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India Cricket: Vinod Kambli breaks down on national TV shattering fans’ illusions—again
Is Messr Vinod Kambli a liar?
Sachin Tendulkar’s schoolmate did a Kapil Dev on national television venting his angst at the perceived injustices done him by Indian selectors and pointing the finger of suspicion against his teammates for the 1996 World Cup semifinal debacle.
Kapil Dev: What he said, really meant and definitely did not
Kapil Dev Has No Time For Records—Sachin’s
What he said:
“We have to change our mindset. If we lose the match, what’s the use of statistics? To hell with that!”
Former Indian captain, Kapil Dev Nikhanj, is crystal clear that the Indian cricket team must come before individual achievements. The 1983 World Cup winning skipper was delivering the Dilip Sardesai lecture at the Cricket Club of India (CCI).
He said:
You seem more keen about Sachin’s 99 hundreds and not about how we are going to win the next series.
I am not saying don’t give credit to individual performances, but the country should come first.
Everyone knows Sachin has 99 centuries, but how many know which of those have ended in victories? Out of Sachin’s 99 hundreds, 60 have ended in wins. If anyone reports that I’ll be happy.
What he really meant:
“Surely, you folks don’t remember my 434 wickets and the inexorably slow overhaul of Sir Richard Hadlee‘s record. Now, that’s a statistic!”
What he definitely didn’t:
“Sorry, Sreenath, for keeping you out of the Indian side while I was pursuing my world record. Tendulkar’s merely emulating me—on a larger scale.”
Graeme Swann: What he said, really meant and definitely did not
Graeme Swann is up to monkey business
What he said:
"I dedicate the series win to London zoo. Had a great time there with Wilf and Mrs Swann yesterday."
Graeme Swann, the self-appointed funny man in the English cricket squad, tweets his dedication of the ODI series win over India.
What he really meant:
“I’m going ape with joy.”
What he definitely didn’t (or did he?):
“Just monkeying around.”
Mahendra Singh Dhoni: What he said, really meant and definitely did not
Mahendra Singh Dhoni laments the Ugly Side of Cricket
What he said:
We just saw the ugly side of cricket. Whichever team has the upper hand, doesn’t want to play. Whichever team is not on winning side, will stick around and even play football. That’s what people do and that’s what both sides did.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is frankness personified when he airs his opinion that the Ducksworth-Lewis method of deciding the 4th ODI against England—affected by rain—was detrimental to the spirit of the game. The ODI ended in a tie as decided by the controversial methodology.
Dhoni added:
If you have a day game, you need different guidelines and principles to follow. If you put it under lights, it doesn’t look nice.
Some of the guys were confused. Some thought we had won it. Most of us thought it was a passing shower and we would be able to get back on the field.
Once inside the dressing room, we saw the final sheet of paper. After looking at it, it was apparent it was a tie and none of the side had won the game.
This is not the first time. We were close to winning the first game also. But as I said, you can’t control the weather.
What Dhoni really meant:
“It doesn’t say much for us if we loiter in the dressing room when the game has swung our way.”
What Dhoni definitely didn’t:
“We caught the Djokovic-Federer semi-final and unanimously agreed with Roger Federer’s post-match sentiment: ‘That’s why we all watch sports, isn’t it? Because we don’t know the outcome and everybody has a chance, and until the very moment it can still turn. That’s what we love about the sport, but it’s also very cruel and tough sometimes.’”
Andy Murray: What he said, really meant and definitely did not
What he said:
"Try being a British player going into a Grand Slam. It’s not easy."
Andy Murray shrugs aside the ‘nerves’ question in the press conference following his gritty win over India’s Somdev Devvarman in the first round at the US Open.
Murray clarified his statement:
“It was a little bit of a joke, a little bit of truth in it. I think for anyone that sort of wants to go on and win a slam or, you know, feels like they’re in with a shot, you know, I think it’s natural to start. You know, you put a lot of effort and preparation into getting ready for these events and, you know, you don’t want to get off to a bad start or whatever. I think nerves are a good thing. I think it shows you care and that, like I say, I put a lot into getting ready for it. I hope my game’s going to be there and the hard work pays off.”
What he really meant:
“The weight of expectations from the press (you guys) is heavy on my shoulders. I’m stooped before my time.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“Let’s grab Tim Henman and get him to elaborate further.”
Rahul Dravid: What he said, really meant and definitely did not
What he said:
“This might take half an hour.”
Rahul Dravid knows there are more than a few reasons for Team India’s debacle in the Test series against England.
What he really meant:
“It needs to be a report submitted to the BCCI which will then be put away in dust-covered file cabinets.”
What he definitely didn’t:
“It’ll take just 5 ODIs and a decent result to resolve the underlying issues.”
Test cricket and life
I’d say Test cricket grows on you.
In the beginning, there was only Test cricket, you knew of nothing better. Tests were cricket, cricket were Tests. Then India won the World Cup in 1983, and you realized that there was an exciting, faster-paced brand of cricket, a form in which India were world champions, a form that could bridge the gap between good teams and great.
And if you were a schoolkid, Test cricket paled in comparison. Who had the time to follow five gourmet meal of a game over 5 days, when you could get instant Maggi and masala?
But you grew older, and just like your appreciation of music finessed, so did your appreciation of the nuances of the longer version of the game.
Sure, you still found it difficult to find time to enjoy 30 hours of timeless cricket but you discovered that it mirrored life. That patience pays more, that it’s about plugging away and hoping that things will turn around.
It’s life, in a microcosm.
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Mahendra Singh Dhoni: What he said, really meant and definitely did not
What he said:
“You won’t see a Sreesanth batting like a Don Bradman just because he wants to bat like one.”
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is realistic about his expectations from the tailenders in the Indian side in the Edgbaston post-match interview; tweaks in technique for English conditions can do just so much.
What he really meant:
“And you won’t see a Don Bradman bowl like Sreesanth because he wants to bowl like one. You get my point?”
What he definitely didn’t:
“I really don’t know what I’m saying. Why did I even drag Sree into this? Let’s just get the press conference over with.”
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