Kieron Pollard

Kieron Pollard proved why he was the most expensive buy during the auction for IPL 3. He put in a magnificent all-round performance against the Bangalore Royal Challengers in the first semi-final as Mumbai sealed their place in the final with an emphatic 35-run win.

The fiery West Indian first slammed a sizzling, unbeaten 33 and in the company of Saurabh Tiwary (52 not out) enabled Mumbai to recover from a dicey position and post an imposing 184 for 5. Such was the brutality of the duo’s attack in the last five overs that as many as 77 runs were scored and the total skyrocketed from 107 for the loss of 4 wickets in the 15th over as roar at D Y Patil got bigger.

In reply, Bangalore never quite got going during the chase. The pressure of the semi-final clearly got even to the strong batting line-up. In the big game, Bangalore opened their reply Rahul Dravid joining Jacques Kallis at the top of the order. But, the move failed to work. While Kallis (11) was consumed by a brilliant outswinger from Lasith Malinga early in the innings, Dravid fell victim to a mix-up between him and Ross Taylor.

His hard-earned 22 did not do much to help the team’s cause. In between, a dangerous looking Kevin Pietersen (19), who was rightly sent in one down, was brilliantly stumped down the leg side by Ambati Rayudu off Harbhajan Singh’s bowling. In what appeared to be a well-planned move, the off-spinner fired one down the leg-side and Rayudu completed the smart stumping as Pietersen blindly charged down the track.

It was wide delivery, but Mumbai would have happily exchanged an extra run and delivery to see the back of the England’s world-class player.

With the top guns gone, all hopes were now pinned on Robin Uthappa. Could he turn batman again? Unfortunately not, for Bangalore even though he shone briefly. Uthappa lofted Harbhajan’s for two massive sixes. The 18-run over gave Bangalore some hope. But, with the run-rate always on the ascendancy, Uthappa had to keep on going for the big ones consistently.

One such stroke led to him downfall. Pollard chipped in with a smart slower ball. It was one of the rare occasions when Uthappa failed to time one and, as a result, holed out in the deep for 26. In walked Taylor, but out walked Dravid the very next ball, confused over taking a quick single. At 81 for 4, Bangalore needed something miraculous from the woefully struggling Taylor.

He did chip in with 31*. However, with wickets falling at the other end, he was deprived of the strike during the most crucial occasions. For Mumbai, Pollard and Malinga complemented each other perfectly – one slowing things up and causing trouble and other beating the batsmen with pace.

Mumbai’s batsmen played an equally significant part in the victory, earlier in the evening. Sachin Tendulkar fell early courtesy and the next three also departed with only 77 on the board. It was only Rayudu, who kept the runs flowing from one end, throwing his bat wherever and gathering a number of boundaries. He eventually fell for 40, but his dismissal put Mumbai back in trouble. It was here though that the game changed drastically.

Tiwary and Pollard put in a special exhibition of power-hitting. Tiwary began by slamming a wayward Kallis all over the park in the 16th over. The home team never looked back from then. Even Anil Kumble was taken for plenty in his final spell by the left-hander. Pollard took no time to get his eye in. He took care of Vinay Kumar and Dale Steyn as Mumbai were rollicking away. Bangalore could not recover from the brutal assault.

Despite a blazing start after being put into bat by the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy stadium, the Kolkata Knight Riders went down to the home team in a crunch encounter. While Sourav Ganguly’s men will have to own up a lot of responsibility for the shattering defeat, one must admit the Bangalore bowlers pitched in with a high-spirited performance.

In the 12 over of the game, Kolkata were cruising at 103 for 1 when Ganguly fell for 33. The remaining batsmen, barring Brendon McCullum, lost the plot completely as the side ended on a rather mediocre 160 for 9, way short of what they should have ideally achieved. In contrast, Bangalore were consistent throughout their batting stint. Rahul Dravid and Robin Uthappa achieved half-centuries in their typical style as Bangalore were home with nearly three overs to spare.

For Kolkata, it was the story of what might have been. Chris Gayle and Ganguly looked in supreme touch at the start. The former was in an exceptionally murderous mood, akin to the one against Punjab. Utilizing his strength to the best of his ability, he put Pravin Kumar’s medium pace to the sword. Six boundaries and a mighty six came off his bat as Kolkata raced to their 50 at the rate of 10 runs per over.

They couldn’t have asked for a better start. Even though Gayle fell to Jacques Kallis for 34 (off 15 balls), going for another smashing hit, Kolkata should still have done much better than where he ended up. Instead their batting graph only plunged from thereon.

The game began to change drastically following Ganguly’s dismissal. A mistimed pull saw him depart for a rather slow 33. This dismissal buoyed the bowling side. Anil Kumble kept things extremely tight, so much so that one of his overs only went for a single. At the other end, Dale Steyn steamed in and beat the struggling Kolkata batsmen for pace on numerous occasions.

And, as it has happened before in the tournament, R Vinay Kumar was the chief beneficiary. With runs not coming at the other end, the batsmen took him on and perished one after the other. It was Kumble though who got the main scalp, ending McCullum’s smart knock of 45.

Chasing eight runs an over, all Bangalore needed to do was bat sensibly. Kolkata did come hard at them though and made matters somewhat tough. Ashok Dinda carried on from his impressive effort in the last game. This time he accounted for the red cap holder Kallis, inducing an edge off his bat when on eight.

That said, the South African should have been in the hut for a nought, if not for a difficult catch to Ganguly going down. This wasn’t Kolkata’s best performance in the field. Later in the night, Ajit Agarkar dropped a sitter offered by S Sriram.

In the midst of all this, Dravid, pushed up to number three, kept the runs flowing. He played some crunchy drives on both side of the wicket and also stroked a couple of authoritative sixes en route to his half century. When he fell in the 14th over, Bangalore still needed 59. But, with Uthappa in the form that he is, it was a breeze.

He took Ajantha Mendis and Ishant Sharma to task, and ended up with whirlwind 52 not out. It was a superlative batting effort even though the fate of the game was sealed much earlier.

Brett lee’s days in whites are over—Australian pace ace Brett lee has finally called it a day and has officially retired from test match cricket. Lee made this official in his statement to the media on the 23rd of February. Lee took 310 wickets in 76 test matches at 30. All of this with 5 ankle operations. A true testament to his character. One of the fastest bowlers in the world, Brett lee will be remembered for a long time to come.

Although he won’t be hurling in right between the members stand with white clothing on, lee still has a lot of cricket left him—lot of T20 and ODI action. Lee is 33 and would be a walk into any club team. The Australian selectors have shown faith in lee by picking him in the top 30 probable’s that would be going to the Caribbean to play the 3rd edition of the T20 world cup. His defining moment still remains when he was unleashed on the Indians in the December of 1999 and picked up a memorable 5 wicket hall on debut including picking up Rahul Dravid twice in the test. Brett lee always played with a smile and was one of those few Australians who won fans all over the world. One of the most defining moments of 2005 saw lee being consoled by Andrew Flintoff in the 3rd ashes test at Edgbaston after England won the contest by 2 runs.

One year on— Over a year now since the tragedy broke out on the Sri Lankan cricket team bus in Lahore on their way to the gaddaffi stadium. Thilan samarweera who had scores two double centuries in the previous two matches was one of those who was gravely injured. Paravitharana and Mendis were amongst the others who were injured gravely. The memory still seems to haunt all those who were witness to it. Chris broad still speaks about waking up in the middle of the night getting nightmares about that particular day.

The IPL— The IPL is a week away and this time its back in India. The excitement seems to be mounting by the second. With the advertisements and sponsors already started their marketing, this season promises to be nothing short of amazing. As far as the players are concerned the Australian and new Zealand test players won’t be there right until the end or might even consider giving it a miss as their test series would be followed with the world twenty 20 in the Caribbean and the players would want some much needed rest. The first match of the season kicks off on the 12th of march in Mumbai’s DY Patil stadium where the Kolkata Knight riders will face the defending champions of 2009, the Deccan chargers. This season promises to be an enthralling one. So, sit back and enjoy…

Mitchell Johnson and Scott Styris—Mitchell Johnson and Scott Styris had more than a verbal exchange when the duo clashed in the 46th over of the innings of the 1st ODI at napier. The incident occurred when Johnson was hammered for two consecutive fours. Johnson was seen head butting Scott Styris. The duo were both found guilty, in fact both pleaded guilty in order to skip the entire hearing. Scott Styris was charged 15% of his match fee while Johnson was charged 60%. Perhaps Johnson must go and thank his mate Brad Haddin who saved him from losing some more of his money.

ICC Presidency— Former Australian prime minister, John Howard has been nominated for the ICC presidency post by both Australia and New Zealand. He has been extremely passionate about cricket since his childhood. What remains to be seen is that whether he will be able to win the votes of the sub-continent. Howard said he would be privileged to serve the ICC and would do it well if given an opportunity of doing so.

Muttiah Muralitharan— Veteran Sri Lankan off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has decided that he will quit all forms of the game after the end of the 2011 world cup. He has been a tremendous servant to not just Sri Lankan cricket but also world cricket. He is the leading wicket taker in both test and one day internationals. Murali has faced a lot of controversies and has come out of it strongly. Often castigated by a lot of former players murali has fought the odds and come out on top. Whatever said whatever done, he will be the leading wicket taker for some time to come—it’s in the record books!

There are plenty of lessons for India to learn from the debacle at Nagpur, none bigger than the fact that they shouldn’t pick unfit players in the side no matter how big a player is. As we all saw, there was talk that VVS Laxman could be drafted in at the last moment if fit.

However, it wasn’t to be and, as sheer bad luck would have it, stand by Rohit Sharma also twisted his ankle, moments before the game. It didn’t cost India the Test, but must have surely dented their psyche severely, as they had no option but to pick Wriddhiman Saha as the seventh batsman. India’s plans completely went for a toss and their performance in the Test reflected it.

Except for the initial half an hour, when Zaheer Khan struck two deadly blows, the Indian bowling look completely insipid. Nothing should be taken away from Hashim Amla, who batted brilliantly as well as Jacques Kallis, who proved that there is still enough fire in his belly to fight tough battles. However, there are no two ways about it that India could and should have definitely done better.

The bowling has been a worry for quite a while now for India and the signs are hardly encouraging. Zaheer Khan is the only quality bowler around, and he too is approaching the dangerous mid-30s. Ishant Sharma may have done well against Bangladesh, but against a quality opponent like South Africa, he was back to his insipid worst. The change in action hasn’t made an inch of difference. Ishant has to do some real soul-searching.

There was a time in Indian cricket was spinners used to run through the best of opponents at home. But, since the retirement of Anil Kumble things have definitely changed, and how. Everyone now seems tired of pointing out that Harbhajan Singh is not the same bowler he was in 2001. He has lost the zip and nip that made him such a force to reckon with.

One can of course give him the benefit of doubt saying, he bowled on the first two days of the Test when the pitch was at its best. However, the fact of the matter remains that such performances have become far too common for comfort from India’s point of view. Unfortunately, he is still the best spinner we have on offer. Speaking of Amit Mishra, he had an impressive debut against Australia, but has done precious little since. The leggie needs to prove sooner rather than later that it wasn’t a one-off.

Despite the disastrous batting performance, one would do well not to read too much into it. Gautam Gambhir’s failure was long overdue. Virender Sehwag could not carry on to make a big hundred and Sachin Tendulkar’s ton wasn’t enough. Also, one cannot replace legends like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman overnight. The duo has led the Indian fight back on innumerable occasions and was sorely missed. Even so the youngsters need to be given some time to settle down into the scheme of things.

Amidst all the calamitous happenings, there were a few positives. Debutants S Badrinath and Saha did show some spunk, which augurs well for the future. Murali Vijay looked good, but yet again fell in his nervous 30s. At the end of the day, India may have lost embarrassingly, but it wasn’t a bad result considering the long-term targets of the team, as they unwittingly got a peek into the future.

Can India retain their numero uno status in test cricket? If so, for how long?

India got to number one by beating Sri Lanka. To be at the top of the Test level for long it is vital that all facets of the game are covered be it fielding, bowling or batting. Today, I will be doing a SWOT Analysis of the Indian cricket team which will tell us whether India are a long term number one or whether Australia and South Africa are coming back to take the top post away.

As Ian chapell famously said with India its not India who has taken the top post from Australia. Australia have come down to the level of India after having lost their great players—India haven’t pulled themselves too high.

S-Strengths—
Batting—India’s batting remains a huge plus for them. They seem to un-ending talent when it comes to the batting department. An example to this is how great players like Rahul Dravid and Sourav ganguly have been replaced with such ease at the ODI level. I don’t think any team could have coped with the loss of such great batsmen that easily. After laxman and Tendulkar India seem to have talent in young virat kohli, subramaniam badrinath, rohit Sharma and plenty others.

The batting department seems to be covered. Bowling- India’s only bowling strength seems to be Zaheer khan. He is the only bowler who seems to have done well in the past 18 months. Harbhajan who has been the other permanent feature in the line-up has under-performed which is a major concern for the Indian team.

W-Weaknesses
Bowling-
Harbhajan singh—Bhajji continues to be a worry for India. His performance after anil kumble’s retirement has gone down immensely. He hasn’t assumed the role of the main strike bowler as of yet and is a grave cause of concern for the 6 wise men (Selectors).
India’s lack in bowling depth—VVS Laxman recently mentioned in one of the papers that India doesn’t seem to have that kind of bench strength when it comes to the spin bowling department. Bench strength doesn’t mean the number of players it means the number of quality players. Hence India in spite of having lots of pace bowlers—barely one or two quality ones are to be seen.

Fielding-
India’s fielding is a worry. They have to pounce on to their catches and there is no athletic fielder in the Indian test ranks especially after Yuvraj seems to have given his belly some working. Perhaps that will be sorted once the seniors make way for the youngsters.

O-Opportunities
Bowling-
Since India have one of the longest bowling line up in the world clearly they can convert some of them into good ones. With BCCI (Board of control for cricket in India) being the richest cricket board in the world they can develop a lot of camps not just at state levels but also at the junior level which will help develop bowlers for the future and will stand in good stead for India in the future.

T- Threats
With cash rich leagues like the IPL and champions league coming in young talent could sway towards the money part of the game in order to support their families. Hence, it is vital for the Indian board i.e. the BCCI to take the required actions and prevent this from happening.

Another possible threat could be India could just over rely on their batting strength which would not develop their bowlers. We saw how Irfan Pathan started concentrating on his batting more than his bowling. The same seems to be happening to harbhajan Singh too.

If India indeed want to stay at the top level, especially with Australia slowly but surely coming back to full strength they would have their task cut out. The main challenge for India will come when they will tour South Africa, England and Australia especially without the likes of VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and the master himself Sachin Tendulkar.

Whether or not the young guns would be able to produce the goods under such un-friendly batting conditions is yet to be seen. But, as of now India need to work on their bowling skills. They need Ishant Sharma to get his rhythm back so that he gets his pace back. Once his pace his back to the mid 140’s the nip back in to the batsmen would be more effective. India cannot be too content with Harbhajan Singh. They need to use Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha a lot more in all forms of the game. Only once the pressure is there on harbhajan will he need to perform.

All good teams have wonderful fielding units; although India have a wonderful set of catchers; they need to make sure they need to improve their work in the outfield. However, the most important thing and the fact of the matter still remains that to stay at number one you need to win test matches all around the world and you won’t win test matches without taking 20 wickets too often, in other words you need quality bowlers to win you test matches.

For a man who has it all….Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar, a definition could be found by his name on google perhaps. The only reason why it’s been missing all these years is perhaps because the greatness of this man cannot be defined. He is called the legend, he is called the master blaster, he is called the little master, he is called the GOD! And these tags have been associated with him right throughout his career.

Tendulkar was a prodigy right from his school days. He helped his school, Sharadashram Vidyamandir win many titles both as captain and player. Many greats, especially Dennis Lillee had predicted that Tendulkar would play for India, at the time when he was as young as 14. In two years, he made his debut for India against Pakistan.

The greatness of the boy was seen when he batted continuously in a Test despite being hit on the jaw by a snorter from Waqar Younis. Pakistan’s intimidating bowling attack at the time didn’t affect him one bit as he took up the challenge and transformed from a boy to a man. His average of 35 in his first series was modest but many saw Tendulkar as one man to watch out for in the future. Even in the one-dayers, he impressed by hitting Abdul Qadir for 28 runs in an over in one of the matches.
His diminutive height didn’t get the better of him as his stature as India’s top batsman in test cricket in three years of his career was confirmed. All his innings were worthy and the best one could ever see, from the match-saving 117 not out at Manchester to 114 at Perth on one of the world’s fastest wickets against a strong Australian attack.

However, his one-day form wasn’t impressive as he scored his first century against Australia in Colombo in 1994 in what was his 79th ODI. In the same year, Tendulkar changed India’s fortunes in the one-day game as he hit a quick-fire 84 against New Zealand in Auckland as a make-shift opener. Ever since then, Sachin Tendulkar has been the first-choice opening batsman for many Indian captains and has escalated in this format of the game.

Due to his stature in world cricket rising by the day, Tendulkar signed a contract with the world’s largest sports management group World Sports Management (WSM) in 1995, making him the world’s richest cricketer in the process. In 1996, the World Cup was a landmark in his career. He not only ended as the tournament’s highest run-getter, but also helped India reach the semi-finals by playing some responsible innings. He was rewarded in the same year, as he became Indian captain for the first time in his career after Mohd. Azharuddin was removed from the team. Perhaps, the only blot in his career till date is that he wasn’t able to lead India to many victories as a skipper. Yet, his clean image was apt to make him a global icon who represents India and by far the most respected cricketer in the world.

When it comes to duels against top players in world cricket, Tendulkar has always won. Whether it was against Brian Lara in 1995 or Shane Warne in 1998. At a time when both the players were in their prime. Tendulkar’s mind-set and preparation is also remarkable against teams which have some of the world’s best players. For example, days before the Australia series in 1998, Tendulkar practiced in Chennai with Dennis Lillee and former Indian leg-spinner L Sivaramakrishnan.

He asked Sivaramakrishnan to bowl him balls on a spot outside the leg-stump through which Shane Warne got a lot of turn. He practiced hard and reduced Australia’s morale by hammering a double-century for Mumbai in a warm-up match. This had an impact on the entire Test series as India went on to win 2-1, with Tendulkar winning the duel against Warne comfortably and was the top run scorer amongst both the teams. Hailing his heroics, Mark Taylor, the Australian captain said “We didn’t lose to a team called India. We lost to a man called Sachin Tendulkar.” Clearly, the man’s aura was at its peak.

Burying the ghosts of 1997 as Indian captain even as he was adjudged the Wisden Cricketer of the Year, 1998 was the year when Tendulkar proved he had the Midas touch. Following the win against Australia in tests at home, India was to face the same opponents in a tri-series in Sharjah which also involved New Zealand. The series was remembered for Tendulkar’s brilliant knocks against Australia. His 143 in the knock-out round may have not won India the match, but it definitely helped India qualify for the final on the basis of net run rate. And could it get any better.

The final was on his 25th birthday. And his birthday gift was an Indian victory thanks to his wonderful knock of 134. At the end of the match, Warne himself came up to Tendulkar, taking his autograph, showing immense respect he had for him. The icing on the cake was that Sir Don Bradman, unarguably the best batsman ever seen in world cricket, also confided to his wife that Tendulkar batted similarly as he did. The ultimate tribute to a legend coming from a legend! Followed by which Tendulkar’s confidence rose as he helped India win the tri-series involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe yet again in the desert state of Sharjah. The first ICC Champions Trophy was lit up by Tendulkar’s match-winning all-round performance against Australia, yet again! As India reached the semifinals of the tournament. Indian cricket was on a role just as Tendulkar!

However, 1999 was a testing year for him as the home series against Pakistan was a grueling one. In the first test at Chennai, Tendulkar batted brilliantly as India needed 252 to win in the second innings on a tough wicket. He scored another hundred but at one point of the innings, he felt cramps. He batted in pain but it was in vain as he was declared out of the bowling of Saqlain Mushtaq, by far Pakistan’s Shane Warne and India went on to lose by a narrow 15 runs. Was excessive cricket finally catching up with the master? Well, not yet.

Tendulkar didn’t play in some matches prior to the World Cup as he was rested. But he was declared fit for the big event in England. It was then that catastrophe struck. His father Ramesh Tendulkar died of a heart attack and he had to leave the team mid-tournament to attend his funeral. However, the true champion he is, Tendulkar returned and missed just two matches. This event showed Tendulkar’s calmness and fight-back qualities as he struck a memorable 140 not out against Kenya and gave India a chance to enter the Super Sixes. Without Tendulkar, India lost to a minor team like Zimbabwe. So, there is no India when there is no Tendulkar. Such was his impact on the team.

The second half of 1999 was when Tendulkar returned as Indian captain following an injury to Azharuddin. He helped India win against New Zealand at home. The series was unforgettable for him not just as captain but also as player as he smashed his first double-hundred in test cricket. Surprising, for a player of his class. In addition, Tendulkar hit his highest one-day score of 186 not out in Hyderabad. However, the pressure of captaincy returned to haunt Tendulkar as India failed in Australia whitewashed 3-0 and he didn’t have a good run with the bat, despite a fighting century at Melbourne.

No amends were made in the tri-series to follow as India nearly lost all of their matches, setting up an Australia-Pakistan final. This was perhaps his worst tour in his career as right after the series; he resigned from captaincy in the one-day game. It was a good decision in the eyes of many as Tendulkar once again never thought of himself and secondly it was the right opportunity for a new and possibly young captain to lead India. Tendulkar was forced to lead in the Tests and India were whitewashed 2-0 by Hansie Cronje’s South Africa, therefore being the first captain since Kapil Dev to lose a home series.

However, the one-dayers against South Africa were essential in revitalizing Tendulkar as there were glimpses of him returning to his best, without captaincy playing in his mind.

But just as things were going right for him and India, the match-fixing controversy arose. Tendulkar was also questioned as a part of the investigation done by the CBI, but no fingers pointed at him. His squeaky clean image never made one feel that Tendulkar would betray his country. He also played a major role in saving Indian cricket at the time, when he assured that most players in the team were innocent.

The man truly represents India! Even off the field, he stands up for his team-mates when it is needed the most. As the controversy died down, Indian cricket took a U-turn. Tendulkar clearly was in the right frame of mind as he plundered runs against Zimbabwe and in the second ICC Champions Trophy in Kenya where India reached the finals under Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly’s captaincy was giving Tendulkar the freedom to bat.

Then came the greatest series of them all! India beat Australia at home in 2001 with Sachin playing at his best in the decider at Chennai, his favorite ground! The mammoth innings of 155 assured India a 2 wicket victory. However, sometimes his bowling too can come in handy. The Kolkata Test might have been known for Laxman’s and Dravid’s exploits but it was Tendulkar’s three scalps of Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne which made India win. Tendulkar’s contributions also helped India win Tests in Zimbabwe for the first time away from home since 1986. He is truly India’s match-winner! It was good that India started winning away from home.

However, Tendulkar’s image within India was bought out in the South Africa and England series in the end of the year. In South Africa, Tendulkar was banned by the match referee Mike Dennis for ball-tampering. This led to huge riots in India and this issue was even raised in the Indian Parliament! Tendulkar had full support of the BCCI, which resulting in the ICC revoking the ban. Whereas, in the home series against England, Tendulkar proved why he is the ‘God’ of world cricket.

Nasser Hussain, the England captain set negative fields to curb Sachin’s run-making. Yet, Tendulkar remained calm and patient and scored heavily to make sure India win 1-0 and not lose a home series for the second time in two years. Hussain himself admitted ‘We couldn’t get Tendulkar out by conventional fields.’ It is a fitting tribute to his batting, even as good as Bradman’s.

His discipline undoubtedly is unmatched with any other player. This discipline made him play well in the West Indies and England as India lost in the West Indies after winning a Test. In England, he was in sparkling form. In the series, he scored his 29th Test hundred, thereby equaling the man who praised him the most, Sir Don Bradman. He clearly was the bulwark of Indian batting alongside Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, forming the ‘Fab four’. And expectedly, he went past Bradman in the home series against the Windies by scoring 176 not out at Kolkata as he saved India from the jaws of defeat. 2002 was a relatively good year for him in the one-day game as he struck hundreds in England which helped India win the Natwest tri-series as well as India shared the ICC Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, even if he was demoted to No.4.

2003 started off badly but by far was one of the best years of his career. He got injured in New Zealand and flopped in the matches he played. In the World Cup in South Africa, India lost in the warm-up match to a local team. They won against Holland but not so convincingly and were thrashed by Australia in the first round. This obviously led to riots as in India, cricket is a religion. But Tendulkar spoke up for the nation and in one of his most moving speeches apologized to the nation on behalf of the team and promised that they will give their best till the last ball is bowled.

When Tendulkar speaks, everyone listens. And he and the team lived up to their promise. Tendulkar bettered his 1996 World Cup performance of 523 runs by scoring 647 runs in 2003 and playing thrilling knocks against Namibia, Zimbabwe, England, Sri Lanka and more importantly the famous 98 against Pakistan in Centurion. The three sixes that he hit of Shoaib Akhtar’s first over nearly sealed India’s victory. The manner in which he scored showed that his hunger for runs never diminished even if he turned 30 after playing for almost 15 years. He was clearly India’s senior statesman.

Indian cricket reached new heights in 2003 as they leveled the series in Australia with Tendulkar scoring 241 at Sydney after a lean run to assure India a drawn series. In 2004, India beat Pakistan for the firsttime ever in Pakistan in both Tests and ODIS. In the ODIS, Tendulkar scored with the bat but his fielding played a crucial role in winning the ODIS. The catch he took of Inzamam-ul-Haq’s bullet-like hit at long-on was a delight.

In Tests as well, his 194 at Multan increased India’s morale of winning the Test series. However, fitness taught up with Tendulkar, like in 2001 as he suffered from tennis elbow which prohibited him from taking part in the ICC Champions Trophy as well as warm-up matches in England and Holland. India performed badly losing to Pakistan and England. Then the worst happened. A loss to Australia, the world champions in the Test series at home. Tendulkar missed the first two tests due to the injury but he made his mark at Mumbai, his hometown by scoring a modest 55 on a turning and treacherous track as he helped India win atleast one Test, as the series ended 2-1 in Australia’s favour. India certainly can’t do without Tendulkar.

Tendulkar being fit enough scored his highest Test score of 248 against Bangladesh in Dhaka, in the process, equaling Sunil Gavaskar’s record of 34 Test hundreds.

That record too was broken but only next year in the home series against Sri Lanka when he scored a memorable but tough 105 in Delhi. That was Tendulkar’s sole highlight performance of 2005. It wasn’t a great year for him as he missed the summer of 2005 as well due to the elbow injury occurring again. Though he made a decent comeback against Sri Lanka in the ODIS in October at home. He had a modest run against South Africa and Pakistan. And worse, he was booed by his home crowd in Mumbai in a test match against England in March 2006 after he scored only 1 run of 21 balls. Was the great man’s career coming to an end? Has the great man’s aura diminished? Has 17 years of cricket finally taken a toll on his body?, were some of the many questions discussed in the world of cricket.

The fears were coming true as Tendulkar’s run in 2006 too wasn’t decent except one ODI century against West Indies in Malaysia on his yet another comeback. And the ICC Champions Trophy at home or the series against South Africa away didn’t help his cause greatly. India’s chances for the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean were optimistic as many hoped that Tendulkar would be India’s savior like he was in 1996 and 2003. However, the highest run-getter in World Cup history scored only 60 runs in three games of the tournament as India crashed out infamously in the first round, losing to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Ian Chappell, Tendulkar’s biggest critic called for his retirement like many others.

But Tendulkar would never give up when it comes to playing for India. He loves his game and enjoys pressure. He took the challenge and made the rest of 2007 memorable by being one of the top run-getters of the calendar year. And India won the test series in Bangladesh and England as well as winning a Test in Australia. This Australian tour was marred by controversies but Tendulkar’s word assured that Harbhajan Singh, who was accused of making racist comments towards Andrew Symonds was innocent.

In the final of the one-dayers, Tendulkar hit two blazing knocks of 112 and 91 reminding many of the 1998 Sharjah finals. Sachin after a wonderful series in Australia unfortunately couldn’t replicate his performance in the asia cup. When Australia came back to India in 2008 he glided the ball to third man of debutant peter siddle and broke Brian Lara’s record in test cricket at Mohali. Tendulkar helped India regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and his superb run against the world champions of his era continued. England too came to India and his quick-fire innings helped India take a clean sweep in the ODIS as well as win the Test Series 1-0.

Tendulkar’s love for Chennai continues when he hit a match-winning century in the second innings chasing 387. He dedicated this knock especially to the Indian commoner who is always threatened by terrorism, especially after the Mumbai attacks on 26/11.
India hasn’t been successful in New Zealand, but with Tendulkar’s hundred at Christchurch helped India win the ODIS 3-1. However, India created history by winning 1-0 in 3 Tests as Tendulkar scored a match-winning hundred. He had then gone past 40 Test hundreds and seemed to go ahead of his closest rival, Ricky Ponting by far. 2009 was an inactive year for Tendulkar as he rested for a number of games. But the recent 175 against Australia in Hyderabad clearly showed the vintage Tendulkar! He crossed 17000 runs in the ODIS. The records continue to belong to Tendulkar. Who can fill the man’s big boots?

Tendulkar is India. What is India’s future without him and who can ever fill in his big boots?
Tendulkar has achieved everything in his life and has broken almost every record made for the batsman. If something is left that he would want to achieve then that would be the world cup (2011) for India. The man has brought India glory—just the one thing missing in his cabinet—and that’s the world cup. Similar to ponting (fitting for him to win an ashes in England in 2013 and then retire); it would only be fitting if Sachin Tendulkar lifts the world cup in Indian colours front of his home crowd at the wankhede stadium in Mumbai.

And the rest as they say is unsaid. The great man lives on…

Well, the whole of the cricketing fraternity is asking are the Aussies still invincible? The answer is no. Australia are certainly no more invincible but are and will definitely be a very competitive team. With experienced pro’s retiring from the international circuit in a hurry Australia find themselves in barren land. But, most experts feel that the Aussies have handled this situation much better than any other team would have handled it.

It’s clearly seen that Australia are found wanting in India (test matches). With Andrew Symonds too out due to controversy Australia find themselves in a hole with large shoes to fill in.

Many Australian news papers asked for the recall of Andrew Symonds but Australia have always had strong disciplinary rules and do not mind sacrificing on a couple of series so as to dominate 10 years. It could be debated out that India too will have to face a similar situation in the near future with respect to test match cricket as India will be playing without the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble also known as the “Fab Five”.

Australia are missing their bowling attack more than ever. Australia virtually do not have anyone on the spin bowling front. The batting department still has most of their key players but the retirement of so many greats (Justin Langer, Damien Martyn, Adam Gilchrist, Glen McGrath, and Shane Warne) has hurt Australia psychologically more than anything. Also, called the bad boys of cricket build up the name for themselves by taking a dig at their opponents before every key game.

On a balance Australia known to be having one of the best cricket training systems should be able to make up as the Australian bench strength can never be questioned!!

This is was a piece I wrote a year and a half back. Looking at it now, Australia indeed do have the best cricket systems across the world. After the disappointing ashes loss in 2009 Australia seem to have finally got their players to gel along in both the ODI as well as the Test format.

Australia’s record after the ashes speaks for itself:

• Australia VS England –NatWest series.

Result: 6-1 to Australia
• Champions trophy
Result: 4-0 to Australia
Champions
• Australia VS India in India
Result: 4-2 to Australia

Season at home

• Australia VS West Indies (Tests)
Result: 2-0 to Australia
• Australia VS Pakistan (Tests)
Result: 3-0 to Australia
• Australia VS Pakistan
Result: Unassailable lead of 3-0 (2 to go)

Australia have proved their credentials in all facets of the game. They now have a very good spinner in Nathan Hauritz. A young and consistent pace attack in Bollinger, Siddle, Hilfenhaus with Mitchell Johnson the potential attack leader. Australia have found a replacement to controversial all rounder Andrew Symonds. Cameron white stamped his authority on international cricket when he took that no.3 position in England in place of Ponting.

India have lost out on two of their 5 champions in Ganguly and Kumble. The batting line up still looks a solid one but, the question arises whether India will be able to cope with the loss of the Fab 5 like how Australia did?

Resuming at their overnight score of 417/2, India continued with their good work courtesy another impressive century by Rahul Dravid and half-centuries by VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh. Sri Lanka struck back thanks to an excellent spell by Rangana Herath, who ended up with a five-wicket haul as India lost their last five wickets for a mere 29. The Indians, however, still managed to amass a mammoth 642. In response, Sri Lanka ended the day on a sedate 66/1, trailing by a huge margin of 576 runs. Tillakaratne Dilshan was the man out for the visitors.

Earlier in the day, Dravid was elements right from the start as he registered his 28th Test century and second of the series. In the process, the India great also crossed Allan Border’s Test tally to move up to number four in the record books – only Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting are ahead of him now. Continuing with the positive intent he has been showing since the start of the series, a determined Dravid led India’s charge on the second day. He went down the track fearlessly while pleasant drives and punches also kept coming regularly.

At the other end, Tendulkar also looked set for a big one. And when he was dropped in the 30s, it seemed lady luck was shining on him. He even celebrated the chance by dancing down the track and slamming Ajantha Mendis for a maximum. However, he did not last long after that. Going for a repeat of the six stroke, he holed out. Dravid, meanwhile, continued to go from strength to strength, looking almost impregnable. And so it wasn’t surprising that he was eventually out for no fault of his. Dravid’s old friend Laxman hit one straight back at Rangana Herath uppishly. The left-arm spinner could not hold on to the catch, but, as fate would have it, the ball disturbed the stumps at the non-striker’s end with Dravid having no chance to make it back to the crease. A crestfallen Dravid could do little but walk back dejectedly knowing all to well that there was a double century for the taking.

The dismissal of Dravid, however, did not stop the flow of runs. Having gotten over the unfortunate turn of events, Laxman and Yuvraj went about adding to Lanka’s agony. While Laxman brought out the fluent drives he is admired for, Yuvraj was at his murderous best against the spinners. Both Mendis and Murali, who have troubled the left-handed batsman in the past, could do precious little to unsettle Yuvraj as he raced towards his half-century. Having crossed his 50, Laxman also looked set for a big one till he was beaten in the flight from Herath. Laxman fell for 63, with the Indian score reading an imposing 613/4. From there though started a collapse of unimaginable proportions. MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh and the rest of the tail failed to pick Herath and India folded up well short of 700.

India snatched back the advantage when Dilshan mistimed the first ball he faced from Zaheer Khan into the hands of debutant Pragyan Ojha. And though the Lankans fought back well, with three days to go they are in for a mighty battle.

After the run feast at Ahmedabad, there were runs galore once more on the first day of the Kanpur Test. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir hit scintillating centuries and Rahul Dravid approached one towards the end of the day as India finished on a historic 417 for 2 – a record for India on the first day of a Test. An ominous looking Sachin Tendulkar was giving Dravid company on 20. All this after Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and decided to bat first at the same venue where he first captained India in a Test – a year ago against South Africa.

The Indian openers began slightly hesitantly. Virender Sehwag, in particular, struggled. The third ball he faced – from Chanaka Welegedara – was a wide one. All he managed to do was edge it behind the wickets. Unfortunately, wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene dived across Mahela Jayawardene at first slip, who then could not judge the ball properly and ended up flooring it. Not long after that, medium pacer Angelo Mathews beat him all ends up. But having survived the tough initial period, Sehwag and Gambhir rocked leaving the Sri Lankans completely shell-shocked.

The opening duo played shots all over the park and the Sri Lankans bowlers – both pacers and spinners – could do very little. Gambhir’s knocks consisted of super hits down the ground down, delectable late cuts and lofty strokes off the spinners. Sehwag, on the other hand, was his usual effervescent self being especially severe on the spinners. Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis have been a thorn in India’s flesh in recent times, but not on this day. And playing a third spinner in Rangana Herath under the conditions in place of a pacer backfired rather embarrassingly as the left-right hand combination did not allow anyone from the trio to settle.
Gambhir took a liking to Herath in his very first over slamming him for three boundaries – one through the covers, one through point and the third one down the ground. The southpaw continued to be severe on Herath throughout the day. Sehwag, meanwhile, enjoyed himself at the expense of Mendis and Muralitharan. He literally toyed with them, constantly hitting them over the top and piercing the in-field with utter disdain enroute to his ton. As expected, he fell going for another boundary, an inside-out attempted against Murali ending up in the hands of cover. But, by then the damage had been done. Sehwag made a memorable 131 and added 233 with Gambhir, their highest stand till date to lay a magnificent platform for the team.

If Lankans thought, they could breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of Dravid walking in, they were wrong. Bolstered by the start, the number three batsman was at his assertive best. He drove, cut and punched with utmost confidence, as most of the strokes found the meat of the bat. Even in defence, he was rock solid as ever. At the other end, Gambhir looked set for a double hundred when Murali’s guile finally worked and the left-hander was caught and bowled for a majestic 167.

Considering a start they have got, India would have to play atrociously poorly to lose from here. But to win, they will need their bowlers to be in top form and better response from the pitch compared to the graveyard in Ahmedabad.

With just one day to go in the Ahmedabad Test, Sri Lanka have been the dominant side without an iota of doubt. And with two Indian top order batsmen already back in the hut, India will have to bat exceptionally well on the final day to save the Test. More than Virender Sehwag, it is first innings saviour Rahul Dravid’s dismissal which could hurt India badly. The India number three, who was a tad unlucky to be adjudged lbw, has the perfect technique and temperament under the prevailing circumstances. Unfortunately, he won’t be around as India try to save the match on the final day. It is not to say that the others are not good enough. Also, the pitch is still pretty good. Yet, pressure can make people do funny things and it remains to be seen how the rest cope with it.

Sri Lanka’s delayed declaration will be a subject of discussion. However, there will be criticism only if India manage to save the Test. There are two ways of outdoing the opposition while setting a target — bat them out of the game and then apply complete pressure by having umbrella fields or dangling the carrot and giving the team batting last a sniff that they can win. Kumar Sangakkara decided to opt for the former. His logic definitely would have been that with the pitch playing well the visitors could not afford to give India the slightest chance of going for victory. The fact that Lanka have never won a Test in India might also have influenced the think-thank, so the delay in the declaration was understandable.

In spite of the time lost, Lanka still have a strong chance of going for a historic win. No matter how good a pitch is, the last day will always have something to offer for the bowlers. The spinners Rangana Herath and Muttiah Muralitharan, in particular, could prove a handful on the final day. And impressive medium pacer Chanaka Welegedara wicket-taking ability can also unsettle the Indians, especially early on when he has been at his deadliest. So India have a real fight on hand to come out unscathed.

The host will be under immense pressure when they take the field on day five. However, they can learn plenty from the manner in which the two Jayawardenes – Mahela and Prasanna – applied themselves over such a long period of time during the Lankan innings. As mentioned earlier, there is nothing much in the pitch for the bowlers. Still, a lot of determination and mental application is needed for the amount of time the duo applied themselves. Their knocks were nearly flawless, and their class made good international bowlers from India look extremely ordinary. Both the spinners Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra were extremely insipid and Ishant Sharma did not do a lot to repay the faith the selectors have shown in him despite his disappointing efforts recently. Only Zaheer Khan made an impression, but without support even he was far from lethal expect for a few incisive spells.

A lot will now depend on how Gautam Gambhir and the remaining middle-order batsmen apply themselves. If India do manage to pull it off it will be a genuinely hard-fought effort.