Shailesh Nigam

It's the lack of imagination & courage that will push India out of the World T20

2010-05-10T17:25:00.001+05:30

A loss to Australia followed by a loss to West Indies in the pre-semi-final stage has led India to a curious situation. All but out, and praying for a miracle.

Theoretically, India can still make it to the next stage. What they have to do is win against SL either with a margin of 20 runs if India bats first, or with 14 balls to spare if they chase. And then, pray and pray and pray that Australia win their match against Windies.

The second task is much easier, and something that I am sure everyone in India is already doing. For once, every Indian is praying for an Aussie victory.

It is the first task that makes me worried; the task is not just difficult, it also needs Dhoni to really start rethinking about the team needs. So far, at least in this World Cup, he’s lacked imagination & courage, and has to an extent tried to be defensive rather than attacking. None of these have ever been his hallmarks, and therefore it surprises me. If you want to win, you can’t just try and build a cocoon around yourself and hope to win. You have to get out of your safe zone and try to shake things up a bit, so that you can then take strides towards success. Sadly, Dhoni was too concerned about preventing the team from losing, and therefore couldn’t win.

There are many examples of this. Take for instance the fact that R Vinay Kumar is cooling his heels, when he should have been firing down a few in conditions that favour pace bowling. Take for example the fact that yesterday Windies bowled just 3 overs of spin vis-à-vis India which bowled 12 on a bouncy wicket. Another thing to ponder over this is the fact that given that both Vijay & Gambhir are not clicking (especially Murali), it might be a good idea to bring in Dinesh Karthik, who’s equally good at opening the innings, and pairing him with Gambhir, since both play together in domestic cricket as well. And what about playing either himself or Pathan so low down the order at times, that by the time they try to do something, the task is well beyond them.

What a batsman, sirji!

2010-02-24T19:20:00.001+05:30

200 runs in an ODI match - that's what teams used to score... and not just in a 50-over match, in the earlier avatar of the ODI, which was 60 overs long. And at times it was good enough to win the match. Why, India won the 1983 World Cup Final against West Indies scoring just 183, before being all out in 54.4 overs (of the allotted 60 overs), and just when everyone and their mother believed that the Windies were going to do a hattrick of world cup victories, bowled them out for 140 in 52 overs.

So, when a batsman scores 200* in a 50-overs a side match, it is a moment to stand up and applaud. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, and as only he could, becomes the first man in the history of the game to score a double hundred in an ODI match. This man has so many records to his name that he possibly also holds the record for holding maximum records, and he still has the hunger in him to keep going on and on and on. And when other around his age (and even much younger than him) are hanging their boots, this man keeps mellowing with every passing day. At almost 37 years, he has today achieved what 17 or 27 year olds have not been able to ever.

I am one big critic of the man, and was specially harsh towards him in the past couple of years, when I thought that his body was tiring and he was no more capable of leading India to victory. My criticism of Sachin became even more sharp after Sourav Ganguly (in my opinion the world's second best ODI player after Sachin) was forced to announce his retirement, despite being in a decent form (and not in any way worse than Sachin) at that juncture. I genuinely believed that having achieved so much, he should have gracefully made way for the others in the team (after all, who can dare tell Sachin to retire).

My friend and co-blogger, Varun, always felt that I was far too impatient with Sachin and a disbeliever (atheist would probably be his chosen word, for the God Sachin is), who did not understand the greatness of the man.

Today, I partly agree with Varun (I still believe that even Sourav should be playing for the team, which he does not), and humbly bow my head to Sachin.

Afghanistan - the new cricketing force of Asia!

2010-02-24T18:07:00.001+05:30

The highest 4th innings total by a team winning a test match is 418/7 by West Indies against Australia at Saint John’s in 2003. There are only 3 more instances of teams scoring 400 plus runs in the 4th innings to win the match. South Africa’s 414/4 against Australia at Perth in 2008, India’s 406/4 against West Indies at Port of Spain in 1976, and Australia’s 404/3 against England at Leeds in 1948.

I checked up the record books for all kinds of International matches, where 2 nations played in a two-innings-a-side game, and found not a single team raking up over 500 to win in the 4th innings. Afghanistan – yes, Afghanistan – did that yesterday, when they chased 494 against much more fancied (at least against them) Canada, to hit 494/4, after trailing by over 300 runs in the first innings, and after Canada declared their second innings at 191/4, setting Afghanistan an almost unachievable target of around 500 runs.

All I can say is that it is extremely heartening to notice such big scores being chased down. But I’d also like to add that probably Canada played it too safe by not enforcing a follow-on and resultantly lost the game that they should’ve won.

For Afghanistan, this is a day of reckoning where everyone stands up and applauds them for their heroics. For a country tormented by war and terrorists, this is a shining example of the glory the youth can achieve for their nation by treading the right path.

400-plus scores - what do they foretell about the 2011 World Cup

2009-12-16T14:34:00.000+05:30

The 2011 Cricket World Cup, scheduled to start in February, is just about an year away. The cup is going to be played in the subcontinent on pitches in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh & India. Spread over 6 weeks, this is going to be a long & tough tournament, where defending team Australia would be trying to go beyond their hattrick of wins against others. They have defeated 3 subcontinent teams in 3 World Cup Finals – Pakistan in 1999, India in 2003 & Sri Lanka in 2007 – and the fact that this tournament is going to be held in the subcontinent is going to be worrisome for the defending champs.

I think the task is pretty difficult, given that Australia is going to be without some of their biggest heroes of their past wins. But even more so, given the emergence of the Pakistan, Sri Lanka & India teams as extremely strong contenders. A view of what is going to be on offer were visible yesterday in the First ODI between India & Sri Lanka at Rajkot. I’d love to use the phrase “what a match”, except that I am speechless!

Only the second instance of a 400-plus score in both innings in the history of one day cricket. Reminded me, and I am sure everyone else, of the first such match, played between Australia & South Africa, where Australia scored 434/4 to set a world record, and found them on the losing side and robbed of their record 3½ hours later when South Africa pulled out a hare from the hat to score 438/9 with a ball to spare, at Johannesburg on 12th March, 2006. And much like that match, it seemed that the maximum runs record that India had created on Indian soil would be erased effortlessly by Sri Lanka. In fact, they were on the chase till the 48th over, at the end of which they required 15 runs with 5 wickets to spare. Having scored at over 8 runs for the first 48 over, and being ahead of the asking rate, how they could not get 7.5 runs/over in the last 2 overs, and how they lost from there foxes me. Despite being an Indian fan who was cheering all the way for India, I feel for the Sri Lankans and my heart goes out to them. At the end, the only consolation is in saying, “Very well played guys; with 400-plus to chase, you made a match out of what appeared to be a hopeless situation even before you started your batting innings.”

400-plus – what does it mean really, and how often has it happened? Incidentally, all 400-plus scores have come in the 21st century. The first instance being Australia in the match mentioned earlier, and the second instance being South Africa in the very same match. A few months later, the third instance was on 4th July, 2006, Sri Lanka broke the world record by scoring 443/9 against Netherlands at Amstelveen. That is the standing record till now. Other than that, both Sri Lanka & South Africa have one more 400-plus, India have 2, and New Zealand has one. So, in all, there are 8 occasions of such instances – all within the last 4 years. some of them have been hit against minnows, but half of them are against extremely strong oppositions – 1 against South Africa, Australia, Sri Lanka & India. Is this where ODI cricket is headed, where even 400-plus may be a par score? One doesn’t know, but numbers do have a story to tell.

If one looks at the highest 25 innings in ODIs ever, 19 of them are in 2000s, and incidentally, every single one of them from 2005 onwards. If one expands this to look at innings of 350 and more, we get 44 such innings. Incidentally, every single of those 19 additional innings were in the 2000s! Does this tell us a story? Sure, it does, and you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to work out that team aggression (or batting aggression, if one may say so more correctly) has really peaked in the 21st century. At the top of this order now are India with 13, followed by South Africa with 9, Australia with 7, New Zealand & Sri Lanka with 4 each, Pakistan with 3, England with 2 and West Indies & Zimbabwe with 1 each.

So, I guess that the next world cup is going to be a very exciting one for everyone, and one-day cricket, if it keeps going vertical, has its place despite T20s. For it offers the thrill of the unknown like never before. Because if a team has scored 200-plus in T20s, we still believe it is chaseable. But a 400-plus in 50 overs? I’d still like to believe that there is a huge element of doubt there. And that element of doubt along with the subcontinental teams’ abilities to knock up huge scores, coupled with the batting-feast supporting wickets are going to make it some task for Australia to retain the crown.

Let umpires & referees not become the hand of God!

2009-11-20T13:12:00.003+05:30

Two incidents happened yesterday, across two continents and across the world’s two most followed sports – football & cricket – that made me wonder what the role of the referee or the umpire really is. How important are they really in determining the course of a match, and how important is it for them to have the final say.

In the first incident, Thierry Henry, the captain of France, in a play-off between France & Ireland for a place in the 2010 FIFA Cup Finals, handled the ball before passing it to William Gallas to head in a crucial 103-minute goal, scored in extra time, that helped them level scores & grab a final spot in the cup, robbing Ireland of a well-deserved win. Henry knew that he had handled the ball, and in a post match interview said, “Yes, there was a hand, but I’m not the referee.” He further added, “Of course, I kept playing. The referee didn’t whistle for hand-ball. I was behind two Irish players, the ball bounced and it hit my hand.” The evidence was there for all to see in television replays, but the referee missed seeing it. There have been protests by Ireland, including even their prime minister throwing his weight behind this and asking for a rematch. However, FAI has refused to let a rematch happen, citing rules that say that a referee’s decision is final, despite their statement earlier in the day: “The blatantly incorrect decision by the referee to award the goal has damaged the integrity of the sport.” It is, after all, a judgment error by the person in-charge of judgments, and more than anything, it is the governing body’s unwillingness to correct the error citing outdated rules, that is causing more heartburn than Henry’s non-sporting spirit.

In the second incident, Rahul Dravid was adjudged LBW in the ongoing cricket test match between Sri Lanka & India, whereas television replays showed that the ball would have missed the leg-stump. With India fighting with their backs to the wall, the last thing they needed was a wrong decision going against them, and that too against a batsman of the caliber of Dravid, who India desperately needed at the crease. However, nobody is a culprit here (unlike Henry in the first incident), and it is truly a case of judgmental error on the part of umpire Daryl Harper, who declared Dravid out. One does not know as yet what the outcome of the match will finally be, and whether even Dravid could have made a difference had he not been sent back to the pavilion, but clearly India have suffered.

In the context of the above two, let us examine the role that referees & umpires are supposed to play.

First, they are supposed to be guardians of the game, and ensure fair-play between the two teams playing the match.

Second, they are supposed to be disciplinarians, given absolute authority, who ensure that each member of both teams follows the rules of the game at all times.

Third, they are supposed to be unbiased in their approach irrespective of which side their loyalties may lie with as a fan/countryman.

So, let us examine what went wrong. In both the instances, I think the referee and the umpire followed all three true to their heart & their profession. Still, wrong decisions happened. Human error, surely, that could be taken as just a human error, and we get on with the game. However, such errors were acceptable in the good, old days, when there were no means to check if there was any error, and you had to accept the referee’s/umpire’s verdict, come what may. Today, with technology like instant television replays, hawk-eye, snick-o-meter, etc. available, which help in minimizing human error, why should human error be acceptable at all? After all, the ultimate objective of refereeing or umpiring is to give fair decisions in case of dispute or doubt. And in the interest of that, if technology can aid, why should we shy away from that?

Cricket has evolved to a certain extent with third-umpire referrals, and the world’s most famous, loved & record-holding cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar, became the first player to be declared out by a third umpire. Howsoever the Indians may have rued that incident, it was a step in the right direction. It does away with ambiguity and it does away with cheating. After all, Henry is the captain of his national side, as was Diego Maradona of Argentina, when he became the ‘Hand of God’ in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. So, we know, that even the best are prone to a little cheating to win a match.

Cricket, has its own instance of infamy with batsmen refusing to walk, especially in caught behind decisions, unless given out by the umpire. However, Adam Gilchrist of Australia always went against his team’s policy of remaining standing at the crease unless given out (as per the game’s rules), and always walked magnanimously whenever he thought he was out, without waiting for the umpire’s decision. More recently, there have been very sporting gestures by captains that are unprecedented, and show that cricket still has some gentlemen left. In a recent match between England & Sri Lanka, England’s captain Andrew Strauss recalled Angelo Mathews of Sri Lanka, who had been stranded after a mid-pitch collision with Graham Onions and run out, and asked him to bat on despite being declared out. Even more significant was a decision by New Zealand’s captain Daniel Vettori this year, when he spared Paul Collingwood of England, after he strayed out of his crease before the over was called and was run out by the wicket-keeper McCullum. According to the rules of the game, Collingwood was out. But Vettori went with the spirit of the game, and allowed him to bat on. This despite a similar incident happening a year ago at The Oval, when Collingwood himself, as captain of England, had disallowed New Zealand's Grant Elliott a reprieve, after he had been run out after a mid-pitch collision with England’s Ryan Sidebottom. The umpires were obliged to rule him out, and Collingwood's refusal to withdraw the appeal had infuriated Vettori.

Next week, cricket takes a giant leap in ensuring correctness of decision making and therefore, in fair-play & results. In the three test series between New Zealand & Pakistan, ICC will introduce a new system to review umpire’s decisions, the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS), using ball tracking technology. This is indeed the right and a very welcome step towards making the sport error-free, and I guess football can also take some lessons from cricket. Otherwise, the umpires & the referees may continue to become the hand of God, and continue to deal cruel blows.

The Wall grows taller

2009-11-17T19:01:00.002+05:30

Rahul Sharad Dravid was born on 11th January, 1973 at Indore in Madhya Pradesh, 103 days before Sachin Tendulkar was born. However, he made his debut 6½ years later than Sachin in Singapore against Sri Lanka in April, 1996. His initiation into test cricket happened at the Mecca of cricket, Lord’s in June, 2006 against England, during the second test of the series. In his debut innings, he came out to bat at number 7 and scored 95 runs in India’s total of 429, second only to Sourav Ganguly, who scored 131, and incidentally was also a debutante on the test. It was the 2 young men, brought into the team after the first match loss, who kept India’s hopes alive by playing majestically and drawing the match, when all others around them failed. Interestingly, Sachin was the third highest scorer for India with 31 to his credit. Despite playing just 2 of the 3 tests, and despite batting in only 3 innings, Dravid scored a total of 187 runs (including two 50s) and was the 6th highest scorer in the series, and the 3rd highest for India, after Sachin & Sourav. With 62.33 runs from the 3 innings, he was the No. 5 on averages for both teams combined.

Thus began the journey of a man, who is arguably the most technically-correct batsman in world cricket, and who is a heady mixture of substance & style. A classical stroke-player, with a quiver full of delectable shots, Dravid is always a delight to watch. He has that amazing ability to play with a calm head, and play himself slowly in, even on extremely testing wickets and in very difficult situations, and carve a brilliant innings and suddenly take command without anybody noticing. Over the years, Dravid has withstood every single challenge thrown at him, and has always stood tall, even if there are ruins all around him, earning an early nickname, ‘The Wall’. And like a man who is true to anything associated with him, he has, on countless occasions, proven that he is indeed the Great Wall of India, who none can breach.

Yesterday, Rahul Wall Dravid, scaled new heights and reached 11,000 runs in test cricket, becoming only the 5th cricketer in the world to reach this summit. Forever living under the shadow of the more celebrated, loved & revered Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid has still managed to stand tall and earn millions of diehard fans. With 27 centuries to his credit, he shares the 9th slot of all-time century records with Allan Border, the man who is next in his sight, being the 4th highest run-getter of all time. Though, Border has played 31 more innings more than Dravid’s 234 to get those records.

With 5 double hundreds, 4 of which he scored in a space of 15 tests, he is the 7th in the world, and holds the Indian record jointly with Virender Sehwag. With 4 consecutive centuries, including one double century, Dravid is 2nd in the world, and the only one, amongst those who’ve got 4 or more consecutively, with a double. with 84 50-plus scores, he is the 4th most successful batsman after Sachin, Ponting & Border to reach 50s maximum number of times. With 78 century partnerships, he also holds that world record, ahead of Ricky Ponting with 75. Incidentally, Rahul & Sachin also hold the world record for most century partnerships, with 16 such partnerships, alongside Hayden & Ponting (Australia) and Greenidge & Haynes (West Indies). He & Sachin have together scored 5,511 runs in partnership, the world’s 3rd highest runs as a pair. All these are demonstrations of how solid ‘The Wall’ really is. With all these good records, however, he also has a blemish – with 10 dismissals in the 90s, he holds the world record for most nervous 90s, alongside Steve Waugh.

As the number 3 batsman in world cricket, he is par excellence, and has proven his value at the position so many times, much to the agony of opposing teams. Dravid averages around 55 at his favourite position, more than any regular No.3 batsman in the game’s history, barring the one & only Don Bradman. Needless to say, he is second only to the greatest.

Since his debut, Dravid’s genius blossomed over the years, and finally came into his own probably in Kolkata in 2001, when he played a sheet-anchor role to score 180 in supplementing VVS Laxman’s classic 281 against Australia. As a batsman who knows his craft all too well, Dravid has always raised his hand to be counted every time his team & country needed him. Even donning wicket-keeping gloves in one-dayers, where he again has 10,765 runs with 12 centuries and 82 half-centuries, he has proven that the wall is impregnable in more ways than one.

With each outing, Rahul continues to enthrall and grow taller & stronger. One wonders, how he managed those 11,000 runs in just 13 years, as compared to Sachin’s 12,773 scored in 20. And one also wonders, where he would be today had he made his debut at the same time as Tendulkar? Surely, history has done injustice to Dravid by making him play in the same era as Sachin. Otherwise, who knows, he might have been the most loved son of India!

Sachin, the Superman

2009-11-15T03:55:00.001+05:30

Today, it’s 20 years to the day the man we all adore wore the India colours for the first time. Playing his first test match against arch-enemy, Pakistan, in the 1st test match starting on 15th November, 1989, the man who will eventually hold almost all batting records, actually had his first initiation as an Indian player as a bowler – bowling a solitary over in Pakistan’s first inning for 10 runs at National Stadium, Karachi. He got to bat in only the first innings, coming in at no. 6, lower than Manoj Prabhakar!

Blooded into his first match in the august company of past, present & future captains like Kapil Dev, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Mohammed Azharuddin & Ravi Shastri, he managed just 15 runs in India’s first inning before being bowled by Waqar Younis. He bowled another 4 overs for 15 runs in the second innings, and didn’t get a chance to bat again, in a drawn match. With those humble beginnings began the birth of a cricketer, who has not looked back since. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, as his parents named him; Genius, as he’s fondly referred to by the other biggies of the game who know their cricket all too well; and God, for the millions of adulating fans across the world; did not take the world by storm on his arrival. But over the years, he’s marvelously demonstrated what a whirlwind he is.

Boring as it may sound, two decades of being at the top does merit a look at the man’s (or more appropriately, the Superman’s) achievements & records till date.

The man has 12,773 runs in test cricket from 261 innings in 152 tests, with 42 centuries to his credit. The most runs and the most centuries. The nearest, Lara with 11,953 runs & 34 centuries has retired. And the only one who can probably stake a claim to at least the test records is Aussie captain, Ricky Ponting, who has 11,345 runs from 229 innings in 136 tests with 38 centuries and has at least 1-2 years’ age benefit over Tendulkar, being younger to him by 1½ years. At 95 fifties, Sachin is also way ahead of Ponting, who’s at 86. But theoretically speaking, at the rate he is scoring, and if he keeps going on for those 2 extra years (even though he made his test debut exactly 6 years later than Sachin), Ponting should overtake Sachin. But whether he is mentally & physically as tough to keep playing till the age of 36 and beyond (or even 38, if Sachin continues to play till 2011, as is popularly believed), needs to be seen.

When it comes to ODIs too, Tendulkar is unparalleled. Though he began with a golden duck in his very first ODI, he now has 17,178 runs to his credit, and is almost 4,000 ahead of his nearest competitor, Sanath Jayasuriya, who has actually played 4 matches more than Sachin’s 436. And he is 5,000 ahead of the next man, Ricky Ponting, though Ponting has played only 330. Compare his 45 centuries to the second best 28 by both Jayasuriya & Ponting, and you know how far ahead Sachin is of those two, who can only marvel how he has managed so much. Most would not know, but Sachin has scored 9 ODI centuries against Australia, which is the highest for any player against a single team. He also occupies the second place with 8 hundreds against Sri Lanka. Sanath Jayasuriya, with 7 against India, and Saeed Anwar, with 7 against Sri Lanka, come in next. And, Sachin’s the only cricketer in the world to have scored over 3,000 runs against a single country, with Australia being his favourite punching bag, and also is the only player to have scored over 2,000 against 3 nations – Australia, Sri Lanka & Pakistan.

Huge as they without a doubt are, Sachin has never let any of those achievements go to his head. The man, who has enthralled millions for the past 2 decades, not just with his batting & bowling, but also with his well-behaved, gentlemanly manners on & off the field, is truly a statesman of cricket, even at a time when most would not call it a gentleman’s sport any more. With his mild manners, and his not so mild batting, this 5’5” tiny giant has proven that the best way to earn respect is by commanding it with his bat, not demanding it because of what his status as the world’s top batsman is.

With 2 decades of cricket behind him, there have been times when he’s not been at his very best, and age obviously has played its role. There have been those occasions when many have dared to clamour for his head when he’s failed to live up to the expectations of his fans, citing age, lack of performance, young blood needed, etc. However, every time there is a call for his head, he comes back stronger, proving to all his critics (including me) that form is only temporary, class is permanent.

With the likes of Geoffrey Boycott, Graham Gooch & Clive Lloyd playing well into their early 40s before finally going into retirement, Sachin would appear to be a good 4-6 years away from retirement. If he does play on till that age, he should have scored at least 15,000 test and 20,000 ODI runs, benchmarks which may remain unbroken forever. Who knows, maybe we will see that day. Till then, we can continue being amazed every time he steps out to bat, and wonder – “Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Superman.” Sachin, the Superman.

Two decades of being at the top of world cricket - what it means

2009-11-14T14:19:00.013+05:30

In the last one month, and much more in the past one week, there has been a huge wave of euphoria in India. And, while the character & origin of the wave is pretty much Indian in all aspects, it touches not just India, but goes well beyond its shores to every single continent – Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, America.

What’s this huge euphoria all about? Don’t ask as if you didn’t know and didn’t experience it firsthand. It’s about an achievement by probably the most celebrated & loved son of the soil, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, completing two decades of domineering batsmanship – a definitely giant landmark, which he reaches tomorrow, on November 15, 2009. A giant effort, by all means, and something that is extremely rare – after all, how many cricketers last that long at the top level? Made even more special by the fact that Sachin is already 36 years of age, an age by when most other top league cricketers have already retired, and are doing other not-so-demanding-duties, either as a cricket administrator, or as a commentator for a TV channel, or as a cricket celebrity with his own television show, or as a sports writer for print media, or as a guest cricketer on a cricket show, or, most arduously, as an umpire in the middle of the field. Isn’t it incredible that Tendulkar has lasted 2 decades at the top, despite an ageing physique? Of course, it is humongous & worthy of all the accolades, and even more. Made me wonder if there were any others who were even half as close, and the researcher in me decided to go to work. Here’s what I learnt.

15, yes, 15 players have played for 20 years or more at the international level, before Sachin. However, none of them is an Indian. So, Sachin has created a record – but, it’s not a world record; it is an Indian record. The earlier record was held by the celebrated Lala Amarnath, who played for exactly 19 years; not a day less, not a day more. The list of 15 contains a few players who we’ve seen playing & probably loved/idolized in our own times. Traicos, who played for Zimbabwe & South Africa; Imran Khan of Pakistan, first of the two Asians in the list; Bob Simpson of Australia; Cowdrey for England; Sir Garfield Sobers of West Indies, and last but not the least Mushtaq Mohammad for Pakistan. Great names, as we all know, who’ve done so much for cricket & became legends in their time. By joining the 20 years’ league, Mr. Tendulkar surely is in august company. The legendary batsman who Sachin is often compared to, Don Bradman, himself lasted 19 years and 262 days, and if we were to include 19 years’ cricketers to this list, it suddenly jumps to 26 including Tendulkar. Other noteworthy players who we’ve seen playing, who join in now are Graham Gooch & Sachin.

Incidentally, at the top of this list sits a certain Wilfred Rhodes of England, who played for 30 years and 315 days, appearing in 58 tests for his country. He started playing at the turn of the 19th century in 1899 and continued till 1930. Not many international matches were played at that time, and just his stamina to last so long, shows his class. Rhodes' achievements can be gleaned from the fact that he was an all-rounder, who made 2,325 test runs with 2 centuries and scalped 127 test wickets during his career. As one looks at his first class record, this becomes even more phenomenal – 39,969 runs and hold your breath, 4,204 wickets! He was, without a doubt, probably the best all-rounder born in the 19th century! Or, is he probably the best cricketer ever in the history of the game?

As I was looking at statistics, my eyes fell on the man at the top of the table of those who completed 18 years, but didn’t reach 19 – W.G. Grace of England. I was immediately reminded of two things I knew about him. He was the first man to scalp 10 wickets in a single innings. But wait, that’s not all. I also knew that he had also hit two triple centuries before donning the whites for England. That much I knew about him, and with that I went to work. The man played for 18 years and 270 days, and what I discovered was mind-boggling.

Grace played 22 tests in the almost 19 years long period. He made 1,098 runs with 2 centuries to his credit, and took 9 wickets. Not mean, you must be wondering. Wait, this is where the fun begins. What do you think he did during those 19 years when tests were not being played? He played first class, of course, scoring a staggering 54,211 runs with 124 centuries, and scalping 2,809 wickets! Whoa. If he had lasted those 30 years that Rhodes did, statistically he would have gone beyond the 4,204 wickets mark, and his runs would have been over 80,000!!! Now, I am seriously beginning to wonder if Rhodes was the best cricketer born ever. Coincidentally, Grace’s last match was Rhodes’ first. So, from where he hung his boots, Rhodes took over.

If one has to look at age-related capability, any comparison with Grace pales. He opened for England at the age of 50! But, let’s leave his cricketing achievements aside, and look at some others things. At the age of 18, he scored 224 not out in a match, and then left halfway through, in order to participate in a 400 meters hurdles championship, which he won! He was a fully qualified, practicing doctor by profession, and a cricketer just for the joy of being one. Though, he was also the most handsomely (and obscenely handsomely) paid cricketer. During his first tour of Australia in 1873-74, he took home 1,500 U.K. pounds as fee, an amount that far exceeds 100,000 U.K. pounds at present value. In Indian Rupee value, he got almost Rs. 1 crore for a single season tour of test cricket, at a time when cricket was in its infancy and definitely not even one-tenth as monetarily rewarding as today. He was, by far, the highest paid cricketer even on his very first tour itself. His career earnings are considered to be over a million U.K. pounds at present value – that’s Indian Rupees 10 crores. Whew, what a man!

When I realized that Grace had played till the age of almost 51, I decided to look up cricketers who played beyond 40. The list is huge, and features 102 cricketers. Grace is 3rd oldest on the list, and surprise, surprise, the top slot goes to by now familiar, Mr. Wilfred Rhodes, who played on till the age of 52 years and 165 days. Old men, should I say? Maybe yes, but old men with awesome abilities. In comparison, Sachin is just 36½, and a kid by that comparison, who’s still got 16 years to go if he wants a shot at that record. In any case, just to reach the top 100 (and be at the bottom of that list at position 100) of oldest players, Sachin will have to play till he is 40 years and 13 days old – into the first week of May, 2013 (another 3½ years from now). Will he last that long? One doesn’t know. He has already done enough and reached more milestones than any single man can dream of holding. However suddenly, in comparison, the 20 years looks like it’s too early to celebrate.

The God is human after all...

2009-11-06T16:45:00.000+05:30

Sachin Tendulkar became the first man in the history of cricket to hit 45 ODI centuries. And, in the process, also became the first man to hit 17,000 runs. And, as if that was not sufficient, he also became the first man to hit almost 3,000 runs (he’s just 5 short) against a single nation. Surely, signs of greatness that is unparalleled. As one of his greatest fans, I am elated. However, as one of India’s supporters I am hugely disappointed with what happened at the end of that marvelous innings of 175 runs.

Sachin did all the hard work single handedly, taking India to the brink of victory in a match that seemed a hopeless cause even before the Indian batting innings began. After all, when a team scores 350 runs, and that team happens to be Australia, you’ve already lost the match before you step out to chase. And if all your batsmen, barring a couple, fail, then you can say goodbye to any high hopes of an upset win. However, one man and his determination stood between Australia and a sure win – Sachin Tendulkar. A man who’s without a doubt a worry for any side till he’s on the crease.

In India, the most dangerous thing is not the Bengal Tiger or the Gir Lion; it is a marauding Sachin Tendulkar. And when he’s on the prowl, you don’t know where to hide. And he showed more than his fangs yesterday, despite his age, and waged almost a solitary battle to try & win the match. Sadly, he failed to finish the task, and just when it seemed that India had got the better of Australia in an epic battle, his wicket changed the game totally.

As a Sachin fan, I am delighted by his innings under such tremendous pressure. With most of his team members failing, it was all left to Sachin to chase down the target, and he single-handedly almost carried India home with an authoritative 141-ball 175. However, he fell at a crucial juncture, with India needing 19 runs off the last 18 balls. What more can you ask of the man, many ask? I humbly would like to answer by saying, nothing more than victory for my nation. After all, personal magnificence can never be greater than national glory, and no personal achievement is bigger than national triumph.

I am reminded of what Sachin so often says himself, “No record is good enough, if we can’t win the match”. Either I, as his fan, go by what he’s been saying for so many years, or I assume that those are just good sounding statements that don’t mean anything, and laud Sachin for a great innings and his records, forgetting that he did not finish the task and win the match, and virtually threw his wicket away when there was no need to play adventurously. What saddens me the most is not the loss; it is the manner in which Sachin fell. When there was no need to press the panic button, he decided to play an unnecessary cheeky shot and, in the process, lost his wicket and cost India the match that he almost made us win.

What I say is a resonation of what MS Dhoni also said – “India lost the mental battle, falling at the last hurdle. You work so hard to get to a well, but then you have to drink the water yourself.” To further quote Dhoni, “I think it was the mental part, where you know you can play a big shot and you back yourself to do that. At times you just go through the motions, you don't know if such a shot is needed or not.” That, to me, is what happened to Sachin, and that is where he failed to be the God that all of us make of him, and showed that like us, he too is human, and prone to ill-judgements & wrong-doings.

Aussies claim the Champion's Trophy... but others also demonstrated their might

2009-10-06T11:02:00.001+05:30

Aussies are the world champions, and there's no denying that fact. New Zealand would have loved playing against their frenemy in the finals, but they were clearly outclassed in the game. Sure, they would have missed Vettori and many others who could have contributed, but for their injuries. But that does not take anything away from the victory that Australia etched out.

Teams like South Africa, India and Sri Lanka didn't make to the semis despite being great on paper and being in form. The 'play a game, win you're in, lose you're out' format didn't do them any good, but the same held true for other teams as well.

Pakistan - the pariahs of cricket - played well as a unit and demonstrated their capabilities to the hilt, but coulddn't make it to the last stage. A lot has been written & discussed about umpiring decisions that probably cost them the right to play the finals, and a chance at winning the trophy. Right or wrong umpiring decisions are a part & parcel of the game and there shouldn't be any bad blood over that. You win some, you lose some.

For me, the two teams of the tournament have to be England and West Indies.

England surprised one and all to set up a semi-final clash with the Aussies, which was great on their part. Coming from a horrible 6-1 beating in ODIs at the hands of Australia, they really regrouped well to play a great tournament, without betraying any lack of confidence.

The West Indies, the second rung team that was hastily put together by their board, came into the tournament as babes in the woods, but held their heads high all through. They fought bravely, ignoring the pressure of many giants of cricket who they were up against, and gave their fans a lot to cheer about.

Other than the Aussies, who finally won the trophy, the tournament has thrown up many likely champions (teams as well as individuals) that cricket fans the world over will look out for in the future. All in all, it was good cricket and a great tournament.

WADA... let some good sense prevail!

2009-08-04T17:57:00.004+05:30

Sachin Tendulkar is arguably the most popular cricketer in the world. He also is the most threatened. He enjoys ‘Z-class’ security, provided by the Indian government to leading politicians, a chosen few business leaders and a very few select others, who are considered extremely valuable for the nation and are also on the target list of terrorist groups. M.S. Dhoni is another cricketer accorded such a status. But that should not flatter Dhoni… the fact that this security cover was given since he was threatened by terrorists should not make him a happy man. It is evident that terrorist organizations would like to plan an attack on both Sachin & Dhoni (both national heroes and India’s pride), and deal a severe blow to India. Providing them Z-cover security is just one way of ensuring enough protection is available to the two to negate any nefarious plans that the terrorists may hatch. This also means that it is absolutely critical to ensure that their whereabouts are not easily known, and most definitely not much in advance, making them vulnerable to terrorists who can have the luxury of time & knowledge to plan & carry out an ambitious attack. And should such big national heroes with a fan-following that is unparalleled be subjected to such ‘audits’? Is this not atrocious?

I am referring to the new clause by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) that requires all sportsmen globally to declare their whereabouts at least 3 months in advance to the anti-doping authority. The ‘whereabouts’ clause makes it necessary for the players to give details about their availability for one hour every day between 6 am and 11 pm for random ‘out-of-competition’ testing by WADA officials. This is to check & ensure that sportspersons are not planning & doping during non-competition days to gain an edge during competitions, without the fear of detection.

What the clause proposes as penalties is that if the sportsmen are not found at the place on the first occasion and the test can’t be carried out, a warning is served. A second occasion means that they can be severely reprimanded. And, according to WADA rules, any sportsperson who misses 3 tests in 18 months faces a two-year sanction. Now, isn’t that harsh? How could anybody – you, me, anybody – know exactly where they will be over the next 90 days during a particular hour, each day of the 90 days? And then ensure that nothing, absolutely nothing, comes in the way of their being present at that location at that precise hour. Everyone has several family, social and work commitments that can create emergencies warranting the change. Don’t we all take vacations on a spur, without any planning and suddenly embark on a journey to a location which was not even in our remotest thoughts 24 hours ago? Cricketers are no different, and have various personal & commercials commitments off the field that can’t be finely planned or revealed 90 days in advance, and should be allowed their privacy. The clause is too invasive & restrictive, to say the least. Surely, our cricketers, our national heroes must be spared of the abuse through such draconian laws!

Now, I am not a supporter of drugs – in sports or otherwise – and I would definitely want that they be banned from international competitions, and those breaking the rules be severely punished. Three sportsmen who I really admired were Ben Johnson of Canada, the sprinter who broke Carl Lewis’ record & monopoly in the 100-200-400 meter events and created a new world record in 1988; Florence Griffith Joyner, the US sprinter and new world record holder for 100m & 200m in the 1988 Olympics; and Marion Jones, another American sprinter who won five medals (an astonishing feat which had never been achieved by a female athlete before) at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Before Ben Johnson, Carl Lewis was the king of track and his supremacy was unchallenged. Johnson arrived on the scene, and quickly started pipping Lewis at various track & field meets, finally beating him in the 1988 Olympics 100m dash, creating a new world record of 9.79 seconds. However, Ben’s sample tested positive for banned substances and he was stripped of his gold medal 2 days after creating history, his record was rescinded, he was banned from international competition, and Lewis proclaimed the winner. A shameful end to the career of a hero, who set many a pulse racing.

Florence Griffith Joyner was a triple gold medalist at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, where she set the 100 & 200 meter world records and also helped the US team win the 4x100m relay. Lovingly known the world over as Flo-Jo, she captivated the world with her phenomenal speed and flamboyant style. However, her near-masculine physique & vast improvement over a very short time fuelled rumours about performance-enhancing drugs. These became even more vociferous after the 1988 Games, and she announced her retirement immediately thereafter. Doubters said that she announced her retirement to beat the drug testers, specially after the Ben Johnson episode during the same Olympics. Again, a shockingly early end to what seemed a very promising career.

Marion Jones passed 160 doping tests before finally admitting in a U.S. court in 2007 that she had taken the banned substance Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) before the 2000 Olympics. The admission, after years of denial, came as part of a plea bargain agreement with prosecutors, who charged her with lying about her steroid use. She was then stripped of her 5 Sydney Olympics medals, all her competitive results since September 2000 were annulled, and she was banned from the sport for two years. She retired from athletics immediately thereafter. On January 11, 2008, Jones was also sentenced to 6 months in jail. A huge disgrace for a person who was a national treasure till then.

Cricket has its own shameful stories, and Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar & Mohammed Asif have been accused of taking drugs and PCB awarded punishment to both and kept them out of the sport. A cricketer of the stature of Shane Warne, who was a world record holder, a global idol & a role-model for millions of budding cricketers, was dropped from the Australian cricket team and sent back from the 2003 ICC World Cup because of a banned drug being found in his sample, despite his unsurpassable importance to the Australian campaign in winning the champion’s crown.

Nobody can deny that doping is present at various levels in sports, and specially at the top it becomes a huge problem that needs to be tackled with a firm hand. Not just because it means that sportsmen playing by the book are robbed of their rightful status by cheats, but also because these cheats become heroes & role models for youngsters the world over, who follow & copy them. The fact that world record holders have tested positive and finally admitted to their guilt is something of great concern.

All these examples, where leading, reputed sportspersons were found guilty & punished severely, have proven to be huge deterrents for other sportsmen harbouring hopes of going scot free. Clearly, there is a need to regulate, check & punish the guilty ones, and create an example for others, so that nobody ever tries to cheat. So, this hue & cry that the Indian cricketers are raising about privacy concerns is so very narrow-minded that it is hard to digest.

World over, many champions, bigger names than the biggest cricketers, have gone ahead and agreed to co-operate. Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Andy Murray have marked their protest, yet signed on the clause. Champions like Roger Federer & Lance Armstrong have welcomed it, knowing that it is not a witch-hunt and it will help weed out such practices & make sports clean. Ricky Ponting & Andrew Flintoff are also signatories. Don’t they all have security concerns, or do they not lead a life that is not 100% regimented and 100% pre-determined? So, what is so special about our cricketers and BCCI? FIFA, which has more muscle than any other sports body in the world, has also refused to sign the clause in its entirety. They have also expressed concerns of their players, but unlike the BCCI, they have not rejected it altogether. Instead, they have proposed to WADA that only players they deem high-risk should be part of the ‘whereabouts’ clause. Obviously, they understand & agree with the greater objective & its merit, and treat the proposal as a necessary evil on the path to glory.

The public at large wants to see their heroes perform wonders every time they step on the field. But more importantly, they want clean sports and clean heroes. If our cricketers think they are holier than thou and above reproach, incidents that I pointed out earlier are testimonies that this may not be absolutely true, and in any case needs to be thoroughly guarded against. If Indians are not ready to adapt themselves to global norms, they cannot hope to be seen as a part of the global sports world. Being a top athlete has its joys, but it also has certain responsibilities, which by their very nature of being responsibilities are not all that easy to live up to. Our cricketers and our board will have to learn to abide with them and live as one with the world. Their current stance has put the Indian cricketers’, the BCCI’s & the ICC’s reputation, and even cricket’s future, at stake. Howsoever much may I admire them, I cannot help but find fault with Indian cricketers’ stance on this issue. With their current decision, they will only end up alienating themselves, and doing great injustice to those who like to play the game fairly. Hope some good sense will prevail over the men in blue, and they will finally emerge from this crisis as real heroes.

Gambhir tops test ranking… is there a captain in the making?

2009-07-17T11:19:00.000+05:30

Gautam Gambhir topped the ICC test ranking two days ago, becoming the first India batsman in over four years to head the batting rankings. In an era where T20 & ODIs are ruling the roost, this comes as the most beautiful feather in cap of this Delhi batsman, who has till now lived in the shadow of another Delhi bat who is most feared the world over – Virender Sehwag. This is the coming of age of sorts of the shy, yet determined cricketer, who has withstood the test of time and proven how valuable he is not just to Indian cricket, but to world cricket. And even though he has been off-colour in the shorter version of the game for some time now, nobody can take away from his capability to win a match on his own on his given day.

He is one of the cleanest strikers of the ball, and like Sehwag, when he hits them, they stay hit. Having Sehwag for company at the other end, while playing for Delhi in Ranji, or while playing for Delhi Daredevils, or while playing for India, would surely have impacted & influenced him. And to prove himself in such circumstances, when his partner is probably the most feared batsman in the world, who is so very popular and has such a huge fan following, can be difficult. But Gambhir has proven, if you keep working hard, nothing is impossible.

The other Indian batsmen who have reached this pinnacle are Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sunil Gavaskar & Gundappa Vishwanath. To be in the such august company is in itself a huge honour, and this just goes on to show the class of Gambhir. All the batsmen here have two things in common. They were all batsmen in a class of their own, each one having an enviable repertoire of clean cricketing shots, and a certain individual flair which separated them from the herd. And, each one of them has been bestowed with the responsibility & pride of leading the Indian cricket team. So, do we have another captain in the making?

Pakistan rise like a Phoenix from the ashes to emerge champions

2009-06-22T18:20:00.000+05:30

So, Pakistan are the new world champions of T20.

Did they deserve to win? I think they did, despite my being an Indian who would be the most unlikely supporter of anything Pakistani. Though I can also have a last laugh by saying in the same breath that India beat Pakistan in this very World Cup even before the first official ball was bowled in the championship. So, we’ve vanquished the eventual victors, and by that very logic are better than them. However, I do not wish to steal their thunder, and for once I will applaud them for their achievement.

The pre-tournament favourites for me were South Africa, Sri Lanka and India (not necessarily in the same order). However, there were other teams who gave two hoots to what I thought and came to the party. Both West Indies & Pakistan showed that they were hungry and ready to play big daddy. Amongst the early favourites, the South Africans did reach the semis but choked at that stage as they so often do (maybe they should get an automatic bypass to the finals the next time they qualify for finals in a championship, and then maybe they can lift a cup). Both Australia (who weren’t in anybody’s reckoning despite being the best team otherwise – I know I am playing with peril by saying this, but no arguments please) & India (the defending champs) withered away in the early stages to set up the final clash between Sri Lanka & Pakistan. Finally, the champion is a country that didn’t just deserve to win; it ‘needed’ to win badly.

The two finalists were nations whose cricketing destiny seems to be intertwined ever since the terrorist attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore on 4th of March, 2009. Pakistan has been the pariah of cricket ever since. That they have been reduced to becoming touring cricketers, who are now forced to embark on a journey every time they want to play international cricket, since no nation wants to tour the terror-ridden Pakistan, has meant that they’ve not had too much going for them for some time now. They did need something to revive them, and for sure this victory is going to do wonders to the sport and the general feel-good factor in the country.

Sports has a way of creating a mood across any nation, and it finally reflects in the economy & general behavior of people. Is it because the people are generally happy after the victory, prone to partying & spending on self, family & friends? Or is it merely coincidental? Historic evidence suggests that every time Brazil has won the football world cup, their economy has received a huge boost. Indian cricket (and Indian confidence) really started looking up post the 1983 world cup win. When Italy won the FIFA Cup in 2006, for months it seemed that the nation was forever in a celebratory mood, and the economy went into 5th gear. Since it has happened so many times to so many nations, it can’t just be written off as a coincident. And I do hope this victory does something similar to Pakistan – they really need to have something to rejoice about. They need to come out of their closet and become a part of the developing world where terrorism has no place. They need to bask in the glory of what they have achieved, and not bicker over what was never theirs. They need to shun violence & hatred, and embrace friendship & goodwill towards others. They need to be seen as people who one can be friends with. History has given Pakistan an opportunity, and as a neighbour I do hope they grab this one.

Cricket’s glorious 5 centuries!

2009-06-15T00:44:00.001+05:30

There are billions of followers of cricket the world over, many of them self-confessed fanatics. Yet, very few know about the origin & evolution of cricket. In this article, I try to put forth what I learned based on my own knowledge & some research over the Internet.

While a lot has been done to trace cricket’s origins, there is no final conclusion. It is commonly believed that the game was invented by English shepherds to while away their time while grazing the sheep. They used to use farm equipment & wooden sticks to hit a round-shaped object made of wood or stone… winner being the one who hit it farthest.

The first written evidence of a game known as ‘creag’ played by Prince Edward at Kent is in 1301, which could place cricket’s history back to 7 centuries. However, it is merely speculated that this was cricket and there is no concrete evidence of the same. For all purposes of reported history, cricket originated as a sport in England in the early 16th century, way back in the Tudor era, sometime earlier than the beginning of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign (1558 – 1603).

The earliest definite reference to the term ‘cricket’ is in 1598, when it was called ‘creckett’. The reference is in a court case about a sport played by the students of the Royal Grammar School, Guildford around 1550 (whew, that is over 450 years ago). The word is assumed to have been derived from the Old English word ‘cryce’ meaning a stick/staff. Way back then, the cricket (or cryce) bats were shaped liked bent staffs (like hockey sticks), and the ball used to be rolled on the ground for the batsman to hit. The bats continued in this form until they evolved over 2 centuries (!!!) later in 1760, when bowlers started pitching the ball instead of rolling it towards the batsmen. This meant that the ball came bouncing towards the batsmen, and this necessitated the introduction of a straighter bat, the kind that is used today.

By the early 17th century, around 1610, the sport had evolved to the level of a contest, where inter-parish matches were being held. The game’s popularity kept growing through the 17th century; however, it was popular mostly in southern England and it still remained a villagers’ game. But, by the end of the century, things changed. The rich started patronizing the sport and forming their own ‘Select XIs’, on whom they placed bets (who says ‘Super Selector’ is new?), and this helped it become an organized sport played for high stakes all across England.

The first proof of cricket’s popularity comes from a newspaper report about an 11-players-a-side match that was played in Sussex in 1697. The fact that a newspaper found this worthy-enough of being written about in ‘holier-than-thou journalism days’ also suggests that the sport had assumed a fairly important status. As early as 1707, cricket had become prominent in London, with teams coming to play from afar, which attracted huge crowds & betters.

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) was founded in 1787, when the Lord’s Cricket Ground (named after Thomas Lord, a professional bowler who was encouraged by his club-mates to find & run a private cricketing venue within easy distance of London), the mecca of cricket, was formally opened. However, the first ground was not in the same place as the current ground and Lord’s has been moved twice till it reached its current home. Though it was not the first cricket club in England, MCC quickly assumed the position of the most premier club and the custodian of the Laws of Cricket.

By the end of the 18th century, cricket had become so popular that it was accorded the status of the national sport of England, and the expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being played by the Englishmen in other countries. The game became well established in Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean Islands, India, South Africa and North America (yes, North America – even though it is not a very popular sport in that continent anymore). In fact, you’d be surprised to learn that the first ever international cricket match was played in 1844, between the United States of America & Canada (although neither has been accorded a Test-playing nation status ever)!!!

By the mid-19th century, international matches begun to gain importance. In 1859, the English Team went on their first overseas tour to North America (see picture below). In 1862, the English made their first tour of Australia, and in 1876-77, played the first Test Match at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia. The term ‘Ashes’ came into existence shortly, due to the cricketing rivalry between the English & the Australians in 1882, when at The Oval, Australia beat England on an English ground for the first time, and a newspaper wrote that English cricket had died, and “the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia”. Within the same decade, international cricket expanded further when South Africa became the 3rd nation to play international cricket, when they played England in 1888-89.

The English Cricket Team aboard their ship on the tour to USA & Canada, 1859

With cricket’s growing footprint, a global governing body was needed, and the International Cricket Council (ICC) was formed. Originally founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference by England, Australia & South Africa, it came into existence exactly a century ago on 15th June, 1909. It was renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.

The game has gained huge popularity over these 100 years, and today ICC’s headquarters have moved away from England to Dubai, highlighting the widespread impact that other nations have had on cricket. Today, over a 100 nations (that’s half the world by nation-count, and probably half the world even by population count) play the sport, and the popularity is growing. That’s cricket’s impact for you – 5 great centuries, and getting better!

Dutch courage humbles the English in their own backyard

2009-06-06T11:16:00.000+05:30

Dutch courage – what is it exactly? The term has its origins in naval warfare. In the old days, the Dutch navy was feared by all other navies because of the courage it demonstrated in fighting a sea battle. This was especially true during the Anglo-Dutch wars of the 17th & 18th centuries, when Netherlands & Britain were bitter rivals, and the Dutch were particularly dreaded by the British navy, and the Dutch East India Company was forever taking on the British East India Company in atrociously daring attacks. It was rationalized that such an attack could only be undertaken by a drunk man, who was not scared of anything at all. And thus, the phrase Dutch courage came into existence as a slang for courage gained from alcoholic intoxication.

Well yesterday, the Dutch proved once again that they have absolutely no fear of how strong the opposition may be, and especially Britain needs to be extremely wary when facing them. Were the Dutch cricketers drunk before the match or not, I do not know. What I can safely say is that they would definitely by drunk on the success of beating England, and Pakistan, who are next in their line, must be a worried lot.

Predicting a winner in Twenty20 match is not an easy task. It is akin to predicting the future. There is only one problem though… the difficult aspect about predicting the future is that… uhm, it’s pretty difficult to predict. And as was demonstrated yesterday, this holds equally true for cricket. Or, at least, Twenty20 cricket.

Well, the tournament has begun with a huge upset, and that is the beauty of this game. One can never say who will win on a given day. Though, I also notice a trend thus far – most winners in practice matches and in the opener too are teams batting second. So, maybe, just after the toss, we can predict a winner most of the times. Hope Dhoni notices this too, and wins all tosses for India… starting with the one today, or we might witness yet another upset.

India demolish Pakistan in a World Cup yet again

2009-06-04T11:36:00.000+05:30

Yawn! Yawn!

So, what’s new guys? History repeats itself, and every single time, whenever India & Pakistan clash in a world cup cricket tournament. For the past 34 years, ever since the very first World Cup, Pakistan has never been able to beat us, and I am sure they will not be terribly happy about this at all. Pakistanis would wonder, who says cricket is a great leveler? As for us Indians, it is just a great reveler.

Even though this was a warm-up match, nothing associated with this game would suggest so. The tickets for the entire stadium were sold out 2 days in advance. The crowds donning their country colours, cheering and jeering with mad frenzy on every boundary & wicket, made it seem like the final before even the first ball is bowled in the actual tournament. And the intensity with which Pakistan batted in the first inning, surpassed by India in the second inning, hinted that this was not just a friendly warm-up match, but a battle which both sides wanted to win under any circumstances. So much so that when Harbhajan dropped a catch early on, there was genuine sorrow being seen on his face and his compatriots, and the Indians amongst the crowds were groaning and the Pakistanis celebrating. The whole atmosphere was electric to an extent that even the final would be proud of.

With the kind of response this match generated, guess England would want to become the neutral venue for all Indo-Pak matches – it’ll ensure capacity crowds and great television earnings in a country which fathered this great game, but where football is pushing this into the background. But then which country won’t like to play host to an Indo-Pak game? The rivalry has become bigger than the Ashes, and I think it is time that this also is given a commemorative name – how about “Clashes”? (…No pun intended).

158/6 that Pakistan scored, after winning the toss and electing to bat first, was by all means a decent score, and one that should not have been too difficult to defend. At least, one would have assumed that the match would have been a cliff-hanger, going to the last over if not the last ball, before either side emerged victorious. The bowlers were not entirely effective, and India had to employ 7 of them. The fact that 5 of them did snare a wicket each and kept giving crucial breaks meant that India were able to stop Pakistan at a chase-able, under 8 target. And with 158 on the board, even Pakistan would not have been too unhappy going in to bowl in the 2nd innings.

When Gautam Gambhir & Rohit Sharma walked out to open the Indian innings, many would have felt Sehwag’s absence, who is out because of injury. However, the two openers were out on a mission and ensured that there were no twists in the tale, and went on to score at will, marauding the Pakistanis. Incidentally, Pakistan too employed 7 bowlers, but only 1 of them could get the sole wicket to fall – Rohit Sharma who scored a brilliant 80 off 53 balls. When he departed, the score stood at 140/1 with 4 overs still to go to chase the balance 18 runs. Undoubtedly, Pakistan’s fate was already sealed. Gambir & Dhoni completed the formalities of hammering in the last nail in Pakistan’s coffin in the very next over, and India romped home in front of a 23,000-capacity crowd in style, with 9 wickets to spare.

For us Indians, the final has been played, even before the first ball being bowled in the actual tournament, and India has once again crushed Pakistan on the world stage to emerge victorious. Whatever happens hereon in the tournament is not so very relevant.

As I finish writing this, a thought has just drifted into my mind - why can’t we settle all disputes between India and Pakistan peacefully through a cricket match once and for all? Condition being, it is played at a world cup tournament.

Sri Lankan cricketers are safe; sadly, we can't say the same for the state of Pakistan

2009-03-04T20:22:00.010+05:30

Yesterday, in Lahore, The Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked by gun-yielding, and even rocket-launcher equipped terrorists, and many players were injured in the attack. That they are all out of danger and safely back in their own country is a relief, to say the very least.

This attack once again reminded me of precisely what I, and many others, have been saying for the past so many years. Pakistan is a safe haven for terrorists, and they have produced a Frankenstein that they no longer control. Without an argument, the terrorists are a creation of the state and have always been given all the monetary, military and political support they needed to create mayhem in India. Now, as was witnessed very recently through the large celebrations & public display of arms by the Taliban in the Swat Valley post Sharia law being allowed there, the radicals want much more power and wish to control everything in Pakistan, much on the same lines as they did in Afghanistan till a few years ago.

The tentacles of terror have truly gone beyond their maker's control (the Pakistani politicians, army and ISI) and are now deliberately attacking civilians, and even foreigners and teams on a goodwill mission to Pakistan, to spread their awe & fear. The September 2008 Marriott attack in Islamabad was a grim example of the same, and even yesterday’s attack was aimed at bringing their power & capabilities to international notice – much like the US 9/11 and the Mumbai attacks.

There were many knee-jerk reactions in Pakistan to these attacks to absolve themselves of the blame. These ranged from – this is a work of RAW; after all Sonia Gandhi promised retribution for 26/11. Another being – this is the LTTE striking with vengeance as a last hurrah in their fight against the Sri Lankan army. I, for one, do not believe this at all. And there are many reasons for the same.

12 heavily armed terrorists attacked the team bus, being escorted by 6 policemen. All the policemen were killed and all the terrorists got away unharmed and escaped being captured. Wow!

How could the terrorists manage this feat, especially given the fact that the bus route to the stadium was changed at the last minute due to security concerns, and nobody but the police were supposed to know the route. The only sound logical reason that comes to my mind is that the terrorists were Pakistani insiders, possibly policemen/ISI men themselves rather than radical terrorists, who staged this to create an impression that Pakistan is itself a victim, and not a perpetrator, of such attacks. If the RAW or the LTTE did it, they would surely not know of the last minute change in route, and would not have been able to strike. Even if they managed to do so somehow, they would certainly have been captured or killed by the Pakistani forces – goddamn, at least 1 out of the 12 could have met that fate. That this did not happen, is proof enough of the complicity of the authorities running the show there.

Anyhow, the purpose of this piece is not to defend our nation or the LTTE against the blame, or to fault Pakistan. I write this as a grim reminder of what is our fate, if such terrorists were allowed to take center-stage in Pakistan. They have no love for our nation, and I dread the day the nuclear option against India will cease to be an “option” and will become an “opportunity” in Pakistan. For that very reason, we have to continue applying international pressure on Pakistan to fight this menace. And yet, howsoever much we may not want to do so, somehow help them combat this terror. It might be their creation which is hurting them now, but it is our neighbour’s house collapsing that will take our own home with it as it falls. Difficult thought to digest, but a bitter pill that I fear we will have to swallow.

Mumbai Terror Attack...will we ever be rid of terror?

2008-12-05T21:03:00.003+05:30

The Mumbai Terror Attack on the 26th of November was a hugely poignant moment for all Indians. As a person who has spent over 2 years as a denizen of that city before returning to Delhi last year, I was stung with the pain, fear and anger my fellow-countrymen in that city would have felt. But this is not just about Mumbai. It was an attack on the fabric of the nation itself. Our house was impregnated, our brethren (Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jews… everyone) were killed, our pride was dented, and our confidence in our national security system & Indian polity was shattered. It is time indeed to rethink what we, as a nation, want to become – a mourning victim of such perpetual attacks, or a steadfast voice that not just condemns such barbaric acts, but is ready to fight them.

Enough has already been said in news channels, newspapers, blogs, and there are many initiatives – from candlelight vigils to angry protest marches – undertaken by various organizations & groups that have just been formed out of common bonding arising as an after-taste of these attacks and the political response that we’ve witnessed from all parties. At least one thing binds all our political parties finally – they’re all alike in inaction, cowardice, opportunism, one-upmanship and contempt of the people who vote them to power. We, the ordinary citizen, are scum of the earth for them.

If a lipstick-powder wearing woman is not the voice of this nation, then why do they seek them out when it is time to ask for votes? If the family of a martyred soldier is not worthy of a visit by a dog, why should people at such or even lower levels (and I consider myself of a lower level than a martyred soldier) be called for election meetings and told why they are so loved by a politician seeking their mandate? And why should the widow of an officer, who was tormented & condemned for his investigating the role of a particular community in spreading terror, be offered more money than most of us can earn in a lifetime? Just so she keeps quiet at the horrible attitude and apathy of the political masters, and the same politicians who were baying for the officer’s (her husband’s) blood even on the day he was killed by the terrorists, masquerade as caring humans who stand by this nation’s martyrs, and reap political gains on his bloodied, bullet-ridden, dead body. And why should the Chief Minister of the state under the bloodiest attack, organize terror-tourism-treks for his kith & kin, rather than work aggressively towards ensuring that our police & forces are armed to the teeth to not just counter such attacks, but to stop them in their infancy.

I could have used euphemism instead of the strong words that I just used for describing the deeds of our politicians, but while they may sound good, they would be unjust and hollow. The anger in the common man this time is too deep and too unforgiving. And our politicians must awake, arise, and act. Finally, as people who are our representatives and not our masters. For they come from us, the common people. Otherwise, the government of the people, by the people, for the people, will just become a phrase that sounds good, but means nothing. The politicians have to finally put aside their differences and do something positive – not for their sake… but for our sake, our nation’s sake.

Will that happen; I do not know. Will this fizzle out as the candle-light finally fades out; I hope not. But I guess the patience of the people has been tested enough, and maybe this is the catalyst that is going to change things forever.

As I end this note, I am reminded of some lines that I had written in 1984 after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. I reproduce them below.

"Give me a home where no terrorists roam"

Give me a home
Where no terrorists roam
And the kids can play
On the streets all day

No firing, no gun shots
No killing of tiny tots
No fear in the air
No mothers in despair

No murders in religion’s name
Let’s not make life easy game
Guns are not anyone’s toy
Funerals don’t bring anyone joy

Does it matter which God I pray
Does your God hate mine, I say
Is your blood’s colour different than mine
Is your prayer and temple more divine

So, why are we all fighting each other
And killing one another’s son and brother
Is this what you really call freedom of choice
Where only one religion can have a voice

Let’s make our country, our home a beautiful place
Where peacefully can reside human race
And all of us can live together in peace
May I have my paradise back, please

Give me a home
Where no terrorists roam
And the kids can play
On the streets all day

Oh! Give me a home
Where no terrorists roam
And the kids can play
On the streets all day

Nuclear Deal - What it means for India and why the political parties are divided over it

2008-07-22T17:24:00.003+05:30

The nuclear deal has created much debate inside and outside political circles for the past one year. Not many of us understand it well. Not that we were intended to too – by either the Congress (which is propagating it as being for the national good), or the Left Block (which is demanding the Congress Government’s head for it pursuing the deal), or the BJP (which can’t really decide which side to take; after all they started this, but they don’t want to lose out on the opportunity of toppling the Congress at the center). The general belief is that it is necessary for the country. But the general belief also is that it comes at a cost of compromising our position vis-à-vis the US, and hence we must not agree. Two sides of the same coin, you might say. No sir. These are not two sides of the same coin at all; the coin always has a third side – the circular edge – which due to its very nature of conjoining the two other sides, holds the real truth. And that is the truth that most political parties are not willing to let get revealed. But this article is not about my view of the political compulsions of various parties; this is about the merits and demerits of the deal itself.

So, what is the deal all about?

The nuclear deal is an agreement between India and the US, opening the gates for the US government to supply nuclear fuel and reactors to India, which will also enable the world to collaborate with India in civil nuclear usage, thereby helping our energy needs of the future, apart from various other gains. All the nuclear deal does is to grant a ‘waiver’ from the laws of the NPT, which India has vehemently refused to sign, so that American companies can now pursue nuclear trade with India. From an Indian perspective, the deal itself needs to be seen as what it is primarily – an agreement to shore up India’s energy security and gain access to nuclear and high technology, with transformative effects on foreign policy.

The Deal: Some basic compulsions

As per the agreement, the following must be adhered to for the deal to go through:
• Identifying and separating civil and nuclear facilities and programs in a phased manner by India
• Filing a declaration regarding India’s civilian facilities with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
• Taking a decision to voluntarily place India’s civil nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards
• Continuing India’s unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing

Arguments Against

• First and foremost, the proposed separation of nuclear facilities into civil and military is costly & difficult or rather impractical. It would also mean that we allow external agencies to come and examine our facilities, thereby exposing our capabilities to the world, and finally limiting them. The deal will impact India’s ability to produce requisite fissile material, as all new nuclear facilities will be civilian in nature and under the supervision of IAEA.
• Second, nuclear power is costly in nature and an emerging country like India can ill afford it. It is a luxury that only the developed world can enjoy and India should not count on it in its energy security calculus. In any case, the benefits are not going to be immediate, and hence there is no need to rush into signing this deal. We must look at other, more viable energy means in the meantime.
• Third, the deal is all about American promises and Indian commitments, and we just cannot trust US to keep its word. If it fails to do so, India will have traded in its independent nuclear program, without having received anything in the bargain.
• Finally, the deal does not remove the discriminatory nature of the present nuclear regime which India has been fighting all along. Why should India place all its existing and future civilian nuclear facilities under IAEA supervision when other nuclear powers are not compelled to do so? In terms of statistics, out of the 915 facilities under IAEA safeguards worldwide, only 11 are in the 5 NPT nuclear power states.

Arguments For

• First, India is a fast growing economy that is looking for all the energy resources that it can get hold of, howsoever costly they may be. The denial of nuclear fuel due to provisions of the NPT regime has been precisely the reason behind the Indian nuclear establishment’s dismal performance. History has given us the chance and we must seize it. If international nuclear fuel is available, the cost of producing electricity will also come down and will be within the affordable range. The benefits that the future generations are going to reap are far too many to negate with a veto against the deal.
• Second, there is no provision in the deal that asks India to place its indigenously developed nuclear reactors under IAEA supervision. The deal is applicable only in the case of existing and future nuclear reactors that will be using international nuclear fuel. Technically, India can build up as many indigenous nuclear reactors as it wants for its security purposes.
• Third, to answer the proliferation charge, the present deal is a win-win situation for the non-proliferation regime since it brings India into the nuclear mainstream. India has consistently put its foot down to join the NPT regime, and has also not given any commitment to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). So, thus far, it has been denied the nuclear status (and benefits that follow) that it truly deserves. Nonetheless, India, despite being a declared nuclear power, has an impeccable non-proliferation record that needs to be trusted & rewarded rather than questioned & punished. That we have got the US to finally grant us what we deserve (and that too on our terms, without us signing the NPT or CTBT) is not just commendable, but laudable.
• Finally, India has still not signed the NPT treaty. But it will enjoy all the privileges available to declared nuclear powers under the NPT regime. In fact, in the eyes of the American non-proliferation lobby, the nuclear deal is an American sellout to India. They feel that the deal is likely to abet the nuclear weapon capabilities of India. For, by the very act of separating the civil & military facilities, without NPT being signed by India, the supply of international nuclear fuel will free its existing non-civil facilities, designated as military facilities, to produce plutonium and enriched plutonium exclusively for weapons’ purpose.

My Take

India is a developing economy and to maintain its current growth it needs power to run its industries. In a country like Germany, 60% of the power comes from nuclear power plants. To grow into a super power we need nuclear energy to keep the wheels of the industry, and thereby the economy, moving at a rapid pace. The deal’s biggest positive impact will be on the country’s energy needs, which becomes a critical consideration given the high oil prices touching $140 and more a barrel, and the imperative of maintaining high growth rates into the future. The second advantage is that it will gain India access to high technology – to larger capacity reactors, for instance, and to monitoring and safety technology. India’s nuclear establishment will be able to participate in international collaborative research on thermonuclear reactors, that could offer significant advantages in the future.

In the face of these advantages, some of the objections raised by critics seem quite peripheral and even trivial. There is, for instance, the criticism that technological cooperation will remain less than full unless the U.S. were to amend its laws to permit export of enrichment, reprocessing and heavy water technology. Or that arrangements for reprocessing the spent fuel imported from the U.S. have still to be negotiated, without which we do not know where we stand. The more substantive objections, however, are basically two.

The first is the Left’s view that the deal will take India into a closer strategic partnership with the U.S., which would mark a departure from the independent foreign policy line agreed to in the national common minimum program. It is a pretty well known fact that closer relations with the U.S. are essential for any progressive nation in a globalised world, because it controls the levers of economic and technological power. Nobody can really object to better relations as such but the Left, as always, is opposed to any relations with the U.S., whether they are beneficial or otherwise.

The second objection is from the BJP – that the deal will compromise India’s strategic autonomy and it will become virtually impossible to carry out another nuclear explosion. That, immediately after the Pokhran 2 blasts, the then Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee of BJP himself, and thereafter many leading scientists have already said that India has no further need for any more tests, is being conveniently forgotten by them, on the belief that public memory is short and nobody will remember what they said years ago. So, basically, the objection has nothing to do with the deal or its contents per se; it has more to do with the political needs of the BJP at present.

As I see it, the India-US nuclear deal is the much-needed fuel to regenerate our nuclear establishment that is stifling under present international regulations. If the status quo is allowed to prevail, our ambitious plan to be counted as a globally recognized nuclear power, and to derive benefits from the same, will only remain a pipedream. Of course, there are a few conditions, which may be strict in nature, that have to be adhered to. But despite all of those, it is clear that the advantages of the deal overwhelmingly outweigh any threat or flaw, and this is as good a deal as any government can negotiate for us. Were the country to miss this opportunity, it will be an uphill task for any future government to resurrect the deal with a new administration in Washington.

P.S. Almost the entire text of this message has been researched through various articles – both Indian and International. I cannot take any credit for the factual inputs into this; however, any analysis thereof and flaws in the same are solely mine, and I stand guilty should you find fault with my comments. I deliberately refrain from commenting on the political scenario which is likely to be revealed later today post the vote in the parliament. But I guess you can make out who I am backing – no, not the UPA, but the deal.

Goodbye Gilchrist!

2008-03-05T17:41:00.002+05:30

India won a historic one-day series down under yesterday, finally getting the monkey off their back by beating Australia 2-nil in a best of 3 finals. That there was no need for the third match to played, demonstrates how India dominated the Aussies in the finals totally. But the world is talking a lot about that already, and I shall refrain from doing so this one time.

Instead, I am going to write about the one man I have always admired as a cricketer, who hung his boots yesterday. The man, as is no secret, is none other than the Australian, Adam Gilchrist. Wicket-keeper par excellence, batsman most dreaded, and a sportsman who stands out like an angel amongst his other team members who wouldn’t miss any trick in the world (character assassination included) to get the better of their opponents. He was one man who never waited for the umpire’s decision, but always walked, if he thought he had edged the ball and had been caught behind. A true gentleman cricketer, I must say, in this day of blatant, low-stooping techniques to stay at the crease by so many others in Australian cricket that it has almost become their charter – “do not walk unless the umpire says you’re out”. Even in his last inning, he walked even before the umpire had time to react to the appeal, on a very faint edge, decision on which could have gone either way.

Gilchrist scored just 2 runs in his final essay before edging Praveen Kumar to Dhoni. The fact that he finally finished with 9,619 runs in 287 one-day internationals shows that this was uncharacteristic of his otherwise extremely high standards. Why, on his batting abilities alone, he would be the pride of any cricketing team in the world. And the pace at which he scored runs was always something that gave ulcers to every opposing team captain, and put him consistently on his toes to somehow try & control the run flow.

As a wicket-keeper, he was again unparalleled and contributed to 472 dismissals in his career. And to be keeping wickets to champion bowlers like McGrath and Warne is no mean task, and his contribution to their tally of wickets is immense. He definitely changed the basic qualification required from a wicket-keeper to a wicket-keeper/batsman/all-rounder, and Kumar Sangakkara & M.S. Dhoni would be immensely proud to be from his herd of cricketers.

Statistically speaking, the man averages 33.52 runs per match (I am not calculating averages the traditional way, wherein you look at averages based on no. of innings that a batsman has been out on). In terms of dismissals, he averages 1.64 per match. If he just stayed on to play another 13 matches to reach 300 one-day internationals, he would have scored an additional 436 runs, and crossed the 10,000-runs mark. To get 28 dismissals to reach the 500 mark, he would need 17 matches. So, if he lingered on for some more time only for this very year (nobody wanted him out of the team at all, as his contribution is immense even now, and there are no serious contenders knocking on the Aussie team door yet), he would have surely got both the 10,000 run mark & the 500 dismissal mark, in addition to an amazing 300 ODI appearances. That he had the courage to go into retirement with such huge milestones within his grasp, shows the man’s mettle and resolve.

If only the world (and specially Australia) had more such cricketers, the gentleman’s game would still be extremely competitive, without being combative. I will surely miss him.

Delhi...the city of delights

2008-01-08T23:59:00.000+05:30

“Jaadon kee narm dhoop aur aangan mein leit kar” – Gulzar’s these lyrics echo in my mind every time I think of the city where I was born, educated and where I work. Delhi, the city of winter morning dreams, rainy day delights and beautiful spring experiences – this is my city.

When I was born, my family lived in the Choori Walan area of Bazaar Sita Ram, which many describe plainly as Old Delhi. To me, though, that is the heart of real Delhi. Most people won’t know that this area was developed the same time round as Chandni Chowk, and actually is home to the real halwais who prepare the best chaat, the best bedwi-aloo, the best gaajar ka halwa and the best kulfi that was ever prepared in this city, and which has so often been wrongly credited to Chandni Chowk, the better-known neighbourhood.

As a child who lived in a house, that many described as a haveli, inside the deepest of the narrow, winding lanes of the old city, that would be a bhool-bhulaiya for the uninitiated, I used to miss the gardens and the opens that were always welcoming my cousins who lived in the New(er) Delhi areas of Patel Nagar, Malviya Nagar & Lajpat Nagar. What I never realized then was that I was enjoying the so many other joys of life that my cousins would give their right arm for. Like the rickshaw rides from Chitli Qabar to Golcha Cinema along the colourful Urdu Bazaar, where enroute you could stop and pick up small bargains and mouth-watering delicacies like mewa-gazak in winters or kesar-baadaam-sherbet in summers. Or the sheer joy of having a bicycle race with a friend from Hauz Qazi to Jama Masjid – just trying to keep moving ahead on the bicycle in the congested lanes of Chawri Bazaar made even more crowded by the cows who actually own them, or by the jhalli-walas who run amok in the secure knowledge that the road is theirs and anybody else is a trespasser, was a skill that only some old-Dilliwallah could master and then take some pleasure in. For once, it was skill over speed that ruled.

My alma mater, Happy School, was one of the most popular institutions of its time that produced brilliant results and some illustrious students, but could never be as glorious as a DPS or a Modern probably due its location. A much-sought after school for their children amongst the denizens of the old city, this place taught me a lot in not just academics but also in human values that most of us today crave for our children. The place is still revered in my heart.

Post my graduation from the Delhi University, once I started working in the advertising industry, it finally dawned upon me that the true culture of Delhi does not just reside inside the serpentine lanes & bylanes of my childhood, but also in the newer colonies, albeit in a new avatar. It opened my eyes to the culture beyond normal tehzeeb; a culture where the sequined salwaar-kameez was easily given up for the sensuous short skirt; a culture which extended to the cacophonic unspeakables that many Delhiites use as part of their everyday language, peppering their already colourfully rich vocabulary. The Bhatoore-Chholey gave way to Butter Chicken, and the bhaai-saheb gave way to Big-Bro. However, my love for Delhi continued to grow.

Whether it is the hundreds of cricket teams playing at the Ramlila Maidan or it is a family outing at the Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan, the crowds that would normally scare you, merge & mingle with each other as easily as water colours on a canvas, creating a rainbow that can be so welcoming. The Sunday picnics at Qutub Minar or anyday dinners at India Gate lawns, or the charm of just lazing around in the winter sun at Central Park in Connaught Place – which other city has so much to offer? Joys that don’t cost a penny, and yet give you so much pleasure.

Today, as a true professional who has more time for his office peon than for his wife, who now lives in an NCR town and works in South Delhi, I’m almost in Delhi, but still miss being there. I do miss the fun of growing up and exploring this lovely city as a child. I am afraid that my children will grow up not knowing what Delhi is really like, due to my not being able to find time to show them around. The ease of life has given way to the business of eking out a living, and a hectic routine keeps me busy & away from the simple joys that I so cherish, and would like to share with my children. Today, as a Delhiite, my heart cries out, “Dil dhoondta hai phir wahi fursat ke raat din…”

India are the World Champions of Cricket!!!

2007-09-25T15:07:00.000+05:30

India are the World Champions of Cricket!!!

India are the World Champions of Cricket!!!

India are the World Champions of Cricket!!!

Well, it still hasn’t sunk in, and therefore the twice-repetition. Just when nobody expected them to win, Indians have finally emerged as the well-deserved suitors of this new, lively, nubile 20-only bride of cricket, and the honeymoon has just begun.

What a match? If ever, there was a match that swung more than the swingers of Irfan Pathan, it was this one. I almost had two heart attacks before the Indians romped home and picked up the trophy. But I think enough has been written, said, read & heard about the match, and whatever I may say now would only be old wine in a new bottle, and so I shall spare you the misery. What I will dwell upon are other aspects of India’s victory & what it augurs for Indian cricket.

First things first: this young Indian team has proved to everyone that they have absolutely no fear. The big stage fright does not weaken their nerves; in fact, it motivates them to higher levels. And playing & winning against Pakistan is just a small hurdle that can be cleared easily. Reputations do not matter; great play does – that is what epitomizes the team belief & is reflected in their spirit on the field. South Africa & Australia have already learnt their lesson the hard way – by being chucked out of the tournament just when they thought they were close to winning it. The message from the team clearly is, “Bring ‘em on and then some more!”

While Dhoni & his men have shown that they mean business, and are ready to rule the world, we must remember that this is T20. A traditional 50-overs a side one-day match is a completely different ball game, and they would do well not to get too carried away, and to be mentally & physically prepared for that as well. The taste of success can be very heady causing hangovers that take forever to get out of, and the team needs to be ready for the next challenge pretty soon. As regards tests, I think the team would be very different and would include the trinity of Sachin, Sourav & Rahul, but it would still be nice to have the boys who have performed be a part of the new-look India that has no past baggage to carry.

Coming to the trinity, I was fairly surprised to notice that none of them went to South Africa to cheer the team for the finals! After all, this was a world cup final, made even more interesting & important by the fact that it was against our arch-rivals, Pakistan. So, what were our seniors doing here sitting inside their homes watching the match on television? Why did they miss being a part of history – win or lose, it was going to be a historic moment for India? Why did they not cheer for the team from the stands? Did they rue the fact that they thought that T20 was frivolous and chose not to participate? Or were they jealous of this young team that has performed miracles without any of the top 3 being in the team, and could make them redundant in the small form of the game? I know that such thoughts should not colour my imagination, but what to do – my imagination is quite colourful!

Finally, I must admit that the slug-fest was quite entertaining. That India won the championship was an icing on the cake. And I am forced to take back my earlier opinion on bowlers being marauded in this crazy & cacophonic carnival of cricket. When it mattered the most, the bowlers did stand up to be counted and proved that when a batsman is hell-bent upon trying to hit every ball for a six, it is a good bowler, who practices his skill well, who can make a difference.

Well done India, and keep it up!

ICC Twenty20 World Cup - spare a thought for the bowlers

2007-09-13T02:13:00.000+05:30

The ICC Twenty20 World Cup began yesterday in South Africa amid grand fanfare. A new form of cricket that is meant to provide wholesome entertainment to spectators – does it sound like Bournvita (wholesome nourishment for kids)? Who cares – so long as it tastes good!

So, what are the ingredients of this bottleful of wholesome entertainment? A bagful of pinch-hitters – javelin chuckers who can hurl anything beyond 80 yards most welcome; an army of fast legs, safe hands and good arms – Asafa Powell (the new world record creator at 9.74 seconds – he already held it – for the 100m sprint), brick-passers who work in building construction & discus throwers take notice; an orgy of masochistic bowlers who love being hit out of the park – dads teaching their little ones to bat, please stand up and take a bow; all added together, mixed well & bottled into well-packed teams consisting of an ocean’s eleven that wants to be the world’s most famous recipe for success in this colourful menu of picture-perfect grounds, cheering & jeering crowds, and cheerleaders who go berserk with their pelvic movements every time a four or a six is hit (surely, Michael Jackson’s career could see a new lease of life). That is what conjures up this alluring meal that is being dished out to cricket lovers across the globe. And the sweet dish – well, when the actual match seems better than highlights, who needs a sweet dish?

I will not reflect upon the inaugural match between South Africa & West Indies yesterday, but for mentioning the fact that Chris Gayle became the first cricketer to hit a century in this form of the game, at a scoring average of 200%+. I am sure that this is only the beginning, and we will see many more in times to come. When a team scores more than 200 runs in 20 overs and still loses (as is what happened to West Indies yesterday), you know it is time to bid a farewell to bowlers. Surely, this species is on the verge of extinction, and the poachers are the world’s cricket governing body and spectators who bring in the moolah.

When people love to see a bowler being taken to the cleaners by a batsman and cheer every four & six, you know that this format is about the skill of tactful & hard hitting batsmen who send the fielders for a leather hunt (both inside & outside the stadium). When somebody like Shaun Pollock goes for over 50 runs in 4 overs, you seriously wonder why should he be willing to torment himself at this age and after such glorious achievements! An economy rate of 8.00 runs per over seems like dream bowling in a match of this sort. So, why will good bowlers play this game – this will only result in them slowly deciding not to participate in such matches. And make it the sole domain of batsmen who can hit big, batsmen who can-also-bowl and all-rounders only. McGrath would be glad that he retired in good time.

As I watched the run riot at the New Wanderers yesterday, I wanted to spare a moment of pity for the bowlers. And I started thinking about how we can improve this game and make it good for the bowlers too, and ensure that we don’t lose out on seeing them on the field (and not in commentary boxes) in this format. I have come up with 2 basic suggestions that could go a long way in improving things as they exist. I am not talking about fielding rule changes or batting affecting bowling, but about changing some rules regarding bowling only that should see great bowlers still wanting to participate.

Suggestion 1: Like a free hit given to the batsman after every no ball, the bowler should be given a free hit after every wicket. This should mean that the batsman cannot score in any which way on that ball apart from a 4 or a 6. This will make it more lively from both the bowler’s and the batsman’s perspective. The batsmen would try to hit out and could get out. Or, he would try to defend, giving some respite to the bowlers and helping his economy figures. Also, on this free hit ball, the batsman can be declared out for failing to connect with the ball – watch the fireworks if this happens!

Suggestion 2: This one is more radical, and I believe also more potent. Every time a wicket falls, the over should automatically come to an end, and the next over should start. This will ensure that batsmen are more cautious for the first 3 balls and take risks on the last 3 balls of the over, giving a fair chance to the bowler to experiment in the first 3 balls and take wickets.

Not that I have a say in world cricket policy matters, but as a spectator & a lover of this glorious sport, I want to see good bowlers also, and would not refrain from raising my voice against those who want to kill the fine art of bowling. Howzzat!

The State of Indian Sports - are we ready to play a fair game?

2007-08-31T05:59:00.000+05:30

As I reflect upon the state of Indian Sports, I would like to base my thoughts on two recent, independent happenings that are surely going to impact sports.

India won the Nehru Gold Cup in Football for the first time yesterday beating Syria 1-0. If I were asked if India would win it, my instant response would have been, “Are you kidding?” But the inevitable happened. If you happened to watch the match (I watched the recording in the night), you would have been left wondering, “Is it really India playing?” The pace of the match was just amazing – I have seen many FIFA World Cup matches, and I must admit I was equally impressed. Then, there was game-play, which I thought was just too wonderful. India regularly had possession of the ball, and it was continually attacking. In fact, we penetrated the goal twice, but the first time Bhaichung Bhutia was clearly off-side and the goal was denied. Syrians, on the other hand, were excellent but unnerved. They played great football, but Indian defence was flawless, and our goal-keeper saved two of the most amazing attempts that I ever saw. Resultantly, Syrians went ballistic and resorted to violent tactics, getting a red card in the process, eventually helping India’s cause. But that is not the reason why India won – they won because they believed in themselves and played like hungry tigers.

The second instance is the formation of the Indian Cricket League. A rebel league, promoted by Subhash Chandra of Zee, that has the BCCI worried like nobody’s business. Worried they should be, because of what an Australian media moghul by the name of Kerry Packer did almost 3½ decades ago when his Channel 9 was denied telecast rights. He gave birth to limited overs cricket, which was played in the night (due to stadia not being made available to him in day-time) and was called pyjama cricket. The fact that this had to be duly recognized pretty soon by the world’s cricket governing body due to its growing popularity, and eventually the cricket world cup was formulated on the same format, tells us that public mood can change things. That BCCI was forced to raise the pay-check for players and tournaments 7-times over to match the ICL payouts shows that they are scared. It also shows that the world’s richest board has huge a purse from huge earnings whose strings it was not opening till now.

Clearly, things are changing for the better. But what is unbecoming in this rivalry is the fact that BCCI has refused to let players contracted by ICL to represent the country. Why should that happen, I ask? After all, shouldn’t the best players represent the country, irrespective of which governing body they are associated with? I think this will happen sooner than later. If Sachin, Dravid, Sourav, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Munaf, Zaheer (and if Kapil Dev was still in his prime) join ICL – will the BCCI send somebody else to the various tournaments organized by ICC? Would (or should) the sports-loving citizens of India tolerate a second-rung team being sent that is sure to lose, only for the sake of commercial & one-upmanship reasons?

There are various instances (like the Nehru Gold Cup victory), which are moments of glory for India, that for selfish reasons remained ‘moments’ and never became the platform for the big leap ahead. Such is the ill-growth of the weed of nepotism in India (that exists not just in sports but in various other fields in India) that we are never able to take off our blinkers to look beyond our brethren as people who should represent the country.

However, if you watched Priyaranjan Das Munshi (our Information & Broadcasting Minister, who incidentally is also the President of the All India Football Federation for almost 2 decades) dance with gay abandon on the borderline immediately after the final whistle was blown yesterday, you would have said national pride (or at least the love of sports) still rules the hearts of our politicians. I must also add that Mr. Munshi has taken the initiative to announce the creation of First Pro National Football League, which will go active from 30th September, 2007. One small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind – that is the impact this is likely to have on Indian Football. Certainly, some people are trying to move the sport in the right direction, but a lot still needs to be done.

If I were the president of BCCI, with all my coffers filled to the brim, I would have immediately announced the formation of a fund for football (and hockey & other sports where the teams need support to practice & perform). After all, any true sportsman would not restrict himself to helping people playing his sport only. The managing authorities of one sport need to be subservient to other sports that need guidance, attention & financial support. And this has to happen for the growth of sport and sportsmen in our nation. But we’re a long way away from there. In fact, we’re busy in our turf wars over the same sport. If we have to become a mega-power (and I do not see why we can’t – even China went through an equally bad sporting phase some 2 decades ago, which forced the government to ban themselves from participating internationally in any sport till they produced good talent; and look at what they’ve emerged as due to their focused approach), we have to become like parents who bring up their daughters so lovingly, only to give them away in marriage. That is a thought that our politicians do not seem to understand yet, but things will surely change sooner than later.

We have to become passionate about grooming players who play for our country as a team, leaving behind the dirty politics of regionalism & biased commercial deals in sports that dog this nation. I think the 1½ months that our Football Team (brought together from various states) spent together under Bob Houghton, our Zimbabwean coach, helped in getting them mentally prepared as a team for the big league and go out with an attitude & hunger to win. The same needs to happen in cricket, and the two boards should work together for the sake of Indian glory, rather than for business alone. But unless our politicians & businessmen are driven out of the sport, or play for the country first, this will not happen. We, the people, are the only ones who can make that happen; and I am sure the day is not far off.

Wah Taj!

2007-07-10T05:32:00.000+05:30

I remember that when I was a 9-10 year-old in school, we were once asked to draw any one thing that symbolizes India. Some students drew the Indian flag; some etched out the Ashoka Lions; some settled for the map of the country; some sketched peacocks & tigers (our national bird and animal, respectively); while some more artistic ones tried their hand at a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. I, on the other hand, sketched a simple-to-draw building – Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal has always captured my imagination as not just something that is the pride of India, but as something that the world should be proud of. Therefore, it was no surprise for me that the Taj Mahal finally made it to the New 7 Wonders of the World this weekend. Rather, it comes as a greatly satisfying feeling to me to see this architectural marvel find its rightful respect worldwide. If anybody in the world thought that the Taj Mahal needed a vote to become a part of the Magnificent Seven, the only thing I can say to that person is, “well, you need a vote to prove that you exist”.

I do not wish to even get into the historic and cultural background of building the Taj. The sheer magical impact that its mere mention has on lovers is emphatic enough to place it right at the top of any list that is created to honour such monuments. And while such comparisons can tend to be odious, there is nothing more obnoxious than comparing anything else to the Taj. How can anyone commit such an act of blasphemy?

Anybody who has seen the Taj, up close and personal, would more than vouch for this. Who can not be mesmerized by the sheer beauty of this memorial of love? And who, in his/her right senses, would ever put any other place in the world ahead of this as a wonder?

So, for over 1 billion Indians who swear by the beauty of the Taj, this is proof that we’re not alone in this world. But did we need it in the first place? To my heart, we did not. To my mind, we probably did. For this will give just the right boost to tourism into India, and open the floodgates for millions of global visitors queuing up to get their Visas stamped to India to catch a glimpse of this wonder. And that, to me, will not be just Taj’s victory, but India’s victory.

As far as I am concerned, there are 2 kinds of people who exist in this world – those who have seen the Taj, and those who long to see it. Period.

The cup of joy is elusive

2007-03-21T05:00:00.000+05:30

India lost to the minnows Bangladesh in their first match. Well, I was disappointed but not distressed. After all, in 1983, India were the minnows who beat the world champions and brought the trophy home. Why did we cheer them then? Because it was us who were victorious, and David had beaten Goliath. But now, when the tables are turned on us (by the way, we're not even the world champions for a good two decades), the entire nation goes into deep depression. And then we go out and burn effigies and destroy houses of the same cricketers who we had made deities.

By the way, this has not happened just because we've been beaten by Bangladesh; the same thing happened in the last world cup when we were beaten by Australia. We've completed the journey of being beaten from A to B; Canada must be smacking its lips right now, and I don't even want to think how long Zimbabwe would have to wait. The journey, it seems, has just begun, and our nation's patience is already running low.

Somebody edify me - why do we behave like manic morons everytime our nation loses in the world cup? And why do we suddenly have equally moronic memory lapses, when the team performs well in the next encounter, and we go back to singing their praises. I guess that in India, cricket has truly become a religion that thrives on the high hopes of its devotees. When the hopes of a billion people are dashed to the ground in an unexpectedly unbelievable fashion, the volcano erupts. And when their hopes are given the wings of victory, they feel blessed by divinity itself.

That is exactly what happened when India beat Bermuda (Omigosh - their name also starts with B; thank God Bangladesh beat them to beating us first) by over 250 runs in their second match. Records tumbled in the match, and it had to be nothing less to appease the wrath of the believers in the Gods. 413 - a record total by any side in a world cup match. 257 - a record margin of victory in all ODIs till date. 18 - the highest number of sixes hit by a side in an inning (though, here India equalled Australia's record). So, the hopes are alive again, and one can again hear the feverish chants of the chaste.

But the task is not complete, and we will not be able to rest even if we defeat Sri Lanka on the 23rd of March. The most anticipated - and most likely to be watched by every single Indian (this would have not drawn even a single viewer or an advertiser till India lost to Bangladesh) - match in group B has suddenly become Bangladesh vs. Bermuda on the 25th. What a twist in the tale! However, I don't think any advertiser is going to touch them till the 24th; because if India loses to Sri Lanka, nobody will watch it. But, if India does keep its hopes alive by winning, the 24th is going to see blood on the dance-floor as every advertiser worth his last penny rushes to buy ad-space. I don't think we'll ever be witness to such an anti-climax in marketing ever, ever again. But such is the joy of cricket.

The cuppa that will cheer India seems nowhere in sight at the moment, and it would need a giant effort if we are to bring it home. The one billion Indians at home are praying hard. Now, it is time for the 11 Indians on the field to play hard.

Aussies' Asinine Arrogance - isn't this bringing disrespect to the game?

2006-11-09T01:40:00.000+05:30

Punter and Martin have, to use a cricketing phrase, swung their bats a bit too wildly this time. But will they be given out or even warned, I doubt - given that the umpires (the Australian Board, Cricket Australia, who are going to investigate this incident) are very vocal supporters of all Australians and all their unsporting acts, specially when such acts are against the subcontinental teams - Darrell Hair is a prime example.

I saw the footage over television yesterday. Of how Ricky Ponting "beckoned" Sharad Pawar to hand over the Champions Trophy to him. And how, immediately thereafter, Damien Martin virtually shoved Pawar off the dias, so that the Aussies may be photographed with the trophy. Very rude behaviour and an ugly incident, to say the least, irrespective of whether it was Sharad Pawar or a completely unknown, insignificant person. Though, if one has to go purely by his stature as the BCCI Chief, Central Minister of the Government of India, and a leading, very senior & well-respected politician of the world's largest democracy, and the reverence that he should command for his sheer age, the Aussies have shown great disrespect not just to him, but to all Indians.

Pawar, in his maganimity, has dismissed this as an unnecessary debate, and as an incident which is not noteworthy given the youth of the Australian team and their excitement at winning the trophy for the first time. He has dismissed this as a unintentional mistake, at the most. I am no fan of Pawar's or his ideologies, but I am not willing to let this pass by as an accident. I do feel that these twin acts, even if unintentional, were definitely uncalled for, and extremely disgraceful.

Aussies cannot be pardoned for being so arrogant due to the excitement of winning the trophy. They are, after all, world champions in cricket, have won too many tournaments to count, and are the first team to hold both the World Cup and the Champions Trophy at the same time. This is definitely not their first win, where they can be excused for behaving like kids, though I have yet to see any kids who behave like this on a dias.

As ambassadors of not just the gentleman's game, but of their country, the Aussies should have behaved the way a champion should - gracefully. Obviously, that is a word that they have never come across in their life. It is a norm, if not a basic courtesy, to give respect to the host, specially when the guest has been treated so very nicely while visiting another country. And it is even more necessary when you are in public view of not just the stadium audience, but the entire world watching you over television, to behave in a manner befitting you. But let me give Ponting & Martin the benefit of doubt; maybe they did behave in a manner befitting them perfectly - rogues will be rogues, as they say.

Irrespective of their upbringing and their ethos, I would like to know from Punter, Martin and Cricket Australia how they would feel if the same treatment were meted out by the Indian Team to Hon. John Winston Howard, the Chief Patron of Cricket Australia, and incidentally also their Prime Minister. But which Indian Cricketer will ever give them tit for tat? Maybe, we do have a business case for Sourav Ganguly's presence in the Indian Team.

Saddam's finished, but is it time to rejoice yet?

2006-11-07T08:20:00.000+05:30

To be hanged till death. A very dramatic sentence, indeed. Specially for a head of state. But it was coming, wasn't it?

So, Saddam Hussein is finally done in. Any surprises there - none I guess. After Bush had decided that he had to bring the Indisciplined Arab to his knees for defying America, this was bound to happen sooner or later.

When Bush went to the Congress to convince them that the war against Iraq was necessary, he talked about Saddam working day and night at developing Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). And that America would be under constant threat from the despot, should it not take immediate action to curb the same. The annihilation of the Butcher of Baghdad became the most pressing thought for the mighty President of the USA. Even more important than finding Osama bin Laden, who is singularly responsible for causing more bloodshed & panic in America in a single day than both the World Wars put together.

Why was it so important, one may wonder, to go after Saddam. Because Bush, along with his best ally Musharraf, has been so very unable to even figure out whether OBL is dead or alive (wasn't that the phrase that Bush used before he began carpet-bombing Afghanistan to get the man), forget locate him and bring him to justice. With public confidence in him plummeting by the day, Bush needed a saving grace, and so Saddam became the fall guy.

The fact remains that despite whatever atrocities that Saddam would have done against so many Iraqi denizens, he was nowhere close to developing WMDs. The only WMDs that the American soldiers could locate and destroy in Iraq were the common Women & Men, and the Descendants of Saddam. And they went on a systematic demolition drive of the same, till they finally found the man himself, holed up in an underground bunker, and began his retribution.

So, one despot is done in. So much better for the world, and I can probably eat my dinner more peacefully today. But what about the Big Brother attitude of America in imparting justice? They may go on claiming that the trial and judgment was a fair one, meted out by Iraqi Courts with absolutely no consideration to America's stake in the entire state of affair. But is it really so, or is it most certainly "Justice of the Victor", which for centuries bygone means awarding death penalty to the vanquished? I personally don't think this is a good precedent, and goes on to make the world a better place.

Yes, if Saddam is at fault for mistreating his citizens, he should be punished. But the whole agenda for the war by America was destruction of WMDs. So, what gives US the moral high ground to persecute him in the first place for other sins? And why do US soldiers continue to show complete disrespect for prisoners of war and the common Iraqi citizens? Wouldn't that be a sore wound that the Iraqis will have for years to come, despite having being rid of Saddam? And will they respect America for what it has done for them, or will they and the Arab & the Islamic world become even more suspicious and spiteful of America? I have no answers now, but I do believe that with this deed, America has only ended up alienating the foes, and it does need to do a lot to bring the world together.

Daughters are God's gifts

2006-08-15T12:26:00.000+05:30

Today, 14th August 2006, has heralded a new chapter in my life. My wife and I have been blessed with a baby girl. Already the proud parents of a 6-year old boy, this new bundle of joy is an absolute delight, and she completes our family.

What is the difference between being a son's father and a daughter's father? Not much, I must admit. Except that a son is so very exciting, and a daughter is so very precious. Her first lazy glance at my face, as she sleepily opened her eyes for the first time, was enough to swell my heart with joy and pride.

My wife Anshu, who has suffered through very high blood pressure for the past two weeks that really scared us, finally gave birth to our daughter at the Holy Spirit Hospital, Mumbai at 8:59 a.m. About an hour and a half later, the little one was brought to the room - to be with her family. Anshu took some time coming, and was still reeling under the strain and pain of a C-section delivery till late evening. But hey, nobody's complaining; she's given birth to an angel, and a nice and healthy one at that - she weighed 3.63 kilos at birth, which is pretty decent.

If you want to see unblemished joy, you should see the delight on my son's face on becoming the big brother of a superb sister. Guess even he realizes - daughters are God's gifts!

Mumbai Bomb Blasts...The City Refuses To Die

2006-07-13T08:35:00.000+05:30

Terrorist… what does it take to become one? Is it the cause (like fight for one’s land – right or wrong is debatable) that one believes in? Is it the religious fanaticism (irrespective of it being Islamic, Sikh or Hindu) that pushes one beyond all lines of control? Or, is it the urge to scare the wits out of your enemies and make them cower & bend down in front of your supreme, naked power (as some countries of the world are used to demonstrating)? I guess it can be either, but mostly is a mix of all three, apart from many other things added to make a heady cocktail of anger, passion, spite, etc. that turns a man into a monster.

The cause for a land may be just – as was at the time that Bhagat Singh & his fellow-freedom-fighters decided to bomb the assembly in 1930s. That they did not intend to kill is another story – they intended to scare the British and bring public notice to their cause through newspapers writing about this act. Not much different from what the Lashkar-e-Taiba is busy doing today, except that Bhagat Singh’s fight was against another nation occupying ours by force, and this cannot be termed terrorism. Same is not the case with Kashmir, even though the terrorists may draw parallels here. The debate, though, will continue forever, as one man’s murderer is another man’s martyr.

The cause for religion may also be just – should a particular religion be at risk, as the Jews were during World War II. But does Islam really have to fear? They are, after all, now the largest religion in the world. And do Hindu fanatics have to retort every time like devils whenever a Godhra happens – is our religion at risk in India? With 80% of India’s 100 crore+ population being Hindus, not yet, I may say. Christianity appears tolerant today, but the world knows how their missionaries spread their religion by the sword for centuries. No; religion can never be the right excuse to kill millions.

The cause for crushing an enemy may also be just – but should it be left to armies to fight it out or should innocent civilians be subjected to whims of nations? And is the bombing of citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, howsoever noble it may have been to end the WW II, an act of war or an act of terror? Are Israel and Palestine right in what they are doing to each other’s denizens for decades? And is Pakistan right in being a sponsor of terror across our border? No, it is not – as no nation can ever be. Simple rule – even if your neighbour beats you black or blue, and then also grabs your house, you just cannot kill his wife or brothers or children to get it back, can you?

Terrorism, in all forms, is nothing but the wild expression of frustrated feelings of a set of humans (can we still call them that, or is ‘creatures’ a more appropriate word), who have their own agenda that is completely different from the world. And the only way they can make themselves heard or noticed, and remain powerful & dreaded (though they would like to call it ‘respected’), is by making a song and dance of it every time they can. The song of suffering and the dance of death.

This brings me to Mumbai, which was once again hit by terrorists yesterday. 7 blasts – inside of half an hour – in the railway network that carries teeming millions – at peak hour traffic – designed to deliver maximum impact – and to bring the city down to its knees – worked like clockwork. To my memory, only 9/11 NY, and 12/03/93 Mumbai were more horrific. The sheer panic that I saw on the faces of people yesterday was more horrifying than whatever I have ever witnessed.

What I saw was people running for their lives like I have never seen before. Office-going ladies crying like lost schoolgirls on the roadside, men in their 30s and 40s looking zombie-scared and clinging onto whatever transport they could get a hold of, old men & women pleading with everyone who would care to listen to help them reach their homes – the memories of the so many terrified faces I saw while trying to get back home yesterday will haunt me for a long time to come.

What I also saw were a lot of good Samaritans trying everything they could to help out – they were very, very few, but they were there – handing out water, biscuits, stopping private vehicles and requesting them to take some passengers with them. The city had suffered a great blow, but the city is resilient and was trying to stay alive & kicking. Today, at least for now, it has got back to its feet. And while the impact of yesterday’s terrorist attack on it is huge and loss of life suffered incomparable, the normal citizen on the road is ready to show the terrorists that they have largely been unsuccessful in trying to disrupt life. Makes me say, “Salaam Mumbai!”.

Zidane's header costs France the World Cup

2006-07-11T01:45:00.000+05:30

Italy has won the FIFA World Cup 2006. But that is not the big news for me.

What is intriguing me, and I am sure the rest of the world, is what in the world was Zinedine doing when he head-butted Materazzi. Surely, he knew the cameras, the line refrees (if not the pitch refree), and billions across the globe would see what he did. Why did he have to resort to such a shameful thing in his swansong match?

Was it the last hurrah he was seeking, and the frustration of seeing the game entering extra time, which could go against his side? Or, was it some provocation hurled at him which finally snapped something inside him? Whatever be the reason, the act is unpardonable. Not that he has not done this before – he’s been actively involved in similar incidents twice in crucial matches.

In 1998, the only year when France has won the world cup, Zidane fouled the Saudi Arabian captain by plodding on his foot in the first round. Of course, Zizou claimed it was accidental but the refree thought otherwise, and he was red-carded. The cameras proved the refree was correct. It later also did emerge that the Saudi captain had verbally provoked Zidane (who is of Algerian ancestry) with racist remarks into the act. Maybe the same happened yesterday too. But that does not condone his sin.

Another time, Zidane was sent off in a Champions League match in 2000. Zidane aimed a headbutt at an opposing team member after both players collided & fell over in the 29th minute. He was given marching orders immediately, and his depleted side lost the match. History does repeat itself!

Clearly, Zidane does not learn from his mistakes and continues to be ruled by his own beliefs (right or wrong), irrespective of consequences to himself or his team – resulting in a hero becoming a villain of the first order. This kind of attitude appears in all people who think they are the greatest, can do no wrong, and above the law. Incidentally, it is also the same wild streak that is seen in master-criminals, who are basically geniuses gone wrong for the presence of one mischievous gene in them.

It’s not that Zidane is the only sportsman to face slurs on the field. Cricketers are known for sledging and can be pretty nasty in terms of their racist, religious, sexual and national attacks on opposing players. Notwithstanding this, and post a few verbal attacks hurled back, the game continues more or less peacefully – despite the fact that both the batsmen and the fielders have more ammunition with them (in the form of bats, balls and wickets) in one match, than the entire soccer world cup put together.

One would have liked to see Zidane lift up the cup, or to even see him going gracefully into retirement as the captain of the team that were runners-up in soccer’s biggest arena. The soccer-crazy world would have loved to have that as the fondest memory of this cup. However, that was not to be – all for the senseless temper of one second that killed a lifetime of good work. Zizou’s headbutt and his shameful exit, for me, will be the lasting memory of this world cup.

Football… the final frontier is here!

2006-07-09T03:10:00.000+05:30

Tomorrow, the world is going to witness the FIFA World Cup 2006 final clash between 2 nations that are totally opposite of each other in how they have fared historically in the World Cup.

Italy, on one hand, have reached the finals 5 times (second only to Brazil’s 7 & Germany’s 7) – this is their 6th appearance. They have won it thrice – in 1934 against Czechoslovakia by 2-1, 1938 against Hungary by 4-2, & 1982 against Germany by 3-1. The 2 times they have lost it has been to Brazil on both occasions – in 1970 by 4-1 and in 1994 by 3-2. Incidentally, all of their 3 wins came in Europe – Italy, France & Spain respectively – and they were against European teams. And both their losses came in the Americas – in Mexico & USA – against an American team.

France, on the other hand, has managed to reach the finals only once – in 1998 – which they won beating Brazil 3-0. That the tournament was in France and they were playing in front of home crowd would have given some wings to their ambitions, and the victory margin is a clear indicator of how motivated they would have been to beat a team like Brazil, who were the defending champions. Can the French win again and maintain a 100% record of reaching the finals and winning, one needs to wait & see.

A thing to notice is that amongst 18 World Cup finals (including the current year) featuring 2 sides each, there are a maximum possible 36 teams that could have played the finals. Amongst Italy, Brazil & Germany, they now have 20 appearances – more than 50%!!! Now, that does place Italy in the premium league, doesn’t it? Records clearly suggest that Italy is much more likely to take home the trophy as compared to France.

Nonetheless, the French are not going to be pushovers; the way they kept Brazil at bay in the quarter-finals tells you a thing or two about their current form. Also, Zidane has not returned from his retirement just for nothing. Though at 34, he is pretty old to play football, his legs have appeared to be the freshest in the tournament so far. Also, very few can dispute the fact that he is probably the best footballer of his generation in the world. And he is an inspiring leader, to say the least – his team’s commitment to him demonstrates this in no uncertain terms. They would die (and kill) to give him the best farewell a footballer can get – the world cup.

However, the beautiful game is very unpredictable – specially in this season. Who would have thought that none from Brazil, Argentina, England & Netherlands would reach the final 4 stage? Who would have thought that so many games would go to extra time and penalties? Who would have thought that not a single match would witness a hat-trick (this has never happened before)? And it is the very unpredictability of the game that makes it so beautiful.

So, who will win? Don’t we all love underdogs and would love to see France win? But don’t we also want to see the more deserving side, Italy, emerge glorious? I will not hazard a guess on the outcome of the final. Because, while I love my pizzas, I also cherish my wine.

Indians finally beat Windies to taste success abroad

2006-07-04T01:57:00.000+05:30

The first non-Indian cricketers to sing the Kingfisher Beer song “Ula la la la, vey o” (I hope this is correct – I have no intention of getting Vaughan try to correct me) were the West Indians. In fact, Kingfisher was the official sponsor of the West Indian cricket team almost half a decade back, and this Indian sponsorship gave some decent funding to the impoverished game that every man, woman and child loves in the Caribbean. Today, I am sure, almost everybody in the West Indies would be despising all things Indian, notwithstanding the fact that 4 of their playing 11 in the last test (Ganga, Chanderpaul, Sarwan, Ramdin) are of Indian origin. In fact, together they scored almost 2/3rd of the total runs scored by West Indies in either innings (67/103 in the first and 142/219 in the second); yet could not save their team from the blushes.

India, on the other hand, have finally shaken off the ghost of not being able to win a series outside the sub-continent (I don’t think winning the series against a totally depleted and demoralized Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe last September should count as being able to win outside). The last time when India actually won a series of consequence outside was when Kapil’s Devils demolished England 2-0 in 1986. Who would have thought that it would take a good 20-years to repeat the feat? However, if you just go a little back in history, you would realize that India had taken 15 long years to register their 1986 series win abroad – the last time it happened before that was in 1971 in England again. Though, then the Indian team was fresh with having beaten the mighty, mighty West Indians in their backyard just a few months ago.

The question that arises is that “Is India capable of continuing to win abroad?” On paper, very much so. When you win despite not playing Irfan, and with Sehwag, Kaif and Yuvraj being in terribly low form, it tells you that things are auguring well. We did play the series pretty well and should have won at least 2 if not 3 of the tests, had the rain gods not intervened to favour West Indies. However, one must not miss the fine point that the Indians got pretty “Indian” wickets in West Indies, and their task was made that much easier. They cannot expect the same every time and elsewhere. Also, the very fact that England went home from India with their chests held high a few months ago, despite not having their top league players in the team, tells you a thing or so about the Indian state of affairs in tests.

Victories tend to make you heady, specially when they come after such a long gap and such toil. It is time indeed to be drunk in the joys of reaching a long-cherished goal; yet one must not forget that the journey has just begun. We cannot be complacent from here onwards. Dravid and his team would be well advised not to let this go to their heads, and should ideally see this as almost a gift given the nature of the pitch given to them. Yes, the series is won, but because the opponent inflicted self-injury.

While record books will show that we are victors, the team should not assume the same and think of themselves as good as Kapil’s Devils; not yet at least – maybe in the future, they will prove themselves to be even better. Dravid has infused a sense of responsibility & pride in this team by leading from the front with his own knocks in the past few months, and by his demeanour on & off the field. He must surely be feeling happy today. However, he would also be the first one to realize how close they have come to winning and then squandered it – in ODIs specially – due to lack of killer instinct. His work is not over; it has just begun.

I, despite sounding very boorish & critical in this monologue, am one proud Indian today. But I can’t get myself to sing, “And I’ve, had the time of my life…”.

Isn’t history continuous?

2006-06-23T01:51:00.000+05:30

“Isn’t history continuous? Incidents don’t happen in a vacuum, but cause ripples spreading out, interacting with other ripples, changing their courses and, in turn, themselves being changed, and changing the course of anything coming in their contact. Nothing can escape their impact.”

This is a thought that I had written almost 15 years ago, when I was in my final year at college. Today, I reflect upon the same.

The context, when this was originally written, was to write to a girl whom I wished to befriend. The idea behind the thought was to tell her that when two souls come in close contact with each other, it is a foregone conclusion that they will interact (negatively or positively is immaterial), and be influenced by each other. And even if they choose to go separate ways, history tends to bring people together once again. The continuum of history is such that things don’t just happen by design or choice, but empirically, we know that many incidents happen unknowingly and unwittingly. You must be wondering, what am I trying to insinuate? Let me elaborate.

When I made a decision to move to Mumbai (from Delhi) in January last year, neither my best friend, Varun, nor I had an idea that he would make a similar move within the same calendar. But then this happened; though this could not be sheer chance, a lot of it was by design on Varun’s part – he actively began looking at offers from Mumbai (which he may have been rejecting till my move), and finally we both are again together. But that is not the point of my writing this.

A very surprising circumstance happened this month, which makes me write this essay. A school-time friend, Reena Puri (nee Singla), moved to Mumbai. In the last 18 years, we would not have met or talked on more than 3-4 occasions (not much by any stretch of imagination). And for the last 6 years, she was based in Dubai. It would be pretty safe to say that we had lost touch forever, with no hope or effort of meeting again.

Never in our wildest dreams would we have imagined that we would all (Reena, Varun & I) be living in the same city (which is different from our original abode) 18 years from last we were colleagues. What’s more, she looked at various homes at Lokhandwala, Kalina, Santa Cruz, and finalized deals at each of these places that didn’t go through at the very last moment, finally to take up residence barely 3 kms. from my place. And that’s not the end of it all – her kids have got admission to the same school (Podar CBSE) as my son, and take the same school bus everyday! Now, doesn’t that sound like a rerun of our own lives?

All this made me suddenly remember the almost-forgotten lines that I had written long ago. And the thought came blinding back to me – isn’t history continuous?

Kings or Gangsters

2006-06-18T07:40:00.000+05:30

A random thought just drifted into my mind… something that I’ve been toying for almost two decades, and have debated till kingdom come with many people… never losing the debate, by the way. I write on that today – “Kings or Gangsters”.

“Blue blood in their veins… that’s what royalty is made of.”

Really? Then, in my opinion, the colour of blood running inside the biggest gangsters in the world must also be myriad shades of blue!

Surprised? Let me take you down history lane to explain this rather bizarre thought.

What made Kings? Where did they come from originally? And when I say originally, I mean how did the very first king come about thousands of years ago? What would make people follow them blindly, and be ready to kill for them and to be killed for them? What wins such loyalty?

There are only two things in this world that bring such devotion. One, is the love of family and the very dearest of friends, who will do anything for someone they love so much. Two, is the position of power that binds people together – they may love each other or loathe each other, but the power of being in control and of gaining hugely by such an alliance – is what earns such allegiance.

It is my hunch that the first kings came about the same time civilization was coming into existence. The very necessity of the people to fulfill their basic needs – food, shelter, protection from wild animals – made them form groups. These groups needed a leader – like all groups – who could envision the dangers they faced, come up with solutions for the same, and guide them in times of need. This task would have invariably been entrusted to the wisest (or the most cunning) and the bravest (or the toughest) person in the group. The cleverest person became the holy man (who could talk to God and foresee everything), and the cruelest man became the king (the most powerful protector & provider). Together, they formed rules for the group to follow and bade them to obey them by fear of the Almighty or by power of the muscle.

Soon, these groups had a need to go farther than where they were born, to seek out new places for food and shelter. In doing so, they came into contact with other groups, who were pretty obviously hostile to theirs. Conflict of territory arose (much like it arises in wild beasts), and they had to fight and kill each other. If the leader was killed in the battle, the next most powerful living man would take the mantle. If the leader survived, he would be eulogized by the surviving few. These leaders were the rulers of the entire land now. And as they grew their territories and their population, they became bigger and slowly formed their kingdoms and became kings. To keep the large flock together, these kings needed a common belief (or fear), and an instant solution came in the form of spreading the word of God. I am not an atheist, this merely is an attempt to understand how man first learnt about his Creator and how he came to fear His wrath so much. One can clearly see why so much affinity existed between the King and the High Priest of yester-years. I think this is the only plausible explanation, and you can correct me if you have a different thought on the same.

So, the first kings were nothing but largely feared gangsters. Their sons automatically inherited their legacy, and may or may not have been as cruel. But they were also driven to expand (or protect) their territories, and so they stepped out of their comfort zones. You may call them bravehearts; I prefer to call them ganglords. What, for example, made millions of people leave their homes in Macedonia and trek all the way to India to win lands for Alexander the Great? And why did Alexander need to win over the world by killing so many people – I am sure the right religious teachings would not have permitted him to do so; and he was not threatened by anybody & fighting in defence. It was the lust of demonstrating himself as the most powerful man in the world (propelled by wrong religious backing) that drove him and his troops so far.

Isn’t this the very thing that we see around us today? How different are the kings from present day gangsters or terrorists, who follow the same route to riches? And how different are they from the heads of various nations (the present day kings) that wish to subjugate other states by sheer demonstration of their wild, merciless power?

This seat is reserved... and not for you

2006-05-24T03:52:00.000+05:30

Reservations in education & jobs. Haven’t we all heard of this a decade and a half ago, and protested against the same vehemently? And isn’t this the very same issue that cost Rajiv Gandhi & the Congress the election in 1989? So, why is the Congress going ahead with this now? To understand this, one has to dwell into the past.

If memory serves me right, when Rajiv Gandhi was presented with the option of implementing the Mandal Commission report while still in office, his stance was that this would lead to dividing the country on the lines of caste, and he was totally opposed to the idea. He felt that after 40+ years of independence, India needed to look ahead and start becoming a power to contend with in the world. And this would not happen if we allowed undeserving candidates protection in securing education & jobs at the cost of bright youngsters who were more worthy of leading India into the 21st century. Truly, he did not understand the politics of the land (being a service class person himself till 1984, when he was suddenly forced to enter the political arena), and paid dearly by leading Congress to a historical poll rout. While the politics of Mandal & Kamandal led to the mass erosion of the Congress base of working classes and the underprivileged, Rajiv still refused to agree to reservations and did not use them in the polls of 1991 too. Sadly, the one man in politics who refused to play the communal card was assassinated, and since then the small regional parties (SP, BSP, JDU, et al), have continued to rule the roost by pandering to the emotions of the teeming masses who want a government job, but don’t want to work for the nation’s progress.

Coming back to the question, why is the Congress playing the same card that Rajiv opposed? And specially so given the fact that his wife, Sonia, is the supreme leader of not just the party, but the government itself, albeit without carrying any portfolio. My guess is as good as yours, and I feel that the Congress has realized that while in Rome (no pun intended with it being Italy’s capital), do as the Romans do.

I have been a supporter of most of Congress’ policies since BJP distanced itself from me post their mute-spectatorial support of Mandal, and moreso their stance on Swadeshi in ‘90s (though they are the ones who truly opened the economy after coming to power), but today I feel betrayed. Ignoring Rajiv’s vision, the Congress today is trying to implement the reservations not for the downtrodden but for its own good, demoralizing the bright youth of today, who are competing with global corporations and creating a name for India. Irony is, that it is only the doctors (and those too who already are admitted into their courses with a secure future), who are taking on the might of the government, with very little support from the engineering & the management students.

So, again, why does the Congress feel the need to do so? With it slowly but surely losing its mass base in UP, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan & Gujarat, which constitute almost half (if not more) of the Parliamentary seats, and with regional parties & BJP playing having with caste & religion, it does seem to have no option. It still calls itself a secular party and so cannot say things like we are committed to the development of the oppressed poor classes ala SP or BSP or JDU. That would make sure that the educated urbane would move away from them. Howsoever small in numbers they may be in the electoral battle, they constitute the enlightened few in this country, who are opinion makers. And every party that calls itself a national party needs them. The RJD or CPI/CPM in my mind are still regional players who find fervour in select states only, and hence they continue to play the game of masses versus classes. And they would love to distance themselves from the Congress the day they could cobble up a majority minus the BJP. Jayalalitha and Mamta Bannerjee, amongst many others, are known to change quickly like the ocean’s tides, and they would happily ally with anyone who would bring them to power. Which is why the Congress is forced to build a strong base for itself in the masses who vote. I, for one, am dead against it, and can only hope and pray that good sense prevails on everyone and it is the country’s progress which is considered ahead of every other consideration. For, a fast-growing nation creates opportunities, jobs, wealth and recognition for many, many more than a nation that likes to appease everyone and fail to please anyone.

India - 16 going on 17... but unable to reach 18

2006-05-23T04:57:00.000+05:30

Okay! Records are meant to be broken. And also, a record is a milestone that has a certain limit at that point of time – though this limit can be extended to whatever limits by the record breaker. However, the limit does exist and it is never infinite.

Who would have thought a decade and a half ago that the 100-meter dash can be run in under 10 seconds? Carl Lewis certainly did not, but he did it nonetheless. And today, we have sprinters who are clocking 9.77 seconds (almost 2.5% under the so-thought limit). Or, who would have thought that 434 runs could be scored in 50-overs in cricket? Australia did it notwithstanding it being a superlative effort. Only to realize a mere 4 hours later, that South Africa were also more than up to the task.

That brings me to my current context. Would you have ever imagined that India would equal the world record of 16 back-to-back successful run chases (yes, chases!!!)? That too against teams like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and England? And then break the record with a 17th consecutive win against West Indies, to create the new world record.

Indians traditionally were always poor chasers, and this new-found confidence in chasing is because of the fresh enthusiasm seen all around the team in the form of newcomers who carry no past baggage of losses while chasing a total. They are the go-getters and they are ready for the kill. Not to forget the captain, who more than lives up to his nickname “The Wall”, who is ever-willing to take on a challenge and come out victorious. This is the same guy who cricketing pundits said had no place in one-dayers because of his traditional and woefully slow batting. Who would have thought that the same genius would today be just 500-odd runs away from the magical 10K runs figure in one day cricket? And who would have thought he would be leading the team (let alone be just a part of it) with most successful chases in history? After all, he started playing in the era where India almost always lost while chasing? And he was blamed manyatime for the same due to his slow batting. But here we are, with a new world record. And this man is leading from the front like no one else before. And the team is rising to new heights with every fresh outing.

This brings me to the second point that I want to discuss today. Why did India lose their 18th chase? And that too when the target was extremely achievable – 199 to get in 50 overs is not stiff by any standards – South Africa got more than double of that, and that too against the world’s no. 1 team. So, why did India’s record run come to an end? Well, there are no simple answers here. I saw the match, and have only one thing to say – Brian Lara marshalled his limited bowling resources extremely well. The wicket did not have much for the bowlers, and against Indian line-up, the bowlers wouldn’t have been much worth. But Lara ensured that he was giving the ball to the right bowlers at the right time, who created sufficient pressure by good line & length and forced the Indians to throw their wickets. That is precisely what happened in my view.

One man – Yuvraj – played a brilliant knock in my view, till the very last ball that he got out on. Having taken the team to that level (India needed 11 off the last over, mind you, with only 1 wicket to spare) where they needed just 2 runs off the last 3 deliveries, he should have got it. Bravo, who was bowling the last over, was having one of the worst days of his life till that very last ball. But the excruciating circumstances took their toll on Yuvraj, and just one reckless fling of the bat threw it all away.

Well, that’s history now, and West India has derailed the Indian bandwagon. But there should be no remorse. Like I said, there is no record that is limitless. And Indians have genuinely created a huge record that is going to be difficult to surpass. However, no record can survive eternity – so it is bound to broken. In my view, currently there are 3 teams that are up to it – Australia, South Africa and India itself. So, let’s see if it can be bettered; and let’s see who gets it!

Is a deer's life dearer than a human's?

2006-04-12T09:18:00.000+05:30

Many Indians want to go hunting someday, like the erstwhile Maharajahs & the English rulers of Hindustan. Killing big game, after all, has long been deemed as one of the most macho things to do. So, Salman was not being very different when he gallantly went out to the jungle. And the villagers who caught him in the act, I am quite certain, would have many boastful “shikaar” stories to tell about their ancestors and themselves; and probably a trophy or two hidden away, if not displayed in a pride of position place in their homes. So, was Salman wrong, or was he simply in the wrong place at the wrong time?

My take on this is simple. One, he had no business hunting & killing a protected wild animal. Two, he was foolish enough to actually be caught in the act. And three, he was naiive & arrogant enough to assume that this issue will die a natural death, without bothering him. The wildlife lobby is fairly strong the world over, and no human (unless you are Veerappan or a heavy-weight politician) can get away once caught. So, Salman is paying for his sin of arrogance, more than anything else.

That also brings up two points in the issue. Point no. 1: Why do snake-charmers, bear handlers, etc. go scot-free after giving so much pain to these protected animals and eventually killing every single animal they handle with absolute cruelty? What is the SPCA or the WWF or the Judiciary doing to them? Have you ever heard of an arrest (forget conviction) in such a case? Point no. 2: Once the crime is proven, is the punishment being meted out justifiable? I mean when a snake kills a human, do we find & kill the snake? Of even when a stray dog bites a kid on the street (who contacts rabies & eventually dies), is the dog brought to justice? So the questions facing us are, is human crime greater than animal crime? And is animal life more precious than human life? Maneka Gandhi, I am sure, would have us believe so. But for some reason, I fail to see the logic every single time.

Also, in a country when a person murders a human being in full view of a hundred renowned, well respected people (Jessica Lal case), he goes without punishment. And when a man kills a deer which is seen (or is it assumed to be seen) by less than a dozen illiterate, unknown villagers, he is given 5 years!!!

I have no love for Salman – I’m not his fan. But I have love for all my human brethren, and can’t see such gross injustice being done in the name of law. Salman is being punished because the courts are assuming that he is a proclaimed offender (beating co-stars, running over people sleeping on pavements in his vehicle, et al don’t go down too well with the judges). And if any of you remembers the “17 oranges” story that we read in class 10th, an example has to be made to the masses that this will not be tolerated. And who better than a celebrity to be sacrificed at the alter – giving out a clear message that nobody is above the law. Sadly, the same is not true when it comes to Manu Sharma, who is given the benefit of doubt, because eye witnesses have back-tracked due to threats to their lives, which the court is well aware of. Perhaps, Salman should not have been arrogant in assuming that because he is a star nobody would touch him; he should have demonstrated his star power & money-muscle to the villagers to ensure that they claim that no deer was ever killed in the first place, forget Salman killing one.

May the deer’s soul rest in peace. I am sure Jessica’s won’t after this kind of injustice.

Aussies feel Bangla heat

2006-04-12T08:39:00.000+05:30

Bangladesh, yes Bangladesh, have taken a 158-run lead against Australia in the ensuing test match. And had Gilchrist not played the innings of his lifetime to score 144 runs in a team total of 269 in reply to Bangladesh’s 427, Australia would have been forced to follow-on (though if I were Bangladesh captain, I would play my second inning without enforcing follow-on, and make Australia play the fourth inning on a deteriorating pitch).

And to top that, Bangladesh scored 355 runs on the first day itself in 88 overs at an average of over 4, against a bowling attacking comprising Lee, Gillespie and none other than Shane Warne! And then Australia really struggled to come close to that total at a batting average of under 3. Five batsmen failed to reach double figures against a pretty-mediocre bowling attack. Not a pretty situation for Australia after having recently lost an ODI to the minnows. Where is the world’s greatest cricket team going? And where is the world’s worst cricket team going???

That also brings me to Shane Warne, the world’s most successful bowler ever, and still going strong. Time & again one has been reading articles from various Australians and Shane himself of how most of Murali’s wickets have come against weak teams including many of them against Bangladesh, and how Shane’s tally is not increasing at the same rate because of Australia not playing against such teams. Shane bowled 20 overs going wicketless against the same Bangladeshi’s in the first inning. Not to say that the wicket had nothing for the spinners. His other spinner team-mate Stuart MacGill took 8 of the 10 to fall in the first. Even in the second inning, thus far, Shane has not been able to scalp a single stump, from the 5 fallen so far, and he has again bowled 20% of the overs (8 out of 40 bowled so far) like the first inning. I don’t know whether it is Shane’s bad luck or MacGill’s good luck!!! The only non-suprising element here has been that Warne has never been successful against the Asian cricketers, and Bangladesh seem to be no different from India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka for him. Now at least, somebody should tell him to shut up about Murali. Not that I am a big supporter of the Sri Lankan, but then I’m not a great supporter of Shane either.

At stumps today, Bangladesh lead with 288 runs with 5 wickets to spare. Unless they score another 100-odd to reach close to 400, I don’t think Australia should find it really, really difficult to beat them. But considering the first inning, even 288 should give the Bangladeshi’s an easy win. But where the match seems headed, one will come to know only tomorrow – on the way Bangladesh bat and on the way Australia bat thereafter.

Should be an interesting match to witness. More from the academic perspective than from the cricketing perspective. And more interesting would be seeing how Australia salvage their image hereafter.

A God is disgraced...

2006-03-21T03:22:00.000+05:30

It is extremely sad to see a God being disgraced. That is what happened at Wankhede this Sunday. And while I outrightly condemn the incident, in more ways than one, Sachin had it coming to him sooner than later. The fact that this happened in his hometown is in fact much better than it happening elsewhere in the country, specially Kolkata – had it happened there, then the entire Maharashtra would have risen in a whiplash effect to fight for their son, who has given so much to this country to cheer about. Also, it is indeed gratifying that it happened in India rather than elsewhere, or the shame & the fury of the nation to protect the prodigy would have been immense. Yet, it is a poor sight to see an idol being immersed.

Sachin, the man, the maestro, the messiah of cricket, is finally reduced to being a normal human being. Why, I ask, is he not able to perform to normal levels (forget supernatural)? And why, I ask, is he treated any differently from our erstwhile captain and still is kept in the team? Just because he is worshipped like God? Yes, I am sure you will say – after all, he “IS” God. But this God is not answering the prayers of his worshippers, and is slowly but surely turning them into atheists. Why does nobody have the courage to say that Sachin is not in his prime now, and needs to go gracefully – more at a time when people ask, “Why Sachin”, than “Why not Sachin”? A dangerous territory to tread into, but I guess somebody needs to speak fearlessly. And so, I ask this question.

Why does Greg not say the same thing that he said for Ganguly – being a part of the team is important for Sachin’s image & his finances? Is it true – as an advertising & marketing professional, let me say, it is indeed true. With his current form, he is unlikely to get any new endorsements, and once he goes away, the only ones hankering for him are likely to be the insurance/retirement fund companies. Yes, the magic of Sachin is fading and the advertising industry is quick to realize this – as I am sure Sachin has also starting figuring out. Though, he has, by all means, already made his mega-millions and may not have any need for more moolah. But who does not want to be idol-worshipped? And that’s where the human nature starts showing in Sachin.

When any player gets selected to play for his country, his first thought is to make a huge impact and win matches for his nation. All his energies go towards that. Records are just milestones that happen in course of play, and should not influence performance or selection beyond a level. However, the day performance starts dipping, the player realizes he has to improve or exit. Why should Sachin (who even I hold in the highest esteem) continue to play for the team, if he is genuinely not able to deliver? Shouldn’t he step aside and make way to others who are willing and able to play for the best interests of the team? Having played more tests for India than any other player, having scored more centuries than any other man in the world, I think Sachin has already a lot of records at his feet, and it is time for him to say goodbye. Two records will elude him in doing this – the maximum runs scored in tests (that is currently with Lara) and the maximum tests played for any country (which Steve Waugh holds). But in trying to reach for them, will he be doing his Godly-image any good?

The Lions get the Kangaroos in an unbelievable chase

2006-03-14T08:04:00.000+05:30

The word impossible, as Napoleon Bonaparte said, is found in the dictionary of fools. And South Africa more than proved this Sunday that if anybody considered them fools, the thinker was living in fool’s paradise.

Wow! What a match? Though I missed all the live action as I did not remember that this match was on. It was only my best friend Varun’s ecstatic phone call after the match got over, that informed me that I had missed the mother of all battles in one-day cricket. If only the call had come after the first inning got over!

What can be said about such a contest? Unbelievable… in my opinion, only that word is apt. The final frontier has been breached (I can’t even imagine that this would be repeated at least in our lifetime) and history has been truly written this Sunday… and in very bold letters.

And that too when the world and his mother believed that Australia were on the way to win the series; South Africa did not have it in them to win any final contests.

Chokers! South Africans? Yes, yes.

Lion-hearted winners! Australians? Yes, yes.

No sir, I tell you not. The True Lions are the ones who reside in Africa, and despite the greatest leap they had taken barely four hours ago, finally the Aussies were reduced to being just kangaroos who must be hopping around in pain.

When India were chasing around 160 runs in 20 overs in the last ODI in Pakistan, nearly everybody believed that it was a mammoth task, and an average of 8 could not be sustained for so long. India did it nonetheless. But who would have thought that South Africa would chase almost 9 runs for 50 overs straight? And that too against Australia! I’m sure that you didn’t. I’m even more certain that none of the gamblers did, and everybody would have put his money on the Aussies after they notched up 434. And the bookies must now be laughing all the way to the bank.

C’mon Aussie, c’mon. What happened? Left speechless? Let me tell you what to say – my favourite phrase of Indian commentators – cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties! Though the one certainty that shall always be there is about the uncertain nature of cricket itself. I eat my words of last week, and happily so.

The one big winner of this match was South Africa. But mark my words – Australia lost the match, but they can definitely not be labeled losers. Not after you create a world record, howsoever short-lived. And as far as I am concerned, the biggest winner of this contest was the game of cricket.

Varun, I am sure, will recall the tales of this match to his grandchildren very, very fondly. I can almost hear him speak non-stop & as excitedly as ever.

Reminds me of a song that I heard a decade ago… I love this Game! I really love this Game!

Indian Curry delights England

2006-03-04T01:03:00.000+05:30

What a beginning to the England tour of India! They lose their very astute captain Vaughan, and their vice captain Trescothick – both leading batsmen, well respected the world over for their devastating skill with the willow – even before the first ball is bowled in this series. And let’s not forget Simon Jones, England’s sultan of swing. So, what are we left with – a hastily cobbled up team including 3 debutantes, who have absolutely no wind of how the breeze blows in India. The only saving grace is that Flintoff – the man who loves his cricket as much as his country – is still well and is handed over the baton in the absence of Vaughan. And he still has a few good, though injured, warriors in the form of Pieterson & Collingwood. But can England beat India in India? Even if they had a full bench? And now, with a completely depleted team? What a hypothetical question, I tell you! Can the Sun rise from the West? Can the Earth stop to spin? I guess you got the answer.

So, when the two teams began the series to battle it out for the 2nd rating in the test teams rating, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that the Indians would cream the English, and then even juice out the pulp. Any tea-stall runner would have told you this. I am sure the betting sites were doing zero business – who would bet on England? But that would have been till yesterday. Cricket, as they say, is a game of glorious uncertainties. I believe that’s a phrase that Indian commentators use mostly to cover up for their team’s goof-ups. But then, I could be wrong; and you too have a right to difference of opinion. However, facts speak for themselves.

Any spinner born the west side of the Nile can never even dream to make a dream debut against the Asians, and more specially the Indians. I am sure that a particular Sikh gentleman by the name of Monty Panesar only hoped to make a touristy visit to the land of his ancestors, when he was picked for this tour of India. To be given the ball in the very first match against a full-strength Indian side in their full stride would only mean that England was hoping to quickly make sure that this Indian-origin person would quickly go back to playing county cricket only. Right? Wrong!

If I ever played cricked for another country as a bowler, my biggest dream would be to bowl to Sachin Tendulkar and get his wicket. And to get that as my first International wicket – well, Guru Nanak Devji had to be really prasann with his putra to give him the divinity to do so. Sri Vahe Guruji da Khalsa; Sri Vahe Guruji di Fateh. Well, Monty bowled Full, and that’s exactly what happened – the Full Monty of Indian cricket is there to see for all. Should I say, Raj Karega Khalsa?

Who would have thought that this spinner would trouble the Indians the most, and take 2 prized wickets! I am not taking anything away from Hoggard here. To bowl on a dustbowl and get 6 wickets – that’s a feat that any pacer would be immensely proud of. And England have India on the mat thoroughly with a lead of 70 runs in the first inning. My God! Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way round? Where did we go wrong? Or is it more appropriate to ask, where did England go right?

All I can think of is that probably we got too complacent after Pakistan, and over-confident by the fact that England seemed like babes in the woods. But this Indian team has learnt its lessons fast and done course corrections faster. Hope that they would live up to the reputation & faith they’ve built over these past few months. Otherwise, Mr. Chappell will have to do some more work on this team, rather than lazily write columns in foreign newspapers about the worthiness of certain players, who he believes are bad news for this emerging Indian side. Or alternatively, he may just add a few more names to that column. Did I hear someone say Endulkar?

A journey worth taking...

2005-08-02T14:09:00.000+05:30

As a person stranded in the Mumbai floods, I experienced human spirit that was taking on the Gods. Here is a chronicle of the same.
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Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. I guess that should sum up my experience of Tuesday, 26th July. But nonetheless, I am happy that the journey I made did not go waste.

I was below my office at Vile Parle, East at 3:00pm trying to catch a taxi to go and meet a client at Fort. Almost one hour of trying and still no vacant taxi was visible. What were visible though, were heavily falling rain, the slowly flooding streets, and a steadily increasing traffic jam on the Western Express Highway. Still, being new to Mumbai, I was unbothered – this is normal in rains in Mumbai, and would ease off.

Around 4:00 pm, my administration manager phoned me to inform me that he had just heard that the trains had been stopped. Time to act: I being the Mumbai branch head of my organization had the responsibility of all my employees, most importantly of the 30-odd female members of the staff. I returned to the office and told him to check with the railways whether what he had heard was true. And, I asked all the ladies to proceed home immediately – the strong rain was enough to tell me that this was no place for girls. Just then, there was a power blackout.

At 5:30 pm, having cleared out almost everybody, I decided to leave for home. By that time the phones had stopped functioning, and I had no news of how things were at home. I got my car out and drove for around 200 meters – when suddenly I hit almost 2 feet deep water. The car started to misbehave, and I somehow managed to reverse and come back to office. Just then my phone rang.

“Where are you?” Anshu, my wife, on the phone, asked in a near-panicked voice.

“I’m at the office trying to come home. But there is a lot of water-logging here; will take some time.”

“Don’t. The road outside our complex is flooded. And Shaurya’s (my 5-year old son’s) school phones are not responding. And the 2 o’clock bus hasn’t reached here yet. We’re very worried. Sujata’s (Anshu’s friend) 4-year old younger daughter, Ayushi, hasn’t reached yet. And Shaurya’s bus starts at 6:00. But since the first bus hasn’t even reached here, it won’t be able to go back and fetch the other children. And Shaurya & Anushri (Sujata’s elder daughter, and my son’s classmate) must still be at school.”

“Oh God! Really? Keep trying the school number. I’ll also try.”

“I will. But you go to the school. Else, the children will be very scared. Sujata’s husband is here trying to locate the younger one. You must go to school now, because you are mid-way, and only you can reach there.”

“Mid-way yes, but I’m still a good 6-7 kms. away from school (Podar’s CBSE at Santa Cruz, West). And there’s no cab on the road, and the roads are flooded. How do I go there?”

“Walk.”

“Walk? 6-7 kms.? In this rain and flood?”

“Yes, walk. I guess that’s the only way. You have to walk, Shailesh. There’s no other way – we’re scared; the kids will be even more scared. You have to reach the school somehow; anyhow.”

The one second of self-doubt changed into fierce determination in half-a-second. Walk, I must, and walk I will.

Just then one of my colleagues suggested that I go with him on his bike. I sat behind him. But fate had something else in mind – we’d just got out of my office complex, when the bike developed a flat tyre. I got off and started walking.

In Vile Parle, the water was just up to the knee, at the highest point reaching my thighs. The vehicles were still moving but there was no taxi or auto-rickshaw in sight. Those that were, were stalled.

Walking at a fairly brisk pace despite the water, I crossed the Hanuman Mandir Road, and moved across the railway track from over-bridge to the western side. Water suddenly started rising and reached my waist by the time I reached S.V. Road. I phoned home to tell that, having reached towards the western side, I had conquered half the battle. How wrong I was. From there on began an ordeal that I shall not forget to my dying day.

I joined thousands of people trudging through waist high water towards Santa Cruz. More people were coming from the other side, and they did not look very happy. Everybody kept checking with the people coming from the opposite direction about how high the water was on the other side. And nobody got an encouraging reply.

By the time I reached the Juhu flying club, the water was almost chest high. Now, I must admit that at 5 feet 3 inches, I am not a tall guy. But even those who were taller were beginning to look worried – the water had been consistently rising all this walk, and with the skies pouring down, there was no hope that the situation would improve.

Someplace, between the Juhu flying club and Podar School, the water touched my chin. “Why”, I thought, “was I taking such a huge risk? Another 2 inches and I could drown. It was so foolish going against nature in its extremely ferocious state. Would I survive? Would I reach to see my son? Or…”

I tried the phone; I had to call my wife and let her know that I may not be able to reach after all. The battery was dead. Not that it would have helped; others – whose phones were alive – were just unable to connect to anyone. So, I decided to put my panic to rest and continued to walk. Thankfully, the water level started reducing from there on, and after a short while was again at waist level – nothing to be worried about, after what one had just been through.

The sun was beginning to set, and my energy was also totally sapped. As it became completely dark (there was no electricity, and thousands of vehicles marooned on the roads also had no lights on), it was sheer willpower that kept me going on. Slowly, but surely, I was nearing my destination – my kid’s school.

Wading through almost chest-high water, I entered the school at 8:15pm. Right place, but the wrong school – I had reached the Podar ICSE wing. There must have been close to 2,000 students in the various Podar schools – so I was informed by the guard, who directed me to the CBSE school in pitch dark.

I reached the right school, and God knows what gave me so much energy suddenly – I raced to the 4th floor, where the 1st standard kids were being kept. Both my son and his friend were fine. Tears would have surely flown down my cheeks on seeing them, were it not for the presence of the class teacher bravely holding fort there. I could not thank her enough, when she asked me, “Are there any other kids from your complex who you can take with you; we’ve around a thousand kids here and most of them are very scared – their parents are unable to reach us.”

Before I could think, my son said, “Ritika. She’s in class 2. Let’s take her too.” Ritika is another one of my wife’s friends’ daughter and lives in the same complex as us.

“And what about Ayushi? Which class is your sister in?” I asked Anushri.

“Sr. K.G.”

I turned to the teacher with an inquisitive look.

“The Sr. K.G. students left at two o’clock.”

“But they hadn’t reached till seven, when I was able to last speak with my home.”

“I don’t know; the buses haven’t come back. But don’t worry; the drivers will definitely drop the kids home.”

Then she called a senior student (must be a 9th or 10th class student), and asked him to go and fetch Ritika.

He returned after a short while. “Uncle, Ritika was taken away around 6:00 pm by her mother’s friend.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, you can check with the teacher – she told me that.”

Not wanting to not be sure, I walked to her class. “Sir, Ritika left at 6:00”, informed her classteacher.

“Thanks.”

I tried to switch on my phone. There is a God after all; the phone sprung to life, and the call home also got connected.

I told my wife that the kids were safe. She heaved a sigh of relief and told me that Ayushi had also just landed up. “Are you bringing them home?”

“I don’t think so. I’ve waded through 4 feet high water, and I just can’t risk it with the kids.”

“I agree; stay at the school tonight.”

“Yes, but do send Anushri’s dad in the morning. I can’t fetch two children in such conditions – it is still raining heavily and I suspect things will only get worse.”

“Yes, he will…”. And the phone died. But I was alive, and the kids were safe, and my wife and her friends were relieved. That’s what mattered.

Then, what I saw is an example of discipline and dedication that as a parent will always be imbibed in my heart. The school, though extremely badly affected itself, refused to let its spirit die. All the teachers looked as fresh as ever – they were busy controlling the kids, most of who thought it was some kind of a picnic or slumber party to be staying with their friends in total darkness barring a lone candle in each classroom. The children were as energetic as ever, and despite being very tired themselves, the teachers looked cheerful and exemplarily active. The senior students were also pitching in taking care of children almost 10 years younger to them. And all of them were extremely fresh, courteous, and loving towards the young ones. That’s when I thought I could relax – my kid was in the right hands.

I spent the night with other parents in the physics laboratory. At 10:30 pm, out of nowhere, food packets (fresh hot veg. fried rice) arrived for all the kids and the parents! Imagine – it must have been over a thousand food packets delivered in a flood. Some people refuse to bow down to even the greatest of difficulties.

“How did the school manage this miracle?” I wondered. “And how very thoughtful and caring?” All the parents were very uneasy at this hospitality shown by the school in such circumstances – one just does not expect it – and refused to eat. But the senior kids would have none of it, and almost pampered us into eating our dinner. Surely, the school was giving the right values to these kids. As a parent, it gave me great joy and pride.

In the morning, Anushri’s dad arrived after having walked 12 long kilometers. And then we began our journey back home – on foot – with our 5-year old kids, who walked more than half the distance themselves knowing that their fathers were extremely tired. Surely, I had no idea that my kid had that kind of character and strength. My wife and I must have done some good in bringing him up. And his school would have made an equal contribution.

Finally, after hours, we reached home, much to the joy of everyone. It was a journey worth taking, after all; and the human spirit had conquered the nature’s fury. On a day when it rained almost 100 cms. in barely 3 hours (more than ever anywhere in India in a single day – even surpassing Cherrapunji, the wettest place, by a good 10 cms.), not just me; many, many others like me had defied the forces of nature to emerge victorious. Angels beware; the fools are ready to take you on.