© Faras Ghani 2009.
Published in Garavi Gujarat Nov 19, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Indian Knights
India’s recent success against Australia has sparked a discussion about a new era in the world of cricket: have the Australians run out of steam? Is India poised to take the leader’s crown?
WHEN the Australians landed in India in September, cricket’s champions were without the services of Glen McGrath, Shane Warne, Justin Langer, Stuart McGill and Brad Hogg as old age, injuries and lack of form took their toll on the team.
Skipper Ricky Ponting was doubly confident - that his side would improve their record on Indian soil and that Ponting himself would better his dismal performances in the cricket heartland.
A two-nil scoreline a few weeks later not only dented the visitors’ hopes of staying atop the cricketing world, but also sprung India onto the cricketing map as genuine contenders for the top slot. India’s comfortable win over England in the second one-day international on Monday (November 17) has done little to dampen high expectations in the subcontinent.
Certainly Team India has the ammunition and the firepower. However, they lack the consistency to hit centre. With these recent successes, is India worthy of being called the best yet?
Kris Srikkanth, former Indian batsman and the current chairman of selectors, refuses to back that claim just yet.
‘I wouldn’t like to jump to conclusions just yet. I would say we [the Indian team] are inching forward to that particular position. A few more consistent performances all round and we should be able to call ourselves the best team in the world in the near future,’ Srikkanth said.
Anil Kumble, who recently announced his retirement as Test captain, is confident that his successor Mahendra Singh Dhoni will try to finish the job he started.
‘I am confident that this young team, with a few of the senior players being part of the team, have a great opportunity to dominate world cricket and be number one in all forms of the game,’ Kumble said. ‘In one-day cricket, we are pretty close, in Twenty20 we are the No. 1 team in the world and I don't think we are that far behind in Test cricket as well. It would be great to see that happen and that is how I would like to be remembered, as someone who raised the bar for the team.’
Agreeing with the fact that the dual retirements of Sourav Ganguly and Kumble will have a significant impact on the team, Srikkanth has faith in the upcoming talent from the domestic pool to carry the flag for years to come.
‘You cannot immediately replace the calibre of Ganguly or Kumble. I think the transition is happening very smoothly. Captaincy was a smooth transition from Kumble to Dhoni and even in the leg-spin department, Amit Mishra came along nicely. There are a lot of talented batsmen waiting in the wings to get into Test cricket to replace Ganguly, so I think that transition will also take place smoothly. You have to give opportunity to youngsters. They all start young and go on to become great cricketers. If you give them an opportunity and the right time to perform, they will do so.’
Path to glory
Team India’s success graph has had its ups and down in a similar manner to the blood pressure of the average Indian following his, or her, nation’s progress throughout its entirety, especially through the 90s and much of the 21st century.
Much of the success has been attributed to the raw talent of Tendulkar along with the steadiness and firmness that is Rahul Dravid, The Wall.
India’s Fab Four - Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and VVS Laxman - along with Anil Kumble, without doubt the team’s greatest spinner ever, have shouldered many wins over the past few years. However, the home side were rocked by dual retirements during the recent Australia series with Ganguly and Kumble parting ways.
The duo had contrasting Test debuts. While the Prince (Ganguly) thrashed England's bowlers around Lord’s for his 131, Jumbo (Kumble’s nickname, referring to his bowling style) had to be content with a return of 3 for 170 at Old Trafford six years earlier. Their respective finale turned out quite similar as far as individual performances were concerned; Kumble laboured around for almost 50 overs for only three wickets while Ganguly’s golden duck failed to set off any fireworks either.
However, Kumble - chosen to lead the Test side after Dravid’s resignation from the post - could only muster out a bore draw in Delhi whereas Ganguly - India’s most successful Test captain - sat on his colleagues’ shoulders as India thrashed the mighty Australia.
The 18 years that Kumble played top-class cricket for - 12 years in the case of Ganguly - India managed high-profile victories and also morale obliterating defeats. Ever since Kapil Dev led the World Cup success in 1983, India have been within touching distance of being not a good team, but a great one. With the likes of Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman and Kumble in the line-up, India certainly had the potential. On paper, at least.
There was the Laxman thaumaturgy in 2001 against Australia at home - complemented aptly by the Harbhajan Singh heroics. Then came victory in the Natwest Series in 2002, followed by the World Cup final in 2003 (a loss Tendulkar rues as his worst ever). There was also the away series win over Pakistan (2005), the Kumble ten-for at Feroz Shah Kotla (1999), a Sehwag masterblaster triple century in Multan (2004), the Yuvraj Singh annihilation of Stuart Broad in Durban (2007) and the veritable sorcery of Tendulkar, that constituted children’s dreams at nights.
Starting young has been the epitome of Indian success. Master batsman Tendulkar made his debut at the age of 16, while both Ganguly and Kumble made their debut at 19. This meant that the nucleus of the team remained stagnant throughout the wins and losses. Runs were scored aplenty as much as wickets were grabbed regularly.
With probably the most fervent of followers back home, and abroad, even the slightest of mistakes were being paid for dearly. Effigies were stomped and burnt, houses were pelted with stones, death threats were issued valiantly, and personal security employed as a result. Perhaps that is what made the Indian cricket team so successful. Weary of the consequences if they were to lose, the maestros planted their talent seeds wisely, reaping regularly, felling records en route success in all forms of the game.
Worthy Twenty20 World Champions, having the better of Australia in Test cricket and thrashing England in the first two One Day Internationals (ODIs) - with England having recently beaten South Africa 4-0 at home - things look ominously encouraging for India. As well as the usual hardened achievers, their unsung players hit the highest notes.
Opener Gautam Gambhir showed off his potential; leg-spinner Amit Mishra won a Test on his debut; Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma emerged as a lethal new-ball duo, displaying their mastery over Matthew Hayden and Ponting, Australia’s most experienced batsmen.
And with Yuvraj, Rohit Sharma and the Pathan duo flaunting their credentials openly, there remains hope for India in the post Fab Four era.
However, only to reiterate, cricket is a team game and apart from the necromancer – Tendulkar – that has seemed to make the cricketing throne his own ever since his teen debut, there remain other members of the team on the field. The likes of Vinod Kambli, Robin Singh, Javagal Srinath, Ventakesh Prasad, and Sadagoppan Ramesh to some extent all played their part of the final product that is a strong Indian team in the current day and age.
© Faras Ghani 2008
Published in Garavi Gujarat Nov 19, 2008
WHEN the Australians landed in India in September, cricket’s champions were without the services of Glen McGrath, Shane Warne, Justin Langer, Stuart McGill and Brad Hogg as old age, injuries and lack of form took their toll on the team.
Skipper Ricky Ponting was doubly confident - that his side would improve their record on Indian soil and that Ponting himself would better his dismal performances in the cricket heartland.
A two-nil scoreline a few weeks later not only dented the visitors’ hopes of staying atop the cricketing world, but also sprung India onto the cricketing map as genuine contenders for the top slot. India’s comfortable win over England in the second one-day international on Monday (November 17) has done little to dampen high expectations in the subcontinent.
Certainly Team India has the ammunition and the firepower. However, they lack the consistency to hit centre. With these recent successes, is India worthy of being called the best yet?
Kris Srikkanth, former Indian batsman and the current chairman of selectors, refuses to back that claim just yet.
‘I wouldn’t like to jump to conclusions just yet. I would say we [the Indian team] are inching forward to that particular position. A few more consistent performances all round and we should be able to call ourselves the best team in the world in the near future,’ Srikkanth said.
Anil Kumble, who recently announced his retirement as Test captain, is confident that his successor Mahendra Singh Dhoni will try to finish the job he started.
‘I am confident that this young team, with a few of the senior players being part of the team, have a great opportunity to dominate world cricket and be number one in all forms of the game,’ Kumble said. ‘In one-day cricket, we are pretty close, in Twenty20 we are the No. 1 team in the world and I don't think we are that far behind in Test cricket as well. It would be great to see that happen and that is how I would like to be remembered, as someone who raised the bar for the team.’
Agreeing with the fact that the dual retirements of Sourav Ganguly and Kumble will have a significant impact on the team, Srikkanth has faith in the upcoming talent from the domestic pool to carry the flag for years to come.
‘You cannot immediately replace the calibre of Ganguly or Kumble. I think the transition is happening very smoothly. Captaincy was a smooth transition from Kumble to Dhoni and even in the leg-spin department, Amit Mishra came along nicely. There are a lot of talented batsmen waiting in the wings to get into Test cricket to replace Ganguly, so I think that transition will also take place smoothly. You have to give opportunity to youngsters. They all start young and go on to become great cricketers. If you give them an opportunity and the right time to perform, they will do so.’
Path to glory
Team India’s success graph has had its ups and down in a similar manner to the blood pressure of the average Indian following his, or her, nation’s progress throughout its entirety, especially through the 90s and much of the 21st century.
Much of the success has been attributed to the raw talent of Tendulkar along with the steadiness and firmness that is Rahul Dravid, The Wall.
India’s Fab Four - Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly and VVS Laxman - along with Anil Kumble, without doubt the team’s greatest spinner ever, have shouldered many wins over the past few years. However, the home side were rocked by dual retirements during the recent Australia series with Ganguly and Kumble parting ways.
The duo had contrasting Test debuts. While the Prince (Ganguly) thrashed England's bowlers around Lord’s for his 131, Jumbo (Kumble’s nickname, referring to his bowling style) had to be content with a return of 3 for 170 at Old Trafford six years earlier. Their respective finale turned out quite similar as far as individual performances were concerned; Kumble laboured around for almost 50 overs for only three wickets while Ganguly’s golden duck failed to set off any fireworks either.
However, Kumble - chosen to lead the Test side after Dravid’s resignation from the post - could only muster out a bore draw in Delhi whereas Ganguly - India’s most successful Test captain - sat on his colleagues’ shoulders as India thrashed the mighty Australia.
The 18 years that Kumble played top-class cricket for - 12 years in the case of Ganguly - India managed high-profile victories and also morale obliterating defeats. Ever since Kapil Dev led the World Cup success in 1983, India have been within touching distance of being not a good team, but a great one. With the likes of Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman and Kumble in the line-up, India certainly had the potential. On paper, at least.
There was the Laxman thaumaturgy in 2001 against Australia at home - complemented aptly by the Harbhajan Singh heroics. Then came victory in the Natwest Series in 2002, followed by the World Cup final in 2003 (a loss Tendulkar rues as his worst ever). There was also the away series win over Pakistan (2005), the Kumble ten-for at Feroz Shah Kotla (1999), a Sehwag masterblaster triple century in Multan (2004), the Yuvraj Singh annihilation of Stuart Broad in Durban (2007) and the veritable sorcery of Tendulkar, that constituted children’s dreams at nights.
Starting young has been the epitome of Indian success. Master batsman Tendulkar made his debut at the age of 16, while both Ganguly and Kumble made their debut at 19. This meant that the nucleus of the team remained stagnant throughout the wins and losses. Runs were scored aplenty as much as wickets were grabbed regularly.
With probably the most fervent of followers back home, and abroad, even the slightest of mistakes were being paid for dearly. Effigies were stomped and burnt, houses were pelted with stones, death threats were issued valiantly, and personal security employed as a result. Perhaps that is what made the Indian cricket team so successful. Weary of the consequences if they were to lose, the maestros planted their talent seeds wisely, reaping regularly, felling records en route success in all forms of the game.
Worthy Twenty20 World Champions, having the better of Australia in Test cricket and thrashing England in the first two One Day Internationals (ODIs) - with England having recently beaten South Africa 4-0 at home - things look ominously encouraging for India. As well as the usual hardened achievers, their unsung players hit the highest notes.
Opener Gautam Gambhir showed off his potential; leg-spinner Amit Mishra won a Test on his debut; Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma emerged as a lethal new-ball duo, displaying their mastery over Matthew Hayden and Ponting, Australia’s most experienced batsmen.
And with Yuvraj, Rohit Sharma and the Pathan duo flaunting their credentials openly, there remains hope for India in the post Fab Four era.
However, only to reiterate, cricket is a team game and apart from the necromancer – Tendulkar – that has seemed to make the cricketing throne his own ever since his teen debut, there remain other members of the team on the field. The likes of Vinod Kambli, Robin Singh, Javagal Srinath, Ventakesh Prasad, and Sadagoppan Ramesh to some extent all played their part of the final product that is a strong Indian team in the current day and age.
© Faras Ghani 2008
Published in Garavi Gujarat Nov 19, 2008
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