cricket

Very, Very Special Laxman does an encore

On Laxman

Cometh the hour, cometh the man!

How trite it sounds, how repetitive , how boring.

But there is nothing trite about VVS Laxman,nothing monotonous and his sublime touch has cricket fans transfixed and spellbound.

He has always seemed the bridesmaid,never the bride.

Even though he has that very,very special 281 and that blinding, blistering 167, both against the Aussies, one at Kolkata, the other at Sydney in 2000 when he opened the innings at the outset of his career.The 167 denotes a period when the selectors persisted and insisted that he take up the opener’s role.

This at a time when although the Indian team had a multitude of contenders to the middle order , finding a regular opener to see off the new ball was an exercise in futility. Laxman, however, put his foot down and signaled his intention to stake a place in the middle or not play at all. For a lesser light it would have meant a premature eclipse to a budding career, but neither Laxman nor his claim to greatness could be denied, would be denied.

The 2001 home series against the Aussies cemented his place in the pantheon of cricketing greats. Laxman will always be identified by that defining, unbelievable, edifying knock against an Aussie side that seemed nigh invincible.

Steve Waugh’s kangaroos were made to bleed from a thousand cuts by a cavalier Laxman; the Eden loss also ended the Australian team’s run of sixteen victories on the trot. Interestingly, Australia’s world record of sixteen consecutive victories , was ended by India twice over. There really is something about an Aussie-India series; it brings out the best and sometimes the worst in both sides. A rivalry to match and perhaps surpass the Ashes.

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7000: Sehwag crosses another Rubicon

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Virender Sehwag keeps marching to a different beat, massacring pace and spin alike.

The Sri Lankans are at the receiving end this time around and they aren’t happy recipients.

After the exit of Adam Gilchrist from the hallowed sport , Sehwag is dreaded most by  bowlers around the world.

It is not that he simply dominates the bowling; he takes the match by the scruff of its neck and turns it inside out.

Bowlers are said to win games. But Sehwag is a match-winner, in every sense of the term. He is a captain’s delight and when on song is a treat to watch. He is unorthodox but it is this very trait that makes his batting a thing of beauty forever.

He is belligerent,in the Richards mold. But he is ever humble; not for him the swagger and bravado of the West Indian legend.

Quote of the day:
Advice to writers: Sometimes you just have to stop writing. Even before you begin. – Stanislaw J. Lec

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Yuvraj Singh: What a boy!

Yuvraj Singh now has a brand new sobriquet ‘ Water Boy’. No, it’s not a reference to the movie of the same name starring Adam Sandler.

A few inebriated fans at the 3rd Test Match between India and Sri Lanka decided that they were not quite ‘having a ball’ imbibing various liquors,the cricket was not entertaining enough and hence decided to vent their spleen on the players and cricketing officials.

Yuvraj Singh was the target of their ire; ‘water boy’ was the insult they came up with when he was performing 12th man duties for the Indian team.

Yuvraj Singh, however, was not one to take it lying down and decided to retaliate in kind.

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Murali erupts, at last! Bedi bears the brunt!

Prologue

The controversy over Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling action will not abate.

Just when we believed that Murali would waltz off into the sunset — peaking at 800 Test wickets — we find alarm bells tinkling in the Indian media.

Bishan Singh Bedi was among those who remarked on Murali’s latest achievement but qualified his congratulations saying that he thought that Murali was a lovely person and a nice chap (something on those lines) but he believed that the ICC had bent its rules to accommodate his equally bent arm. He pronounced him a chucker and maintained that he would always consider him one.

His protégé, Maninder Singh, echoing his godfather, noted that Murali would always remain a disputed figure because of his unorthodox action.

Over the years, Murali chugged along smoothly without responding in kind to any criticism. He let his supple fingers do the talking and ICC could decide on the legality of his action. That was good enough for him.

But all that changed this week, when Murali in an interview with the Indian TV news channel, Times Now, went on the offensive, claiming that there is a lot of jealousy about his achievements among former players. He targeted Bishan Singh Bedi and lambasted him, disparaging him as an ordinary bowler.

Quote of the day:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye. – Miss Piggy

Murali On Bedi

Murali , uncharacteristically , had the following to say about Bedi:

“Bedi, I don’t think he even comes to a contest on that. I saw some (of his) bowling of his playing days. In modern era, if he plays he will get hammered every ball, that is what will happen. So no comparison”

“Prasanna is a good bowler. I have seen his bowling. Venkataraghavan is good. But Bedi does not come under it”

“He (Bedi) is also a controversial person. He has lot of controversies everywhere in the world. And he should think about himself first rather than talking about other people”

“He (Bedi) did not have any variation. He just bowled left arm spin and pitch did the variation for him. That is what he bowled”

Muralitharan also had praise for his contemporary Anil Kumble.
“You forget the best spinner is Anil Kumble. Not Bedi or Venkataraghavan or any other. I think the best ever spinner produced (in India) is Kumble. No doubt about it and nobody can doubt it. Statistics-wise and on the basis of other things, he is far ahead than other guys”,

The Rejoinders

Bedi’s response was swift :

“I don’t call Murali a chucker. He is a chucker.”

Bedi was supported by his colleague-in-arms, Prasanna:

“He (Murali) should have avoided it. Murali should have been little more mature. He just can’t make such loose comments that anybody could have achieved Bishen’s feat. We all admire him for his achievements. He should have avoided making such comments.”

“The fact of the matter is that ICC bent its rules for Murali. With that, flexibility was allowed to him and most of the bowlers.”

“He doesn’t fit into the slot of conventional bowler but fact of the matter is ICC bent the rules and permitted him. Therefore it’s ok.”

Maninder Singh joined the fray next:

“If he (Bedi) was allowed to bend his arm by ICC, he would have taken 5 wickets in every of the 67 matches that he played in his career. Murali should keep his mouth shut really.”

“Whole world knows that he has the licence from the ICC to keep chucking and that’s why he started his ‘doosra‘. Nobody stopped him. Wickets started increasing for him. It’s best time for Murali to keep shut.

“He should understand he is talking about such a great bowler Bedi. I don’t think he is doing justice to himself. I have lost respect for him after this verbal attack.”

Former Australian captain and great Steve Waugh commented:

“Bishen has been very strong in his criticism about Murali. I don’t necessarily agree to what he said but I think Murali must have held his tongue for 15 years and just gave it back today.”

Commentary And Analysis

Let’s look at the protagonists in this war of words, examine their statements and verify the veracity of their utterances.

First, Bedi.

Bedi is right. Murali is unconventional. The ICC, though, has given him the benefit of the doubt. He has been subjected to varied scientific tests but the ICC — unable to slot him into a pigeon hole –– pressurized by the Sri Lankan board caved in and exonerated him of all charges of throwing.

Bedi, however, is an old-fashioned man and speaks his mind. He believes that cricket should be pure and chaste. He does not mince words and has gone head-to-head with various sporting personalities, the most famous example being his spat with Sunny Gavaskar, one that has endured over the years. He has termed Gavaskar a destructive influence and says that he always liked power without accountability.

Bedi has always been critical of Murali; some of his earlier, unequivocal remarks about the bowler were similarly pungent, vehement and caustic.

“If Murali doesn’t chuck, then show me how to bowl.”

He has compared Murali’s action to a javelin throw and shot putting.

Muralitharan “will complete 1000 Test wickets but they would count as mere run-outs in my eyes”.

Muralitharan is a Sri Lankan bandit closing in on a dream artist called Shane Warne.”

Bedi has been equally adept in antagonizing Harbhajan Singh, similarly terming him a chucker.

Murali , in 2004, threatened to take Bedi to court unable to put up with his constant derision and barrage of criticism.

But Murali has been a veritable sea of calm since.

Why this sudden volte face? What made this normally, unaffected person turn on Bishan Singh Bedi and savage him in his own country’s media?

Let’s consider Murali again.

His whole life revolved around cricket. It’s his life, his bread-and-butter for the past nineteen years. Murali would have dearly wished to continue till he achieved the milestone of 1000 Test wickets and why not? He is a spinner and his body could easily withstand the wear and tear for another couple of years.

His decision to retire was prompted by Ranatunga’s televised assertion that it was time for Murali to go. That was the final straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. The exhortation from his former captain and mentor was probably more than the normally stoic, ever-smiling Murali could take. And bear in mind, there were three talented Sri Lankan bowlers nipping at his heels, clamoring to be a part of the Sri Lankan eleven.

Much as we would like our heroes to go quietly into the dark night, they rarely do. Now that Murali has retired from Test cricket, he probably felt a huge weight was taken off his shoulders. Is it possible that he felt it was time to take on his detractors, that he could devote some time to their many allegations? Work, work and more work makes Murali a blinkered boy! He has hit back and how!

Murali declares that Bishan Singh Bedi would be hit out of the attack if he were playing now. There is some truth to that; Bishan played in an era when not much one-day cricket was played and bats were much lighter.

It has been the bane of the current cricketers that they believe that the former greats fail to acknowledge current cricketing realities and seem to live and breathe an anachronistic heyday of their own. It is also true that the spinners of today bowl much flatter; that’s because they are punished by the batsmen (and their captains) when they flight the ball specially when mishits clear the ground and switch hits are the order of the day.

But the great ones will always adjust; they always do. Murali’s criticism of Bedi rings true but slightly muted.

As to, who among the four, Venkataraghavan , Bedi , Chandrashekhar and Prasanna was the best? That debate rages to date. Though it is always felt that Venkataraghavan never really got his due. Murali has an opinion and he’s entitled to it.

As for Bedi being a controversy monger, well, need we say more.

Your Opinion

What are your views on this fracas?

I would love to hear from you.

Have a great day!

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Adios, Murali: The Final Musketeer

Suddenly there were none!

The Galle test this week brought down the curtain on the career of the last of the three spinning maestros of this generation.

Much has already been written about Muttiah Muralitharan’s exit from the cricketing stage, and many more reams of paper will be consumed describing his exploits in his swan song test at Galle. Murali ended his Test career on a high against his Indian opponents claiming the requisite eight wickets to perch himself atop the summit of 800 wickets – master of all he surveys – in the process ensuring victory for his Sri Lankan teammates.

Murali , Shane Warne and Anil Kumble were the foremost exponents of spin bowling of this generation. Each alike the other but yet very dissimilar. Will there be any more  like them?

They were the three Musketeers of spin bowling; their sovereign – the Art Of Spin Bowling. Come flat tracks, come bouncy ones, come true ones, come lousy ones, come under-prepared ones, come turners,come rain, come shine, they were forever on call to serve their master, to do him proud. All-weather heroes, I term them!

Corporate Governance

Corporate governance has been in the Indian news headlines quite recently in connection with the scam perpetrated by Raju on Satyam shareholders and employees. Interestingly,  Satyam was the recipient of numerous corporate governance awards. Just goes to prove that just because processes are in place, does not imply that the processes are being followed. The spirit of the law  is more important than the letter of the law. But then India is a nation that loves it’s forms, it’s idiosyncratic processes and customs,it’s  bureaucratic ways and any change is greeted with derision, disdain and shock. Processes are meant to be traditionalized, embedded into the culture of the company and not uprooted without a by your leave! Who minds it’s clutter?

For more laid-back news followers, Satyam was just another scandal in just another family-run business.Satyam despite all its protestations , was just that – a family-run business though it’s shares were listed on the Indian stock exchange and available via ADRs.The more engrossing and entertaining corporate scandal has been the IPL imbroglio and it’s many running installments in the Indian media rumor mill.

Now, the IPL has a governing council which is equivalent to a corporate board of directors. In theory, a board of directors is an independent body that oversees the management of the corporate body or entity. It is there to make sure that the right processes are adhered to, that due diligence is carried out while executing strategy and no hanky-panky or unethical acts are carried out by any of the top management honchos.

But in practice, this is easier said than done. Most corporate boards are appointed with inputs from the incumbent management and thus cronyism is the name of the game. The typical board is populated with members who thus tend to be hand-in-glove with top  management. This seems to have been the case with the IPL governing council. Despite the presence of luminaries such as Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavaskar and M A K Pataudi on the governing council, the BCCI finds itself facing a scandal of gargantuan proportions with conflict of interest and high-handedness tarnishing the fabric of IPL governance.

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Indian cricket: Asia Cup Team Selection

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The Indian cricket team for the Asia Cup in Dambulla from June 15 to June 28 has been announced.

There are no real surprises in the team selection bar the much expected(?) dropping of Yuvraj Singh and the resting of Sachin Tendulkar at his own request.

Yusuf Pathan has been dropped purportedly because of his inability to play short-pitched bowling. I guess the ones without a godfather are the first ones to feel the selector’s ire.

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Asian cricket blues!

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The inability or unwillingness of the BCCI to field an Indian cricket team for the Chinese Asian Games has been greeted with widespread consternation by the Indian public or so the media channels would have us believe. I , for one, am not of the view that India needs to field their best team for the Asian Games and thus the BCCI could have been somewhat more diplomatic and said yes to fielding a second string team like they have for the tri-series in Zimbabwe. Besides apart from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, no other teams of cricketing note will be there! And surely, the Indian cricket team cannot do worse than their performance at the World T20!

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As Cricket Grew in India, Corruption Followed – NYTimes.com

“A lot of women started watching,” Mr. Rajaraman said. “There are a lot of people who watch to see what Shah Rukh Khan is doing at the end of the game, or what new T-shirt he is wearing.”Ramachandra Guha, a historian who has written a book about cricket, said the I.P.L. tailored itself to the aspirations, and alienation, of an Indian middle class disillusioned with the country’s corruption and poverty. But Mr. Guha said the organization of the league — with teams located in India’s most affluent cities as opposed to having one in every state — has effectively mirrored the deep inequality in society.“It is the India that is doing well economically,” he said. “It shuts itself off from the other 800 million Indians who live in the hinterlands.”

As Cricket Grew in India, Corruption Followed – NYTimes.com

Disastrous run at World T20!

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With India’s 2 matches of the Super 8 match over and with them effectively India’s hopes of qualifying for the semis,  it is time to make a couple of points about India’s no-show at this tourney.

1> The standard of cricket exhibited at the IPL and the World T20 are reams apart. In the latter, we have the best teams representing their country, whereas the IPL teams are constrained to having just 4 foreign internationals representing them and at the same time they need to ensure that deserving youngsters (read youngsters with potential) are given a chance to ware their talents. So suddenly we have our IPL heroes peppered with short-pitched balls and when you are a team batting second and chasing a  large total, you have to try and hit every ball and the proclivity to succumb to the short-pitched variety is both exposed and exploited. Besides, since when have Indian batsmen known to be masters of the short ball?

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