Playing in true spirits, I’ve always admired some players. But what hurts my sentiment for this game is the way the beautifying effect has been just torn apart by certain players lacking basic sportsman spirit, money and the politics.

Rest aside, getting politics into cricket, just doesn’t seem to be a good idea. Despite being a ‘gentlemen’s game’, cricket and controversies always go hand in hand. Cricketers and their boards are constantly getting engaged in the mind games and the politics of the game.

Spats between cricketers and their respective boards have been going on since a long while. Right from Greg Chappell-Sourav Ganguly which gave rise to the fact that cricketers are mere employees for the board and nothing more. Chappell’s spat with Ganguly not only saw the worst spat ever occurred between a coach and a player but also showed how a player of caliber like Ganguly was treated in India. BCCI, being the most powerful and financially well-off cricket boards, has its own set of rules and treats players basically like slaves. But what weakens BCCI’s power is the fan base in India. Cricket being considered as a religion, the fans would just protest against BCCI if there’s anything going against a high-profile cricketer. Though media can always turn out to be the culprit.

Nevertheless what people fail to understand, is that politics is everywhere and to think that it’s only in India is just naïve. WICB-Chris Gayle, CA-Simon Katich, PCB-Shahid Afridi and it goes on and on to prove the fact that other boards do get engaged in politics too and it’s just that it hasn’t been openly talked about.

Axing senior players like Chris Gayle, Shivnaraine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, what kind of team were they ever going to make? Others kept aside, Chris Gayle was on a mission to prove the board officials what they were missing on. And what he does is in style! Smashing sixes all over the ground in the just-concluded IPL, he was like a tornado coming towards the other teams. And this obviously infuriated WICB officials that he chose to play for IPL, instead of waiting for WICB officials to respond. Keeping him out of the current squad against India made the matters worse with WIPA supporting Gayle too. As the war of words goes on, who would axe senior players like them without even disclosing it in front of them? Politics plays its role.

Being in India, would you ever think of removing Sachin Tendulkar or for that matter any player who’s in his prime form with just the matter of fact that age is not by his side? That’s what exactly Australian cricket board has done! Scoring with an average of around 50 after his return to international cricket, no-one had ever thought of him being axed. Being in as many as 17 century partnership at the top after his return, Australia’s opening partnership was the most stable and effective. And the reason been given, ‘We want to forge a better opening partnership for Ashes 2013’. Is this a reason to give, when Katich has better averages than anyone else in the team after his return to international cricket? Why would you want to get rid of one of your best players? Just a bit baffled!

Even Stuart Clark was treated in a very much similar way, though he didn’t protest as such. And if two players are talking about this, there has to be some problems on the other side. And i’m sure there will be more players, just going against CA will make life worse for them.

Though PCB-Shahid Afridi tussle has been two-sided, where just because of stripping him from captaincy, Shahid Afridi decided to quit international cricket. Later again he was in a war of words with PCB and coach Waqar Younis which made the matters worse. Pakistan already at a point where their cricket doesn’t look like being stable any-time soon, with his retirement it looks even more awful. Being a two-sided mistake, you cannot just comment on what is it all about.

But what surprises me is that the board officials consider their players as mere contracted players and basically slaves who are supposed to do whatever the board wants when under contract. The politics played is intense and can’t get through it. Though the entire thing isn’t out, but what matters is all this is just affecting the game.

On top of that, with match-fixers and bookies all around, it makes worse. Even the fact that players favoring club over country hurts, but then it’s their own decisions though.

Cricket is to get back to the way it was, when there were no tussles, when every-one played their heart-out to represent their country, when match-fixing was never even a word in dictionary.

India - England

India’s tour to West Indies has already kick-started with a win over them each in ODI’s and the T-20 formats. With youngsters giving a chance to prove their mettle in tests as well since the senior players have been given some rest, people are looking forward to the positives coming out of this series as this will prove how strong is India’s bench strength. However, this series hasn’t been the talking point which surprises me quite a lot as India- West Indies rivalry has been phenomenal as years have passed on, though it has lost its touch in the last decade or so.

With India touring England in the month of July this year, the focus has completely shifted on to them. With India playing overseas after a long time, it has to be a tough one to go past. Ganguly said,” India will win in West Indies, but England will be tough”. This looks quite true with the fact that England has been playing phenomenal cricket around and have been going great guns. Retaining Ashes cup at away and defeating Australia at their home ground is no sort of joke. Though their ranking in ODIs is quite higher when compared to their performances but when it comes to tests they’re just looking for a chance to throttle India from the top spot. And when you have the opportunity to defeat India in their own den with flurrying bouncers and swing that takes away the game from the Indian counterparts.

But what makes England a serious competitor to the #1 ranking which India has earned so deservedly. These players are certainly to be credited.

Alastair Cook

Averaging 48 in his test cricket, he gives England a perfect start what a team actually needs. But what has been exceptional, is the way he has come up and shown what he means to his team. He was the main reason to why England retained the Ashes trophy. A run machine for England, he scored 766 runs in 5 tests he played with an exceptional average of over 120. With 3 centuries, 1 double century and 3 more half-centuries he had a splendid series. And that happened in just about 7 innings in which he played. Even in the ongoing series against Sri Lanka, he has already notched 335 runs in just 3 innings. Being in blazing form, he is the torch-bearer for England at the moment and certainly the man to watch out for.

Jonathan Trott

An exceptional player, playing just 19 tests has already notched 6 international hundreds which includes 2 double hundreds already. A prolific batsman, he has been in tremendous form this year, winning the cricketer of the year award for England. In the Ashes series tour he was next only to Alastair Cook and Michael Hussey for the number of runs he has scored. An exceptional double hundred in the 1^st test he played against Sri Lanka in the ongoing test series, was an example of his unbreakable defense. Always on the lookout for runs, he is going to be tough one to breakthrough.

Greame Swann

Been considered to become the best off-spinner, he certainly has got the talent to be one. With a career 135 wickets and a splendid economy rate of 2.9, he has always kept on the batsmen and never let him score runs. He always keeps the batsmen in defense and keeps him thinking all the time. The batsman ultimately succumbs to the batsmen and gives away his wicket. Making a debut in 2000 for an ODI, he was called back in 2007 and ultimately cemented his place in the team. Playing his spin is difficult, and with India touring to England in July, it’s going to be a strong but healthy rivalry between the best off-spinners in the world at the moment, Swann and Harbhajan Singh.

James Anderson

The spearhead of the England pace attack, he has been phenomenal this season. With 24 wickets in the Ashes series, he dismantled the Australian batting line up with sheer pace and his swinging ability. An experienced bowler, he is one of the best pacers in the world today along with Dale Steyn, Zaheer Khan and Brett Lee. Though injured at the moment, it’s highly likely that he would recover before India’s tour and would get the perfect rest before such a high-profile series which would decide to who actually deserves the #1 ranking. Pace and swing is all that he’s got, and with the England pitches he wouldn’t need anything more except the experience and intelligence which he’s god-gifted.

Apart from these players, there are many more players who have been in exceptional form. Just the fact, that these players have taken away the limelight from the other players. Andrew Strauss along with Ian Bell and Matt Prior also has notched up some outstanding performances. Ian Bell especially has been consistently performing. Kevin Pieterson, though injured for the moment he has been well impressive for England in a couple of matches himself.  Even in the bowling department, Chris Tremlett has been phenomenal. Picking up 17 wickets in the Ashes tour and demolishing the Sri Lankan side along with Swann to win the test match which was always looking for a draw, he has given England a bowler to support Anderson.

A tough time ahead, India is not going to take this series lightly. M.S.Dhoni, the calmest ever captain the cricketing world would have ever seen, might know it better but it all falls down to square one. Defending the number 1 spot against a team like England is going to be tough. Laxman said,”I never got a 100 in England. Hopefully, it would be very special if I get a 100 at Lord’s and India wins the match,” Preparation has to be tough and I don’t think India will falter at this point atleast. A rivalry to watch out for, India-England has always been exceptional to watch. Right from early days, to taking out shirt incident by Andrew Flintoff and Ganguly mocking the same one, to Yuvraj Singh hitting Stuart Broad for 6 sixes in an over. There might be many more moments which I wouldn’t have been even aware about.

A tough schedule ahead, India-England is going to be an interesting tie to watch.

Kapil Dev won the World Cup in 1983 as India captain , the same being the only instance. He turned out for his last Test match in Hamilton. He finished the Test with just 2 wickets to his name, but had the world record of 434 Test wickets until Courtney Walsh broke it a few years later. He also was a part of the ‘elite’ club as he hit 5248 runs in his 131-Test career. Although Stephen Fleming, one of New Zealand’s all-time best skipper, made his Test debut in this game and scored 92, it was an emotional farewell for Kapil, who would still be remembered as one of the greatest cricketers India has ever produced.

This day, ’03 would have hurt more than 1994, as Sourav Ganguly had a golden opportunity to become only the second captain after Kapil to lift a World Cup. But India ran into a steam engine, an in-form Australian unit in the final.

Ganguly though seemed to have lost the plot at the toss itself, when he astonishingly decided to put Australia into bat on a flat Johannesburg pitch which was a little moist, due to overnight rain. A brave decision had boomeranged big time. Zaheer Khan, the then-young fast bowler bowled a shambolic first over, giving 15 runs and the game was going in Australia’s favour.

A good start by openers Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist set the platform for one of the best ODI innings played ever in cricketing history, let alone World Cups. And that came off the bat of Ganguly’s counterpart, Ricky Ponting who scored 140 runs off 121 balls. He played with such audacity that no Indian bowler was spared off this blitzkrieg. But one cannot forget the contribution of Damien Martyn who hit 88 runs of 84 runs, ably supporting Ponting, despite having a broken finger.

India’s fate was sealed by the end of 50 overs as Australia scored 359/2, the highest total in a World Cup final. Sachin Tendulkar, the highest run-getter of the competition gave India a lot to cheer about with the first boundary he hit, but the next ball he was tamely dismissed by Glenn McGrath. Wickets kept falling at one end despite Virender Sehwag putting up a brave fight, scoring 82 runs off 81 balls. The target was always out of reach for India and a rain break in between did not help much. India crashed out for 234, giving Australia a comprehensive 125-run victory and the World Cup title for the second consecutive time since 1999. Ponting led his men to world domination, just a year after taking over as ODI captain. And this enhanced Australia’s power to become ‘world-beaters’.

Also, today is the birthday of former England captain Michael Atherton who would be duly remembered for his famous tussle with Allan Donald in 1995-96 in South Africa, and his steadfastness with the bat in that series. ‘Athers’ as he fondly referred as, is currently on the commentary team with Sky Sports. And today is also the 9th death anniversary of Ben Hollioake, the English cricketer who expired due to a car accident in Perth, which left a deep impact on the entire team as he was one of the loved and popular members of the team.

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.

Both teams constantly jostled for the upper hand. And, it wasn’t until a rampaging Virender Sehwag was dismissed by Ajit Agarkar for a superb 64 that Kolkata began to feel that they were in with a good chance. Their batting effort told a similar tale. At one stage, it looked like they would struggle to cross 160 despite a rapid start provided by Sourav Ganguly and Chris Gayle. But, Angelo Matthews’ power hitting towards the end saw them reach 181 for 3, which proved to be a match-winning score at the end of the day.

One of the defining aspects of the game was the manner in which Ashok Dinda took Eden Gardens by storm. The quickie, who had done nothing noteworthy so far in the tournament, was handed the new ball by his skipper. This was a huge responsibility considering that Kolkata had failed to defend 200 even against the punching bag of the tournament, Kings XI Punjab.

And Dinda responded in an unbelievable fashion, cramping David Warner for room for four consecutive deliveries and shattering his stumps off the fifth. It was exactly the kind of start KKR needed. But, it was only fair to expect a fightback from Delhi.

Sehwag and skipper Gautam Gambhir batted in an extremely smart fashion to keep Delhi ahead in the race. The former was undoubtedly lucky when Rudi Koertzen was unwilling to raise the deadly finger after Sehwag had nicked one off Dinda in the bowler’s second over.

That dismissal could have turned the game. Instead, Sehwag rode his luck and carried on. Though swashbuckling, it was a smart innings. He picked the man he wanted to go after, Angelo Mathews, and saw to it that he maximized the score. In two overs, Sehwag slammed his innocuous medium pacers to all parts of the ground and, in no time, Delhi were up and running again. As expected, Gambhir was excellent against the spin of Ajantha Mendis and rotated the strike frequently as well.

Kolkata needed some inspiration, and it came in the form of a run-out enforced by the captain himself. Ganguly cut short his opposite number’s innings with a sharp, accurate throw from mid-on. But, Sehwag continued to bat with utmost comfort and raced past his half-century. It needed a special delivery from Agarkar, full and slower in the air, to end Sehwag’s magic. It did not help Delhi that Paul Collingwood was foxed by Mendis just a few overs earlier. However, the wicket of Sehwag nailed Delhi.

Though the win must be dedicated to the bowlers, it wouldn’t have been possible without noteworthy contributions from their batters. Gayle and Ganguly, looking better with each game, added 94 for the opening wicket in under 11 overs. Then, despite the loss of a few quick wickets, a stroke-filled 46 off 28 balls from Mathews gave them the proper impetus. The bowlers then did excellently to ensure they did not repeat the grave mistakes they committed against Punjab.

And these were fair observations, as Ganguly had been sluggish throughout the series bar a 50, thereby allowing the opposition to get on top of Kolkata ever so often. But, Ganguly being Ganguly preferred playing the bad boy and, like so many times before, made it work and paved the way for his side’s much sought-after 24-run win.

The former Indian skipper slammed a memorable 88, rolling back the years at his home ground Eden Gardens to set up a challenging target of 182 for Deccan Chargers, with some good assistance from David Hussey. All the bowlers then chipped in and ensured that Deccan were always behind in the race despite a whirlwind start.

Herschelle Gibbs was the only one who kept Deccan’s hope alive with a half-century. But, on a pitch that was getting slower by the second, Kolkata bowled smartly and even a defiant 45 by Andrew Symonds could not save the defending champions from plummeting into further trouble.

Forget the rest, even Kolkata’s win. This was Ganguly’s game. Yet again, things weren’t easy for the beleaguered skipper and his men. Batting first, Kolkata were struggling at 68 for 3 after Chris Gayle and Cheteshwar Pujara fell early, the former failing to read an off-cutter from Symonds while the latter was also done in by the same bowler’s gentle medium pace.

A lot depended on Manoj Tiwary, but a disappointing shot against Pragyan Ojha put an end to his tale. The only positive to emerge from the disastrous start was Ganguly was finding his feet at other end.

He was in his elements from ball one, flicking it off his hips for a boundary. And, there was no looking back. He cut with confidence and was in his own when he lofted Kemar Roach for a maximum to long on. The timing was back and so were the gaps. All he needed now was support from the other end. That arrived in the form of Hussey.

Looking to resurrect the innings, Hussey collected a number ofn risk-free singles at the start of his innings, instead of trying to match Ganguly’s serene strokeplay. The duo gathered 78 in 7.3 overs, with some help from the opposition skipper as well, Gilchrist missing a Ganguly stumping when on 67 — another indication that this was Ganguly’s day.

Kolkata celebrated it by amassing 65 runs from the final five overs. Hussey got into the act with a couple of mighty sixes.

Chasing 182, Deccan were more than breezy in their start, aided by debutante offspinner Mohnish Parmar, who was asked to open the bowling. The first three overs went for plenty before Ajit Agarkar, who was also punched for a couple of boundaries, struck the telling blow by getting Gilchrist to mistime one.

Gibbs continued to flourish at the other end, with his typically wristy strokeplay. However, some tight bowling from Kolkata meant the run-rate was pegged back and once Shane Bond returned to end Gibbs’ stay, only the formalities remained.

This, despite having lost just a solitary wicket at the start of the final over. The Knight Riders had a lot going for them. They won the toss and elected to bat. More importantly, Chris Gayle was available to open the innings with Sourav Ganguly. And while the duo did well to add 70, the problem was that it took 11 overs, too slow for the 20-over format.

Worse still, Ganguly was dismissed after having consumed 34 deliveries for his 31 and though Owais Shah and Gayle managed to strike some hefty blows towards the end, it was a case of too little too late.

No praise can be too high for the Mumbai bowlers though. They plotted Kolkata’s downfall methodically. It all began with the maverick Lasith Malinga bowling a succession of slower off cutters to Gayle, who was completely taken by surprise. The only answer he had was to present a straight bat or let the ball through to the keeper safely.

The smart strategy meant the Kolkata innings never gained momentum. Though Ganguly began well with a couple of well-timed fours in the opening over, he too was tied down by some tight bowling. Harbhajan Singh was especially impressive. Following the batsmen with most of his deliveries, he never gave either Gayle or Ganguly any chance to free their arms. A frustrated Ganguly finally fell to the guile of the off-spinner, going for an ugly slog to midwicket.

If Kolkata did manage to cross 150, it was due to the late assault by Gayle and Shah. They picked up important boundaries off Ryan McLaren and Dwayne Bravo. But, Zaheer Khan got them both in final over to reduce the damage done during the death. Gayle ended up with 75 off 60 deliveries. And, though it looked great in the overall analysis, the fact of the matter was that he should have opened up a lot earlier. The lethargic attitude of the Kolkata openers easily cost them 30-40 runs, which proved fatal in the final analysis.

For Kolkata to put up a fight in their defence, leave alone winning, they needed Shane Bond to deliver the early strikes. On the contrary, he was wayward and ended up conceding three boundaries in the opening over and thus set the tone for the remainder of the match. Sachin Tendulkar (71*) batted in the manner he knows best, driving and cutting with ease.

It did help that Ishant Sharma offered him a number of freebies either on a length or short of it. Once again, it was Murali Kartik who managed to slow down the flow of runs with his accurate left-arm spin. He even broke the dangerous opening partnership, beating Shikhar Dhawan in the flight. But, but that time, Mumbai had swiftly progressed to 61 in under seven overs.

Sachin continued to dazzle even as Ishant managed to pick up a couple of consolation wickets towards the end. But, it was yet another below par effort by Kolkata. They were thoroughly outplayed, tactically more than anything else.

The ability more than will has been missing. Once, the god off the off side—he doesn’t seem to be what he was famed for. His form for the knights has left a lot to be desired and despite this he’s still loved in the city which holds the ‘Eden gardens’. With a series of low scores in the 2010 IPL season, dada’s future looks uncertain.

He hasn’t been able to provide the much needed impetus either upper or lower down the order and more so after he decided to be KKR’s perfect number 3. With the Huge auction all set to unveil itself in the month of June this year and with IPL commissioner Lalit Modi tinkering with the rules a wee bit—Ganguly’s future ‘certainly’ looks uncertain.

In the auction that is to come in June all players will be back in the pool i.e. including icon players. This basically means that come June it may not be compulsory for a team like Kolkata knight riders to pick Ganguly (unlike the last time). This could very well mean that this could be Sourav Ganguly’s last turn out in the IPL (Considering his dismal performance off late).

If dada wants to get back in the thick of things he must ensure that his form is right up there with some consistent performances for the knights in this season. In the four matches that he has played in the IPL this year he has scored a total of 67 runs with a highest of 33 at a strike rate of 90.

You’d expect that a batman who comes in at number 3 would either be a stabilizer (busy player in this form) or a big hitter. Ganguly seems to be caught hanging between the two and as a result is unable to put up the runs on the board. It would be advisable that the KKR management consider putting him in at number 5 or 6.

Once T20 veteran Victorian David Hussey is back along with West Indian skipper Chris Gayle, the KKR foreign combination should change drastically. McCullum too should be back by the 1st of April. When that happens, Gayle and McCullum should open with Manoj Tiwary at 3 and David Hussey at 4.

Bond or langeveldt could occupy the 4th position. Ashoke Dinda, Ishant Sharma, Murali Kartik and Ishant Sharma should bowl 4 each with Gayle, Hussey, Ganguly and Gavaskar (Rohan) filling in 4 or more Overs between themselves.

The whole idea is to define Ganguly’s role in the team or send him down the order. KKR cannot continue on this basis or they would be seen emulating their first season’s performance.

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…