Bobji, Author at Cricket Critique

The form of Mumbai Indians is worrying

Posted on 2 October 202129 December 2023 by Bobji

Mumbai Indians, the champion team with all the international stars. Many of them are capable of winning games on their own. The power and destructive capabilities of that team, no one in the IPL has that. They can easily chase a score in excess of 200 or can easily set a similar target for the opponents. Yet, the form of Mumbai Indians is worrying. It is certainly not because they have lost a lot more than they have won but it is because the cream of the Indian middle and lower order is in that team and they are not contributing.

Rohit Sharma is the only batsman in the top run getters during the ongoing IPL 2021. Even then, he is at the eighth position with just one 50 in 9 games. It is understandable because after having spent more than a few months in the tough environs of England and performing creditably, Rohit is bound to be tired if not exhausted. It is the rest of their batsmen who are real cause of concern.

The 3 struggling players

Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Surya who are likely to form the cream of the middle order is really struggling. Ishan Kishan after a blazing start to his international career, has had few quiet games. Though these are early days in his international career and him being young, he still has the potential to turn talent into performance at the highest level. That is not the point. In the ongoing IPL, he has scored just over 120 runs in 8 games. He has batted at number one position. So he cannot claim that he did not have the time to build the innings because invariably Mumbai has lost an early wicket this season.

Unable to play on slow wickets

It is no coincidence that his poor run of form has occurred when the wicket is slow. Ishan is good if the wicket is absolutely flat. If the wicket is slow, he really is unable to rotate the strike. As a result, he tries to play the lofted shot. With the wicket being slow, he is not always able to time the ball perfectly and ends up giving an easy catch. His solution to get out of a slow scoring phase is to be ultra-aggressive. This will not work all the time on slow pitches.

Surya Yadav on the otherhand, has had a wonderful introduction to international cricket. He is not young but he has potential and will be an asset to the team. He seems to be having lots of time and more than a few strokes for every delivery. Some of his innings in Sri Lanka, though he failed to score a hundred, was pure class. Both for the nonchalant ways he played the shots and for sheer confidence. Surya is someone who has suddenly blossomed into a fine player. If he could achieve 75% of what Hussey achieved, he would have done well.

Even he is having a horror run so far in the IPL. 10 runs short of 200 in 10 games with just one fifty. These are not the numbers of a batsman who is in form and on whom the future depends.

Hardik must decide whether he values playing for the country?

Rahul Chahar is not expected to play any part in the World Cup and hence, his failures is not of any concern but Hardik Pandya, on whom so much has been invested, is a major concern. I have written this before. Hardik has somehow lost interest in playing for the country. This is not at all good because so much has been invested on him. He used to be better at rotating the strike but now, he seems to have forgotten that part. All he tries to do is stand and just swing the bat. If the ball is in that arc and in the line of the swing, he gets lucky and ball sails over the boundary. Otherwise, he struggles. Off late, it has become quite easy to contain Hardik and he gives away his wicket out of sheer frustration.

If 3 of the top 6 is struggling, that leaves a lot on the shoulders on Kohli, Rohit and Pant. In a T20 game, no team can afford to carry 3 passengers. The number of overs is less and as such the batsmen will be expected to hit the ground running. There is some hope that Surya will be able to turn his form around but Ishan does not seem to be tough and Hardik is a lottery. Perhaps, Ishan lower down the order will be better used.

Selectors still have a chance to change the team

None of these struggles would have mattered an ounce if it were not for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Mumbai Indians winning the tournament or otherwise, I am not even bothered about that. The World Cup will be held in UAE where the wickets will be slow. Have the selectors blundered by picking a couple of rookies? The selectors still have time to change the team that was announced a couple of weeks ago. Looking at the form of 3 MI players, probably it will be better to pick one or two of Shreyas, Prithvi Shaw, Mayank or even Dhawan.

It remains to be seen whether the selectors will stick to the original squad or will they make some changes as they see fit. If Ishan, Hardik & Surya continues to fail in the remaining 5 games for the Mumbai Indians, change must be made. There is no point in taking journeymen to the world cup when the team is already short of batsmen. There is a ready replacement for Hardik in Shardul. Remember, there are 8 bowlers with 5 spinners, two of whom will never get to play even one game. This is Kohli’s final chance to win a T20 world tournament and Ravi Shastri’s final assignment. Everyone from the board, the selectors to the team will do well to give them the tournament win they deserve.

Other topic related to Mumbai Indians can be read here.

Creditable achievements of Indian women

Posted on 2 October 202129 December 2023 by Bobji

I would like to talk about the creditable achievements of Indian women over the last few years. In the land of Tendulkar, Dhoni, Kohli and a host of other celebrity cricketers, names such as Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Mandhana, Harmanpreet will naturally be confined to the bottom of the backpages. Afterall, the former are cricketers who are household names. Even a kid will be able to recognise them immediately. You see them while they are involved in a game. If they are not playing a game, they are endorsing a product. You drive on the road, there they are, beaming from the billboards. They are constantly on our minds. Whereas the female players, hardly anyone has even heard about them. Such is the sad state of affairs in the country.

There is no point in blaming anyone because the women cricketers and this must be accepted, do not command the same attention like the men. This is a fact and there is no escaping that. I myself will not watch a women’s game until the very last hour and that too, only if India are about to win or hold onto a gallant draw. I am sure this is the case with most of the cricket fans in this country and I do not think that this situation is going to change even in the distant future. Let me iterate that this state of affairs is not restricted to India alone. This is the case in every country. Women’s game, be that in football, cricket, rugby or even tennis, it is the men who are ruling the roost.

Improving performances

Having said that, women’s cricket in this country is coming of age. The performance of the team is quite unbelievable given the meagre opportunities. Ever since the international sports body directed every board to merge men’s and women’s teams under one umbrella, things have improved for the Indian women. It shows in their performance but more needs to be done.

They have had a decent if not a fabulous 2021 so far. Yes, the Indian women lost both T20 and ODI series to South Africa. The fortunes really started to turn when they landed in England. The women weren’t expected to win any. England women have been playing the far longer than the Indian women. They are much more talented and have much bigger pool to choose from. Moreover, they were playing at home with everything from the pitch, spectators till living standards in their favour. To have won one ODI and one T20 against such low expectation itself was an achievement.

The only test

The real icing on the cake arrived a little later. Indian women were expected to be blown away in the only test but they came out of the game with honours intact. Sneh Rana, the lower order allrounder batted for more than 25 overs and alongwith Taniya, not only played for time but were busy in the crease too. They ensured that even if one of them got out, England still had substantial runs to score but with not many overs left. It was attrition batting at its best.

Shefali, the 16 years old kind, announced her arrival at the international scene in a grand manner. Scores of 96 and 63 and that too in quick time, reminded everyone of a certain Sehwag.

The performance was so good that the failure of Mithali Raj, the premier batswoman did not even matter.

Australian tour

The ladies are in Australia now. They have just accomplished the unthinkable. They have stopped the Australian juggernaut’s ODI winning streak at 26 games. This was easier said than done. With a little bit of luck, the women could have even won the series itself but for a controversial decision on the last delivery of the second ODI.

The 2017 world cup

The world cup is still fresh in the mind. The girls almost won but their inexperience at the biggest stage was laid bare. Nevertheless, it created a significant wave for the game amongst the women of the country.

They have already had a huge impact, if you see even in 2017, I was watching the finals of the World Cup, which took place at Lords and India did well. We were in there till the end, just in the last I thought, that the momentum shifted. But from the impact point of view, they have had a massive impact and then there are young girls in India who are picking up a cricket bat or ball, they are being motivated by these players,” Tendulkar said

Yes, the women are punching above their weight but the road is long. They have to accomplish a lot more before being considered as among the best. The BCCI must help in organising a proper first class competition for the women along the lines of Ranji Trophy. BCCI must also invest in the game and expand the game into rural areas. Organise regular tours. BCCI must have a plan similar to that of the men. Yearly domestic season and international season. Will they BCCI listen?

The women on their part must continue to outperform expectations and try to win as many as they can despite the meagre resources. They will have to force the BCCI and the Indian community to start watching more of their games.

Adam Gilchrist: The man who changed something

Posted on 25 September 202129 December 2023 by Bobji

Australia are 5 down and the opposition bowlers are looking to wrap up the tail quickly. The opening batters are mentally preparing to pad up and come out to bat. They have planned which bowler to guard against and which bowler to score against. Only thing is that it is not going to happen. The wait is going to be longer. Infact, the wait is going to be painful because the man walking in is none other than the one player who has completely transformed the role of a wicket keeper. Adam Gilchrist. Let me pay tribute in Adam Gilchrist the man who changed something.

Adam Gilchrist started to play in ODIs much before he made his test debut. He was so successful in ODIs that there was a clamour for him to be included in the test team. Ian Healy, who was keeping the seat warm for Gilchrist hung onto the role far longer than required. Once Healy announced his decision to retire, it was a no-brainer as to who will replace him. Thus Adam Gilchrist made his Test debut against Pakistan back in 1999. Suffice is to say that he not only announced himself but he made every wicket-keeper batsman around the world look like school child.

The impact that he created batting down the order was enormous. He came, he saw and he conquered.

The knock that announced him to the world

In his second test, Gilchrist played a match winning knock that is the dream of every great batsman worth their salt. Australia chasing 369 to win have lost 5 wickets for just for 120. It was only a matter of time before Pakistan will register an impressive win. Alongwith the current Australian coach, Justin Langer, he conjured a magical innings. 149 runs of sheer beauty and determination. There are so many batsmen around the world who will yearn for atleast one match-winnings performance in the 4^th innings throughout their career.

Here, Gilchrist achieved that feat in only his second test. It was then the world stood up to notice an once in a generation talent. Now, the world will know that when they come up against the Australian team of which Gilchrist was part of, it was difficult to get the top 6. By that time, the bowlers will be tired and exhausted. In walks the destroyer who will not only gallop but will also make the opposition surrender.

Gilchrist is more like Virender Sehwag. An average ODI player but a devastating test cricketer. Before his test debut, he had shown glimpses of his batting ability in the short format. However, it was always felt that to succeed in ODIs is one thing but to succeed in tests with his brand of batting is altogether a different ball game.

A wicket keeper who can be as good as top 6 batsmen

Until Gilchrist roamed the face of the earth, every team were satisfied with a keeper who can bat a bit. All the teams were satisfied with a decent contribution with the bat from the keeper. None of the teams ever expected the wicket-keeper to change the game with the bat. They were expected to support the top order batsmen. Nothing more nothing less. It was only after Gilchrist did teams go searching for a batsman who is as good as the top 6 and who can also keep. If not for him, I career of Dhoni may have been delayed because Dhoni was not that safe a keeper during his initial years.

Gilchrist the batsman was way more devastating than his career figures, though impressive as it is, suggests. “Leave it to Gilly” is the phrase that the Aussies of that era often talks about. He delivered quite often too. Realising that Gilchrist will follow, the top order batsmen never had second thoughts about attacking the bowlers. They did so with relish. Matthew Hayden set the trend at the top of the order.

Gilchrist’s incredible win record

Gilchrist has the highest win record. 76%. Infact, for the first 17 tests, Gilchrist never tasted a test loss. Was it because of him or was it because of the players he was surrounded by, will never be known. During his career, Australia lost a couple of series. One against India in 2001 and the other against England in 2005. Was it merely a coincidence or was it superior opposition performance that Australia lost those series because Gilchrist did not perform? That will be hard to envisage but it gives an idea of how commanding he was. Yet, for all his brilliance, Gilchrist was never mentioned in the same bracket as Tendulkar, Dravid, Ponting & Lara. The bonafide greats of his era. Perhaps because the opposition when they come up against Australia are already defeated looking at their top order.

Gilchrist scored 17 hundreds. As far as I remember, I do not think any other wicket keeper has scored that many. There was a period during which his average was above 50. He was good enough to be amongst the top 6 Australian batsmen and yet, Australia never felt the need to remove the keeping gloves from him.

Gilchrist had an unconventional batting technique. In that he never favoured defence and was more intent on aggressive cricket. More often than not, he was able to pull it off. Some of those knocks were scarcely believable. Hundred in Mumbai, hundred against Pakistan in only second test and hundred in 2 hours against England.

Not a prolific ODI player

The destroyer of attacks never had a profitable ODI career. Perhaps because of the spread field, he wasn’t able to score freely. Not to mention 50 overs of keeping which would have exhausted him. Nonetheless, he did play some crucial innings during his career. With Hayden, he formed a terrifying opening partnership.

Conclusion

Much like Don Bradman or Marshall, it will be hard to find another Gilchrist. Not just for Australia but for any team. Someone who is good behind the stumps and someone who is devastating in front of them. There are a few who has the potential like Pant or Buttler but will they be able to reach the heights Gilchrist has achieved? That remains to be seen.

Tribute about another great, Shane Warne, can be read here and here.

Cricket boards that are in turmoil

Posted on 23 September 202129 December 2023 by Bobji

A couple of cricket boards are in turmoil. Cricket South Africa and Cricket Australia. Both of them are plagued with severe internal problems that threatens various officials in both the boards. Allegations are thrown left, right and centre. Some of them are quite serious. It will certainly affect the respect of their fans. Let me talk about cricket boards that are in turmoil.

Langer and Australian cricket board

Even since the loss to India, Justin Langer the combative Australian coach has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Skeletons have come out of the cupboard. Various allegations have been placed on him. I have written about this previously. I have written that Langer is proving to be the most unpopular Australian coach for well over 3 decades. Unpopular than John Buchannan. This is from the player’s perspective. Anyone who has watched The Test on Amazon Prime will be startled by the abrasive mannerisms of Langer. It seems that he is someone who wants every player to follow his diktats unquestioningly. Like George Bush said before invading Afghanistan, it is either my way or the highway. That seems to be Langer’s approach and it is wearing everyone thin.

So much so that Nathan Lyon commented that it is unusual to see Langer smile. This at the end of the test series against Sri Lanka in 2018. Finch, Paine and Cummins repeated the allegations against Langer during their meeting with Cricket Australia chairman Earl Eddings and chief executive Nick Hockley. It will be an understatement to state that a mutiny is brewing within the squad. All of these just a couple of months before the start of Ashes. If Australia lose that series, the Australian public will want most of the team and support staff to be replaced. Australian cricket will be under severe turmoil.

It really is a wonder how Justin Langer, despite so much criticism and the entire team against him, is still holding on to the job. Being the professional he is, he must have resigned instead of waiting for Cricket Australia to shove him out.

Cricket South Africa

CSA is under even bigger stress. Allegations of racism against former players including Boucher, Smith and AB have been laid by various black players. These are uncertain times in South African cricket.

Boucher was one of the mainstays of the champion team that Graeme Smith developed in the late 2000s. The school boy look, innocent and somewhat naïve expressions hides the bully who steps onto the field. Back in 2005 against Zimbabwe, Boucher was at his chirpy best. I mean the comments to Tatendu Taibu wasn’t that offensive but the fact that he felt compelled to sledge hapless Zimbabwe who were anyway going to roll over shortly left bad taste on the mouth. It wasn’t a fair contest. It was never going to be.

All of Boucher’s shenanigans are coming into the open in the ongoing Social Justice and Nation Building hearings. Lot of pent up feelings and anger have found an outlet during the hearing. The hearing might even end up as a sort of closure for lot of injustice, perceived or otherwise, meted out to a generation of South African black cricketers. Every black cricketer had some story to reveal. Stories about racism, feeling unwelcome in predominantly white sides, exclusion, various other forms of neglect and downright abuse.

Ashwell Prince was not treated well

Ashwell Prince was named “a quota player”. It must have been humiliating for Prince. Here he was keen to represent South Africa at the highest level, with his childhood ambition about to come to passe, to be branded a quote player is insensitive to say the least.

“There was no welcome from the coach. There was no (sense of) let’s make this guy comfortable,” Prince said. “It was a lonely place. A person knows when they are welcome, and you know when you are unwelcome.”

Boucher’s name has come up repeatedly not only as one of the player among the big-5 who controlled South African cricket but also in incidents that speaks about exclusion of black cricketers. Perhaps the worst was reserved for Paul Adams.

Paul Adams abused

Paul Adams, the former left-arm leg-spinner has revealed that Mark Boucher used to call him “brown s…”

“I was called brown s*** when I was playing. It often used to be a song when we won a game and we were in fines’ meetings. They would sing, ‘brown s*** in the ring, tra la la la laa’…

Adams being naïve he was did not feel anything remorse about the song. It fell on the alert wife of Adams to knock some sense onto him and to stand up for himself. It is really unfathomable to even think of a team having such a song. Least of all, a South African team fresh off apartheid.

The power brokers

Roger Telemachus, the former fast bowler said that there was a group of 5 white players who controlled South African cricket.

“That is where the big five started. They control selection. They used to go to the coach and say this is how we are going to play. This is where we gave the name to these players,” Telemachus said.

He also disclosed that a famous coach once asked a black player to paint his face white as punishment for having dirty boots.

Boucher accepted that he did sing that song and has offered to meet everyone who were offended by that song. He defended himself stating that the players were all naïve and ill-equipped coming off a post-apartheid era and that they had to be trained in different cultures, sensitivity and inclusion but it does not need training to convey the fact that such songs are not permissible with or without training.

Assistant coach Enoch Nkwe resigned after just over a year in the job. During the meeting with CSA, Nkwe commented about the poor team culture.

Tsotsobe has accused Graeme Smith of blocking Tsolekille international career. He says that Smith threatened to retire is Tsolekille is made the wicket keeper and instead asked Ab De Villiers to keep.

South African cricket is in deep trouble. With so many allegations of racism, it will not be a wonder if they are banned again. The SJN hearings are bringing a lot of things in the open. The legacy of the all-conquering South African side of the late 2000s is tarnished. If these hearings leads to better co-ordination between the players of different races, it would have done a lot of service to South African cricket.

Other topics related to South African cricket can be read here, here and here.

The Ashwin saga: was Kohli wrong?

Posted on 23 September 202129 December 2023 by Bobji

Just digest this statistics. 79 tests, 413 wickets at 24.56 per wicket. This is Ashwin’s record in test cricket. He will be an automatic selection in any team under any condition. Ashwin’s record speaks for him. The numbers are so impressive that it is impossible to see him not playing a test unless he is injured. Yet, he sat out of all the 4 tests against England. He did not fit into the template envisaged by the captain Virat Kohli. I will try to analyse the reasons behind not picking Ashwin in the Ashwin saga: was Kohli wrong?

What is Kohli’s template?

Ever since the day Kohli became the captain of the Indian cricket team, he has brought in a culture or mentality of winning. Winning against odds that are stacked against the team. Far too long, India under Dhoni were caught in the web of process. There never seemed to be an end to the process. The result was, India were annihilated outside the subcontinent. More precisely, in England, New Zealand and Australia. Kohli was very much part of those teams and must have felt that a change is required. He was well aware that he was the captain in waiting and he must have had his own plans. Plans that he put into motion as soon as he became the captain.

Out went the 6-1-4 combination that Dhoni so loves and in came the 5 bowlers strategy. Credit must be given where it is due. Kohli did not flinch if the wicket had pace and bounce or turn. He stuck to his theory. He valued winning more than any other Indian captain before him with the possible of exception of Ganguly. 5 bowlers gave him the best chance of picking up 20 wickets and he has stuck to that till date. More recently, in England.

That is the topic for this blog. Ashwin did not play a single test during the series. At the end of the first test, Kohli said,

“Most likely this will be our template in this series, but adaptability has been our strength. The conditions and the pace on the wicket needs to be seen, but this team will be our template. England and India have always been a blockbuster, and looking forward to the next Test.”

Kohli was always clear on what he wanted

Kohli was clear right at the outset. He needed 5 bowlers and mostly fast bowlers. He learned his lesson during the WTC finals where both Jadeja and Ashwin were preferred when the overcast conditions dictated 4 fast bowlers and lengthen the batting. Now, this is fair enough. Every Indian fan wanted the team to win, especially in countries like England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and if the batting needs to be shortened to achieve that, so be it. Kohli even went to the extreme of picking 4 absolute mugs with the bat in Ishant, Bumrah, Shami & Siraj for the Lords and Headingley games. In the absence of Shardul, if only Kumar or Hardik were available, he still didn’t want to turn to a batter to fill the void of Shardul.

Such was the belief of Kohli in a 5 men bowling attack

However, a closer look will reveal a completely different story altogether. Kohli wanted 5 bowlers but if you look closer, he did not pick Jadeja as an allrounder or a bowler. He picked him as a batter. A batter good enough to be in the top 6. It is a different story that he slotted him after Pant but nevertheless, Jadeja played the games as a batter who if required, can also bowl. He was always as an afterthought for Kohli. He was brought into the attack when the other bowlers needed a bit of rest and to keep things quiet until they return. Kohli never used Jadeja throughout the series as a striker bowler. Even at The Oval, Jadeja was asked to bowl into the rough to help reverse swing.

All these takes me back to the main question. Was Kohli wrong to drop Ashwin? What I can see from the outside is that Kohli wanted a 6^th batter who can bowl but only to give the quicks some much needed rest and who is capable of handling the 6^th batter’s position. Jadeja’s record as a batter over the last 4 years has been incredible. He averaged over 45 with the bat. A lot of his runs came in the SENA countries denoting that he has come a long way as a batter.

During the same stage, Ashwin’s batting digressed substantially that he almost forgot to bat until he reinvented himself at Sydney in 2020. For Kohli however, it was Jadeja who offered a solid batting option in the lower middle order who could stay patient when the bowlers are at the top and who could take them apart when it is required.

Conclusion

I don’t think Kohli was wrong in dropping Ashwin because there simply wasn’t any room for Ashwin whose batting is less solid than Jadeja’s at the moment. There is another school of thought that Ashwin could have replaced Rahane. Afterall, he would not have fared any poorer than Rahane but that is for another day.

It is tough to be an Indian cricketer

Posted on 23 September 202129 December 2023 by Bobji

The BCCI is at it again. If at all there is a board that will milk the cow until it is dead, it is the Board of Control for Cricket in India. They do not care about the cricketers or the paying public. All they care about is money and money and money. This simply has not changed even when a former player, a captain, successful one at that, has become the president of the board. I really pity the Indian cricketer. I realise that it is tough to be an Indian cricketer.

The board simply does not care for the player. They have become so money minded that the welfare of the players is not of their concern. It has never been and it will never be. Unfortunately, none of the former players, media or the commentators have said a word against the mindless, stupid, ridiculous schedule that the Indian team will have to endure for the next 5 months.

The Indian team’s engagement

The Indian team will engaged in 4 tests, 3 ODIs and 14 T20s between November 2021 and March 2022. Remember there is a series in South Africa that consists of 3 tests, 3 ODIs and 4 T20s. That is a total of 59 match days. In the current climate, it is not just the match days but the quarantine period, bubble must be taken into consideration.

All the Indian players are now engaged in the 2^nd leg of 2021 IPL. The World T20 will follow the IPL immediately. 3 days from the finals will be the series against New Zealand. The Indian team which is already inside the bubble for more than 6 months, will be expected to be in the bubble for 6 more months. At the end of the Sri Lankan series in March, the players will go directly to IPL 2022 which will be a 10 team extravaganza. It is physically impossible to play and perform at the same time under so much stress.

The Covid threat is real and I do not think that the BCCI understands this. If they did, they would have understood the stress the players will have to undergo and will be much more lenient in scheduling games. BCCI seems to think that since the players are anyway contracted to the board, they must honour the board’s bidding.

So many games under such stressful playing conditions is bound to lead to fatigue which will result in poor performance. Injuries to players is another concern. The longevity of the cricketers, especially the bowlers will be compromised.

Other sports must grow

I honestly do not know when will the board learn their lesson. Over the last 15 years, there hasn’t been a proper off-season. It was the time during which the batters can work on improving their technique and the bowlers their pace, line and length. Cricket is the only game that this country is interested in and to which sponsors pump in money. Millions of rupees. The only solution to this problem is for other sports to grow in the country. This will ensure that the money is distributed and BCCI is forced to put performance and welfare of the game and the players above profit.

Let me also talk about the good gesture of the board

The BCCI have hiked the match fees for men and women. This will come into effect from the 2021-22 season onwards. Only complaint is that the earning of a woman cricketer is much less than that of men. I know it cannot be equal because women’s cricket does not bring in that much money but given a chance, they may. Just rewind to their performance against England. If not equal to men, atleast 75% of what the men earn must be given to women.

Manchester test cancelled and my views: TWO

Posted on 18 September 202129 December 2023 by Bobji

Before you proceed, please read Manchester test cancelled and my views: ONE

Primacy of test cricket

The accusation of Indian cricketers not taking test cricket seriously is rather absurd. India is the only country to have played more tests than the rest over the last 15 months. Virat Kohli is on record stating that he values test cricket and wants to be the best in that format. By the end of the year, India would have travelled to Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa in the space of just 15 months. In between, they would have played couple of home series too. It is nonsense to question the commitment of the Indian players towards test cricket. Even during the WTC Finals, Kohli called for best of three finals. In effect, he wanted more tests. If this is not favouring test cricket, I don’t know what is.

Future course of action

Under the prevailing circumstances, the best possible future course of action will be to play a 3 test series next year replacing the limited overs series and thereby award this one to India. England will be in full strength next year and they will want a swift revenge having lost to India both at home and away. That series can be billed as a revenge series. The income from such a hate filled series will be much higher than any ECB could have imagined.

ECB stands to lose in excess of 30 million GBP. BCCI perhaps must compensate ECB and split the earning from next year’s series. However, this series must not be considered as part of the WTC cycle because the cycle is already underway and it will post logistical problems if an additional series is inserted in the middle. BCCI seems to have offered to play an additional couple of T20s instead of one test. Couple of T20s can never replace the thrill of a test and the income from a 4 hour game as against 5 days of play will be less. I don’t think the ECB will agree to this solution unless BCCI agrees to compensate ECB in full for the cancelled test.

BCCI owes English cricket

Indian cricket and BCCI in particular owes a debt of gratitude to English cricket. After the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack, the English team left India but came back to play a couple of tests. Sunil Gavaskar has correctly pointed this out when asked for his views on Star Sports.

“Look, we, in India, should never forget what the England team did in 2008 after the horrific attack, the 26/11. They came back. They would have been perfectly entitled to say: ‘We don’t feel safe. We are not coming back.’ Don’t forget, the gesture of the ECB has to be remembered.”

What the BCCI must do is pretty obvious. They will have to schedule this lonely test or a series of tests next year. That is the least they must do to repay the debt that Indian cricket owes the England players.

What do I think was the reason?

It surely wasn’t because of the IPL. Nor was it because the Indian team feared losing at Old Trafford and wanted to preserve the lead. As explained earlier, these players are on the road for a pretty long time. All the tests against England were fought really hard between the teams with two of them going onto the fifth day. The pitch at The Oval did not help matters either. Bowlers were forced to strive as hard as they can to extract life out of that surface. At the end of the test, the Indian bowlers were exhausted and they needed a way out. Opportunity presented itself in the form of Parmar and they took it. Now, they will have 2 weeks to rest and rejuvenate.

It is the game’s administrators that must be blamed for such a farce and not the players. As I had warned before, BCCI has whipped the horse that is the Indian cricket team more than they are capable of by arranging for lot of meaningless games. Now, they have reached breaking point. I think this is only the tip of the iceberg. If things are not pulled back to more reasonable number of games, this will happen in the future too. Even in the post Covid world.

Enough of this nonsense, BCCI

The fat lady has sung but will the BCCI listen? The answer is clear. They will not. The board will still go ahead and schedule meaningless games that the players will have to endure. Indian players will be playing the IPL which will be followed by the T20 WC, New Zealand series at home followed by the South African series. If you think that the players will get much needed rest after that series, you are wrong because it will be followed by games against Sri Lanka, West Indies and New Zealand and will seamlessly land in 2022 IPL. One can easily imagine that the Covid protocols still remain. The mental toll on the players is really mindboggling.

Former players and commentators must speak up against this inhumane treatment. This is getting ridiculous. If this continues, the careers of most of the players will be shorter than usual. Will the former players of the calibre of Gavaskar, Manjrekar, Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar or Laxman speak up against the board? Especially Gavaskar whose views are respected? Afterall he is above 70 and has earned enough and must be in a position to not be afraid of the BCCI. Tendulkar who is loved and admired in this country must voice his views against the board. Same with Rahul Dravid even if that means he will not be part of the NCA or the Under 19 teams.

I am afraid we may not see these come to fruition. No one would want to take on the BCCI if it means financial loss for him or her. That is the sad state of affairs for this game in this country.

Manchester test cancelled and my views: ONE

Posted on 18 September 202129 December 2023 by Bobji

So, the Manchester test between India and England was cancelled. In the meanwhile, ECB and BCCI are still discussing the possibility of having an one-off test in 2022 when India will again go back to England for a short limited overs series. There certainly is huge pressure on BCCI to fulfil their commitment either now or in the immediate future. Lot of former players and commentators have expressed their opinion on the cancellation. Some of them have supported the Indian players and some of them have opposed the Indian team bordering on uncharitable remarks. Few of them were more understanding. Let me also share my thoughts on the cancelled test in Manchester test cancelled and my views.

Just a bit of background

Before, I get on with it, all of us will have to understand onething. The Indian team have been on the road and inside the so called bubble for close to 4 months. This is discounting the fact that they were inside the same bubble for the 6 previous months with a small window of about 3 weeks because of the postponed IPL. They are, especially, the ones who have played most of the games must be exhausted. Humans are not designed to survive such long spells of challenge.

Sports is a tough business. It requires lot of mental toughness, skill and endurance to outperform competition even at the lowest level. At the highest level, international sports, it requires more than just skill to not only survive but to thrive as well. It takes a huge load not only on the body but even mentally. Combined with the extraordinary situation that we all find ourselves in, only the most toughest can survive the struggle in modern day sports. Cricket is not an exception to this. Infact, cricket is mentally much more draining than any other sport on the planet. No other sport can even come close to the entire duration of the game. Bloody, even the shortest format of the game is longer than most sport.

It simply is impossible to play under such strenuous circumstances. The human body requires constant rest to rejuvenate and so does the cricketers.

The fickle Indian fan

For the Indian fans who are critical of the Indian team and they that they are a bunch of mercenaries, must understand that it is not always about money. They are rewarded for what they have sacrificed in trying to play for the country. Even the 9-6 office worker needs a break every weekend. Otherwise they start to get all jittery. Take the example of most of us staying indoors during the pandemic. All of us with very little exception are longing to taste the fruits of freedom once the pandemic starts to recede. Of experiencing the fresh air. Why should the cricketers be any different? They exert so much before, during and after the play that their careers are invariably short.

Some of the Indian players were with their family including children. It is not wrong to be mindful of the threat to the families. Will a player who is thinking about the safety of his family be able to perform in the middle? If a Bumrah or Kohli is unable to perform at their best because they are worried about their family, the same fans will roast them. The fans rather than criticising the players must be empathetic with them. They have given a couple of reasons for them to be cheerful. Though England did not have the services of their better players, they were still in their own environment. This makes the twin victories, achieved after 35 years much more sweeter. You never know. India may have still won the series. That depends on which way will the ICC’s dispute resolution committee will sway.

Uncharitable comments

Some of the former players like Michael Vaughan have commented rather uncharitably that the Indian players do not want to miss out on the lucrative offers of the IPL and they did not care about the fifth test enough.

‘IPL teams chartering planes .. 6 days quarantining required in the UAE .. 7 days till the tournament starts !!!! Don’t tell me the Test was cancelled for any other reason but the IPL…’ Vaughan tweeted.

Paul Newman “No India player with an IPL contract wanted to risk playing in this Test, then testing positive and being forced to stay in England for another 10 days, so missing the restart of the tournament in the UAE on September 19.”

Pictures of Rohit Sharma, Bumrah, Surya Yadav and a few others surfaced online the very next day did not help quash the rumours. It certainly looked like they were more than happy to have escaped to Dubai. Moreover, Rohit Sharma tweeting “Back home” must have definitely ruffled feathers. Such things must have been avoided when matters are still fluid.

What Vaughan and Newman failed to realise?

Michael Vaughan and Paul Newman, writing in Dailymail have criticised the Indian players. They have accused the Indian players of prioritising IPL over test cricket. What they failed to understand is that none of these players are depended on their IPL salaries for survival. Most of them are playing the highly paid league for more than 10 years and are rich beyond question. To suggest that the decision of the Indian players not to take the field is because of IPL is disrespectful. From what I understand, if any player is unable to take part in IPL because of injury or because he is Covid positive, they are still eligible to be paid in full. Therefore, the question of the Indians getting infected and thereby will have to forfeit the IPL money have no basis at all.

The people who are criticising the players will do well do understand this simple point and that it wasn’t because of IPL they squad wanted to leave early.

Shastri’s book release

Shastri and Kohli primarily and the other players who were at the book launch cannot escape being blamed. They went against Covid protocol and did not even take ECB’s permission to attend the launch of the book. This was irresponsible behaviour. Remember, Shastri had earlier attended Wimbledon without a mask when UK were undergoing a spell of Covid infections. The head coach on an important tour of England must not have attended a crowded event. Few other players attended the Euro Cup football tournament and Pant was diagnosed with Covid. Now this book launch. Shastri and the team must know better. They are responsible for their action. Shastri, Kohli and anyone who participated must be suitably punished for attending a non-sanctioned event. For the players it could be a ban of 15-20 games whereas for the support staff, they must be fined upwards to 50 lakhs Indian Rupees.

Players will realise that after 20 games, they may not find a spot in the team itself. They would have learned a good lesson. It will ensure that they do not take certain mandatory protocols too lightly.

Proceed to Manchester test cancelled and my views: TWO

Ashes series may not happen

Posted on 18 September 202129 December 2023 by Bobji

The Ashes. The sheer name conjures images of years and years of battle on the cricket field. It is the pre-eminent trophy in the cricketing world. No other, not even the ODI World Cup can come close to match the novelty and sheer experience of an Ashes series. England and Australia are loathe to lose to the other. Rightly or wrongly, legacies and careers are decided by the Ashes. Atleast for players involved in both the teams. Ian Botham, the English all-rounder once remarked before the 1992 World Cup against Australia that he wanted to defeat Australia in front of 100,000 convicts. As sad as it is, the Ashes series later this year is in a strife. Ashes series may not happen at all.

What are the current issues?

Yes, 2022-23 Ashes may not happen at all. This is because of the strict quarantine rules in Australia. The wives and girlfriends of all the English players usually travel with the team to Australia. This has been happening for a very long time. It has become customary for the English players and their families to spend Christmas and New Year in Australia once every 4 years. This perhaps will not be allowed this year because of the pandemic. None of the English players wants to be away from their family for the entire duration of the tour which is likely to stretch beyond 3 months.

Australia’s international borders remain shut with the number of arrivals into the country being limited. This makes allowing girlfriends and wives travelling with the players, difficult. Even if they are able to, they will still have to undergo the same quarantine period.

Second, the players are expected to undergo rigorous quarantine for 14 days. They will not be allowed to go out of their hotel rooms for more than 2 hours a day. That too for practise only. In any case, England must be within the confines of the hotel and the ground for 14 days. This is something not acceptable for any of them.

Will the Ashes be cancelled?

Though this is a possibility, it still is doubtful. The financial implication over such cancellation is too gigantic to contemplate for Cricket Australia. They can still go ahead and arrange for an alternate series but the windfall from an Ashes series is too enormous to miss out unless the alternate series is with India which is ruled out.

Australia Covid situation

The Covid situation in Australia when compared at the world level is not that alarming but the Delta variant is causing a few stir. 20% of the population are vaccinated with hope for 70% to be vaccinated before December.

What is the likely scenario?

The English players are happy to undergo quarantine for themselves, they are unwilling to put their family through the same process. There is a chance that all the players and the entire coaching staff will take a collective decision not to tour. A couple of proposals were put forward by the players during their meeting the Tom Harrison. One, to play the series next year. Two, to split the series between this year and next year. Both those proposals weren’t acceptable for the ECB.

ECB have given the players time till the end of September to confirm their decision to tour. In the meanwhile, the players are waiting for details regarding the type of quarantine do they have to undergo.

All of these have given rise to the prospect of England fielding a second-string side for the Ashes. It may become a reality. ECB and CA will be able to fulfilled their commitment but I do not think that the broadcasters will be happy to see any English team. They want to see the best English team visit Australia.

Things will be much clearer in about a month.

Other reads about Ashes can be read here, here and here.

Ashwin’s YouTube and Indian WT20 squad

Posted on 18 September 202129 December 2023 by Bobji

Ashwin, the tall and languid off-spinner, who has made many a batter dance to his tune has off late been very active on YouTube. On the cricket field, he asks questions about the batter’s technique and patience. He is relentless with the ball in his hand. If the pitch is turning, Ashwin is a nightmare even for the best of the batter. Recently in Australia, Ashwin’s contribution with the ball was invaluable. He got Smith twice for low score. It was more than just half the battle won. With the bat, he has provided handy runs from lower the order. We know about all of these. However, there is one aspect of his personality that may have involuntarily stoking the fire within the opposition ranks. Let me analyse Ashwin’s YouTube and Indian WT20 squad.

The reason Ashwin started the channel

Ashwin has more than 700K followers on his YouTube channel. Some of his videos are legendary. His interviews with lot of former and current players reveals a lot of information about that player as well as his approach to the game.

Ashwin mainly wanted to spread lot of cheer during these uncertain times. He has been doing a fabulous job with his mostly Tamil movie resembled quick bytes. Any Tamil speaker will be able to enjoy his show even better than for a non-Tamil speaker who just have to read the subtitle.

“My idea was to offer cricket fans a snapshot of how the game looks like from the coaches’ dug-out. It’s a perspective they don’t often get.

“They would often miss the context and the big picture. I thought, why not have a better engagement with them and share my experiences and emotions. “ says Ashwin

Unforgettable series

The “Kutti Story” series is on a higher level all-together. It is a series of shows based on the successful Indian tour of Australia. It was a treat from Ashwin for all the Indian fans. Anyone who has watched that video would have certainly had a great laugh eventhough she or he may not understand Tamil. His informal interaction with Sridhar & Arun was more of a laugh riot.

At the best of times, dressing room nuggets and anecdotes of the kind brought out by Ashwin would be cricket journalism gold (Ravi Shastri who uttered 249′ shabaashes’ as Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari blocked away at Sydney) or for that matter Arun talking about “tamarind” a Tamil equivalent to heebie-jeebies’. These are anecdotes that will never be known to the outside world unless a player reveals.

Ashwin must guard against disclosing too much

However, Ashwin must take care what he discloses on his shows. Even in the recent England series, there was one show in which he let out more than what is necessary. In the show titled “Kutti Story is back” Ashwin and Sridhar talks about the win at Lords. That show has already clocked close to 1M views. Ofcourse, it was enjoyable to watch. Especially for Tamilians or who can understand Tamil.

However, there were three things that Ashwin divulged which I think motivated England enough.

What was discussed?

First, Sridhar and Ashwin talks about Kohli’s intention of applauding Bumrah and Shami when they came back for lunch. It was a beautiful gesture. It was great to watch. Both Bumrah and Shami deserved every bit of that standing ovation. It was they who transformed a certain loss to a win. That too not with the ball but with their bats. It was wonderful to see the whole team appreciating their efforts. It also showed the quality of Kohli as the captain and it was nice of Ashwin to throw some light on the applause because all that the fans saw was a video. What happened behind the scene was nicely described.

Second, next they go onto talk about what Kohli said while wanting to appreciate Shamrah’s efforts. He wanted to ensure that the applause must be heard across Lords for the foreseeable future.

Third, they also went onto say that the England team were petrified and they refused to come out for lunch.

Embarrassing for England

It was number 2 and 3 that must have stirred a consternation in the England camp. For a team that was looking at a certain win in the morning is suddenly on the back foot and are staring at defeat. The mood must have been sombre. The entire English players must have been dejected because of their ineptitude and to mock them was like rubbing salt into the wound. They didn’t even have their lunch. Probably they were scared or something. It happened between 4 walls and for a visiting player to disclose such sensitive things, English players must have felt embarrassed. It is perfectly acceptable for Kohli to have said what he said but this is something that must not have been discussed, even casually between Ashwin and Sridhar. They erred.

It certainly rejuvenated England who went onto humiliate India in the very next test. In the future, I hope Ashwin will be slightly more careful in what he speaks.

Indian WT20 squad

Not much surprise in the squad chosen for the World Cup. India have all the bases covered with this squad. However, 5 spinners is one too many. Certainly, one more fast bowler would have been preferable. Especially, knowing Kumar’s frequent injuries and the workload of Bumrah and Shami. The only surprise was Ashwin’s comeback. It looks like he has been picked just to placate him for not getting an opportunity to play in any of the tests against England. Surya has improved tremendously and is a welcome addition to the squad. It was brave on the part of the selectors to have replaced Shreyas with Surya. One change I would have liked to see is Krunal in Hardik’s spot.

The WC is another 5 weeks away. Let us wait and see whether Kohli’s curse changes.