LESSONS FROM SYDNEY : INDIA MUST LOOK FORWARD

India's performance in chartering a plane to take the players back home in the event of an independent judge finding against them in the Harbhajan Singh case counted amongst the most nakedly aggressive actions taken in the history of a notoriously fractious game.

Yup that’s what people call it but you know what I don’t care what people say. Now that India has proved that it’s a “superpower” of sorts as far as the money making goes and that gone are the days when any one could bully us, we as a cricketing nation need to look ahead. They say power comes with responsibility and I also believe that if we have to remain powerful over a period of time, being rich alone wont help. We need to win and that’s my point of debate here.

To me, we face a stark challenge in the years that lie ahead. Not once in 60 years of independence have we, the cricketing powerhouse attained top ranking in its chosen game. Certainly we have had happy memories of successful days in the sun. Winning the World Cup in 1983 was a fine achievement by a hardened group of seasoned campaigners. Taking the spoils at the first official world Twenty20 tournament was another inspired effort by a bunch of likely lads. Under various captains the current team has secured memorable victories against strong sides at home and overseas. But it is not enough anymore !!!

Ambition should be made of sterner stuff. India must expect more of itself or else we cannot rise. Success ought not to regarded as a welcome guest who raises spirits for a few nights before bestowing his favours elsewhere. It cannot be accidental. Rather, it must be the result of sustained effort from every part of the cricket community. And that can only come with proper structures and constructive attitudes.

In any case, a cricket World Cup does not attempt to identify the best side on the planet. Instead, it brings together the senior cricketing countries and obliges them to play an abbreviated version of the game. To lift the trophy at the end of months of intense competition is no mean feat but it is not to be mistaken for domination. Clearly the same applies to 20-over tournaments, a form of the game best suited to players of roughly that age. It is an enterprise that demands skill, power, nerve and strategy, but it has limitations. We were right to rejoice in victory. And when we rejoice, we do so deliriously. But we needed to get back to work straight afterwards. Instead, hungry Australians arrived and put us in our place.

From a small nation periodic triumphs might be acceptable. Some countries lack the resources required to sustain a challenge. New Zealand has a tiny population and unreliable weather, and therefore must live on its wits. But we have vast wealth, a population devoted to the game, an accommodating climate, a fund of knowledge, a proud tradition, great heroes, and an immense opportunity. Yet we has not yet imposed ourselves and the reason is simple. We has not driven ourselves towards excellence with the required single-mindedness. Far from passing on their wisdom, some older bears have put their own paws in the pot. Administrators have served their local community and not the wider interests of the game. Young players have been feted and fattened. Defeats have led not to rational introspection but to loud protest.

In the last few seasons India has had at its disposal as impressive a bunch of senior players as the game has known. Most of them are coming towards the end. They may have a few more glorious days left in them but the finishing line is in sight. As a group they have been intelligent, committed and unspoilt. But did they rise though a system that tested them every step of the way? Or was India lucky to find a group of well educated and devoted cricketers able to define their times? India has reason to fear their departures. Plainly, the time has come for officials to confront the underachievement.

Securing top position in the Test rankings within five years must become a stated ambition pursued with vigour by the entire community. Goals help to define actions. It's hard to know what path to take unless the end of the journey is known. If it is not achieved, the entire management team ought to be held responsible. Accountability is crucial in these matters.

Nor ought anyone to pat themselves on the back about victories in minor tournaments whose main task is to raise revenue and attract crowds. Caesar was not rewarded for overpowering some hapless tribe.

We as a nation must recognise the primacy of Test cricket, not least as a way of planning properly. Fewer mistakes will be made once Test domination has been identified as the most important target. It is inconceivable that a nation that takes Test cricket seriously could give a team a few days to prepare for a series in Australia. On this evidence the administrators concerned are either foolish, greedy or arrogant. They assisted the Australians and undermined their own players. The blow to morale must have been devastating.

It is not easy to develop a cricket community as efficient as the one prevailing in Australia, but the benefits are obvious. A team that lost four mighty cricketers at the end of the previous season still managed to win its next three Test matches in a landslide. Not long ago an attack comprising Brett Lee, once an erratic speedster, and three relative newcomers would not have caused sleepless nights. By no means did these players have better records or more ability than opponents. To the contrary, Brad Hogg and Stuart Clark spent large parts of their careers plying their trade in domestic cricket. Meanwhile Mitchell Johnson was driving a plumber's van.

However, Ricky Ponting and his coaches extract every last drop of ability from their players. Throughout their careers, players keep working, keep improving. It is expected. Andrew Symonds, Hogg, Michael Hussey and Phil Jaques count among those who had to wait a long take and score a lot of runs before the call came. They did not give up or count their pennies or become lazy or complain.

India is better placed than anyone else to challenge the Australians. Some progress has been made. Players are emerging from rural areas as transport and communications improve. Mahendra Dhoni, Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma and others were not born with the proverbial silver spoon. Clearly it is becoming easier to tap into the pool of talent across the country. Also, the various Twenty20 tournaments attract bold youth and raise fielding standards and running between the wickets. But it will come to naught unless India as a cricketing nation decides to devote its energies and resources to reaching the top of the Test rankings. The BCCI must outline its position. Staging the next World Cup will be a challenge but ought not to distract attention from the true purpose. India must not settle for second place on the podium.

The time has come for an ancient civilisation and an emerging nation to go for gold.

DADA : THE WARRIOR PRINCE

I often wonder….. how will history remember Saurav. Will anyone actually remember him say 50 years down the line. After all he has played his cricket alongside India’s arguably best sportsperson Sachin Tendulkar. So why will people remember him? If not for his comeback, we would have associated our Dada by his blunt aggression shown by him by waving his T shirt at lords after the Natwest victory in 2003. He could easily have been forgotten.

Fortunately Saurav has done much more than that. He has done much more than playing Cricket. His career coincides with India’s new found self belief as a nation in its abilities and I am sure it will not be a overstatement that Saurav has been a catalyst to this new found belief. It is not uncommon that a nation finds its inspiration… its aspirations through sportsmen. Especially in a country like India, which has no role model to look upto in its public life. Plagued by corruption, indecision, instability India looked upto the cricketers. But Indian cricket was no different. In 1999/ 2000 season, when Saurav took on the captaincy, Indian cricket was rocked by its worst crisis ever: The infamous match fixing scandal!!!! The revelation that shocked the nation where Cricket was a religion and cricketers were no less than gods. Trust was shattered and people, understandably so, turned their backs to cricket. Saurav took on the job of captaining the Indian team when the popularity of Cricket in India was at its all time low.

Like a true leader, Dada, started collecting the pieces left after this Tsunami. To be true nothing much was left after this Tsunami. So he started picking the talent from all parts of India. The Shewags, the Harbhajhans, the Yuvrajs and so many more. At a time when every failure was being criticized heavily by critics and looked upon by suspicion by public, he defended each of his boy like he was defending himself. India achieved what others might consider impossible under his captaincy. In 2001, when Aussies lead Series 1-0 when they enforced a follow on to India in Kolkata. Who can forget the miraculous turn around of the series from there. Not only India won the Kolkata Test but we went on to win the 3rd test at Chennai and the series with it. Within 3 years he made a team which almost won us the World Cup in 2003!!! We won almost all ODI series in that era. Impossible wins like in the Natwest Finals in 2003 where Kaif and Yuvi chased down 326 had almost become a habit. Even the mighty Australians had nightmares of India at that time. They were seriously challenged in the drawn test series in 2003/ 04 for the 1st time in over a decade in Australia!!!!

But destiny had different plans for Dada. As if to say, this is not enough for a life time… lets see if you can handle more challenges. Ganguly’s personal form dipped from there on to a extent that he was asked by his coach to drop himself from the team!!! The aggressor lost his cool and the Indian public lost its memory. He was infamously dropped from the team for more than a year.

He was picked for one of the hardest tours… South Africa. And what did he do there … well not much. He was only the highest run getter for India in that series!!! And since then every series he has got better and better. So much so that he was the Man of the Series against Pakistan in the recently concluded series.

If you're looking for a clue to what has helped Sourav Ganguly sustain his spectacular run in Test cricket since his return at the fag end of last year, don't bother looking at his footwork or the flow of his bat. Take, instead, a close look at his eyes while he is batting. They speak of a calmness that borders on serenity, and a combination of composure and resolve. You could see it in his comeback innings in Johannesburg, which fetched him an unbeaten 51, and you could see it through his epic innings in Bangalore that marked a new high in his career.

Ganguly has taught India the true definition of aggression. People in India wrongly conceive that if you sledge you are aggressive… far from it. Ganguly has always been aggressive not only by his words but by his deeds. One need not be a rocket scientist to understand that that Ganguly has hardly spoken anything after his come back and yet is mighty aggressive. In his bowling, and on the field, we have seen the more familiar Ganguly; excitable, emotional, even fiery. He has appealed cantankerously and celebrated his wickets and catches with child-like gusto.

He has let himself go only once after his comeback: it was an emotional moment, getting to his first hundred before his adoring home fans. But his celebration after he got to his first double-hundred, a landmark he sought and will cherish, was far more subdued. There was the raising of the arms and the acknowledgment of applause from his team-mates and the crowd. But then there was also a series of little pumps of the fist, and a waving of the helmet. Those were for himself. There was an air of fulfillment, of a man celebrating privately in public. His smile touched a million hearts: his struggle to regain his place, and some would say his honour, have been among the most stirring and uplifting stories in cricket.

His story is about a man who simply refused to surrender to what seemed inevitable to most. Much can be said about his improved footwork and the decisiveness of his stroke-making, but in the end, it has been a triumph of spirit, of incredible strength of mind and faith.

But he is living out a fairytale at the moment, and nothing he achieves will be a surprise anymore. There are many, me included, who believed Ganguly's time as an international cricketer was over. We owe him an apology and a salute.

Dada you have made us proud !!!!

Pakistan : The Worst Team Ever!!!

Wow!!! Finally the day came when Indians can clam that indeed their cricket team is much better than that of their arch rivals.

However, believe me, my heart bleeds when I see the Pakistani team perform as bad as they have done in India. But facts are facts and they cannot be denied. Just look art the following stats of this shattered team for 2007

M W L W/L
Tests 6 1 4 0.25
ODI 21 8 12 0.67
T20 10 7 2 3.5 (1 match was a Tie)

I am not a great believer of stats in Cricket. However, the above stats more or less signifies why my heart bleeds. Pakistani test team has never be so down since 1972 and believe me this pathetic record would hurt every cricket fan across the globe.

Except for the T20 finals, Pakistan have more or less nothing to show for their efforts this year. If one analyses their problems this year, one can easily say that they have problems in every department of the game. Their Opening batting has been a issue since Syed Anwar and Aamir Sohail combination left the international scene. Their middle order looks extremely thin without Inzy. Their wicket keeper drops a crucial catch almost every match these days. They have no all rounders which once had had in abundance. Their bowling is no where to even county team standards. And their fielding ….. well even school boys will be ashamed of the effort Pakistanis are putting in these days.

Pakistan was surely my favorite team, after India obviously, and yes it hurts to see the powerhouse of cricket falling the way they did this year. As if the trauma of early world cup exit wasn’t enough, we are seeing them perform they way they did on first two day of the 2nd Test. They are so down that their think tank cannot even think logically. Inclusion of Shoiab Akthar in the playing 11 is the biggest blunder I have seen in test arena!!!! It gives me no pleasure, as a Indian, to see them being defeated by my team. They are not worth opponents.

I wont pull the topic more but I only hope that Pakistani cricket does not follow the path of West Indies Cricket. I hope good sense will prevail in selection of their team and we get a better opposition to play our Ashes!!!! Till then the present series is dead and its not good for cricket

This is Vikas from ICC head quarters in Dubai.

India Pakistan to Clash again : It doesn’t get any bigger than this !!!!

As a child, when I was growing, I was told that Ashes was the mother of all Series and that winning the Ashes was the most important thing in a career of a International Cricket from Australia or England. But even the purist have to agree that over the last 3 decades nothing matches the excitement offered by a Indo- Pak series. Fortunately or unfortunately, the clash between the arch rivals is just more than a just a game. It was very well depicted in the recent Bollywood block buster “Chuk De India” where it was shown that one game turned the life of a man upside down. Didn’t it reflect the career of Chetan Sharma whose life couldn’t be same again after the infamous last ball six by Miadad.

In fact the main reason for Indo Pak series are so famous are due to the fact that players from both the teams cross the limits of possible and go on to do things which are almost hard to believe. Who can forget Miadad’s last ball six, Prasad’s famous comeback in the Bangalore Quarter Final in 96, Sachin’s arrival in International cricket against Qadir, Shoiab’s Yorker to Dravid, Aqeeb Jawed’s LBW hattrick in Sharjah, Sehwag’s Triple at Multan, Kumble’s perfect 10 at the Kotla and the most recent Misbah’s flick to find a mallu at short fine leg to loose the T20 World cup. These are some of the finest moments in International cricket and hence no one can underplay the importance of a Indo- Pak series.

This year has been a mixed kind of year for both India and Pakistan.. Out from the world cup in 1st round. India then went on to beat Bangladesh in Bangladesh, S. Africa in Ireland in 3 match series, won the English test series, lost the One day series, Won the T20 cup and then lost a home series to Australia. Similarly Pakistan lost both One day and test series at home to S. Africa after having reached the finals of T20 Cup.

However, in this it does not matter what form a team is in nor does the reputation of a player matters and hence I am not going to tell you that on paper Indians look the favorites. But as it is very clear, it is just on paper. For all practical purposes, it is safe to assume that this series will be a cracker of a series. Players would be tested not just on their talent but mental resolve as well because these games separate the men from the boys.

This India-Pakistan series would be of the utmost importance because it is a series between two countries who share so much history between them. History that has blazed the two cricket fanatic nations with feverish excitement every time the two arch-rivals have met on a cricketing field, history which has epic battles that have set one nation in a frenzy while the other mourns and history which with every series has been recreated.

Come November 5 and the world will have its eyes on the mother of all series. As is said, 'It doesn’t get bigger than this.'

This is Vikas Gupta from the City that saw closest Indo Pak matches … Dubai (Sharjah isn’t that far :) )

LETS SAY NO TO RASICM !!!!

The recent row of racist remarks over Symonds at Vadodara, Nagpur and Mumbai reignites the discussion over Racism in world of Sports.

However, I guess Australians have no right to take the matter too far. I read a report, entitled ‘What’s the Score,’ by The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Australia. They concluded Racism is still ‘prevalent’ in all Australia’s major sports, including among professionals, despite administrators’ best efforts to stamp it out, a hard-hitting report. One can easily remember Australian crowds’ racial abuse of touring South African cricketers in 2005-06. In 2006, former Australian Test cricketer Dean Jones was sacked as a TV commentator for calling Muslim South African player Hashim Amla a “terrorist” during a broadcast. Murali and the Sri Lankan team will have more than a story to tell about Australian, on and off field, racist attitude. One can only wonder what Indians will face this time when they tour Australia.

However, not withstanding all that. Let us put behind what the others do to us. After the much hyped Indian victory at the T20 World cup, there was a call for positive attitude and aggression. India, as a nation is also breaking through and there is a general aggressive attitude in the youth of our country. It is actually very nice and refreshing to see that. However, we have yet to understand the meaning of aggression. Aggression is not saying mean and harsh things to your opponents. Aggression is not saying “Watch out you asshole, I will kick your butt.” It is never about saying things. It is about doing things. Being persistent to achieve your goal. Never giving up. That’s being positive and aggressive. We Indians learnt to say those mean things, but what we have not learnt is the attitude. Lets face it, Australians have played their cricket aggressively and one needs to respect them for that . They are undisputed world champions of cricket and they played their hard cricket in India. No two opinions about it. So why disrespect someone like Symonds who was by far the best player on show in the two teams. That’s not fair. Just because these guys are racist, doesn’t mean we need to match them even in their evils. We Indians should embrace the good of the west and not its evils. We have our values and racism is something that is not acceptable at all in our country.

If you are black you know that racism is still alive, unless you live in a cave. Racism isn’t just a sports thing, it is a society thing. Blacks run into it or see it everyday in all walks of life. Sports are just a small part of society and racism in sports cannot be denied. I don’t know if this is a sign of racism, but how many times have you seen TV sports people refer to blacks as having a ‘good smile?” It bothers me, because I don’t hear those same statements about none black athletes having a good smile.

I remember Thierry Henry, take up the issue very strongly last year when he came up with the wrist bands and “Stand Up, Speak Up” Campaign. We all know racism is a major problem in Europe even now. Germany was one such place which waged a war on the basis of racism only to be completely shattered.

Lets say no to such social evil and play and live our lives positively and with “aggression”. Lets leave these smallness of being racist to the west.

Lets say NO TO RACISM!!!!! For the 1st time I will request you to forward mails on anti racism to your friends because this is something that unnecessarily divides the world, which already faces so many problems. We don’t want such problems in sports anyways

Sorrow in the Sub continent: Final Frontier is lost !!!

A fortnight is a very big time these days in the world of cricket these days. Just a 15 days back we were all celebrating a historic Indian win at the T20 World cup and today I am voicing my concern over the losses of the sub-continent teams in their recent series.

Yes, indeed the verdict is out and it doesn’t look all too well for the teams from the subcontinent. India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have lost their respective series in their own land. This is something we have not seen in the 90s and indeed the start of 2000s. This a sad and telling blow for the teams from the subcontinent where the spin web used to suffocate the best to death.

Lets take Sri Lanka first. The rise of this cricketing power can be easily attributed to individuals like De’ Silva, Jayasuriya, Murali and Vaas. With all these players in the twilight of their career, the lack of proper cricketing mechanism in the country is exposed. With the help of foreign coaches and some astonishing talent they have kept the cricket alive but the recent series defeat against the English have exposed the fact that Sri Lanka does not has a proper cricketing organization to breed and throw international talent consistently enough. With Jayasuria out of form and Murali not playing in the series, the Sri Lankans looked totally out of sorts. This English win was their first series win in Sri Lanka.

Pakistan on the other hand were handed over a 1-0 series defeat by the hands of South Africa in the 2 test series. The confusion over selection and the total mismanagement by the administrators there was the prime reason for the defeat. There is a bit too much happening in Pakistan cricket off the field for them to concentrate on their cricket. To be honest, the forthcoming tour of India will most probably sort things out. Also for me their biggest worry is batting. After Aamir Sohail and Syed Anwar, Pakistan have struggled with their opening batting. For last 5-6 years they haven’t have had fixed openers which cost them dearly in this series.

Indians are probably the unluckiest of the lot. After the celebrations of the T20 win, Australia would have been the last team they wanted to play with. Dhoni is new. The big three are assuming new roles in the set up. And believe me there is a huge quality difference between Australia and rest of the other teams. They are by far playing the best cricket world has ever seen. So Indians were pretty much helpless. Also a lot is being said about the utility of the big 3 in the team, post T20 win. My take on the subject is, the day u find better than Rahul, Saurav and Sachin, throw these guys off the team. However, till such time respect these guys. Post T20, people want their head with no logical reasons. Both Sachin and Saurav are playing extremely well this summer. People need to realize that T20 is different from ODI and these players are still the best in this country. Dhoni is learning bitter lessons on Indian captaincy now, but I feel with the forth coming Pakistan series, his caliber as a captain will be tested. India will have to think a lot about their team combinations and the mark the correct people to be backed as like Pakistan, frequent changes are being made in the team which is no good.

However, whatever may be the case, the frontier is lost and India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will have to do a to regain the lost honor. A lot for the cricket administrators to think about

Fearless Cricket won the World Cup

“A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance..... We end today a period of ill fortune, and India discovers herself again”

Yes I will take help of the same words which were spoken 60 years ago when India got its independence!!! Yes this has been one of those rare occasions in history when we have stepped from the old (era dominated by Sachin, Saurav and Rahul) to the new (Era which promises a lot with Dhoni, Yuvi, RP, Irfan, Rohit). The Cricketing soul of this nation was suppressed since 1983 and yes it has now found a new utterance. 24th September 2007 is a day when we end a period of ill fortune and I am sure Indian Cricket will discover itself again!!!!

I must confess, I began the tournament with a mild sense of cynicism, which was due to my reservations about Twenty20 as a form of cricket. Growing up watching cricket, I understood that Cricket, especially batting, is a combination of 3 Ts viz. Talent, Temperament and Technique. The shorter the game gets, the balance shifts from Temperament and technique towards Talent. While some amount of Temperament and techniques is required in One Day Format, T20 Cricket is a showcase of talent. And to add to it… it is fast, exciting and is more often than not competitive. This format is one of those things which act as a dessert when you consider the big picture of Cricket.

The finalist in the tournament were unarguably the teams full of natural talent and hence it shouldn’t have been a surprise. I heard a lot of people not giving both India and Pakistan any chance to reach the final. But my theory explains it all!!! To be honest one could hardly choose between the two arch rivals. I personally thought that Pakistan was the best team among the 12 teams on board and it would be only fair to say that they lost the cup not due to talent and lack of ability but unfortunately they couldn’t play that “fearless Cricket” for the last 20 overs of the tournament, which was the hallmark of the two finalist of the tournament. I wont emphasis on the final which, I must confess was tough on the nerves and the hearts of the millions but I will concentrate on the big picture.

The big picture that emerged from the tournament was what I call as “Fearless Cricket Theory”. The young teams of India and Pakistan exhibited some of the most amazing fearless Cricket that I have seen for 24 years now. They say experience dilutes a person. Well I am sure they are right. These new guys did not know, and thank god they did not know, things that can go wrong. The examples of this can be seen in Rohit Sharma’s Debut knock of 50 in the semis and that 1st over aggression from Yusuf Pathan in the final. Yes in case of Rohit Sharma it clicked and in case of Yusuf it didn’t. But these guys played this fearless cricket thoughout.

Pakistan must consider itself unlucky to have not won the tournament. Their bowling of Asif, Tanveer, Gul, Afridi was a treat to watch. It was their batting that had let them down more than once in the tournament and I guess that’s the reason they paid the price.

India on the other hand, build momentum gradually as they went into the tournament. The inspiration came from Yuvraj as he hit 6 Sixes of the 19th Over of Chris Broad as Indians defeated the experienced England. Rohit Sharma then proved in the next match against South Africa that, this team does not rely on one individual and all of them can chip in as Indians defeated the South African and cleared their road to the semis. They faced their toughest opponent in Australia in the semis. Here the most striking thing about the India Performance was the clear headedness. Indians Cautiously started with their innings only to hide their cards in the final few overs where even the mighty Australians had no answer to the talent of Dhoni and Yuvraj.

However the test of character was the finals where one must admit that, toss played a crucial role. One is asking for a bit too much if one expects the Run chase in the final of a tournament against the arch rivals to be easy. One had to play “fearless cricket” in that final session of cricket and only Mishab, Tanveer and Imran Nazir could play it from Pakistan and it was all over for them.

This vistory proves that a lot has changed in Indian cricket in the last two decades when we last won the world cup. The fact is that the social geography of the game has changed dramatically: the 1983 winning eleven had four players from Delhi, two from Mumbai, two from Bangalore, one from Chennai. It was the quintessential big city team, mostly comprising of upper-middle class men. The 2007 team, by contrast, is very much a Tier 2 and 3 town team, unburdened by metropolitan consciousness. The winning eleven against Pakistan had only one player from Delhi, one from Mumbai and just one from Bangalore. The rest were from towns like Rae Bareli, Rohtak and Kochi, places with no cricketing history. Many of them come from lower middle class families, having lived in one and two room tenements for much of their lives. A majority of them defy the stereotype. This makes the win all the more INDIAN

Well one hopes these moments shall no longer be rare in Indian Cricket

Here is Vikas Gupta Signing off from city of head quarters of International Cricket Council, Dubai.