Aaron Finch - The Next Big Thing in T20 cricket

Being in and out of the side on a consistent basis can do two things to a cricketer's career. It can either bring out the best in him or demotivate him to an extent where he calls it a quit. Success is for those men who learn from their mistakes. Australian cricket's new star Aaron Finch is one such person and this Thursday, 29th August, Aaron proved it with his batting.

In 2009-2010, when Victoria's Aaron Finch scored  his maiden first class century of 102, in a record 212 run partnership for the 3rd wicket with David Hussey against Tasmania, he gave Australian cricket board a player worthy of test cricket. His 154 runs against Queensland in 2012, was an exhibition of his inborn power-hitting capability. Australian cricket by then had realized that they had their kitty in the bag. Finch's aggression combined with orthodox batting style could be used at top of the order for quick runs on the board. His composure throughout his innings were evidence of a great finisher in making. But three years of inconsistency after donning the baggy green kept him out of the limelight. It was only a matter of time that the world would witness this immensely talented young Australian lad make the news for all good reasons.

On 29th August, at Rose-bowl, against England, amidst a jam-packed stadium, Aaron Finch finally announced his arrival with a masterclass display of power-hitting to score 156, of just 63 balls. Finch stepped over the records to climb to the top of the ladder as he completed second fastest T20 international hundred. He left the entire Southampton along with the cricketing world drooling...

An innings studded by 14 hits over the ropes and 11 fours down the green carpet made Finch reach his hundred in only 47 balls, the second fastest hundred in T20 international. Richard Levi holds the record for the fastest century in T20 internationals that came of 45 balls. There was hardly a time where Finch looked uncomfortable against the pace and the spin attack that England had to offer. His innings looked eternal. Facing 63 balls in a 120 balls a side game is a feat in itself, worth applauding.

Finch viciously attacked the English bowlers as he disfigured their bowling strike rates to more than 200, except for Jade Dernbach. 3 of the gigantic hits into the stand completed his 50, 100 and 150 respectively. The Aussie, after completing his hundred roared to another 56 in just 15 balls, as he was dismissed by Dernbach on the 63rd ball of his innings. Finch also excelled the previous record of 123, scored by Brendon McCullum against Bangladesh to become the top scorer in an innings in the twenty-twenty international format.

At any point of time, Finch innings comprised of all good cricketing shots. Not even for a single shot his batting could be explained as slogging. Finch electrified the Aussie camp and the fans from the kangaroo land with his powerful hitting. Any ball shot of length would be sent into the crowd and full length deliveries met his straight bat with an Oomph.

IPL franchise Pune Warriors India would be now bragging about Finchy who, replaced his senior teammate Michael Clarke as incharge of the reigns, mid way through the 2013 season. Finch managed to finish among the top 15 run-getters of the season. Surely, they must have foreseen the genre of Next Big Thing in the smaller version of the game. A well composed man from outside showed immense control on his furious emotions that would have been sprinting inside him after his valiant efforts that left Rose-bowl stadium and the whole cricket world awestruck. Team England included.

With great performances comes greater hopes and much bigger responsibilities. Given the fact that Finch is new at the highest level of cricket and his stalwart performance has become the talk-of-the-town, Finch has crafted his own niche to live up to. A reputation that he wouldn't want people to assume as a fluke.  The innings might surely cement his spot in the squad for the ongoing series, but, it is the consistency in his performances that would make him a regular member of the Aussie squad.

I salute this majestic innings of Aaron Finch as I await the day when Finch becomes a majestic figure in the Australian squad.

The Ball Puppeteers... Flying Kiwi - Sir Richard Hadlee

Its Friday and its time to say hats off to another legendary ball puppeteer from the world of cricket. The first win on home soil/away soil, first home series win, first series win away from home becomes unforgettable and becomes more of a sentiment for the people of that country.

The legend we are talking has been a part of all such memories, as a matter of fact, these victories for New Zealand would have been incomplete without the herculean efforts of kiwi great Sir Richard Hadlee.

Sir Richard Hadlee :

Words seem short to praise the legendary New Zealand bowling icon Sir Richard Hadlee. The world acknowledges his feats as one of the greatest exponents of bowling with the new ball. The "Original Sultan-of-Swing" was the finest of fast bowlers of his time. 

Richard Hadlee made his Test & ODI debut for New Zealand against Pakistan in February, 1973. Hadlee couldn't demonstrate the traits of a legend in making for the first three years of his career. It was against India in 1976 when Hadlee firmly announced his arrival in the international arena with 11 wickets in a game and single-handedly won the game for New Zealand. Sir Richard firmly cemented his place in the New Zealand squad when he steered his team to a historic first win over England by scalping 6 for 26 in the second innings that lead to England being bowled out for a meagre 64 chasing a target of 137.

1979-1980 witnessed Hadlee shining bright as he plundered another 11 wickets in a game against the then giants of the game-West Indies. Hadlee maiden test century in the second test against West Indies drew the match for the kiwis as they won the series 1-0. The victory was the beginning of a 12 year unbeaten record for New Zealand in test match series at home. In 1980's Queen's Birthday Honors his valorous efforts were honored and he was appointed as the Member of the Order of British Empire (MBE). 

Sir Richard Hadlee was awarded with the coveted New Zealand Cricketer of the Year award in 1980 and Wisden Cricketer of the Year award in 1982.

Despite Hadlee's match figures of 0 for 89 in the first test against England didn't prove productive  in New Zealand's first test victory on English soil, he still managed to top the batting and bowling averages for the kiwis in the series. In the return series in New Zealand in 1984, Hadlee's 8 wickets in the match and his quickfire 99 in New Zealand's only innings saw the Men-In-Black complete a remarkable three day innings victory over England. 

1985-1986 saw a Hadlee transform from the finest pace bowler to a living legend. In New Zealand's tour to Australia, Hadlee's bowling was an exhibition of sheer pace, accuracy and conventional swing as he captured  9 for 52, his career best in Australia's first innings. His batting score of 54 and 6 more wickets in the second innings were the highlights of the match as New Zealand crushed Australia by an innings. His 7 wickets in the a losing cause in the second test of the series and 11 wickets in a winning cause for the kiwis in the third test gave his team their first series win on Australian soil. 

Hadlee's fiery pace and accuracy were once responsible for England's wicketkeeper Bruce French getting hospitalised, as he hit him with a deadly bouncer.

Hadlee continued spelling his magic in 1986 as he took 10 wickets and scored 68 in New Zealand's first innings of the second test against England as New Zealand scripted first series win over England on English soil.

In 1987 and 1988, Hadlee suffered an injury that made people believe that he is as mortal as any other human. Seeing Hadlee hobble up to the stage on crutches prompted Australian commentator Richie Benaud to later say that he thought Hadlee "would never play cricket again."

In 1988, after a prosperous recovery, Hadlee broke the then world record of most wickets in test cricket against India. His 374th wicket in the first test of the series followed by a 10 wicket haul in the second test gave New Zealand a rare test win in India.

Sir Richard became the first bowler in the history of cricket to take 400 test wickets as he dismissed Sanjay Manjrekar in the second innings of the first test. Hadlee announced his retirement after the upcoming tour to England on the day when he completed 100th first class 5 wicket haul in an innings.

Hadlee was honored as a Knight Bachelor (for services to cricket) at the Queen's Birthday honours at Lords in 1990. Sir Richard Hadlee ended his test career by a 5-wicket haul that included a wicket with the final ball of his test career.

Hadlee's stats of 431 wickets in 86 Test matches with 36 five-wicket haul in an innings and 9 ten-wickets haul in a match at an average of 22.29, 158 wickets in 115 ODIs at an average just under 22, 1490 wickets in 342 First-Class matches with staggering 102 five-wicket haul in an innings and 18 ten-wickets haul in a match and another 454 wickets in 318 List-A career matches with 8 five-wicket haul in an innings authenticates his Wisden rating of "Second Greatest Test Bowler" of all time after Sydney Francis Barnes. His 15 fifties and 2 hundreds at test-level proves his batting efficiency. 

Sir Richard Hadlee was rated as the finest fast bowler of his time despite the contemporary presence of the game's greatest names that include Dennis Lillee, Imran Khan, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Kapil Dev and Wasim Akram. On 3rd April, 2009 Sir Richard Hadlee was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall-of-Fame.

Awards and Recognition :

• Appointed MBE for services to New Zealand sport in 1981.
• Awarded a Knighthood for services to cricket in 1990.
• Winner of the Windsor Cup on 13 occasions, including 12 consecutive years, for the most meritorious bowling performance of the season.
• New Zealand Sportsman of the Year 1980
• Wisden Cricketer of the Year - 1982.
• New Zealand Sportsman of the Year 1986
• New Zealand Sportsperson of the last 25 years 1987 (shared with runner John Walker)
• New Zealand Sportsperson of the Decade 1987
• Inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009
• Awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Letters from Nottingham University.

I salute the legend who, even 23 years after his retirement, continues to inspire the budding generations of cricket.

English Disgrace to Oval

What do you do to your countrymen who tend to disrupt your history? What should be the fate of such men who tarnish a holy history ? What punishment do they deserve for their shameful act of disobedience? Should they be punished or should they be acquitted for demonstrating a chinchy style of celebration?

If they deserve to be punished, then Stuart Broad, Kevin Pietersen and James Anderson of England should suffer the same fate for disgracing the cradle of English test cricket. The triumphant English trio peed on the consecrated Kennington Oval as part of their victory celebrations after their team drew the final test to win the series 3-0 in the process retained the Ashes.

James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Kevin Pietersen

Kennington Oval, also known as Kia Oval due to commercial sponsorship, is of great significance to English as well as the world cricket. Oval is the ground where it all began for England. The first test match on English soil was played at the Oval in September 1880. The first test victory at home for English in its very first test match at the ground makes it even more significant. The ground witnessed a classy century on debut by the legendary W.G Grace. Above all, Kennington Oval is the park where the legend of ASHES was born in 1882.

Having recalled a few facts and the grandness of Kia Oval lets take a snort at the feckless trio. There's no halting the victory celebrations especially, when it is an Ashes victory. We all understand the blood rush in the veins of English cricketers after the exhorting Ashes victory. The exhibition of responsibility by their batsmen and the ascendance of the bowling attack certified their tag as favourites for the tournament. But what followed as part of their merrymaking was an inglorious act of indecency that would make every cricket admirer and every Englishman's head fall in shame . For once it made me feel cricket is no more a gentleman's game. Isn't it?  

As the English team celebrated by drinking beer on the ground, Broad, Kevin & Jimmy Anderson broadened their celebrations as they micturated the pitch for the delight of fellow men as few fans and journalists gazed in disbelief. The irony of  the fact is that none of the English cricketers present there bothered to intervene the scandalous act. Surprisingly, not even Alastair Cook made any attempt. What sort of Captain is Cook if  he doesn't carry respect for the soil that is domicile of English cricket?

The job description for a team's captain is most eminent as he shoulders the responsibility of team's success and conduct on the field. The latter left dangling, warranting me to pity on Captain Cook ! The betise act can only be described as a childish act by mature so called "gentlemen" of the game. The gentleman's game and the profession calls for a little more maturity and decency.

Had the incident taken place in other nations where cricket is much more than just a game ! In India, bollywood celebrity Shahrukh Khan was banned in Wankhede following a spat with a security official at Wankhede. Had the English incident occurred in India, a country where cricket has become more of a religion, it would have immediately ended the cricketer's career. Pakistani players perform "Sajdah" on ground on reaching a milestone. A symbol of thanks giving to God.

Pietersen, Broad and Anderson aren't new to controversies. Last August, Pietersen was in news for sending provocative text messages to South African captain Graeme Smith and his team members.The text contained derogatory comments on South Africans following which, Pietersen was dropped from the squad. Broad made headlines in the recently concluded Ashes as he refused to walk after edging a ball to  the Australian wicket keeper. Darren Lehmann urged the Aussie fans to make sure Broad goes home crying when England next visits Australia. James "Jimmy" Anderson was a part of the ball-change controversy in the champions trophy game against Srilanka, 2013. 

The English players have not only bruised the sentiments of cricket lovers around the world but have also provoked football fans worldwide by showing disrespect to the ground that hosted the first ever FA cup match and the first even FA Cup final. The stadium is also an important place for other sports as it witnessed several international rugby matches, rock concerts and even ice-skating. Now, England is to face wrath from every sport protagonist. Whether England Cricket Board (ECB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) put these men to trial remains to be seen. Since, if this act goes unattended by authorities, it might mark the beginning of the end of the gentleman's era in cricket.

Knocking the Doors - 8 most anticipated comebacks of Indian cricket - 2013

Sports and injuries goes hand-in-hand and history is replete of instances where injuries have been gruelling and sometimes have even drawn curtains on the flourishing careers of the sports athletes. One of the most difficult times of a cricketer's career is to make a comeback- a successful one. If you are talking about making a comeback to the Indian cricket team, it makes it even more harder. 

Indian cricket team driven by the animated captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and inspiring efforts from the youngsters have been scripting glorious pages in the chronicles of Indian cricket. To make a comeback in such a team is a daunting chore. Nevertheless, I acquaint you with the personalities of Indian cricket, all set to stage a roaring return to the international cricket. 

Leading the list of cricketers all set to take a crack at team India again is Yuvraj Singh.

Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh :  The stylish and dashing left hander from Punjab looks in the best shape of his post cancer recovery career. The Punjab da Puttar returned to India on 24th August after a six week long fitness camp in Brive la Gaillarde, France. The all new fitter and slimmer Yuvi's training in the land of human rights had more emphasis on flexibility and agility, much in line with Dhoni's  and selectors outline for team India. With an experience of over 282 ODI's and tag of Man-of-the-tournament of 2011 world cup, Yuvi is all set for an explosive comeback to the Indian cricket.

Zaheer Khan : The spearhead of Indian pace attack for over a decade now, Zaheer Khan's career got plagued by injuries. It was in december last year against England when Zaheer left the field with a strained right hamstring. Since then, he has been finding it difficult to cope with the injuries. Zak's last ODI appearance was against Sri Lanka on August 4, 2012. Zaheer completed his six-week training camp in France alongside Yuvraj Singh and looks sharper than ever. He has eyed Challenger Trophy, the curtain raiser for 2013-2014 domestic season to prove his fitness. A comeback is definitely on cards and will add the much needed experience to the Indian bowling attack.

Zaheer Khan

                              

Virender Sehwag : Off late, The Sultan of Multan has been finding it difficult for a place in the Indian team. Sehwag, one of the greatest openers in the history of Indian cricket, last played for India in a test match against Australia in March 2013. Viru was dropped following his dismal performances stretched over a period of time. The only Indian player to score triple century(twice) in test matches struggled with his footwork as his form deteriorated.

The likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma faring well for the opening wicket has made Sehwag's comeback even more difficult. Viru's claim to fame was his aggressive, explosive and destructive style of batting that would send shivers down the spine of the teams with best bowling attacks. With 23 Test centuries and 15 ODI centuries under his belt, this flamboyant opener from Delhi will make his way back to the Indian team as soon as he finds his lost rhythm. 

Gautam Gambhir : Gautam Gambhir has been out of the Indian cricket team since January 2013. Gambhir formed an essential part of Indian batting line up as he faced the new ball alongside Virender Sehwag. Gambhir and Sehwag formed one of the best opening pair for India as they average over 60.59 at home only to be bettered by Greenidge and Haynes (65.44) and Mike Atherton and Graham Gooch (63.66). The Delhi-duo unarguably formed the best opening pair of contemporary cricket. One can never forget his invaluable 97 in the world cup final against Sri Lanka. But like Viru, Gauti too succumbed to errors in his footwork. Poor shot selection and heavy feet forced his ouster from the team. Gambhir has been working very hard on his footwork and his decision to play for Essex in the county highlights his undying hunger for a comeback to team India. 

Gautam Gambhir

                                       

Irfan Pathan : Out from the Indian cricket team for over a year now, left arm fast medium swing bowler Irfan Pathan is aiming to rejoin the Men-in-Blue. Pathan last played for India in an ODI against Sri Lanka on 4th August,2012. His exceptional ability to swing the bowl evoked comparisons with the Pakistan's great Wasim Akram, regarded as one of the finest left arm pace-men of all time. His batting potential, identified by Greg Chappell, rose him to the No.2 spot in the ICC test rankings for allrounders which eventually led critics to compare him with the legendary Kapil Dev, former Indian pace-bowling allrounder.

Irfan Pathan

Since 2006, Pathan has been making fitful appearances for team India owing to the decline in his form. Pathan was a part of India's champion winning squad in June but didn't play a single game. He was ruled of the team's immediate tour to West Indies due to a hamstring injury. Pathan was training at NCA to sort out all fitness related issues. An admirer of Wasim Akram, Kapil Dev and V.V.S Laxman, Irfan Pathan is all geared up for Ranji Trophy and local tournaments in Hyderabad to make it to the playing XI of team India. 

Harbhajan Singh : "The Turbanator" hasn't played for India since March 2013.  India's most successful off-spinner went off the cards following a stint of hapless performances with the ball both in test cricket and ODI's. Relatively better performances by Pragyan Ojha and Ravichandran Ashwin juddered the cemented place of Harbhajan in team India. His wicket taking capability, accuracy and precision went missing. But Bhajji worked hard on his bowling and bagged 24 wickets for Mumbai Indians in the latest edition of IPL. People call him a "fighter to the core" for a reason.

Similar to his aspiring colleagues from team India, Harbhajan Singh is targeting the domestic season to stage a hollering comeback into the team India. Over 400 wickets in test cricket and 259 wickets in ODIs makes Bhajji a true force to reckon with. His comeback would surely strengthen the Indian spin attack.

Wasim Jaffer : " Old is Gold' and so is "Wasim Jaffer for team India". I wonder if it's the consistency and performance of  a cricketer or the age that matters the most for selectors to blue-ribbon a player. Wasim Jaffer, by far, has been the most consistent performer at the domestic level. He surpassed Amol Muzumdar to become the highest run-getter in Ranji Trophy. His accomplishments call for a deserving test spot.

Very much in conscious is the fact that the young guns are firing for team India. But, when it comes to Test cricket, I fear these guns would run out of ammunition. With Sehwag and Gambhir struggling with form Jaffer's comeback to the test cricket would possibly fuel much required stability at top of the order. 

Varun Aaron : Varun Aaron is a rare talent for Indian cricket. He made headlines as he hit 153 kph during the 2010-11 Vijay Hazare Trophy final against Gujarat. In a country esurient of genuine quick bowlers, Aaron can consistently bowl in excess of 140 kph with adequate control.

                                           

Aaron suffered an early setback to his career as he developed lower-back stress fracture before India's tour of Australia in December 2011. Before being blighted by the injury, Aaron instilled great promise into the selectors by showcasing his abilities in a rather short stint at international that lasted for only 1 test and 4 ODI appearances. In March, Aaron underwent surgery on the L5 disc in his lower back and was given a six-month recovery time. Post recovery Aaron has been training and bowling with a rather short run-up at NCA. His comeback to the international cricket is anticipated. 

How technology has changed the face of cricket

For anything to survive it has to adapt to the changes with the time. Cricket is no different.  With time cricket has transformed itself significantly, and with the introduction of technology, it has fared even better. A game that was once commanded by the decisions made by umpires is now governed by superfluous use of technology.

Had it not been for technology, there would have been No commentary, no telecast, no record books maintained, no player analysis, no action replays. How would it be is it were the same today? Hard to imagine. Isn't it!

Why cricket needs technology?

Technology for better reasons has always been improvising cricket with time. It reaped better and unfeigned results.  In 90’s when I started watching cricket, it had already implicated technology available at that point of time but the advancements were restricted by the technology of its time.  When technology was first introduced in the form of action replays, umpires were able to replay the previous the ball to make a decision.Introduction of technology in the game has been successful to an extent in identifying human errors (umpiring errors).

What technology has given to cricket?

Today cricket in all its sophisticated form reaches every corner of the globe thanks to advancement in technology.  The ICC has cautiously implemented technology to bring legitimacy and enhance the pleasure of watching cricket.

Another use of technology at that point of time was the use of Third umpire to support on- field umpiring decisions. Though Third umpire only judged the run out decisions then but the slower replays made the heart thump faster and pulse rise.

Player stats, records, player analysis found its way to general masses owing to technology. Teams began forming strategies to bog down a player in form and sometimes even weaknesses of the whole team became open to the risk of exploitation. Individual players sought help from recorded video clips of their previous performances to rectify the defects in their game. Fielder positions were soon driven by technological factors. The think tanks began exploiting the strengths of their team and the weakness of their counterparts.

These technologies related factors played a massive role in absorbing the interest of spectators towards the game and gave cricket an upper hand over the other sports.

Technology and cricket in modern era:

Border- Gavaskar Trophy, Sydney test 2007-08, Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly were batting to save the test match on the final day but suffered ill fate of wrong decisions as they were shown the path to pavilion by index finger of Steve Buckner, an umpire who never fared well against India. They could do nothing but walk back to the pavilion and watch their team cripple to defeat in the final minutes of the game as Australia won.

No more! Thanks to ICC’s timely and judicious decision to apply technology, cricketers could now challenge the decision of an umpire and sweep over the myth "an umpire’s decision is the final decision".

In this 21^st century, technology and cricket go hand in hand.  The use of modern day technologies in cricket has made it one of the most popular sports around the planet. Pitch vision, the visual representation of ball pitching, was the first of modern day technologies to be introduced in cricket. Decision Review System (DRS) comprising of Hawkeye, hotspot, audio, stumps camera, wagon wheel and snicko constitute other byzantine technologies for modern day cricket.

Hawk Eye (DRS)

Hotspot

Stumps Camera

While the DRS and snicko add authenticity to the on-field umpiring decisions, the audio and stumps camera give a totally new angle of watching the game and furthermore made us versed with the conversations between players amidst field. The introduction of Zings stumps (LED stumps) has made cricket more colorful than ever.

Zings Stumps

Snikco

   

Though there are few eyebrows being raised on accuracy and credibility of DRS technology, I believe cricket can’t be more legitimate and worth watching without the use of these technologies.

The introduction of T20 format has also led to the use of captivating technologies like high resolution cameras, aerial cameras, stadium scouring skycams and the most comprehended spider cameras and ultra-slow motion cameras that has raised the pleasure of watching cricket to an infinite level.

The use of social media especially Facebook and Twitter to express their views has been a rage with the fans. This has now become a huge support, appreciation as well as criticism for the teams and players not only from countrymen but also from fans across the world - a privilege that players of previous generations didn't had.  

Cricket, with these technologies as one of its assets, became a connecting link for people around the world and sometimes the dividing line for regions and people of same country. Thankfully the latter is restricted only to the extent of the game. Today, it has become an integral part of the game, and it would be hard to imagine cricket sans technology. Wouldn't you agree?

THE BALL PUPPETEERS… Sydney Francis Barnes

Cricket history has seen iconic men who, with their capabilities, completely revolutionized the art of bowling and the game of cricket. Like in Marvel’s Avengers, these men hail from various corners of the world and were bound to a higher calling. They grew up to eventually become legends. 

What took them to these heights?

They had exceptional love, passion and dedication towards the game. These individuals often single-handedly decided the fate of the match and in course accomplished remarkable feats. Their rise to fame was fueled by hard work, dedication and invincible faith in their abilities.

Ball Puppeteers:

Eminent bowlers always demonstrated the ability to ruffle a set batsman with accuracy, consistency and bowling variations. While the ability to swing the ball both ways and art of reverse swing with the old ball served as a career defining strength for the pace bowlers, sharp turn, skid and deception in flight of the delivery are the trademarks of legendary spinners. They are the Ball Puppeteers.

SYDNEY FRANCIS BARNES

Regarded as one of the greatest bowler in sports history, England's Sydney Francis Barnes made his test debut against Australia in 1901. Barnes bowling is remembered for its effective combination of bounce and swing with the new ball. His international career of 27 test matches featuring South Africa and Australia-the only countries he ever played against would raise many eyebrows but, a look at his accomplishments would leave everyone in awe. Barnes amassed 189 wickets at an average of 16.43. 

If you think that’s flattering, here is more. His staggering performance for Staffordshire in Minor Counties Cricket Championship will leave you drooling. A whopping 1,432 wickets at an average of less than 9 is a testimony of his astonishing career that ended at the age of 61.

The cynosure of his career are his herculean efforts from 1911-1914. In 1911-1912, Barnes enabled England to win The Ashes, as he took 34 wickets in the series against Australia .In the next two years, playing his final test series, Barnes took 7 five-wicket haul and 3 ten-wicket haul to plunder 49 wickets in  4 matches against South Africa, a world record. His accomplishments earned him the No.1 spot in ICC best-Ever Test Championship rating for bowlers.

Undoubtedly, he is the greatest of the game and deservedly honoured by ICC.

Indian Cricket : Politics at grass root level

Mahatma Gandhi, Poverty and Sachin Tendulkar are three things that almost every foreigner knows about India. On 2nd April 2011, the whole nation was in tears of joy.. No, no, no ! It wasn't for the happy ending of a romantic bollywood flick neither it was a much anticipated prospective change in the Indian political scenario.. It was the instinctive outburst of emotion from the whole nation as Dhoni lashed the world cup winning six into the stands of the vociferous and jam packed Wankhede  stadium.

Cricket is undoubtedly a rage in India. A sport that draws emotions from every street and corner of the nation, like no other sport has ever been able to do . A sport that gave real life superheroes for every child in the country. A sport that gave the people of India Sachin Tendulkar, a deity figure of the cricket universe. A sport that has now become a  part of our culture and to many of us, a way of life.

Back in 1983, when Kapil's devils lifted the world cup at the Lord's balcony for India by defeating the mighty West Indies, they gave millions of Indians a a historical moment to cheer for ages to come. The victory, unarguably seen as the greatest, particularly for its constructive impact on the younger generation, acted as an inspiration and a motivation for those aspiring to replicate the same for India.

 

The future of every game rests on the shoulders of the budding aspirants,  who, with all their talent and capabilities, dream of achieving feats their idols have left behind for inspiration and sometimes even aspire to surpass them and bring more glory to the nation. 

When such deserving talent is denied a potential opportunity by the so called dignitaries in power it is evidently politics at grass root level. Young talent is therefore left disappointed. Disappointment to aspiring young talent is like gravity is to weight.

 

Despite the fact that cricket has earned scores of international recognition for India and remains one of the most essential sports in its international outlook, young talent is barely given an unbiased chance at elementary platforms of selections. The process of selection of players for the inter college tournaments, under 16, under 19 tournaments and the university teams is just for namesake. In most cases there is always a pre-selected team comprising of players who have represented the state earlier, few of them brought in on recommendations by the higher officials. The selection and fitness trials are just in place to fulfill the formality. It just ends up as a part of news in next day newspapers.

Apart from the selection process the commercialization of cricket leaves the deserving talent stranded. League teams available on lease have added up to the unprofessional ethics of selection. A one-day league cricket team would charge an interested player around Rs 8000 for a season whereas the amount demanded for the 2-day and 3-day leagues are much beyond the affordability of a common man. Making it even worse is the reputation of a team which has become more of a brand name. For example, a league team might have five Ranji players chosen on merit and the rest of them pay the amount demanded by the team owner if they are to play for the team.This often causes the young and capable talent which cannot afford this amount to lag in the race and eventually end up with broken dreams of bragging the whites. 

Nevertheless, one cannot completely blame the higher officials and the owners of the league teams for partiality in selections.Unjust and corrupt practices have become an integral part of the system and now, even cricket is affected by this disease that does not seem to have an immediate cure. The scenario is such because people who can afford these mounting rates do it with a hush. Never has anyone dared to question the awry of selection process or so does it seem.  

As long as such unethical and selfish practices form the core of the selection system a proportion of the deserving talent will always be denied a chance. Genuine talent must not be marooned for the sake of monetary gains or political benefits. Such nuances must be curbed and the fire of corruption must be extinguished. While this can seem an insurmountable feat, it is certainly not impossible.

Today, domestic cricket in India is in dire need of straightening these elementary processes.As cricketers themselves, it is the moral responsibility of the selectors to be fair with the selection process, to give the deserving talent a fair chance, and acknowledge their potential that often goes unnoticed or prematurely marooned. 

In foreseeable possibilities to curb this trend, one idea is to begin reformation at the grass root level. Cricket is born at the grass root level in a cricketer and nourishes with time and encouragement. If the process of selection is structured, organized and above all, just and unbiased, it will bring more transformation to the game than anybody could have ever imagined.  It is never a right time to do something right. So, let us stop waiting and start now.

It is seldom seen that little things often  making a gigantic difference and this principle holds true with Cricket too. 

Young Blood Has It All...

Indian cricket is on the pinnacle of its success and much of its blossom can be owed to the dynamic captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and a bunch of young lads, who have grown in their stature by accomplishing achievements that no other cricketers of same generation were able to accomplish.

They changed the face of Indian cricket forever. The need for more youngsters in the team was realized by Saurav Ganguly, under whose captaincy names like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Mohammed Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan emerged. But then team India always had seats reserved for the ageing fabulous four (Saurav, Sachin, Dravid and Laxman).  There was a wealthy chance given to players who didn't perform. As the time marched on, the lack of agility and flexibility became more and more visible.

 

The captaincy shifted hands and the young lad from Ranchi (whose long cascading hair once drew praise from the then Pakistani President General Parvez Musharraf) was presented with the gigantic task of leading team India. Soon it was apparent that things were inclined to change.  Leading team India was no meager task yet Dhoni took no time to prove his mettle. He didn't invest in the risk of losing matches by sitting down players with inconsistent performances. The budding cricketers used this opportunity to shine above the horizon just in line with Dhoni to turn his dream of winning the 2011 world cup into a praise-worthy reality.

 The move quickly uncovered the abundance of talent available at domestic level in youngsters like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja and few young lads who gradually became the core part of team India. This was the reincarnation of Indian cricket; young and prolific form yet mighty and unshaken in its potential. Even as this transformation drew some criticism, Dhoni maintained his stance.

The transformation paid off as India made history by winning the inaugural edition of Twenty20 world cup and then scripted history by defeating Australia in their homeland in the Common Wealth Bank Series. It was made clear by the selectors that experience is no more a criteria and one has to perform on a consistent basis to cement his place in the team. The mantra worked as every youngster became more focused in seizing every opportunity at their disposal.

The likes of Dhawans, Rainas, Kohlis and Jadejas soon emerged. The team India which had two or three good fielders in the squad soon became a team where everyone would dive to stop in a single. An athletic bunch of youngsters soon earned recognition as the best fielders in the world. The standards were now on par with the most acclaimed teams around the globe including England, Australia and South Africa. One must also appreciate the efforts of BCCI in improving the infrastructure that eventually lead to the raise in standards.

In Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Shamra, India found successors for the flamboyant opening pair of Sehwag and Gambhir. Kohli and Pujara could always be shuffled for number three and number four spots in the batting list. There’s much of reliability on Kohli, Pujara, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, who strengthen the middle order. One can only be a fool to exclude the Captain Cool, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, finest of batsmen and unarguably the greatest finisher in the world of cricket.

The bowling department is just as good as the batting with the experienced Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma. Bhuvanesh Kumar has been the find of the season for team India with Umesh Yadav on the reserve. India has world class spinners in Ravichandra Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha and Ravindra Jadeja with his successful bowling stint ends the search for the fifth bowler.

For now, everything looks green for team India with the bench being warmed up by the names that include Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Kartik, Murali Vijay, Amit Mishra, Manoj Tiwari, Shami Ahmed and Parvez Rasool, the talent of whom have already been glimpsed to the world.

Team India in its current composition stands tall with a learned past, a remarkable present and possibly a lustrous future.

Mohammed Azharuddin to coach Jammu and Kashmir cricket team !

Mohammed Azharuddin... The mere mention of the name swings memories of a  stylish right handed batsmen from Hyderabad who with his wonderful wrist flicks transformed a cricket match into a poetic creation with aesthetic nuances of a masterpiece.

Azharuddin  donned a new avatar on 19th February 2009, as he formally joined Indian National Congress and won the general election from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh to become a  member of Parliament. It is news that the former Indian Captain has been offered the post of a coach for the Jammu & Kashmir cricket team.

Azhar, as he is popularly known, took the world cricket by a storm with swashbuckling test centuries on debut against England in 1984 as he went on to score three centuries in the first innings of first three consecutive test matches, a feat yet to be paralleled. The 1991 "Wisden Cricketer of the Year" award winner also became the first man in the history of world cricket to play 300 ODI's.

Farooq Abdullah, president of the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that Azharuddin was offered the position that has been vacant since Bishan Singh Bedi's exit after the end of last season. "We still haven't reached the final decision," Abdullah said.

"He has been offered the post of coach by JKCA but he hasn't decided whether to take it or not. They want to avail of whatever services he could render. He is seriously considering it since he is desperate to give back to the game that has been so close to his heart."  The former batsman is yet to take a decision. Mujeeb Khan, Azharuddin's secretary said.

But, this will be no walk in the park for the former Indian Captain. When the BCCI banned Azharuddin for life in 2000, he was barred from participating in any cricketing activity. Though the ban was deemed illegal by the Andhra Pradesh High Court in November 2012, a BCCI official said Azharuddin cannot return to cricket in any role without the board's permission since the ruling has been challenged.

"The high court verdict was based on a technicality. Nowhere did the court say he is not guilty of indulging in fixing. Since the proceedings to challenge the verdict have been initiated, as far as BCCI is concerned, any association that wants to appoint him in any capacity cannot do so without the board's consent" the board official said.

Ajay Sharma was also banned for life and hasn't been active in cricket since then. Ajay Jadeja , whose five year ban was overturned by the BCCI, returned to domestic cricket for a couple of seasons before becoming a cricket expert on television. Manoj Prabhakar, also  banned for five years, returned as the bowling coach of Delhi after serving his ban.

Whether Azhar gets a clean chit from BCCI remains to be seen.

Check back for an update for more details as they surface.

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