CHASING THE HOLY GRAIL

SUMMING UP TWO WEEKS OF EXCITING ODI CRICKET

As we were watching the opening ceremony of the Cricket World Cup 2015 at a restaurant at the ITPL Mall, a colleague of mine asked my views about India's chances at the tournament. "The chances of India retaining the world cup are even lesser than that of the Congress winning the Delhi polls", I quipped, much to the amusement of my team members. Two weeks down the line though, I am happy to eat the humble pie. The 'Men in Blue' who had failed to win a single match in their three month long tour of Australia prior to the start of the series, have peaked at the right moment and their performance so far has been fabulous to say the least.

The Indian team made short work of their arch rivals - the Pakistanis in their opening game, handed one of the tournament favorites - the South Africans their worst ever defeat in World Cup history and then crushed the UAE by nine wickets earlier in the day. With 6 points in their kitty, India are at the top of Pool 'B' and are expected to finish at the numero uno position, thereby avoiding both Australia and New Zealand in the quarters. Delhi lads Virat Kohli and Shikar Dhawan who looked lack luster in the tri-series have stuck form at the right time with both batters notching up a century each. Particularly, Dhawan's ton against top quality South African pace attack boasting of the likes of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel has been the best performance by an Indian batsman in this world cup so far. Rahane and Raina too have played their part exceedingly well, piercing the gaps, rotating the strike, thereby helping the team in the middle overs by scoring at more than run a ball. Our fast bowling, which was considered by many to be our weakling, has been a 'revelation'. The pacers - Shami, Yadav and Sharma have bowled in the right areas and reaped huge dividends, sharing 15 wickets amongst themselves whereas Ashwin has taken eight scalps. The highlight though has been our fielding with the boys dropping just 1 of the 22 chances that came their way. A large share of the credit for this transformation must also go to captain M S Dhoni who has marshaled his troops well so far.

Meanwhile, the co-hosts Australia and New Zealand are comfortably placed to enter the knock out stages of the tournament. The match between these two teams has been the best match of the World Cup 2015 with the rivals exposing each others weakness, especially in the batting department. This was one of those matches which reassures you that in spite of the rules being heavily in favor of the batsmen, we still have some quality bowlers at the international level who can turn a game on their own. Though Brendon McCullum and David Warner notched up quick fire half centuries whereas Boult and Starc produced amazing bowling spells, the difference between the two teams was Kane Williamson's innings of 40 odd runs in which he played some good cricketing shots, taking minimal risk. In this era of T20 cricket wherein batsmen go all guns blazing right from the start, the Kiwi batsman might come across as a 'misfit'. However, to win ODIs, you need supremely gifted players like him. After this one wicket victory over the Aussies, the Kiwis are all set to top their group just ahead of their rivals across the Tasman Sea provided Australians manage to beat the Lankans.

1996 winners Sri Lanka and pre-tournament favorites South Africa have not exactly set the stage on far, at least the way they would have liked to. The Proteras who have one of the most well balanced side in the series were thumped by India before they registered a 257 run win over the boys from the Caribbean courtesy a 66 ball 162 from their skipper De Villers. With consecutive wins over Afghanistan and Bangladesh, the Lankans have collected four points but the big test will come when they face off against the English and then the Aussies. Meanwhile, the performance of teams like Pakistan, West Indies and England has been disappointing. The boys from Caribbean were shocked by the Irish whereas the Pakistanis are yet to register a single win. England who are chasing their maiden World Cup have managed just one win in three games. Ireland on the other hand, need to beat Zimbabwe and register one win over a Test playing nation to go through the quarter finals. Oh boy, what an achievement will that be. That would be a tight slap on the faces of all those who want the series to be restricted only to full ICC members which would essentially make it a Commonwealth event rather than a 'World Cup'.

It is extremely important that the World Cup 2015 witnesses high level of competition played with the realm of the spirit of the game. I say this because, with the advent of T20, the 'sword of damocles' seems to be hanging over the fate of the ODIs with several former greats speaking in favor of doing away with this format altogether. For fans like me who have spent a great deal of their childhood watching this format, that would be nothing less than a personal tragedy. The 50 over game though a little longer when compared to T20s provides an unique opportunity for players across both the major disciplines to show case their skills while testing their temperament. Unlike the 20 over game which is based on the principle of 'Hit out or Get out', having a decent technique and holding on to the nerves are the keys to succeed in the ODIs. Though I would like either India or New Zealand to walk away with the trophy, I would be very happy if the real winner at the end of the two month long series is top quality ODI cricket.

SPELL BOUND

AMIT MISHRA IMPRESSES WITH HIS INSPIRING SPELL

Courtesy: ESPNCricinfo

The Asia cup encounter between the sub-continental rivals lived up to the expectation. In a closely fought match which was scheduled on a Sunday to boost the TRPs, the mercurial Shahid Afridi led Pakistan to a memorable win over India with a single wicket remaining. Chasing a target of 245, a relatively easy total in a game unfairly favoring the batsmen, Mohammed Hafeez displayed superb all round performance which included a half century and a spell of 2/38 in 9 overs. He was judged the Man of the Match. While I am a bit disappointed that we lost, and lost to a political rival, the closely fought contest was indeed a boost to ODI cricket as a whole. At a time when many including some of the game's best are of the opinion that ODIs should be done away with in favor of the T20s, the nail biting finish will help bring some interest back into the 50 over format of the game. You see I am a little biased towards the ODIs; for all of us who were hooked on to the game in the nineties and the early years of the millennium, cricket was somewhat synonymous to the 50 over format.

As I go down the memory lane I can recollect several snaps from what seems to be a bygone era - the inconsolable Vinod Kambli walking back after in Eden Gardens after the match was awarded to Sri Lanka in 1996, Tendulkar's consecutive centuries against the Australians in Sharjah, Ganguly's brilliant 183 at Tauton in 1999, the spectacular victory over England in the 2001 Natwest Trophy and so on. Times have changed... The interest that I had in the game has all but waned off. A jam packed cricketing calendar, the bastardization of the game after the advent of T20, the 'bloody' IPL and most importantly, the retirement of my cricketing Gods - Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar has killed the cricket fan in me, well almost. While I do keep myself updated with the news about the sport that I once followed so passionately, the 10 odd overs that I saw during the Pakistani innings this Sunday was the only piece of live cricket that I have seen since the beginning of the year, at least as far as I can recollect. While the defeat still hurts, there was this one thing that impressed me the most.

When was the last time you saw an Indian bowler finish with figures of 2 for 28 in his quota of 10 overs. I mean, lets face it. In spite of the fact that we are considered amongst the top five sides in the 50 over version, our bowling attack is one of the weakest in the world. Apart from Mohammed Shami who has been the pick of our bowlers in the last few months, the rest have simply struggled. Zaheer Khan looks a pale shadow of the lethal weapon he used to be earlier, the young Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is failing to find the right rhythm and Ishant Sharma has become the butt of jokes for consistently leaking runs at crucial moments in the game. Though we cannot expect our pacers to spew venom on flat Indian wickets, the fact that they did not too well in ODIs even on overseas tour is a major cause of concern. While we have never had a great pace battery, it is very sad to see that spin, our tradition strength too has become 'impotent'. Ravichandran Ashwin is more of a batsman than a good bowler. Ravindra Jadeja needs to horne his cricketing skills soon so that the team can pick an additional specialist batsman or a bowler as and when the situation demands.

Coming back to the big clash, you may argue that Ashwin with 3/44 has better figures than Amit Mishra. However, if you had seen the match, you will know why I single out the leg spinner for praise. Considering that he had not played an ODI for the last six months, the kind of pressure on him was huge; in fact it was compounded many times by the fact that were facing Pakistan. However, Mishra looked lethal right from his first spell. With his intelligent bowling, he along with Ashwin applied the breaks on the Pakistani chase in the middle overs. He set up Ahmed Shehzad nicely as the right handed opener hit one straight to Ashwin to give Mishra his first wicket. He also removed the dangerous Umar Akmal whose mis-hit went straight up in the air as Jadeja snapped a good catch. Till his ninth over, the leggie had conceded a meagre 16 run. His economy of 2.8 was the best amongst the bowlers on either side in the match, a superb achievement when you take into account the presence of quality spinners like Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez in the opposition camp. After Mishra, the bowler with the best economy rate was the debutante Mohammad Talha who took 2 for 22 giving 3.14 runs per over. While his bowling has improved, it will be an additional feather in his hat if Amit can concentrate a little more on his batting too. More importantly, while stand-in captain Virat has showed his faith in Mishra, will Dhoni do so. With such form, it will be difficult even for Captain Cool to keep the leg spinner out.

IMAGES 

(1) Courtesy: ESPNCricinfo
We showed a lot of character - Kohli (Link)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SACHIN

THE MASTER TURNS A YEAR OLDER

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

He is India's greatest sporting icon; at 5 feet 5 inches he towers over other cricketing legends, over the superstars of the past like Sir Vivian Richards, Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar to name a few and has raced far ahead of this illustrious contemporaries - the likes of Lara, Waugh, Ponting, Kallis and Dravid to achieve a stature equivalent to, if not more than that of Sir Don Bradman. As Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar turned a year old on Tuesday - 24th April, many believe that like wine, he seems to be getting better with time, skillfully changing his playing style to keep up pace with a game that is evolving on a daily basis.

An orthodox batting style, straight from the batting manual, solid posture, perfect footwork, precise hand-eye coordination, superb timing, the knack of punishing the loose deliveries - the typical features of the best batters from the classical era  way back in the 50s and 60s coupled with the trademarks that the masters of the past paced formats have introduced including excellent running between the wickets, an arsenal consisting of a wide variety of shots, the ability to change the tempo based on the circumstances and clear the boundary at will have made him the most lethal man ever to weld the bat. Apart from blending the best of all forms of cricket, perhaps one of the finest achievement of the 'Little Master' is the fact that in this age of paparazzi and sensational journalism he has largely remained free from all sort of controversies in the 23 year  long career. Thanks to his immense talent yet down-to-earth attitude, impeccable integrity and total commitment towards the country, he has earned the respect of the whole cricketing fraternity, cutting across the lines of nationality. Not only is he the greatest batsman of all times, through his persistent hard work, grit, determination and most importantly, the manner in which he conducts himself, both on and off the field, he is perhaps the best role model for any budding sportsperson around the world.

Every avid follower of the game, whether or not, he/she is a fan of the 'Bombay Bomber' will agree that Sachin has been one of the few players who have consistently performed well across the three formats in the most hostile of conditions against the most formidable bowling attacks. Gifted with a rare combination of a flawless batting technique and exquisite stroke play, one can surely bet on the 'Mumbai Maestro' to bat out a whole day on a deteriorating fifth day pitch to save a crucial Test match or play the sheath anchor's role to help India put on a massive score on the board against the toughest bowling attacks in an important ODI or help the Mumbai Indians chase a stiff target courtesy some fine power hitting in an IPL encounter.

Adam Gilchrist watches as Tendulkar drives Shane Warne at Sharjah 

Even before he made his debut on the international arena in 1989, the Marathi mulga had created quite a splash amidst cricketing circles in the country and many of the top cricketers had predicted that he would go a long way. The first tryst with fame was when a fifteen year old Tendulkar along with school mate Vinod Kambli put on an unbeaten partnership of 664 runs in a match in the Lord Harris Shield inter-school tournament. A sting of consistent performances at various levels soon caught the attention of Mumbai Ranji captain Dileep Vengsarkar and he was called to represent his city at the domestic level. A hundred against Gujarat on his first appearance was the beginning of a dream season that saw the teenage finish as Mumbai's highest run scorer. Next, he crossed the three digit mark on debut in Duleep Trophy and the Irani Trophy. Thus it was very clear even at such a young age that Sachin would one day go on to perform many miracles on the cricket pitch .

And unlike other prodigies that seem to fizzle out and disappear into the oblivion after an initial bang, Tendulkar has managed to live up to the expectations of over a billion people and continues to go strong, even today, nearly 23 years after he walked on to the Gadaffi stadium in Karachi to play his maiden test match against arch rivals Pakistan. Over the years, 'the Master Blaster' has moved from one level to other, lifting his standards with each game, reaching milestones, setting records and most importantly, winning hearts of the fans around the world. Today, the genius batsman holds several batting records, and at least the record books suggest that he is a strong contender to be the best batter of all times. He has made the maximum number of appearances, the highest runs and the most number of centuries and half centuries in Tests as well as ODIs. He's been a part of the team that was ranked Numero Uno in Tests and lifted the ICC World Cup in 2011. Though he has not been able to take the sport's newest format - T20 by storm, nonetheless, he continues to be one of the top contributors for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL each year.

A closer analysis of the Ton-dulkar's statistics, beyond the records may help us understand why he is the most worshiped player in the history of the game. Apart from scoring over fifty tons in the five day format, his excellent conversion rate - 65 50s to 51 100s puts him in a select league of players who have the skills and patience to play long innings and seldom throw away their wickets once set. In One Dayers, his strike rate of 86.23, courtesy his ability to clear the ropes by playing elegant stokes rather than reckless slogs has certainly made him one of the most feared  play makers of his times. His is the greatest performer in this format, having been awarded the Man of the Match award on 60 occasions and had been adjudicated the Man of the Series 14 times, both of which are world records. Another feather in Tendulkar's cap has been the fact that he performs exceedingly well on the biggest cricketing stage of them all - the ICC World Cup, a tournament that he has been associated with since 1992 and in which he has scored the maximum number of runs and hundreds. Finally, Tendulkar's record against the best team of his times - Australia has been phenomenal to say the least. While he has been the nemesis of the boys from Down Under, tormenting their bowlers, he also enjoys a large fan base from this part of the world, thanks to Bradman's public acknowledgement of his admiration of the Indian batsman.

Sachin lifts his bat after a Test ton

Though his individual record has been exemplary, Sachin has never allowed his larger-than-life image to adversely affect his or the team's performance. Understanding that cricket is a team sport, he has always given priority to the cause of the team, often at the expense of his personal landmarks. Over the years, all the players who have played with him unanimously agree that he brings in a lot of positivity in the dressing room, lifting team morale even during critical situations and most importantly, helping the younger lot in getting adjusted to playing at the international level. For the youngsters, who have grown up idolizing the 'Little Genius', the fact fact that they get to be in his company is within itself, a dream come true. With over two decades of experience under his belt, Tendulkar is the best mentor for these players and all the tips that they can pick up from him will surely come in handy during the future. And it is not only the young guns that come to him seeking advice. It was he who in 1996 convinced a reluctant Azharuddin to come out to bat during an ODI against Pakistan at Sharjah. The former captain who was going through a lean patch made a blitz-kreig 29 off 10 balls and helped India win the match.

Apart from cricketing skills, what the younger player can and should learn from this 'Cricketing Star' is the manner in which he handles pressure. Ours is a cricket crazy nation and the public can be quite harsh and unrealistic at times during criticism. Nobody knows this more than Sachin who is expected to score a century each time he walks out onto the field to bat. And with the 'Magician from Mumbai' smashing a majority of batting records on a regular basis, the expectations that the people have from their favorite cricketing hero has only multiplied. In the early and mid-nineties when Indian cricket was going through a lean phase, it was Tendulkar's effortless batting which brought cheers to the masses. All hopes were pinned on him and people would literally switch off their TV sets once he fell. Which Indian fan can forget that fateful day in summer of 1996 when an upbeat Indian team slumped from 97/1 to 120/8 after Sachin was stumped by Kaluwitharna off the bowling of Jayasuriya after a gritty knock of 65 in the semi-finals of the 1996 Wills World Cup? Fortunately enough, India did find a number of match-winners in the subsequent years but the pressure on Sachin still remains to be the same for there is an air of invincibility that will always be associated with him. 

In spite of all his heroic on the cricketing field, the numerous awards in recognition of his selfless service towards the game and the nation, perhaps the biggest achievement of the great Sachin Tendulkar has been that even today he continues to be deeply rooted onto the ground. In a country where cricketers are worshiped as demi gods, probably, his biggest asset is the fact that even though he was exposed to public spotlight and media glare at an early part of his life, he displayed rare maturity, never allowing the hype around him to affect his game all thanks to the excellent up-bringing in a middle-class Marathi family. Thus while they both started their cricketing journey at around the same time in Mumbai's Sharadashram Vidyamandir High School, the more flamboyant Vinod Kambli fell prey to the temptations of success, failing to  realize his full potential whereas the more restrained Sachin who concentrated more on the game rather than off field activities went on to win laurels and accolades. Even after years of hard work, the physical strain and the mental stress that he has endured in his long and eventful cricketing journey, he continues to march on, flashing the same child-like smile that had captivated an entire nation 23 years ago.

Sachin carries the Tri color after the World Cup victory

Today, as Sachin approaches the final phase of his glorious career, there is nothing that he needs to achieve or prove to the world. He has seen the biggest highs viz a viz World Cup Triumph (2011) in front of his home crowd in Mumbai and the worst lows - an ignominious exit from the same tournament four years ago after a shock defeat to Bangladesh. Apart from holding all the important batting records, he has been ranked as the top player in both formats several times. And the way he carries himself in spite of his stature has made him one of the best ambassadors of the game. Though his body may restrict the number of matches he plays in the coming year, the passion to represent the nation whose colors he proudly wears on his sleeves, the passion to play for his love towards Cricket - the game that has made him what he is today and the passion to entertain the fans - the masses who have been with him through the ups and downs of his life keep him going. A true champion, Sachin is perhaps, the greatest gentleman amongst all the people who have ever played the Gentleman's Game.

SOURCES

(1) Wikipedia : Sachin Tendulkar (Link)

(2) ESPNcricinfo : Sachin Tendulkar (Link)

IMAGES

(1) Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar

Original : Rare Collections of Free Wallpapers (Link)

(2) Adam Gilchrist watches as Tendulkar drives Shane Warne at Sharjah

Original : MSN Sports - Tendulkar on... his dad, cricket, God, Pakistan, guitar and more (Link)

(3) Tendulkar lifts his bat after a Test ton

Original : Tupaki (Link)

(4) Sachin carries the Tri color after the World Cup victory

Original : Anna Hazare demands Bharat Ratna for Sachin Tendulkar (Link)