Bidding Adieu!!

It seems that Rahul Dravid's retirement caused the espncricinfo website to crash. Although the website denied this causality, it does bear testimony to the adoration that Rahul Dravid enjoys in the cricketing fraternity that most people still believe his retirement and the website crash were linked!

This incident highlights two very important facets of Rahul Dravid's cricket. First and foremost, he was a truly international cricketer loved by fans the world over. Accolades and testimonials flowing from international cricketers further reinforce the stature of the man in international cricket. Secondly, and more critically, Rahul Dravid is the connoisseur's hero. He is undoubtedly a purist in cricketing terms - of course this didn't affect his performance in the IPL at all - but in years to come, Rahul Dravid will inevitably be placed amongst the great test cricketers so much so, that his Limited over International heroics will be completely forgotten.

The other curious feature in the tributes flowing for Rahul Dravid is that none of them actually extol his cricket in numerical terms. Come on, five figure runs in both forms of the game and no one seems to be talking about it. If this had been any other imminent retiree (such as Kallis, Ponting or even Sangakarra in a few years time), the first wave of odes would refer to their cricketing achievements, their awards, centuries and averages - but not Dravid.

The reason for not extolling Dravid's cricketing achievements is quite simple - no, it is not because they are eclipsed by his teammate Sachin but because it is not his amazing numbers that make him a cricketing great. It is the manner in which he went about scripting his runs and career that set him apart.

The most important contribution of Dravid and his Indian contemporaries - read fab five - is the legacy they leave in the Indian dressing room. It should be noted that the fab five were the first generation that enjoyed the monetary surplus of Indian cricket. They were the first cricketing millionaires and probably billionaires. Hence the task of demonstrating the manner of enjoying the enormous success and lifestyle that cricket provided fell on the fab five and what a job they have done!

They have shown that wealth and fame can indeed be tamed and enjoyed than knock you off your perch. Most of the accolades for Rahul Dravid have a similar theme - they describe the perpetual dignity and stature of the man, his equanimity and utter dedication to the sport. The very fact that the golden generation of Indian cricketers have lived a scandal-free celebrity life for nearly two decades stands testament to their stature.

It is only because of the fab five that Indian cricket was able to bounce back from the match-fixing quagmire at the dawn of the new millennium. Indian cricket and cricket lovers are deeply indebted to this great group of men for this very simple reason - for keeping cricket alive. Match fixing is rearing its ugly head once again. Rumors are rife and investigations will begin soon. In this uncertain climate, it would be prudent to extol players like Rahul Dravid, not for their cricket but for being impeccable cricketers.

The true value of a player like Rahul Dravid can only be gauged by the dressing room. Unfortunately, a cricket fan or follower or even their closest family members can never truly understand the value of such legends to the game. Their lasting contribution in to the culture in the dressing room. Only the current and coming generations can reflect the culture that these legends leave behind.

The current and incumbent generation of Indian cricketers have a sacrosanct responsibility to live up to the heady ethical standards set by the golden generation. Being a cricket lover, I know that I will, in the near future have to write a testimonial for my favorite cricketer SRT and even VVS Laxman but on each occasion, my tune would be similar - Cherish the manner in which this golden generation has lived and played the game and conclude with a fervent hope that the coming generations will endeavor to meet the lofty standards set by stalwarts like Rahul.

A DCT - A Dream Come True

The DCT a.k.a Dream Come True was an acronym I made up almost a decade ago. Yesterday, around midnight (AEST), I did have a DCT moment. It was so special, so supernatural that I decided to break my hiatus and write a post about it.

A few years ago, I had decided that Sachin Tendulkar (SRT) could no longer last an entire 50 overs in an ODI. The simple reason being that the biophysics didn't work out! His body couldn't last the intensity with which he plays his ODI innings. Hence, I had given up on him scoring an ODI double ton which, to be honest, I have felt he has deserved just as Sunil Gavaskar deserved to break the 10000 run test match barrier.

Yet, SRT has always found nuggets to surprise me. I can recall - as if it were yesterday - his amazing 98 at Supersport Park Centurion in WC2003 against Pakistan. That day, he did surprise me starting with that uppercut off Shoaib Akhtar. Yesterday's unbeaten 200 was such a bolt out of the blue that I have yet to recover from the pleasant numbing of the senses. However, my actual realization of SRT's achievement had a bit of a supernatural deja-vu-ish flavour to it. This is how it happened yesterday night ...

I had a chat with my parents that ended around 10:30pm AEST. My mother told me that Sachin had got his century in the 28th over and I merely acknowledged it saying that this is going to be another high scoring rubber. SRT's centuries have become so commonplace in the last few weeks that I didn't even bother being ecstatic about it. I signed off that conversation and went back to some reading that I had to do for today - I didn't even bother checking the scorecard online, at that time.

Around midnight, I decided to check the Indian batting scorecard and see how South Africa had begun their chase. That's when it happened ... The cricinfo site was taking an eternity to load ... This usually happens when there is huge traffic to check on some breaking cricket news - scorecards become inaccessible and the cricinfo home page takes ages to load. That was precisely the moment when a light went up in my head that something special had happened in the Indian innings and that something special was that Sachin had achieved the ODI double ton - trust me.. these were thoughts, now put in verse!! I knew it then without checking, without being told... just like that... a deep intuition - it was like sensing new information that was out there in the universe.... and there's more!

Whenever I check cricinfo first up for any new information, it is usually not to my liking... the team that I am supporting usually is not doing well... this is just one of those cricketing superstitions that I have experienced in my years of following cricinfo when I don't have access to the cricket on television. So I usually check the timesofindia or rediff website if I want to break that jinx and yesterday, it was almost as if the web was telling me to uphold my superstition and get my first account of the ODI double ton, not from cricinfo but from some other site - and I obliged!!

I immediately loaded the timesofindia website and lo and behold! - the headlines confirmed my supernatural intuition! There are some moments in life that affirm your belief in the unknown, the immeasurable, the subjective universe - and yesterday I had one such moment. Needless to say, "Thanks Sach for that special moment... sach is life!!"

Sachin's Masterclass and Dhoni's Masterstroke

Admittedly, I am a Sachin connoisseur. It was as if I had written the script in my last post and Sachin decided to read it and deliver a critic's dream performance. Pity the Academy awards were done and dusted last week else, I guess, Sachin's batting today would have been a contender. At the very least, it has been a slap in the face to all his eternal doubters. Enough said about him; my generation has grown up watching Sachin and if anything, I have always wanted him to be in a world cup winning squad. Then again, that's just me!!

A more pertinent accolade must go to the firebrand Dhoni. I was pretty disappointed he did not play a fully fit Piyush Chawla until the final. In fact, I had rued the fact in my last post. What I didn't expect was to see Dhoni field his trump card at the deep end! It was always a given that Chawla would be more than useful in Sydney and Adelaide if not at the other venues. However, if Chawla had been taken to the cleaners today, I am sure there would have been a fair amount of tabloid space dedicated to some Dhoni bashing. That would have been quite unfair. I guess Dhoni's line of thought would have been something like this - "I have got a bits and pieces bowler in Praveen Kumar and I have got two bowlers struggling for some form in Munaf and Sreesanth. Why don't I punt on my reserve leggie kid who had a good time on the most unhelpful pitches in Ireland and England?". The worst that could have happened was that Piyush Chawla might have gone for a few runs but then Munaf and Sreesanth couldn't have been backed for anything better. Therefore, I consider Dhoni's call to play Piyush as one backed by sound cricketing logic and hence a masterstroke.

Then again, there is that small matter of Dhoni's masterstroke paying off with Bhajji and Piyush suffocating the Aussies in the middle overs. Dhoni has a presence even in press conferences. He comes across as a captain who does not take the post match presentation as a formality. He treats it as just another chat and his words are pertinent and natural. His rider for caution and intensity for the remaining games was well received. Here is a leader of men whose words will not be lost on his charges. I hope he is able to back it up with results and in the very short term I hope he is able to finish his business down under at the Gabba!

Good Luck India, May the fours be with you ...... always !!

O India! May the Fours be with you!

Finally, we are at the business end of the CB series and I am glad to stick with my finalists at the crucial juncture: Aus v Ind. Frankly, the Lankans have not beefed up their game. Australia definitely go into the finals as favorites but the Lankans will have to pull off a Houdini act to make it to the finals from here on. Expecting them to win against the Indians and Australians at the business end of the series is a big ask. Yet, if they do manage it, they will have an edge going into the finals with a win against the Aussies.

I did predict that the Indians would get better as the series progresses and I am glad it has panned out that way. Going into their last game, they would like a few more runs from their top order and I feel one of Sachin and Sehwag will fire in their last pre-final game against the Lankans. Nevertheless, I whole-heartedly believe the Indians will make it to the finals and give the Australians a run for their money.

Call me a fan but I have my money on India to win the last edition of the tri-series down under. I still feel, India must go in with five bowlers on a featherbed of a pitch for the first final at Sydney and I also feel Piyush Chawla must have been given a few games as he would have been useful at Sydney and Adelaide. I expect the Indians to win the second final at Brisbane and if they can pull off a thriller in Sydney, India have an outside chance to beat the Aussies 2-0 in the grand finale.

If Dhoni gets lucky with the toss at Sydney in the first final, expect Sachin to fire away batting first against Lee and Johnson. Sachin is due big time and being the quintessential cricket purist, I would love Sachin to get big runs in the finals. Sachin getting runs is a celebration of cricket and is beyond winning and losing.

Trust me, the Aussies are not sitting pretty; they have had the better of the Indians in some close encounters over the last month but that streak is bound to end. Given the weight of performances, one must regard the Australians as the favorites but the forthcoming finals are by no means a "David vs Goliath" affair. I would rather compare them to "Bheema vs Jarasandha" borrowing two champions from the Mahabharata and delightfully leave it to the reader to decide who's who amongst the two!!

Experience vs Youth in cricket

Essentially, the conundrum in Indian ODI cricket is valuation of experience and youthful energy. This is not a problem of economics but a puzzle of perspective. The term 'experience' is often used to mask the lack of athleticism among senior players in the Indian cricket team. Of course, Sachin Tendulkar, as of today remains an exception. He has still got the zip in spite of 18 years of international cricket but for all practical purposes, let us exclude him in our analysis; after all, the entire cricketing intelligentia considers him a legend of the game, so for our analysis, he is a pleasant exception.

Of course, Sachin's case might be put in perspective if you look at international standards of player performance. Ponting, Hayden et al are in the same age bracket (albeit with lesser years at the international level) and they set the benchmark when it comes to aging gracefully as an international cricketer. Nevertheless, the experienced bunch in Indian cricket - Ganguly, Dravid, Laxman, Kumble et al - live by the standards of an older era: the bygone era of Indian cricket when "senior" players were mollycodddled for having that rare gift - experience. This bygone era includes Azhar and Kapil Dev to name a few. If truth be told, both these greats (match fixing or not!!) were given huge career extensions without due regard to their performance on the field. Again, the selectors were ready to stick with the 'old bunch' in search of that abstract gift: experience.

It is but obvious that we need to ask ourselves, "what exactly does experience bring to the table?" The answer is verbose so bear with me! A cricketer, while playing the game in the heat out in the middle at any level, 'experiences' different situations. It doesn't matter if he is playing test cricket at the county, grade, Ranji or international level. He still learns from his role in the middle. He grows as a cricketer and the sum total of these 'cricketing episodes' are somehow hard-coded in him. He is supposed to find himself in similar situations and react in a more informed manner given that he has already been through more of the same. Therefore, if he has been in a huge fourth innings run chase at the Ranji level, he is supposed to be more anticipating when confronted with a similar situation in a Ranji final. He is supposed to know exactly, how to pace his innings; when to press the initiative, when to block, when to play for time and so on.

In the limited overs contest, the player learns precisely the same issues via experience. He learns how to assess pitches, how to visualise a target, how to pace his innings etc. Watching the game between India and Australia on Sunday, I daresay, the Indian youth were trenched in their belief that anything short of 300 is useless while playing against Australia. Some might say, they still have the hangover of the T20 world cup experience. Then again, that should be classified as a lack of 'experience' and count against 'youth' in this contest with 'experience'!

Then again, in this circular argument the question always remains, "If one cannot go with experience indefinitely, then how to ensure that the youth builds experience?" The answer is simple: Make sure the experiences built at the domestic level are meaningful enough at the international level. For this to happen, domestic cricket must meet the standards of international cricket. This is precisely the reason why Australia do not have the problem of bleeding new charges straight out of domestic cricket. The difference in quality between domestic cricket down under and international cricket is not insurmountable. This is not the case with any other cricket playing nation. India have the best chance to ensure that domestic cricket takes a quantum jump in quality and they are taking minute steps over the last few years. In general bowling standards have improved but batting standards haven't. This would be puzzling but the root cause is the pitches. Even today, India does not have enough sporting pitches to even out the contest between bat and ball and at the same time, India has too many domestic teams!

A multitude of domestic teams means a lot of weak opposition for quality players. Therefore, the performance statistics do not reflect the true merit of the player - bowler or batsman. The 'experience' gained at the domestic level needs to be put in perspective taking into account the lack of quality opposition. It would be fruitful for India to cut down the elite domestic competitions to 6 teams only and continue building infrastructure at a level below that. More focus should be on the zonal teams than the state teams. The zonal teams must play more cricket against each other so that quality reveals itself. When someone from the zonal team makes it to the international circuit, he will not feel a quantum leap in quality.

I am also critical of giving preference to players in touring A and B teams. Just because they have international experience playing against other A and B teams does not mean they have adjusted to international cricketing prerequisites. This is also detrimental to the quality of domestic cricket. If you take out the creme de la creme for international duty, the cream below the cream for A and B team duties, then the domestic leagues are going to languish far, far behind.

Australia's dominance in world cricket must teach every other cricket playing nation at least one sure truth - There is no short cut to international success. There is no bypass to international cricket. There is no possibility of building a consistently successful national team if a country does not have a high performing domestic cricket setup.

T20 International: Preview

Simply put, T20 is a lottery. It you hit it, you win it. Its the punter's dream, his addiction and his pitfall too! The upcoming India vs Australia T20 is a virtual sellout. Last time I checked, more than 90000 tickets were gone; few remain in the general admission category. Only a few thousand members' tickets still remain. The max. capacity of the G is close to 120,000 so I guess, last minute fans still stand a chance. More pertinently, I am not one of them. I will be enjoying the game in High-Definition at home. Its the first time a sports match is being telecast on Australian national Television in Hi-Def.

So far, so good; now, about the match up itself: this time around, Australia have the definite edge over the world champions!! (Do remember India are the T20 world champs.. hehe!!) The young Indian contingent do not have any match practice in Australian conditions going into the contest. I confidently believe they are under prepared and even a bit nervous. However, the Indian bowling will take care of itself. My five bowlers would be Sreesanth, Irfan, Ishant, Praveen Kumar and Bhajji with Sehwag and Yuvraj bowling an over or two if needed. For once, the Indians will match Australia if not better them on the field. Trust me, this will be an experience to savour!

The batting is the biggest worry for the tourists. The Australian line up is good enough to post a score of 150 and even chase such a score against our bowling at the MCG. The question is whether our batting can match up! Shaun Tait will not be playing by the looks of it which means the Aussie bowling will once again be led by Lee followed by Bracken, Johnson, Hogg and Symmo. They might give Hilfenhaus a run; lets wait and watch. I do not think the Indian batting led by Sehwag, Gambhir, Uthappa, Rohit Sharma, Yuvi and the rest will be able to deal with it. If I were Dhoni, I would include Sachin in the team simply because Sachin has been down under for a month. Yuvraj and Sehwag along with Dhoni himself hold the key. One of these guys (and Sachin, if he plays) will have to fire.

India's best chance is to put up a score of 150+ and defend it. If the Aussies bat first and post anything over 160, I must admit, they will win their first T20 against India.

Dada & Dravid: Que Sera Sera

Let's all be honest, no serious cricket follower would expect Laxman to fit in the ODI format. Therefore, I would like to look at the decision by the Indian cricket selectors to drop Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid for the Commonwealth Bank series down under.

Consider Dravid: he was in the squad for a few matches in the Ind-Pak ODI series, yet he wasn't selected for a few games. Its obvious that he is no longer an automatic selection in the playing ODI Indian eleven. Therefore his axing should not come as a total surprise. A senior pro should not be in the national squad if he is not an automatic selection especially when he is a specialist (batsman or bowler). Dravid was a 2 dimensional cricketer in ODI's a few years ago. He was in top form and very handy with the gloves. Now, he is not able to sustain the intensity that his contemporaries like Ponting are quite comfortable with. This is a hard fact that every Dravid fan must accept. He was never an explosive ODI batsman but he did make up by building from slow starts. Now he has lost his zip on the field. He is still an automatic choice in the test team especially with his slip fielding. My guess is that he will be able to play at test intensity levels for 3 more years. Lets see how it goes.

Sourav Ganguly would have been a trickier decision for the selectors and by trickier, I do not mean 'for cricketing reasons alone'. He has always had passionate support from Bengal and whenever he is not selected, the river of passion overflows to inundate inappropriate areas! Personally, I had predicted that he would fail at Perth. Well, he did. Yet, I must admit, he is in good (not great) batting form therefore an automatic choice in the test team as a specialist.

In ODI's however, he is a liability on the field. Now, his die-hard fans would jump up and say that athleticism in fielding and especially Ganguly's lack of it are often over-exaggerated. This is absolute rubbish. Let me elaborate: an un-athletic presence on the field not only results in shoddy, unproductive dives but they bring down the entire team's intensity on the field. You get the typical cross-eyed glares from your team-mates and you end up putting extra pressure on yourself to perform in your area of expertise which is Ganguly's case is his batting. This is where we come to the crux of the matter. In Australia, Ganguly's part-time out swingers are not going to be of any use. Therefore, he has one and only one department to prove his worth: his batting. Given that he holds on to the opening spot for dear life, he is under extreme pressure to get the team off to a good start every time he steps out into the centre. Again, his poor athleticism means he never is a candidate for quick singles (Even Monty Panesar ran him out, remember!!). If you notice his recent dip in form in ODIs you will notice a pattern: He could never get off strike quickly enough and was always looking for the boundary. His partner Sachin on the other hand is still fit enough and athletic enough to play in ODI mode. Ganguly not only puts pressure on himself to score but affects his partner too. If Sachin gets out or is not playing, the standby opener Gautam Gambhir or the younger Robin Uthappa coming one-drop is either shut out from the strike or entrusted with the complete responsibility of blazing away.

Inevitably, Sachin's dismissal or unavailability has meant a poor batting display. Without Ganguly, the younger brigade along with Sehwag, Yuvraj and the rest will not be under so much pressure to keep finding the boundary. This is the nature of the new Indian team. We now have fitter and younger players who do look for singles to rotate strike in addition to being good boundary hitters. Simply put, the younger brigade has set a higher fitness and athletic standard and only those senior pros able to match up to it or at least not be over exposed by it can find a place in the playing eleven. Sachin passes these basic standards and in addition, is in good batting form.

Look, for players like SG, RD, VVS and SRT, form is something temporary. Batting form is so fuzzy a concept that if other things are going well, their batting will take care of itself; they are simply awesome batsmen, all of them. Therefore, it is the selectors' and captain's job to make sure they fit the bill in all other accessory requirements. If not, they must not be included as excess baggage within the squad. That will only create more problems in the dressing room. Right now, Sachin alone passes these addition requirements of ODI fitness and ODI athleticism therefore, he is rightfully still in the ODI squad and will be in the ODI playing eleven.

I do not think Sachin will last long in ODIs. His body simply does not allow him to play the long innings. That is one reason he gets out in the 90s so often nowadays or he usually gets cramps around the 90s. I do not think he will allow himself to be dropped by the selectors; I desperately hope he will retire from ODIs of his own accord within this year or the next.

If the younger brigade along with Sachin, Sehwag and the rest do well in Australia, all else will be forgotten. The selectors will be hailed as people building for the future; if India do not manage to make it to the finals, the knives will be sharpened again. All in all, I would like to see this move by the selectors to drop VVS, SG and RD as a positive, brave and hopeful move. In fact, I am so surprised the selectors were brave enough to drop SG that I am sure, they will recall him into the squad in a few days saying it was a communication error!!

However, I will be extremely unhappy if SG or VVS or RD complains of not being treated with respect in relation to this axing. I desperately hope the selectors or the administration had the courtesy to internally explain their decision to these senior pros. Knowing the BCCI, I know this is wishful thinking. I feel we have too many bloated egos within the BCCI that makes it impossible for senior players to leave the game ceremoniously. If the BCCI is trying to make sure Indian cricket catches up with Australian cricket, they must first ensure their own handling of the players matches up to the standards of the ACB.

Again, I know this is wishful thinking. The BCCI has too many non-cricketers to make sure they are never part of an outfit that has cricket's best interests at heart. Usually the BCCI has its annual turnover closest to its heart and a lot of skeletons locked up in undisclosed closets!!

That Be-Witching Hour!

Whew, India finally managed to win a test in this series! It is a great achievement but given the talent in this team, its a win too late. Of course, one could come up with a lot of thoughts on why India were denied a win till now in this series but .... the hurt is still the same.

I know that the atmosphere back home would be joyous given that this win came in Perth which has in the past proven to be a death-knell for most touring teams. Yet, I expected the series to be alive till now. Thanks to Bucknor, Ponting and our tail, this is not quite the case. However, this is not the time to cry over spilt milk; now is the time to sit back and savour not just the win but a particular passage of play that put India on course for today's win.

That bewitching hour was beyond national loyalties; it was beyond winning and losing; it was just exceptional interplay between bat and ball. One of the greatest batsmen of all time was wielding the willow - Ricky Ponting - and he was up against a 19-year old tyro by the name of Ishant Sharma. If I hadn't seen his 9-over spell today, I would never have believed that an Indian seamer had Ponting in trouble with pace and bounce and nip over an hour. I have never seen an Indian fast bowler bowl such a sustained and long spell of quality bowling to a player of Ponting's class. The best facet of the spell was it did not seem like Sharma was pulling out something special for Ponting (Such bursts are usually short-lived); he wasn't bowling just one good over; he was just bowling his best in his short career. The hard work in training to achieve the super spell was evident. It was sustained excellence. At the end of it, you were almost imploring Kumble from your living room to give the rookie one more over. Well, it seems Sehwag had the same idea too!

Let me put things straight here. Over the last decade, I have had this silly perception that wickets taken by the Indian pacers are bonus wickets. Yes, there have been special deliveries, there have been bowlers coming good in a match only to let you down in the next. It has been my firm belief that India will struggle to take 20 wickets in a test after Kumble retires. Yet, from time to time, India throws up raw talents to question my belief. Munaf Patel burst on the scene, so did Balaji and Sreesanth. RP Singh and Zaheer have been steady performers and there have been a few disappointments like VRV Singh. There is a pattern here: it seems the newbies put in everything in their first six months of international cricket to cement their place in the side. They start their international career at 140kph only to slow down to the early 130's six months later. Be it injuries or complacency, it reeks of incompetency and lack of challenge at the domestic level.

In spite of all my reservations about India's ability to produce genuine fast bowlers, today was a golden day. It remains to be seen if Ishant is a one night stand or one worthy of a longer commitment to Indian cricket. He has had his debut at the right age. He has time to grow in international cricket. The challenges will be consistently tougher than toiling at the domestic level and the rewards will be worth the effort. He just has to keep improving without compromising on pace and lift. He must not come up in six months and do a 'Munaf' who said "I am concentrating on line and length" and ended up bowling dobblers at 130kph. Ishant claims Glenn McGrath to be his idol. However I hope he adds Brett Lee too. He would do well to remember Lee's words two years ago: "I don't see any reason why I can't bowl faster"!! Today Lee has improved his control without compromising on pace and is now a worthy successor to McGrath in leading the Australian attack.

All said and done, today was a special day for Indian fast bowling. It was one of my special days as a spectator. Ponting's struggle reminded me of Sachin struggling against quality fast bowling. I said to myself "Tonight Sachin will definitely thank Ishant for giving back a fraction of the quality he has handled in his 18 years of international cricket". It is one of the marvels of cricket to see a batting great being challenged. That's precisely entertainment for the cricket connoisseur.

New year, Old Aussie!

After a mini hiatus over Christmas and new year, I was hoping to turn over a new leaf in terms of my blog topics. Unfortunately, the age-old Aussie approach to cricket in the recently concluded SCG test is torturing me to add my word on the test match, the series and beyond. For starters, look the image of Ponting claiming a clearly grounded catch. Someone should show Ponting this pic in private and plead with him: "Grow up, Mr. Ponting, PLEASE!!!"

My previous post titled "Sunny Days..." turned out to be more of a damp squib. India's unpreparedness in the first test was clearly exposed by a ruthless Australian attack. Personally, I expected India to bounce back at the SCG. Being an ardent follower of the game, I must say, my expectation was vindicated. Yesterday, we had a not so cool discussion at the university about the 2nd test. One of my Australian-born colleagues remarked, "A fair result would have been a draw but the Aussies changed it with some horrible sporting spirit". I couldn't hold back my retort: 'A fair result would have been an outright Indian victory on the 4th day if Symmo a.k.a the mon**y, had been given out on Day 1'. Hold on.....

Do not call me racist. I am only stating what Symmonds would love to be called! Thats why he jumps around trying to catch every other person about him calling him that name. Well, that is what I could make out of the theatrics over the monkey-calling issue. Either that or I am afraid, Ponting is so bamboozled by Bhajji that he wants to see him off at Perth, one way or another.

All in all, no words can express my disappointment after the 2nd test match. Two things really hurt. It was sickening to see Ponting go to any length to equal Steve Waugh's record and it was heartbreaking to see a fantastic series being killed off at the halfway point by forces that just were NOT CRICKET.

Waiting to watch carnage at the G

Thats what its called here. It is not known as the MCG but just as the G. Here in the sports capital of Australia, India begin their march to glory; unmatched glory it will be if India do manage to upstage Australia in the 4 test match series starting on Boxing Day.

I have booked tickets for the 3rd day and hope the match will not be over by then!! No, that definitely seems unlikely this time around in spite of the Taits and the Lees. Two very partisan issues have been raised in anticipation. One of them is an Australian conundrum: to spin or not to spin? Simply put, it would be a huge gamble to play Hogg over Tait. The Indians are accomplished against spin yet Hogg has had some success in the past in ODIs against India. I would punt on Ricky Ponting going for an all out pace attack. This is the first time that more cricketing voices are calling for all-out pace at the G than a 3rd choice, un-proven spinner. Secondly, Ponting himself has been effusive in his praise of Tait and no matter how many times the Indians batter a one-dimensional pace attack, the Australians will always believe the visitors are vulnerable to pace on bouncy tracks. Moreover, if one has it, they should flaunt it: Australia is veritably the only test playing nation that has four front-line fast bowlers who would make the first eleven of any test team around the world. The only dampener is the pitch at the G. It always gets slower and lower as the game wears on. The 2nd and 3rd days are usually best for batting barring any rain. If India's batting line up takes centre stage from the 5th session, it could be a long, hard toil for a 4-pronged pace attack.

India have a few tricky choices to make of their own. Sehwag has been picked but where will he play? If India pick two openers, who will make way in the middle order for Yuvraj? What will the bowling line-up look like. Call me crazy, but I know the only way to take on the Aussies is to take them head-on, especially if you have the quality in your side which I proudly admit, India does have. Therefore, I would like India to go all-in at the G! I would open with Sehwag and Dravid followed by Sachin, Sourav, Laxman, Yuvraj and Dhoni. Kumble will be the lone frontline spinner along with both newbies Pankaj Singh and Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan to lead the pace attack.

Shocked?... Read on....

My 11 does seem unfair on Jaffer but thats where I will be going all in with Sehwag. Sehwag gives Kumble an off-spinning option that could contain the left handers in the Australian line-up. Given Harbhajan's dip in form, it would be a better idea to pick him in Sydney where there is more bounce than the G. Down the order, I have dropped Pathan because there is usually not much swing at the G unless the clouds cover in. Usually, in summer, cloud cover means rain and once the rain's gone, the clouds are gone too. Basically this defangs Pathan and there is no point playing him as a batting all rounder. Ganguly can do that job. Again, I take a punt in playing both the newbies but there is a reason for this madness. The Australians do not believe in dawdling at the crease. They will come hard at the newbies. Pankaj and Ishant can both afford to stick to their natural lines outside the off stump. Trust the Australians to go after them and the extra lift that they both extract will come in handy! Moreover, they are young and fit and can bowl long spells without risk of breakdown. Lastly, the Australians have not been tested often by McGrathesque bowling. I do not mean McGrathesque accuracy but that kind of ilk - the height and the extra bounce; I would like to see Ponting play the hook and pull to tall young newbies.

No matter what Kumble chooses, I wish all the very best to India. Two days ago, the guy at the coffee shop promised me a 2-0 or 3-0 scoreline and added gravely that India would find it difficult to save a single test if the weather stays good. How much I would love to wave a pic of Anil with the Border-Gavaskar trophy held high next month. Just like the Indian team, I wait with a quiet confidence!

Let the Games Begin!!!

The mind games have already begun. Harbhajan has fired the first real salvo targeting an individual: Bradley George Hogg!! As an isolated act, it sounds pretty cute. Here is a finger spinner who has not been among as many wickets as he would like, but before he is picked out by the Aussies as the fall guy in the visiting party, he goes ahead and dishes out a bit of Australian pie in anticipation!!

I was and still am a firm believer in the futility of mental disintegration which is almost doctrinal in the cricketing fraternity in Australia. This doctrine was first brought out of the closet in its cheapest form by Mr. Steven Waugh who, if truth be told, would have had a lot more success as an army strategist than he had as a captain. His success as captain had more to do with his team of Galacticos and feeble opponents than with his purported nous as captain and master strategist. Nevertheless, his techniques, especially the doctrine of mental disintegration (which was given full support by the Psych. arm of the ACB for obvious reasons!!), rode on the success of the Australian cricket team and rose up the pecking order of mandatory skills to be possessed by a cricket team.

Teams all over the world fell for this ruse. They started giving credibility to tactics like sledging by following the Australians. Let me quickly add that on-field verbal exchanges have been a part of cricket and most other sports since their inception. However, accepting them as a necessary skill in a cricketer's armoury is not only ludicrous but shameful too.

In cricket, like any other sport, there is an internal locus of control and a much bigger external locus of control. A sportsman can perform tasks in his locus to the best of his ability. Nothing more, nothing less. Out in the middle, every great batsman will tell you to let the instincts take over. It is quite the reverse of mind over matter, yet, it is necessary and true. Steve Waugh might disagree, but we all know where he was rated on Mr. Warne's hall of fame!!