The Lone Ranger

& then there were four...Four of the top teams in World Cricket deservingly made their way into the semi finals...No surprise packages like Kenya which actually took a a lot of sheen of the last world cup...giving India a virtual cakewalk in the semi finals where if my memory serves me right,Tendulkar failed(oh what a surprise) & Ganguly scored a ton(His 2 centuries were against Kenya & Namibia btw) took us to the final..nwayz why rake up the past when they still seem to be the future if we take the word of our selectors...They will be there in their own inimitable way & be a constant 'inspiration" to the Dhonis,Yuvrajs ,Harbhajans etc.

Let me now draw you to the one man who has been the unsung hero of Indian Cricket for the last 11 years...He never got the limelight ,he deserved ...is a complete team man & a player whom you could rarely find fault with once he had made his mark...A player who was completly aware of his strengths & whose weaknesses are quite insignificant..A player who matured over the years &has been the complete player for the country ...

Everyone knows whom I am talking about...But then one can say that I may have a bias against Dravid ..To that I ask why not??? Its not that he has single handedly won matches like Ganguly used to & Sachin rarely did...As regards Sachin,even today apart from the epic innings at Sharjah where you saw certain fire in Mr.Tendulkar's eyes ,you could say that a man of his talent& ability has not delivered when it matters.Why??? Because cricket is a team game..It s not important just to score runs but its also important to allow/facilitate the other person to also score...A players value is alwayz with respect to the team..I still remember the innings Ganguly played in Toronto or in Karachi or in Dhaka...In all those innings he played as a team guy..Putting his hand up when needed & that's why his stock/popularity rose...Everyone likes winners & in sports like Cricket its always the team that wins...A superlative hundred would have won you a game earlier...Today it just might put your team in a better position...

Unfortunately this knowledge was lost to the two of the best players of our generation...Sachin's position in the team was never questioned till the arrival of Ganguly & Dravid..Until then we had only on outstanding young player in our team then suddenly we had three.Post their arrival the little genius somehow stamped his authority over others with his batting performances.Albeit that the others also were not upto the mark in many areas..but time & again it was alwayz seen till 2000 that India was a one man team with Tendulkar...Things also didn't quite work for him during his captaincy as India lost more matches..

Ganguly's record says it all...However he did the cardinal sin of focussing his importance in the team only as a leader but not by example...His batting skills hardly improved from his debut...He was a suspect against quick short pitched bowling ,is & will alwayz probably be...The adjustment in one's game which is absolutely essential was never seen with his game...

Contrast this with Dravid who was primarily seen as a Test Batsman..His hard work & dedication saw him make changes to his game,improve tremendously in running between wickets & he became one of the best finishers in the game...He has done exceedingly well in the short form of the game thereby showing the progress he made as a player...Adaptability is the key which makes the career of a sportsman long & helps him indispensable to the team & allow him to call the shots on his career rather than have people like you &me who have never played for the country at the highest level & some journalists,ex cricketers whose claim to fame is having represented their country, have a say & the audacity,if i may say to question their worth in the side & call for them to QUIT....

Therein probably is the mistake which Tendulkar & Ganguly have made & probably should look into...

Glory Glory Red Devils !

What a Night ! Awesome..My most memorable match ever...Although my eyes are red & have got a long day ahead...am fresh as ever....Now tats the stuff United have been known & will be known for......

On a side note came across a nice blog + thread in Orkut where a true united fan shouldn't be referring the club as "Man U" ever ...

Read more here

Better Late Than Never to Take "Positives"

BCCI reacted & how....The presence of former captains & inviting their suggestions was a good move...Even better was to ask one of them to be the "manager" of the national team... So the former captains spoke about "restricting endorsements" ...Well BCCI went ahead & pulls out a clause(as a suggestion of course) which limits number of endorsements...Former captains are outraged as the representative of the BCCI fired from their shoulder they felt "....a "media" gag was put on players...The "endorsements" stance is widely rebuked...The former greats (understably) distance themselves from the same...as they had not suggested the same...Oh ..How I could have forgotten...Greg Chappel is called a complete thorough "professional" ..He is asked to contribute to the development of the game as an advisor to our National Cricket Academy..Wah Wah ...BCCI demonstrated that it had taken actions to please its target audience (customers) which comprise of :
a) Corporate Sponsors for BCCI (Including Sahara,Nike etc)
b) Indian Public
c) ICC
d) Outstanding former "Employees" ( Meaning ex cricket stalwarts :))
e) Sister Companies ( State Associations)

However in doing so it conveniently forgot its own "employees" .ie the players...Thee players are the "face" of the corporation...They are the ones who go out there & perform...These players are not only their employees but also their "products" whom they sell/market.

Any company worth its salt would agree that " The quality of the product/service is paramount & the focus should never shift from there" ...The only point made by the BCCI in this regard was to develop State Cricket Academies from now on who will in turn supply the "products" to the National Cricket Academy...Beautiful Concept ..But what about the "raw materials" for the products...What about the "products" in schools /colleges which are the foremost link in the whole supply chain...That is beyond the scope/purview of BCCI one may argue...Then how can it expect the products to be good even at the second stage...

The solution,a simplistic one would be to have tie up programs with selected schools...If the State Cricket Academies come into existence soon...the logical process for them would be to have tie ups with various schools in the state directly/indirectly through District Cricket Associations etc.....This tie up is existent in many areas but in an informal/unstructured manner which gives rise to favoritism/unprofessional methods of training/unequal infrastructure /facilities...If this problem is solved due to the apparent "knee jerk " reactionary approach adopted & the money actually filters down..It would be the BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT of the whole debacle of the world cup performance & thereby giving meaning to the statement of " Taking positives from failure"

Blotch on the gentleman's game

Bob Woolmer's murder had sent shock waves across the cricketing fraternity...For past 10 years the cricket bookie has constantly haunted the people who love this game..The sport took a back-seat countless times as former & current players were punished in many ways for their involvements..However seemingly lack of strong action has really hampered the killing of the issue.
Why should a player/official/umpire be enticed for more money illegally...The common thought is that nobody would mind that "extra" money in their pocket...Most of the players of the top cricketing countries have contracts with their boards & are being looked after very well...In case of popular teams like India,the player makes a lot via advertisements & other promotions.Given all this why would anyone risk of all this along with name & fame ; fame to throw a match/lose for a bookie.

2 scenarios
a) he is threatened for his life
b) He feels his talent/effort are not being adequately compensated monetarily or otherwise...

In case of scenario a) , he/she has the comfort of law abiding agencies etc to provide him/her with enough security..One may argue ( ie if he/she watches a lot Bollywood movies :-)) is that he/she has been warned not to approach the police...However has there been any of the threats being actually carried out...Compliance to such threats only encourages them more.I know its easier said than done.Also one may argue that Woolmer probably had to give up his life coz he threatened to do just that...That again my friends is pure speculation & in case if that is true then we should be even more proud of that man as he stood for what he believed

In case of scenario b) It is a practical & economic problem..Such a situation doesn't arise in football for e.g .as players from remotest corners of the world get money ,fame & adulation as the biggest clubs in the world give them a chance to shine...In any case this system works as players play football as a profession ; Emotional attachments are also taken into account adequately..For e.g. Roy Keane played his whole career in Manchester United but eventually also played for his boyhood club Celtic.The understanding we get is that if a player is really good then he does geta chance to shine among the brightest stars...Even our own Baichung Bhutia would admit that Bury was the maximum peak he could go to showcase his talent abroad .

So if ICC is listening ,it should seriously consider corporates/rich aficionado to set up a comprehensive club structure...The best frame of reference could be the English County League..If such a structure was developed then the best of the players would make money throughout the season by playing for these clubs...A big effort though is needed as it would involve a massive change in the Cricketing Calendar...As number of international games would reduce dramatically....A good way to start would be have World Cups once in 4 years for One day internationals or Twenty 20s in future...Test Matches be restricted to 3 -4 tours per year among national teams & throughout the year teams can play for their clubs competing in one dayers & Twenty20 internationals...Wouldn't it be interesting to watch a Hero Honda Sponsored Mumbai side take on Lancashire regularly throughout the year...(The Zee league is a step forward but again if I am right ,PHL's popularity has been on the wane since the first year & surely the game needs big performers for it to draw an audience)

My Passion

Yesterday me & my senior @ work were as usual discussing cricket(one of the "in" topics among the few choices one usually has i.e. movies ,girls or cricket :)) in one of the breaks which we take where he enjoys a smoke & 'cutting chai" & me only the "cutting chai" .The discussion was about the latest volley of allegations between Chappel & the players..One think which came out from the usual discussion was that now common people may just have become disenchanted with the game..I know everyone thinks that this is just a phase & people will soon forgive & shower praise on the cricketers as ever before sooner(Mebbe after an emphatic win over Bangladesh :)) but things just might be different.
Die hard fans of the game(including myself) have slowly moved on to other games to demonstrate their passion...even now if I think that over the past few years ,I have been rooting for Manchester United more than our cricket team...What I mean by rooting is not that I have stopped watching the game or not supporting the team,it just means that the way u jump of your seat when a wicket falls or Sachin hits a six...I remember being a cynic & not believing in India during the Natwest Final & then hopping around in one leg the next day for quite some time as I had lost a bet to my cousin who banked on India all the way...Not for a moment I felt the pain or shame for doing that as the team had really made my day...It had brought joy to thousands of people including me..
Recently I had the same feeling when My team Manchester United beat Liverpool in the last minute of extra time,with John Oshea scoring the winner...My dad was worried whether his 25 year old son had lost his senses as I jumped around for 5 minutes after he scored...The whole next day I was beaming with joy & happiness...
Over the past years such instances have been far few with the Indian team...Today the vigour with which I & a few of my cousins follow Manchester United is not seen with the any Indian team...Cricket is the only sport where our team competed with the worlds best on equal footing over the last 20 years & the only sport where one can support his team & wish that they are the best in the world realistically...Even now when a Indian player hits a magnificent 100 or Sreesanth runs through the South African top order.it makes me feel good...it makes me feel proud...Even today when I see Virendra Sehwag on the field when he is bowling or fielding his calmness makes me feel good...Even now in crunch situations in slog overs when I see Irfan Pathan bowl with a cool head(Remember he almost won us that match against Windies in the Champions Trophy along with Agarkar ..Agarkar took the wickets but Pathan gave nothing away) It makes me feel good..
All I want is that feeling to be replicated through out .AGAIN.....Anil Kumble throwing himself around on the field...For his size & limitations he is a very decent fielder meaning he gives a 100 %...Not too long ago people made fun of Sidhu when he tried to dive around...But guyz remember he did try...& THATS WHAT PEOPLE ULTIMATELY WANT TO SEE...

Again I must add Dravid's performance time & again has given me the joy which I want from my country's team...Its with that sense of nationalism people look at cricketers..They feel they represent the country BEST on a global stage other than other sports & tats what makes them BIG in their eyes

Well one may alwayz say "its a game after all" .Today when we speak about things like "professionalism","attitude","modern approach" etc. etc. all points to the simple premise that a sport cannot be taken as just a game after all...People pay hard earned money to watch these cricketers play & they want their moneys worth.Any person who appreciates the value for the same would agree that he/she got his/her money's worth as long as they saw both sets of players who are playing are the best that their team could select,The ground conditions are fair & knowledge of the same is openly available & the whole game is played in a fair manner within the framework of the rules ie rules could be bent but not broken...Finally when the game starts a person expects to SEE the players give their best ,their attitude is reflected via many things which any normal person not a psychiatrist need to decipher....I hope everyone understands what I am talking about...& why this Catch 22 situation for the board is going to be a pivotal moment which determines the shape of Indian cricket in the next few years at least

& btw yours truly has been following cricket since age of 6 -7( like most Indians) with passion & started following football only from 1999..So u c where I am coming from & where my real passion lies in some corner of my heart :)

P.S : Post the "cutting chai"...we heard that "Chappel has indicated that he doesn't want to continue in his job..." **sigh**