on Punter’s face. J

Even if the coaching manual says that things need to be kept simple in cricket, there are 99 per cent of players, coaches, support staff and many others associated with the sport who are hell-bent on complicating simple techniques, in the process forget that it’s after all just a game. But not Virender Sehwag.

For a batsman who had to constantly face flak for his technique (or the lack of it), Sehwag, the Delhi dasher has accrued 7845 runs at an more-than-impressive 52.30 in 90 Tests. But aren’t there many who boast of such or better still, better averages? Yes! But here is the catch? How many batsmen in world cricket will boast of a strike-rate of 81.98 in the oldest form of the game? Perhaps, just one. Viru himself.

Asked how he keeps himself so relaxed and so uncluttered, Viru, during a chat some years back, mentioned his belief in Shirdi Sai and the power of music. “I keep humming songs in the middle and whenever I cross a milestone, I say a small prayer to Shirdi Sai Baba and the show goes on,” Viru had said. In the company of Gautam Gambhir, Viru has forged many memorable partnerships.

“I sing Sai Baba bhajans, Kishore Kumar numbers especially the ones that were picturised on Amitabh Bachchan before the bowler is about the deliver. To me, it is all about keeping the mind free from the pressure. An uncluttered mind is all that I ask for,” Viru said. Like many others of his generation, the lad from Najafgarh grew up watching cricket and wanting to emulate the feats of the one and only — Sachin Tendulkar. When Viru burst into the scene a decade ago, he went on to script a sensational hundred on Test debut at Bloemfontein in South Africa against the likes of Shaun Pollock & Co.

Despite the mountain of expectations, Viru continues to bat the way he always has. Despite the situation his team is in, Viru continues with his relentless pursuit of finding the gaps and hitting those boundaries with ridiculous ease. His if-the-ball-is-there-to-be-hit-hit-it approach may not always bear results, but on the day it does, Viru makes it count. If you thought there is no method to Viru’s madness, then you are definitely wrong. He analyses the opposition’s weaknesses and exploits them mercilessly.

Be it his triple-hundred in Multan in 2004, or that fantastic 80-odd on Day Four of the Chennai Test against England in 2008, Sehwag has been at it all the time. What appears to risky for many has over the years become a scoring opportunity for Sehwag. “You still need to hit the ball in the air for it to clear the stands, so there is an element of risk in every shot you play. That risk has to be taken,” Viru counters.

Even as Viru has hit the best in the business beyond the boundary, the right-hander has had a few cheap dismissals against a few ordinary bowlers. Interestingly, Sehwag never looks at the pitch before any match. He maintains that it is the ball that needs to the meat of the blade and not anything else. Such clarity in thought and focus on hitting the ball is what makes Viru make a name for himself in the game. It is also one of the reasons why the right-hander continues to hit those shots beyond the boundary.

A few years ago, I was having a chat with V.V.S. Laxman’s coach John Manoj at the sidelines of a match and he made a fascinating point. “Laxman was so talented and had such great hand-eye coordination that we asked him to continue what he was doing. He could easily show the ball the direction from way outside off-stump to somewhere down mid-wicket. It was an art, which can’t be thought in a coaching class,” he had mentioned.

When a purist would watch the West Indies batting mainstay take guard, he would be baffled. Chanderpaul’s stance is surely one of the most bizarre ones in world cricket. In technical terms, Chanders as he fondly called has a two-eyed stance. What does it mean? In lame man’s terms, Chanders is seeking a two-eyed view of the bowler. As he walked into bat at No.5 on Sunday against India, the dressing room of the Windies would have heaved a sigh of relief as their best bet was in the middle. His unique batting style coupled with endless energy to withstand pressure and come out trumps is what has made him a legend in his own right. At stumps on Day One, Chanders had yet again taken his side to safety while scoring an unbeaten 111.

His anti-glare strips in black might cause a giggle in the rival’s camp as he strides to the centre, but once his bat starts to talk, the others can well shut up. Chanders is the last of the lot to have played alongside the likes of legends such as Brian Charles Lara, Richie Richardson, Courtney Walsh and Curtley Ambrose, but is happy to rally around the young guns who have been fed by a dose of shorter formats of the game and fail to apply themselves for longer periods.

In his very first Test outing in Georgetown, Guyana against the Englishmen in 1994, Chanders hit a patient 62 off 135, showing glimpses of patient mixed with grit, a hallmark of all great players who have excelled in Test cricket.

With just over 500 runs required to join the elite band of players to have hit 10,000 runs in Tests, rest assured, Chanders will be the last one to have a look at that statistic. He may not look pleasing to the eye on the field, but possesses a technique that has worked for him. He gets into a position of comfort, and one more occasions than one outsmarts the bowler and loots runs. For a player who has been the saviour of the West Indies cricket for about 17 years now, Chanders keeps things ridiculously simple. Just bat boy! Just keep batting.

He showed no trouble with the quicks in operation, nor did he do anything untoward when the spinners come along. With Chanders in such ominous tough right from the first day of the series, Indians can expect to be chasing leather in the coming days.