Search results matching tag 'Sachin Tendulkar'

USA Cricket: Episode 5 - Guest Thiru Kumaran on the US Cricket Podcast

openingbat — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 14:54:00 GMT

Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket

By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

USA head coach Thiru Kumaran is the latest guest on the US Cricket Podcast. Kumaran, 37, played eight ODIs for India in 1999 and 2000 before a back injury curtailed his career. After making a comeback in the Indian Cricket League in 2008, Kumaran moved with his wife to the USA where they now live in Dallas, Texas.

In this episode, Kumaran tells the story of how he became known as “Kenny”, his Indian domestic and international career including making his debut under Sachin Tendulkar’s captaincy as well as his short time in the ICL rebel Twenty20 competition. He then discusses his experiences in United States cricket and what obstacles face the team at 2013 ICC WCL Division Three in Bermuda, which begins on Sunday.

The full episode can be accessed by clicking here and can also be downloaded for free on iTunes. The following are a few selected quotes from the interview.

Peter Della Penna: One of the big news items that came out of the squad selection was that two senior members of the team, Aditya Thyagarajan and Usman Shuja, were left out of this squad and they have a tremendous amount of experience that they’ve built up over the last several years for the US national team. In their place are a couple of younger players. Do you feel it was a big risk to leave them out and miss out on that experience in place of having some younger players in the team?

Thiru Kumaran: The thing is we are heading in a certain direction, US Cricket. I am talking about the whole cricket getting more professional and we are setting some standards. So if a few standards are not met then we need to take a decision. Hopefully the players understand that and then they just get their standards to the level that has been expected. That’s as simple as that. So going forward if you set the policy and you go ahead with it, it doesn’t matter whoever it is. We have to take a decision, you have to take a decision as simple as that.

PDP: What standards would you say certain players are falling short in?

TK: A few things I am allowed to talk, a few things I cannot talk. This is what it is. You set a standard. We are trying to be more professional, we trying to be a more fitter team, we are setting ourselves a few standards which have been given to us. So once those things are not happening, then we need to take a decision and go ahead with people who are willing to do it.

PDP: What is your outlook in terms of the opponents you are going to face? As far as I can tell, the schedule that USA has in front of them, it’s almost the worst possible scenario in terms of basically the two toughest matches are going to be the first two matches that the team plays. Instead of being able to ease into the tournament against some easier opponents, you have Nepal and Italy back to back on the first two days of the tournament.

TK: I think it’s a blessing that we are playing Nepal first because we will be really fresh and we know from our experience the last time we know what we need to work on. We have definitely worked on those things and we have asked the players to work on whatever they have to work on. Nepal is one side we feel is a strong side. So playing them first, I don’t believe in easing into the tournament. I believe we are playing the strongest side first. We’ll be well prepared and we’ll be fresh, one main thing. So if we win this first game, it’s gonna set us up for the whole tournament. That’s how the whole team is looking at the fixture. So I feel definitely it’s a blessing that we are playing Nepal first.

PDP: You said if you win this game it’ll help set you up for the rest of the tournament, but if you lose the game do you feel it’ll be too difficult to overcome? Basically you’ll need to win four straight games to finish in the top two.

TK: It’s not about losing…. It’s a plus. When you win against a strong side, you are very confident. When you lose against a strong side, you lose to a strong side so you carry on with the game. So it’s definitely a plus, not a minus.

PDP: You lost twice to Nepal in Malaysia. What needs to change in order to get that result in the opposite direction for the USA?

TK: The first game, I know you were there, but we dropped some catches.

PDP: You dropped a lot of catches.

TK: Yeah, so we dropped a few catches which made them put up a strong total. Even though we were on line chasing it, we struggled in the last 10 overs. So we definitely have worked on those issues which was hindering us. Mainly they attack with spin so we asked the players to play a lot of spin. From Bermuda we have practiced until now so we asked them to play a lot of spin, get used to it. So there are a lot of things and we did a lot of fielding practice and we asked them to take a lot of catches every day. So these are the things we are trying to, whatever is our weakness we are trying to fill it up. So I think we are definitely better prepared this time.

(G)ODIS no more

namya — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 06:03:00 GMT

The first time I watched him in action was on the new year's day in 1989 playing for Mumbai against Baroda at the Dadoji Konddev Stadium in Thane. It was his first season of first class cricket but he was already famous for his world record partnership with Vinod Kambli. Most of the crowd at the stadium was there to catch a glimpse of the one who was touted to be India's next superstar. And this too in the stone ages of zero TV coverage. It was mostly articles in vernacular newspapers and one quality Marathi sports weekly called 'Ekach Shatkar' (The Only Sixer) that talked about him and his potential. But I still remember this tremendous buzz created in the local cricketing circles. It seemed that the search for the next Mumbai batting successor to Gavaskar and Vengsarkar was over.

He got a raucous reception from the crowd when he walked into bat. One of the first few of the many more he would continue getting throughout his career. But the unmistakable pride and hope of the Mumbai Cricket fan was apparent. And this was for a 17 year old kid who had done nothing much in life till then. The kid managed to generate a sense of excitement just by walking on to the pitch right since that time.

He played a couple of handsome shots and then got caught by the wicket keeper. His innings was over and so was the crowd enthusiasm. The match petered out into a dull draw the next day and the spectators had disappeared much before that as Baroda was supposed to bat in the next innings. But the first connection with this kid was made. The feeling and the pride in the fact that he was one of Us. The Mumbai fans adopted him as their favourite son wholeheartedly since then (or maybe a bit earlier even).

The next time I saw him in person was at the Wankhede during the India-West Indies semi finals of the Nehru Cup. The only other thing I remember about that match is Ajay Sharma's stumps broken into two by a Winston Benjamin yorker. Coming to the more important things, a friend had jugadoed a couple of pavilion passes for the match. Now Pavilion passes at Wankhede are not to be taken lightly. You can get a Vijay Merchant Stand or a Garware Pavilion even. But a Divecha stand pass for us that days was equivalent to a Wimbledon Finals Ticket.

All the excitement of watching a Big match live from a great location was instantly dissipated as Kris Shrikanth was run out even before we entered the stands. There was plenty of time to take in our surroundings as the Indian batting was nothing much to look at. Then I zeroed in this group of youngsters who were obviously first class cricketers as they were sitting there in their whites chatting and joking among themselves. It was the who's who of Mumbai Cricket's future that time. Tendulkar, Kambli, Paranjape were all there. To most other spectators they were just a bunch of youngsters and no one even gave the group a second glance. Or maybe that's how the snobbish(?) crowd in Divecha stand behaved normally. I wasn't going to be a part of that.

I wasn't carrying any Autograph book and nor was I bold enough to go and ask for an autograph. So I caught hold of a kid, told him who those guys were and using understated psychological warfare egged him on to go and get an Autograph from Tendulkar. The problem of paper was solved by those complimentary cardboard caps given at the entrance, which anyways fail miserably in their primary role of protecting one against the Sun. SRT obviously wasn't really used to Autograph hunters then as a look of fleeting surprise crossed his face when the kid went up to him. I am not prepared to swear on oath because an intelligent criminal lawyer can prove me wrong , but I think Tendulkar signed with his right hand.

I wish I could say that I still have got that Autograph but I can't. That cap got lost in the ravages of time. Today I have lost a part of something far more important to the same ravages of time. Time and Tide wait for none, they say. One man defied it for a brief while. That man is deified by billions. He has given up his fight and agreed to write off a part of his kingdom. I, for one, am not shedding any tears. Somehow, somewhere he has touched a lot of Indians' life and therein lies his true legacy. And three cheers to that. Even the crowd in the Divecha stands will join the chorus.

Tendulkar and Skyfall

namya — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 13:08:00 GMT

Spoiler alert - Don't read if you are planning to watch the movie

One was desperately looking for Sachin Tendulkar's name in the credit list of the latest Bond movie 'Skyfall'. The rationale was simple. The first half of the movie rotates entirely around Tendulkar's life story over the past 5-7 years. It narrates in detail how Bond has grown too old to be in the business, how he is not entirely at his best and may never regain that once dependable level of an ace killer. Everybody mocks him (well almost everyone but M) and has written him off. M though clears him to rejoin active duty in spite of him failing almost all tests. If you replace 'M' with the Indian selectors, voila, you have Tendulkar's last 5 years put neatly in a movie.

This one quote in the movie tells us all.

James Bond: Everyone needs a hobby..

Raoul Silva: So what's yours?

James Bond: Resurrection

What makes Skyfall a complete value for money movie is that over and above being a Tendulkar story it also incorporates a couple of other movies and if anyone has missed those movies, one can assure him/her that they need not watch those movies after watching Skyfall.

The Home Alone franchise had 3 versions. Skyfall can be safely called Home Alone 3.5 (As only half the movie follows this plot) for adults. Bond goes back to his ancestral house with 'M' to lure the what's his name villain into doing some thing silly (that is attack the house with an army and heavily armed helicopters). Bond on the other hand has 2 guns, himself, explosives, himself, M, himself, one old fellow and himself. This unfair advantage to Bond and team should bring out with utmost force the foolhardy nature of what's his name's pursuit. In Home Alone the goons fall from the 2nd floor but don't die because it was a kid's movie and it was a low budget movie. They could afford only 2 goons. Skyfall has no dearth of budget and reflects hard hitting reality. If you fall down from the 2nd floor you die!

Nolan's Batman triology too can be enjoyed along with Home Alone. The orphan status of young ~~Bruce Wayne~~ James, the house which stands aloof like it's owner, Albert in a Scottish avatar, secret passageways in place of bat caves and the inevitable destruction of the family house by that villainish rat.

If one didn't know better one couldn't be faulted for thinking that Bruce Wayne is actually James Bond during the day and Batman at night. In this world of mergers and acquisitions it doesn't seem to be a totally fantastic idea. Only thing that the new owners of the franchises will do is rename the hero John Wayne.

But it all comes back to Tendulkar at the end. Bond gets M killed, gets a bulldog in return from her and reports to the new 'M' reinstated and raring to have a go at the next villain. Chikka and Amarnath have been moved out as selectors and the new chief of selectors and Tendulkar still stands strong. Hopefully he too continues to smash his way to glory like the Bond franchise which promises to be back soon.

How Sachin got saved from moving to South India

namya — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 08:26:00 GMT

Sachin frantically calling up Bhajji just before the commencement of IPL V – “Aila, Bhajji, we have a problem on our hands. Arjun has suddenly started saying since yesterday that he wants to shift to Bengaluru and wants me to move to RCB. He says that his genetic shortcomings can be overcome only if we move our base immediately.”

Bhajji – “Oye what’s the problem in that Paaji? I will captain MI. We won the CLT20 without you no?

The deafening silence on the other side reminds Bhajji of the silent stare that MSD used to give him when he did things that he shouldn’t have been doing (like bowling darts). He flinches but only for a second. He knows that he can always get back in people’s good books and silently thanks R Ashwin for giving him this conviction.

Bhajji – ‘But what does Arjun mean by genetic shortcomings? Genelia is married to Ritiesh now so that’s Ritiesh’s problem no?’

Sachin – ‘Arjun says he read some article somewhere yesterday and he is deeply affected by it. He says his Dad is a Marathi who has no voice in Mumbai’s culture ..’

Bhajji – ‘But Paaji isn’t he right about your voice?’

Sachin ignoring Bhajji continues – ‘.. and his mom is a Gujarati and Gujaratis only care about making money and no intellectuals come from their ranks. This unique combination puts him in a really shameful position in his own eyes.’

Bhajji – ‘waise to no cricketers come from their ranks either.. hahahah.. sorry sorry please don’t mention this to Neeta bhabhi.’

Sachin – ‘He is asking me to move to South India immediately, preferably Bengaluru or maybe even a Thiruvanathapuram where he can be cured of this defect.’

Bhajji – ‘Paaji, what do you mean by moving to South India? Mumbai is in South India only no? One advice! Go anywhere but Thiru.. Thiru.. you know what I mean, I never get these South Indian names. But Sree stays there! He stays in that state! His mere presence even closed down their franchise.’

Sachin – ‘But going to RCB means taking Kingfisher flights. That team is going nowhere, literally.’

Bhajji – ‘Paaji, I have got a brilliant idea. Arjun wants South Indian culture no? Let’s ask Neeta bhabhi to buy more south Indian players. That will make him happy and you don’t have to move either.’

Sachin – ‘You want another R Sathish? After going through all those pains to finally rid of him? Maybe we can think of R Ashwin. Looks like an intellectual, bowls like one, fields like one and runs like one too.’

Bhajji (cursing himself) – ‘On second thoughts that was a very bad idea.’

Sachin – ‘Arjun actually wants to move to South India so anyway it was a non starter.’

Bhajji – ‘hahaha yes Paaji. Talking of starters the idea would put me in a soup too.’

Sachin – ‘Bhajji stop this PJ session right now. I don’t want to move out of MI. So give me some ideas to convince Arjun about not moving.’

Bhajji – ‘Thaand rakho Paaji. Where did Arjun get this crazy idea from?’

Sachin – ‘From some silly article that said that South India is a better place to stay than North India.’

Bhajji infuriated – ‘Who says so? We north Indians are so jovial and peaceful. Just bring that guy to me and I will slap him harder than I did Sree. I will tell him ‘boss mat ungal karna with us.’

Sachin suddenly perks up. 'Can you say that last sentence again?'

Bhajji - 'Mat ungal karna with us?'

Sachin -‘Yes, that one. Eureka!! Bhajji, you are a genius. I know what to do. I am going to shift from Bandra to Matunga. That place is full of South Indian Brahmins. They have authentic Ddosa and Sambur. Arjun can go to Carnatic music classes daily and listen to all those intellectual discussions at Café Madras on Sunday mornings. I promise I will surely come for your retirement function which the BCCI has been talking about organising for a while now. Why are you looking so shocked? You don't believe I love you more than Jammy? Anyways! Gotta go and call up my real estate broker to buy one lane in Matunga.’

Bhajji (inadvertently) saves the day again and emerges as an ace trouble ‘shooter’ for Mumbai Indians as he manages to keep Sachin in his beloved Mumbai.

Five Secrets to Successfully Working With Americans At Cricket

openingbat — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:10:00 GMT

Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket

By Tom Melville

1. When In Rome...

When people who grew up in cricket playing countries ask me what they have to do to get Americans interested in cricket the first thing I say to them is, “Renounce the cricket you grew up with. Renounce it!” This almost always brings the conversation to an abrupt end I become a persona non grata. But this is an absolutely essential first step for any ex-pat who wants to work with Americans. Cricket will never succeed in this country as transplanted Indian, West Indian, Pakistani or any other form of cricket. It can only be built from the ground up rooted squarely in the traditions and customs Americans know from their own bat and ball sports. So take down that picture of Tendulkar from your wall, replace it with one of John B. King, and totally dedicate yourself to only looking at this game through the eyes of an American.

2. Gentlemen Need Not Apply

The first mistake most people usually make when trying to get Americans interested in cricket is to launch into a long-winded lecture on cricket as the preeminent “gentleman’s game.” True as this may be Americans just don’t want a catechism lesson with their sports. They want fun and emotional release. Does anyone really think Americans are going to play a game where they can never criticize the umpire? Never argue a bum call? Making this a prerequisite for playing cricket will only put you in the hole right from the start. If you mean by “gentleman’s game” good sportsmanship that’s fine. But Americans assume this with all their sports. Cricket has no monopoly on it. Continually fulminating on cricket as the “gentleman’s game” just reinforces the game’s stereotype as a stuffy, elitist, sport.

Image - Tom Melville (left) during a demonstration teaching high school kids about cricket.

3. Can The Kwik Cricket

When Kiwk Cricket first came out I thought it was a great innovation. But now I think it’s a detriment to promoting the game to Americans. Why? Because it leaves Americans with the impression that cricket’s just a game for kids. You tell Americans they’re going to play cricket and then out comes…little plastic bats and stumps! Kwik Cricket is basically the wiffle ball of cricket and Americans only equate wiffle ball with kids. When I work with Americans I only use regulation equipment. Size 2/3 Kashmir bats work fine for elementary school kids, size 5-6 with junior high kids, and wooden stumps. If indoors I use spring return stumps. For a ball I use the 11” Easton Incrediball or other training softball which is also much easier to hit than the little Kwik Cricket ball. So mothball the Kwik Cricket sets and give the game the respect it deserves.

44. Play Up Cricket’s Strengths, Downplay Its Weaknesses

No game magnifies success and failure more than cricket. Can score more runs in one time at bat in cricket than you can in two dozen baseball games. Nothing better in sports. Can also get out first ball and never bat again in the game. Nothing worse in sports. To make cricket appealing to Americans these extremes have to be smoothed out and you do this by making it easier to score runs and harder to take wickets. Bowl underarm and use a training softball. That way just about anyone can bat like a Kevin Pietersen right from the get go. Stage manage the game so no-one’s out first ball. Bowled first ball? “Batter wasn’t ready. Take it over.” Caught first ball? “Bowler was over the line. Take it over.” You don’t have to take wickets to have fun bowling. Just bowling itself is fun. But if you keep getting out first or second ball you’re going to go away saying to yourself “cricket sucks!”

5. Limited Strike: The Only Way To Go

Sports historians and sociologists have convincingly shown that all American sports are characterized by a rapid transition between offense and defense. This is what appeals to Americans in all their sports. It’s also a major obstacle in attracting Americans to cricket since each team bats through their entire order without interruption. Many modifications have been tried to “shorten” cricket but they all have their drawbacks. Limited overs? The top order batters use up all the batting time. Time limitation for each batter? Fielders will stall when the good batters are up. Retire the batters after they’ve scored a pre-determined number of runs? Good batters will knock off their runs quick time; weak batters may take all day to make theirs. Instead, I play limited strike cricket with each batter restricted to a maximum number of deliveries (not hits or swings, just deliveries). If the batter is not out after they’ve received the maximum allowed they must retire. It’s been by far the most successful modification I’ve ever used since it makes it possible to organize an enjoyable game no matter how many participants you have or how much time. Got a large group and little time? Limit each batter to 3- 4 deliveries. Got smaller groups with more time? Give each batter 5-6 deliveries. Got more time? Give each batter 7-8 or 9-10 deliveries. By retiring after his maximum allowable deliveries the batter, is, in effect, “out”. This incorporates the appealing element of “ebb and flow” Americans are used to in their sports since fielders no longer have to endure long, monotonous, spells of someone batting on and on.

[Opinions expressed here are those of the author. Tom Melville is a member of the rare species of American-born cricketers and a historian and researcher. He is the author of The Tented Field: A History of Cricket in America (Bowling Green State University Press) and Early Baseball and the Rise of the National League (McFarland & Company).]

Criticising Sachin in anti-national?

openingbat — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:27:00 GMT

Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket

By Suresh Menon

Sachin Tendulkar is being used once again. This time by political loudmouths so keen on protecting his good name that they think nothing of throwing dirt on the fair name of our democratic country. ‘Thou Shalt Not Criticise Sachin’ has, especially in recent years, become a commandment that is at once silly and embarrassing. The cancellation of the book release of Shoaib Akhtar’s ‘Controversially Yours’ because he criticised Mumbai’s favourite son should make us all hang our heads in shame.

It began with Rajiv Shukla, Vice President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India demanding an apology from Shoaib for suggesting Sachin didn’t enjoy playing him. I haven’t read the book, but if media reports are to be believed (just because it is on television, it doesn’t mean it isn’t true), then Shoaib has called into question Sachin’s match-winning abilities and said that on one occasion, Sachin rather than play the ball simply moved away from the line.

To me these sound like the desperate attempts by an immature person to get back at Sachin for the treatment the batsman meted out to him especially at the 2003 World Cup, and a pathetic attempt to sell the book. By pouncing on these irrelevancies, the cricket Board, the National Congress Party and the Shiv Sena, each more loyal than the king, have done Sachin a great disservice. They have lent credibility and seriousness to frivolity. Shoaib Akhtar will laugh all the way to the bank.

Sachin does not need the Rajiv Shuklas of the world to defend him; if anything, such a move is counter-productive. He does not need political parties to use him to score cheap points with the voting public. Politicians should have taken a pointer from Sachin’s dignified response when the story broke. His response was lack of response and the suggestion that it was not worthy of a response.

Sadly, this is not about Sachin. It is not even about the climate of intolerance which seems to be built into our system by the defenders of the indefensible (although that is an important element too). It is about the new political discourse – dragging in art, sport, entertainment, culture into the ambit of the one great perceived cause. Nationalism. Thus, to criticise Sachin is anti-national; to appreciate the works of M F Husain is anti-national; to watch a movie which deals with reservation in educational institutions is anti-national.

Politicians say, refining Frank Sinatra further, ‘It is my way or my way.’ There is no choice, no other sieve through which anything can be filtered.

The Sachin story is made to order for politicians. A good Brahmin boy with an international reputation versus a wild Muslim boy from Pakistan. There are so many layers – good vs evil, India vs Pakistan, wholesome vs tarnished, us vs them, our icon vs your bad boy, blameless career vs career full of off-field shenanigans and much more.

The question is not whether Shoaib is right or wrong. Either way he is entitled to express his opinion. It is unlikely that many of those calling for his head now have even heard of Voltaire, but it has become a cliché to quote him in such situations: I do not agree with what you say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it.

The self-appointed Upholders of National Integrity consistently fail to recognise that they usually cause great harm to the person or institution they are trying to protect with such excessive zeal.

A politician who has taken credit for browbeating the prestigious CCI into cancelling the event said, “Sachin is the God of cricket, and I, being a cricket fan, organised the protest. I also called upon the CCI to prevent their venue from becoming a platform for a book that criticises Sachin."

The Shiv Sena man has said, “(The book) will hurt the sentiments of all our countrymen."

It would have been possible to sympathise with the CCI who might have decided to cancel the show calculating that discretion is the better part of valour, but its president has been reported as saying, “We do not want to sully the association we have with Tendulkar.” So it is about protecting Sachin’s fair name, after all.

If a throwaway line by a sportsman is expected to hurt the sentiments of all our countrymen – a significant portion of whom live below the poverty line – it does not speak well of the country. And who gave these windbags the right to speak on our behalf anyway? Our culture needs to be protected from them, not by them.

Shazahn Padamsee bowls you over

openingbat — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 12:56:00 GMT

Maxim did a cricket shoot with Shazahn Padamsee in February. Here's what she had to say -

You watch cricket. Who is your favourite player? My favourite would be Virender Sehwag... because no matter what you throw at him, he tries to hit it for a six.

Who’s the hottest cricketer in the world? Sachin Tendulkar.

Do you have a boyfriend? Not at the moment.

If you did, how would you distract him from cricket? Hello! First things first. My guy will be someone who knows I’m way more important than cricket!

What is the yardstick for selection to the Indian team?

openingbat — Sun, 15 May 2011 13:32:00 GMT

Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket

By Partab Ramchand

Should the IPL constitute a yardstick for selection to the Indian team? Or should it be domestic first class cricket? Or the recent World Cup? These questions have been raised following the selection of the Indian ODI and Twenty20 teams to tour the West Indies. In the absence of senior players – some injured, others rested – there were bound to be surprising omissions and inclusions in the 16-member squad and the Kris Srikkanth led selection committee have made a few. It appears that they have been guided more by the performances in the domestic first class game rather than the IPL even though the team will figure in five ODIs and one Twenty20 game. A player’s showing in the World Cup did count of course.

The first thing one notices about the selected squad is the Indian bench strength. In the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Virender Sehwag and MS Dhoni the selectors have picked suitable replacements because these are readily available. And to think that a couple of other candidates have been rather unlucky in not making the squad!

Let’s start with the captaincy first. In the absence of Dhoni Gautam Gambhir has led India capably – including a 5-0 sweep in the ODIs against New Zealand last year - and was always the front runner to lead the team to the Caribbean. His deputy however is a bit of a surprise. Instead of Suresh Raina one would have preferred Virat Kohli who is already looked upon as a future Indian captain based primilarly on his leading the Indian Under-19 team to a title triumph in the World Cup in 2008. However it is good to see Yuvraj not being named vice captain. It’s best he is left best to cocentrate on his manifold duties now that he has more or less become a frontline spinner in limited overs cricket.

The ideal team composition would have been seven batsmen and seven bowlers and one utility man. But with the selectors deciding to pick an extra keeper the number had to swell to 16. It is here that the choice can be questioned. I would have preferred Dinesh Kartik to Wriddhiman Saha and on the performances in the IPL the highly talented Ambatti Rayudu who can keep wickets would have been the better choice.

Parthiv Patel comes back as first choice stumper but he is also to double up as an opening batsman. He has seized his chances both in domestic cricket and the IPL and makes a well deserved return. The rest of the batting itself. Besides the captain and the vice captain, Yuvraj, Rohit Sharma, S Badrinath and Virat Kohli were always going to be predictable choices given the batting skills and recent performances. The return of Badrinath is most welcome. He played the last of his three ODIs almost three years ago his batting being regarded as more suitable to Test cricket but he has shown a great deal of adaptability and in the absence of Tendulkar, Dhoni and Sehwag should now be considered as a must in the side especially considering his recent form.

Two of the three spin bowlers – Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin – were certainties but considerable discussion centered round the inclusion of the third spinner. Pragyan Ojha, Amit Mishra and Piyush Chawla were always going to be the contenders but the IPL threw up another serious candidate in Rahul Sharma. The young and tall leg spinner has created an indelible impression while turning out for Pune Warriors in the IPL by his subtle bowling skills and was regarded as having an outside chance of making the squad. He has just missed out but his time will undoubtely come for he is an exciting prospect who needs to be nurtured. He is able to extract both turn and bounce and what’s more is remarkably accurate. In the meantime it must be said that Mishra is a little lucky in making the trip ahead of Ojha though the opponents being West Indies – traditionally vulnerable against orthodox leg spin – could well have weighed in his favour.

Yusuf Pathan was always going to be ahead of Ravindra Jadeja and anyone else when it came to fielding the utility man while in the absence of Zaheer Khan, three of the medium pace bowlers Parveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel picked themselves. The promising Vinay Kumar who has played in two ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals has rightfully been given another chance to show that he belongs at the highest level with Sreesanth being the one to miss out.

We were the champions my friend

namya — Thu, 12 May 2011 20:04:00 GMT

Formula 1's most exciting news for few years was about the return of the King. He had left a void in the sport which other pretenders couldn't fill. Or so we thought. Schumi would turn back the ravages of time to emerge victorious as always. But the script went wrong somewhere and today Schumi himself isn't so sure about the sensibility of his decision. He may drive into oblivion at the bottom of the grid rather than taking the flag and that hurts one. It has shaken the very foundation of one's belief in demi gods also called sportspersons.

Time flies like an arrow but fruit flies like a banana. Groucho Marx coined the term. But Marx lived around 50 years ago. And today Marxism is supposed to be dead as far as the World is concerned. (I know it is not Karl Marx!! It's a pun for Marx's sake). The flight of the arrow can't be reversed come what may and the arrow hitting the intended target can have painful physical consequences. One seems to have reached a similar stage in terms of one’s sport heroes' careers. A stage of no return! And it does indeed hurt.

History isn’t only a Michael Jackson album. History is not a mere record of events. History is a recollection of what the majority remembers or rather wants to remember. History is the collection of humankind's biased memory. A few months back I travelled to a place called Dholavira which existed a few thousand years back in the Rann of Kutch. The ruins there remind me today of many a glittering sports careers ravaged by time. But the road that takes one to Dholavira is an outstandingly beautiful one. That’s how I would like to remember my Champions. It was all about our journey together. And the great times I had on that journey. Most journeys are supposed to end in lovers' meetings, this one almost always ends in a separation.

Sport has taught one to be agnostic and at the same time believe in Gods. It permits its own kith and kin to be temporary Gods. But they are transient and that’s what people tend to forget. Followers themselves ignore the fact that they themselves can perish any day. They (both the spectators and the sport stars), can never be like a Hanuman, the immortal monkey god. He is indestructible. Today even he has been reduced to an animation story.

There are some statistical aberrations in sport today in terms of ageing champions continuing at the top like a certain Mr. Tendulkar but there are no fairy tales with happily ever after endings. It always ends in a tragedy.

It is with great reluctance that we can let go of our champions. It’s a mirror of our own lives. Things we couldn’t achieve. Trophies we couldn’t win. They were our answer to the mediocrity that we indulged in. The same people, whom we tried to share our hopes and dreams with and in whom we invested our own dreams of becoming world champions and annihilators of their opponents, are today looking lost. And we feel as lost as them.

An era of champions is coming to an end and whatever we might think about it, that’s the reality. It was a Federer a year back, it was a Tiger Woods a few months back, it was a Schumi yesterday, it is a Rahul Dravid today and it will be a Tendulkar tomorrow.

And what can I write about these people? Enough words were written on a Federer. Tiger Woods has become a persona non grata in most families now but he was somebody whom people actually feared, almost as fearsome as the famous quartet from the West Indies in the 1980’s. The unmemorable photo of Woods standing on one leg to putt just a few years back to win a Major is still eschewed in my mind. Schumi, on a wet track against all odds was a joy to watch. A Tendulkar forward defensive stroke gives me much more joy than an IPL six. Rahul Dravid is not mentioned here because he has always been the guy who was overlooked.

When we look at these Champions from the past and try and rationalise their desire to come back then we don’t have to look beyond us. Do WE want to retire and announce to the world that we are long past our Past – use date? We normally won’t. If we, as some mediocre people can’t do that then I fail to understand how Champions can. When the earlier batch of greats that consisted of a Gavaskar, a Senna, a Lendl and a Jack Nicklaus, who bowed away, we were still youngsters who were getting to grips with reality. They rode into their own sun sets. We were riding into our afternoons. So we never felt the irony. Now we can!!

Somehow we can't go ballistic about the new King like a Djoko. We had our own Kings and they are almost dying. And we will never really care about the new Ruler as much.

Champions are never born naturally. They make their own fortunes through single minded dedication, loads of talent and a bloodimindedness that defies logic. But they perish like everyone else. And they do so without even being aware of it themselves. That’s what the killer point is.

Happy Runmashtami

namya — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 05:53:00 GMT

India is a country with a lot of national holidays where holidays are defined as days on which the Indians officially don’t need to work. The variety of reasons for these national holidays vary from those with religious significance viz. Diwali, Xmas, Eid, to the birth days of departed national heroes viz., Gandhi Jayanti, Ambedkar Jayanti, to other events of historic significance viz., Independence day, Republic day, to celebrating new years according to various calendars.

During the 1990’s and early 2000’s people expected an additional holiday every year for voting at the national elections as coalition governments fell with an alarming regularity. Holidays were also declared by governments to mourn the loss (?) of a national leader. It is rumoured that the really keen holiday planners used to have a list of all octogenarian leaders and kept a keen look out for any news of ill health on their part. Those good old days are gone now as the government realised that with the changing age profile most national leaders would be dear departed souls in few years.

Most of these holidays other than the religious ones are used as an opportunity to take vacations. In case of birthdays of departed leaders the majority rarely takes time to remember their values and teachings and in some instances are actually frowned upon due to unavailability of booze in shops to party. The Mahrashtra government, it is heard, is proposing to announce a public holiday for a living person whose birthday is celebrated with aplomb far more than any other person’s birthday save those who founded religions.

It argues that Sachin Tendulkar’s birthday should be declared as a national holiday given the hoopla surrounding the event every year and given the religious significance of the day. The day – 24^th April will be named Runmashtami*. Cricket has always been bandied as a religion in the country and Sachin Tendulkar has been its undisputed God # 1, for most Indians i.e. There have been doubters but with the latest miracles of holding back age and performing at his best those doubters have been silenced by the sheer strength of the noise made by his followers. And just like in Hinduism which tolerates atheists and doubters, the religion of Cricket will also move on with nonbelievers.

One expects a lot of FB campaigns to be opened up supporting this proposal. It just takes a few buttons to be clicked sitting out of one’s cosy arm chair and voila we will have a national movement on our hands.

If the readers think that one is going to the extremes in propounding such outrageous theories then they just have to read and watch the media coverage given to this event, which basically adds one more year to a great cricketer’s life. The tiniest details of the party to be thrown in SRT’s honour by the owner of his team (so if he is God what does that make the owner of MI?) are being told as state secrets. The list of Bollywood attendees, the size of the cake, the length of the candles on the cake are all well publicised.

This entire circus is now makes one wonder if India should start following a Sachinian calendar ala Gregorian calendar. There are so many events in Tendulkar’s life which the media doesn’t let us forget. The day he started his career, the day he scored the 200 in an ODI against SA, the day he broke Lara’s record and so on and so forth. One wants to give another valuable suggestion for this Sachinian calendar. Given that this article is written during the Easter weekend, which talks of Christ’s resurrection, one cursory search of the innings that turned around his prolonged slump can be considered to be the Easter of this calendar.

Its not Tendulkar’s fault that the media is going wild so one wishes him a very happy birthday and future success.

* - hat tip to sfx for the term Runmashtami