Sabina Park, Jamaica conquered again !

Indian have gone 1-0 up at Sabina Park, the field where India sculpted a series victory in the Carribean after 35 years in 2006 has again been a happy hunting ground. Gone are the days when we could only play well in Port of Spain and always be pummelled in Barbados and Jamaica !

At 80 odd for 6, India were in a tricky situation, but than as someone mentioned on twitter, we got to know exactly how Australian fans felt the last decade and a half when someone or the other would always stand up and be counted. It had to happen, Bhajji came in and slogged a few and rattled the Windies, runs then just flowed and at 246, I think the game had slipped from the hands of West Indies !

The ball was turning square and India would be greatly disappointed with the performances of Bhajji & Mishra with the ball, Bhajji was steady to say the least and Mishra would be rather unhappy with his performance, he just wasnt consistent and accurate. Mishra might just miss out in Barbados as Munaf will most likely take his place on the bouncier track that awaits us in Barbados.

Praveen Kumar was a revelation in this test match, I for one used to think he just doesnt have the pace and that after the first 10 overs when the ball will stop swining Praveen Kumar will be a liability but he exceeded all expectations I think. Infact it will be difficult for Dhoni to ignore him in the next Match.

The one message that is clearly going to all Indian players is dont miss matches or your spots could go. Pujara will curse his luck, his injury came at the wrong time and I think the only place vacant has now 4 competitors Raina, Pujara, Virat and Yuvraj all will slug it out for that no.6 position as the other 5 are already taken. Thats what surprised me when Yuvraj skipped the WI tests. He is not an automatic selection in Tests and why he let go of this oppurtunity to cement his place for the England series is beyond me.

On the other hand the Windies just dont seem to help themselves, dropping Dravid at 6 sealed their fate. Dravid is starting to move his front foot well and now with runs under his belt and calmed nerves I think the second wind is all set to begin. Mountain of Runs beckon.. !

India’s performance was scratchy, not upto the mark I’d say, however, a Test after 7 months, without any practice match is an excuse I am tempted to accept. Though, if India would want to build an aura that the Windies team had through the 80′s and early 90′s or the Australians had during the late 90′s and the last decade India would do well to crush oppositions when they are down.

At the moment there are a lot of murmurs still, lots of people although they cannot beat us still keep whispering about our problems on green, lively, bouncy, fast tracks which I think is a whole load of crap. But then India will get their chance to quell these doubts on the trips of England and Australia later this year.

In many ways a bouncy track at Barbados will be great for the Indians and if the West Indies can get in Kemar Roach to accompany Fidel and Rampaul, it will be great preparation for the English trip. The conditions will be entirely different but atleast they get practice against some good quality pace, which apart from Ishant no one in our team can give them unless, ofcourse the bowling machines are that good. I seriously cannot understand how Sammy can be the captain when he doesnt deserve a place in the team. A bloke as quick as Kemar Roach is in the 12th man while Sammy plays ahead of him !!!!!! *BLASPHEMY*

If the WICB really need Sammy, make him the non playing captain !!!!

The case of the Indian skipper is much easier he has few things to worry about, his players fight when pushed into a corner and be it Bhajji with a 80 or Mishra with the plucky lil innings with Rahul, someone or the other puts up their hand and India sails through. Admittedly the Windies tail wagged a bit, but then our spinners were not upto scratch this match. Expect Harbhajan to improve, Vijay & Virat to contribute more in Barbados, Mukund to get rid of his nerves and VVS to show some of his masterclass.. Remember India were without their devastating opening pair, their best batsman, their chief bowler and in Praveen Kumar they fielded a fast bowler that they didnt have in their original plans.

India need to play to potential and the contest will not be as close and as an Indian fan I wont complain if we have a boring one sided victory !

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P.s – Chris Tremllet, the English seamer currently considered as the ‘new BIG thing’, some want to complare him to Joel Garner already, wants Lively tracks against the Indians during the 4 Test Matches… !

All I can say to English Groundsmen regarding Tremllet’s wishes is – BRING ON YOUR FASTEST, LIVLIEST, BOUNCIEST AND GREENEST track. We need them more than you to squash all the murmurs !!!!

so begins the world cup !

Yes…. the world cup has started and I have not yet made a single cricket post !!!!!! Geeez…. !!!! If only I would be able to sit more on the computer.

I even missed the most colourful opening ceremony live… and the pre show for the India Bangladesh match… but I was there before the national anthems started… ! I frantically drove my scooter from office parked it and made a dash to the hall & put the TV on.

Albeit I am not the biggest fan of T-20 and ODI cricket, I am a die hard Test Cricket fan, however my favourite team India must be watched in all forms.

Over the years I have always blindly supported them, I can never hear anything against them. Yes I do take in the criticism about their play, but if someone talks about their intentions being malicious or their integrity or anything other than their cricket, they immediately become my non liked people !!!! I seriously hate such people, infact wonder why they watch or discuss cricket if they think so…

Yes… do take note of that.

I consider myself to be their biggest fan, I never quit watching even when they are losing. I always have my logic that all will leave the team when they are losing but how can I leave my heroes when they are having a bad day. Infact if I were asked if Cricket was my first love or the Indian team… I did really have a tough time replying to it.

My team is my team and I dream of being in the midst of them in the dressing room one day… STILL !!!!

Sigh….. AMEN… !!!

Anyways… for this World Cup I am too scared to make my prediction… I dont want to jinx anything… ! I wont discuss my team and their strengths and their chances…. Let it just wait till the cup ends… !!!! I am praying and hoping for an Indian Victory.

But before I would end the post… following are the 3 new young players that I think are going to be the ones to watch out for in this world cup and the future… !

Virat Kohli – well this post is a day late… he already proved quite a bit… but he is the one to watch out for in the future… A huge future I think lies ahead for this starry eyed boy… !!!! and I mean HUGE !

Darren Bravo – I think this junior of Dwayne is a sensational batsman though I would like to see a bit more of him…there are so many shades of Lara in his style… ! Watch out for him !!!

Steve Smith – I think this Aussie Leg Spinner is very talented, however I think the Australians dont give him enough backing. He has a lot of potential… lets see how the Aussies use him…

and I have lots of predictions… but I will keep them to myself… !!!! I am too Superstitious to share them… !!!!!!

For the moment I guess all of you sit back and just enjoy the Runs… yes there will be wickets too but few and far in between…

God save the bowlers this World Cup !!!!!!

The Renaissance Man

French meaning of the word : Renaissance : from ri- “again” and nascere “be born”

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“The key to change… is to let go of fear” – Rosanne Cash

Accepting changes to the norm is never easy, bringing them in is even more difficult even more so when it involves getting others around to accept that change and get them to channelise their energies towards the change…. If ever an Indian were to be named the man who brought about a change to Indian cricket it would have to be Sourav Ganguly.

SOURAV GANGULY – The man who taught us to look in the eye of the enemy and not blink !

People who have followed Indian cricket closely since the late 80′s to till date would definitely know what has changed. Indian cricket was a bunch of talented cricketers before in the twentieth century. Some magnificient players, super talented who on their day could single handedly put any team down but consistently and regularly be beaten by a more organised unit. The twentieth century also witnessed an Indian team who were tigers at home, however the less said about our performances abraod the better. A few victories apart, cricketers abroad licked their lips at the prospect of a visiting Indian team.

However in the beginning of the 21st century one temperamental Bengali often termed as spoiled child or quota player was given the reins of the Indian team at its nadir.

India under Sachin had been badly bruised in Australia 3-0 in tests. In 8 one dayers against Pakistan and Australia we managed to win 1, incidentally in that 1 ODI win it was Sourav who scored a century. Coming back from that tour Sachin had lost the will to lead but he was asked to carry on for the South Afrian Tests and that was the time disaster struck and the Proteas sneaked the Test Series which was after a very long time that a visiting test team won a series in India.

Ganguly was made ODI captain and we won the series against Africa but that was not the headlines, it was Hansie Cronje…

People lost faith, people like me who loved the game dreaded discussing it as people would only say one thing… Its FIXED !

Sigh…

Indian cricket couldnt be any lower than that point… faced with another THRASHING… as Steve Waugh’s side was to tour India. This Steve Waugh side was being compared to the invincibles of Bradman. They were the best team that ever was, better than the windies in the 80′s as they even had a spinner and were not only reliant on pace. It was all conquering and they didnt even play draws. The only thing missing in Steve Waugh’s portfolio was a Test Series Win in India…

They had won 15 consecutive Tests and won the first in Mumbai inside 3 days convincingly to make it 16 in a row. In Eden Gardens in the second Test India were staring down the barrel having been made to follow on. The only hope India had was if Steve Waugh inflicted the follow on. Steve Waugh was ultra aggressive and in the process he left a door open for India. It was slight, but in the second innings what followed was mind boggling as two men played as if possessed. VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid batted out the fourth day without losing a wicket.

On the fourth day evening after Harsha Bhogle interviewed VVS & Rahul he went to Sourav to discuss how would the match progress and Sourav just put his hand around Harbhajan and told Harsha this guy will win me the test match tomorrow and the rest as they say, is history!!!!!!

Yes, Sourav will forever be indebted to VVS and Rahul who enabled the fightback, but leadership is about belief, it would have been not at all a worthy Test had it been drawn. The belief that Sourav had in Bhajji and the confidence he gave his players was something extraordinary.

“Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn’t have it in the beginning.” – Mahatma Gandhi

More than just the victory in this series one thing was most noticeable, the Aussies are sledging champs and they prided in the fact that they never could be gotten back at. This was the series, this was the time when the Indians learnt to give it back as good as they got. No one could get away saying what they liked. The new confident India which was economically becoming a strong power now seemed evident on the cricket field.

Sourav’s keen eye for talent has given India discoveries that we are still gushing about. Sehwag, Yuvraj, Zaheer, Dhoni they all came in while Sourav was at the helm.

I also remember this particular story when Mr. Pradeep Magazine was going to a Indian Airlines match and met Sourav on the way and he told him to watch out of the the keeper, saying he was a “Chabook Player” !!!

That Chabook Player is no one else but our own M S Dhoni !!!!

Yes, it was Sourav who told Veeru that he is too good a player to be sitting out and that while there was no space in the middle order he must open the innings and today we all gush about our greatest possession in Virender Sehwag’s Dare Devil Act.

Sourav’s belief in his men and the confidence and security he provided them led to some famous overseas wins like Headingly and Adelaide. Indian team was no longer just one or two talented spinners or a wristy batsman… They were a team, a galvanised team. Not many captains preceeding Ganguly could claim that feat.

Sourav’s contribution to Indian cricket cannot be measured, but all who follow Indian cricket understand what changed since 2001.

Another favourite Sourav story…

When Andrew Flintoff in Mumbai after equalling a ODI series took off his T-shirt and ran amok in Wankhede, Ganguly caught on camera smashed a bottle of water in disgust as his team was unable to pull off the series win. The hurt man never forgot this act it was to be returned yes, a world record chase by two young kids was set up and the response to the series levelling win in Mumbai was a series win in England. Yes the brash in Sourav was out there at its best on the Balcony when he took off his T-shirt and waved pronoucing the choicest words… !!!!! The guy didnt forget and yes, what was given to him was returned with interest.

Hisaab Chukta...... !!!!

We were most proud then Sourav… Most proud even now of you… !!!!! As you hang your boots and retire from cricket you can rest assured you will never retire from our hearts, we shall always remember you as a man who changed Indian cricket forever, the man that brought in the change, the man that injected the steel, the man who galvanised the team.

Your contributions are second to none !!!!