Cricket India

You should honestly congratulate yourself in choosing cricket as your favorite game because there seems to be no game which commands so much attention in our country. Illiterate street urchins and knowledgeable parliamentarians find time to comment on the poor performance levels of Dravid and co and ignorant as they are of the game are adamant that they also should be heard while solutions to the debacle are discussed.

I am surprised by the willingness on the part of certain bigwigs to go to any distance to get ridiculed. If you are elected to the parliament on the basis of your strengths, you better stick to them. Entering uncharted waters with impunity seems to be the privilege of parliamentarians.

But such outbursts on the part of these gentlemen are pardonable as they have a history of badmouthing everything they don’t know about. But a little more common sense is expected from the educated common man. Something better than total lack of sensitivity. If only they had gone through the stats of the recent one-dayers played in South Africa, they would have thought twice before crying foul about Indian team’s dismal performance. Only one team- Australia- has won more matches than they lost in S.A. All others have 70% to 80% going against them. Against such a historical handicap, an Indian failure need not be and should not be interpreted as a colossal ignominy.

They, South Africans, are brought up on those bouncy and seaming tracks. They have through continued exposure and trial and error, have learnt to do better. Against such a team, all tourists are at a disadvantage, especially the teams from the sub-continent where pitches because of obvious reasons are low and yield spin. So an Indian team which has several delightful artists with the willow on home tracks, finds the SA tracks a little too hot to handle. No wonder in that. Unlike olden days, the present day teams don’t get even a semblance of a chance to get acclimatized to the local conditions. They straightaway are asked to play the ODIs or tests. How do you think the players can make the necessary adjustments without sufficient exposure? If that is the case with batting, this argument is equally valid for bowling also. The Indian pace men might find the pitches there a little more helpful but they would soon realize that the local batsmen who have such stuff for breakfast, lunch and dinner handle them with magical efficiency. Then they have to look beyond parameters like line, length, swing or seam. Which again comes only through exposure. And that obviously is denied to the teams.

Newlands was definitely a better show than Durban. India had South Africa on the mat and only some superhuman hitting allowed them to run away with the match. And in their reply India could be happy about Dravid’s and Dhoni’s displays. It shows India’s performance could improve as days go by. But the one-dayers will be over soon and the more spiteful tracks might be waiting for the tourists.

Such a tour should be understood and accepted as a unique experience for our players and instead of criticizing them mercilessly we better would look at the ways in which the teams could be better equipped to handle such challenges on a long term basis.

Tags: SA pitches, Bouncy tracks

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 12:38 PM 0 comments links to this post

As was feared, Indian batting collapsed against some steady South African pace and betrayed certain ill-hidden truths covered by some amateurish hype created by the media. A group of journalists bent on analyzing the scores of each match to establish a non-existent trend, has created this atmosphere of utter disappointment in the minds of the Indian cricket fan.

True, Indian performance was even worse than expectations. The Durban track while allowing bounce was not unduly helpful to the ball intended to seam. It did seam but well within the reasonable limits. But the bounce plus some movement off the seam rattled the Indian batsmen and established a needless sense of superiority in the minds of the Springboks.

When India bowled, the ball behaved sensibly after the initial overs. India bowled well especially with only four frontline bowlers available. (Tendulkar proved that on such tracks a few simple tricks would prove to be very effective.)But the early life seemed to desert the pitch and the ball began to behave honestly. That might be because the Indians are not familiar with those pitches to extract life out of it or the resistance put up by Kallis was of high caliber. But when the South African pace men ran in with the ball, it seemed a slightly different track. The ball bounced a bit more and it seamed a bit more. Men like Nel and Langvelte could squeeze more out of this track than Pollock and Ntini.

Indian batsmen are obviously not well equipped to handle such bowling on such tracks. Ordinarily the acclimatization period would be much more and most of the problems would have been sorted out in the provincial matches. Now players are thrown at the deep end straight away and made to fend for themselves.

This learning process will go on till the end of the tour. Even as they learn how to tackle the rising, seaming ball, the venues will change for the worse for the test series. So it looks like a couple of months of hard sailing for the Indian batsmen. An excellent learning process! And in the midst of it all there will some gems to pick up and they will hopefully keep our interest in the series and in the arguably slightly-overrated geniuses alive.

Tags: Durban ODI, Indian loss

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 11:38 AM 1 comments links to this post

The first match of the five-match series in South Africa was washed out by rain and India moves on to Durban with the same diffident mindset. Disturbed by severe criticism about its inability to deliver, Indians must be praying for an opportunity to prove themselves. The criticism mainly has been on two flanks, one about India’s failure to perform consistently and two about the incessant changes brought about by the Indian think tank.

India’s lack of consistency has been there for a long time. Of course in the early days of India’s entry into international cricket, none had any expectations about a spirited response on India’s part. But as India improved its standard gradually, several other teams began to lose superiority.  It was this leveling factor which induced this element of expectation in India’s prospects of better performances. But India was unable to move on to a higher level and remain there. India, on the other hand, only flattered to deceive and proved to be consistent in its inconsistency.

There rose a sense of disappointment over this development and Indian fans, very resolute in their support to India, began to lose their enthusiasm. And that sense of alienation continues even today.

But the other cause of criticism does not impress me. The experiments by Chappell which have invited severe adverse comments are of course not beyond criticism. But the subjective nature of such criticisms reduces their value quite a lot. If you look at the changes attempted by Chappell, it will strike you that he has not tried too much tweaking. There were practically no disturbances in the bowling department. You can’t put the blame on him and Dravid for the selectors’ decisions. And I don’t recollect too many follies in selection recently.

Let us look at what Chappell has done as part of his vision of team reconstruction. He pulled Pathan our of the bowlers pit and hoisted him as India’s one-drop batsman. His plan might be that with the relative freedom allowed by the one-day rules Pathan with his bold ways might be able to give the innings a healthy push which could be improved upon by the better bat-wielders to follow. But people, who believe in the basic requirements like ability to handle the new cherry, tend to think that Pathan is not an effective number three. Chappell who feels that Pathan would prove to be useful at that position continues with his experiment. It perhaps has ceased to be an experiment.

What else has Chappell done to radically disturb the rhythm of Indian batting? Dravid’s promotion to the opener’s slot was more of a necessity because of Tendulkar’s absence. An occasional change in batting position, if you ask me, is not going to cause any major temperamental trouble to any normal person. That in a way helps a batsman as it reveals to him his limitations and potential in one particular position. And determining a player’s role in a team is a highly subjective assessment based on one’s action plan and such a move can not be questioned without getting an insight on the action plan Chappell has in his computer.

All may not be all hunky dory in the scheme of preparation of the Indian team. But I feel what has been done so far is in the right direction. Now it is up to the players to deliver.

There are certain areas where India has not shed its approach of a novice.  One is constructing the middle overs of the innings in a deceptively efficient way for a match winning final assault. India regularly fails in that area. Another area of concern is India’s bowling at the death. India consistently fails miserably to contain the run flow either through good defensive bowling or wicket taking ability. Almost always India ends up having conceded 20-30 runs more than other leading teams. And that on more occasions than not influences the result of the matches. A coach can certainly do a lot in this area but subject to the available skills of the men at his command. Perhaps it may not be the bowlers’ skill alone that matters. It might be their experience and mental make up which enable them to out think a batsman on the prowl within the framework of good line and length. Even they can be sacrificed in one’s pursuit of ingenuity. But that may require extraordinary talents; without such stuff I don’t know what a coach
can do.
Tags: India-South Africa, Chappell

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 1:10 PM 0 comments links to this post

India’s cricket team has left its shores with hopes and apprehensions. They know that a good performance is not beyond them but feeble responses to situations recently have put the fear of failure in the players’ minds. India has sent out its best possible outfit to South Africa but it is entirely different a point if this team is good enough to put up a satisfying performance both in the one day version and the tests to follow.

There is not much you can do to improve the quality of its batting line up because the best are there in the squad. Tendulkar, Dravid, Sehwag are the glamorous names in international cricket. Men like Mongia, Kaif, Dhoni, and Raina are capable of providing adequate support to the superstars. But I am most happy about the selection of Wasim Jaffer. He is the best equipped batsman in the Indian team to handle the new ball. New ball doesn’t lose its sharpness like its gloss just because one day rules provide a few more options to the more enterprising opener. Jaffer is capable of preventing the collapse at the top that often seals the result of a match even before the first fifteen overs are over. A steady start with wickets in the kitty would provide India with more opportunities to post better scores as men like Tendulkar, Sehwag, Raina, Dhoni, Pathan etc are capable of continuing the good work done at the top.

About the bowling, it, in the recent seasons, was a matter of failure at the execution stage than on the planning table. Which only means not much discussion need be made about the composition of the bowling. What one can do is to pray for the fire power to deliver. A relative disadvantage of a few kilometers in speed is of no great significance. Pathan or Patel or SreeSanth or Agarkar can do the same amount of damage that Ntini is capable of doing.

The bouncy and seaming pitches could provide some assistance to Indian spinners also. Both Kumble and Harbhajan Singh can make the ball jump from a good length spot disconcertingly. But it is going to be a hard battle for India to overcome South African familiarity of the conditions. India, I am sure has done its homework. And what now matters are discipline and commitment.

Tags: Indian cricket team, South African tour

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 7:27 AM 3 comments links to this post

Clash between civilizations could easily take the shape of clash between cultures also. Often what you are used to in your backyard will not be taken kindly in a different society. To err there may not be the most heinous crime but lack of preparation in this area of mutual respect can be termed insensitivity. Not to show regret for a error committed definitely calls for condemnation.

Yes, A cup hitherto elusive and won the hard way may cause excitement of the first order. But that does not give you the right to nudge the chief guest to hand the trophy over in double quick time. Then another gentleman gently pushes aside the chief guest who happens to the president of the host board so that they could get photographed!

It is rather difficult to understand the attitude behind such actions. People born in a society where values are quite different from ours tend behave in ways difficult for us to understand and so obviously unacceptable. Respect to elders is a proud gift of Indian culture. Though it is fast disappearing from our society, it still is a valued trait of our day to day life. The West does not attach much importance to such values. We can’t even think of calling people senior to us by months by the first name. They call elders decades senior to them by their first name. Will Mandira Bedi who nonchalantly calls Boycott ‘Geoff’, dare to call her grandfather by his name?

This inability to understand others’ value systems and to respect them comes to the West rather easily for obvious reasons. But that is not an excuse, especially to people who have to double up as ambassadors of the country also. A little extra dough in the pockets does not give anybody the right to behave like semiliterate boors.

But I see in this a more disturbing trend. This cancer of lack of respect to elders is fast spreading in our country also. Those who are enamored of the glitter of the dollar are great devotees of the shallow behavioral streak shown by the West. Culture, values and other props of exalted living are mistaken for the stuff you are exposed to in the third rate English novels, channels and films. Soon we may reach a stage when money or what it buys is of greater importance than such silly things like respect and concern for elders and ladies. This is just another round of imperialism, sadly more polluting. The day may not be that far off when Mammon becomes  Mahavishnu!  

Tags: Pawar, Ponting, Martyn

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 4:40 PM 0 comments links to this post

After a brief flutter, cricket has settled to its old rhythm and the moment of shock whooshed past without making any impact on us. Australia has finally broken the jinx by claiming the Champions Trophy and has shown West Indies its place in international cricket. Sunday’s final showed us the difference between a champion team and a good one.

West Indies has a history of doing well in the Champions Trophy. Last time they won the trophy and before that they had lost to South Africa in the final. Probably their good performance is intertwined with this tournament. Ordinary players raise their game to a higher level, the team as such plays inspired cricket. But even that was not good enough against Australia. The champion rode the initial onslaught with patience and once Bracken got rid of Gayle and Chanderpaul, came back into the game with a vengeance. From the initial ten-plus rate, Windies collapsed to 139. Australia was not going to let go the advantage such a position endowed on them. After they lost Gilchrist and Ponting for not much, Australia showed the kind of resoluteness only champions can muster. Even the intervening rain break could not disturb Martyn and Watson. Cricket was sort of pedestrian but then they were not playing for the gallery: they wanted to win the trophy badly. As Martyn said it was the last chance for several Aussie seniors. They did not want to mss the opportunity.

Even after heavy cosmetic work on it, the CCI pitch would not smile at the batsmen. Initially the ball came on to the bat but after that phase, cricket was back to the old refrain of this tournament, grind, grind and grind. While the West Indians could not adapt themselves to the requirements of the pitch- they were mesmerized by their own glorious opening overs- Aussies carefully grafted their way to the smallish total.

Now opponents await these teams elsewhere. Australia is to take on England in a grudge Ashes series. West Indies will be going to Pakistan. India has one-day and test series against South Africa. By the time these and other teams reassemble for the World Cup, equations perhaps would have changed in favor of teams which could not do well here. 

Tags: Australia, Champions Trophy

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 1:13 PM 0 comments links to this post

To be frank, I don’t know what is behind this transformation in West Indian cricket. None has ignored the fact that they who were in the dumps not long ago, has definitely managed to climb towards respectability. But anything beyond that, any reference to a champion team might be praise without substance. But one thing is certain. They either because of excellent, inspired leadership or unbelievable commitment have managed to play disciplined cricket consistently.

Their bowling was a joke till recently. The best they could provide was the off spin by two batsmen. Yes, after the formalities by the pace men, Gayle and Samuels would come and with what looked innocuous deliveries, deny runs and take wickets. But this kind of a bowling attack had its own limitations and the matches they won were correspondingly less too. But with the advent of Jerome Taylor, West Indies possessed an excellent weapon which could create a hole at the top and could damage the final progress effectively. He, in combination with these two spinners injected a new sharpness to the West Indian attack.

Gayle with the bat has improved in his consistency. You can imagine what consistency can do to an explosive batsman! Lara, who used to carry the burden of West Indian batting for quite some time, has become more relaxed as the others led by Gayle made runs regularly.

But what I believe to be the most important factor in this unexpected surge is the discipline they show in bowling. They bowl to a plan and support the bowling with good fielding. Even the support bowlers stick to good line and length and allow the main bowlers to come back and attack.

This strategy could work against any team. The only limitation to this approach will be the quality of the opposition and the conditions they get trapped in. The West Indians should hope for a pitch conducive to their bowling and follow it up with sensible batting. But that often can be quite difficult a proposition against a versatile unit like Australia. But the Windies have done it to the Aussies before, here itself. No reason why they can’t do it one more time.

Tags: Transformed Windies, Champions Trophy final

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 12:48 PM 1 comments links to this post

Australia has at last entered the final of a Champions Trophy after repeated, unsuccessful attempts. Even this time they found the going rather difficult but efficiency and confidence came to their rescue when the Kiwis looked like getting the better of them both at the beginning and the fag end of the match. The pitch though not as spiteful as the Pakistan-South Africa one, had enough in it to aid the faster bowlers and it was only the ineptitude of the New Zealand support pacers which let the Aussies off the hook.

This tournament has become notorious for its pitches which have made a bright start almost impossible. But more important than that it has become the stage for the launch of a new move by the coaches to unsettle the batsmen especially at death. Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have quite regularly brought the use of short pitched deliveries to sow the seeds of doubt in the minds of batsmen and prevent an all out slaughter. Of course the effectiveness of this strategy depends to a great degree on the accuracy of the bowler and waywardness in line and length can boomerang on the bowling team. But when done properly, it makes lusty hitting without a care a difficult business.

It brings into play quite a few possible developments in this version of cricket. Batsmen may be forced to bring into their trade new strokes, new foot work and positioning to counter the ball’s trajectory. Even now the strategy of piling it up during the Power Play has undergone some change especially on pitches like the ones on use here. So the middle overs which have been a drag on the fifty-over matches, may assume an increased importance in future. It may become the zone for stepping up the pace of run getting taking into consideration the risks of the opening overs and the difficulties of run getting at death. This will also ask for a change in the batting order of most teams as the more efficient or flamboyant customers might be preferred to come during these overs.

Tags: Australia in final, short-pitched bowling

# posted by Upendra Varma @ 11:12 AM 0 comments links to this post