Australia's Next Captain Conundrum

How many full time captains each test playing nation has had in the last decade?
Pakistan - 8, Sri Lanka - 5, England - 5, West Indies - 6, South Africa - 4, India - 5, Australia & New Zealand - 2. Unlike other teams, with the exception of New Zealad, Australia has seen the least number of captaincy changes in the last decade. While New Zealand has had Stephen Fleming & Daniel Vettorri leading the team, Australia has had only two full time captains in this period; Steve Waugh & Ricky Ponting. Adam Gilchrist, Mike Hussey & Micheal Clarke have filled in for them in interims. Australia for that matter, since 1970 have had a long term captain. Starting with Ian Chappell, followed by a short stint of Graham Yallop, Greg Chappell, Kim Hughes, Allan Border, Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh & now Ricky Ponting have upheld the mantle of Australian captaincy.

Australia now are in a transition phase after the retirement of Langer, Hayden, Warne, McGrath, Martyn and Gilchrist. Ricky Ponting too isn't getting younger, his batting form isn't getting any better, his success rate diminishing and retirement thoughts surely would have entered his mind. But the selectors have quite a dilemma ahead of them. The two main contenders for Australia captaincy are Micheal Clarke & Mike Hussey. The latter's age (35) might work against him, but Clarke's form with bat is a crisis in itself.  Not doubting Clarke's talent as a batsman and a fine fielder and utility spinner. But his vulnerability to short balls has been exposed by bowlers around the world. And he surely isn't in the league of all the ex Australia test captains. Mike Hussey sure does seem to have the charisma and is a well respected senior in the team. His title of Mr.Cricket too augurs well for a future Australia captain, but for his age.

If I was an Australian cricket selector, I wouldnt even look towards Clarke. I would either opt for a bowler captain in Mitchell Johnson, already a senior in the team and will ensure he stays focussed for the team benefit or hand it over to Mike Hussey or Brad Haddin for a short period of two years and ensure either of Cameron White or Callum Ferguson trained under them as vice captains. I feel Callum Ferguson is someone with enormous potential and is a player to watch out for in the future.

Author of this post also writes on http://www.isport.in/

India's African Safari

Till not so long ago India, not-so-proudly held the tag of "poor tourists". And in that period, till 2007, amongst other countries, India toured South Africa four times and played 12 test matches; won 1, lost 6 and drew 5. A record that doesn't really befit a team which sits atop the Test rankings.

South African pitches offers Indian batsmen what they arent too comfortable with; the twin troubles of Pace & Bounce. Indian batsmen have traditionally suffered at the hands of South African bowlers in these pitches assisting pace and bounce. Even the mighty Sachin Tendulkar has looked a mere mortal in South African conditions. With three centuries in 12 test matches, South African bowlers have offered him the least to get away with in their backyard. Even Dravid, Laxman & Sehwag havent struck gold against the Proteas. But things might be slightly different this time around. India have a settled opening combination in Gambhir & Sehwag for the first time in all their tours to SA. A middle order which has three legends. A wicket keeper batsman & captain who can more than just bat. Two promising youngsters, Raina & Pujara, battling for the sixth batsman spot. Its Steyn, Morne Morkel & the less known Lonwabo Tsotsobe they'd need to negotiate. Paul Harris, the Protean spinning option shouldnt pose much of a threat to the Indian batting line up.

Indian bowlers though have been slightly more successful than their bat wielding team mates. Prasad & Srinath were a deadly combo during the 1996-97 tour. Sreesanth was lethal & Zaheer supported him well in the 2006-07 tour. But what these bowlers lacked was support from rest of the bowlers and batsmen. The pressure exerted by Prasad & Srinath was usually undone by the third seamer who let the Proteas counter attack and take runs before the pair came back to hunt. India this time has Zaheer in prime form, Ishant and Sreesanth finding rhythm and Harbhajan not in the wiliest of phases. But Sreesanth is a mercurial bowlers and can find rhythm in one good spell and once he does he can be dangerous. Zaheer will bank getting his bunny Graeme Smith cheaply consistently. Trouble is when they run into the Protean middle order, next only to Indian middle order if not equal. AB de Villiers, Kallis & Amla are all in sublime form and are determined to go into the World Cup with victory against India.

This series will be watched by all cricket enthusiasts for its between the two most successful teams in recent times. With the one sidedness of The Ashes, the significance of India versus South Africa has increased multi folds in the context of the game. India has no reason to not feel confident about their chances. They have achieved success in the bounciest wicket in the world at WACA, Perth against Australia in 2008. To do well and achieve success here will be the best preparation India could ask for before the World Cup and a perfect adieu to Tendulkar, Laxman & Dravid who have traveled thrice to South Africa without achieving a series win and quite certainly are playing their last series in South Africa.

Author of this post also writes on http://www.isport.in/

Indian Cricket since 1996 - Part 2

World Cup 1999 to World Cup 2003 eve

Pepsi World Cup 1999 in England

India headed for the World Cup with a good team and an experienced captain in Azharuddin. India began its campaign unsuccessfully with a defeat against South Africa, but hit a great low by losing to Zimbabwe in the next game falling prey to some extremely indisciplined bowling, terrible running between the wickets and Tendulkar’s absence from the team. This defeat made the next three group games must win for India. And they did just that. Ganguly & Dravid put up big hundreds to amass a score of 373 for 6 against Sri Lanka. In the super sixes, India faced eventual winners, Australia and lost convincingly despite a fighting hundred by Jadeja and a desperate partnership with Robin Singh. India faced Pakistan in the most awaited clash of the World Cup at a time when the two countries were engaged in a war back home. It was touted to be a high adrenaline match with tempers flaring. But it wasn’t to be, India trounced Pakistan in a relatively low scoring match where Indian bowlers came up trumps. India’s semi final hopes were dashed even before they played their last super six game against New Zealand owing to some funny calculation system adopted by ICC. India lost the match against New Zealand, and thus ended their campaign, where though lot was promised, not much was delivered. Dravid, Ganguly & Srinath were India’s stars from the World Cup. Dravid remained the highest scorers of the tournament.

1999

The unsuccessful World Cup campaign was dealt with severely by the BCCI and Azharuddin was sacked as captain & dropped from the team and Tendulkar was reinstated. Robin Singh was overlooked for he was the oldest member of the team at 36 and selectors looked at nurturing younger talent. India toured Sri Lanka for a tri series involving Australia. Indians played below par in the series and didn’t reach the finals despite Tendulkar’s century in severe back pain in a crucial match. Their next campaign was the Singapore Challenge against Zimbabwe & West Indies. India was crushed by Ricardo Powell who carted bowlers to all corners of the ground in the finals and we eventually lost.  Next up India won the DMC Cup, 2-1, played against West Indies at Toronto as Indian government refused to allow the team to play Pakistan even in a neutral venue due to political tensions. The team here was lead by Ganguly in Tendulkar and Jadeja’s absence. Ajay Jadeja was at the helm for the LG Cup held in Nairobi. India played the round robin games like real champions with unknown faces like Sunil Joshi and Vijay Bharadwaj making valuable contributions. But it was in the finals that India realised how inept we were at handling pressure.

After a more or less disappointing ODI season, India faced New Zealand at home in a three match test series. India won the series 1-0 on perfect featherbeds and dust bowls. The series would only be remembered for Tendulkar's first double century in the second test at Ahmedabad. In the ODI series that followed, India defeated New Zealand 3-2 in games most of which were high scoring. Tendulkar came up with his highest ODI score, 186* and India posted it highest ODI total 376.

This was followed by one of the most disappointing tours India has even been on, the tour down under. India’s morale wasn’t helped by the then secretary of BCCI predicting a 3-0 whitewash. It came true though. Australia blanked India 3-0 in the test series. Indians weren’t allowed to dominate a single session of play in the entire duration of the series. The only high points for India from the series were Tendulkar superb century at Melbourne, Laxman stunning 167 in an attempt to save the Sydney test and of course Tendulkar being adjudged Man of the Series despite his team’s loss. The test series loss affected the psyche of the players and the ODI series involving the hosts and Pakistan was no different. India only managed one win in the 8 matches they played in the series.

2000

South Africa toured India with a strong resolve to avenge their defeat in 1996. Hansie Cronje had put together a strong team, with a terrific batting line up and an equally strong bowling attack. India, for the first time in 13 years lost a home test series. South Africa defeated India 2-0. India had Tendulkar and Azharuddin scoring hundreds, but for South Africa it was their bowling which never let Indians dominate. Allan Donald was at his best, supported by Shaun Pollock and Nicky Boje. In the ODIs that followed India defeated South Africa 3-2 in the five match series. Sachin Tendulkar informed the BCCI that he would like to step down as the captain after the ODI series following two series defeats. The decision was shocking, but seemed to be in the best interest of the team as India really needed him as a batsman. Sourav Ganguly was soon handed over the mantle of captaincy of the Indian cricket team. His first two assignment as a captain were forgettable. The Coca Cola Cup at Sharjah against Pakistan and South Africa and the Asia Cup in Sharjah. India failed to reach the final in both and managed two wins both put together.

All was well with the world of cricket till Hansie Cronje decided to make a confession, a confession that was going to rock Cricket and scar the game.  Cronje, the maverick South African captain, pleaded guilty of accepting money to underperform. Not once, not twice, but on a number of times. This was going to open a can of worms. He would himself be banned for life by the CSA and his co-offenders Herschelle Gibbs, Henry Williams were handed suspensions. But for India, the can of worms was hurtful. Mohammed Azharuddin, one of the most respected figures in Cricket was banned for life for alleged involvement in the match fixing scandal, so were Ajay Sharma, former India cricketer and a Delhi Ranji player and Manoj Prabhakar. Five year suspensions were handed to current Indian cricketers Ajay Jadeja for alleged closeness with one of the bookies and Nayan Mongia who along with Prabhakar were accused to throwing a match against West Indies in 1994 by purposely batting slow. Indian Cricket stood jolted by two of their cult cricketers being suspended, one for lifetime and the other for 5 years.

With the appointment of former Kiwi opener John Wright and having got some time off the game to put behind the events that unfolded, India looked for some change of fortunes in the ICC Knockout Trophy in Nairobi, Kenya. India wasn’t rated too highly and weren’t expected do too well. India brushed aside Kenya to set a date with Australia in the quarterfinals. A match that will be remembered for Tendulkar sledging McGrath and charging down the track to hit him over long off. A mini collapse saw debutant Yuvraj Singh battling a lone battle. He scored a magnificent 84 off 81 balls as India toppled top ranked Aussies. Zaheer produced a peach of an inswinging yorker to see off Steve Waugh. Thus two warriors who would take India to the next generation were born. India defeated South Africa in the semi finals in  a clinical performance and met New Zealand in the finals. New Zealand had defeated the much favoured Pakistan in the semis and looked good as did India. India started confidently and looked to bat the Kiwis out of the game, but Chris Cairns had different ideas. He choked runs and Indian panicked. Lost wickets in a heap and could only manage a modest 264. Cairns again came to the Kiwi rescue and scored a brilliant hundred to break a million Indian hearts. India still took a lot of heart and positives from the tournament after coming back almost from the dead.

A disappointing three nation tournament in Sharjah against Sri Lanka & Zimbabwe followed. Indian batting hit rock bottom against Sri Lanka being dismissed for 54 on a senile Sharjah pitch. India also aided Muralitharan in getting his career best figures of 7/30 in one of the matches. India was one of the most vocal supporters of Bangadesh in getting their Test berth. Bangadesh also invited India to play the inaugural match in Dhaka. A workmanlike century by Captain Aminul Islam, a solid batting performance by Bangladesh & a fine all round effort by Sunil Joshi were the highlights of an otherwise dull game which India won by 9 wickets. India was then toured by Zimbabwe for two test and five one dayers. India won the first of two test and Zimbabwe managed to draw the second. Andy Flower was Zimbabwe hero scoring a mammoth 544 runs in two test matches that included a fantastic 232 not out at Nagpur. India thrashed Zimbabwe 4-1 in the one day series.

2001

India began preparing to host Australia for a three test match series. Australia had by then conquered everything they laid sight on. India was their “Last Frontier”. Indian batting looked strong but the bowling, feeble. Anil Kumble had been sidelined by a shoulder injury, and playing against Australia, India missed its frontline spinner. Harbhajan Singh who last played for India in 1999 was recalled into the team. The first test at Mumbai went as expected. Accurate Australian bowling had India in tatters in both innings and the visitors romped home by 10 wickets. Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and another test recall VVS Laxman were the only positives from the match. Before the second test at Kolkata, Indian selectors scrutinized spinning options from all over the country to support Harbhajan. Australia started the 2^nd test on the right note, scoring around 400 runs on the first day. A Harbhajan hat trick in the last hour of play on the 1^st day jolted the Aussie march but when India came on to bat, the Aussie scored looked Himalayan. Replying to Australia’s 448, India was skittled out of for a measly 174 and were expectedly asked to follow on. Ganguly, in one of the moves that makes him one of the best to have lead India ever, sent Laxman one drop instead of Dravid who seemed to struggle a bit. Laxman looked in ominous touch. He and Dravid put on a gargantuan partnership of 361 taking India to safety. Laxman scored a phenomenal 281 and was ably supported by Dravid who scored 180. Putting Australia into bat in the 2^nd half of 1^st session of play on the 5^th day chasing 260, India struck gold with picking wickets early and at regular intervals. Hayden was the only confident looking Aussie. Harbhajan snared another 6 wickets and Australia succumbed to defeat in what could be described as one of the best Test matches of recent times. India had well and truly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. The third test at Chennai too was keenly competed. After a Hayden double century, a century by Tendulkar and another Harbhajan special with the ball, India were left to chase 126 on the final day. In the bid to score the runs quickly, India began to lose wickets in a heap. Harbhajan & Dighe displayed composure and took India to a fabulous 2 wicket win.  This series has gone down in the history of the game as one of the best competed.

India’s next assignment was a two test series in Zimbabwe followed by a tri series involving West Indies. India won the first test but on a bouncy, seaming track in the second test India lost the plot and the game. The series stood drawn 1-1 and India were embarrassed by the result. The ODI series was won by West Indies after defeating India in the finals. This was followed by a tough tour of Sri Lanka where India had to deal with total absence of Tendulkar owing to a back injury. The series saw the Indians play around with the batting order with only Ganguly remaining constant. This is also the series where Virender Sehwag emerged as an opener for India. His blazing 108 against New Zealand gave India a place in the finals they was eventually lost. The test series will be remembered for Muralitharan magic delivery to remove Indian opener Sadagopan Ramesh, bowling him with a delivery that pitched way down leg stump. After losing the first test convincingly, India pulled back the second at Kandy, but lost the third test by an innings. 

India’s tour of South Africa will be remembered for two major events. One, the debut of Virender Sehwag who scored a magnificent ton his first test alongside Tendulkar who scored blazing ton to take India to safety and two the Mike Denness issue where the match referee accused Indians of over appealing suspending Sehwag for a match and accusing Tendulkar of ball tampering in the  second test. The issue was blown out of proportion by the BCCI and ensured change of match referee in the 3^rd test. After losing the first test and drawing the second, India played South Africa in an unofficial third test for India refused to play the test when Sehwag’s suspension wasn’t revoked. The tri series involving the two teams and Kenya was won by South Africa. India reached its low point when they lost to Kenya in one of the league matches. The final between India and South Africa was a one sided affair where accurate bowling by the hosts had the Indian batting hopping on a placid track at Durban. South Africa won the series and left India with some thinking to do.

2002

England toured India with a team less than full strength. But lead by shrewd Nasser Hussain, it showed it didn’t lack character and will to fight. After losing the first test in Mohali, they drew the next two tests. Hussain got Giles to bowl outside the leg stump to Tendulkar to curtail his run and frustrate him. Giles did succeed in getting the maestro out stumped by persevering bowling the same line. The ODI series that followed was again well competed in by England. After conceding a lead of 3-1 to India, England came back to square the series, 3-3.

India toured West Indies in the summer of 2002 hoping to change fortunes from their previous Caribbean tour in 1997. First test was a drawn after fine performances by Chanderpaul & Hooper for West Indies and a fine hundred by Laxman for India after which rain took over. India won the second test at Port of Spain but lost the third. The 4th match was a high scoring draw. Anil Kumble's dedication towards the game was at the fore when he came on to bowl after a Merv Dillon delivery broke his jaw while batting. He not only bowled but picked the wicket of Brian Lara. The hosts wrapped up the series with a fine win in the fifth test. West Indies gave a terrific account of themselves with brilliant performances by Chanderpaul, Hooper & Dillon.

India's tour of England in late summer was monumental for reasons more than one. India won the Natwest Trophy triangular series and also drew the test series 1-1. The Natwest final win is considered amongst India's best till date. The way the two youngsters, Yuvraj & Kaif took India to the finishing line was remarkable. A win became a distant dream when the India was at 140 for 5 in 23 overs. Yuvraj, Ganguly & Tendulkar had a wonderful series with the bat. The Test series saw the rise of Indian batting line which after losing the first test at Lord's played exceedingly well in the next three to win the third test at Headingly by an innings and salvage a drawn series. Dravid was in sublime form with two centuries and Sehwag, Tendulkar, Ganguly & Agarkar chipped in with a century each.

The Champions Trophy of 2002 boosted India's confidence going into the 2003 World Cup. India played with great flair and excellent camaraderie and eased through Zimbabwe, England to meet South Africa in the semi finals. In a chase of 262, Proteas were easing at 194 for 1 when Gibbs retired hurt after scoring 116. The rest of the team fell like pack of cards to lose the game by 10 runs. India met Sri Lanka in two rain curtailed finals and the trophy was shared. India seemed to have found its combination for the World Cup.

India convincingly beat the touring West Indies 2-0 in the test series and the ODI series was looked at as an opportunity to tinker with the team composition. India tried out many combinations and in a high scoring series West Indies outran India 4-3. India, before the World Cup made a trip to New Zealand for a two test and seven ODI series. In typical seaming, bowler friendly wickets India lost to the hosts 2-0 in a low scoring test series and 5-2 in the ODI series. India bowling was flourishing but the batting seemed to have taken a battering with the exception of Sehwag who scored two centuries in the ODIs. Ganguly was apologetic with his team's performance. These pitches seemed to India like how spin minefields seem like to visiting tourists in India. He though had no reason to be too apologetic about. India had done exceedingly well over the last 12 months and one off series wouldnt affect their World Cup preparations much.

Sourav Ganguly over the last year and a half had done world a good for the Indian team. Test wins in West Indies and England, the Natwest Series win, shared trophy at the ICC Champions Trophy; he had proved to be one of the best captains in recent times. Not only that, the team respected him as a leader and he showed confidence in youngsters in the team. Yuvraj, Kaif, Dinesh Mongia, Zaheer, Nehra, Harbhajan, Parthiv Patel were all players who bloomed under his captaincy. He showed confidence in Rahul Dravid by bringing him back into the ODI team and made him wear the wicket keeping gloves so he could have the luxury of playing an extra batsman. India were well on their way towards a great World Cup campaign lead by Ganguly, under the guidance of coach John Wright.

VVS – Most beautiful cliché in Cricket

Every test match India plays, fans expect Sehwag to entertain, Tendulkar to score a hundred, Dravid to provide solidity at the top. What about the other crucial pillar of the Indian team? VVS Laxman. Lately he is expected to do all of the above three; entertain, provide solidity and score a hundred. He is the most ‘taken-for-granted-man’ in Indian cricket.

Post the epic 281 against his favourite bunnies Australia in 2000-01, he has very much become the crisis man for India. The team burrows itself into a hole and Laxman with his master painter like strokes and a saint like composure brings India to safety. Remarkable about this man is the effortless calm he brings to the crease and the fans at critical times. In Dravid’s case, its easily evident he is trying to concentrate hard and battle the demon which doesn’t put us at ease. With Tendulkar, expectations of the zillion hearts are enough to put pressure on him and on us who are watching. Laxman doesn’t look vulnerable in such situations. His confidence is sure to spur on his partner. As wristy as Azharuddin, Laxman's repertoire has a few shots that has opponents, spectators and commentators alike mesmerised. His absolute dream of an on drive, the flick to mid wicket from outside off stump; visuals of these are equal to big successes in life.

His partnership with Gautam Gambhir in 2009 against NZ in Hamilton to save India the test match was phenomenal. Both men stood their ground and refused to budge from the crease till the opposition gave up. Laxman has now made it a habit to play the kind of knock oppositions hate; stick around with the tail and give the total a huge boost. His 4th innings century against Sri Lanka at Galle in the third test to lead India to a series leveling win was a classic example of a mature, responsible innings. His innings of 76 against Australia at Mohali battling through back spasms acquired while fielding was a special innings. The way he influenced Ishant Sharma in the epic chase against Australia was incredible and more recently his fabulous stand with Harbhajan where the latter went on to score his first Test ton and Laxman score a masterful 93.

"Back to the wall" innings was what these innings were once called, but lately they are just known as "Laxman'esque' innings", a huge honour to the man whose initials VVS are often dubbed as being an abbreviation for Very Very Special. He deserve every bit of those praises he has been showered on over the years. He, along with Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly & Sehwag have has given India, its best years in Test cricket.

A Few Good Men

I have wondered a lot as to who could the best captain in cricket ever? Answers have ranged from Mike Brearley to Don Bradman to Douglas Jardine to Ian Chappell, Kapil Dev to Imran Khan, Clive Lloyd to Arjuna Ranatunga, Hansie Cronje to Steve Waugh, or Allan Border and Sourav Ganguly. Not having had the fortune of witnessing and following cricket before the 1990s, I set out to name five Best Captains from the last two decades. This is the time when cricket evolved hugely and captains unlike earlier days had to lead the team in three versions of the game. Captaincy can be graded on various bases, most crucial being statistics (success) and the captain's impact on and importance in the team. 1992 Benson & Hedges Cup saw most teams captained by the senior statesman in the team, most of who retired immediately after the tournament. Australia by Allan Border, New Zealand by Martin Crowe, England by Graham Gooch, Pakistan by Imran Khan, Zimbabwe by Dave Houghton, South Africa by Kepler Wessels. Captains of the Indian (Azharuddin), Sri Lankan (Ranatunga) & West Indian (Richardson) teams carried on to lead their teams in the next World Cup too. Then began a new era where the captains were younger and more dynamic.

Amongst the new heap Hansie Cronje stood tall. He bred a young, inexperienced team into a world beating side. Players like Rhodes, Donald, McMillan, Richardson, Kirsten stood by their captain their respect for them was evident. He got exactly what he wanted off his team. Minus the match fixing scandal, Hansie Cronje could have been considered amongst the best captains of all time. Gibbs in a recent interview when asked about why he agreed to Cronje to throw a match, said, “Hansie also had this power over us, so we couldn't say no.” which I think is a tribute to the man for the respect the team had for him.

Arjuna Ranatunga, the stockily built southpaw also an inspirational captain stood by his player, Muralitharan, then just a new spin bowler in the team when he was called for “chucking” in Australia. He staged a walk out and lodged a protest. Sri Lankans took Murali being called a “chucker” as an insult. Arjuna, the crafty captain he was, directed all their energies to the World Cup in 1996. His every experiment worked. Making Jayasuriya, then just a spinner and a lower order batsman open with wicket keeper Kaluwitharana lengthened their batting line up and ensured they batted deep. The team played like a dream. They didn’t lose a single game and took home the World Cup. He took a team that stood second from last in the 1992 World Cup to world champions four years later.

An ideal captain is supposed to be impartial yet be friendly with the team. Communication is said to be one of the most important traits of a good captain. Thats where Mohammed Azharuddin lacked for India. During his reign as India captain, there were jokes around when was the last time he spoke to his players casually off field. And communication and aggression is where Sourav Ganguly excelled in comparison to his predecessors. He led by example and forged a fabulous coach-captain relationship with John Wright and took India to some remarkable wins at home and overseas. He lead the team to test wins in Pakistan and drew in England & Australia; something none of the Indian captains in the past have achieved. The NatWest Trophy 2002 win and series win over Australia at home are considered his best achievements. Sourav Ganguly is credited hugely for breeding the current generation of senior players in the Indian team today, the likes of Zaheer, Yuvraj, Harbhajan, Sehwag etc flourished under his leadership. Succeeding him, Rahul Dravid had a torrid time handling the team and coach Greg Chappell.

Steve Waugh imbibed a strong team from Mark Taylor when he took over as test captain in 1998-99. His team already had champions like Warne, McGrath, Mark Waugh, Martyn, Gilchrist etc. He task was to put his resources in place. He did just that and the results were for us to see. The 1999 World Cup, 16 consecutive tests and complete domination till he held the throne was what he achieved. He gave a new life to Hayden who went on to be counted amongst the best opening batsmen the game has seen.

Nasser Hussain for England & Stephen Fleming for New Zealand were inspirational captains for their sides. Their teams respected them and enjoyed reasonable success under their captaincy. But longitude of their success was what was missing. Fleming’s success though can be attributed to four Kiwi players who were more or less instrumental in giving them those wins; Asle, Vettori, Cairns & Bond. Hussain on the other hand was a shrewd captain who didn’t enjoy as much success but was an astute strategy maker and carried them out with perfection. His strategy to have Giles bowl outside leg stump to dry up Tendulkar’s runs to dismiss him was a masterstroke as it did succeed.

Amongst the modern captains Dhoni, Smith & Ponting have gained maximum success. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's journey as a captain began with a bang when India lifted the inaugural World T20 Cup in 2007. No doubt the team under his leadership is enjoying the best of Tendulkar, Dravid & Laxman’s final burst before they hang their boots. But this in no way is discrediting the man for his astute captaincy and execution. His decisions have worked more often than not; he is a calm customer on the field but he does have the aggression and the killer punch required to succeed in pressure. Under him India is no more a brittle team that cracks under pressure. Unlike previous Indian teams, Dhoni's team thrives under testing circumstances.

Ricky Ponting took over from where Steve Waugh left. Australia, in his initial years at the post were reigning on top of the cricketing world. With the 2003 & 2007 World Cup wins, having conquered the final frontier (victory on Indian soil) and consistent domination of best teams, Aussies were rendered unbeatable. But Ponting started losing his top men to age and fatigue. McGrath, Gilchrist, Langer, Hayden, Martyn retired. Brett Lee’s injuries got the better of him. And Ponting began leading a young side. Australia’s struggles had begun so had Ponting’s. His form dipped and his team started losing regularly. Two away Ashes losses, two defeats to India in India are all signs of Aussie domination and Ponting’s leadership on wane.

Graeme Smith at 23, took over captaincy when no one else volunteered. He was named captain after South Africa’s very disappointing World Cup 2003 campaign at home under Shaun Pollock’s leadership. He gained the respect of members of the squad. From a team so known for choking, he transformed South Africa into a team that stayed at the no. 1 position in test and ODIs for a considerable while. His team has a realistic chance of winning the World Cup next year. He has developed a fantastic team with a powerful batting line up and a threatening bowling attack. New comers like Dale Steyn, AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla have prospered under his leadership.

West Indies has seen over 8 captains since 1992. This also has been the period of West Indies' downfall as a cricketing side. Since 2000 West Indies have constantly been in the bottom 3 of the ICC rankings. Much of this could be attributed to how the game is administered at home, but the captains too haven't been able to elicit the best out of his players.

Pakistan has had the most number of captains, 14, amongst all test playing nations in the last two decades. Wasim Akram & Inzamam Ul Haq's captaincy could be called the most successful for team. They reached the World Cup finals in 1999 and beat India in their backyard under Akram. Inzamam's team was resolute with strong batsmen, good all rounders and fine pace bowlers until the 2007 World Cup when the world came apart for the Pakistani when their coach Bob Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room. Pakistan's campaign ended prematurely and their team went into a tizzy.

These two decades proved great batsmen and bowlers do not necessarily make a great captain. Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Wasim Akram, Sanath Jayasuriya, Courtney Walsh, Kevin Pietersen stand as examples.

With an eye each on success and his impact on the team, I arrive at my top 5 best captains in the last two decades. My list is: Steve Waugh, Graeme Smith, Sourav Ganguly, Hansie Cronje & Arjuna Ranatunga in the same order.

Smith, Ganguly, Cronje, Ranatunga were all instrumental in rebuilding their teams after turmoils or bad form. They lead their teams to successes in pressure situations and formed admirable combinations with coaches they worked with the longest; Smith-Arthur, Ganguly-Wright, Cronje-Woolmer & Ranatunga-Whatmore. Steve Waugh is on the list purely for the long victory run his team had under his leadership, the respect his team had for him and for the grace he retired with after realizing he is past his prime and its time for the youth to take over.

Definition of a good captain might have definitely changed over the years but I still have my hopes with the likes of Dhoni, Sangakkara, Clarke, Vettori etc to continue to the tradition of fabulous cricket in the future.

Inflicting the Brownwash!

Sachin Tendulkar’s roar and exult on scoring the winning runs in the second test might have surprised a few, but not me. The 37 year old little big man has seen and been through almost everything in Cricket. But something he might have only dreamt of was pulled off by India in the two test series against the Australians.

India inflicted a "Brownwash" on the Australians! And Sachin Tendulkar was living a dream!

1991-92

Almost twenty years back, on the eve of the Benson & Hedges Cricket World Cup of 1992 held in Australia & New Zealand, India toured down under for a five match test series. India went there with a team which looked a great mix of youth and experience lead by an inspirational Azharuddin who was in his 2nd season as the captain. India lost the series 4-0 and drew a game at Sydney, thanks to Shastri’s double hundred and a fine 148 by Tendulkar who was only 2 years old in international cricket. Seniors in the team; Kapil, Vengsarkar, Srikkanth came a cropper. India succumbed to the pace and accuracy of McDermott, Mike Whitney, Bruce Reid & Merv Hughes. The Sydney draw saved India of a highly possible “whitewash”.

1999-00

Similarly, in the Australian summer of 1999, India toured down under with Tendulkar as their captain. They then depended on a flat track bully Devang Gandhi and a stiff Sadagopan Ramesh to give the starts against a rampaging Aussie pace attack of McGrath, Gillespie, Brett Lee and Warne to lend spin support. Indians, not even in one game posted a 400+ score. Batsmen with the exception of Tendulkar looked awry. Even Dravid and Ganguly looked uncomfortable and failed to make an impact. The test series was lost 3-0, whitewashed by the Aussies. That hurt!

Circa 2010

Ricky Ponting came to India looking to conquer his final frontier; to win a test in the land he could never win in as a captain even with the best team at his command in 2004. He lost 0-2 in a four match series in 2007. This time he came with a team that didn’t look even a shadow of what his previous two teams in 2004 and 2007 were. Ten absolutely fantastic days of Cricket later, India achieved what we last did to a top test playing nation in 1993 to England; we “brownwashed” Australia. The hurt we bore in 1991-92 and 1999-00 was cooled by some finery by Indians throughout the series. Neither team could claim ownership or dominance of a day’s play in either test match except for the last days of both matches which India galloped away with. Thats how closely contested the series was. An area where India convincingly outdid Australia was their resilience to fight it out in testing times; something Indian teams in the past were guilty of lacking. Marcus North’s career saving ton, Mitchell Johnson’s five wicket haul, Watson’s century, Ponting’s three half centuries; all were performances that required an “X Factor” effort to yield results. Zaheer’s eight wicket haul in the first test, Laxman’s splendid match winning 73*, captain Dhoni’s move to send a debutant at no 3 to save the experienced for later and the debutant; Pujara scoring an impressive 72 on the last day of the second test can all be counted as “X Factor” efforts; where the player put his hands up and played a crucial innings or bowl a match altering spell. Sachin Tendulkar though deservedly won the Man of the Series; the team did not entirely rest on him for a win. The youngsters made their place in the team count.

For Australia, their Vice Captain Micheal Clarke looked in woeful form. In Bollinger’s absence, bowling looked weak. Hauritz looked unpenetrative. Australia probably long lost their test dominance, but falling to the depths of being brownwashed would bring up serious concerns in their camp for England looks in fine rhythm to retain the urn when they travel down under this winter. And for India, though the win can be rejoiced over a long time, well begun is only half done. To keep the no 1 test team tag they will have to tame the Kiwis at home and the Proteas in their own backyard.

Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2010

India vs Australia

The two teams have faced each other in 27 Test matches in the last fifteen years. Honours have been even with both teams having won 10 matches each and 7 of them ending in unlikely draws. This stat shows how closely these two teams have competed over the last decade and a half. The rivalries might not be the same anyone. India has lost stalwarts like Azharuddin, Ganguly, Kumble, Srinath etc and similarly Australia doesn’t anymore have legends like the Waugh brothers, McGrath, Warne, Gillespie, Hayden, Langer, Brett Lee and Gilchrist in their ranks. There isn’t a Tendulkar vs Warne, a Tendulkar vs McGrath or even a Tendulkar vs Lee rivalry alive anymore. Both teams will depend on their most experienced campaigners Tendulkar & Ponting, also the two highest run getters in Test cricket, to guide to safety in times of despair. Both teams have other seniors like Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag for India and Clarke, Katich, Hussey on the Australian side who will be expected to play stellar roles in leading their team to victory.

India’s last test series was an away series against Sri Lanka where India came back from behind to square the series 1-1. Earlier this year against South Africa at home, India again came back after losing the first test by an innings to defeating the Proteas by an innings in the second test. Australia on the other hand just had an extremely well contested two match test series against Pakistan in England where Pakistan came back from behind to level the series 1-1.



For India as always batting holds the key. Tendulkar is in the purplest patch of his career with eight centuries in tests in the last year and a half. Sehwag & Gambhir will be depended upon for rousing starts. Gambhir will be expected to carry on his fine form. Laxman will be facing his favourite opposition, the Australians. He is known to save his best for the Australians. Dravid is going through a lean period. He needs a long stay at the crease to find his bearings, a big innings isn’t too far then. Raina is the man to look forward to. His willingness to stay put on the crease was on display against the Lankans. His ability to attack and defend whenever need be is crucial. Dhoni’s role will be to provide some pyrotechnics when the team total needs a boost. His more important role would be to guard the tail when the top order has failed. He has done both tasks with élan and will be expected to do so in this series too. Indian bowling will depend heavily on Harbhajan and the Australian tendency to lose wickets to his wily off breaks. Zaheer’s come back must be encouraging for the Indians but he being fully fit is vital. How Sreesanth supports Zaheer to will be critical. India will probably decide on the eve of the 1st test who the fourth bowler should be. Ishant, it would be if they opt to play 3 seamers and Mishra or Ojha if they opt to play two spinners. I feel playing two spinners would be a good option even though the wicket at Mohali might support the seamers early on. Mishra would be my choice for the second spinners. His loopy spin would draw the Aussies into committing for the shot and eventually getting beaten. Pujara & Vijay are amongst the best young batting talents available in the country will be left on the bench but only to gather more experience.

Australia has a well balanced line up starting with Watson & Katich. Watson is probably in the form of his life, playing like a dream in the last year or so. His worth in the team is on the rise each day. Ricky Ponting is surely not getting younger and his batting surely isn’t getting better either. His record in the past year or so doesn’t exactly reflect the quality batsman he really is. His record in India in test matches needs some correcting to do. This may be his last chance to do so. Clarke, Mike Hussey & Marcus North maketh the middle order for this Aussie team. North is in fine form having scored a ton against Pakistan recently. Hussey’s form in test cricket in the recent past is worrisome. Compared to his initial stats, his stats over the last two years are contrasting. Clarke is their experienced man for the middle order. He is also the man Aussies would like to believe may also be the future captain after Ponting. In Haddin’s absence, it’s Tim Paine who’ll do the wicket keeping duties. Tim Paine’s no muck with the bat. Aussies are rich in the spin bowling department with Hauritz having a partner in Steven Smith who proved his worth in series vs Pakistan in England. Hilfenhaus, Johnson & Bollinger is the pace battery Australia would like to unleash on India, though Peter George & James Pattison will be eagerly waiting for their chance to impress the selectors ahead of the Ashes. My money is on Bollinger to be Australia’s best bowler in the series. He’s got a big heart to slug it out and bend his back on Indian pitches. He is a bowler in the Gillespie mould. Hauritz’s off breaks too have a major role to play if Australia are to threaten India in this two match series.



Australia have begun playing mind games ahead of this crucial series. Johnson challenged Sehwag’s abilities playing the short pitched ball. Hauritz tried to psyche Tendulkar by over hyping him and undermining his own abilities. Not in few words can the significance of this short two test match long Border-Gavaskar Trophy be described in the context of world cricket today. After a controversy ridden two months for the game with players and teams accused of match fixing, spot fixing and ball tampering, the fans need a taste of some hardcore cricketing action and hear news about happenings on field rather than off field affairs. Lately with all the talk about Twenty20 getting more importance from players, administrators & fans alike and Tests & ODIs losing the impact it had on aficionados, its important this test series between two well balanced sides is played in the spirit of the game and restores the fan’s faith that the Test format is still alive and kicking.
Tendulkar vs Johnson, Sehwag vs Bollinger, Harbhajan vs Ponting, Harbhajan vs Mike Hussey, Zaheer vs Clarke, Hauritz vs Dravid are some individual battles which may be worth observing.

In all I would say this series is going to do a lot of good for the game’s reputation and will surely bring some fans back who might have sworn off cricket after the disgraceful allegations the Pakistanis faced and brought nothing but disrepute to the game.

To someone like me, nothing can bring disrepute to the game. No corruption, no cheating. The game of cricket, I feel is paramount to all these trivial things and will always emerge the winner.

Indian Cricket since 1996

In a four part series, I plan to break down India's journey since the Wills World Cup 1996 to the eve of the 2011 World Cup due in South Asia next year. My initiation into Cricket was way back in 1992 just when Benson & Hedges Cricket World Cup of 1992 was about to begin. I remember waking up to India losing close games to Australia and England. Remember the India vs Pakistan game which we won where Tendulkar scored a 54 and took a few wickets.

Wills World Cup 1996

But let me here talk about Indian cricket in the last 15 years beginning from the Wills World Cup of 1996 in the sub continent. Lead by Azharuddin, India were one of the fancied teams in the competition being the main hosts. The league phases were breezy with the exception of a blip against Australia where a poor finish cost us the match and of course when Jayasuriya took the game away from us while chasing 271. The quarter final against Pakistan still remains one of the most talked about games in ODI cricket. India out did Pakistan to book a place in the last 4 where Sri Lanka had the last laugh on a slow turner. Sachin Tendulkar announced himself as THE MAN to watch out for in the future scoring 523 runs aided by two centuries. Anil Kumble snapped 15 wickets and was the highest wicket taker of the competition.

1996

Soon after the World Cup we toured England in the series where Dravid & Ganguly made their test debuts. English bowlers had Indians in a web early in the swinging conditions. Tendulkar was the lone ranger scoring a counter attacking hundred against the like of Peter Marin, Dominic Cork, Chris Lewis & Min Patel. Dravid & Ganguly made their debuts in the Second Test at Lords and thus was the beginning of one of the most ruthless middle orders in Test Cricket. Singer Cup in Sri Lanka participated by India, Australia, Zimbabwe & the hosts Sri Lanka was won by the hosts as they continued their fine form from the World Cup. India then beat Australia on a belter in Delhi in the one off test where Nayan Mongia scored a patient 152. India had South Africa on the mat on slow turners at Ahmedabad and Kanpur. Srinath was the star in Ahmedabad where he snared 6 for 21 to skittle out the Proteas for 90 odd in their chase of 110. Azhar was the star of the series, with two centuries, one in Calcutta and one in Kanpur. His ton in Calcutta was complemented by a fine 88 by Kumble but wasnt enough against the efforts of Hudson, Kirsten, Cullinan and Klusener who took 8 for 64 on debut. The three-pronged spin attack lead by Kumble and supported by Srinath were too hot to handle for SA and India went on to win the series 2-1. India had earlier also won the Titan Cup against Australia & South Africa. The series is remembered as the first time when the Ganguly-Tendulkar opening pair was forged.

1997

India's successes were to be short lived. Early next year in 1997 when India toured South Africa for a three test series, India bowled out SA for 235 at Durban on the first day and in return got shot out for 66 & 100. Indian batsmen were exposed to raw pace and some fine use of conditions by the African attack led by Donald, supported by Pollock, McMillan & Klusener. The second test had two heroic performances by Tendulkar & Azhar who scored a ton each but their efforts werent enough for India to avoid another defeat at Cape Town. In the third test at Johannesburg, Dravid century in both innings almost took India to the post. Cullinan's stubborn stand with Klusener & Symcox and rains saved the day for the Proteas. Indian bowling looked partially strong with Srinath & Prasad showing ability to fire on pitches abroad. Kumble was always the potent force we needed at home. But we lacked a back up seamer to support Prasad-Srinath. The Standard Bank Tri Series with Zimbabwe as the third team took place. India as expected reached the finals and in a riveting contest between bat & ball where a meek Dravid clubbed Donald for a mighty six, India lost to SA.

India had yet again in South Africa lost the first match of the series, a trend which was just beginning to set in after their loss to England at Birmingham in the first test.

India then toured the "not so very mighty" West Indies. India was expected to do really well in the Caribbean. Their batting line up looked ominous. But they lost Srinath right before the 5 match series and he was replaced by Abbey Kuruvilla to lead the attack with Prasad. In an otherwise drab series India was in a position to win in the third test at Barbados with 120 to win on the last day. India fell short by 38 runs and was a big blow to their confidence. This series is also remembered for the one where Sidhu scored his only double century at Port of Spain. India also lost the 4 match ODI series 3-1.

Pepsi Independence Cup was held in India participated by India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. India beat New Zealand in a game where Tendulkar scored a fine hundred but lost to Sri Lanka and Pakistan and did not even make it to the final. The India-Pakistan encounter at Chennai was the one where Anwar took Indian bowlers to the cleaners and scored the world record individual score of 194. India replied strongly with Dravid scoring his maiden ODI ton but eventually lost.

This was followed by a drab test series against Sri Lanka, where the pitches decided the games' fate. India declared at 537/8. Sri Lanka replied with a record 952/6. Mahanama (215) and Jayasuriya (340) made merry while Rajesh Chauhan, Kumble and Nilesh Kulkarni toiled. Chauhan ended up conceding 278 runs, the maximum by a bowler in a test match. The pitch for the second test was a tad better but the test meandered to a draw. Every top order batsman in either teams scored a century in the series. The ODI series that followed was very keenly competed by both teams but India lost all three matches.

Between two very monotonous India vs Sri Lanka series, India went to Toronto to play Pakistan in the 2nd edition of Sahara Cup. India thrashed Pakistan 4-1 with Sourav Ganguly playing a stellar role in almost every game in the series.

India then played Sri Lanka at home and the result was the same 0-0. The honors were shared in the ODIs too.

1998

After a series of boring India-Sri Lanka matches and a disappointing Coca Cola Cup in Sharjah where India failed to win a single game, India went to Dhaka to play the Independence Cup. Tendulkar was not any more the captain, Azharuddin took back the mantle. Sachin duly obliged the fans with a rollicking 67 off 44 in the shortened match against Pakistan. India dominated the league matches and won the first final, thanks to Tendulkar's terrific 95. India lost the second final after being shot out for 195. In the third final, under overcast conditions and gloomy skies Azhar put Pakistan in. Pakistan scored 314 in 48 overs, as Ijaz Ahmed and Saeed Anwar notched up hundreds. The skies were gloomy and so was India's condition in the game. Sachin and Sourav started slowly in the mammonth chase but caught steam with Indians reaching 71 in 8 overs as Sachin looked like he might walk away with the match. With Sachin's eventual dismissal India began to look down the barrel. But, Ganguly(124) and Robin Singh(84) took charge and took India within touching distance of a win. India began losing wickets in a heap and nine were required of the last over. Kanitkar and Srinath rode their luck and brought the equation down to three off two balls. When Kanitkar lofted Saqlain, over mid-wicket for a boundary, the entire nation erupted in unison. India had won yet another famous battle against Pakistan on the cricket field.

The spring of 1998 was when the Mark Taylor lead Australian team came to India looking to conquer its final frontier. Azharuddin lead India with a settled batting line up and Sachin Tendulkar is sublime form. India conceded first innings lead to Australia in the first test match in Chennai following which in the second innings Tendulkar took Shane Warne to the cleaners scoring a fantastic 155 and setting up a win for India. The second match at Calcutta was routine for India. We put up a huge total and let our spinners run amok the Australian batting. India trounced over Australia by an innings. Australia came back to win the 3rd test at Bangalore inspite of a brilliant 177 by Tendulkar. The test series was followed by Pepsi Cup also involving Zimbabwe. Indian batting was in full bloom with each of India's top order batsman scoring a ton in the series. Ajit Agarkar made his debut in the this series and fast proved to be a potent wicket taken. Australia won the ODI series.

Then came an ODI series no cricket fan can easily forget. The series known for two individual knocks by Tendulkar against Australia. His 143* and 134* arent easily erasable from a cricket fan's memory. Sharjah skies were lit up with some glorious fireworks from the champion. His heroics led India to a stunning victory over the Australians and capped a successful summer for India over them.

India made its trophy cabinets richer in 1998 by winning the Coca Cola Cup in India against Kenya & Bangladesh, Singer Akai Nidahas Trophy involving Sri Lanka & New Zealand and the Coca Cola Cup in Sharjah against Sri Lanka & Zimbabwe. India's Sahara Cup campaign hit rock bottom with the selectors trying to send good teams to both Sahara Cup and clashing Commonwealth Games at Kuala Lumpur. India ended up losing both. 1998 was also a year when India lost the one off test in Zimbabwe exposing its weakness playing tests abroad again. It was also one of the best years for Sachin Tendulkar. He became the highest century maker in ODIs obliterating Desmond Haynes' 17 centuries. The year ended with another defeat on foreign soil for India against New Zealand in a test series. Honours were shared in the ODI series both teams winning 2 games each.

1999

1999 was a landmark year for neighbouring rivals India and Pakistan. Pakistan toured India for a test series in over a decade and a half, led by Wasim Akram. The first test played at Chennai was a closely contested one which Pakistan eventually won by 16 runs despite a hardworking 136 by Tendulkar in the fourth innings. Second test played at Delhi is engraved in gold in Indian cricket for Kumble snared a perfect ten in Pakistan's second innings handing them a defeat of more than 200 runs. India thought they finally found a stable opener in Sadagopan Ramesh. He had a great debut series facing the likes of Akram, Waqar, Saqlain & Mushtaq Ahmed. After sharing honours in the two match test series, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka headed for the Asian Test Championship. The India, Pakistan encounter of the ATC at Kolkata was see-saw Test match at its best. India had Pakistan on the mat at 26 for 6 in the first innings. Pakistan came back into the match with some good lower order batting and some fiery pace bowling by Shoaib Akhtar who accounted for Tendulkar and Dravid off beautiful in swinging yorkers. A second innings 188 by Saeed Anwar and some fine bowling by Pakistan made sure India was shut out of the game. The India vs Sri Lanka match at Colombo was a drab draw with Jayawardena scoring a fine double hundred.

Test championship was followed by two ODI series in India and Sharjah with India and Pakistan joined by Sri Lanka & England. India reached the finals of both tournaments only to end up second best to Pakistan. India dearly missed Tendulkar's services in both tournaments as he was nursing a back injury and was fighting against time to be fit for the World Cup due in May.

The next part will begin with the World Cup 1999 that was played in England and will have analysis of India matches till the beginning of the 2003 World Cup at South Africa.

Indian Pace Attack: Is the best yet to come?

The West Indian pace quartet of the 70s & 80s, Walsh-Ambrose in the 90s; Thomson-Lillee & McGrath, Lee & Gillespie for Australia; Allan Donald-Shaun Pollock for South Africa; Wasim-Waqar and later Shoaib Akhtar for Pakistan have all been potent new ball handlers & partnerships oppositions have feared and been wary of and have been hugely instrumental in their team’s successes during their careers. India’s fiercest new ball combo, even though they lacked express pace has been of Kapil Dev & Prabhakar who operated together in the late eighties and early nineties. Kapil’s retirement put extra pressure on a young Javagal Srinath; arguably India’s finest produce in the fast bowling department. He was quick, could swing both ways and be intimidating too. Prabhakar’s form dipped and wasn’t anymore the effective bowler who was once Miandad’s nemeses; now concentrated on his new role as an opening batsman. A lanky Venkatesh Prasad shouldered responsibility and Srinath-Prasad combo operated for India from 1996-2000. They will never be counted amongst the best ever; but were hard working and effective for India. Indian cricket, since the retirement of these two have suffered to find one fast bowling combination which would last for more than a year. Zaheer has spearheaded the attack since Srinath’s retirement but with minimal & inconsistent support from the other end.

Ajit Agarkar, Ashish Nehra, Irfan Pathan, RP Singh, Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Tinu Yohannan, VRV Singh, L Balaji and many more to add in the ODI format. India, like any other country has produced a battery of pacers but none who seems adept enough to carry forward a big responsibility. Every bowler India tried in this meanwhile has shown initial zest & promise but mysteriously fizzles out.

Irfan Pathan’s yorker to send back Gilchrist in his debut series is still unforgotten and so is his first over hat-trick against Pakistan at Karachi. Irfan started with a bang and was already touted to be the next big thing on the cricketing horizon and he slowly faded out and now doesn’t ever cross the 130 kmph mark let alone finding his in-swinging yorkers. A shoulder injury and subsequent loss of form and confidence could be blamed for his fall.

Munaf Patel even before his domestic debut was touted to be India’s fastest ever. Following his international debut and few successes, he has looked a pale shadow of himself. Fitness issues too have marred his career.

RP Singh began with a bang and promised a great lot following his Man of the Match performance in his debut test against Pakistan but slipped back and now struggles to find rhythm.

Sreesanth remains his mercurial self. Will bowl exceptionally well on his day and concede runs in torrents wicket less on a day that’s not his. More concentration on the game than his antics on field could help him develop further.

And Ishant Sharma, a gawky teen who troubled Ricky Ponting on his home turf and found reputation to be India’s quickest and most exciting bowler in a long time has totally lost confidence and has burrowed into a shell he and his coaches have no clue how to get him out of.

The only able partner Zaheer found has been in Nehra. Nehra, when fit and selected has been an asset to the team in all forms of the game. But fitness has been his undoing since the beginning of his career. We haven’t seen someone like a Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait, Mohammed Aamer, Lasith Malinga or Dale Steyn. Our bowlers have never been express fast, but they also have lacked wicket taking capabilities. The mysterious shell that Indian pacers take shelter in once established has to be unearthed and found a solution to. It has become a perennial problem for Indian pacers that existed even two decades back in the 80s when exciting fast bowlers like Chetan Sharma, Vivek Razdan, Atul Wassan, Salil Ankola, Subroto Banerjee followed by the likes of Dodda Ganesh, Paras Mhambrey, Abey Kuruvilla, Debashis Mohanty, Harvinder Singh & David Johnson amongst others in the 90s decade showed promise to only fade away soon without trace.

Pakistan, Australia & South Africa on the other hand have been very successful in finding able replacements for their yesteryears’ stars. That’s what makes them strong teams to play against in seaming, bouncy conditions. Indian batsmen are found wanting while countering bounce & swing and they don’t consistently possess a bowling attack that could trouble an opposition on such tracks either. Each team at least has one bowler who can clock up to 85 mph consistently. And India’s search for one such prodigious talent hasn’t borne fruit yet.

India’s march to the top of the table in the Test rankings hasn’t been easy. Tougher than that is going to be how they plan to cement their place there. For that and also the fast approaching 2011 World Cup, India needs a fast bowling attack they can rely on to win matches. Apart from those already in line to support Zaheer; Jaidev Unadkat, Abhimanyu Mithun, Dhawal Kulkarni, Pradeep Sangwan, Umesh Yadav & Ashok Dinda are youngsters who’ve shown promise, talent and ability to carry forward the baton of fast bowling to the next level for Indian cricket.

The Wizard Retires & World Cup Semis

Muttiah Muralitharan decided to hang his boots after the first test against India at Galle. His wicket tally of 792 wickets is just 8 short of the unimaginable 800. His decision to only quit from Tests might be one consolation for Sri Lanka. One can safely assume that the World Cup 2011 in the subcontinent will be last the world will see of him in international cricket. In a career spanning 2 decades, the journey to say the least hasn’t been an easy going one for the Wizard. The offie had a tough tour down-under in 95-96 and called for throwing by the OZ umpires. He then won the WC in '96 and kept picking wickets in bulk till his tour down under in 98-99. He again was called for throwing when his captain courageous Arjuna Ranatunga stood for him against all odds and handled the situation admirably. Any weaker captain would have wilted under the pressure exerted, but Ranatunga threatened to "walk off" instead in order to stand for his player. There have been plenty of allegations against him starting from people like Bedi, Warne, Dean Jones, Holding and Martin Crowe amongst others. His natural deformity came to his rescue when tested by ICC. But it’s no mean achievement to snare 792 test wickets and 512 ODI wickets even for a man with an improper action.
Controversy or no, Murali will remain to be amongst the best spinners to have ever played the game. His natural deformity came to his rescue when tested by ICC. But it’s no mean achievement to snare 792 test wickets and 512 ODI wickets even for a man with an improper action. His form has been dipping and has been far from his prime in test cricket. Most unforgettable amongst his performances is his 16 for 220 against England at The Oval in 1998. He almost single handedly bowled Sri Lanka to victory. Alec Stewart’s run out denied Murali a perfect ten in that game. All said and done Murali will be missed thoroughly in international cricket. With Murali’s retirement the number of cricketers from the 90s decade are receding from international cricket and surely marks an end of an era. Murali’s tally of 792 wickets is almost as steep and unimaginable as Bradman’s average of 99.94 or Tendulkar’s tally of 93 international centuries.

Holland won 3-2 over Uruguay. Indeed, the Uruguayans clearly missed the strike force of Suarez, (who has been really maligned for his hand ball against Ghana. I think any other footballer would have done the same in that situation). Forlan waged a lone battle up-front. The former Man Utd striker continued his awesome form into the World Cup. He is a versatile and almost a veteran for Uruguay. He will come back, get the ball, pass it, take corners and free-kicks, distribute the ball and most importantly score goals. For all the hype behind people like Barry some other so-called "stars" from Europe, particularly England, Forlan has taught them a lesson as to how to play the game. Why did Manchester United let him go? Indeed, had Suarez been there, this would have been a much tougher game for the Dutch, who got a lucky break on the second goal. Not only was it a deflection, it was also a goal in which Van Persie was fortunate to have been judged off side. He clearly raised his foot, and was thus, "in play" when the ball crept into the Uruguayan goal.

It's like deja vu all over again: Spain 1 – Germany 0.
Paul the Octopus got it right once again, picking Spain and sending the German romantics crashing out of the World Cup…at least until Saturday, when they’ll play Uruguay in their second straight consolation game.

The first half of this game was arguably the best 45 minutes we’ve seen on the international level in the last four years. It was, to the casual observer, boring, tense, slow and rather unproductive. But in truth, it was a chess game being played by two grandmasters; an show of tactical nous and footballing intelligence. The breakthrough came when a flying Puyol broke through the barrier of bodies to crash a header past Manuel Neuer into the back of the net just past the hour mark. From there, the predictable happened: Germany pushed numbers, Spain held and countered on occasion. Ultimately it was Euro 2008 all over again with a 1-0 final score.

Look Back: An IPL 2010 Summary

With the IPL 2010 coming to a close with a stunning finale at DY Patil where Chennai Super Kings emerge winners, downing the league topping Mumbai Indians. Many would feel Mumbai Indians were deserving winners; I do too, only had the championship been an all League one. Chennai Super Kings displayed enormous courage and self belief to defend a modest total in the semi-finals against the big hitting Deccan Chargers. Mumbai too overcame Bangalore with relative ease in the other semi finals. At the end of the day it was the team which kept its nerve had the last laugh.

All teams except Kings XI Punjab seemed to be in contention for a semi final spot till almost the last leg of the league which is a healthy for a competition. Let’s look at how the teams fared, their plusses and their letdowns which halted their semi finals charge.

Chennai Super Kings: The two time semi-finalist, one time finalist, under Dhoni’s capable leadership made it to the finals with a lot of hiccups. Their three match losing streak mid way in the tournament dented their chances but the coming of Aussie sensation Doug Bollinger and coming good of Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina’s consistency and their skipper Dhoni’s tactics took them all the way. Chennai’s spin attack; Murali, Ashwin & Jakati deserve credit for coming good at the right time and spelling doom with some accurate tweaking. In Bollinger’s absence; Balaji, Gony, Tyagi & Joginder came a cropper. Makhaya Ntini not getting a single game was surprising though.

Best Moment: Other the winning the finals, their best moment was Dhoni bludgeoning 16 of the last over and defeating KXIP at Dharamsala.

Forgettable Moment: They would soon want to forget their Tied match against KXIP at Chennai which they eventually lost in the Super Over. It was a game they should have won.

Players for the future: R.Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Doug Bollinger, Shadab Jakati

Mumbai Indians: The first time semi finalist & finalist, Mumbai did almost everything right in the league stages of the tournament aided by their captain Sachin Tendulkar’s supreme touch, coming good of youngsters like Tiwary, Rayudu, Pollard and of course a very powerful bowling attack comprising of Zaheer, Malinga & Harbhajan. Tendulkar’s 618 runs fetched him the Orange cap. Their worst spell was the two match losing streak towards the end of the league stage. Even that didn’t jolt their powerful surge to the last. Bravo & Duminy failed to impress in the chances they got. Jayasuriya looked way past his prime. R.Sathish fulfilled his role as a utility player and will be remembered for his run out effort to conclude Yusuf Pathan’s carnage.

Best Moment: Defeating Delhi Daredevils in Delhi by 98 runs was huge. Kieron Pollard’s coming good in the later stages of the tournament after some initial failures bolstered Mumbai.

Forgettable Moment: Losing the finals in home territory must’ve been hard on them.

Players for the future: Saurabh Tiwary, Ambati Rayudu, Kieron Pollard, Shikhar Dhawan

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Four consecutive wins after a dull defeat to begin the tournament with, RCB looked sure for a semi final spot until they hit a road block losing 4 out of 5 games in the middle stages of the league. Kallis made strong statements with the bat ending as the 2nd highest scorer with 572 runs. Kumble lead the team inspiringly. Uthappa’s match winning capabilities came to the fore, Steyn was accurate and unfriendly & Vinay Kumar was a revelation. Ross Taylor, Manish Pandey & Virat Kohli’s indifferent form affected Bangalore’s chances. Nevertheless they made it to the Champions League by defeating Deccan Chargers most convincingly. Praveen Kumar’s moment of glory was his hat trick against Rajasthan Royals. He never shone after that.

Best Moment: My favourite RCB performance was their win over KXIP chasing 204. Kallis’ blistering innings of 89* and Uthappa’s sparkling 51 scripted a perfect chase and announced the RCB arrival in IPL 2010.

Forgettable Moment: Their two defeats each to Deccan & Delhi in the league stages hurt them and so did the big loss to Mumbai in their last league match. That set their semifinal date with Mumbai again.

Players for the future: Manish Pandey, Nayan Doshi, Robin Uthappa, Eion Morgan

Deccan Chargers: Once at number 7 on the points table with 5 consecutive losses, Deccan seemed to have lost the plot they scripted last year. Unfortunate to not get to play in their home; Hyderabad, Deccan’s surge to the last four was superb. Their rejuvenation is much credited to the likes of Pragyan Ojha; the Purple cap holder with 21 wickets, Rohit Sharma, Suman, Symonds & Harmeet Singh. Gilchrist’s poorest IPL hurt Deccan Chargers’ chances as they never could get fiery starts from him like before. Kemar Roach’s selection and his eventual participation in two games baffled me. Keeping the experienced Vaas out of the team for most of the tournament looked questionable.

Best Moment: Chaminda Vaas’ brilliant last over in Deccan’s win against Delhi in Delhi which cemented Deccan’s position in the last four was delightful.

Forgettable Moment: Complete surrender against Mumbai in both their games & their abysmal 82 all out against RCB in the 3rd place play off.

Players for the future: Pragyan Ojha, Rohit Sharma, Harmeet Singh, Mitchell Marsh

Delhi Daredevils: A pre tournament favourite, Delhi was inconsistent to say the least. With the most explosive batting line up, Delhi were the best on paper. Sehwag & Warner’s inconsistency; Dilshan & de Villiers’ indifferent form, Gambhir, Nannes & Nehra’s injury were all contributors to Delhi’s dismal show in IPL 2010. Gambhir’s captaincy showed varied shades ranging from tactical brilliance to sheer lack of common sense. Amit Mishra’s bowling was a huge boost to Delhi. He bowled bravely and brilliantly. Fielding was one area Delhi shone in. They had the best fielding team at their disposal. Warner, de Villiers & Collingwood showed why they are amongst the best fielders around. A team full of stars didn’t live up to the expectations. They were not aided by the pitch at home in Feroze Shah Kotla either. Gambhir made his annoyance with the surface in Delhi quite vocal. Dinesh Karthik was brilliant as a wicket-keeper and a middle order batsman.

Best Moment: David Warner’s superb 100 and his 120 run partnership with Collingwood against KKR in Delhi scripted a fine win for Delhi Daredevils. Few brilliant catches by AB de Villiers and David Warner are amongst the competitions’ best.

Forgettable Moment: 98 run loss to Mumbai Indians in Delhi. Heart breaking 11 run loss to Deccan Chargers in Delhi which halted their title dreams.

Players for the future: David Warner, Pradeep Sangwan, Umesh Yadav, Sarabjit Ladda, Moises Henriques

Kolkata Knight Riders: An improved performance in comparison to 2009, Kolkata still lacked many aspects of playing as a team. A mystery surrounds this team’s underperformance. Sourav Ganguly was by far the best player in the team which lacks no talent or support staff. Their much hyped purchase Shane Bond was average and failed to rattle batsmen. Angelo Matthews, Owais Shah, David Hussey were effective but not match winning. The real explosive Chris Gayle was mostly missing expect for the game against KXIP. The team missed Brendon McCullum who joined late. Agarkar & Dinda’s performances were good news for the team in the absence of zing in Bond’s bowling.

Best Moment: Ashok Dinda’s fantastic opening spell which sent back Warner & Sehwag to set up a Kolkata win against Delhi in Kolkata. Ganguly’s brilliant ground fielding and catching. David Hussey’s catch of Collingwood is touted to be the best in the competition.

Forgettable Moment: Their loss to KXIP after setting a target of 201 was the low point of their campaign.

Players for the future: Ashok Dinda, Manoj Tiwary, Angelo Matthews, Iqbal Abdulla, Ajantha Mendis

Rajasthan Royals: Started with the reputation of being the most unpredictable side. Low on big names; Rajasthan Royals started their campaign with an almost fantastic win against Mumbai Indians in Mumbai chasing an uphill 212; with Yusuf Pathan scoring a brilliant hundered. After losing their first three games they turned around to win the next four and looked to script another dream run. Losing players like Mascarenhas & Graeme Smith, their progress was halted and became inconsistent. Nonetheless, Rajasthan found a matchwinners in Naman Ojha & Micheal Lumb and good supporting players in Jhunjhunwala, Fazal & Voges. Shane Watson’s late joining hurt Rajasthan which missed an all rounder in Ravindra Jadeja. Their semifinal charge was halted by three defeats at the fag end of the league.

Best Moment: Yusuf Pathan’s superb 100 off 37 balls against Mumbai. Rajasthan Royals clinching a win against Deccan at Nagpur, a game which Rohit Sharma almost took away from them.

Forgettable Moment: Lack luster performances in the last three games of the league. Not even crossing 140 in them hurt Rajasthan. Aditya Dole’s drop catch of Sachin Tendulkar at Jaipur will be remembered.

Players for the future: Naman Ojha, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Aditya Dole, Kamran Khan

Kings XI Punjab: Internal conflicts or no; Sangakkara’s team the biggest disappointment of IPL 2010. Their campaign received serious setbacks very early in the tournament. Yuvraj’s indifferent form and attitude was disturbing. His interest seemed to be diminishing as the tournament progressed. The team’s batting relied heavily on Jayawardena, Sangakkara & Irfan Pathan in Yuvraj’s absent performances. Brett Lee’s form too was poor. Giving away 10 runs per over without taking a wicket was truly below par for the Australian spearhead. Bowling relief on Pathan, Chawla & Juan Theron as Sreesanth performance and behavior were both annoying. They never really had a shot at a semifinal spot but their face saving wins at the end might have helped the players in restoring some morale.

Best Moment: The Super Over win against Chennai Super Kings at Chennai was Punjab’s first win and was a nail biter. Their win against Kolkata chasing 200 with Jayawardene scoring a masterly 100 was fabulous.

Forgettable Moment: Sreesanth applauding Micheal Lumb sarcastically after being hit for a four and applauding the umpire for being no balled was poor in taste and totally lacked any sportsmanship. Losing the match after conceding 16 runs from the last over bowled by Pathan to Dhoni against Chennai at Dharamsala must’ve been quite tough.

Players for the future: Piyush Chawla, Adrian Barath, Ravi Bopara

With Mumbai also making it to the semifinals and to the finals eventually, Kolkata remains to be the only team to have not made a semifinal appearance in IPL. Not all’s lost though. Indian Premier League 2011 will begin with 2 new franchises; Kochi & Pune. Players might not remain in the same teams. Another massive round of bidding will be undertaken. But the intensity and fervor will remain the same for this format of the game in India. This might just be the last IPL for legends of the game like Anil Kumble, Sanath Jayasuriya, Shane Warne, and Matthew Hayden. New upcoming talented players will make sure there is no less fun in future IPLs but these legends will be missed for their contribution to the game and the ambassadors they have been of it.

Mysterious Case of The Indian Spinner

Indian cricket team has never been bereft of spinners. Be it the famous spin quartet on the 1970s; Venkat, Bedi, Prasanna & Chandra. 1980s were dominated by Shivlal Yadav, Maninder Singh, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and the mercurial Narendra Hirwani. 1990s saw emergence of Anil Kumble and he was partnered by Venkatapathy Raju, Rajesh Chauhan & Sunil Joshi. Then began in the previous decade a spin partnership every visiting team to India were vary of; Anil Kumble & Harbhajan Singh. No other spinner could imagine a look in during their reign.

But since Kumble's retirement, India has tried many a leg spinner who would partner Harbhajan and even be the lead spinner in the Turbanator's absence; Pragyan Ojha, Piyush Chawla, Ramesh Powar, Amit Mishra, R.Ashwin & Ravindra Jadeja.

Ramesh Powar has fallen out of favour with the selectors as neither his bowling nor his batting are penetrative enough and his fielding too has been a bother. Ravindra Jadeja has made an impression in ODIs with his miserly, effective bowling and hard working batting, but he cant be mistaken for a strike bowler. Piyush Chawla has played two test matches but has been far from convincing and he has lacked variety. Pragyan Ojha was quite impressive in the chances he has got in both ODIs and Tests. His performances till date in T20Is too are encouraging. But most impressive has been Amit Mishra. He has a big heart, doesnt mind tossing it up to the batsman inviting them for the drives and the big shots and most importantly he has been amongst the wickets too. His performances in the ongoing IPL are a testament to that.

But the juggle by the national selectors and the team management in handling these three spinners have been far from impressive. Amit Mishra, after an uninspiring performance against Sri Lanka on a placid wicket at Ahmedabad, where even the legend Muralitharan suffered, was dropped in favour of Ojha who came good in the next two tests. In Bangladesh, Mishra yet again played the first test with a decent outing with the ball and a half century as a nightwatchman with the bat. But he was dropped for the next test in favour of Ojha. And out of the blue he was selected for both the home tests against South Africa. The most baffling bit of selection surely has been Chawla's inclusion in the World Twenty 20 at the cost of in form Mishra who holds the Purple Cap till now in the IPL and Ojha who again has been in top form. The reasoning that Chawla is the better batsman out of the three is a weak one. A bowler needs to be very good at what he does other than the contribution he makes with the bat; Chawla has been extremely ineffective this IPL and hasnt shown any match winning capabilities with the bat either.

Non-exclusion of Amit Mishra at a time when he bowling like a dream could be very disheartening and discouraging. Piyush Chawla on the other hand must make sure he cashes in on this huge oppurtunity. He has been out of contention from the Indian team for almost tow years now. The last he played was in 2008 against Pakistan. His selection has to be justified by strong performances by him for his team Kings XI Punjab, but that too hasnt happened. He has snapped 5 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 60 runs per wicket. His batting, which is apparently the prime reason for his inclusion in the side over Mishra and Ojha too hasnt shored up KXIP when required.

Hoping the Chawla surprises all of us by putting together a string of good performances to justify his selection in the World T20 squad and puts up a good show if he gets a chance at the mega event.

At a time when the art of spin bowling in on the wane from international cricket, India has a problem of plenty in there. Hauritz, Swann, Mendis, Ajmal are expected to be the flag bearers of spin bowling in the coming years. Managing the practitioners of this art is very crucial in upholding the tradition of Indian being amongst the teams with the best spin attack.