New Zealand v India, 4th ODI, Hamilton

Wednesday, March 11, 2009
9:00pm (local time) 1:00 am (GMT)

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-CWO

We now tune in to… The future of Indian Cricket

What is it about the Indian cricket that compels its fans to frantically call upon the heads of the players? It all starts with the team the selectors put on the field. The selectors are above all when it comes to Indian Cricket, their focus on a goal or the lack of that focus is what drives Indian cricket. The fans will do what the can to try and push the selectors for some answers, but they will receive none. Indian cricket is headed in a direction, right or wrong, we don’t know for sure. What we do know is at this time we have a team that was selected with some controversy, we have an ODI series on our hands and our focus must be on that. We will look into the selectors after we discuss some of their selections.

The Indian team started its ODI series with a warm up match against the Sri Lankan XI and the story of the day was Yuvraj Singh’s 172 at the strike rate of 142.14. It may be a bit premature, but what does this mean for the upcoming ODIs? Will Yuvraj Singh be the catalyst for the Indian middle order in the series? The Test series was a loss due to the Indian middle order. The seniors failed to perform at numerous occasions; and the only victory we got was hugely credited to Virender Sehwag’s double century. The Indian middle order in the final at Asia cup also failed to perform with the exception of M.S. Dhoni’s 49. So one begs to question, do these selections mean anything for the future?

The truth is that these do mean something. The first meaning is the strong statement made by Yuvraj Singh, He is here to play and prove his worth to the selectors. He was not selected for the Test series and that must have hurt him and the selectors must have seen how he has played poorly against the world class spinners of Sri Lanka and that had set enough doubt in the selector’s minds to pull Yuvraj Singh from the Test series. They now give him a chance in the ODIs and now he must show everyone that he has not lost his touch and can continue to produce match winning performances for India.

The problem for India has been the youth, but it has also has its rewards. For now the focus is on the ODI series and it is imperative that the young Indian middle order practice against Pragyan Ojha and Harbhajan Singh as much as possible in the nets. It may not be the same class of spinning as Ajantha Mendis or Mutthaiah Muralitharan, but it will be more than practicing against a bowling machine. The selectors have put in much faith in these young middle order players. One of the questions that have bothered Indian fans for a while now is the fact that India has always been a powerhouse of spin bowling as has the rest of the subcontinent; so how is it possible that the selectors can not find the right batsmen and train them to be near perfect playing spin bowling? There may not be a clear cut answer to that question, but that is just one of the questions that have never been answered.

There are however, many questions that will be answered in the next few weeks. How good is M.S. Dhoni as a captain? How well will the bowling attack perform? Along with the questions of how well the current selection panel is performing. Since the switch to the younger teams India stand at two series win out of the possible six. This does not bode well for the selectors, and BCCI shall hold them responsible if India falters to Sri Lanka in yet another series. Although this may just be a stepping stone and there may be a very logical reason for the current selections, the selectors need to come out and speak to the media and the fans of Indian Cricket more clearly.

While the focus will be how India must win this series; the selectors must prepare India for the 2011 Cricket World Cup, and not just put another team on the field for the next game. They have to train kids to grow up and be men. They have to be holding their selectors more responsible and improve the infrastructure of cricket in India. They have a decent domestic season, but they need to realize talent early and hone their skills. Bring them up to give India a chance at winning the next Cricket World Cup.

As bad as the current situation is right now, the Youth is our future, and we must call upon the youth to lead us to a championship. The selectors may be under scrutiny if we lose yet another series, if they are not already; but they must stay focused to bring India the pride and honour its fans rightfully deserve.

- CWO

India in Sri Lanka ODI Series

India in Sri Lanka ODI Series
Individual player previews and thoughts.

The Test series will scar the Indians for a while and India will look to redeem itself, not only for the Test loss but also the Asia Cup embarrassment. The squad looks different from the one that took the field in the Asia Cup and India will need to be in its best form to perform well against this Sri Lankan bowling line up. They will focus on Ajantha Mendis and rightfully so; He has dismantled the Test squad just as easily as he had done ODI squad in the Asia Cup taking over half the Indian wickets. This series is India’s Chance at redemption, but they will need to learn how to control their tempo and focus on the greater goal. The youth will make it that much harder for a series win.

Here is how the players for India stack up in my opinion:

• Gautam Gambhir has been in phenomenal form throughout this tour, and he will continue to do so in the ODIs.
• Virender Sehwag will also continue his form and his great opening partnerships with Gautam Gambhir to give India a blistering start throughout the series.
• Suresh Raina had a very high average in Asia cup where he scored his first and second ODI hundreds in succession. He will be looking to continue growing and being the batsman everyone has expected him to be for the past few years.
• S. Badrinath gets his first international break and he will be looking forward to prove himself on the field against one of world’s top bowling line up. He will also be looking forward to solidifying his spot in the International Roster.
• M.S. Dhoni is back and feeling better, Revenge will be on his mind after Sri Lanka handed his squad a very disappointing loss at the Asia cup. He has promoted himself in the line up and probably will stay there to provide a good back to the middle order.
• Yuvraj Singh has been inconsistent to say the least. He has had good games but he has always faltered to spin. He will have to play better and do better against his old nemesis Muttaiah Muralitharan, as well his new one, Ajantha Mendis.
• Virat Kohli will be looking for his ODI debut and he will probably not make a big impact just yet. He is coming off very impressive international performances in the U-19 World cup as well as the Emerging Players Tournament.
• Irfan Pathan is going to have to come back strong and try to prove that he belongs in the line up. He has had more than a handful bad games and he will try to be the bowler he was earlier in the year.
• Harbhajan Singh, after being the energizer in the Test series for the second Test win, he will play ahead of Pragyan Ojha. He will have to again be the energizer and the wicket taker since he will probably be the only full time spinner in the lineup.
• Praveen Kumar has had a few great months and he will try to continue his form by helping India get a few early wickets to keep the Sri Lankans at bay.
• Zaheer Khan will have to bowl well to keep his spot in the ODIs. He has not played an ODI since November 2007, so he will have to give India a good start with keeping a tight leash on the Sri Lankan Openers. I don’t see him as a big wicket taker at the moment but he has the most experience on the field and perhaps the best ball control.

While this may not be the line up India opens with, it is a line up that I believe gives India a great chance of winning. Paraphrasing what M.S. Dhoni has said in his interview, every player will have to go about playing Sri Lankan bowling attack as an individual. Ajantha Mendis will be less of a surprise for a few of these batsmen, namely Gambhir and Sehwag. If India can get off to their regular blistering start, and if Suresh Raina, S. Badrinath, and M.S. Dhoni play well and keep the middle order on the field until the 35th over. India should be able to get a score of at least 250, and give them a chance to win the series.

- CWO

Cricket in Olympics

Cricket in Olympics
Written by CWO

I’m sure you have all heard the news about the push for cricket in the Olympics led by Adam Gilchrist. That’s a great idea, I would love to see cricket in the Olympics, especially if it means another chance for India to win a T20 cup/ Olympic Gold. The past week, we witnessed something special, as an Indian won the Gold medal in air rifle shooting. It gave me a sense of pride and joy to see an Indian beat out a Chinese man and win the first gold for India in 28 years. It got me thinking, well if the IOC does recognize T20 as an Olympic sport, what might be the decision process like? What will determine the outcome of this appeal?

Let’s start off with the most obvious drawback, Money. In order for the IOC to accept T20, they will have to look at how feasible it would be to add the budget to create stadiums and training facilities for many of the Olympics. For example, this year the games are being held in Beijing and China doesn’t have a prominent cricket system. This would mean that China and whoever else was bidding for the 2008 games would have to add at least a few million dollars in their budget to create a couple of stadiums worthy of the Olympics. The pro side to this conversation would be that it helps expand the game, and give a lot more exposure to the game.

The other problem would be qualifying for the Olympics. Because the Olympics are a completely different entity, none of the rankings or memberships of the ICC will matter, which basically means that there would have to be separate qualifications for the Olympics. This creates more than a few problems for the creative minds at the IOC. They would have to come up with a design for the qualifications where the full members of the ICC will be able to participate, but limit the number of teams to maybe 10 or 12. Perhaps the way they would go about doing this would be the six regions of the world are represented by the regional winners and runner ups. This would mean that if in fact they regionalized the qualifications, the predictable regions would be Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Asia, and Oceania; and predictably two teams from each location. This would work out great, if it wasn’t for the fact that Asia has four full members of the ICC, which are all equally qualified to represent Asia. Bangladesh would probably get the short end of the stick when it came to the qualifications due to their youth. Another problem would arise in the African region; Zimbabwe will have to play South Africa due to regulations, and this might create a problem. And this would all have to be worked out by the IOC and the participants.

Let’s look at possibilities of this suggestion and its feasibility. The year of Olympics that this suggestion is for is 2020. First of all, that is the perfect year to introduce the Twenty20 Version of the game to the world. Second, the 2020 Olympic Games are being bid for by Delhi, India. This would mean if Delhi is able to secure the bid, it would provide one of the greatest environments to introduce the game of cricket in terms of fan support and attendance as well as world class venues. The third would be of course the fact that Olympics is getting rid of baseball and softball as an Olympic sport following this year, which opens up a spot for cricket. And so, even with all the problems this idea presents, it is a great way to move forward with globalization of the game. It would give the world a great look at this great game, and maybe in the future we would have more countries competing in the ICC for a shot at the world cup title.

Sri Lanka: The Mendis Factor

So he has taken 18 wickets in his first three Test matches. He’s got the carom ball and he has stigmatized one of the greatest batting line ups in the world. So what is it about him that makes him so good? Is he just a fluke until someone figures out the carom ball? Ajantha Mendis has made quite an impression with his unorthodox way of bowling. He clearly has a mental edge over his opponents and for those who haven’t played him, he will surprise them soon enough.

From what I have seen, what makes him so good isn’t his carom ball. It’s the consistency of bowling wicket to wicket no matter what variation of spin he’s bowling. He bowls faster than some of the traditional spinners, but what he has to his advantage is his ability to make the batsmen respect the length of the ball. Rahul Dravid has been dismissed three times by Ajantha Mendis with a different variation each time. When he zips the ball, it catches the batsmen off guard and they get caught in an lbw or in Rahul Dravid’s case they just lose a stump. When he bounces the carom ball variation, he is able to go past the batsmen just enough to hit the top of off stump. He also has a terrific off spinner that if you recall, took off Gautam Gambhir’s off stump after bouncing just outside of leg.

A lot of media outlets and players have said that Ajantha Mendis will be picked apart once people learn how to play his carom ball. I disagree; He isn’t a fluke because he doesn’t rely on the carom ball to get leverage. As mentioned above, it’s not that he has an unorthodox style of bowling, nor is it the variation he has that not many people can clearly read, it’s the fact that he has the mental ability to stay focused and bowl wicket to wicket making even the greatest batsmen in the world come up scarce.

So what is The Mendis Factor? The Mendis factor is what Ajantha Mendis has accomplished in such a short amount of time, what he will continue to accomplish and all the batsmen who will fall victim to his exceptional bowling. Sri Lanka has finally found a replacement for Muttaiah Muralitharan, and the replacement shows signs of achieving everything Muralitharan did and more.

That is Ajantha Mendis, and with him the future of Sri Lankan cricket looks bright.

- CWO

Perfect man for the job...

Perfect man for the job
Written by CWO

A couple of years ago, I came across an article about a corporate business man and his leadership skills. Although I do not remember the article’s name or the person who was quoted in it, a certain aspect of that article stays with me even today. The six qualities that he listed as imperative to define a good leader.

• Integrity
• A deep understanding of the business
• Consistency
• Willingness to admit a mistake
• The ability to listen
• Decisiveness

Applying those six qualities as a judging criterion for a good leader; let’s set our sights on Anil Kumble. The man who acquired one of the most challenging jobs in International cricket- India’s Test Captain. Anil Kumble started his career seventeen years ago, at the blooming age of twenty. He has played under five captains; including Sourav Ganguly- India’s most triumphant test captain. After seventeen years at the ripened age of thirty-six, Anil Kumble achieved what only a handful had before. He became India’s 30th test captain in its 76 year history of playing test cricket.

Integrity
Anil Kumble always had integrity, but he had to prove this under the pressures of leading. Being the captain of India brings more pressure than any other test cricketing nation. The watchful eye of one billion passionate fans dissects every decision made, scrutinizes every loss, and rewards every achievement. Indian fans are among the most- if not the most passionate fans in the world. The perfect opportunity for Anil Kumble to show his integrity came after the second test at Sydney; where India suffered a very controversial loss in a test that was boiling over with controversy. It was Anil Kumble’s second test series as a captain, and perhaps his hardest test of integrity. It was up to him to decide what route to take, whether defend his player, his country, his loss with integrity or anger. Anil Kumble showed his integrity and epitomized the definition of integrity when he revealed his apology to Ricky Ponting over the Harbhajan Singh controversy. He even pointed out that Australia had not played that test in the right spirit, and addressed the umpiring controversy. Yet he did this all with integrity, he said what had to be said without offending his hosts. He made up his differences with Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting; and withdrew charges against Brad Hogg. And he did it all with Integrity.

A deep understanding of the business
Does Anil Kumble have a deep understanding of the business? Of course he does. He has played in over one hundred test matches, and based on his experience, he quickly embraced the test captaincy. He won his first test series he captained against Pakistan. He then went on to achieving a phenomenal victory against Australia in the 3rd test at Perth. This denied Australia a new record in Test wins as well as redeemed India’s honour. Anil Kumble has yet to achieve more but so far, he has shown a great understanding of test cricket.

Consistency
This is the reason why many captains fail. They lose the consistency of their performance when they become captain, perhaps caving under pressure. Anil Kumble has not caved, in fact he has done quite the opposite. Since becoming captain, he has taken Fourty Six wickets in Eleven matches. He has been India’s lead wicket taker as well as a match winner. For years, Indian victory has echoed with great performances by Anil Kumble and since becoming captain he has not disappointed. Anil Kumble is as consistent as ever.

Willingness to admit a mistake
Anil Kumble has always made it a point since his reign of captaincy started to take the blame and admit his mistakes before his teams. He berated himself for his poor performance at the first test against Sri Lanka where he went without a wicket. He showed this slightly in his post game interview where he blamed himself by saying “I take it [my lack of form], but we all tried hard”, and supported the effort given by India. Perhaps this isn’t so much of a mistake. But he is willing to admit when it is his fault.

The ability to listen
There is none greater an example than when India played Australia for the Border-Gavasker Trophy. It was the third test at Perth, Ishant Sharma was at the conclusion of a marathon spell where he had bowled seven overs and Anil Kumble was about to call him off; just then Virender Sehwag talked to Anil Kumble and suggested (look at the 33rd Over) that he let Ishant Sharma bowl another over. Anil Kumble was receptive of the suggestion and let Ishant Sharma bowl another over- Ishant Sharma did not miss the opportunity; he bamboozled Ricky Ponting and dismissed him after giving him a hard time all morning. Once again Anil Kumble shows his qualities of a leader.

Decisiveness
So far we have seen every quality of a leader encompassed in Anil Kumble, the final and the most important quality is decisiveness. Has Anil Kumble been decisive, and has he shown us that he can win games with smart decisions on the field and off the field. It may be a little early in his captaining career to decide if he has made correct decisions or not; but his test results so far show us that he has indeed made many correct decisions. His decisions have led him to one series win, one series loss, and one series drawn.


When Rahul Dravid resigned; taking Indian test team to new heights was put on the shoulders of Anil Kumble. According to many experts and media outlets, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the leading candidate, but what it boiled down to was what was best for Indian cricket especially for test cricket. While MS Dhoni has had a lot of success in the other forms of cricket as a captain; when it came to test cricket, Anil Kumble was always the perfect man for the job.