lout

It seems increasingly likely that I will not post my thoughts on the Ashes. I never meant for a series review, more an out pouring of the moments and memories that led most of us to push all other sporting activity to the side for the span of a couple of months. So I chose to use a relatively good week at work to ‘recover’ (bah, what an excuse) from the cricket, and now, faced with far more demanding work weeks, don’t see myself spouting eloquently on this gargantuan series.

Of course, meanwhile other things keep happening. The wheel keep turning in world cricket, or threaten to fall off if you’re talking about the Indian perspective. Everyone has read everything there is to about Ganguly “being asked to step down”. There are many things to ponder, debate and argue but it seems more and more unlikely to me that Ganguly will be able to gracefully walk away (as a captain) into the sunset like he deserved to for his contributions to Indian cricket. Instead, what must surely be the fag end of his captaincy career (let his batsmanship still have a chance), is marked by the very bickering and pettiness that he helped us forget about. It’s a pity, really.

While his unglamorous hundred the other day was a display of gritting your teeth and trying hard, in some ways it can also be seen as symbolic, and symptomatic, of something else you’d think ails Indian cricket- the desire, always, to ensure your place in the setup is safe. This is not to say his innings was at the cost of team interest- it was not, but too often, starting with the administration, it is too much about keeping your place, your power and your hold.

And oh, I sound far more cynical than I feel, by the way.

waiting

How long can one wait to 'do justice' in words to the series just concluded?

One

1 year to this blog today.

no big deal, I guess, especially with the layoff for a couple of months when I moved countries. just thought I would note it.

Day 1 at The Oval

The Rock Star & the One Man Band
Shane Warne’s sheer poetry with the ball is drowned out by the clashing beats of his persona. Bowling with a majesty that is nothing if not riveting, his art could have been poetry if it weren’t for the way he is- he is more the in-your-face rock star than the beautiful poet, more Morrison than Blake.

Yesterday, he was a lone warrior. If there was one reason any English supporter (or a neutral who might ‘feel’ for them, and be glad that the dominating team is being challenged) would not mind Australia retaining The Ashes, it would be Shane Warne. He is the one you would feel bad for, his passion. And this defiance in the face of loss or adversity was visible yesterday. On a first day pitch that offered only a little assistance, amidst a bowling attack that looked toothless at worst and manageable at best, he donned his leather jacket and took to the stage in a blinding flash of drama and style. What followed was a mesmerising act, leaving all who witnessed it in awe of the depth, character and talent that characterise his performances. If Australia lose the Ashes, more than anyone else, it will be a travesty to this man.

Side notes:
Simon Katich had been speaking to Warne a few overs before the Strauss dismissal, and moving in straighter from his sill mid-off position. At one time, he and Warne chatted, and I could hear Warne say as he walked back to his mark “just ask punter”. Not long after, Katich took that stunner (photos 4 & 5) to dismiss Strauss.

Andrew Flintoff
Played beautifully, played with class. When he gout out, though, it seemed to me there might have been a bit of anxiety writ on his face as he walked off, knowing that England might be looking at a score lower than what would take the heat off (photo 18) them. Unlike Flintoof, who looks at ease and like he is enjoying himself most of the time.

It might just have been both teams were a tad defensive (safe) in the way they played yesterday- England once Warne was bowling, Australia most of the time Warne was not.

Awaiting

In about 6 hours, the most anticipated test in recent history shall commence. Well, at least the most anticipated Test since Lord’s in July, or Edgbaston or Old Trafford…
Its been that sort of series, hasn’t it.

At the start, most of us would have, at best, hoped wildly that the series would come down to the last test. How many actually believed that The Oval would host a decider is quite another thing. Expectations ranged, not so widely, from England wining nothing to winning a dead test to winning a solitary live one. Everything else was in the realm of hope, be it for an Englishman or a neutral. And everything else was in the realm of the unreal, even nightmarish, for everyone down under.

Yet, 43 days and four tests later this is no nightmare. Not even the most ardent Australian fan can fault the series. It is more than anyone could have asked or hoped for, more than the most gifted of scriptwriters could have created- anticipation has, inexplicably and wonderfully, risen from test to test.

Today we are left talking about how much Jones and McGrath will affect this decider, whether some players who till recently were atop a hill are over it, whether the lions will be left licking their wounds, or will they claw their way back, if weather will, eventually, play a part in this series, or if it could boil down to the toss of a coin.

Truth be told, none of it really matters. This series has already transcended such trivialities- leaving them as mere points of discussion. We would be better off contemplating the riveting charm of this game, yet it can be hardly articulated, so we settle for the normalcy of such discussions. Its just that sometimes, they seem almost incidental in the bigger picture.

After every test I have tried to consciously lower my expectations, not wanting to be disappointed, not believeing such exhilarating cricket could sustain itself. Every time, I have been proved wrong. Every time, I have been left happily shaking my head. Whatever happens at the Oval, I will still be here, marvelling at this game.
Its been that sort of series, hasn't it.

preparation

Am I wrong, or is this pretty un-Australian? It definitely is not like the Australia I have known/seen for a few years now. What sense could it make for Ponting to defend his captaincy prematurely, even if it could be practise for a week later? It smacks of insecurity to me. Like last week’s issue, this is not about whether he is to blame or not. It is about why he is talking about it to begin with.

And this one seems really garbled to me:

"I said as early as the second Test I probably wasn't as sharp at changing
momentum at different times and being as defensive when I needed to be,"Ponting
said. "You go in on what you think is right at the time. I'm not a great one at
looking back and analysing previous Test matches or previous innings and picking
out what I've done well or what I haven't done well because I actually feel I'm
doing the right things at the right times in the game."

So he says that
a. he knows at one point he wasn’t decisive enough with the field changes.
b. yet he will not look back at tests and analyse what he’s done because he believes he is doing all the things that matter, at the times they are needed.

In other words, he says he is the first to acknowledge he wasn’t sharp enough, but actually he has done everything right, so no looking back required here.

Um…what, again?

the tri series

It seems odd, and a trifle guilty, even, to ponder about a (meaningless) tri-series on the eve of the most anticipated test match since…well, since the last one! But I will, if only a little.

India lost a tri-series that was more of a 3 match contest between India and New Zealand. India won one of these three matches, and that was the one in which neither the unsettling Bond nor the excellent Vettori played. In doing so, the team lost yet another final. That makes it a hopeless 12 lost of 16 played since 2000. Worse, there remains just the one (one) final we have won in the same period. 5 years, 16 finals, one victory. Can you blame them when they say South Africa have been dethroned as COWs (Chokers of the World)? Sigh, you can’t.

Yet there is more to feel uneasy about than the loss. There is the unease itself, that slowly permeates you as a follower of your team, filling you with dread, eroding the confidence you had waited years to build. Indeed, the confidence the team had taken years to create. There is the haplessness, at not knowing what exactly is going on, not understanding, and getting the feeling that nobody really knows what’s going on.

There was Pakistan in 2004, and then there has been this endless downward spiral. The odd spark, the odd performance, but it seems to be back to those unpredictable days of Indian cricket when the only thing you could count on was inconsistency. Losing one-day tournaments and series galore, a worrying loss to Australia at home, a tedious victory over the South Africans and a meaningless one against the Bangladeshis- then, a disheartening draw with our neighbours.

It just seems too reminiscent of years that seem now distant- when you asked “what is going on?”. Everybody has answers, and nobody has answers. Everybody has ideas, nobody knows if they are worthwhile, because nobody can really pinpoint what’s wrong. [or can we? After all, that’s what we do sitting in our proverbial armchairs). Heck I, for one, just can’t say what wrong? Everything looks so listless, so devoid of purpose and energy. At any point in the batting innings, someone could get out. Nothing we do inspires confidence because nothing we do seems to last.

But I rant. Other observations, less of the rambling variety.
- Ganguly. I can’t help but think that his time is up. What he and Wright did (and they did) is over. Let Dravid have a go with Chappell (who must surely wonder what exactly he’s got himself into)
- Harbhajan has looked woefully out of form for a while now, possibly a year or more. Frankly, he has outlived the halo of his famous series against Australia a long time ago. I don’t know if it excessive awareness of his much scrutinised action or plain lack of form, but he has looked quite harmless for some time now. The problem is, the replacements are an ageing Kumble and an unimpressive Karthik.
- selection. What’s with Balaji missing out? And no, I won’t start with Agarkar the-potential-man again.

Of course, now come the even more meaningless Tests. Nothing much to gain. Like I said before, anything short of crushing victories in both games, and everyone will be at them again. Ganguly is either a worried man, or one who doesn't care. Either way, it's unsettling.

Final- Ind v NZ

What a cracker of a first over from Shane Bond. I don't think too many people on the field (or off it for that matter) had any idea what was happening with a couple of those balls. Vicious swing, and movement off the pitch. Sehwag was cut in half and had little idea what was going on. Shahstri then sais Ganguly was looking determined and he liked his body language against Bond. Well, his body can say what it wants. He needs some runs. And India need desperately to win this one.

I won't be able to liveblog too much for this one, though. Work beckons.