Author: Bobji

A youngster’s dream finally fulfilled – 2

Posted on by Bobji

Before proceeding with part 2 of this series, please read part 1 here.

India not having won a series in Australia

My interest in the game and on Indian cricket was kindled. I recollected some statistics from memory because www.espncricinfo.com, the grand daddy of all cricket sites wasn’t even conceived at that point, that India had never won a test series in Australia until the World Championship. Infact, India had won their first test in Australia after 20 years spread over 4 series. Not that India have won lot more tests and series in other countries but winning in Australia always had that special feeling when compared to other countries. It was no different for me. I really wanted India to win when the spectacle is this good. I wanted India to be the first Asian team to win in Australia.

The Australian team of the late 80s were reeling because of multiple retirements but they still were difficult team to defeat. England and West Indies won but they did not have it easy. For the teams from the sub-continent, it was bloody hard even against a weakened Australia. That was when it dawned on me how tough it is winning in Australia.

India got our chance to win in 1985. Except for Allan Border, the rest were new or with hardly any experience. On the otherhand, India was extremely experienced and it was actually thought that India will finally be able to win a test series in Australia. However, India weren’t able to win one of the two tests in which they had a real winning chance. In the first they didn’t scores runs quickly and in the second, they weren’t able to dismiss Merv Hughes. Alas, that chance went abegging. I was only 10 at that time so the failure to win the series didn’t hurt that much. On the otherhand, it felt better because India did not lose.

The disastrous tour of 1991

Then came the disastrous tour of 1991. India had almost an identical team from 1985. With 6 years gone by, most of the players were over the hill. Kapil Dev was hanging by the thread because he was approaching a world record. Quite contrast, Australian team were on a high. They were on the way to become the best team in the world. As expected, India were humiliated. I remember having a dreaded feeling of the entire tour. For me more than the loss, the humiliation of losing 4 games was overbearing.

I was completely dejected after such annihilation. At that point, I didn’t see the Indian team getting any better. A feeling of rage was prevalent. I was quite angry with the board because I wasn’t able to understand why we weren’t able to produce fast bowlers and terrorise the Australians? To make matters worse, the Indian team performed pooly in the 1991 World Cup. After a few days, it sort of subsided until the next outdoor series.

Every series to Australia creates lot of expectations for the Indian fans. We hope that atleast this time, we will be able to win the series but everytime, our hopes were belied. Also, because of the uncompetitive nature of an Indian series, Australian board weren’t prepared to invite India for a series that frequently. This was far cry from how Indian series is viewed now.

Jayant Lele should have been charged

It was after 8 years India travelled to Australia. This time Australia were at the prime with world class players and no one really had any expectation except for Australia to sweep the series which they duly did.

I remember Jayant Lele, one of the board member predicting Australia to win all the 3 tests. It is onething for an ordinary fan to expect that but completely different for a board member to say so. To make matters worse, the Indian team wasn’t winning anywhere else. Successive losses in England, South Africa, West Indies dampened the following for the game and the team. Match fixing burst onto the scene at that point and it was gloomy throughout the country. More than the loss, it was the pain of watching the opposition batsmen score gigantic runs and the Indian batsmen struggle to save the game.

New millennium

The dawn of the millennium promised to change the fortunes of the Indian team because we had quite a few excellent batsmen. Added to that the captaincy of Ganguly followed by India finally winning a few games outside the sub-continent. My hopes were again increased. Not only the fans, now even the players started to believe. The Indian team played brilliantly to draw the series in England. Expectations rose sky high. I firmly felt that India finally had a team that will put across one over Australia in 2004. My fortunes changed as well because I had to move to Germany for work. As such, access to live cricket was non-existent and I had to rely on internet for scores which again wasn’t that freely available either. Living in Europe, it was extremely difficult to know the scores unless I was at work where internet was available.

Going to an internet café was not an option because it wasn’t cheap. Not to mention the hours of play which was way too early in the morning because of the time difference between Australia and Western Europe. It was a nerve wracking wait especially when India were doing well. India came pretty close to winning our first series. With the series locked at 1 game apiece, a brilliant batting display in the final test increased the expectation to a feverish pitch but Steve Waugh with his typical pugnacious innings was able to draw the game. Nevertheless, a drawn series in Australia when the Australian team were winning across the world was as good as a win and I was pretty pleased. I remember sitting at an internet café on the last day and willing for a wicket to fall every over but it wasn’t to be.

Nonetheless, the wait for a series win in Australia endured

I was still living in Europe when the most controversial series happened in 2007. The Symonds-Harbhajan saga is well known. I was seething with rage not because of the fight between those players but because Steve Bucknor wasn’t able to see properly and failed to rule Symonds out after a clear edge was taken by Dhoni. All kinds of abuse was hurled on Bucknor. Steve Bucknor seemed to have a bias against India all the time. Immediately, a few past incidents flashed across. The Jonty Rhodes runout, the Tendulkar decision and a few others. I wanted BCCI to raise this matter with ICC and get Bucker officially banned from umpiring in games involving India.

Alongwith that, the unruly behaviour of the Australian team, claiming a bumped ball, Clarke not accepting that he dropped a catch and the fact that India lost 3 wickets with just an over to be bowled because of outrageous umpiring. I wanted India to somehow thrash Australia in the next game. India having denied a win at Sydney came back brilliantly at Perth. By this time, internet became cheaper and I watched the last day of the Perth test with bated breadth. I was over the moon when the final wicket fell after some anxious moments. Yes the series was lost but it wasn’t because of want of effort on the part of the Indian team but we were rather cheated. The unanimous opinion was that if Bucker had given Symonds, India would have rather won the series.

A youngster’s dream finally fulfilled – 1

Posted on by Bobji

This story is about a youngster who had always longed for his team to win in Australia. Back in the 80s, when I was first introduced to the game, it was all fuzzy. Until India won the 1983 World Cup in England, I didn’t know much about the game. All that mattered to me was for India to win and that is irrespective of the sport that I watch. Television in those days was a luxury commodity.

For that matter, even a radio was a luxury commodity for a middle class family like ours. Internet was a term that was not in vogue. I remember waiting for the next day’s newspaper to know the status of a game. I also remember reading only the sports section of the newspaper and that too only news about cricket. Back then, the game fascinated and captured not just mine but the entire country’s imagination.

Life wasn’t so busy. Almost everyone had loads of time to spare and the cricket wasn’t played throughout the year as it is being played now. There were hardly 15 games in a year. Satellite television was something unheard of. So games played in England, Australia or West Indies were never telecast live unless India was involved. The Indian team of the 80s was good but were not excellent. It had 2 brilliant players in Gavaskar and Kapil Dev and one good batsman in Vengsarkar but the rest were mediocre.

Cricket in the 80s

The Indian fans never really had high expectation of our cricket team. There was always a feeling of lethargy in the way the team prepared and played in the series. ODI were not given much respect either. I still remember pretty well that as soon as the Indian team wins the ODI series, all the important players will take a break from the remaining games.

Back in the 80s, the fall of a wicket was never celebrated with high fives or a lap around the ground or mouthing obscene words upon the vanquished. It was always a dignified tap on the shoulders and everyone went back to their fielding position.

The World Cup win of 1983 sort of opened the floodgates for Indian cricket. Ofcourse, it was nothing compared to the wave the game experienced after satellite television burst onto the living rooms but nonetheless, the win certainly increased the following for the game. For a country like India, until that point, that had hardly seen anything chest thumping on the sporting field, this came as a huge surprise.  

First television set at home and the struggle to view the game

I still recall the day our first television set landed at our home. It was a black and white Solidaire that weighed like a huge boulder. It had a spin wheel to change the channels though there was only one channel. Doordarshan. There were hardly any programmes on that one channel. So a television set wasn’t really worth it. However, most of the families started to buy one.

My parents were quite understanding. Realising that both my brother and I were very much passionate about the game, they allowed us to watch the matches live at the expense of our studies. I imagine the same scenario across most of the families.

The television fulfilled its worth only when there was a game of cricket. Doordarshan too sprang to life during cricket. The coverage will usually start from 10AM and go on till 5PM and DD was quite happy because the game managed to fill in airwaves. However, the quality of the coverage was horrible to say the least. There was only one camera which is usually stationed behind the batsman. It was extremely difficult to see the ball when it was stationary leave alone when it was on the move. Whenever a batsman scores a boundary or a six, the person behind the lens will be hard pressed to trace the ball.

The ball would have gone over midwicket but the cameraman used to search for the ball at long on. Leave alone the ball, it was difficult to see even the players clearly. Coupled with early morning smoke, it was virtually impossible to see anything clearly.

A word about the commentators

The commentators, if they weren’t on the ground, will not know where the ball went. Speaking of commentators, it was always 2 of them only irrespective of where the game was played. Narotham Puri and Anupam Gulati. One in English and the other in Hindi. The cliques throughout the game must be heard to be believed. Ofcourse, nowadays, listening to a screaming Morrison and partisan Slater, Healy and Taylor, you will be better off listening to the Puris and Gulatis.

World series cricket

I experienced the complete worth of a television set during the World Series Championship in Australia. In my mind, I always imagined how a game of cricket in Australia will be. The beautiful green outfield, rock hard pitch, the design in the outfield, how the ball when driven along the ground, will move serenely along the turf, the Donald Duck walk whenever a batsman fails to open his account, the tough, competitive and above all, how bloody hard for India to win. The day and night games, the white ball, the coloured clothing and the different angles transformed an entire world. Added to that, the gigantic Australian grounds where to run 5 is easier than to score a boundary.

However, what I witnessed during the World Series coverage was on another level. I was stunned by the coverage of that series. It actually opened my eyes to a whole different world of cricket.The white ball was so clear in the night sky. The cameramen hardly struggled to focus on the ball wherever it went. There were cameras both in front and behind the batsman and it felt like the bowler delivered from the same end. It was nothing short of a grand spectacle. The icing on the cake was ofcourse India winning the World Championship.

other articles here and here

to be continued……..

The logic behind resting players, is it worthwhile?

Posted on by Bobji

Recently, there were lot of criticism heaped upon the England cricket team for their decision to rest certain players during different legs of their Indian tour. Though there is some reasoning behind such criticism, it is not difficult to understand the logic behind such a decision. Infact, this is much needed in such uncertain times. Let me try to analyse the logic behind resting players. Is it worthwhile? This piece is not only about England resting players but an overall analysis of why this is very much required.

England are coming off of an extremely successful series in Sri Lanka where they won 2-0. The main architect of that series win as ofcourse Joe Root but there were some valuable contributors as well including Jos Buttler & Johnny Bairstow. England have already sent Bairstow back to England and Buttler will return to England after the first test. The reasoning given behind such a decision was to ensure their availability throughout the season that includes India’s tour of England, World T20 & The Ashes.

International schedule

England are slated to play 9 tests against India, 2 against Sri Lanka, 5 tests against Australia and a couple against Pakistan within the next 12 months. That is a mindboggling 17 tests in 12 months. Added to this is the World T20, hosts of other ODIs and ofcourse IPL for a selected few.

India on the otherhand will be involved in the same 9 tests against England, 3 against South Africa and knowing the BCCI, few more during the Indian season bearing in mind that they have already played 2 tests this year. Unlike England, every Indian cricketer will be part of an IPL team. World T20 and other ODIs. Australia, South Africa will also be playing similar volume of games with the rest not so much.

Living in unprecedented times

As can be seen from above, these are lot of games for a majority of the teams. Even under normal circumstances, it is really tough for the players to play so many games. For the bowlers it is much more tougher. Just imagine the load on every bowler. Added to that is the fact that the players are forced to live under bio-secure bubble. This will add to the mental tiredness for all the players. Under the prevailing circumstances, the only option in front of the board and the players is to rotate the players. Especially, the fast bowlers. This will not only ensure the longevity of the players but will also ensure that they have the energy to contribute to the game that the rested players will eventually play.

This brings us to another question. Is it wise to rest important players like Bairstow or Buttler from important series? This is difficult to answer unless the replacement is good enough in the first place. Is this is not the case, the decision to leave out your good players will look a poorly advised one.

For a country like India, this must never really be a problem because of the sheer resources at the board’s disposal. However, for New Zealand, West Indies and Sri Lanka, they may not be able to rest and rotate players as and when they want because the number of talented players is less.

India showed the virtue of rotating players though out of force and not through any planning. Not only were they able to turn the series around, they have found more than a few players who will be an asset for the team for the foreseeable future.

Conclusion

I honestly think that the days of players playing for more than 13-15 years are numbered. With increasing number of playing days, only the exceptional players will be able to last that long. The rest will fade away in 8-10 years. Unless, players are managed properly, this will become reality.

Justin Langer in trouble and Proteas problems

Posted on by Bobji

Let me try to analyse Justin Langer in trouble and Proteas problems.

Justin Langer belongs to an era when Australian cricket had absolutely no peer. They were so dominant in all formats of the game that all they needed to do was to just turn up to every game to win. The multiple World Cup wins, the series wins in every country and the sheer number of extraordinary players in the team is a testimony to that fact. Justin Langer was one among them. Infact his successful pairing with Matthew Hayden at the top of the order was one of the biggest reason for Australia’s dominance.

In other words, Langer is very much used to winning all the time. The current scenario with the Australian team is not similar. They do not have that many great players nor do they win everywhere. As such, Langer is not used to such a situation and he is really frustrated. Elsewhere, South Africa, as expected, lost the first test to Pakistan. They have some soul searching to do.

Trouble for Langer

Ever since the loss to India, the Australian team and Justin Langer have been in the news. The players were criticised for their performance or lack of it. Tim Paine had to bear the worst with his keeping and his captaincy called into question. It has now come to light that the players are not that happy with the head coach Justin Langer.

Sydney Morning Herald’s report

“Dressing-room sources say that over a gruelling summer, Langer’s management style wore thin with some players, who on top of having to live in a bubble for months on end say they have become drained by his intensity and mood swings,” the SMH reported.

“…some senior players are frustrated at the atmosphere in the team being brought down by the coach’s shifting emotions and what they see as too much micro-management. They say that has extended to bowlers being bombarded with statistics and instructions about where to bowl at lunch breaks including during the fourth and final Test against India at the Gabba,” the report further read.

Langer as I have mentioned above can be quite intense. Infact, he is always overbearing probably because of the fact that he was part of an extraordinarily successful team.

His mood swings during and after game was clearly captured by the Amazon Prime documentary, The Test. He was shown as someone who is always grumpy. Someone who is his own man and does not really listen to the players. He was shown as someone who is hungry and temperamental. Someone who does not have that much patience, either for positive results or for development of a player.

Langer must mellow down

Having said that, Langer must realise that the talent available at his disposal is just not the same as during his playing career. It has been more than 10 years since the Australian system more or less stopped producing great players. There is Steven Smith and Cummins but nothing much apart. Langer needs loads of patience. He must be able to guide the rest who are not as talented as Warne or McGrath or Ponting. Langer must try to make better players out of the current lot and not try to diminish them. The sooner he does that the better it will be for Australia or otherwise, with the bio-secure bubble probably not relaxed any time sooner, Australia run the risk of losing the 2021 Ashes to their arch-rival England. If that happens, it will be because of Langer’s overbearing attitude and nothing else.

Proteas trouble and the ineffectiveness of de Kock

As expected, South Africa lost their first test to Pakistan. What was unexpected was the fight shown on the 4th day when Van Der Dussen and Markaram batted beautifully to take South African past Pakistan’s lead. However, the remaining batsmen weren’t able to capitalise. The trouble for South Africa starts right at the top. Quinton de Kock. Quinton is a gifted batsman and a good keeper but the South African board erred in making him the captain in all the formats. With his batting, he is one of the main batsman for South Africa. He is expected to score runs and lot of runs. There is nothing wrong in expecting a keeper to score runs. Especially in the post Gilchrist era. However, to expect the keeper to score substantial amount of runs signifies that something somewhere is wrong.

He clearly states that the specialist batsmen are of no good and it falls of de Kock to score runs as well as captain the side efficiently. Wicket keeping is a tough job. It requires lot of energy. The constant side down and stand up takes a toll on any keeper. Dhoni did this triple job of wicket keeping, captain and batsman for a longtime. However, he never was the main batsman of his team nor was he expected to score heavily.

Unfortunate situation de Kock finds himself in

Unfortunately, South Africa are not in that position in that de Kock because of his experience and talent is required to score runs as well as keep wickets. In such a scenario, it would have been better to the board to handover the captaincy to Dean Elgar or someone else. Next is to demote de Kock to his favourite position of number 7 where he is destructive. South Africa with inexperienced and lack of talented batsmen, needs de Kock to score they will do well not to burden him with additional responsibility.

I will go onto say that this must be immediate. Even for the 2nd test, captaincy must be given to Deal Elgar allowing de Kock to worry about his game. One will never know. This just might unleash the complete batsman in de Kock. This will also give the other batsmen much needed confidence and the team will be able to compete with Pakistan. I certainly do not think that de Kock is captaincy material and he must be replaced with Elgar for the short term. With Australia travelling to South Africa, this has become a necessity.

Other articles related to South Africa and Australia can be read here, here, here and here.

The reason Australians must not be critical of their team

Posted on by Bobji

Ever since the last day of the India vs Australia series at Brisbane, Gabba, the Australian cricket team have been subjected to relentless criticism by their media and former players. The team’s strategy was questioned. The effectiveness or lack of it of Starc, Lyon, Wade and a few others were questioned. The captaincy was questioned and a lot other aspects were questioned as well. The irony is that this was one series loss albeit at home over the course of several years. Despite this series loss, they still remain as one of the team who is difficult to defeat at home and quite competitive outside of home. This article tries to find the reason Australians must not be critical of their team.

The greatest team of all era

The Australian cricket team of the late 90s and for most of 2000s were among the absolute best of all time. It is difficult to find a more dominating side than that Australian side throughout the history of the game. There was the West Indies side captained by Lloyd and Richards but they never stacked up the numbers that the Australian sides under Taylor, Waugh & Ponting managed. There was a South African side but their tenure lasted only for 7 years. It was against this backdrop that Australian cricket in general must be viewed.

During the period mentioned above, Australians won test series throughout the world and that includes India. South Africa never managed to win a series in their country against Australia until 2018 since the time of their readmission. England were humiliated for 17 years that the entire England team enjoyed an open top bus ride post their 2005 Ashes win. India were the only team that even came close to matching up to the Australians. The less said about the other teams the better it is.

Some of the great players

During this period, the Australians had some of the greatest of that era playing concurrently. That side never needed a captain because everyone knew what is expected of him. The team had once in a generation players like McGrath, Ponting, Steve Waugh & Hayden. It also had someone who transformed the way wicket keepers were viewed until then. Gilchrist made every team to search for a Gilchrist of their own. There was the small matter of once in a generation bowler who transformed how leg-spin in particular and spin in general is viewed by all the teams. Shane Warne. What can you say about such a genius?

Numbers game

The numbers stacked up by such a team is staggering to say the least. Multiple Ashes victories that Australians always held close to their hearts. Series wins in the sub-continent. Multiple series wins against the second best team of that era, South Africa. A world record 17 consecutive Test wins and that too twice. A world record of remaining unbeaten in 2 successive World Cups. Lots and lots of series whitewashes. Except for India and South Africa, no other team had even had the nerve to come close to Australia. To top all of that, 3 consecutive ODI World Cup wins. These are statistics that will probably never be surpassed by any team.

It is only natural for any team to have a lean patch post the retirement of all such great players. Australia do not have the same resources to choose from as say the likes of India. The talent pool in Australia is limited with much less population. It is a multi-sporting country unlike the teams from the sub-continent who are a single sporting country. As such it is difficult to produce world beaters consistently. Australians are competitive in Swimming, Tennis and various other games. Infact, offlate, football is taking over the interests of the Australians. This reduces the talent pool even further. In the sub-continent, if it is possible to find 10 cricketers from 100, it increases to 10 from 10000 in Australia.

The current team is not too bad

Despite such paucity of resources, the Australian team have certainly done well when it comes to performance on the field. Not long ago, they won their 5th ODI World Cup title in 2015. Last year, in 2019, they whitewashed the current world number one, New Zealand and Pakistan. Against all odds, the current Australian team even managed to retain the Ashes away in England. Yes, they are not competitive any longer in Asia and they lost their first series in South Africa after that team’s readmission. They even lost one test in Bangladesh and have not lost 2 consecutive series to India in Australia. None of these should take away the fact that, in favourable conditions, Australians are as tough as any team can get.

One reason for such criticism of the current Australian team is because of the success enjoyed by the previous Australians teams over a prolonged period. The media and the fans are so used to success that they do not take too kindly to loss. The Australians will do well to remember that there are teams that will be satisfied with the wins that even the current team have come up with. West Indies, Sri Lanka to name 2 teams.

Conclusion

The Australian public must learn to accept that it is difficult to find world class players from the available pool. There are some. Smith is doubtless a great. Marnus, Pucovski & Green was marked as players for the future and there is that one bowler any team would like to have. Pat Cummins. The current team does have an excellent bowling attack. The management must learn to rotate them properly which will keep the bowlers fresh for all the games. Batting is a bit of a concern but if Marnus, Green & Pucovski starts to perform, they will remain zealous even in the sub-continent.

It is easy for former Australian players like Warne, Gilchrist & Ponting to criticise the current squad but they must also try to offer solution. They must realise that there aren’t that many great players around Australia. They must stop comparing the current team with their own and understand that such a team may not be possible in the near future.

Other articles related to Australia can be read here, here and here.

Whatever has happened to Sri Lanka

Posted on by Bobji

Whatever has happened to Sri Lanka. Not long ago, it was considered tough to win in Sri Lanka. They always had a set formula for teams that are not from the sub-continent. Prepare slow turning wickets that teams like Australia, England, South Africa & New Zealand will struggle to overcome and good enough spinners on the Sri Lankan side to exploit such surfaces. It proved to be a successful formula for a very longtime. Except for the absolutely best Australian side and the top South African side, other teams really struggled.

Infact, better players of spin like Pakistan and Bangladesh too struggled to win in Sri Lanka. It was India alone who were able to conquer Sri Lanka. However, things seems to have taken a completely downward path. Sri Lankan cricket is really struggling. They have completely lost their way over the last few years. It is fair to say that cricket in Sri Lanka is in crisis and they need all the help that can be given for them to raise upto a certain competitive level.

Sri Lanka never really had a proper first-class structure. The likes of Aravinda de Silva, Jayasurya and the greatest Sri Lankan batsmen ever, Kumar Sangakkara, they all came from schools cricket. It was down to the brilliance of Sangakkara & Aravinda that they were able to achieve what they achieved. Until a certain, it really seemed to work. Sri Lanka developed a clutch of players who eventhough they didn’t make the team into world beaters but were able to make the team competitive in certain conditions and tough at home. Muralitharan is another player who comes to mind not for any format programme by the Sri Lankan board but through his own brilliance.

Steve Waugh’s last frontier

Steve Waugh termed India as the last frontier. However, at the point, they weren’t that dominating in Sri Lanka either. Such was their dominance at home. When players like Sangakkara, Jayawardene, Jayasurya & Muralitharan were playing, it is only a matter of time before the opposition is vanquished in Sri Lanka.

When did the slide set in?

It is not really a surprise that except for one series win in South Africa and one against Pakistan, Sri Lanka hasn’t been that competitive outside of their own country. They have lost games and series consistently, throughout. The real rot seems to have set from 2015 onwards. Sri Lanka started to lose series consistently even in Sri Lanka. It coincided with the retirement of the aforementioned players. However, that should not be a reason for Sri Lanka to lose consistently at home. Against England, they have now lost 5 consecutive tests. This is a side which has always found it difficult to overcome the sub-continent. Infact, England’s wins were absolutely complete. In the sense, they were never made to struggle for a win.

The last time, when Sri Lanka played against India in their country, they lost all the 9 games including tests, ODIs and T20s. Pakistan recently won a series and even Bangladesh managed to win a test in Sri Lanka. Their only salvage was a 3-0 sweep of an Australian team who had toured probably with their worst side ever. To make matters worse, their limited overs form too slipped. They weren’t able to reach the eliminators of ODI or T20 World Cups or Champions Trophy.

What Sri Lanka must do?

First, Sri Lanka must develop a proper first class structure. It will help in creating good quality test batsmen and bowlers. It will also ensure a strong supply of players to the national team. Second, a strong limited overs competition will also ensure that they are supplied with players for their limited overs squad. Third, the existing players must ensure that they give more than their best. The current players are the ambassadors for the game. They have a responsibility towards the game and to their countrymen and women in that they are seen to be trying more than their best. This will improve support for the team which will eventually bring in much needed sponsors for the team. Fourth, the board will do well to pay the dues to the players.

Importance of Sri Lankan cricket

It is very important that a strong Sri Lankan team emerges from the rubble. With much less competitive teams around the world, a Sri Lankan team who are atleast strong in their own country will add much needed interest in the game. New Zealand with must less population than Sri Lanka’s are the current top ranked team in the world. Sri Lanka can take inspiration from them.

About South Africa

India vs Australia series review

Posted on by Bobji

We have witnessed a wonderful series full of twists and turns right till the end. The series is truly one for the ages. This series have resurrected the faith of the loyal fans on Test cricket. The series provided enough drama that no T20 or ODI will be able to provide. The pride of winning a test match can be seen on the players clearly. The satisfaction that the teams derive out of winning a test is next to none because it is that hard. Especially, when 2 teams of equal competence is at it. This is India vs Australia series review.

After the chastening defeat at Adelaide, a majority, including this writer, never gave India a chance. It was just a question of time before India loses all the 4 tests. Such was the magnitude of the defeat at Adelaide. Being bowled out for 36 runs, any team will be deflated and would want to pack their bags and go home. Former Australian players were dismissive of the Indian team. It was hard not to agree with them afterall, the Indian team performed rather poorly in the first test. However, the comeback was something most of us did not expect.

Over the last 20 years, India have this habit of winning atleast one test in SENA countries. This is a welcome change from the previous century when winning outside of India was very rare. The only exception was the 2018 tour to Australia when we won 2 tests. I did expect India to win in Sydney and I thought that will be that but they showed nerves of steel to win 2 tests including one at the Gabbatoir.

Statements made by the Indian team

The Indian team made quite a few statements from this tour. First, the team showed that it is not depended on Kohli alone to score runs. Second, the team proved that it does not require the abusive brand of cricket that Kohli often displays on the field to win tests. Third, it has loads of steel and determination to overcome severe odds. Fourth, the bench strength is strong that anyone can replace anyone in the team.

Gains for India

The gains for India from this tour is quite impressive and there were some disappointments too. Shubnam Gill, the Punjab batsman was always thought to be someone with loads of talent. It was a pity the Indian management chose to go with Prithvi Shaw instead of Gill in the first test. Infact, before the first test, Gavaskar & Border were full of praise for Gill for the way he played in the practise games. However, he wasn’t picked in the team for Adelaide. Better sense prevailed and from Melbourne, Gill showed his class and why he is rated so highly. He didn’t show any nerve for someone so young playing against an excellent bowling attack in their own country. The horizontal bat shots and the drives were all pleasing to watch. He has certainly booked his place for the foreseeable future.

Rishab Pant

The diminutive wicket keeper had such a horrible IPL that he wasn’t even considered for the first test. He was low in confidence after he lost his place from all the three formats. Eventually, because Saha wasn’t able to bat well and Kohli went home, Pant was brought in. He showed why he must be considered as an automatic pick. The flair and the confidence that he displayed at Sydney and the flamboyance at Brisbane did not seem like someone who has hardly played 15 games.

An hour of Pant at Sydney, India may have won that game too. In such a short career so far, Pant has already played a match winning knock in the fourth innings. This is a feat that is still eluding Kohli and eluded Tendulkar for a greater part of his career. However, Pant will have to improve his keeping or give up the keeping gloves and become a pure batsman. With his brand of cricket he will succeed in Tests but may not be that good in the short format.

Washington Sundar

I must confess that I never rated Sundar as a cricketer leave alone an international player but the way he batted, every top order batsman will be proud of the shots. The silken cover drives, the compact defence and the horizontal bat shots were a treat to watch. At 21, he has lot of cricket. He may want to improve his bowling skills if he has to replace Ashwin who is 13 years older than Sundar.

Shardul Thakur

Another cricketer I didn’t rate higher. I still do not rate his bowling but his batting was a revelation. At 29 years, he is not young and combined with the competition for bowlers, he may not get to play too many tests though he might get to play in the shorter formats.

Mohammed Siraj

Rather surprisingly, Siraj emerged as the highest wicket taker for India. He bowled some lovely deliveries. However, he was down on pace because I have seen him bowl at 147KMPH in the IPL. With the imminent return of Bumrah, Ishant & Shami, it is hard to fit in Siraj in the playing eleven but he will be around the team for a longtime. With India set to play 9 tests within the next 8 months, Siraj will need to be rotated with the other bowlers. If only he can bowl at 145, he will be an excellent addition to the team.

In praise of the support staff

The support staff deserves special mention. Ravi Shastri, Arun, Rathore and all other staff must be commended as well. They must have cajoled a team that would have been pretty low in confidence after Adelaide and have made the players believe in themselves. Far too long, the Indian team were searching for one all-rounder but now we have 6.

India have become only the 2nd team to have won two consecutive series in Australia over the last 30 years. The other being South Africa. This is a meritorious achievement. It is extremely difficult to defeat Australia in their own country however weak they maybe. Now, the 2018 win will not be considered an aberration. Having said that, India still needs to win in South Africa, England during this year and in New Zealand whenever they get a chance to be considered the undisputed number one.

Other articles related to the Australian tour can be read here, here and here.

Former Australian players have lambasted the Australian team

Posted on by Bobji

India and Australia were involved in a wonderful series that lived upto all the hype that it generated before the series started. Over the last 20 years, games between these teams have been highly competitive. In India as well as in Australia. The competitive zeal between the teams were also second to none. In the latest series, India emerged victorious. Former Australian players like Warne & Gilchrist have lambasted the Australian team.

Warne has questioned the captaincy and the field placing when Nathan Lyon was bowling. He has questioned the late entry of short pitched bowling. He has called for heads to roll. Warne was particularly severe on Tim Paine the Australian captain.

Shane Warne’s comments

“I think there’ll be a huge fallout from this,” Warne said in commentary for Fox Cricket. “There’s not too many times that you lose to the second or third (choice) side.

“That’s not taking anything away from those Indian guys that played but their first selection side, there’s probably only two or three players in that side who would play.

“Australia being beaten 2-1 by India’s B-side (is disappointing).

“Their tactics will come into question, and they have to. Bowlers will come into question, people’s spot in the team will come into question. It has to.

Warne was certainly correct. This Indian team cannot be termed as even B team. It was D or E team. Except for Pujara & Rahane, no one else started the tour. It had a combined bowling experience of 5-6 tests. There were 2 bowlers who made their debut and 2 others who had played only 2 tests. Among the batsmen, Gill was in his 3rd test and Mayank Agarwal hasn’t played that many. Marnus Labuschagne, the Australia top order batsman has almost the same wickets as the Indian bowlers.

Inexperience of the Indian team

With such an inexperienced bowling attack and with none of them capable of bowling at high pace throughout, Australia must have shut out India after the end of their first innings. They must have scored in excess of 500. However, it wasn’t to be. They were bowled out for less than 400 and their 2nd innings was even worse. They were shot out for less than 300. This certainly is not the performance of a team who were until recently ranked as number one in the world. If not for Smith, Australia would have lost 3 tests. These are really serious signs for Australia. Their batting is completely depended on Smith. Marnus is emerging but he is not a match winner like Smith. If not for Smith’s runs, India could have won at Sydney. Australia would have easily lost the 2018 Ashes.

Australia’s inability

The fact that Australia failed twice to bowl India out on a day 5 pitch and that too at home will rankle them. Questions will rightly be asked about the logic of using the same 4 bowlers in all the tests. They certainly looked tired at the end of the Sydney test. I for one thought that Cummins will bowl atleast 10 overs with the 2nd new ball at Brisbane but he was restricted to only 6 when the match and the series was on the line. Yes he was tired but it was just a matter of 4 more overs. He was the only one who created chances. Starc was expensive and Hazlewood cannot be depended on to defend 40 runs.

Gilchrist’s comments

Gilchrist has singled out the 3 biggest failures for Australia. Paine, Lyon & Starc. He has rightly pointed out that Paine hasn’t gone to Starc often. It was always Cummins and Hazlewood with Starc as the last option. If Paine did not have that much confidence on Starc, he must have replaced Starc with some other bowler. This was the mistake that Dhoni did all those years ago when India were defeated 4-0 in England and Australia. Dhoni never had the audacity or the courage to drop the non-performing seniors in 2011 and as a result, India were soundly thrashed. Paine did the same in this series.

Paine tactical blunder

Warne had this to say

“I’m just staggered that with Pujara especially there is no bat pad on the off side. I can’t believe it. I just cannot believe it. Especially after everything in the last series and in this series and how he’s bowled to Pujara. I don’t know what conversations they’ve had, but with no bat pad to start with. I’m in shock. I’ve been disappointed with some of the tactics this series from the Australians, but this one, it just doesn’t make any sense.

Paine did not trust Green either who played as an all-rounder. He wasn’t given a long spell which could have given the frontline bowlers must needed rest so that they could have come back and bowled at their best. He must have allowed Marnus Labuschagne a decent enough bowl. With his leg spinners, he may have picked up some wickets. The tactical side of Paine needs refining. Paine was good in England. He dropped Starc for all but 1 test and relied on bowlers who would deliver. Pattinson, Siddle and Hazlewood were all rotated that brought in fresh legs in every game.

Paine is under tremendous pressure

Paine is 36 years old and already before the series there were murmurs about his longevity. A section wanted Smith to takeover from Paine but Paine survived. Especially, after the success in England and the clean sweep of New Zealand and Pakistan in 2018, it is only logical for Paine to continue. However, this Indian series has certainly reduced his shelf life to not more than a few months. If Australia fails to win against a much weaker South African side, Paine will be gone. With Australia returning to the country where the famous sandpapergate happened, mentally it will be very tough though South African aren’t that strong. South Africa does have a bowling attack that can match Australia but their batting is exceptionally weak which gives Australia a clear edge. 

Other articles about Australian cricket can be read here and here.

Cricket is alive and kicking

Posted on by Bobji

Suddenly, the game has received a big boost during the time of pandemic. During the initial days of the pandemic, it was difficult to envisage cricket being played anywhere. England started the trend helped to a large extent by West Indies and Pakistan. What started as a small trickle has snowballed into a big wave and now we see tours throughout the globe. Cricket is alive and kicking.

Credit must be given to ECB

World cricket certainly vows a great debt of gratitude to the England Cricket Board. It was the ECB who had the courage to stage a test series in the middle of the pandemic. They went out of their way to convince the UK government to allow West Indies and Pakistan to tour England. It was because of the ECB’s efforts that cricket found a new life. It is another matter that ECB stood to lose more than 300 million pounds if the tours had failed to go ahead but credit must be given where credit is due. We must also note that most lucrative and successful league, Indian Premier League was postponed at that time. Ultimately, it was moved to Dubai.

The fact that England were able to host successive series sort of emboldened other nations and a template was formed by all the nations. Chartered flights for the entire squad, mandatory quarantine of 14 days, bio-secure bubble, less or no interaction with anyone outside of the team squad, saliva not to be used on the balls to shine etc. Now, every nation that hosts another nation is following this procedure. This is expected to continue well into 2021 until there is a definite decline in the pandemic across the world.

The ECB’s staging of a couple of series was so successful that Australia found it prudent and safe to send their team across to England for just a few ODIs. Australia are relatively unscathed by this pandemic and to send their team over to England who was among the worst affected countries takes lots of courage. Australia too must be appreciated for starting the trickle.

Enter IPL

There was a lull post these series and it was left to the Indian board to carry on with the torch. They managed to stage a successful IPL albeit in Dubai. The tournament started with a hiccup in that some players were tested positive but later on it proceeded without any hitch. This tournament was by far the longest the players would have been inside the bubble. It went on for more than 2 months and that is a very longtime.

Series everywhere

Suddenly, there are tours going on everywhere. We have India travelling to Australia for a complete series. Pakistan & West Indies in New Zealand. Sri Lanka went to South Africa. Now, England are in Sri Lanka and will travel to India in 3 weeks. Australia will meet South Africa. So it is back to the good old days but without spectators. Only in Australia were spectators allowed to watch the game and eventhen it wasn’t full capacity. Nonetheless, games are being played across the globe. The host nation does not stand to lose much because of the empty stands. They will be able recoup from broadcasting rights and advertisements in the stadiums and on TV.

Let us hope that this pandemic is on the way out and that in 2021, all of us can watch the games sitting and cheering from the stadium rather than watching them on TV.

Other articles

BCCI’s mindless schedule & Switch hit and Free hit

South Africa wants Jacques Kallis back and the cap ceremony

Posted on by Bobji

Arguably, the greatest cricketer over the last 30 year is none other than the great South African allrounder, Jacques Kallis. His performances on the field is nothing but legendary. He and Gary Sobers are the only cricketers to average more than 50 with the bat and less than 35 with the ball. The hallmark of a true great allrounder. I have never seen Sobers field but Kallis’s fielding was also outstanding. If an edge goes behind, the batsman can safely walk off in the knowledge that a towering figure would have gobbled the ball up and down this throat. It is natural to assume that the service of such a personality will immediately be utilised by the board and he will be given all kinds of responsibility to develop the incumbent players. Did South African board wanted the services of Kallis? Was he made to feel welcome?

Shocking South African oversight

It is now emerged that the South African cricket board did not want the services of Jacques Kallis. This is shocking. A premier batsman, who had performed exceptionally wasn’t allowed to be part of the system that nurtured and brought him up. To make matter worse, he wasn’t required by the board because of the colour of his skin. This is even more outrageous. Kallis said,

“I wasn’t allowed to be involved in the South African side because CSA said there would be no more white consultants. So, unfortunately [the position with South Africa] fell away and this opportunity of helping England out came about. I took it with both hands,” Kallis had said in an online press conference. 

At a time when there are reports of racism in Australia, Kallis to be denied as role by his own board because of the colour of his skin is certainly racist at its ugliest best. Luckily, better sense prevailed with England and he has been romped in as batting consultant. England with its well stocked support staffs will be thrilled with the addition of Kallis as batting consultant.

Johnny Bairstow has welcomed the move

Johnny Bairstow is absolutely thrilled that Kallis is now with the England set-up.

“The things he has done within the game, in my eyes he is the best all-rounder that there has ever been.Someone that batted at the top of the order, caught absolute flies at slip and got so many wickets as well.”

Now the English cricketers seems to have realised the value of someone like Kallis and have welcomed him with open arms. Something the South African board must have done. England with a lot of young players will hope to tap into the brain of Kallis and will want to emulate his feats. Kallis is certainly sad that he is not helping the South African cricketers.

“It’s sad in a way that I can’t help out in South Africa,” Kallis said from Galle, “but I’m thoroughly enjoying my time here and my time in the England set-up.

South Africa does not seem to realise the importance of its former players until they have served in some other country. Gary Kirsten proved to be a very good coach for India and until then, he wasn’t even considered for any role by the South African board. Similar fate may await the likes of Steyn.

South African coach wants Kallis back

Now there are reports that Mark Boucher wants Kallis back in South Africa and help the local players. It is a case of spilled wine. Kallis’s tenure with England is for a short duration. If Boucher really wants him back, he will have to convince the board of the qualities Kallis brings in as a batting consultant or in the development of young players. How the likes of Aiden Markram, Van de Dussen will improve with guidance from Kallis.

The nonsense of cap ceremony

Nowadays, it has rather become a custom. This is not confined to any particular team. This is a disease that has intruded every nation from Steve Waugh. Every time when someone makes his debut in either Tests or the limited overs, the custom of someone handing him his cap is beamed live across the living rooms across the cricket playing world. The person who receives and the person who hands over are all smiles for the camera. Back in the 80s and 90s, this was never considered an event worthy of mention. I don’t even remember such a formality being carried out.

It does not really mean that the player gets to wear the cap only after he is handed over one before making his debut. There are so many pictures and videos where players who have not played for the team wearing the team’s cap. Why then it is necessary to give the player a brand new cap just before he makes his debut?

It was Steve Waugh who started this nonsense with the Australians. Other teams could have left it at that but no they chose to follow this stupidity. Infact, Shane Warne, a contemporary of Steve Waugh was rather scathing in his criticism of Steve Waugh.

“We had this ridiculous thing Steve Waugh brought in,” Warne began. “It was just silly. He said that everyone in the first hour had to wear the green baggy cap.

Cap conclusion

It is time the artificialness of the cap ceremony is done away with. If at all this must be carried, do it within the confines of the dressing room. Do not bring it out into the open. It will save millions of fans from witnessing this farce. The sport must celebrate achievements but earning a cap definitely does not belong in this category. At the broadcasting company must save the fans of watching this buffoonery.

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