Fantastic Summer of Test Cricket

Contests between Australia and South Africa have caught the imagination of cricket fans all over the world even before the aparthied era. South Africa's last series before the aparthied era was against the Australians and they whitewashed them 4-0. That South African line up boasted of the likes of Barry Richards, Greame Pollock, Mike Proctor, Peter Pollock among others. However, the contests between the two teams after South Africa's readmission have been nothing short of fantastic. From Soth Africa's thrilling 5 run test victory at Sydney in 1994 to the monumental run chase at Johannesburg in 2006, we have been treated to some fantastic cricket. Among all these moments, this summer will standout as the best contest between the two teams. During this summer, we have watched some great cricket and performances which would be remembered for years to come.
South Africa landed on Australian shores in December last year with the hope of becoming the first team in more than 10 years to win a test series in Australia. The series was thrilling to say the least. The matches swung between the two teams like a pendulum. The highlight of the series was the emergence of Jean Paul Duminy. His calm fifty in the first test ensured a win for the Proteas and the boxing day test match was his as he and Dale Steyn pulled off an unlikely partnership. Australia did not play badly. In fact, the South Africans played brilliant cricket. What more could Australia do? They however came back to win the third test at Sydney but what signified the South African performance was when their injured captain Greame Smith came out to bat at no 11 to save the test match for his team. This just showed the spirit with which the South Africans played in the series. He was the last man to get out in the series but his guts won hearts of many cricket fans.
The Australians went to South Africa after the twin setbacks of loosing the test and the odi series at home. This time it was the turn of the Australian debutants to show thir talent. The Aussies completely dominated the first two test and sealed the series with ease. The final test was won by the home side comprehensively. The Aussies discovered Marcus North and Phillip Hughes during this series. North's hundred on debut helped Autralia to set up a good score. Phillip Hughes wiped out the dissapointment of a duck in his ebut innings by scoring 2 hundreds in the second test match.
Cricket fans have been treated to fantastic test cricket from the two sides during the last 4 months. Some of the performances have been brilliant. This has been a summer of new talent. A summer which would not be forgotten by both the teams for years to come. New players have emerged from this series who seem to have the character to play test cricket for years to come. Test cricket is the actual test of a player. It just shows the quality of the player. Temperament is essential to play test cricket and some of these players have shown it early in their careers. Mitchell Johnson's all round display was a revalation. There are talks of him being the next all rounder for Australia. However, one must spare a thought for Bryce McGain. He was completely taken apart on his debut by the South African batsmen at Cape Town and one doesnt know what lies in store for him. Let us just hope he gets another chance and makes good use of it.
As a cricket fan I hope to see more cricket like this. Such contests will help increase the popularity of the longer version of the game in an era where T20's are gaining popularity all over the world. We must all remember that a player's class can only be determined when he plays test cricket. A cricketer is said to be complete when he dawns the test cap for his country. T20 cricket is like a small dynamite and can entertain people in a short time but how can we forget that test cricket has also produced fantastic moments. I end my post by quoting Paresh Rawal's dialogue from the movie Chini Kum "Asli Cricket is the Test Cricket."

The Unsung Heroes of Indian Cricket

The Indian Premier League is just a few days away. All the focus and attention of the cricket world has turned to South Africa. The IPL in its first season was successfull in creating a huge fan following. What was interesting to see was that the teams recieved good support from their home fans. This was the first time that the regional teams in India recieved good response from the fans. Amidst all this hype has anyone ever thought of the players who played the premier four day tournament of the country, the Ranji Trophy. Has anyone realised that these players had not recieved attention that they deserved?
A year before the start of the Indian Premier League, the Ranji Trophy had started being telecasted live on TV. Before 2006/07 season, cricket fans could keep in touch with the domestic game only through the news media. Previously, the domestic game as such was not marketed as well as the international. India had a huge cricket following population, or rather the Indian Team had it. Thanks to the IPL, ceratin domestic players have got exposure to foreign players, coaches etc. Hats off to Lalit Modi for introducing this concept. Prior to the IPL, alot of Ranji Trophy players got unnoticed. They never got the attention that they deserved from the fans. Many of these players played seasons of domestic cricket but could never make it to the top inspite of being consistent performers. It was just their luck that they were bon at a time India had some other great players. They were as we can say just unlucky. Two to three names instantly come to mind, those who were fantastic performers but never made it to the highest level, nor did they get the attention that they deserved. One can say that there was no internet or news channels when they played but they were certainly fantastic players who deserved a lot more.
Rajinder Goel was a left arm spinner who played for Haryana from 1958 to 1985. He has a fantastic record of 750 wickets from 157 matches at an average of just over 18. A player of this quality could not play for India as the team already had the famed spin quartet. Goel once said that he was born at the wrong time.
Padmakar Shivalkar was another unlucky player to miss out. He too had an exemplary record for Mumbai as he took 589 wickets in 124 matches at an average of 19.69. He too could not play at the highest level as India already had 4 great spinners. There are a few more names to this list and many other dometic players who served their teams for many years.
I sometimes wonder as too how many Indian Cricket fans actually know these players. They have served Indian Cricket tirelessly for years and have come up with memorable performances. If a concept like the IPL existed when they played then they would have become household names in India. This is why i really thank Lalit Modi for introducing the IPL. Many heroes at the domestic level will now get a chance to show their talent at the world stage and earn good fan following. As a cricket fan I salute all the players who play domestic cricket as they too work really hard to play the game the country loves the most. They are the ones who keep the sport going in India.

Genius Personified

Genius is someone who makes his work look easy and Sachin Tendulkar has always proved this statement to be true. The last two years Sachin has batted like only he can and has proved numerous critics wrong along the way. Let us turn the clock back by two years. It was March 2007. Nothing looked good for Indian Cricket as the team had not even qualified for the Super Eights stage of the World Cup in the West Indies. India had lost to Bangladesh in their first match of the World Cup. Almost all the fans had now turned their backs to the team that they had supported most passionately not long before. The image of Sachin being bowled for a duck against Sri Lanka was flashed everywhere and it had become a symbol of India’s failure. Ian Chappell had said that Sachin should retire. A suggestion which I thought was not welcome. Indian fans had turned their backs to Sachin as well. Even his ads were being boycotted by the public. As one of his biggest fans I always prayed that he bounced back from this phase. His comeback would have been huge not only to the fans but also to the morale of the team. Since his introduction to the international arena at the age of 16 he has carried the hopes and aspirations of the team and the fans. People used to switch off their TV sets the moment he got out. Sometimes, the team would panic after his early loss.

India was to travel to Bangladesh after the World Cup. Sachin was rested for the one day leg of the tour but was back in action for the tests. He stroked two hundreds in the two test match series which India won 1-0. I felt, this is the start and the best is yet to come. India then moved on to their tour of England. Before the tour to England India were to play 3 ODI’s against South Africa at Belfast. India won that series 2-1 and Sachin Tendulkar was declared the man of the series for his two strokefull 90’s. He carried that form to England and was instrumental in India test series win there. He then dominated the bowlers in the One Day series. In this series too he got two nineties. The best of them was at the Oval when he scored 94 as India successfully chased a target of over 300. His innings was full of fantastic strokes. One shot is fresh in my memory, it is the straight drive he hit off James Anderson which sped away to the boundary at the rate of knots. He was consistent right through the Australia series and against Pakistan he produced 2 more nineties. The 95 he scored at Gwalior was an innings in which he did not give the bowlers a chance. A tough pitch to bat on and didn’t he make it look simple. In Australia, he scored two 150’s in the test series. The one at Sydney was a great innings as he batted with the tail to go past Australia’s score. The series was overshadowed by the Harbhajan Singh-Andrew Symonds row otherwise Sachin’s performance would have been its highlight. Sachin had patchy form in the league matches of the Commonwealth Bank series but in the finals he was majestic. HE ensured that India win the series without playing a third final. The critics were silenced again. When Australia came to India they had to face a Tendulkar in fantastic form and loose the series 2-0. Sachin overtook Brian Lara’s record of being the highest run scorer in test cricket during the second test. He also battled hard to save the 1^st test which was the turning point in the series for India.

Then came England in December and in the 1^st test at Chennai, Sachin brought up his century and a remarkable win with the remarkable paddle sweep. Chasing 382 India were given a fantastic start by Virender Sehwag. Sachin then ensured that this did not go waste by scoring a century and winning the match for India. In New Zealand he was dominant in both Tests and the One Dayers. The 163 not out at Christchurch would remain as one of the best innings of the new century. Sachin was very consistent in the test series. His 160 at Hamilton was instrumental in India’s win. He also batted well to give able support to Gautam Gambhir and save the second test and and scored an aggressive 62 in the third and thus ended up as the second highest run getter in the series.

People have always criticized him for not playing when required but they fail to see that he has played match winning innings on many an occasion and made it look so easy that one never felt that there was a “situation”. However, the last two years have been fantastic. He has batted like Sachin of the old. We must look at the number of match winning innings he had produced during the last two years. Previously too he had batted well and made it look absolutely easy. In fact many times a “situation” would arise after he lost his wicket. Thus it would be unfair to say that he has not delivered when required. He has carried our hopes with fantastic dignity and continues to be one of the most followed cricketers in the world. Let us all hope that the next year to is a good one for him as if it is a good one for him it will certainly be one for team India, and yes please do not tell him when to retire because he is the best judge.

Victory in Kiwiland

The memories of India's previous tour to New Zealand must have been fresh in all Indian fans' minds before the latest results. The disastrous results of the previous tour had shocked everyone as India had gone to New Zealand with success in ODI's and tests before the tour. The tour proved to be a wake up call for the team before the 2003 world cup. But 6 years down the line, things have changed. India have won their first test series in New Zealand in 41 years. This was an appropriate gift for all the members of the 2002-03 touring party. The win in the test series would be remembered by the players and the fans for years to come. The highlight of this tour was the way the team saved the second test match. Following on is never easy, especially trailing by more than 300 runs with more than two days to go. Gautam Gambhir delivered at crucial junctures in the series and he for me was the man of the series. He has been quite a revalation during the last year. The way he charges down the track to hit fast bowlers signifies the new spirit of the team. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been able to motivate a bunch of talented youngsters to perform to their fullest potential. The Wisden test 11 of the year signifies the performance of the Indian Cricket team. 5 Indians have made it to the 1 and they are Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, M.S Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan. Each of these players have been instrumental in test victories over the last year and a half. M.S Dhoni has been selected as the captain of this team ahead of Greame Smith who led his team to a test series victory in Australia. The cool temperament of Dhoni probably led to him being chosen as the captain of the annual Test 11. The focus now moves on to the Indian Premier League in South Africa. From the classical version we now move on to the slambang arena. In the midst of all this we must congratulate all the players for their remarkable performance on this tour and hope they keep up the good work when India plays next.