So near yet so far - Zimbabwe

The first test between Zimbabwe and Pakistan ended the way everyone would have assumed it to. Pakistan defeated Zimbabwe by a huge margin of 221 runs. Given the superiority of Pakistan's bowling and batting attack compared to Zimbabwe's, the result was always on the cards.

Given the cricket crisis that Zimbabwe is baffled with, keeping a test match alive for five days  against a formidable and victor Pakistan itself would be a motivation for the Zimbabwean cricket team.. Zimbabwe have ended on the losing side but there are good bunch of positives that Zimbabwe can carry from the first test.

Except for the last day's play, not on a single day did Zimbabwe let their fighting spirit dwindle. They knew they were up against a team much higher in ranks and a team that plays cricket more consistent then they do. From the word go, Zimbabweans were up to the task, a challenging one but not inconceivable.

The less experienced  bowling attack featuring Chatara, Panyangara and Utseya delivered more than what would have been expected of them. Striking with the new ball, creating early in-roads to the middle-order by sending Pakistani openers Manzoor and in-form Hafeez back to pavilion, twice in the test match. Utseya and Maskadza complemented well with their bowling.

Zimbabwe had the first laugh as they successfully stopped Pakistan from surpassing the 300 run mark in the first innings. Had it not been for the fifties from  Misbah, Azhar Ali and some fight back from the lower order batsman Saeed Ajmal, Pakistan would have been bundled out for less then 200.

Younis Khan

On it's turn, Zimbabwe replied well, thanks to the superb innings from debutant Sikandar Raza and MN Waller. Chigumbura assured Zimbabwe of a first innings lead. Sikandar Raza has been the find of the season for the Zimbabwean cricket. His strong batting technique supported by good instincts makes him a complete batsmen. A lead of over 80 runs and three quick wickets in the first session of Pakistan's second innings, raised hopes of an upset for Pakistani team.

But then the experienced Younis Khan takes the command to rescue his team from the shackles. With all the experience of international cricket he has and a technique that has proved worthy for Pakistan on several previous occassions, Younis Khan along with Misbah steered the astray Pakistani ship. Younus Khan first with Misbah and then with Adnan Akmal stitched the Pakistani innings and assured it of a lead that wouldn't be easy for the Zimbabwean cricket team to chase on a five day old pitch.

Tired and disheartened Zimbabwean team gave up their fighting spirit on the final day. The lack of exposure to the international cricket for a long duration of time combined with the deficient experience of the team made it easy for the Pakistani team to win the match. The magician Saeed Ajmal who took 7 wickets when Zimbabwe first batted took another 4 in the second innings. While another in-from spinner Abdur Rehman chipped in with 4 wickets. Zimbabwe's inability to handle the spin attack, their inexperience to handle the turn on a five-day old pitch costed them the match.

Sikandar Raza

Despite the loss Zimbabwe has several positives to carry into the second test match. The ability of new ball bowlers to take early wickets is definitely a plus point for Zimbabwe. Sikandar Raza, Waller and Chigumbara would be expected to continue their batting form. Expectations would be more from the top order batsmen, as a good start would help them aim at a 400 plus total. Given the inability of the Pakistani pace bowlers to take wickets in the first test , Zimbabwe have to make sure it finds a way to handle the opposition's spin attack.

Rising Star : Vijay Zol

It was December of 2011 when 17 year old, Vijay Hari Zol of Jalna playing in an Under-19 match for Mahrashtra against Assam,  made a vibrant score of 457. Zol remained unbeaten on the score as he faced 467 deliveries. 53 balls were dispatched to the boundaries and 2 hits went over the ropes. His 11-hour long stay at the crease was an exceptional showcase of temperament that would match with the likes of Rahul Dravid or Mohammed Yusuf.  His score of 457 climbed to the No.1 spot in the domestic record books, surpassing the previous highest score of 443 by Bhausaheb Nimbalkar's in 1948 in a Ranji match between Maharashtra and Kathiawar.

Vijay Zol - A Rising Star

The naturally gifted stylish left-handed batsmen has every cricketing shot in his book. His scoring areas aren't restricted to any particular side of the ground. This exceptionally talented batsmen can score runs in all the directions of the park. Concordant to the modern day international cricketers he can hit boundaries at his will and when there aren't much opportunities, he makes keeps the score-board rotating with quick singles, a quality carved from a genuine batsmen. His lean but acrobatic physique adds to his swiftness on the field. 

A year ago, Zol had also scored a double century against Gujarat in the league stages of Vijay Merchant tournament. His score of 222 was then his personal best. But it was his marathon innings of 457 that opened the doors for his career to blossom. His consistency of making match winning scores soon earned him a deserved place in India Under-19 squad that went on to win the Under-19 World Cup in 2012. A fifty in the group stage match and a supporting 36 runs against Pakistan in the quarter-final guaranteed his team a place in semi-finals. 

A talent like Vijay Zol is of gold value and hardly goes unnoticed. The IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore noticed the potential in Vijay Zol and wasted little time in signing him for a youth contract in 2012.

Invaluable - Vijay Zol

The limelight surrounding Zol hardly distracted him as his focus remained to be only cricket. His consistent performances and his ability to lead was rewarded with the captaincy of the Under-19 Indian team for the triangular series in Australia, early this year. Zol accepted the huge task of leading the team and came up with even better performances as he scored 293 runs at a staggering average of 73.25. Zol continued his purple patch as he lead India Colts to victory in Sri Lanka followed by a jubilant hundred in a winning cause against Pakistan in the Under-19 Asia Cup. 

On the pleasant morning of August 30,2013, Vijay Zol made a dream debut for India-A by scoring a century against New zealand-A. The innings was a compilation of technique and temperament that would outclass the best of bowling attacks from across the world. The lean into the drives and back-foot punches through the covers while maintaining a perfect balance reminded me of the grace of legendary Brian Lara and Saurav Ganguly as he concluded his exemplary innings.

Dream Debut - Vijay Zol celebrates his century on debut for India -A

Vijay Zol acknowledges Virender Sehwag as his idol. He was rightly awarded M.A.Chidambaram Award for the best Under-19 Cricketer by the BCCI in 2012. Given the records, the consistency and the form that Vijay Zol is in, the future looks all bright for this naturally gifted exceptional talent. But, to make it to team India, Zol has to do what he does best and that is to bat and bat to score big. 

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Sachin may retire after his 200th Test match..

BCCI has confirmed West Indies tour of India, this November for 2 Test matches and 3 ODI series. The confirmation of series comes as a surprise, since the whereabouts of this series weren’t mentioned in ICC’s Future Tour Programs. 

Now, it’s not the schedule of the series that has caught everyone’s attention. It is India’s and cricket’s biggest ever icon Sachin Tendulkar’s career that has become the epicenter for news. Yes, by this time you must have made the right guess. The test series is probably the last of little master at game’s highest level. Speculations are that the series will curtain the legendary career of Sachin Tendulkar – A Living Legend.

 Living a Childhood dream - Sachin Tendulkar with Worldcup in his hands

Team India was scheduled to tour South Africa in November after a home ODI series against Australia. BCCI proposed an offer to West Indies that they fairly accepted. Had it been India touring South Africa in November, the whole of India would have been saddened by the fact that the farewell to the country’s greatest sportsman ever was bid on a foreign land. 

Truly Master Class - Sachin Tendulkar

Thankfully, BCCI made sure that Sachin remains at home when he calls it an end to his glorious career. The two test matches are likely to be played at Kolkata and Mumbai. Sachin deservingly gets a chance to play his last test match in his home-town, in front of his home crowd, the place where it all started for this batting great. The legendary batsman would accomplish yet another milestone as the test in Mumbai will be his 200th Test match, the highest number of appearances by a cricketer in Test cricket.

Sachin Tendulkar has done it all in cricket. He has faced the greatest of fast bowlers and has built an unparalleled reputation for his batting amongst the likes of Brain Lara and Ricky Ponting. His batting records sometimes looks like a collection of batting stats of an entire team.  With over 30000 runs in all formats of the game and 100 international hundreds, Sachin Tendulkar has been consistent in delivering for team India for over two decades now.

Sachin Tendulkar hasn’t scored a century in his last 38 Test match innings. His last century was a master-class 146 against South Africa at Capetown in January 2011. At Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Sachin last scored a century against Srilanka way back in 1997. He has scored nearly 850 runs in his 18 innings at Mumbai at an average of 47.05 However, his record in Mumbai tends to slightly improve against West Indies as he has 251 runs in 5 innings at a healthy average of 50.02. His overall record against West Indies, inclusive of all the venues, fares much better as he has successfully amassed 1546 runs in 19 matches at an average of 55.21.

 

Carrying the weight of over a billion expectations - Sachin Tendulkar

 With bat held high in his hand and his eyes shooting at the heavens, when Sachin walks on to the pitch for one last time, he'll be carrying expectations of a whole nation, the entire world, living legends and legends from heaven, his admirers and his critics. A performance nothing short of his best would be expected from the GREATEST CRICKETER OF ALL TIME.