Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen has been a revelation, right throughout his five years of international cricket. He has dominated every bowling attack possible, and has left no margin for error in helping England win not just at home, but also abroad. He is an equally good player in all three formats of the game.

However, the so-called ‘law of averages’ tends to catch up with many cricketers in some points of their careers. And Pietersen has suffered from this since the last ten months or so. Even the most ardent Pietersen fan is likely to believe that he is not at his best, at the moment despite a wonderful World Twenty20 in the West Indies. This is because of one particular reason – the emergence of left-arm spinners in world cricket.

Great batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar or Brian Lara have played so well right throughout their careers that there are no apparent weaknesses which can be spotted when they are batting. So, Pietersen cannot be in the list of greats yet, because he has this rather peculiar weakness of getting dismissed against the left-arm spinner.

Pietersen, no doubt is a fine-quality player of pace bowling when he can play any shot on both sides of the wicket. However, spin can make Pietersen look silly at times, just as how Sehwag often is tempted when spinners are bowling to him.

Pietersen emerged as one of England’s valuable players in 2005 in the one-day series in South Africa. The three hundreds which he had scored in seven matches, clearly showed how he can bat on hard, bouncy tracks. However, what many didn’t observe was that Pietersen struggled to play Nicky Boje in that series and got out to his bowling once.

So the problem remained but he was able to flourish thanks to no regular left-arm spinner in the Australian team in the 2005 Ashes. His blossoming was due to his innovation against spinners, which was risky but successful. He invented the switch-hit in 2006 off the bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan, when he hit a huge six at Leeds. He took on Pakistan’s slow bowlers well at home. For that matter, even in the 2007 World Cup, he played really well because of his aggressive attitude towards spin bowling.

However, captaincy was thrust on to him in 2008 and the threat of injury loomed large after playing three years of non-stop international cricket. This is when his agility also reduced to a certain extent. A lean run followed in 2009 as it was evident that the emergence of left-arm spinners had an effect on his batting.

In the tour of New Zealand and the return series in 2008, Daniel Vettori troubled Pietersen and curbed his scoring to a large extent, if not taking his wicket. Even in the IPL 2009 in South Africa, Kevin Pietersen was playing as captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in a match against Delhi Daredevils.

Vettori, playing for the Daredevils was bought on to bowl by captain Virender Sehwag when he was batting. Pietersen tried the switch-hit but was comprehensively bowled by Vettori. In the 2009 tour to South Africa, he returned to play for England after an Achilles injury.

In the ODIS there, unlike the last time when he burst into top-flight cricket with a brilliant performance, he failed miserably. And in Bangladesh in March 2010, the problem of left-arm spin had taken centre-stage. In the ODIS, Pietersen’s poor form had continued as Abdur Razzak, Bangladesh’s spinner picked up his wicket in 2 ODIS and the captain Shakib al Hasan picked him in the first ODI. It was a similar story in the Tests.

Shakib continued to dominate with the wicket of Pietersen, especially with the flighted delivery from around the wicket, which comes back to hit the middle stump. That ball has a lot of use as it can either get the batsman lbw or bowled or even catch out on the off-side or at short leg. And that is exactly what happened with Pietersen.

Despite having a healthy average of 40 in the Test series, Pietersen could have gone on to make more runs, if he hadn’t been dismissed by Shakib on those turning wickets in Bangladesh. And in the recent Test series against Bangladesh at home, he tried to break the shackles by playing at his aggressive best, but he didn’t get the better of Shakib once again.

This is a major worry for Strauss and co if England are aiming to be World No.1 in all three formats of the game in atleast the next 2 or 3 years. Perhaps, its time that Pietersen changes his approach towards batting altogether to become a much better player for England, who need some experience to rely on.

It is so often the case when a player is said to be extremely talented, that he can overtake even the all-time greats of the game. However, in the process to achieve that legacy, something goes wrong down the line. And it makes the player believe that he is a failure. People would think he hasn’t delivered to his potential. Consequently, it’s almost time to bid goodbye to cricket for the player or hang around courtesy the belief that your captain or the selectors have in you.

When I thought about this, the first cricketer who I remember fits into the bill, is none other than Vinod Kambli. Kambli and his best friend, Sachin Tendulkar put up the highest partnership of 664 runs in a school match in 1988 of all-time, until it was broken in 2006 in Hyderabad.

Ever since then, many believed that Kambli was far more talented than Tendulkar. The comparisons began to grow after Kambli played his first ODI for India in 1991, two years after Tendulkar made his international debut. He had an amazing, almost a Bradmansque start to his career. He hit 4 centuries in his first 7 Tests for India. He also was at par with Tendulkar in ODIS as Tendulkar didn’t establish himself in the format, like the player he is today.

However, he lost his way soon. The ‘law of averages’ caught up with him. His weakness against the short ball was noticed by many teams, who used it in great effect. He was undisciplined and inconsistent which resulted in him being kicked out of the Indian team many a times.

He ended his Test career in 1995 only and ODI career in 2000. And Tendulkar has had a glorious 20-year long career, and till today he has dominated all bowling attacks in the world and given his best for India when it matters the most. So in the light of Mumbai cricket and Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli was a huge hype at the start of his career but could never live up to the expectations of the till-date unforgiving Indian fans.

Secondly, in the Indian sub-continent, another player who I can dwell upon is Mohammad Ashraful. The Bangladeshi batsman became a household name right after his debut Test. At just a tender age of 16, against a powerful Sri Lankan attack, Ashraful defied all the odds and scored 114 runs off 212 balls, which might have lost Bangladesh the match, but it did give the country a future to live for. However, as expected, Ashraful did not live up to the hopes that he had created with that knock.

His lean patch continued for another 3-4 years until he hit back with a cracking 158 against India at Chittagong. Ashraful then had a kind of a golden run for the next six months considering that he was not even 21. He scored a memorable century against Australia in England in 2005, creating an upset as Bangladesh won by 5 wickets.

Although Bangladesh did not make it into the finals of that triseries in England, yet it was widely believed that if Ashraful was in top form, the country could win some more matches against top teams. But then again, Ashraful lost his steam as he was dropped from the side during the ICC Champions Trophy in India. And then all of a sudden, after a good 2007 World Cup, Ashraful was selected as captain of his country at the age of 22! But again, it didn’t make a huge difference as his batting suffered still and his captaincy wasn’t up to the mark.

As a result, he was even dropped as captain from the 2009 World T-20 onwards. Currently, his place in the side is under scrutiny and I believe it is due to his experience of 10 years of international cricket that captain Shakib al Hasan and coach Jamie Siddons are persisting with him. If he doesn’t return to his best, and Bangladesh find an ideal, young batting star, it could be curtains to Ashraful, who has under-performed right throughout his career.

Bangladesh is developing as a cricketing nation, but had Ashraful been able to play knowing how much is he capable of, Bangladesh could have by now atleast been in the top 8 in the rankings of ODI cricket, if not Tests.

JP Duminy is another contemporary player that I can think of. Duminy was first spotted in 2004 where he made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo. However, a strong batting line-up prevented Duminy to retain his place in the side after that series. Though, there was some hope for him.

Ashwell Prince got injured ahead of the tour of Australia in 2008. Duminy was sent in as replacement. And he took full advantage of this opportunity by scoring an important half-century, remaining unbeaten to steer South Africa to the victory post chasing a mammoth total of 414 on a fast track at Perth in the second innings. He then scored a match-winning 166 in the next Test at Melbourne.

A brilliant Test series was followed by impressive performances in the ODIS and T-20s against Australia in Australia as well as in South Africa, in the return series. This helped him earn a $950000 contract with the Mumbai Indians for a period of two years, making him one of the most expensive players in the IPL ever. However, there was nothing much to celebrate about from here on.

He didn’t live up to his value in the IPL 2 and IPL 3. He struggled in the home series against England in 2009 and in India in 2010. And currently, on the tour of West Indies, he isn’t favoured in the starting XI by captain Graeme Smith. So JP Duminy has found it tough going after an amazing tour of Australia, when he made his debut. But it is expected that he makes a good comeback and help South Africa become No.1 in all three formats of the game. Otherwise, the team is ready to give its batting reserves a crack at the international level, which could hasten the end of his career.

In the West Indies, the one player who I believe is a huge hype is Kieron Pollard. Pollard got known across the world as a dangerous all-rounder following a match-winning 51 runs of just 18 balls against New South Wales in the 2009 T-20 Champions League. This paved the way for a stint in the IPL 2010 with the Mumbai Indians, being the tournament’s most expensive player ever, if media reports are to be believed.

Pollard also signed a contract with South Australia, for the KFC Big Bash last season. However, statistics show that after the Champions League, Pollard has struggled to make it big for the West Indies side. He has scored 359 runs in 13 innings at an average of just 27.61, in one-day cricket, even though he has batted mostly either at 6 or 7 in the batting order. His condition in T-20s is worse when it comes to play for his country.

He has made 104 runs only in 10 innings. Even in the IPL, barring the last 3 games of the Mumbai Indians, Pollard certainly didn’t live up to the expectations of many as the most expensive player as his value was less whenever Mumbai won. And it was worse when they lost.

For South Australia as well, Pollard didn’t make a major contribution, but somehow they won the championship. Kieron Pollard is still sought-after due to his all-round abilities, which are crucial in the shorter formats of the game. Yet, if he doesn’t mature in time, like the other cricketers in the article, he too could face the axe by various teams which could make him face the dead end of his career.

Another sparkling knock of 89 not out by Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar helped his side recover from a jittery start and post a challenging 174 for 5, batting first against Rajasthan Royals. And, with the batsmen from the latter side hell-bent on committing hara-kiri, the Mumbai bowlers did not have to shed much sweat for a comprehensive win.

As many as three Royals’ batsmen ran themselves out, something which definitely would not have pleased the Sunday night crowd at Jaipur. The innings continued to stumble along as no partnerships were built and, eventually, Rajasthan lost by a disappointing margin of 37 runs.

The story of the match was the innings of one man versus the rest on a difficult pitch for the batsmen. And that man was, guess who, Sachin Tendulkar. After winning the toss and electing to field, Rajasthan were off to the best of starts, all thanks to Shane Watson, who bounced out two Mumbai batsmen.

Both Ambati Rayudu and Saurabh Tiwary were found out as Watson gave them the chin music. Before that though, he got the all important scalp of Sanath Jayasuriya for 1. The politician from Sri Lanka, who was recalled after being made to sit out for a few games, punched one tentatively to end his short stay at the crease.

Mumbai were in all sorts of trouble at 30 for 3, when JP Duminy joined Sachin. The left-hander from South Africa gave ample support to his skipper as they went about rebuilding the innings.

While Sachin went for the big strokes, Duminy ensured that he gave his captain most of the strike. Sachin was in his elements throughout his knock, but his much-awaited tussle with opposite number Shane Warne was the highlight of the game.

Even after all these years, the Mumbai bomber showed scant respect to the legendary spinners. He charged down the track and hit Warne inside out more than once. And when Warne pitched one short, he had the answer ready with his cut.

Although Duminy left Sachin with the score on 93, Sachin continued to blaze away. He slammed Siddharth Trivedi for two mighty sixes in the last over of the innings as Mumbai ended their innings on a high.

There was nothing noteworthy in Rajasthan’s batting effort. Michael Lumb began with two crispy boundaries, but Dhawal Kulkarni had his revenge pretty soon when he had him caught by Duminy.

Naman Ojha did nothing wrong to get dismissed for a duck. He was at the receiving end of an unplayable outswinger from Zaheer Khan, which he somehow managed to nick. What followed next was bizarre, to put it lightly, as three consecutive wickets fell to run-outs.

Shane Watson was the first victim, and the most crucial one at that. Faiz Fazal had run halfway down the pitch, leaving Watson with no option but to respond to his call. Fazal, himself, was the next victim, not knowing where to go. Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, who batted well for his 22 until then, was beaten by a strong throw from Tiwary.

By the time Yusuf Pathan came into bat, the score read a miserable 62 for 5. Rajasthan needed well over 100 runs at better than 12 runs per over. On his day, it would have been a cakewalk for Pathan. But, this was Sachin’s day.

And so, he fell without contributing much as the script got murkier for Rajasthan. Aditya Dole and Abhishek Raut struck some lusty blows towards the end. All that did though was reduce the victory margin.

In the battle of the best versus the worst in the IPL so far, the latter surprisingly came on top, thanks to a disciplined bowling effort and a competent performance with bat.

Kings XI Punjab were playing their last match at their home ground in Mohali and were determined to give the crowd something to cheer about at last. Piyush Chawla and Irfan Pathan combined to pick three wickets each while the Sri Lankan duo of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara prospered with the willow to guide Punjab to only their third victory in the tournament.

On their part, Mumbai Indians put in a tough fight with the ball, but their batsmen had left them with a little too much to do.

While there were a number of significant contributions from Punjab’s side, none was more vital than the one by leggie Chawla. Mumbai had recovered from the early loss of Shikhar Dhawan, cleaned up by Pathan, and were beginning to from gain the ascendancy courtesy a flurry from boundaries from Ambati Rayudu. This is where Chawla stepped in and turned the game… literally.

He began by castling the ominous looking Rayudu for 33 (off only 18 balls) with a wrong that the batsman clearly failed to pick. But, what was to follow was even more impressive and shattering for the batting side. Saurabh Tiwary, one of the finds of the season for Mumbai, was forced to drag his feet out of the crease by Chawla, only to be cleverly stumped.

Chawla had picked up two big wickets in his three overs, and could have easily been taken off. However, here is where Sangakkara played his masterstroke. Noticing that Sachin Tendulkar wasn’t at his fluent best, he threw the ball to Chawla for his last over.

History too has proved that the leg-spinner has had some amount of success against the legend. The combined effect of both these factors was enough to see the back of him. Sachin went for a blind swish on the on-side and had his stumps shattered for an unimpressive 25. From 52 for 1, Mumbai had collapsed to 70 for 4 in a matter of minutes.

It was not all over for Mumbai though. They still had hope from the likes of Kieron Pollard and JP Duminy while the fact the Punjab hadn’t exactly been finishing off the job appropriately would have been at the back of their minds. This was a different outfit though, determined to deliver the killer blows.

And so, Pathan returned to claim R. Sathish and Pollard, the latter again disappointing, perishing after a couple of good hits. Duminy held fort for Mumbai with his 35, the flick six off Brett Lee being his best stroke. But, Love Abhilash’s wonderful last over in which he picked up two wickets saw Punjab go into the break carrying the momentum.

When they returned, Jayawardene caressed the ball to all parts of the boundary and, in no time, Punjab were off like the kings. With Adrian Barath and Sangakkara also contributing, the home side won by an easy 6-wicket margin despite some disciplined bowling from Mumbai, who lost their second consecutive game. It is too early for Sachin’s men to worry, but another hiccup and one would begin to wonder whether they peaked a little early.

The inability of Sachin Tendulkar to continue his innings after the first strategic break, owing to poor health conditions, dented Mumbai Indians so badly that they collapsed embarrassingly in their chase of 166 against the Chennai Super Kings at the Chepauk.

Eventually, they fell way short of the target and lost by a disappointing 24-run margin. But, the game turned when Ambati Rayudu replaced Sachin at the beginning of the 10th over. Mumbai crumbed from 62 for 1 to 89 for 7 in no time. And even though Sachin returned to bat after that, the game was already out of Mumbai’s grasp. The heartbroken skipper himself fell for a valiant 45.

While MS Dhoni’s men should be credited for their superlative comeback, it has to be said that Mumbai kicked themselves in the foot. Some of the shots they played were completely inexplicable, and that is to say the least. Rayudu began ‘mission catastrophe’ when he blindly charged down the pitch to Suresh Raina and was stumped by yards by Dhoni.

What was to follow wasn’t any better. Dwayne Bravo tried to breakfree against Thilan Thushara before getting his eye in and had to return disappointed, while Saurabh Tiwary threw his hand away after eating up 18 balls for 14.

All this was happening whilst Chennai bowlers were struggling to even grip the ball properly. There was dew on the ground right from the start of the game and, as expected, it got much worse in the second half.

As such, Mumbai had everything going for them – they weren’t chasing a big score and, under the conditions, the ball wasn’t going to do much.All Mumbai had to do was to bat sensibly to achieve the target. Instead, they seemed hell-bent on committing hara-kiri.

After the loss of wickets in a heap, here was one great opportunity for big-hitting Kieron Pollard and R. Sathish to stand up and be counted. They also preferred to join the mess though. One has to acclaim that Pollard’s cheap dismissal was the product for an unbelievable catch by Murali Vijay, the fielder was unsighted by the man in front of him, yet managed to hang on to a skier.

But, Sathish’s silly run-out embodied Mumbai’s batting effort – lacklustre, without Sachin’s guidance. Harbhajan Singh late blast off 33 from 22 balls was just a reiteration of the fact that Mumbai had done themselves in.

There was no inkling of the disaster to follow when Mumbai were in the field. It was a near perfect bowling performance. Harbhajan, opening the bowling, got the better of in-form Vijay, with a smart, quickish delivery. Chennai’s suffered majorly because all their batsmen got starts, but none went on to convert them.

Suresh Raina briefly sparked during his 23 before the short ball got him again. The bigger blow though was dealt by the unassuming medium pace of Pollard. In the space of two deliveries he consumed Dhoni (31) Matthew Hayden (35), both perishing while going for big hits as Chennai struggled to accelerate. It should have been the turning point of the game. However, Mumbai were all too keen to change that.

What was supposed to be a tough chase for Mumbai Indians at the Brabourne Stadium against Chennai Super Kings, was transformed into a rather easy victory, thanks to yet another superlative effort by skipper Sachin Tendulkar (72) and an equally important, whirlwind 56 by his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan.

Mumbai had to score 181, in reply to Chennai’s imposing 180 for 2, and got home convincingly in the penultimate over, with five wickets in tact. The opening partnership of 92 in under nine overs was extremely crucial in the chase. The quickfire efforts of Sachin and Dhawan ensured that the required run rate was always under control. And, as such, there was no pressure on the batsmen to come.

Mumbai planned their chase extremely well. It was Dhawan who went after the bowlers at the start, while Sachin ensured that he gave the youngster ample strike. Even as Albie Morkel kept things tight at one end, Dhawan went after L Balaji, Joginder Sharma and even spinner Shadab Jakati, hitting some ferocious boundaries off their bowling as well as three huge sixes.

He never looked in any sort of trouble against any of the bowlers, which was the most striking aspect of his batting. The fact that even Sachin was content to take the back seat and watch the action unfold from the non-striker’s end said a lot about the quality of his innings. As such, Dhawan could only have got himself out.

And that is exactly what happened when he tried to go after Jakati once too often. The ball ballooned high in the air, and Chennai were lucky to have their best fielder, Suresh Raina, in position to take the catch.

Dhawan’s dismissal gave Chennai hope, though only a faint one as Mumbai were halfway past the target. Still, Muttiah Muralitharan worked his charm and trapped Saurabh Tiwary plumb in the front for 2, a rare failure for the youngster during this IPL. The door was again opened slightly by Chennai when Joginder Sharma managed to dislodge Rajagopal Sathish’s stumps.

At 120 for 3 in the 14th over, Chennai sensed they had a sniff. However, this is when Sachin stepped in and decided to seal it in Mumbai’s favour. The authoritative six he hit off Murali not only reminded one of their yesteryear duels, but also showed that Sachin was determined to prove who the boss was.

With a mixture of well-calculated strokes and some elegant drives, he brought Mumbai to the brink of victory. Kieron Pollard, who hasn’t got much of a chance to prove what he is worth, showed some glimpses, striking the ball as clean as a whistle en route to his 9-ball 20. And, though both were dismissed before the target was achieved, they had done enough to take Mumbai to safety.

The win did not look such an easy proposition earlier in the day, when Chennai recovered from 38 for 2 to post 180. Suresh Raina was the chief architect of the recovery.

The talented left-hander struck the ball with ease during his magnificent, unbeaten 83 off 52 balls. He found the perfect foil in S Badrinath, who contributed 55* from 45. Thanks to them, at the halfway stage, Chennai looked favourites. But, midway through the Mumbai innings the equation had completely changed.

R Vinay Kumar picked up three wickets in one over, that of Sachin Tendulkar, Dwayne Bravo and Ambati Rayudu, to put the Mumbai Indians firmly on the back foot. However, the home side recovered well thanks to some lusty hitting down the order by Zaheer Khan and useful contributions from Kieron Pollard and R Sathish. 151, however, was still not going to be enough against Bangalore’s charged up batting line-up, and on a pitch that was highly batting-friendly.

Jacques Kallis continued his unbeaten run, slamming yet another 50, while Manish Pandey and continued with their big hitting spree as the Royal Challengers charged to victory without any trouble, and claimed their spot at the top of the table.

Clearly, it was that three-wicket over from Vinay Kumar that turned the tide in Bangalore’s favour. At 74 for 3 in the 11th over, Mumbai were still in the game courtesy of Sachin Tendulkar, who was looking good on 25. But, Vinay got rid of Rayudu, with a well-directed bouncer, a plan which had worked exceedingly well against the Rajasthan Royals.

Then Sachin, who was denied the strike for quite some time, was cleaned up when he shuffled too far and left his leg stump exposed. The skipper batted well for his 25, but the team needed a lot more from him on this day. If Sachin’s dismissal wasn’t bad enough, Bravo got a dose of his own medicine when an off-cutter from Vinay Kumar accounted for him. Bravo fell for one and Mumbai had slipped ton 76 for 6 in no time.

No doubt Vinay Kumar bowled a great spell, but he was greatly assisted by the ones who bowled earlier. Praveen Kumar swung the both ways and kept the Mumbai openers on their feet. At the other end, the aggressive Dale Steyn took out danger man Sanath Jayasuriya with a wonderful outswinger.

Kallis then came on and proved his merit with the ball claiming Aditya Tare, a smart bouncer doing the trick yet again. Next man Saurabh Tiwary, coming off the back of two 50s, had some troubles as well with the rising delivers, but was good enough to fend some off to the ropes. He was fooled, however, by Anil Kumble’s googly and had to be satisfied with 25.

In Mumbai did manage to cross 150, it were due to the efforts of Sathish and Pollard. Judging the situation well, they rotated the strike for a while. Towards the end, Pollard had to do what he was chosen for, some mighty hits. He managed to dispatch Praveen for a six and a four, but was unluckily dismissed as he guided a full toss from Steyn into the hands of Virat Kohli.

Sathish soon fell to a brilliant catch by Rahul Dravid in the deep. Zaheer Khan then punished Kumar’s length deliveries in the final over, claiming 16 runs.

It was far from enough though as Kallis and Pandey continued from where they left off in the previous game. The Mumbai bowlers tried their best, but there was nothing on offer for them. And, in the end, it was Bangalore did it rather royally.

A scintillating 63 from Sachin Tendulkar and an equally smashing 61 from Saurabh Tiwary helped Mumbai Indians post an imposing 218 for 7 against the in-form Delhi Daredevils, a score which proved more than enough for Mumbai to register their second successive win, and hand Delhi their first defeat. Chasing the huge target, Delhi began on an aggressive note with Tillakaratne Dilshan opening the innings with Virender Sehwag in place of the injured skipper Gautam Gambhir.

The duo went hammer and tongs right from the start, but a smart piece of bowling by Lasith Malinga ended Dilshan’s threatening knock. Dilshan was cleaned up by a slower ball for 17 and that opened the floodgates as Mumbai cruised to a comprehensive win.

The victory was achieved thanks in main to two utterly entertaining and typical T20 knocks. One was played by none other than the master blaster Tendulkar. He batted as if he was the 16-year-old Sachin, fearlessly thrashing the bowlers all around the park. It was a great sight to watch the Mumbaikar in great flow.

Over the years, the heavy burden of expectations has forced him to play in a rather measured manner. But, thanks to T20 we can again see glimpses of the batsman, who dominated bowlers the world over with utter disdain. As usual, his innings featured lofted drives down the ground and deft touches behind the wicket. However, it was the sight of him charging down the wickets and hitting the spinner over the top that remains a favourite with Sachin fans.

When the little master eventually fell striving for quick runs, Delhi heaved a sigh of relief. But, they could not have fathomed what was to come. Saurabh Tiwary was equally explosive if not more and sent the Delhi bowlers on a massive leather hunt. With four boundaries and three sixes, he ensured that Mumbai easily crossed 200. Tiwary got great support from Ambati Rayadu, who contributed 34, an innings which also included three sixes.

While the Mumbai batsmen benefited from a number of useful partnerships, the Delhi bowling was completely out of sync. For a change even Dirk Nannes went for runs, bowling length deliveries and being punished accordingly against a strong batting line-up. Still, his figures of none for 35 were respectable in comparison to the rest. Though Farveez Maharoof picked up two wickets, that of Sanath Jayasuriya and Rayadu, he leaked 50 runs.

Spraying the ball all over, he was easy meat for the Mumbai batsmen. Left-arm quickie Pradeep Sangwan and the two spinners, Ladda and Mishra, did not fare any better. While Sangwan managed to sneak in one economical over, the latter who were torn apart by Sachin, Tiwary and Rayadu.

The onslaught did not seem to dent Delhi’s confidence though as Dilshan and Sehwag began merrily. However, they missed Gambhir big time, which was evident from the fact that no one was prepared to stick around once they lost a few quick wickets. Bravo, Harbhajan and Jayasuriya took advantage of the situation and added a couple of scalps each to their kitty.

This win by Mumbai has now set up the tournament nicely, with no team being able to extent their winning steak beyond two. Whether Mumbai will break the hoodoo remains to be seen.

Three games, three heroes

It was a disappointing end to the one-day series for India. They had a great chance to score a whitewash against the South Africans for the first time, but they preferred to rest their key players and tested out the bench strength, which resulted in a rather one-sided victory for the Proteas. Yet, the matter of the fact was that India won the series rather handsomely and there were some memorable performances even in such a short series. Presenting a rewind of top three performances of the series.

Game 1, Jaipur

Jadeja’s all-round act (22 and 2/29)

In a high-scoring game, where most of the batters were at ease, it was Ravindra Jadeja’s tight left-arm spin that made the difference. The Indian pacers, Ashish Nehra and S. Sreesanth went for plenty, and though they did pick up three wickets among themselves, they also ensured that South Africa stayed in the hunt. On the contrary, Jadeja not only kept the runs down, but also picked up two wickets, crucial ones at that, to derail the Proteas’ chase of 299. He cut short one-day specialist Herschelle Gibbs’ promising knock and later cleaned up AB de Villiers, who was also looking dangerous.

His cameo with the bat towards the fag end of the innings also came in handy, considering that India ended up winning by a solitary run, thanks to a late surge by the African tail. Jadeja is certainly turning out to be a good utility player for India.

Game 2, Gwalior

Sachin makes history (200 not out)

This was Sachin Tendulkar’s show all the way. Virender Sehwag fell early after India won the toss and batted. But, that did not deter the Indian master. He went on the rampage from the word go and the carnage did not stop till the very end. Come pace or spin, Sachin had an answer to every trick of the South African bowlers. He cut, pull, drove and lofted the bowlers with disdain on a ground that seemed too small for the Indian giant.

Dale Steyn, who destroyed India in the opening Test, was despatched for 89 from his quota of overs. Worse, Wayne Parnell went for 95. The others weren’t spared either. Charl Langeveldt went for a somewhat respectable 70 while Kallis and Duminy combined to leak over the 80. The Sachin magic was very much at display in Gwalior.

There were other handsome contributions in the game as well. Dinesh Karthik registered his highest ODI score of 79 while Dhoni slammed a hurricane like 68 not out. A B de Villiers too impressed with his sublime ton, but the match with undoubtedly be remembered for the indelible Sachin Tendulkar touch.

Game 3, Ahmedabad

de Villiers winning ton (102 not out)

The series was gone. However, the South Africans still had a lot to play for. After all they had never been blanked by India in a one-day series. And that record will stand, albeit with a little help from India themselves. They decided not to field a full-strength and de Villiers decided to take full toll of the inexperienced Indian attack. His 59 ball 102 included 11 hits to the fence and 3 over it. It was as if he was avenging the humiliation meted out to them at Gwalior, with great support from skipper Kallis.
The Indian bowling figures read similar to those of the Proteas in the previous game. Here was Sreesanth’s chance to lead the attack, but he failed miserably, conceding 83 in nine overs. As such, much couldn’t be expected from rookies Sudeep Tyagi and Abhimanyu Mithun. All were slammed. The de Villiers magic was in full bloom and the Indians had no answer to it.

It’s a clash of the two big titans—the two giants—the top two ranked teams in the world. South Africa and India clash at Nagpur in what is being termed the ‘world championship of cricket’. As we move into the series let’s have a look at which players to look out for and who’re the odds favouring.

South Africa

AB De Villiers: AB de Villiers did set the world on fire the last time he was here. He played beautifully all round the wicket and was one of the few batsmen on their debut tour to India to perform so well. He announced himself into world cricket with a very timely and aggressive century.

He’s been in pretty good knick in lead up to the series. He’s been getting pretty decent start but how would he love to convert one of ‘em into a century. He is a mainstay in the South African middle order along with Jacques Kallis and the proteas will be heavily reliant on the duo to provide some stability in the middle order. De Villiers is a brilliant fielder and must be kept an eye on—the man pulls out catches from absolute thin air.

Jacques Kallis: He has now turned 34 and with his medium pace is one of the best all rounder’s the game has ever seen. Kallis will be keen after a certain lay off and would love to grind (that’s the sort of character he is, isn’t he?) his way out of India with some runs and wickets under his belt. Now that he has returned to full fitness his bowling will come in handy for South Africa. With his slightly round arm action he should be a handful especially with the old ball where he would be able to reverse swing the ball in these conditions.

Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn: Steyn had a wonderful tour the last time he was here. Both Morkel and Steyn are more than capable of bowling a 150 kmph per hour and a swinging ball at that pace especially with a relatively inexperienced middle order (barring Sachin) against them. The Indian batsmen certainly do have their work cut out.

Morkel earlier mentioned that he would be looking to bowl a quite a few short ones considering the Indian batsmen problems with the bumpers. Steyn said “I’ve said many times before, a 150 or 145 km Yorker is absolutely no different whether you bowl it here in Nagpur, Chennai, Johannesburg, Perth. It’s the skill behind the delivery that is what counts at the end of the day”. The Indians would have to be wary of the duo see of the new ball and take it from there.

India

Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir: The duo are just over 200 runs short of becoming India’s most successful opening combination (in tests) statistically. Often in the recent past its been the opening pair of Sehwag and Gambhir that has given the middle order batsmen the platform to step upon. Their contribution is invaluable and they seem to complement each other pretty well with Sehwag being the aggressor. It wouldn’t be too surprising if they duo do have a good series (been the trend in the recent past) India should be in good stead to take the series from there.

Sachin Tendulkar: The more said about him the less it is. Sachin with his record has already made us expect from him. He being the senior man in the middle order with Dravid and laxman doubtful. He needs to shoulder the innings. The old man should do well and if he does so India goes with him.

Zaheer khan: He’s the only pace bowler who seems guaranteed of a place. His new ball bowling and more importantly his reverse swing will surely be one to deal with. If India has to win they need to come up with a very good bowling performance and if that has to happen Zaheer khan has to be at his best.

It’s India VS South Africa. Its world number 1 VS world number 2. It the clash of the champions—the world championship of cricket— promises to be an enthralling series.

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…