Trying -II

A short note amidst (and despite) consistently horrific hearings (and sightings) on the tsunami tragedy.

South Africa just battled out a tough draw against England, ending with no result a match that has been, at different times, swaying like a pendulum and delicately poised in conditions that have changed as much as the match direction. It was a thrilling last couple of sessions that I Managed to catch glimpses of, and it was truly unfortunate for England that it ended the way it did.

Unfortunate, but by no means unfair. Something a certain former captain would disagree with, it would seem. Nasser Hussain’s frowning and generally disagreeable demeanour (to me, at least) when he was a player has partly found its way into his voice and the commentary box. In fact, even into his interviewing skills- he grilled Simon Taufel with a ferocity that left in no doubt his opinion on the proceedings. In the same breath as his fellow commentators said how it was a consistent decision by the umpires, Hussain continued to harp on the “incredible” decision and wondered why Vaughan was not offered the option of bowling his spinners. Well, Nasser, nothing in the books (nor precedent) requires the umpires to do so. If Vaughan had seen it fit to switch ti himself and Giles of his own accord it may have postponed the umpires’ decision. If, in fact, he had even queried them on it on the pitch, they might have debated it (as Taufel mentioned). But Nasser Hussain’s insistence on a point agreed to be fair by the rest of the (English) commentators smacked of the same churlishness that seemed to dog his tenure as captain, and even bordered on whining.

He should, instead have been talking about the near 2 hours that Pollock and deVilliers defied the English attack.

Trying to Get Back - I

The first in (hopefully) a series of posts to get back into the writing habit- and finding the time.

Again, amongst tumultuous (happily so) times, I am trying to keep pace with the cricket. Indian cricket is at a terribly dull phase that promises to continue till at least Feb when the Pakistan team tours here on an itinerary as yet undecided. It is virtually January, the tour is little over a month away, and there is still no clarity on where the matches are being played and when. But for a board immersed in politics and legal battles on many fronts, I suppose the cricket is last priority. Who can blame them, I suppose. Power, money and international clout is far more important. In the bargain, someone, somewhere will find some way to administer a game that is left, largely, to run on its own- feed off its own money and its fans’ passion.

Talking of passion, it remains relatively inexplicable and heartening in equal measure, to see the Bangladeshi fans turn out in large numbers to watch their team play insipid and largely pathetic cricket. Barring flashes of brilliance (Ashraful’s century really was deserving of that adjective), and some general entertainment (like at the end of the first ODI), there is little for them to cheer about. Yet they shout, scream, and Mexican wave themselves into a frenzy that is wholly admirable. While the craze for cricket in India can often be attributed to the lack of even distantly world class sports stature in any other sport, in Bangladesh even the cricket team isn’t really world class. There is also little else (I may be wrong here) the nation participates in, sport-wise. And the people are probably starved of any sort of entertainment. And, more charitably and most hopefully, they probably love their cricket enough to come out in droves to see a team doing really well, even if that team is hammering their own.

The other subcontinental cauldron of passion, that epitome of talent, inconsistency and inexplicable waste- Pakistan- got pulverised in Perth. While the result itself was acceptable, the manner in which it came was absolutely spineless. Of course, clamours have begun for Woolmer’s head and Inzy’s paunch- neither of which can really be held entirely responsible.

Then there is Mr Akhtar- one of the most entertaining characters on and off the field in world cricket. Shoaib gets some advice- you should bowl fast. Then he gets some more- shorten your run up, you don’t need it to bowl at your pace. And of course, he comes out with a gem- “How can an airplane take-off without a runway?”
No answer for that one, Shoaib bhai.

I read a brief report that also stated that ESPN Star’s appeal against a Kerala High Court order has been postponed to January, meaning Doordarshan will telecast the remaining two ODIs as well. Why would a Kerala court decide that ESPN’s exclusive rights of the series in Bangladesh still called for a telecast on DD? Who can blame Prasar Bharti for the apathy? Half the telecasts it gets (most, actually) are de facto because it is a government body (supposedly autonomous), and it doesn’t really need to make too much effort.

Look out for that spark

Like I said, I have been erratic, and promise to be so for some more time.
(I wonder who's noticing, but heck- don't hurt saying it!)

Some exciting cricket is in prospect tomorrow onwards. First the Australian summer will hope to actually hot up against Pakistan, and then the English and South Africans take each other on. Both the visiting sides have had a torrid time in tour games, but for both that is unlikely to change the pre-tour predictions and chances.

Pakistan, famously, are unpredictable. It is unlikely there is any other adjective used with such frequent consistency for any other team as this one for these guys. The series is unlikely to have any scoreline besides 3-0, barring the weather. Yet, Pakistan is one of those teams (nesides your own) who you don't mind watching despite knowing they are most likely to lose. In fact, their losses often conceal thrilling spells of cricket and dazzling bursts of passion that get lost in the scoreline. Those few periods of excitement are always worth waiting for, just that you never know when they will hit and you- and you might miss them just as easily. All talk Shoaib can still serve up some spectacular bursts of raw speed and destruction, though who knows if he will. His spells will hold the key- first up, and the reverse swinging second/third spells. If he is ineffective in all of these, the others will be hard pressed to put the Aussies batting under any sort of pressure.

England, on the other hand, are likely to win despite their tour loss- at least on paper. They probably have the most backers (and justifiably) for the second best team in the world tag. Not without good reason. Harmison and Flintoff are going to be key men in the series, and the batting lineup shood come through moe often than not. No one looks a sure shot for a glut or runs in the series, but as a lineup they should come through. Kallis, Smith and Co. will be happy to be back in home conditions facing predominantly pace bowling on familiar tracks. They will suddenly loook far more complete than they did In India, but whther the bowling can back them up enough is yet to be seen. i would guess England winning 3-1 or something. It is a long tour, though, and the poms could tire. Especially for the seven ODIs to follow. But that's a while away.

Closer still is the second test at Chittagong, with little likely to change the pattern of Bangladesh cricket. India should win again, and win big. Of some interest will be the possibility of any more records. Oh well, let see. It is a boring December season for India, while there will be few more sparks (or at least, more weighty if predictable sparks) around the holiday season elsewhere.

ps- Rhodes doesn't want to be the fielding consultant at the India NCA. What a pity. He wants to "take a break from cricket and learn the ropes in the corporate world", he says. Though he 'hastens to add that he does not rule out cricket coaching'.

Bangabandhu, and catchup

Boy it has been along time. I have been absconding for a week, and with good reason (yet little to actually occupy me). It seems possible there shall be some more sporadic behaviour on my part, but more on that later- when the reasons are little clearer!

A delayed start today for the subcontinental clash (if you can call it that). Delayed first by a day (thanks to the first- but apparently not very worrisome- terrorist threat made directly towards cricketers); and delayed this morning by excessive moisture in the playing surface. The curator, poor chap, decided to water it yesterday as the match had been pushed by 24 hours, and then today's cloudy conditions ensured the pitch was too wet to play on. We actually saw (in the hole where the stump was) that you could make a deep indentation even an inch below the surface.

After that everything went according to script, pretty much. In fact, the Bangladeshis probably got a little more than they should have, though 180 is hardly spectacular. The focus was naturally on Anil Kumble finally becoming the leading wicket taker for India, an achievment (repeatedly phrased) as truly great. Yup, got that right. He had a nice little chat with Bhogle, Shastri and Wasim at the end of day's play. Which reminds me, even a relatively dull day of Test cricket seemed like an oasis after the stifling depression that was sports broadcasting on Doordarshan. Thank God for small mercies.

Haven't written for a week, so of course there a quite afew things that have happened- maybe stale to go into right now. The death of a footballer on the field of play was something tragic, extremely disheartening and also angering. In-stadia conditions in this country have always been sub standard, yet it takes something this drastic to bring the matter into focus. Unfortunately, I can still not say for sure that this will shake up authorities enough to ensure facilities that can even approach world class- and that is whas is the scariest part. Like any sport (including cricket) it is the administration (combined with a despairing lack of it) that leaves the game in tatters in India.

The Chappell-Hadlee Trophy ended today in a damp squib. There were a great couple of matches, reminding us that the fighting Kiwi spirit was alive and well (and that the ODI game offered far more opportunity to challenge the world champions). What apity today had to be abandoned- the Gabba seems to rain out quite a bit of cricket.

VVS Laxman is extremely disapppointed that he has not been included in the ODI squad. It is with some reason that he is hurt about the way he is treated and the lack of acknowledgement coming his way, but in this case, dear Venkatsai, I will have to agree with the wise men. I think it is time he is eased out of the shorter format, and someone else takes his place (eg- a wicket keeper). Bangladesh is the best place for it to happen. It might be an easy but assuring entry for Dhoni (hope the actually play him), while Laxman in the team would have probably got some runs against the hapless neighbours and it would seem that all is well for a while. In truth, he is slower in the field than he used to be, he still is not able to maintain pace and rhythm through an innings that requires the urgency of ODI cricket, and his running between wickets has deteriorated.

Pakistan is trying to ready itself for the Aussie onslaught, but not with much success, it would seem. Hussey's taken them to the cleaners, and Kaneria & Farhat took 5 of the 9 wickets on a WACA patch. Except for seeing Akhtar get Langer cheaply, it all looks a little fearsome for the Pakistanis.

Whoa. The highest score in any form of the game by any sort of team was cored in Mumbai, when the Anjuman-I-Islam Fort English School team scored 1125 (yes eleven hundred and twenty five runs!) including a mammoth 531 runs partnership. Still short of the historic 664 that Tendulkar and Kambli put on though.

Meanwhile, Dravid has got his record and Kumble his, on the very first day of the Bangla tour. Will Sri Tendulkar please follow suit...?

Kolkata Day 5

The crowds poured in, the CAB raked it in, and South Africa simply caved in. When Sachin (oh, our sachin!) Tendulkar scored the winning runs, India won their second series of three played this year, and 4th test of 10, losing 3. The problem of course, is not how many we lost but how we lost them.

But that is for later. Today, the team played with ease and skill to make sure there were no upsets. In fact, there were not even any scares, with the 8 wicket margin being an accurate indication of the gap between the sides. Eventually, despite a good accquital by the youngsters from South Africa, they always looked like the the team most likely to lose, and at best draw the series.

The first hour or so, in which the remaining five South African wickets fell with not much of a resistance, was marred by the Pollock dismissal, if one can call it that. You could say that Ganguly's obviously not out LBW and Kallis's nick yesterday sort of made up for Amla's and Pollock's decisions, and everything evens out and all that. But the way Shaun Pollock had to leave was nothing short of shocking. Given out caught at short leg, there was absolutely no contact between bat and ball. What was really bizarre though, was Daryl Harper's decision to not even go to the third umpire with the catch. While Gambhir (let us give him the benefit, he could have genuinely believed it was a clean ctach- and it may have been) claimed it alright, there was no way a third umpire would have been able to rule assuredly that it was a clean catch, there was way too much doubt.

But the spinners bowled really well. Bhajji's guile and flight was showcased never better than in Kallis's wicket. On the face of it a really soft dismissal, he was in fact fooled by the flight, misjudged it entirely and returned such a simple catch to the bowler that it took a split second to realise he actually was out. Kumble's third and their last wicket was a beauty that Tsolikele seemed sure he had covered, till he realised it had snuck past his bat and clipped his off stump. In doing so, of course, he has equalled Kapil's record and will soon be the highest wicket taker in Indian cricket history. It really is a remarkable feat, especially for someone who was so often branded (and sometimes, it must be admitted, was) one dimensional and dependent on conditions.

The Mozzrekar update- Sehwag in the second innings takes a second run to retain strike against Ntini, who got him in the first innings with a snorter.
"What is really good to see is the attitude- Sehwag is looking to get back on strike when he could easily have found it easier to stay off strike against Ntini. It is good to see"
And that's out! V Sehwag caught at slip, bowled Ntini.
Ugh.

India played out their second innings comfortably, if a tad tediously at times. The series was closer to forgettable than memorable, but to say it was a total wash out (in terms of fans or viewers or spectators) would be unfair. The South Africans were truly inexperienced and had no spinner worth his salt in these conditions. I am not sure Nicky Boje would have turned the tide for them at any point had he been around, but surely he would have added more value than those tried out. South Africa go back to play England, and while the latter should be favourites (or at least, have the upper hand) this side could well fightback at home.

For India, Bangladesh beckons. It really should ensure that Kapil's record is eclipsed and Sunny's at least equalled. These two tests really should be all about getting back into the groove, and we better be in for some exciting Indian performances, if not a contest. (Don't speak too soon, ol chap).
Of course the one thing we Definitely can look forward to is being rid of the absolutely depressing and heart rending 'Fourth Umpire' show on DD Sports. I really don't have the heart to go into how it completely depresses you, but believe me it does. After the first few days, when you could see the lighter side and enjoy the unintentional entertainment, it had just been an ordeal I have chosen to not go through. Teh ordeal however continues through the rest of the telecast with the extended ad breaks, cut offs through player interviews and commentator discussions....aaarrgh here I go again, and I couldnt be bothered. ESPN StarSports, save us.

* * *

Meanwhile Ganguly has gone ahead and gotten himself fined again. It looks like he is quietly taking it, and that is just fine. He got lucky with the Castle ruling, and should be happy now. More on this later, perhaps.

England is thrashing Zimbabwe (really?!) and the Hadle Chappell trophy is up soon. Hope the Kiwis put up a better showing in the ODIs. Am moderately excited about the Pakistanis down under though- you just never know what you can expect. So while I dont see them winning the series (haha) or even a test (very unlikely), they might just provide some excitement. After the NZ series, I guess it cannot get worse for the Aussie spectators.

That's it then. The same team heads for Bangladesh soon, with the addition of Gagandeep Singh from Punjab who I have never seen. Unlikely he will get a game- there is no reason to experiment. Except for Sehwag who can check out how long he can stay the crease and ho many different shots he can play. The batsmen had better be licking their lips, and had better play positively.

Kolkata Day 4

A Jennings of Hope

Ray Jennings stated yesterday that he looked forward to wrapping up the Indian lower order, batting positively, and setting India 200 in the last two sessions on Day 5. It would seem, unfortunately for the outspoken new coach, that there is only an outside chance of that happening. Unless we (are shocked to) see Kallis and de Bruyen come out all guns blazing (and hitting the target several times over), that is one way this match looks unlikely to head. Predictions on the last day of a wearing Indian pitch are hardly the best idea, especially with a home team still looking for the fluency in batting it is used to- but the South Africans will be pulling something out of a hat here of they manage a (series) win.

To be fair, the visitors stuck to their task admirably, but the morning session still unfolded in a way that neither side would moan about, or be ecstatic. Surely though, the Indians would have been the happier lot going in to a lunch break 106 runs ahead and set to bowl after a few bananas and miscellaneous fruit. Yet, South Africa would have initially been happy they dislodged Pathan, who could have proved to be dangerous, pretty quickly. Karthik played with enough spirit , and effectiveness, to assuage any doubts on his ability to wield the willow. Without tearing through the tail, they couldnt help but give away at least the 50 odd runs they eventually did.

Smith and Hall provided a reassuring, sensible and prosperous start. The two left armers loooked nowhere near as menacing as they did on Day 2, and the openers survived- flourished, even. The advent of Kumble initially did not seem like much cause for concern, but once Harbhajan came on, things looked different. The pitch, providing glimpses over the last few sessions of how it would aid quality spinners, got its first chance to do so. It was then, for quite a while, the Turbanator all the way. With an irresistible rough around the right hander’s leg stump, Kumble insisted on bowling around the wicket for a large part of his spell, without much success. It was Bhajji who looked likely to take a wicket, proceeding to take all of the first four.

That his first four did not include Jaques Kallis when it should have, has been a great talking point since. In real time live play, I must say, it looked terribly and surely out. There was no doubt in my mind at home, and in the players'- and, as you can see here , in Bhajji's. Daryl Haprer, unfortunately, thought otherwise. Things 'evened out' later on when Hashim Amla was given out though in replays it seemed he hadn’t nicked it. But the value of Kallis and the value of Amla....oh well, this will or won't continue to be a talking point only after tomorrow's result.

It was with more than a little surprise that we saw Dravid suddenly out of slip and in at short leg. Commentators were puzzled and found it quite absurd, till Laxman (now at slip) pulled off a stunner to dismiss Smith- truly plucking it out from almost behind and above himself. Of course, Laxman's skill at slip was not the reason for Dravid moving out. Later Mozzrekar even ventured to say it was a sign of his team spirit that Dravid was at short leg instead of Gambhir, recognising how crucial that position could be in terms of an outcome in the match.

Sachin had little part to play today except manfully patrolling the square leg and deep square leg positions. There was a little girl in the stands, though, who was interested in things other than Mr Tendulkar. In an assuredly smile-inducing shot, we could see her holding up a poster that said- "Hi Sachin. How is Sara? Can we be friends?" This was followed by the girl's name and phone number! Sara of course, is Sachin's daughter who though, I suspect, is younger to the girl in the stadium.

On the field of play, not many are younger that Dinesh Karthik who acquitted himself honourably behind the stumps. Between him, the spinners, the umpires and a couple of South Africans will be decided the fate of this match. In the noisy cauldron that is Eden Gardens, it will be amazing if the South Africans pull of a victory.
On a dusty Day 5 pitch in India, a prediction is hardly the best idea, but this not the minefield that Wankhede was, and the Indians will fancy chasing a small target. First though, they must dislodge Kallis and then the aggressive Polly. If the left armers can get any purchase first up, or if the spinners still hold all the cards, remains to be seen. Either way, we finally have an almost guaranteed exciting day's play in store. Not something you could have said too often in this series.

Kolkata Day 2

Many maids all in a row, and the Mozz, Indian style

17:00 IST
An interesting day at Eden Gardens, but at the end of it all you realise there have still been only 230 runs scored in the day. It was a good gritty cricket from both sides, but I guess we have all been spoilt by the pace and excitement that the Aussies have brought to the longer format.

Shaun Pollock has reached the (easily missed yet much talked about today) milestone of 1000 maiden overs in test cricket. He is the 11th bowler and 5th paceman to do so, though in these 11 he leads the pack with the highest percentage of maiden overs from career overs bowled. That's about 30 something percent, as is Glenn McGrath. The spinners are Warne, Murali, Lance Gibbs and I think Kumble and Bedi. There was extended conversation and in depth analysis of this stat, and while I must say I sort of enjoyed it (why, I wonder), I guess it was also a reflection of how exciting the match was. Especially at that point there was a slew of maiden overs as Laxman and Karthik settled in.

Talking of which. Sanjay Manjrekar, I have always maintained, has been one to put some sort of a hodoo on batsmen when they are going well, or promising to. Ravi Shastri was another one, but he seems tohave improved over recent times. I learnt not so long ago that this is called 'mozzying' in Australia. To 'put the mozz' is to talk about the batsman doing well, playing well, looking set etc, and in doing so ensuring he is out soon.

At any rate, Manjrekar had barely settled into his commentary position, and he began on the special relationships players share with grounds. He was referring, of course, to a Very Very Special relationship with Eden Gardens that a certain wristy batsmen enjoys. Except, the said batsman was on 38 and only starting to look a little fluent. I immediately jerked my head towards the score and confirmed that his innings was just about settling down, and far from being the sort (even potentially) that Eden Gardens has inspired in him. I often mute the commentary when I hear possibly dangerous comments such as this one, but I guess I was too lazy this time.
Manju dear, of course, had not had enough. How different the body language has been, he said; how relaxed the man seems. It really is amazing, he informed us, how some grounds and some batsman share something so special.
It was special enough for Laxman to smash the next ball down point's throat.

Hey, thanks there, idiot. (& not even so much as an "oops, I really put the hodoo on him there".)

But anyway, Pathan and Karthik have ensured there would be no sudden Day 3 collapse; and while the lead may not be anywhere near what India mayhave hoped for (to bat only once), it might still be good for pressure on the Proteas come the second round of batting.

Smith, by the way, has used the same ball for 125 overs, choosing not to take the new ball just before tea. Then he chose to not take the new ball even after tea, when he had refreshed bowlers and batsmen coming in from a break. Of course a new ball would go off the bat quicker and all that, but it seemed to me that he would rather be safe and stifle runs with the old ball then take shiny one and with it, take the chance of buying some wickets.
Which means No.6 and 7 will (surely?) have the new ball to contend with tomorrow morning in conditions that will help Pollock and "Entini" (how the hell is his name pronounced anyway?).

Should be some good stuff, and the bottom half better be as prolific as they were against Australia. Then, the bolwers will really look forward to another shot at the S'Africans on a slow but cracking pitch.

Kolkata Day 1

17:23 IST

Even if he is at home, In Eden Gardens, with afew thousand Bengalis shouting hoarse for him, Saurav Ganguly cannot win a toss. And so, Slater pronounced "you're batting" to Smith at the toss interview, before the smiling S'African captain could even open his mouth. Of course, he was going to bat.

After that, one could only hope the Proteas would not 'play safe' like they did in Kanpur. They did play cautiosuly, but the Indians also bowled pretty tight. Unusually, at the end of the day, Kumble was easily the most ineffective of the lot, while Pathan and Khan unsurprisingly, were the key bowlers. Zaheer was particularly good in his opening speel, while Pathan's spell in the final session was crucial. If there is a rivalry between the two (and how can there not be), it is absolutely great for us. This, with Nehra and Balaji both on the sidelines. The latter in particular, I believe, can work as a great third seamer as he is not *another* left armer; and he is, while possibly less spectacular, more the steady sort.

Kallis got his first century against India, which is suprising. He now has 17, which is equal to Dravid's tally. Despite his phenomenal form of late and increased stature in the game, it is a little odd that Dravid has only 17 even now. Langer and Hayden are both on 20 tons, Hayden in the least tests of all these(60-odd), and it is a great record. Mr Sehwag has 8 from 28, and if he can maintain broadly the same form for the next say 6-8 years, he will undoubtedly retire an all time great. I guess *maintaining the form* is they key- much easier said than achieved!

But, Eden Gardens- after all the good performances, we still had 226 runs scored in the day. There ha sto be something that wakes the batsmen from their slumber. Of course, it was nothing like the First Test where they were slow despite a position of strength. The wickets in the final session put them on the backfoot. If India cannot wrap up this innings quickly, hope for a result will nosedive.

Oh- Eden Gardens, it would seem, is one of the oldest Cricket clubs and grounds in the world...(!). The MCC was formed in the 1770s (1776, I think) and while conformed records exist to prove the CAB's existence in 1780-something, it is likely it was around as early as the 1760s. Now that's interesting. (So said Boria Majumdar)

The rest of a lazy Sunday beckons, thank you.

Kanpur Day 4

Well so much for my whining about South Africa's approach. While India's tardiness with the bat today was not in the same league as the display on the first two days, it still fell short of expectations. And, short of match ambition.

Gambhir just missing out on his ton was a tad sad (tad sad? did I just say tad sad?....ugh).
The day, though, undoubtedly belonged to Sehwag. Even if his brief assault was just that- brief- it was the kind that would stick in the mind far more than, with due respect, Andrew Hall's labour of sleep...er, love. Despite a period of inactivity just before lunch, he came out of the break all guns blazing. It was evident from the first ball in the second session that the crazy jat boy had decided he was not going to let things meander along. Possibly most heartening (then) was the indication that it could have been a decision taken at lunch- to go after the South African bowling and explore any chances there were for making a match of this.

Yet, after the 'scintillating strokeplay' and 'master blaster' stuff, you realised there was no real team decision in that direction. At least, not one that looked beyond Sehwag. Once his wicket fell, and Sachin departed after an unhappy 18 balls, the skipper and his deputy retreated into a shell again. Admittedly, the low bounce combined with the bowlers' very effective use of the reverse swing was making it pretty tricky to bat out there, yet the intent clearly lacked. It was not till much later that there was some increased scoring (thanks to the new ball being taken), but it couldn't make much of a dent on the run rate- which ended at a depressing 3 rpo for the day.

As Gavaskar said on the telly later on, it was a case of "behti ganga mein haath dho lo" or 'if the holy Ganges flows before you, wash your hands in the water ' or 'if you have the chance to make some runs for yourself because there is little hope for forcing a result, why take it upon yourself to explore that tiny ray of hope?' or 'just relax and play. they screwed the result in the first two days anyway' or 'I insist on using a Hindi phrase that sounds catchy; and let me accept that the boys played for their form without actually saying so because I am now the batting consultant after all'
Or something like that!

But but but. To be fair, you couldn't have had Dada and Dravid suddenly going for it. A couple of wickets, and we would have said 'oh, here's the familiar Indian collapse', and I would be harping on right now about how they could have used the innings to get back into form instead they were all flashy, what do you know. So while yes, Australia in the same situation would have gone for the runs, Australia does not have a batting lineup that is still shorn of some confidence and looking to get back into some form. Not everyone is a Sehwag, you see. And even he could smash the ball around the way he did given he had played for a quite a while. Ganguly may just have stepped it up a bit more too, if he had not got out.
Oh well. Ifs and buts, and all that...

Meanwhile, I just read, some English reporters (quite afew) have not been accredited for the Zim series by the Zimbabwe govt, at the last minute. That's so ridiculous.
But please, everyone, the situation in Zimbabwe is perfectly normal, ok? (spank) Got it? (spank) Sure? (spank) Good.

Kanpur Day 3

18:00 IST
Finally there was some cricket which was *exciting* for the spectators/viewers.

As if yesterdays’ irritatingly over cautious approach was not bad enough, South Africa did not declare even today, despite the delayed start. 20 runs in the last 16 overs yesterday was nothing short of irrational caution. After dominating (if through attrition) for most of the first 4 sessions, somewhere through the fifth, or at least the 6th session of the match, they should have upped the tempo. There was no such move.
This morning’s bizarre weather (heavy fog across the ground with virtually no visibility) did nothing to affect that irrationality. At 450 odd, you’d think that was enough to ensure they did not lose the match. Of course there are hypothetical (read: miraculous) situations, like Kolkata 2001 and Adelaide 2003, when even such a high score would have let you lose, but you cannot seriously consider them as factors that affect your decision. Also, I agree that theirs is a young team, inexperienced and one that may let slip an advantage a more seasoned side may not. But I do believe that after losing an entire session to weather this morning, it was time to declare. Also, SA’s innings had taken so long that there was (is) too little time for there to be a result aside from India losing or a draw.

Anyway, I do not want to harp on this too much, but adding this strategy to the low, dull (albeit effective and justified) cricket played over the first 2 days, it is a bit much for the way cricket is played (for the fans). At any rate, it may not mean much if the Indians can bat the way they did this afternoon, and play out a high scoring draw.

I did not see al of India’s innings, but there was some positive intent from the openers that was refreshing. The pitch looks to be still a good one to bat on, despite the slow nature and low bounce. There is still very little unpredictability, so the batsmen can breathe a little easy. I must say a draw looks most likely, despite talk of India scoring as rapidly through the innings as they have in the last part of today, and getting a lead by early Day 5, and inserting SA to put them under pressure, and anything could happen then. The likelihood seems as wearisome as the length of that last sentence.

The fog in the morning was really out of the blue. It is common in North India once winter sets in- usually late December and January. At this time of the year, and not in conjunction with genuine cold conditions, it was really strange.

Well, at least the Indian batsmen and fans have something to look forward to- we can hope that not only the openers, but majority of the rest of the side play themselves in as well. Sehwag and Gambhir have gone amazingly concurrent with each other in terms of runs scored, hardly being far apart from the other’s score for to long. Despite the easy pitch, I do hope they get their tons cause it will be a good confidence booster, especially for Gambhir.
Till tomorrow then, unless there are any surprises, sleep well.

Donkey's XI

If you are in Delhi, and a cricket fan, and the type who wants to watch cricket live in a stadium- yes, with your very own eyes- here are some things you can do:

1. Please take some time out to drink your sorrows away, and also take out a large bottle of whatever it is that takes your fancy. (the heavier the bottle the better- once you polish it off, you can use it bash your head in)
2. Give up the aforementioned idea regarding cricket
3. Move city
4. Travel to watch it (and give up your job, spend all your money, just leave enough to drink away your sorrows-see point #1)

Sometime in 2002 (april, methinks) the wise, well meaning, responsible men that take decisions at the DDCA (thats the Delhi District Cricket Association) took the wise decision to rennovate the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium. Given that it was a blot on Delhi anyway, that sounded like a good move. They were to finish the task by April 2004, which of course did not happen despite their most earnest efforts. It was to be ready for the series against South Africa, but that too did not happen for reasons too heartbreaking to go into, especially for the good men whose heart it broke trying their darndest to complete it.

But. That's not all. Fate had more in store for these hard working, conscientious men with hearts of gold. In April 2004 (the scheduled time of completion) their permission (to continue work) from the Municipal Corporation ran out, and through some dark conspiracy, an extension was not applied for. By October, the villainous MCD woke up and stopped the (now illegal) work. It was then that the magnanimous members of the DDCA took time out from their numerous good deeds, and applied for an extension.
Till that piece of paper is obtained from those vicious, law abiding imbeciles who stopped the work in the first place, the ground is ready only for various donkeys around the ground to stray in and graze on the grass where once great men walked with leather ball and Kashmir willow in hand.

* * *
This is in the TOI for today, but I can't seem to find it online. It is absolutely ridiculous. For heaven's sake, this is the Capital of the country, and an embarassing stadium has been replaced by rubble and procrastination. Nobody seems interested, and there actually is a photo of the donkeys out in the middle. Coming in the wake of the fiasco (for spectators and media) that was the Delhi v AP Ranji match at the Roshanara Club, despair reigns supreme.

(Unless of course, your heart is of gold like thise wise men. After all, what can they do in the face of omnipotent Fate)

Feature Presentation!

The Big News for the day, though, is from far away at the Gabba. Glenn McGrath has hooked, pulled and grinned his way to a pugnacious 54 not out. Initial reports suggest that half the Aussie population has already guzzled a few kegs of beer in celebration, while the other half is still reeling under shock. Some, they say, continued sitting at the Gabba after close of play- rooted to their seats in disbelief till ground staff were forced to evict them in the darkness.

I woke to find first the morons at Fourth Umpire welcoming us to a brand new series (Ind v SA), but I quickly flipped to ESPN-Star and was hardly surprised, maybe a little bemused and shaking-the-head-smiling-sighing as I saw the score at 399/5. Clarke just hit a glorious backfoot cover drive and followed it up with a gorgeous copybook straight drive. Martyn had left early, but as is their wont, the Aussies decided to just push the pedal harder. Gilchrist and Clarke- from the highlights package at tea- looked in scintillating form, while the Kiwis had no answers at all.

But the best/worst/craziest/most infuriating/enjoyable (depending on your position in world cricket) part was yet to come. I think the unbeaten last wicket partnership between Pigeon and Dizzy is 93, and Fleming and his boys could do little to thwart them. From whatever I saw, they bowled a lot of consistently short stuff, and I have no idea why. I saw over after over (at the cost of missing some of the Ind-SA stuff) of short pitched stuff. Especially as McGrath showed that the shot that promises to send him into the next league of batters- the pull/hook- is what he is most comfortable at, it made no sense to continue with it. But they did, the Aussies smiled, grinned and then unabashedly laughed as the great bowler reached his first fifty. The delight was writ large on his team mates’ faces, and on all those around the ground who could comprehend what was happening.

(What is happening, in case you missed it, is that Australia are on their way to winning another test)

Kanpur Day 1

14:10, IST
The S’Africans reached the very brink of tea with all the reasons to claim the second session as entirely their own. Then Kumble’s hard work through the session paid off, ad he got two in two. Kallis out lbw to a decision that he seemed unhappy about, but loked pretty good to me; and Rudolph out in a manner suggesting he takes great inspiration from his skipper. Suddenly, the 2 Jacques had departed, and India will reach out for those cups of chai on a high, with Jumbo on hat trick ball when he returns.

I would still say the batting side has a long way to go, what their keeper batsman coming in at no.10, but with India, spin and the final session of a day, you never know. Hats off to Andre Hall, though- unexpectedly at the top of the order, he not only saw of the (relatively toothless) opening spell, but comfortably negotiated all the spinners have thrown at him so far.

In the morning, the pitch looked fair- typically Indian is what I mean. Bound to take turn, but not a minefield and unlikely to turn into a dustbowl. Dada continued his great luck at the toss and Graeme Smith happily elected to bat. It was an important toss for many reasons. It gave South Africa the chance to start of the series with a decent batting performance as opposed to India piling on the runs and setting the tone for the series. India, on the other hand, went in with 3 spinners and would have loved to bowl last on this track.

Round up

Not been writing too much have I?

20:15, IST
Time for some catching up. Between Diwali and Id, in the midst of the Diwali firecracker smoke and Kolkata haze, celebrating the Platinum jubilee of the Indian Cricket Board, and in a steaming cauldron of 90,000 people or thereabouts, Pakistan won. In fact, they not only won, but did so comprehensively. First thing in the morning there was speculation whether dew would play an part in the match. Well, it was Kolkata, it was Dada’s home ground, and he would know if it would be significant enough for him to not bat first. Or so they thought.

It was possibly the most sedate and withdrawn I have seen Sehwag bat. It was as if he was in a trance, struggling to break free from the spell and get back to getting on with it, as he does. At the other end, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar showed flashes of the SRT of old. I was tempted to pen my thoughts that at the very time, but had to settle for a later post.

Truth be told, once the second innings got underway, Pakistan never seemed like they were out of it. Much as the commentators tried, they could not convince (at least me) that there was a good chance Pakistan would not make it. In fact, there were times (even after the return of the young man who must find himself the Butt of many jokes) that they said things like "Pakistan still have a chance" and "Anything could happen here". Ya right. Thanks for the insight, Messrs Jackman and Manjrekar.
The latter had a pointless exchange with Rameez about the shawl gifted to him by the BCCI in the break as one of the former Pak captains- inane attempts at humour. Imran Khan continued on his "Inzamam is one of the best of his time" tangent. Grant him the consistency- it has been years he has maintained this.

The Zimbabwe rebels have given up. I don't suppose that is going to make any real difference, and anyway I doubt it has been done with that aim in mind. It is a tired, defeated, hopeless and possibly cost induced move that will do little to get Zim cricket anywhere near normal, but will serve to finally (unsatisfactorily) bury the whole issue. Oh, well.

Rashid-everyone is a cheat-Latif and Moin Khan are both pretty much out of international cricket now. Though you never know with Pakistani cricket, it is unlikely they shall return, and I think that is a good thing...

Australia v NZ is underway, and I haven't caught a ball of the action, even on the highlights package (I'm assuming there is one this part of the world?). I wonder why they say that Warne bowled in pain. I thought this was the fastest broken digit recovery in recent history- and if he hadn't recovered, then why is he playing? Kasper, almost routiney referred to as the Renaissance man, took another bunch of three crucial wickets. I really do not see Blee getting alook in some time soon, though it is worth a wonder how Kasper has, indeed, had such a late revival. But what a revival it has been, and in both forms of the game. While it shows amazing resilience and determination, it is symbolic also of a common trait in the Aussie side. The fight for places is so intense, the quality of domestic cricket so high, and the hunger for a Baggy green so acute, that every chance that is made available to fringe players is grabbed with all limbs available. As a result, a large number of the comebacks and debuts seen in the team are of an above-average quality. Hence you have the Clarke v Lehmann v Katich sort of situation. Grrrr, lucky them.

The chucking issue really has blown out big time, and while I have nothing freshor insightful to say about it, I must say it is appalling that the governing body of the game has such clout to be able to make the process of giving clarity such an ambiguous affair. Not only has no one seen the report, but the only worthwile revelation made from it (with no details) is a sensationalist one, possibly set to make things worse.

And then, the South Africans are here. Kanpur is round the bend, and hopefully so is a turn in Indian fortunes. They came precariously close to being embrassed by the Board Presidents XI, and despite the recent performance (or lack of it)India must go in as favourites. But, more on that later.
For now, it is good night.

And oh, I just started A Corner Of A Foreign Field, and am a little submerged in work again.

The Heart in Mouth Affliction- a seduction

Since I can remember watching the man bat, he had the genius like knack of batting exactly the way he wished, the uncanny ability to pick gaps and shots and the unwitting penchant of causing not a few minor heart attacks. I spent countless days watching with bated breath and crossed fingers while Sachin Tendulkar batted. He drove, pulled, slashed and heaved 80 percent of the deliveries he faced. It was batting with little fear, the desire to dominate and the seeming disdain of risk. It was, naturally, edge of the seat stuff. Except if you were an Indian fan (or me-a crazy fan) there was the perpetual chance that you would actually fall off your seat, and notice your bruises only once you had recovered from the dejection of the great man’s dismissal- which would be sometime the next day.

Watching Sachin bat then was the curious and exhilarating mix of not being able to pull your eyes away and not wanting to watch, at the same time. His batting lived on the edge, and many a heartbeat would skip as the precarious balance was maintained, just about. This was the brilliance of the man, and coupled with his statistical consistency, it was what made him a great in my eyes. In fact, a hero.

Yet, before this sounds like he has retired, let me say that he is no less a hero to me today. Sachin has changed his batting style over the last few years, and the difference has been spoken about, written about, thought about and debated upon endlessly. I don’t want to go into the philosophy behind his change here (or what I think is his thinking), but I am quite sure it has not been the decline in ability. Couple this change in approach with the increased ability of the Indian batting lineup, and you had a situation where you thought you missed the all out attacking style, not so much.

At Mumbai’s second innings and briefly in Kolkata against Pakistan, SRT showed flashes of the past. There were fleeting glimpses of the desire to dominate, to not just make runs but make dents on the opposition psyche. That both efforts were relatively short lived is another case altogether. Yet, both innings showed an intent that had been missing for some time now. The conservative approach was replaced by an aggression in the mind that brought back long lost doses of shut-eye excitement, goose bumps and anxiety.

It brought back memories of the ailment every SRT fan, every Indian had to helplessly enjoy/suffer every time the little fellow was at the crease. As I watched the determination with which he strode around the crease on Saturday, subtle but certain symptoms of the said weakness showed themselves. I had almost let slip how nerve racking it was. And consequently, the fall was harder when he was run out, trying to get the strike again. But briefly, I had been allowed to flirt with the Heart in Mouth Affliction again, and now I can’t wait for more.
You think I will get some more?

Diwali aftermath

13:00 IST

Happy Diwali to all you who know Diwali. Fresh (not) from the rigours of festivities over the past few days, I can now settle down to a quiet (and, might I add, ‘on my own’) day of cricket watching, with the 94th 'Mother of all Battles'.
India v Pakistan.
This time (surprise surprise), there is nothing to play for except goodwill. With all the (I must say, welcome) talk about good relations and brotherly neighbours, the fact that there is a ODI match underway is sort of hidden in the background.

For the Indian team, their Diwali was spent in training schedules and Hotel rooms, so they’d be hoping for some firecrackers on the field. Let me clarify (post Wankhede)- I mean firecrackers in the batting, bowling and fielding (those components of a cricket game still in our hands, you’d think), and not the 22 yards that could erupt in their very own special way.

The Indian batting, fresh from the wounds inflicted by the Aussie bowlers and the a little thing called woeful form, will have their task cut out against Sami, Shoaib, Razzaq and Afridi- assuming there is not further experimentation. Irfan Pathan comes back into the side, so he and the Zack Attack should be able to do a decent job.

Again, coming off the sort of form that we had in the Tests, and looking at the SA series next week, I doubt the Indians would like to experiment too much. I am definitely tempted, though, to suggest that Karthick should get a game in as keeper. I think that would mean VVS missing out- and though I believe it might be time for him to be eased out of the ODI setup, I am not too sure they’d like to do that and undermine his confidence just before the next series. Assuming of course, he is still in the thinking for Tests as well (which I think he would be, after his sparks in the 2nd innings at Mumbai).
At any rate, it will be a relatively relaxed match (for us viewers) even for the players I think; though India surely are under more pressure- home crowd, 3 losses to the arch rival not so long ago, and the recent form.

And while I have been spending my time playing cards, losing money and generally finding other ways to brighten up my life in the Festival of Lights, the ICC has decided that heck, everyone chucks a bit, so let us just legalise it all. I am not quite sure why some umpires are cribbing- about not being able to determine the degree of straightening with the naked eye. You could detect transgression over the earlier limits as well as you can over the new ones, I should think.
And meanwhile, Katich finds himself hopelessly unluckily dropped. Oh well, I think this would be Lehmann’s last summer, no?

There is some prospectively exciting news in INDIAN HOCKEY as well. Come January, and the IHF starts a hockey league on the lines of club football and club sport in general. Players trading, foreign players and (hopefully) top Indian players playing for city teams. Sounds good, especially as plans are to eventually make it a full fledged home-away system; and with ESPN Star telecasting it all live and pumping in significant money to ensure its success, we might just have an appealing (fashionable? popular? cool?) hockey league in place in a year or so. At any rate, the plans sound great. Hyderabad in January will let us know to what extent they will be a success.

14:03
The match is on Ten Sports, not DD Sports.
What?
> The match was on Ten Sports. Now the Ten Sports feed also has the morons from ‘Fourth Umpire’ (i.e. they are beaming down DD Sports). The few brief moments of decent coverage on Ten Sports, and now we are back to this, frankly, shitty stuff.
So much for my wicketkeeping hopes. The team is the regular ODI team from recent times, and Pakistan have Younis Khan opening. At least dada has won the toss. India bats.
75 years of the BCCI.
Eden Gardens. Wish I was there.

Oh ya...the pitch.

There is a curious combination of condemnation and turning a blind eye to the craziest pitch since New Zealand's consistency in 2002-03.
In India, the joy (relief) at the victory (salvage job) has disallowed any post mortem on the pitch. Like Dravid's 'interesting' quote on the pitch, the pitch is widle ignored while as widely, I suspect, acknowledged deep down, to be the cricketing equivalent of dal makhni with coconut-
i.e. ridiculous.

First off, I am still happily breathing sighs of relief that the final scorecard read 2-1. I am also the first to say that it creates a much better image of the Indian teamthan the real picture. 2-1 tends to be soft water colours painting a soothing image of a good contest, lost. In reality, the stark streaks of oil on rough canvas should serve as fresh wounds for a series hopelessly lost.

But. The Mumbai track. Despite Polly Umrigar's claims
("I do not care what others say, my verdict is that the batsmen did not apply themselves")
you could hardly say that the match was won or lost by great or little skill. There were quiet predictions before the match that it was not a typical looking Wankhede track (The red soil, even on cloudy day one, was there for all to see- powdery despite the grass), and would assist the spinners much more than usual. After Nagpur, that was all but assured. It is just that no one figured this is what would happen. Manjrekar went so far as to say that curator did not want to prepare this sort of track.
A bit late, for that one ol chap. I think there was an earnest effort to produce a turner. Now that, on a Wankhede pitch, was out of the ordinary insofar as it has always been a 'sporting' pitch. There has been assistance for fast bowlers and spinners and batsmen alike. In trying to make it a spiner's paradise, they came up with a minefield. I would like to believe (and hope) that their intention was not to make such a shocker of a track. We will never know that for sure, of course, but it would be a far more palatable (if still unacceptable) explanation. Incompetence would be far preferable to deviousness.

Of course, there are many who don't think so. Ponting is clear he did not believe it was of Test standard, and Roebuck's intensity was more before the crazy final day (er...day 3), than it was in the final analysis. Or maybe he just didnot want to repeat himself- given he thought it was an appalling track on Day 2, Day 3 would have driven him mad.

There might well be (probably should be) an enquiry into this. Such pitches cannot be deemed acceptable, and whether it is true for this one or not, we cannot provide such ease for underhand pitch preparation. There is a pertinent point from the pundits on what India should (but probably need not) expect when they go Down Under next. I don't think, though, that this is a reflection of the philosphy of Indian hosting of cricket tours.

But the match was still a cracker. Australia still should have gotten those 103 runs. It was exciting, despite the pitch and exciting because of the pitch. Dravid's take is a pretty good one:
it was a fantastic game of cricket, on what was definitely not an ideal Test wicket.

Yet, all said and done, I am glad this pitch was not served up when the series was still in the balance. Now that? That would have been one hell of coconut dal makhni dish.

T4 D3

18:20, IST

Phew. We won. Consolation win, dodgy pitch, ‘dead’ rubber and all….but at least we won. And the series scoreline reads 2-1, though it was precariously close to 3-0. Boy, that would have been gutting.
I missed a lot of the crucial/ exciting/ insane/ climactic last innings, though I saw the last few overs (from 88 for 8), and then saw the recap of the wickets. There is much to be said (argued) about the pitch, but that I shall leave for later. The most significant feature of the day for me was the attitude and approach of the Indian team. Finally, finally there was a positive approach from the batting.
But first- I (late latif) got to the Tv only at 9:30 again. It was 23/2. Very Very bleary-eyed (this sound familiar?- well, this time I had only slept about4.5 hours) I thought for a moment it was a replay of the 1st innings. Then I saw that Laxman and SRT had scored all but 6 runs of the total, so I figured the openers went for next to nothing.

Led by Sachin, there was a veritable rediscovery of the mode of batting called run-making. Seriously, though, it was great to watch. It is not like Sachin has forgotten or cannot play the way he used to. He has chosen to play the way he has in recent times. In pure logic and practicality, I can’t always fault his line of thinking. Ina lineup that is always full of strokemakers, he and Dravid then become the only two who you can rely on to protect their wicket. I am just not sure whether he himself likes it that much. He acknowledges it in his mind to be the best way, but it may not be the best suited to his headspace. At any rate, today there was no confusion. He played his shots, played them well, and it was hugely disappointing to see him get out. For a prolonged period just before that, he had not gotten much strike- especially against Hauritz who he was obviously looking to target. Laxman was playing out over after over of runless off spin, and I believe it might just have frustrated ST a bit. That sweep, which he had been eyeing for long, was just not a percentage shot.

That we still slipped from 150-odd for 3 to 206 all out was another display of carelessness. Laxman had been showing signs of offering a c&b all innings, and it finally happened. But I am glad that he at least proved my point#2 of yesterday wrong- he should find himself in for the SA series now. Karthik should really not have been playing against the spin on this track, and Kaif messed up Tea by padding up (again). He offered no shot, and worse, made no pretence of offering one either.
Everyone in the Aussie camp must have rued not bringing on Clarke earlier. Sure, you could not have predicted his incredible haul, but there was a definite case for bringing him or Katich on much earlier in the day. You have a pitch that is turning square, and you refuse to even try your optional spinners. Silly, I thought. It is a bit much, though, that he ended with 6 wickets. To be fair, he bowled spot on right from the word go, but I just cannot reconcile to him taking a 6 wicket haul against us.

It was great to see Murali Karthik coming into his own. Agreed, it was a spiteful pitch that made even Clarke look like Bishan’s brother. Yet, Murali had some good batsmen fooled by his variety, and the arm ball was simply superb. Especially the one to get Martyn out. Hayden finished his series with very little of note, but no real failures either. Odd, for his style of batting. Though it is probably that very style that got him out- the irresistible urge to always dominate. Hauritz, Gillespie and Kasper took them to the brink, and it was nerve racking stuff. But Bhajji came back and bowled really well, and to a plan- the one that got Kasper out was what he had worked out, and it was a ripper.

The passionate celebrations when we won, the almost angry venting of emotion from so many of the players… I guess this meant something to them. The series was gone, and to easily the better side, but this was something to go home with. Something to restore some belief- again, not just because we won, but the way we won. The batters will probably have some confidence in their run scoring abilities after today, and I hope they carry that into the South African series.

Ponting did not think much of the pitch, and he made it pretty clear. Dravid chose to call it only ‘interesting’, with the slightest hint of a wry smile. Pitch or not, it was evident he was a much relieved man. As might be, I suspect, a certain person back home in Calcutta.

T4 D2

10:00, IST
I did not realise there was an early start today, and consequently woke to find 9 balls already bowled for the day. Bleary eyed and sullen, I figured Sachin had added 3 to his overnight score. Rubbing the sleep put of my eyes was replaced soon enough by rubbing disbelief out. Sachin was gone.
Nature called, briefly, and Laxman answered the seemingly irresistible call of the pavilion. 4 down. Making coffee for the missus, and Kaif took an extended coffee break himself.

37 for 5. Heck, I hadn’t even brushed yet.

There are a few things you can infer from this:
1. The loyal double barrel of the Australian shotgun reminds us it is forever present. We, obligingly, stare right down at it.
2. Laxman should not play against South Africa. (You are welcome to prove me wrong in the 2nd innings, VVS)
3. I am not an early riser.

10:25, and it is 59 for 6 courtesy a few boundaries from Kumble. Dravid stolidly and runlessly hangs on. What is this?
-And what about Mr Hauritz? He won’t believe his luck, getting ready to bowl on a turner, and at a side that is 6 down.

10:45
There you are. 33rd over of the match. 1st over in test cricket for Nathan Hauritz, and he gets his first wicket.
Now it is 80 for 7, but the ball is spinning like a top from one end and reversing from McGrath the other. India will be cursing themselves, wasting a pitch that is tailor made for them. 80? That’s the bloody opening partnership for the Aussies. Yikes.

11:35 LUNCH
104 all out. The pitch is looking vicious and full of turn and bounce. Bhajji, Kumble and Karthik will be licking their lips…. Until they see the number of runs they are defending. This is way too little to give them a realistic chance of skittling the Aussies out for a small lead. Baby faced Hauritz was getting so much grip and turn on what is effectively a first day pitch, the heart burns at what might have been had we batted with a little more purpose.If the Aussies ignore convention when they bat, and step on the pedal a little, they would have overhauled our score before the spinners can sink their teeth into the pitch. Even a 250 total would mean Indian will have to score upwards of 350 in the third innings of the match. Doesn’t look good.

12:20
4th over of the innings. What an over. Bhajji to Langer, this time over the wicket. 3 absolute snorters, then Langer tries to sweep and skies it toward the square leg boundary. Sehwag dived and in the end made it look tougher and more spectacular than it was or needed to be, I suspect. He should have caught it. With 104 backing us up, he should have caught it. Damn.

13:45
About to approach the computer for a couple of lines about Hayden looking good. He had played himself in, eschewing his big shots early on, even the sweep. 3 sixes had seen him up the tempo and reach 35. As I was about to turn, he’s OUT! Bat pad to Murali Karthik, who he had smashed for a six a couple of balls ago. Sharp catch from Kaif (who replaced Gambhir at short leg after the latter had dropped Martyn on 11), and as Slater pointed out- Hayden “looked guilty”.
Fight, boys.

TEA
5 runs short of our appalling total, and 7 wickets in hand. The 2 best players of spin this tour are at the crease, and the considerable attacking talents of Clarke and Gilly to follow. It doesn’t look good, but that’s how it is.

Boria Majumdar has been talking to Sanjay Manjrekar in the breaks yesterday and will contunue for the rest of the test. 28 years old, he has "wed his passion (cricket) and profession (history)" by doing a PhD in Indian cricket history, at Oxford. Now here he is, sharp voice and excited articulation all in place. Some interesting stories yesterday. Let's see what today has to offer.

Sane(r) reads

There have (fortunately) been some attempts at sane criticism of the Indian performance, and quiet disapproval of the extreme reactions and condemnation by Indians in general. A lot like how I feel, and have mentioned earlier too.
It is the ultimate reactionary reaction to call for Saurav's head, or for Wright's. Instead, it is worthwhile to try and figure out how the very men who led the team to such dizzying heights have not been able to do so now.
And of course, it may just (may) do some good for the hollerers to question the vision and commitment, or lack of therof, of the BCCI.

Clearly, there should be no sacred cows and such professionals must be held to a high standard. Yet there is a difference between scrutiny and scorn, between criticism and cynicism.
-Rohit Brijnath

Criticism against the team has been manic and more often than not unjustified. Cricket appears a very easy game on a 20-inch screen with the countless slomo replays of every action. But contemporary India is as impatient with failure as it is extravagant in its praise and rewards for performers.
- Ayaz Memon

But in the long run, if our team has to become a world-beating one, we need vision and planning. But does the power-hungry BCCI have the inclination or the time
- Pradeep Magazine

T4 D1

14:17
Is anything going to change? We shall wait and see, because it is already 11/2.
Nice solid defence from SRT on his first ball, but he is, again, in too early. 4th over of the innings.
Sehwag was, as is his wont, rooted to the crease. Except this time his feet were too far away form where the ball was and the gate was a big one. Gambhir’s lbw was a good ball, good decision- and both the opening bowlers have the upper hand.

Now Sachin survives a run out. Just about, the ball hitting his bat on the way to the stumps. If it had hit, he would have been a gonner. Glad to see he saw the lighter side of it all…..
Ad break, and the pitch- nice and brown, I could almost see its tendency to be powdery soon enough…good signs. We finally won the toss, but what are we going to do with it?

Oh great- its raining again,though DD Sports didn’t exactly let us see it cause they returned from the ad break for about 5 seconds and jazzed off again.

The final test

20:15, IST
and the news is this:
Warne's out of the mumbai test. Broken thumb. Out for 6-8 weeks, meaning he will miss the tests against the old trans tasman rivals later this month too. It seems highly improbable that the Aussies will go in with 4 pacers on a track likely to take turn, so India can look forward to playing a rookie spinner.
McGrath's flu, too, is not all cured. He may just be ruled out tomorrow morning before the match. Which means Blee could also be in- more pace, more snorters...and more runs, I hope?
* * *

The Mumbai dead rubber starts tomorrow.
Drag yourself out of the depression/ negativism/apathy/disgust/anger/tears (take your pick), and there may yet be some things to look out for.
For while it may be the not so relevant Final Match of the series, it is the Final Test and final chance to salvage something for team India.

New talent is always exciting (at least in theory)- both Gambhir and Karthik have done enough tosuggest they mae have what it takes at this level. AT any rate, there will at least be the excitement of the possibility that they will do well. Phew, thats long drawn out, but still.
Despite Nagpur, SRT remains something to look forward to. There are suggestions that he should instead play some club/domestic cricket before coming back for the SA series. Simply, I don't agree, thank you.
VVS Laxman (may not be somethng to look forward to), but his place is on the line and I dont care about the pressure, he better perform. It will be truly surprising if he fails her and is still picked for the SA series. It is surprising enough that he has retained his place for the series finsiher, but given that it is dead (though we are dying to win it), it is still acceptable. Screwup here, and it surely is curtains for a while, no?

Sehwag is always somethign to look forward to.

The pitch might actually help us (though with Mumabi tracks, you cant be sure- and def not as much as say a Chennai). We may even play 3 spinners!
So Sachin might open the bowling!

Ponting will be back, if you like that sort of thing (the opposition team being strengthened).

But seriously, this is some sort of chance to redeem some sort of pride with some sort of victory. Years later a 2-1 scorecard will read eminently better than 3-0, even if the latter would be a closer reflection of the team performances. A loss here will leave us in even more shredded tatters (if that's possible) going in to the SA series. Till not so long ago, that was one where we were supposed to try and thrash them. Now look.

It is an interesting point that the Indian Test performances over the last few years have not been like the second best team in the world. Instead, the have been fluctuating to match the calibre of the teams we have faced. Be it England, Australia, Pakistan, West Indies or Zimbabwe. Except this time we did not rise to the occasion.

Yet, rising to the rebuilding South Africans' challenge is till some time away. First we have a buoyant, momentum driven, top form and new hungry-for-winning-captain-led team to deal with.
Save us, Mumbai.

The Final Frontier

So- here is the sad demise of a term that is in everyday usage for the game of cricket, and every writer's dream... till it became used again and again.
The Final Frontier no longer exists. It has been conquered.
Nay, not merely conquered. It has been pulverised, razed to to the ground. All that is left of the famous fortress are smouldering remains- statistics with no sheen, pride ground to dust, charred reputations and battered morale.

Yet, standing amid these remains are the victors to whom must go not only the spoils, but unmitigated praise as well. The Indians will probably analyse this defeat much less than the Australians planned their campaign. With deep thought, detailed strategy and plans B, C and D in place, the Aussies are reaping the rewards of desire and passion that is as deep rooted as any you'd see. In recent times, overpowering the Great Indian Home Team has become an achievment ranking right up there with anything else for them. That the Aussies had done pretty much everything there is to be done in World cricket (and all in recent years- not the entire hostory of the game or anything) just made this all the more sought after. The last kingdom to conquer, the last thing to prove, the ultimate jewel in a studded crown...truly, the Final Frontier.

It is a topic that has been talked of a lot- how, unlike most years that cricket has seen, the last few have been times when India has become a place teams want to come to. In particular, the Australian team. For them, it is not just embracing India as one of the new (and possibly most powerful)centres of cricket, and embracing a culture that is fast symbolic less of dirt and crowds but diversity and hospitality. It has always been, supremely, about focussing on doing the one thing they have not been able to do- win in this country. For a team that has made being on top a pastime, that was just not acceptable.

The fact that their meticulous preparation and deep rooted desire met with scant opposition-very little skill and even less belief- made the task only that much easier. Yet, their resolve and preparation still deserve all the credit you can give them. Even an out of form Indian team could easily have been a tough nut to crack. The heat, the dust, the unpredictabiltity (all on the pitch) could easily have been reasons for the mighty Aussies to fall over, or at least eventually fall short.

But they did not.
We have fallen short, fallen over....and, it would seem, have fallen from grace.
For now, let us just congratulate the winners, and try to learn from them.
Let us please, not look around at what is left of the Final Frontier. It hurts too much.

thank you, work

work consumes
time flits by
and I thank it
for it has lessened the pain
that is brought on
by unwanted surrender.
more words
and tears
and sighs
more
when I have more
time.

T3 D2

17:00
145 for 5.
And our hopes must rest, again, on an improbable rearguard action. In fact, an extremely improbable rearguard miracle.
On a track that has always been a batter’s paradise and this time the cause for immense Aussie glee (i.e- “sporting pitch”), the Indian batting has looked all at sea. This in mainland Nagpur. The same place where all teams make around 400, sometimes 600. The same place where SRT averages 156 point something. The same place where long batting draws have always been likely. This is the same place where the Indian team finds itself in a situation stickier than gulab jamun syrup.

I have no idea why we batted the way we did. It is bad form combined with the pressure of keeping one’s wicket, and a dash of inertia. After an assured start, it all just fell away. Gillespie’s first over was an exhilarating and slightly crazy one. Before you knew it, Viru had done another Sehwag- 16 off the over, and one nick short of the slips. Alas, that was the end of that.
Besides Sehwag (and after Sehwag) everyone seemed so intent on making sure they did not lose their wicket that they lost their way. Chopra’s role is to blunt the opening attack etc, I know. But he can’t fool himself into believing that 4 hour 40s are what will always be expected of him. At any rate, he did not even touch double figures.
It was Dravid, surprisingly, who went into the ultimate “I will not do Anything” mode. It seemed sensible, and doughty, at first- when he and Sachin played with utmost caution. It seemed like the good ol’ give the bowler some respect, let him take the first hour you take the next four- sort of approach.

It did not work.
SRT went (again? should this be a cause for concern) to the one jagging back, trapping him LBW. He has quite a high ratio of bowled and LBWs in recent Tests, and most of the latter would have been through the gate, the ball coming in.
In walked Laxman at 50/3 and the commentators yearned for him to play his natural stroke playing game. Barry Richards pointed out interestingly ( and probably accurately) that Laxman’s game is still adjusting from the ODI form to the Tests. While it looks true, it is strange for a batsman who has always been much more comfortable in the longer form of the game. He has been looking nervous and tense these last few innings. Today was no different, and when he finally decided to go for a shot, he handed Warne his first wicket to a decidedly ordinary ball. Laxman looks the most out of form of the lineup, and the one who hasn’t scored in the longest. Maybe he needs to worry about his place in the team. Or maybe he already is, and it’s showing on the pitch. He is almost Warnie’s bunny this tour- 3 times out of 4 dismissals.
Dravid’s stolid defence eventually got him into some sort of rut, and he is a better player than that! A small lapse and Gilly snapped him up behind the stumps.

But McGrath Gillespie and Kasprowicz bowled with exemplary accuracy and focus. Long spells of tight pressure bowling- it was dull but not boring cricket, and definitely to be admired. Such sustained line and length bowling was strangling. Yet, a slightly more forthright approach from the batters may have made for more of a contest.

And again, it was left to Kaif and Parthiv to fight it out, and make the same statement, again- that numbers 6&7 can bat with caution yet score a little to keep the score ticking a bit. Unfortunately they are faced with more of an uphill battle than Chennai this time.
I think it is a big pendulum between getting into form, getting out of the ODI mode, and being solid in defence. Trying to focus on all of these, and an over cautious innings-in-clay is what you get.


16:30 hours, Indian Standard Time
In another surprising yet acutely familiar disappointment, the representatives of the Indian people- known in these times of woe as Team BCCI- looked hapless. A nation resigned itself to the fact that the 22 yard long strip of land in the central Indian city of Nagpur was not crumbling, but their team would. Crumbled, and how. It is a matter of grave concern that immense talent and skill has found an enemy it cannot pinpoint. It seems increasingly evident that this foe lies concealed somewhere in that much vaunted space- between the ears. At the time of writing, none of these spaces were available for analysis or comment. Keep your eyes pasted (and dry) for more on this.

15:00
sliding……This is not good…..not good at all

13:45
…and are we going to surrender the Final Frontier…

Nagpur Day 1

At the end of the day,
- Zaheer bowled real well. He seemed to be hitting the straps and getting his rhythm more than at anypoint in this series. Was a tad luckless throughout, especially with what I thought was a very close LBW call against Clarke. The, of course, the chance behind the stumps.
- Karthik redeemed himself eminently after a lazy start. Ending up as the most economical bowler, and highest wicket taker should give him the confidence he seems so often to lack.
- Patel was not good behind the stumps (what's new), and he even effected a good stumping. But he wasn't disastrous.
Then he went and dropped a sitter and Clarke survived.
- Clarke's innings was again mature and intelligent, but he was lucky to escape what looked like a great LBW shout (both live and in replays) early in his innings.
- Martyn is in great form. Thats back to back centuries twice now. In Sri Lanka and then here. 7 of his 9 Test tons are overseas. Happy tourist.
- Lehmann attacked scratchily (like through this series) to begin with but then settled down and dominated the bowling with Martyn. His hamstring injury may not let him bat in the second essay, they speculate. SRT dropped him off his own bowling, and I think it was the excitement of the catch more than its difficulty that made him miss it.

- "Slats...you never called" screamed a Fanatics banner. They were referring to Slater never having gotten back to them about a batting session he was to have with them in Goa. But Slats was too busy chilling out and flirting with young girls who did not know who he was. Oh well, as long as he was having a (harmless) good time. The poor fanatics, though.

T3 D1

17:30
At 362/7, there is a lot of "even stevens" and "honours even" doing the rounds, but I'd definitely say Australia would be more satisfied than India. For India, the first session would have raised hopes to wrap up the Aussie innings, the second would have crashed them down. And while the third made things a whole lot better, Gillespie's infuriatingly resolute defense, Clarke's maturity, Patel's lapse and the innings run rate wil leave us feeling assuredly worse off.
90 overs were managed about 10 minutes short of the extra halfhour, while across the border Bangladesh have managed 92, despite all the leather chasing.

16:05
Stranger things have happened. Karthik is taking wickets (and bowling well!), and Mr Patel managed a sharp stumping to dismiss Warne.
Also, the Aussies have slumped (if you can say that) to 338 for 7.
The Lehmann wicket before tea seems to have pumped up Karthik. He looks a much better bowler- flighting the ball well, getting some good loop and dip. He still lacks the consistency, giving away a boundary-ball to often, but right now? - I aint complaining!

14:15
Tea. I wonder why Ajit bowled such a prolonged spell after lunch, and Zaheer came in much later. Our very own Murali still looks unimpressive. Crucial last session, where the Aussies could run away with the day… Has anyone ever watched the cricket on DD National? I have had the dubious pleasure of doing so today, thanks to no Cable transmission. Their ad spots are different, with some air time seemingly reserved for Social messages. I am all for that, but you have to see the quality of those ads (if you can call them that) to believe them. Astonishing, yet totally in keeping with DD’s propensity to unintentionally entertain as they broadcast. Consistent, if not anything else.

11:30
Talking of Chopras, there is no confidence around poor Roshni Chopra either, on Fourth Umpire- still worthy entertainment in the lunch break. (If you are starved of any laughs whatsoever in life, then). And poor ol’ Roshni- Charu Sharma can’t help but be a tad condescending now and then. Doordarshan, of course, even after two Tests, does not notice anything amiss with its telecast. In the middle of the session analysis, they decide to go into an ad break and not return. But starting off on DD’s antics again is the same old story, and a waste of cyberspace.

A good session. First hour to the batsmen , second to the fielding side. Even though there were many missed and close-ish calls in that first hour. Zaheer looks to be into his stride, after steadily improving since his return in Bangalore.
When the session began, I couldn’t believe we had the lost the toss, again. And I couldn’t believe that the jokers at the VCA had produced this pitch that Gilchrist called an Australian sort. All in the name of ‘sporting tracks’. Oh, well…
Lehmann looks all set to play his shots again. Hope the strategy fails like it has been till now- he has not really been looking convincing right through the series. And the danger men are still to come- Gilly and Clarke, fresh from Singapore visits and all.

Good to see SRT back on the field. He seemed, unsurprisingly, so glad to be back in the middle again. The joy, and the smiles on his face are still child-like. Refreshing, considering he has been playing the game at the highest level for 15 years now.

09:15, IST
Boy, this is a difficult start. Captain out. Star spinner out. Coin falls the wrong way, again. As soon as we have seen a bit of grass and a prospectively (relatively) pacer friendly track, we rush to get Chopra back in the fold. I, first of all, agree. A ‘specialist’ opener is always a good idea. But there needs to be some consistency in the thinking. If there was some confidence placed in Yuvi to begin with, then it should have been sustained. On the basis of that one opening innings in Chennai, he now seems, to the sme eyes, to be unfit for opening? And what about Aakash Chopra. Feeling perpetually like he has a rabid dog at his heels. Will he play the next game or not, there is no confidence surrounding anything Chopra.