After a fair amount of procrastination and deliberation, I finally make up my mind to comment on the Indian Cricket Team (yes there are many other issues in India to commented on….but I will come to those issues only after a bit of procrastination :D). I remember as a teenager, India always proved to be minnows when it came to overseas tours (Aus, WI, SA, NZ…). All wishes and prayers used to go in vain (sometimes it was Lord Indra who used to pay heed and rescue the India team from another crushing defeat). But yes times have changed. And fortunately for Indian cricket. The previous generations of Indian cricketers tried their best to bring the glory to Indian cricket (except for Kapil Dev and his men by making a cut in 1983 World Cup) but just failed to do so. So what was missing? Passion, Experience, Cricketing Basics. Naah...this all was there. Perhaps, what was missing was the TEAM, the SPIRIT, and the COMPETETIVENESS.
The English defined Cricket as a gentleman’s game and that was all. As elsewhere, this attracted the elite Indian class. Hardly there were players from second rung Indian cities till late 90s. Few of the players in the team took it for granted which was like a termite slowly ruining the Indian cricket. These players enjoyed the support from some quarter or the other (selectors, politico-honchos, sometimes even that of the captain). This probably did cost the Indian Cricket the COMPETETIVENESS. It is always imperative of the captain to make the right choices, leave the un-deserved ones and thus keep the morale and motivation high. This seemed to be a distant thought in that era when sometimes the captain was given under-par players like Ankola, Dodda Ganesh, Vikram Rathore, Deep Dasgupta. Enter Saurav Ganguly. A lot of credit should be given to Dada for re-defining captaincy in Indian Cricket. He proved to be a man of steel and had nerves. All the while he could take some tough decisions when it came to the selection of team players. The situation seems to have got a lot better now. With captain at the helm of affairs (as rightly he should be), being given a free hand atleast to choose the best X1 from the best available.
As I have highlighted in one of my previous blogs, ICL and IPL have added a new dimension to Indian cricket. Such has been the aura of IPL that it has become the most televised event in Indian history. It has proven to be a new lease of life for the few deserving yet sidelined cricketers who were just getting rotten playing for their state teams. The money, the concept, the power, the thrill it’s all there. It’s been a roller-coaster ride so far and hopefully it will continue to emphatically well in future. Who should be Gung-ho about this latest frenzy. The few deserving players, who can rub their shoulders with the national and international players and prove their worth, or, the cricket fan who sometimes feels the chill in his spine with the nail-biting finish (remember the last IPL season finale, which seemed to have been tailored for a perfect finish), or is it the Franchisees, the KKRs, the Mumbai Indians et al raking in the moolah like never before. My guess is that this event should have brought a million-dollar smile to MSD. It’s like warriors slugging it out and winners not only get a bounty but also fair amount of chance to make it to the national squad (Yusuf Pathan, I couldn’t quote a better example). These kind of leagues are for sure going to produce some "BETTER THAN THE BEST" and the national sides will keep on harvesting.
One of India's key challeges in 90's had been consistency. They manage to put up good show sometimes but it was never a routine affair. I guess this was also a reason for a captain to remain constantly under pressure. Tendulkar, THE CLASS, does not enjoy a good captaincy record (Tests : 25P-4W-9L-12D; ODI : 73P-23W-43L-1T-6NR). These statistics can't somehow just match his personal records. Overseas tours always proved to be just too difficult for the best batsmen to score in front of even the mediocore bowlers. Pitches, it seemed, never ever "pitched in" for the Indian team. With a whole lot of fanfare attached to the overseas tours, it proved to be nothing but a damp squib. Teams like Aus and SA did prove a mockery of Indian Cricket on atleast a few occasions. Welcome MSD.
The cricketer who can take the team to new highs, is willing to take risks and back his men, ALWAYS. Undoubtedly, he has always seemed to have a cool head, remains poised and FOCUSSED. Debut in Dec 2004 and crowned the Indian captain in 2007. Indian Team wins the first T20 World, wins series in Australia, Sri Lanka, NZ. Credit should be given to Mahi for nurturing the team and transforming the players into greats (Gambhir and Ishant seem like a good example). His strategy to beat the opponent team at their own game seems to be working very well. He remains the coolest chap around but is aggressive enough to get the best out of his men. "Make winning a habit" seems to be his mantra, but he needs to carry the team much further. Looking at other great captains of modern times like Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Mahi still needs to go a long way by winning further tournaments both domestic and overseas.
Last few years have augured very well for Indian Cricket. As an avid and sometimes arrogant fan, all I can pray is majestic times and new highs for Indian Cricket. Hopefully, Lord Indra, won't be bugged by the Indian Cricket fans atleast in near future. Unfold your magic MEN IN BLUE. Jai Ho.
The English defined Cricket as a gentleman’s game and that was all. As elsewhere, this attracted the elite Indian class. Hardly there were players from second rung Indian cities till late 90s. Few of the players in the team took it for granted which was like a termite slowly ruining the Indian cricket. These players enjoyed the support from some quarter or the other (selectors, politico-honchos, sometimes even that of the captain). This probably did cost the Indian Cricket the COMPETETIVENESS. It is always imperative of the captain to make the right choices, leave the un-deserved ones and thus keep the morale and motivation high. This seemed to be a distant thought in that era when sometimes the captain was given under-par players like Ankola, Dodda Ganesh, Vikram Rathore, Deep Dasgupta. Enter Saurav Ganguly. A lot of credit should be given to Dada for re-defining captaincy in Indian Cricket. He proved to be a man of steel and had nerves. All the while he could take some tough decisions when it came to the selection of team players. The situation seems to have got a lot better now. With captain at the helm of affairs (as rightly he should be), being given a free hand atleast to choose the best X1 from the best available.
As I have highlighted in one of my previous blogs, ICL and IPL have added a new dimension to Indian cricket. Such has been the aura of IPL that it has become the most televised event in Indian history. It has proven to be a new lease of life for the few deserving yet sidelined cricketers who were just getting rotten playing for their state teams. The money, the concept, the power, the thrill it’s all there. It’s been a roller-coaster ride so far and hopefully it will continue to emphatically well in future. Who should be Gung-ho about this latest frenzy. The few deserving players, who can rub their shoulders with the national and international players and prove their worth, or, the cricket fan who sometimes feels the chill in his spine with the nail-biting finish (remember the last IPL season finale, which seemed to have been tailored for a perfect finish), or is it the Franchisees, the KKRs, the Mumbai Indians et al raking in the moolah like never before. My guess is that this event should have brought a million-dollar smile to MSD. It’s like warriors slugging it out and winners not only get a bounty but also fair amount of chance to make it to the national squad (Yusuf Pathan, I couldn’t quote a better example). These kind of leagues are for sure going to produce some "BETTER THAN THE BEST" and the national sides will keep on harvesting.
One of India's key challeges in 90's had been consistency. They manage to put up good show sometimes but it was never a routine affair. I guess this was also a reason for a captain to remain constantly under pressure. Tendulkar, THE CLASS, does not enjoy a good captaincy record (Tests : 25P-4W-9L-12D; ODI : 73P-23W-43L-1T-6NR). These statistics can't somehow just match his personal records. Overseas tours always proved to be just too difficult for the best batsmen to score in front of even the mediocore bowlers. Pitches, it seemed, never ever "pitched in" for the Indian team. With a whole lot of fanfare attached to the overseas tours, it proved to be nothing but a damp squib. Teams like Aus and SA did prove a mockery of Indian Cricket on atleast a few occasions. Welcome MSD.
The cricketer who can take the team to new highs, is willing to take risks and back his men, ALWAYS. Undoubtedly, he has always seemed to have a cool head, remains poised and FOCUSSED. Debut in Dec 2004 and crowned the Indian captain in 2007. Indian Team wins the first T20 World, wins series in Australia, Sri Lanka, NZ. Credit should be given to Mahi for nurturing the team and transforming the players into greats (Gambhir and Ishant seem like a good example). His strategy to beat the opponent team at their own game seems to be working very well. He remains the coolest chap around but is aggressive enough to get the best out of his men. "Make winning a habit" seems to be his mantra, but he needs to carry the team much further. Looking at other great captains of modern times like Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Mahi still needs to go a long way by winning further tournaments both domestic and overseas.
Last few years have augured very well for Indian Cricket. As an avid and sometimes arrogant fan, all I can pray is majestic times and new highs for Indian Cricket. Hopefully, Lord Indra, won't be bugged by the Indian Cricket fans atleast in near future. Unfold your magic MEN IN BLUE. Jai Ho.
