I couldn't resist the temptation of writing some more about Sourav Ganguly. India won the test series against Pakistan 1-0, it could have been 2-0 had the Bangalore weather not intervened on the last day. Quite fittingly, Dada was chosen as the man of series.
In March 2005, the last time these 2 teams played a test in Bangalore, Dada's rough patch had begun. I was present at the stadium for that match and I vividly remember how he got out-he had just come out to bat and the first over that he faced of Danesh Kaneria he tried to hit himself out of bad form by going down the pitch for a pretty ambitious shot. As the case is when a player is in bad form, he missed the ball completely and was comprehensively stumped. The joke around the stadium that day was that nobody even realised when Sourav came and went.
About 32 months later, the same gentleman brought the entire stadium to its feet when he came out to bat in both innings. His double century in the first innings was followed up with a brisk 91 in the second innings, narrowly missing Sunil Gavaskar's record of scoring a double century and a century in the same match. This is the beauty of cricket- in all probability you get the chance to redeem yourself, and if you make the most of it all is forgotten about the past. Dada's timing, while batting, is his God given gift. The timing of his double century was even better. To come back the ground where was the butt of everyone's jokes and score a double and ensure a series victory- sounds more like a fairy tale comeback.
Cynics still say that the Australian tour is going to be his litmus test. I would beg to differ. He has proved himself in the past one year in South Africa, England and at home against the Sri Lankans, Australians and Pakistanis. Yes the Australian tour is definitely going to test his skills but that should be used as the benchmark to idolise him or shun him.
The bottom line is that in the 16 years of cricket that i have seen, a comeback of this proportion has never occurred. I was never a huge fan of Sourav Ganguly, but now you can put me on that list.
CORRIGENDUM:
In the previous post I had said that his century at Brisbane in 2004 was the last one before the one at Kolkata. The last one before his Kolkata century was actually in Zimbabwe, which had started off all the controversy about the tiff between him and Greg Chappel. And also the Brisbane century was in December 2003. So i stand corrected on both counts.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
DADA REINVENTED
I am writing this post on the 2nd day of the 3rd test between India and Pakistan being played at Bangalore. About 15 minutes back Sourav Ganguly played a trademark cover drive and achieved something that had eluded him in 11 years of international cricket, a double century.
Its been almost a year since Dada has come back into the team after his unceremonious dismissal from the unit which he had formed. India were in South Africa that time and the likes of Nel,Ntini and Pollock definitely did not want to give Dada a warm reception back to the international arena. He scored a gritty half century in that low scoring game at Jo'burg and was the pick of the Indian batsmen on that tour. What was amazing to see was the way Dada had re invented himself as a batsman. He was looking much more confident and and at ease at the crease. The biggest change for me was the way he changed his pull shot, it is very crucial to have that shot in your armoury on the bouncy pitches of South Africa. Earlier, he would get the bat below the ball and invariably sky it, now he plays it more conventionally with the face of the bat in the direction of the boundary.
One year into his comeback he has cemented his place in the team(again). Even in the shorter version of the game, the Tendulkar-Ganguly opening combination came back to terrorise the bowlers. He has been very consistent throughout the year and it is very difficult to point to a particular phase when we could say it looked like he was struggling. Even in the disastrous World Cup campaign he stood out with a couple of solid half centuries. He continued the good form against England and was very close to the elusive century but Simon Taufel made a rare mistake and Trent Bridge wasn't destined to be the place of his comeback century.
The past two weekends have been amazing for him. Last saturday, he achieved a long cherished dream, that of getting a test century at the Eden Gardens, his celebrations showed how much it meant to him, it was very similar to his celebrations in Brisbane (which incidentally was his last century before this one), way back in 2004. The grit and determination showed in that innings was commendable. The timing couldn't have been better, both literally and figuratively. Which Indian cricketer wouldn't want to score a test century against Pakistan at his home ground??
Coming to this weekend, Dada came in to bat yesterday with 3 wickets down in the first session itself, with Laxman being the 4th to go he and Yuvi came together and engineered a fightback you generally would not associate with the Indians. By the end of the day they had put on 300 hundred runs and bailed India out of a precarious situation. Apart from his own century what would have made Dada feel satisfied was the way Yuvraj staked claim for a test spot. Yuvi was brought into the team wen Dada was captain and Dada was a staunch supporter of Yuvi who came in for a lot of criticism during the initial phase of his career. It was definitely a special moment to see both of them get centuries.
Today, the 2nd day he went on to score his maiden double test century and this time his partner at the other end was another young gun whom he had mentored, Irfan Pathan(ironically he too was making a comeback in test cricket and believed in Yuvi's way of doing it, by scoring a century). One more coincidence was that his century in Kolkata, the century and double century in Bangalore, all were brought up by cover drives. Even in the bowling department he is being utilised appropriately now and has been used as a partnership breaker to good effect.
The amount of respect i have for him now has grown manifold. I will be the first one to accept that i was in the group of detractors when he did an ad on TV for Pepsi after he was dropped,in which he asked us to continue cheering for India. I found that ridiculous. But then after coming back he has silenced all of us.
This may seem out of context but i would equate his comeback to SRK developing a six pack for OSO. Its not easy at the age of 42 to do that.Similarly for Dada, when he was dropped from the side he was 33, the normal age for retirement for a cricketer.The easy way out would have been to announce his retirement, after all he had achieved quite a lot in 10 years of international cricket. But he took the decision of working his way back into the team. He went back to the basics and worked extra hard on his fitness. Not many people know this but he had told his physical instructor to keep asking him whether he wanted to get back into the team or not whenever it looked like he was getting too tired and wanted to give up. It worked wonders for him and he came back, a changed player at the age of 34.
One year is a fair amount of time to decide whether a player is good enough for international cricket. And Dada has proved that he is here to stay and will retire on his own terms.
Its been almost a year since Dada has come back into the team after his unceremonious dismissal from the unit which he had formed. India were in South Africa that time and the likes of Nel,Ntini and Pollock definitely did not want to give Dada a warm reception back to the international arena. He scored a gritty half century in that low scoring game at Jo'burg and was the pick of the Indian batsmen on that tour. What was amazing to see was the way Dada had re invented himself as a batsman. He was looking much more confident and and at ease at the crease. The biggest change for me was the way he changed his pull shot, it is very crucial to have that shot in your armoury on the bouncy pitches of South Africa. Earlier, he would get the bat below the ball and invariably sky it, now he plays it more conventionally with the face of the bat in the direction of the boundary.
One year into his comeback he has cemented his place in the team(again). Even in the shorter version of the game, the Tendulkar-Ganguly opening combination came back to terrorise the bowlers. He has been very consistent throughout the year and it is very difficult to point to a particular phase when we could say it looked like he was struggling. Even in the disastrous World Cup campaign he stood out with a couple of solid half centuries. He continued the good form against England and was very close to the elusive century but Simon Taufel made a rare mistake and Trent Bridge wasn't destined to be the place of his comeback century.
The past two weekends have been amazing for him. Last saturday, he achieved a long cherished dream, that of getting a test century at the Eden Gardens, his celebrations showed how much it meant to him, it was very similar to his celebrations in Brisbane (which incidentally was his last century before this one), way back in 2004. The grit and determination showed in that innings was commendable. The timing couldn't have been better, both literally and figuratively. Which Indian cricketer wouldn't want to score a test century against Pakistan at his home ground??
Coming to this weekend, Dada came in to bat yesterday with 3 wickets down in the first session itself, with Laxman being the 4th to go he and Yuvi came together and engineered a fightback you generally would not associate with the Indians. By the end of the day they had put on 300 hundred runs and bailed India out of a precarious situation. Apart from his own century what would have made Dada feel satisfied was the way Yuvraj staked claim for a test spot. Yuvi was brought into the team wen Dada was captain and Dada was a staunch supporter of Yuvi who came in for a lot of criticism during the initial phase of his career. It was definitely a special moment to see both of them get centuries.
Today, the 2nd day he went on to score his maiden double test century and this time his partner at the other end was another young gun whom he had mentored, Irfan Pathan(ironically he too was making a comeback in test cricket and believed in Yuvi's way of doing it, by scoring a century). One more coincidence was that his century in Kolkata, the century and double century in Bangalore, all were brought up by cover drives. Even in the bowling department he is being utilised appropriately now and has been used as a partnership breaker to good effect.
The amount of respect i have for him now has grown manifold. I will be the first one to accept that i was in the group of detractors when he did an ad on TV for Pepsi after he was dropped,in which he asked us to continue cheering for India. I found that ridiculous. But then after coming back he has silenced all of us.
This may seem out of context but i would equate his comeback to SRK developing a six pack for OSO. Its not easy at the age of 42 to do that.Similarly for Dada, when he was dropped from the side he was 33, the normal age for retirement for a cricketer.The easy way out would have been to announce his retirement, after all he had achieved quite a lot in 10 years of international cricket. But he took the decision of working his way back into the team. He went back to the basics and worked extra hard on his fitness. Not many people know this but he had told his physical instructor to keep asking him whether he wanted to get back into the team or not whenever it looked like he was getting too tired and wanted to give up. It worked wonders for him and he came back, a changed player at the age of 34.
One year is a fair amount of time to decide whether a player is good enough for international cricket. And Dada has proved that he is here to stay and will retire on his own terms.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
OFF THE FIELD, ITS NOT WAR.
Came across an article in today's paper which suggested that when India and Pakistan play cricket, its war only on the field. Virender Sehwag lost his father a couple of days ago and Pakistan's captain Shoaib Malik along with the team manager and media manager went to Sehwag's place to offer their condolences. This was a very nice gesture on their part. This goes to show that the camaraderie between players of both teams is really healthy and all rivalries are restricted to the cricket field.
On behalf of all Indian cricket fans I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the Sehwag family,which is must be going through a mixture of emotions right now(the birth of Viru's son preceeded his father's death by a week). For inspiration Viru need not look too far, a certain team mate of his attended his father's funeral and came back within a couple of days to represent his country in the world cup and scored a century as a tribute to his father.
On behalf of all Indian cricket fans I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the Sehwag family,which is must be going through a mixture of emotions right now(the birth of Viru's son preceeded his father's death by a week). For inspiration Viru need not look too far, a certain team mate of his attended his father's funeral and came back within a couple of days to represent his country in the world cup and scored a century as a tribute to his father.
DRAVID DROPPED!!
Irony of life(especially if you are an Indian cricketer)- at one point of time you are the captian of the most cricket crazy nation's team and within a month you find yourself out of the team!! Jammy has had to come to terms with this irony the hard way. The rumour mills were
working over time before the team for the Pakistan series was selected but very few people would have expected such a drastic decision to be taken.
The term 'rested' is being used quite a lot by the selectors nowadays. Somebody needs to tell them that there is a marked distinction between dropped and rested. I personally feel that this decision was uncalled for. Lets not forget, form is temporary but class is permanent. This kind of shoddy treatment being meted out to one of the most humble servants of Indian cricket is shocking- one of the many instances which reminds me of the term Jimmy Amarnath used to describe the selectors-a bunch of jokers!! I think that term is also too mild now.
One positive to be taken from this is that Sourav Ganguly was treated the same way and he has now come back in a very strong way. Dravid, like Ganguly,will be playing the season opener of the Ranji trophy in Mumbai(the press has touted it as his oppurtunity to give an apt reply to Vengsarkar and Co.). I feel irrespective of his performance in that match he deserves a place in the side.
Here's hoping to see Jammy back in Indian colours from the 3rd ODI onwards.
working over time before the team for the Pakistan series was selected but very few people would have expected such a drastic decision to be taken.
The term 'rested' is being used quite a lot by the selectors nowadays. Somebody needs to tell them that there is a marked distinction between dropped and rested. I personally feel that this decision was uncalled for. Lets not forget, form is temporary but class is permanent. This kind of shoddy treatment being meted out to one of the most humble servants of Indian cricket is shocking- one of the many instances which reminds me of the term Jimmy Amarnath used to describe the selectors-a bunch of jokers!! I think that term is also too mild now.
One positive to be taken from this is that Sourav Ganguly was treated the same way and he has now come back in a very strong way. Dravid, like Ganguly,will be playing the season opener of the Ranji trophy in Mumbai(the press has touted it as his oppurtunity to give an apt reply to Vengsarkar and Co.). I feel irrespective of his performance in that match he deserves a place in the side.
Here's hoping to see Jammy back in Indian colours from the 3rd ODI onwards.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
NORTH STAND AND RACIST?? YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!!
There has been a lot of publicity given to the fact that Andrew Symonds was subject to racism during the course of the last 3 ODI's in the recently concluded Future Cup. And more attention has been focussed on the North Stand at the Wankhede in Bombay. I personally feel all this is a load of rubbish. The North Stand in Wankhede is one of the best stands to be watching a match in the country. Apart from Bombay, I have seen matches in Kolkata,Pune and Bangalore, and i can safely say that the most knowledgeable,sporting and fun loving crowd in the country can be found in the North Stand. A major chunk of the spectators in the North stand consists of young professionals and students, the last thing one can expect from them is being racist. It is true that they give the opposition a tough time with the kind of chants they come up with(which is all in good humour), but they also appreciate a good perfomance when they see one. Now Australia of all countries has no moral right to complain about racism.
First of all calling somebody a monkey is not racism by any stretch of the imagination. So this not racism. What is even more ironic is this accusation is coming from Australia- a country where visiting teams are given the toughest times by spectators. The Aussies have deprived themselves in the past of watching Murali in action because of the way they treated him. The Proteas would also vouch for the fact that the spectators are racist(to put it in mild terms). They have been at the receiving end of a lot of racial slurs during all of their tours down under.
The 4 spectators who were ejected from the North Stand can't be seen as its representatives(a few rotten apples). The same North Stand gave a standing ovation to Mark Waugh in the 96 world cup game for his splendid 126. Nobody went beserk(unlike other stadiums) when we lost test matches to South Africa, Australia and England. I have to keep on reiterating that they aren't sore losers.
So before anybody goes ahead and brands the North Stand as being racist, please get your facts right and don't give undue inportance to all of this nonsense.
First of all calling somebody a monkey is not racism by any stretch of the imagination. So this not racism. What is even more ironic is this accusation is coming from Australia- a country where visiting teams are given the toughest times by spectators. The Aussies have deprived themselves in the past of watching Murali in action because of the way they treated him. The Proteas would also vouch for the fact that the spectators are racist(to put it in mild terms). They have been at the receiving end of a lot of racial slurs during all of their tours down under.
The 4 spectators who were ejected from the North Stand can't be seen as its representatives(a few rotten apples). The same North Stand gave a standing ovation to Mark Waugh in the 96 world cup game for his splendid 126. Nobody went beserk(unlike other stadiums) when we lost test matches to South Africa, Australia and England. I have to keep on reiterating that they aren't sore losers.
So before anybody goes ahead and brands the North Stand as being racist, please get your facts right and don't give undue inportance to all of this nonsense.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
THE RISE AND FALL OF MUMBAI CRICKET
When i was writing about Agarkar and Powar it just occurred to me that the representation in the Indian team of Mumbaikars has been dwindling since the early nineties. The only player who has a permanent spot is Sachin Tendulkar. There have been many who have made it into the national side but haven't been able to maximize the oppurtunity. The Harris Shield, the Kanga league et all have produced the likes of Gavaskar,Vengsarkar,Shastri,Wadekar,Manjrekar to name a few.The past couple of decades have given a few names to reckon with thought i would just profile them:
Salil Ankola:
Right arm fast medium bowler. His first tour was to Pakistan in 1989. Had been in and out of the team. His last appearance was in the 96 world cup. After that he made a career shift into acting and has been quite successful at that.
Samir Dighe:
Wicket keeper and right handed batsman. Many say he was brought into the team at the behest of Sachin Tendulkar (during his captaincy). That decision drew a lot of flak and what added fuel to the fire was that he was promoted as a pinch hitter during an ODI at the MCG and he failed miserably. In his defense, he was chosen for a pretty hostile Down Under(which tour isn't?)and everybody was on the look out for scapegoats. He was a part of the test side during the historical 2001 series against Australia. He and Harbhajan took us home in the last test at Chennai. After that he is nowhere to be seen.
Nilesh Kulkarni:
Left Arm off spinner. His tall lanky physique could lead to anybody mistaking him to be a pace bowler. Again many feel he was in the team because Sachin was captain. Didn't make a huge impact when in the team and hence wasn't seen much. Off late had been vacillating between the ICL and Mumbai Ranji team. First he committed to the former then after rethinking it came back to Mumbai.
Sairaj Bahutule:
An orthodox leg spinner. He dropped Sachin early on in his innings in the Harris Shield match where Sachin and Kambli went on to have the world record partnership(he is remembered more for that than his exploits in the Indain team). Did exceedingly well while playing for Mumbai. He also was a part of the test team during the 2001 test series against Australia. Playing under the shadow of Harbhajan in that series sealed his fate.
Paras Mhambrey:
Right arm fast medium bowler. Picked for the 96 tour of England as support for Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad, he failed to do much and couldn't yield any returns on the selectors investment in him. After that has been keeping himself occupied with coaching responsibilities.
Atul Bedade:
Not many may remember him. He was branded as a hard hitting southpaw when he was inducted into national colours. Unfortunately for him, he made his debut at Sharjah against Pakistan at a time when Pakistan + Sharjah= Doom for the opposition. Couldn't blame him much for not delivering the goods against Akram and co. unfortunately in India, the first impression is the ever lasting one and his fate was sealed.
Abey Kuruvilla:
Right arm fast bowler. I have seen him bowl and you dont realise where the ball once until you see the wicket keeper moving to collect it. Unfortunately for him he was a part of the team when we were going through a horrible phase in 97. He was there on the tour to West Indies and also played a couple of home series. The team's performance compelled the selectors to search for scapegoats and unfortunately for him he fitted the bill. One quality about his batting worth mentioning is the uncanny ability he had to whack the ball 7 storeys high,but it would never cross the 30 yard circle!! Like Paras Mhambrey he also is into coaching now.
Praveen Amre:
Right hand batsman. He burst onto the international scene,with a century on debut in South Africa against South Africa. But that seemed to be his peak and it was downhill for him from there. Presently incharge of the Mumbai Ranji team.
Vinod Kambli:
I seem to be using the term prodigal son quite a lot these days. But the epitome of that term has to be this gentleman. There was a time in 93 when he was more popular and prolific in run scoring compared to Sachin. Back to back double centuries and he was touted as India's reply to Brian Lara. But success got to his head(literally also, every series we saw him in a different hairdo) and he never was able to cement his place in the side. The 96 world cup saw him and Sidhu saving us from a horrific defeat against Zimbabwe and in the same tournament we saw hum weeping of the field at the Eden Gardens with India at 120/8 in the semi finals against Sri Lanka. The final nail in the coffin came in the 97 series against Zimbabwe where while fielding he twisted his ankle and fractured it in the process. That was the last time we would see him in national colours. He acted in a couple of movies after that and i dont think he can give Salil Ankola a run for his money.
These are the few i could think of. One particular player who could never make it to the team but had the potential was Amol Muzumdar- a classy batsman and a prolific run scorer in the domestic circuit. He has to be one of the unluckiest guys around.
Of the present players in the team Agarkar and Powar i have already written about. Wasim Jaffer has more or less made the opening position in tests his. Its too early to comment about Rohit Sharma but the signs so far are good.
So what is the reason for the fact that after Sachin nobody from Mumbai is good enough for the Indian team?? Is it because the quality of cricket has declined in the Shivaji Parks and the Oval Maidans or has it risen in other parts of the country?? I still am not able to figure it out!!
Salil Ankola:
Right arm fast medium bowler. His first tour was to Pakistan in 1989. Had been in and out of the team. His last appearance was in the 96 world cup. After that he made a career shift into acting and has been quite successful at that.
Samir Dighe:
Wicket keeper and right handed batsman. Many say he was brought into the team at the behest of Sachin Tendulkar (during his captaincy). That decision drew a lot of flak and what added fuel to the fire was that he was promoted as a pinch hitter during an ODI at the MCG and he failed miserably. In his defense, he was chosen for a pretty hostile Down Under(which tour isn't?)and everybody was on the look out for scapegoats. He was a part of the test side during the historical 2001 series against Australia. He and Harbhajan took us home in the last test at Chennai. After that he is nowhere to be seen.
Nilesh Kulkarni:
Left Arm off spinner. His tall lanky physique could lead to anybody mistaking him to be a pace bowler. Again many feel he was in the team because Sachin was captain. Didn't make a huge impact when in the team and hence wasn't seen much. Off late had been vacillating between the ICL and Mumbai Ranji team. First he committed to the former then after rethinking it came back to Mumbai.
Sairaj Bahutule:
An orthodox leg spinner. He dropped Sachin early on in his innings in the Harris Shield match where Sachin and Kambli went on to have the world record partnership(he is remembered more for that than his exploits in the Indain team). Did exceedingly well while playing for Mumbai. He also was a part of the test team during the 2001 test series against Australia. Playing under the shadow of Harbhajan in that series sealed his fate.
Paras Mhambrey:
Right arm fast medium bowler. Picked for the 96 tour of England as support for Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad, he failed to do much and couldn't yield any returns on the selectors investment in him. After that has been keeping himself occupied with coaching responsibilities.
Atul Bedade:
Not many may remember him. He was branded as a hard hitting southpaw when he was inducted into national colours. Unfortunately for him, he made his debut at Sharjah against Pakistan at a time when Pakistan + Sharjah= Doom for the opposition. Couldn't blame him much for not delivering the goods against Akram and co. unfortunately in India, the first impression is the ever lasting one and his fate was sealed.
Abey Kuruvilla:
Right arm fast bowler. I have seen him bowl and you dont realise where the ball once until you see the wicket keeper moving to collect it. Unfortunately for him he was a part of the team when we were going through a horrible phase in 97. He was there on the tour to West Indies and also played a couple of home series. The team's performance compelled the selectors to search for scapegoats and unfortunately for him he fitted the bill. One quality about his batting worth mentioning is the uncanny ability he had to whack the ball 7 storeys high,but it would never cross the 30 yard circle!! Like Paras Mhambrey he also is into coaching now.
Praveen Amre:
Right hand batsman. He burst onto the international scene,with a century on debut in South Africa against South Africa. But that seemed to be his peak and it was downhill for him from there. Presently incharge of the Mumbai Ranji team.
Vinod Kambli:
I seem to be using the term prodigal son quite a lot these days. But the epitome of that term has to be this gentleman. There was a time in 93 when he was more popular and prolific in run scoring compared to Sachin. Back to back double centuries and he was touted as India's reply to Brian Lara. But success got to his head(literally also, every series we saw him in a different hairdo) and he never was able to cement his place in the side. The 96 world cup saw him and Sidhu saving us from a horrific defeat against Zimbabwe and in the same tournament we saw hum weeping of the field at the Eden Gardens with India at 120/8 in the semi finals against Sri Lanka. The final nail in the coffin came in the 97 series against Zimbabwe where while fielding he twisted his ankle and fractured it in the process. That was the last time we would see him in national colours. He acted in a couple of movies after that and i dont think he can give Salil Ankola a run for his money.
These are the few i could think of. One particular player who could never make it to the team but had the potential was Amol Muzumdar- a classy batsman and a prolific run scorer in the domestic circuit. He has to be one of the unluckiest guys around.
Of the present players in the team Agarkar and Powar i have already written about. Wasim Jaffer has more or less made the opening position in tests his. Its too early to comment about Rohit Sharma but the signs so far are good.
So what is the reason for the fact that after Sachin nobody from Mumbai is good enough for the Indian team?? Is it because the quality of cricket has declined in the Shivaji Parks and the Oval Maidans or has it risen in other parts of the country?? I still am not able to figure it out!!
Friday, October 19, 2007
HARSHA ON SACHIN
Came across this video last night. I think this was during one of the management talks he gives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5Fsnv6wHJo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5Fsnv6wHJo
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
TOP 10 SACHIN TENDULKAR MOMENTS/INNINGS
Here is a list of my top 10 Sachin Tendulkar moments/innings. All this is from what i can recollect from memory. So here they are in descending order.
10) 241* at the SCG against Australia,4th test 2003-04 series
Sachin wasn't at his peak throughout the series,coming into the last test match he was determined to prove a point. Majority of his dismissals in the series till then were brought about by him flashing outside the off stump. So he came up with a strategy you wouldn't associate with him,anything outside off was left alone. He used to play at the ones on middle and leg. What followed was a fruitful partnership with Laxman to take India past the 700 mark. Sachin was the only batsman in the lineup who hadn't clicked till then in that series. Ganguly scored 144 at Brisbane,Dravid got 233 at Adelaide,Laxman too contributed at Adelaide and was at his consistent best throughout the series,Sehwag scored 194 at the MCG. Sachin decided it was time for him to join the party,given the circumstances and the way the series was poised,this innings finds a place in my top 10.
9)Hero Cup semi finals and finals,1993
This finds a place not for his batting but for his bowling. Those who were watching the semi finals will vividly remember the last over, Sachin snatching the ball from Kapil and taking it upon him to win the match for India. Defending 190 odd runs at the Eden Gardens and being successful at it is not an easy task. That last over of the semi finals was the most thrilling over I've ever seen. Sachin followed it up in the finals,he played a cameo towards the end of the innings along with Kapil Dev and with the ball got 2 wickets,the crucial one being that of Brian Lara. It is an unforgettable sight, Sachin bowling round the wicket,Lara surprisingly beaten for pace and the off stump sent cart wheeling to the boundary. That was one truly happy diwali!!!
8)165 against England at Chennai,2nd test ,1993
This was Sachin's first test century on Indian soil. What also started was a lovely relationship with the Chepauk. The way he got to his century was quite amazing,3 consecutive boundaries of Deven Malcolm,the last one,a straight drive,being the best. This also was one of the rare occasions we saw Sachin batting with a cap. This series was a 'brown wash' with India winning it 3-0 and gave hope of a new spin trio in the offing-Rajesh Chouhan,Venkatapathy Raju and Anil Kumble. However only the last person achieved what set out to do.
7)2nd test,Australia series,Kolkata,2001
10) 241* at the SCG against Australia,4th test 2003-04 series
Sachin wasn't at his peak throughout the series,coming into the last test match he was determined to prove a point. Majority of his dismissals in the series till then were brought about by him flashing outside the off stump. So he came up with a strategy you wouldn't associate with him,anything outside off was left alone. He used to play at the ones on middle and leg. What followed was a fruitful partnership with Laxman to take India past the 700 mark. Sachin was the only batsman in the lineup who hadn't clicked till then in that series. Ganguly scored 144 at Brisbane,Dravid got 233 at Adelaide,Laxman too contributed at Adelaide and was at his consistent best throughout the series,Sehwag scored 194 at the MCG. Sachin decided it was time for him to join the party,given the circumstances and the way the series was poised,this innings finds a place in my top 10.
9)Hero Cup semi finals and finals,1993
This finds a place not for his batting but for his bowling. Those who were watching the semi finals will vividly remember the last over, Sachin snatching the ball from Kapil and taking it upon him to win the match for India. Defending 190 odd runs at the Eden Gardens and being successful at it is not an easy task. That last over of the semi finals was the most thrilling over I've ever seen. Sachin followed it up in the finals,he played a cameo towards the end of the innings along with Kapil Dev and with the ball got 2 wickets,the crucial one being that of Brian Lara. It is an unforgettable sight, Sachin bowling round the wicket,Lara surprisingly beaten for pace and the off stump sent cart wheeling to the boundary. That was one truly happy diwali!!!
8)165 against England at Chennai,2nd test ,1993
This was Sachin's first test century on Indian soil. What also started was a lovely relationship with the Chepauk. The way he got to his century was quite amazing,3 consecutive boundaries of Deven Malcolm,the last one,a straight drive,being the best. This also was one of the rare occasions we saw Sachin batting with a cap. This series was a 'brown wash' with India winning it 3-0 and gave hope of a new spin trio in the offing-Rajesh Chouhan,Venkatapathy Raju and Anil Kumble. However only the last person achieved what set out to do.
7)2nd test,Australia series,Kolkata,2001
This match is always remembered for Laxman's 281,Dravid's 180,Harbhajan's hat-trick and the fact that India was only the second team in cricketing history to win a test match after being asked to follow on. But what people tend to forget is that Ganguly may have delayed his declaration in the second innings which may have caused the match to end in a draw. In the last session on the last day, Sachin came into bowl and got the crucial wickets of Gilchrist,Hayden and Shane Warne. The wicket of Warne was a beauty,because he castled the king of leg spin with a perfect googly,this is one of the reasons it finds a place in my top 10.
6)155 against Australia,Chennai,1st test 1998 series
This was the first time Sachin was facing Warne in India and there was quite a lot of hype surrounding this contest. Prior to this match,Sachin scored his first double century in first class cricket while playing for Bombay against the Aussies. In the first innings of this match the excitement got to Sachin and he decided to attack Warne from the word go,but unfortunately he succumbed to it. In the second innings Sachin came back with a bang. He gave a beautiful display of how to play a world class spinner on a crumbling track. Warne bowling round the wicket made absolutely no difference to him and he turned the match back in India's favour.
5)136 against Pakistan,Chennai,1st test 1999 series
This series was marketed as the Sachin v/s Saqlain series. It followed a very similar script to the Sachin v/s Warne contest. Saqlain got the better of him in their first meeting.The second encounter however was under different circumstances.India were chasing a total in the 4th innings and on the fifth morning India were reduced to 82/5. What followed was an awe inspiring fightback from Sachin and Nayan Mongia. One shot of Sachin that is still fresh in my mind is a cover drive he played of Waqar Younis, the ball was slightly overpitched and swinging away from the off stump, the execution of that shot couldn't have been better. Sachin himself has admitted to weeping at the end of this match when India failed to win.
4) 111 against South Africa,Jo'burg,1992 series
Coming into bat at 27/2 and further being reduced to 77/4 Sachin played one of the best counter attacking innings ever seen. Imagine facing the wrath of Donald and McMillan and coming out trumps against them when the rest of the team around him were crumbling. Sachin's score was almost half of the team's 227 on that day.
3) 119 against Australia,Perth,1991-92 series
Playing at the WACA is analogous to playing on a marble surface-the pace and bounce separate the men from the boys. Sachin hadn't turned 18 till then but still displayed the grit and class of a player who had been around for 18 years. He handled Hughes and McDermott with panache.As would become the norm in the coming years,the entire team would collapse without offering any support to Sachin.Nonetheless,this innings gave the Aussies a taste of the stuff they could expect in the coming years.Sachin rates this as his best so far.
2) Operation Desert Storm- 143 and 134 against Australia,Sharjah,Coca-Cola cup,1998
This was undoubtedly Sachin's best year in International cricket(statistics may beg to differ ,but i am basing it on the kind of form he was in).The reason i am clubbing these innings together is that the second one seemed to be a continuation of the first and what made them even better was Tony Greig's commenttary!!.The first one helped India qualify for the finals(had it not been for umpire Javed Akhtar India would have gone on to win that match) and the second one won the finals for us. It was one of the rare occasions when we were chasing stiff targets(284 and 273 respectively),the team rallied around Sachin. Nayan Mongia was good support to him in the finals.Even in the finals,Javed Akhtar gave another atrocious decision in favour of the Aussies and Sachin's 25th birthday ended in controversial style.
1) 97 against Pakistan,Supersport Park ,Centurion,World Cup 2003
March 1st 2003,the setting was perfect,India v/s Pakistan in the World Cup,India fighting to maintain their unblemished record against Pakistan in the World Cup,and set a target of 270 plus to win and ensure their place in the next round. What followed was a Sachin blitzkrieg,it was triggered in Shoaib Akhtar's first over,the sequence of the last three deliveries were-square cut for 6,a good length ball on middle flicked to the square leg boundary and the icing on the cake was the sublime straight drive which went for another 4 runs. This set up the match beautifully and Sachin raced on to 97 of 75. A bout of cramps forced Sachin to call for a runner(which i think has always been a bad omen for him). It took a peach of delivery from Shoaib to bring his innings to an end with 100 runs required for victory. Dravid and Yuvraj completed what Sachin had started. This was the second time Sachin got the Man of the Match award in four World cup games against Pakistan,the earlier one was for his 54* and two wickets in the 92 world cup at the SCG.
So this was my top 10. While compiling this there were a couple of innings which i couldn't accommodate since it was only top 10(top 12 sounds pretty weird) but they are definitely worth mentioning.
90 against Australia,Wankhede,96 World Cup
Steve Waugh wishes in his autobiography that he should have been in the stands enjoying the innings rather than the receiving end on the field.Sachin usually doesn't perform at the Wankhede in ODI's and that makes this innings even more special.One shot that seems like it was played yesterday is a front pull of McGrath which was aimed between deep mid wicket and long on and hit bullseye. Unfortunately the wish of every cricket fan of Sachin scoring a ODI hundred at the Wankhede still hasn't been fulfilled. Sachin was stumped of a wide ball of Mark Waugh,which was thought of to be smart bowling,but we would later on come to know that there was nothing intentional about it!!
38 against Australia,Nairobi,ICC Champions trophy 2000
One may wonder why i was considering an innings which produced only 38 runs in Sachin's top 10. Those who remember this match may tend to agree with me because it was in this match that we got to see a totally different Sachin. He took the attack to the Aussies,he sledged Mcgrath(yes HE sledged Mcgrath),he sledged him with the bat too, coming down the pitch and spanking him over mid off and following it up with a majestic pull which i quote from Harsha Bhogle " He hit the ball out of Nairobi".He eventually succumbed to Lee but he had made his impact on the game,with debutant Yuvraj scoring 81 and the Indians playing out of their skins to win the match.
So there it is,the consolation prizes,if you feel i may have missed any innings or moments please do let me know.
Cheers for now.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
AGARKAR AND RAMESH POWAR- THE PRODIGAL SONS OF INDIAN CRICKET
I was reading the paper today and one particular headline caught my eye,it said Agarkar and Powar destroy Western Railways(not literally,although come to the think of it,Powar could pull it off!!),the tournament was the Times Shield Division A match between Tata Sports Club and Western Railways. Check out these bowling figures Agarkar 8.2-3-23-4Powar 11-4-13-3
When was the last time we saw Agarkar bowl a maiden over??(Apart from Fatima Ghadially) And he actually went on to bowl 3 out of his 8 overs. This was the same Agarkar who got thwarted all over the Oval which forced Dravid to bring on Yuvraj in the last over of that match and the rest as they is history. Now i may not have the credentials to criticise Agarkar and Powar,which mind you i am not doing,rather just trying to figure out this conundrum as to what happens to Agarkar when he comes onto the international stage?? It would be a little early to talk about Powar but from what ever indications we get of his career so far one just hopes he doesn't go the Agarkar way.
This is not restricted just to their bowling.In the same match where they had these astonishing bowling figures,both players came well with the bat also. However when it come to representing the country they seem to be totally different players. Agarkar has shown flashes of brilliance with a century at Lords,but is remembered more for his 007 tour of Australia in 99-00(he got 7 ducks on that tour). Another instance was a ODI in Sharjah against Sri Lanka where we were chasing and Agarkar finished it off well for us. 10 years into international cricket and he still hasn't cemented his place in the Indian side. Makes one wonder whether cricket is played more in the mind? Even Powar for that matter is considered to be a very dangerous batsman for Mumbai but when it comes to the international stage, all he has to show is one half century in 3 years.
Harsha Bhogle keeps talking about this and even he hasn't been able to figure out the cause of this. Agarkar and Powar are two transformed players when they play for Mumbai. Yes the quality of opposition may not be good but as long as one sticks to the basics,it doesn't matter whom you are playing against.
I just hope and pray that Agarkar and Powar,whenever they are given the chance to play for India next, come good with the bat,as that may solve a lot of our problems with regards to the lower order and all-rounders.(literally,Powar already takes care of the latter!!)
When was the last time we saw Agarkar bowl a maiden over??(Apart from Fatima Ghadially) And he actually went on to bowl 3 out of his 8 overs. This was the same Agarkar who got thwarted all over the Oval which forced Dravid to bring on Yuvraj in the last over of that match and the rest as they is history. Now i may not have the credentials to criticise Agarkar and Powar,which mind you i am not doing,rather just trying to figure out this conundrum as to what happens to Agarkar when he comes onto the international stage?? It would be a little early to talk about Powar but from what ever indications we get of his career so far one just hopes he doesn't go the Agarkar way.
This is not restricted just to their bowling.In the same match where they had these astonishing bowling figures,both players came well with the bat also. However when it come to representing the country they seem to be totally different players. Agarkar has shown flashes of brilliance with a century at Lords,but is remembered more for his 007 tour of Australia in 99-00(he got 7 ducks on that tour). Another instance was a ODI in Sharjah against Sri Lanka where we were chasing and Agarkar finished it off well for us. 10 years into international cricket and he still hasn't cemented his place in the Indian side. Makes one wonder whether cricket is played more in the mind? Even Powar for that matter is considered to be a very dangerous batsman for Mumbai but when it comes to the international stage, all he has to show is one half century in 3 years.
Harsha Bhogle keeps talking about this and even he hasn't been able to figure out the cause of this. Agarkar and Powar are two transformed players when they play for Mumbai. Yes the quality of opposition may not be good but as long as one sticks to the basics,it doesn't matter whom you are playing against.
I just hope and pray that Agarkar and Powar,whenever they are given the chance to play for India next, come good with the bat,as that may solve a lot of our problems with regards to the lower order and all-rounders.(literally,Powar already takes care of the latter!!)
A TRIBUTE TO INZY
This may be a little late,considering the fact that there are already millions of posts doing the rounds about Inzamam-ul-Haq's retirement,nonetheless here are a few incidents i remember from his career,some good some bad.
October 2007 and March 1992 saw two defining moments in the in the life of one of the sons of Multan. The former saw him being given a hero's sendoff from his mates and the latter is what made the cricketing world stand up and take notice of him. The former took place thousands of miles away from the latter. Although the person involved in both the scenes was the same, the toll 17 years of cricket had taken on him was quite evident and he seemed to be a changed man.The Inzy who was having the New Zealand attack for breakfast,lunch and dinner and the Inzy who was stumped trying to smash his way into the record books in his final test innings were two totally different people.
In the 1992 world cup Inzy's timing was perfect(technically and literally),what better stage than a world cup semi final where you come into bat with the asking rate seemingly impossible to achieve and give a practical session of the Scorpions song-"here i am....rock you like a hurricane". The images are still fresh in my mind-the florescent green Pakistan jersey,Inzy coming to bat without a helmet and finally Javed Miandad with the white helmet standing out against his jersey, running of the field with the black caps stunned into silence.
Post 1992 world cup he became the mainstay of the Pakistan batting line up. Whenever he scored runs,Pakistan won. Credit for that also should go to his team mates- remember the test match against Bangladesh where was batting with the number 9 and 10 batsmen and won it from there?? You could credit him for being a good finisher- a tag which many of his contemporariesfailed to achieve.
There was also a comical side to him- whether it was intentional or unintentional only Inzy can say. I can never forget him bowling his left arm 'dibbly-dobblies' to Sachin at Singapore,it looked like he was asked to bowl to add some entertainment value to the match!! Then there was his standard speech as captain at the presentation ceremony-which led to the very famous joke about his wife expecting a baby.
The dark side of Inzy came out in the Sahara Cup and one Mr.Thind would vouch for that.Losing his cool after constantly being chided, Inzy picked up one of Sourav's bats and charged into the stands. It wasn't a very pretty sight and thanks to that he now has a criminal record in Canada.
One aspect of his career that Inzy would be proud of is the wins against India in India. I think he would be one of the most loved Pakistani cricketers on this side of the Wagah border. When in the 'zone' his massacres on the Indian attack caused heartbreak for a lot of Indian supporters but would have been a treat to watch for a neutral.
His last year as captain wasn't the greatest-the 2007 world cup being the lowest point . 17 years of non stop cricket culminating in a loss to Ireland and being knocked out of the world cup in the first round and the death of the Coach.Inzy's final test innings was a bit of an anticlimax. One big one away from being the highest run scorer for your country. Going for that big one against a newbee called Paul Harris and missing it completely. Not the kind of ending you would like to associate with Inzy, but i am sure he would be remembered more for the way he arrived than the way he departed.
The reception he got on the field from the South Africans and from his team mates is testimony to his greatness and his impact on the game.Unlike a lot of other Pakistani greats,he got a fitting farewell from his team and the PCB.
Here's to Inzy!!
October 2007 and March 1992 saw two defining moments in the in the life of one of the sons of Multan. The former saw him being given a hero's sendoff from his mates and the latter is what made the cricketing world stand up and take notice of him. The former took place thousands of miles away from the latter. Although the person involved in both the scenes was the same, the toll 17 years of cricket had taken on him was quite evident and he seemed to be a changed man.The Inzy who was having the New Zealand attack for breakfast,lunch and dinner and the Inzy who was stumped trying to smash his way into the record books in his final test innings were two totally different people.
In the 1992 world cup Inzy's timing was perfect(technically and literally),what better stage than a world cup semi final where you come into bat with the asking rate seemingly impossible to achieve and give a practical session of the Scorpions song-"here i am....rock you like a hurricane". The images are still fresh in my mind-the florescent green Pakistan jersey,Inzy coming to bat without a helmet and finally Javed Miandad with the white helmet standing out against his jersey, running of the field with the black caps stunned into silence.
Post 1992 world cup he became the mainstay of the Pakistan batting line up. Whenever he scored runs,Pakistan won. Credit for that also should go to his team mates- remember the test match against Bangladesh where was batting with the number 9 and 10 batsmen and won it from there?? You could credit him for being a good finisher- a tag which many of his contemporariesfailed to achieve.
There was also a comical side to him- whether it was intentional or unintentional only Inzy can say. I can never forget him bowling his left arm 'dibbly-dobblies' to Sachin at Singapore,it looked like he was asked to bowl to add some entertainment value to the match!! Then there was his standard speech as captain at the presentation ceremony-which led to the very famous joke about his wife expecting a baby.
The dark side of Inzy came out in the Sahara Cup and one Mr.Thind would vouch for that.Losing his cool after constantly being chided, Inzy picked up one of Sourav's bats and charged into the stands. It wasn't a very pretty sight and thanks to that he now has a criminal record in Canada.
One aspect of his career that Inzy would be proud of is the wins against India in India. I think he would be one of the most loved Pakistani cricketers on this side of the Wagah border. When in the 'zone' his massacres on the Indian attack caused heartbreak for a lot of Indian supporters but would have been a treat to watch for a neutral.
His last year as captain wasn't the greatest-the 2007 world cup being the lowest point . 17 years of non stop cricket culminating in a loss to Ireland and being knocked out of the world cup in the first round and the death of the Coach.Inzy's final test innings was a bit of an anticlimax. One big one away from being the highest run scorer for your country. Going for that big one against a newbee called Paul Harris and missing it completely. Not the kind of ending you would like to associate with Inzy, but i am sure he would be remembered more for the way he arrived than the way he departed.
The reception he got on the field from the South Africans and from his team mates is testimony to his greatness and his impact on the game.Unlike a lot of other Pakistani greats,he got a fitting farewell from his team and the PCB.
Here's to Inzy!!
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