India in New Zealand

My Perspective

This was always going to be a very interesting tour and a kind of a crossroad for the Indian Cricket team. On one side was the absolutely dismal past record of the Indian team in New Zealand and on the other-the form of the present Indian team. So what do you choose? Perhaps the logical conclusion from this can be that this current Indian team may not dominate or clean sweep the series but at least can be expected to fare much better than the previous tour.

So far, two T-20 matches have been wrapped up and the result has been 0-2 against India. India is the T-20 champion and can be expected to win in this form of the game more than the other forms. And specially on this tour, more people would have expected India to atleast win the T-20 matches, expecting the ODIs and Test Matches to be much more sterner tests for the team.

My analysis of both the games so far- Starting with the first Twenty- Twenty match.

If I am not wrong, M.S.Dhoni called 'Tails' both the times at the toss and lost it both times (I too always go for a 'tail' during coin toss, with friends or on online games etc) maybe he calls it Tails everytime! I will have to observe more closely now. I wonder though whether it was an indication that things are not going your way, and when it does, usually nothing goes your way. The same thing happened in the previous series India played with the opposing captain Jayawardene losing atleast 4 tosses in a row! M.S.Dhoni has usually always been lucky with the coin toss but here it was just a formality as Dhoni said because any ways New Zealand wanted to field first and India wanted to bat first. By the way, I wonder whether it is 'field first' or 'bowl first'? I don't think there is an official term for it as such but it would be interesting to see what word the captain uses because it can tell a lot about what he is thinking. Perhaps a confident captain would like to use the word 'bowl' suggesting they are eager to bowl out the opposition whereas one using the word 'field' might have it at the back of the mind that thay are going to have a long hard day in the field!

In the first match, India got off to a flying start, all thanks to the destroyer Sehwag. He is someone whom the whole world has now acknowledged that nothing can be done about him. He is just a kind of a freak, in a positive way. Opponents never know what to expect from him, and are perhaps just happy to see his back, whichever way it comes. In that match, it was one of the smallest grounds I had seen and with the kind of big hitters India had, it was always going to be a dilemma. And Indians tried to be positive but perhaps overdid it. They tried to hit their way out of everything, neglecting the other important aspects of the game because this was a talented, confident bunch of players who hadn't really needed to change their game, their agressiveness so far. In this game, they almost forgot to take the singles, and perhaps never even gave a thought to building partnerships. In the batting, I was only disappointed with one dismissal- that of Rohit Sharma. You might argue about the others but I don't blame the batsmen so much for the other dismissals. Gambhir and Sehwag have the responsibility of giving a flying start and with Gambhir not getting the timing right whatsoever, the onus was all on Sehwag to blast away and both perished. They might be a bit guilty, considering the way they got out, but since this was the first match and they were the openers, If I was the concerned authority- the coach or whoever else, I wouldn't have said much to them.

It was the responsibility of number 3 and 4 to carry on the innings steadily after the openers had given them a good enough start and then gotten out. It was then that Raina and Rohit Sharma should have played steadily at something like 7-8 runs per over for the next 4-5 overs and then the others would have completed the task. But Rohit Sharma showed his inexperience and it was disappointing the way he got out and the way he has been playing for the past few months, I would rather consider him playing only in the Test Matches. He has played nothing like he should in T-20.

Raina played wonderfully well, Yuvraj was just consumed by the brilliance of Vettori and Dhoni- the pitch. I knew that after this match, the team had understood where they have gone wrong and I was sure they wouldn't commit the same mistake. And in fact, they did not and played better to a plan. I was surprised to hear the commentators etc, who are supposed to be experts of the game that Indian have not learnt from the previous match. That was definitely not true. This time there was a bit of a restraint and they had thought it out. The only thing was- they still hadn't gotten the hang of the pitch. The stroke players who are so used to the ball coming on to the bat nicely, were just not able to time the ball properly and thus got more frustrated and tried to hit it even harder which made it all the more difficult. This showed the inexperience of the side in these conditions.

M.S.Dhoni in action against New Zealand

And I wonder whether people- the commentators in particular, have not noticed that fact that Dhoni's game has really changed in the past few months. He is no longer the hitter, but more the anchor and the grafter. I don't even remember the last time he hit a six whereas earlier he would end the game by hitting the winning runs with a six. And people accused Sachin Tendulkar of not remaining the same for someone who has been playing for 20 years whereas they have almost not even noticed that Dhoni's game has changed so quickly. And in the second match, after he hit a 4, I heard the commentator say that one shot can change things and perhaps this was the shot that Dhoni required, as if after this he is going to hit the remaining balls for sixes! It was absolutely clear that he was clearly struggling to get the ball away and couldn't hit even a single six even though the boundaries were short here too. He is clearly no longer the hitter down the order and after the match he said that Yusuf's wicket was crucial because such batsman who can hit the ball well are needed in T-20! Well, he himself was there, and he was there till the end! So what was he doing then?!! Can't he hit them!

Even though I was not able to see the second match completely, I felt India tried well. It was the spinners who brought India back into the game and the fact that the match ended on the last ball clearly means that it was a close match, a thrilling one, to be enjoyed irrespective of the fact of who won it.

For me right now, Yuvraj Singh is clearly the best player in our team. I am not considering Sachin Tendulkar because he is just a legend whose every moment, that you are lucky enough to view, is to be enjoyed and savoured. Just like in the IPL, he along with others were the Icons and there was no bidding for them. It is unfair to include him in any comparison as he is beyond it, just like Lata Mangeshkar did not allow her name to feature for any award after some time and Arnold Schwarzenegger stopped contesting in Mr. Olympia!

It is such a joy to watch Yuvraj bat. True Sehwag at the top of the order is just awesome but I would rate Yuvraj above him right now. He was always a talented player when he came in but it is great to see the way he has evolved. Once he gets in, he can really accelerate at any time and according to me, he is the cleanest hitter in the game who depends on his timing. It took all the ability of Yuvraj, who played a very good innings, to give India a chance in the second match. He might soon become the best ODI player in the ICC rankings.

Yuvraj Singh- one of the cleanest strikers of the Cricket ball

And as I post this blog, India has won its first ODI match quite easily and there has also been an attack on the bus carrying the Sri Lankan Cricket team in Pakistan with a few of the players suffering some injuries and the players will be going back home to Sri Lanka immediately.

It will be interesting to see now what decision they take about the World Cup which is supposed to be held in Asia!

De-Mystifying Australia

Having just witnessed the recently concluded First Test Match between India and Australia, which Australia won quite convincingly, Australia have clearly stamped their authority and have shown that they are keen to win every match in this series. They are clearly on a roll having won 15 in a row now. They would need no reminding that the last time they were on such a winning spree, 16 matches in a row, it was, they were halted in their tracks by India. The Australians at present have that aura of invincibility as they have had for quite some time now.

Having closely followed this Australian team just out of sheer interest and curiosity as to how they manage to play so well and win so many games, here I am attempting to demystify this great team.

It would be difficult to compare the West Indies team of yesteryears that dominated everyone, and this Australian team. Although West Indies have lost that status, it remains to be seen what happens with this Australian team and I suspect that it will keep on going for some years at least. Australia has always been a good team over the years. You can just check their performances in all the World Cups; having won the most number of World Cup titles and even of reaching the Finals. But it has only been in the last decade or so that they have gone a few notches above the rest. They have done well in all conditions and in every country. They really are a complete team in every sense. With legends like Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne along with Justin Langer and others retiring, it was expected that Australia would surely miss them and wouldn’t be as strong a team. Sure enough, you can’t replace these legends but Australia seems to have done well even without them. Brett Lee stepped up and took on the role as the spearhead gleefully and Stuart Clark already branded as the next McGrath has shown the ability to fill his shoes, as has Phil Jaques, in the role of Justin Langer. After Ian Healy, it was difficult to imagine someone taking his place but Adam Gilchrist has not only done that but taken it to the next level. You can imagine the kind of players Australia must have in their reserves when Michael Hussey comes in so late into the Australian team and Brad Hogg now 37, has just been in the Test team. Strangely this Senior -Junior controversy that India faces does not seem to bother Australia whose players go on playing well above 35!

So what is it with this team that makes it special? Do they have better players? No. India has equally or perhaps more talented players. Do they have some winning formula? Do they use technology better? Do they use battle of words to gain advantage? Do they just try and intimidate opponents to put them off? Strangely, the answer according to me would be no.

Having read the autobiography of the Great Steve Waugh, it gave me some insights into the team but no solid conclusions. This team does not have any secret or any short-cut. Believe it or not, it is just plain hard work. The kind of situations they go through in their domestic level are such that only those who are really good enough to excel in the International level make it. And by the time they are in the team, they are really well prepared for it. Compare this with sub-continent teams when players as young as 15 and 16 come into the team only to later find out that they were not quite ready. Sachin Tendulkar has been one rare exception and he has proved that his entry was at the right time. But of course such players are just once in a generation.

Ours is a fixation with individuals. Whenever someone does well, we shower accolades on him and term him a superstar only to later demand his head after a few failures. With such short-sightedness, wanting everything instant, no wonder we seem to do well in Twenty-Twenty!

The Australians are meticulous in their preparation, place equal importance on fielding and fitness which we always seem to neglect. They have their plans and strategies in place and they love to play their game aggressively as that is the way they have done and as is the way at their domestic level. They play with pride and enjoy playing well. There was a time when after having won the series, they would lose the last matches; the ones you call dead-rubber. But they have addressed that and are keen on improving all the time. Being complacent is something they consciously avoid because otherwise, they would have already slipped by now. Despite having won almost every match they play, defeat still hurts them and every win is special and not just a routine. Steve Waugh enforced in the minds of everyone that the baggy green cap is something special and has to be earned. This team enjoys playing in each other’s company and celebrates the success of everyone. Technology has no greater part in their success than it has in other teams. Gilchrist using the ball in his gloves while batting just shows that they have people who can give them effective advice and not just technical advice which every player at this level already possesses. They don’t believe in shortcuts which might not seem significant or a new fact but is very important to emphasize. The war of words is not necessarily planned but it comes naturally to them because that is the aggressive brand of Cricket that they play.

You just have to listen to their players being interviewed and I have always been amazed listening to the players. They are nowhere near arrogant as is the general perception. It is just pride misinterpreted. They are honest players which is why they are better. They might have the better of some good player, still if they get him out; it is a matter of celebration. It is not taken for granted. Recently I heard Michael Clarke saying that he got a call and was told that he would be the vice-captain and his first thought at receiving the call was that he might have been dropped from the team! They don’t take their places for granted in the team either, no matter who they are.

Subcontinent teams have star players and some others have better ‘teams’ who play well as a team but Australia have both. Each player is well known and feared but they play great as a team too and that is where their strength lies. They believe in themselves which again comes from the confidence they have got coming from their highly competitive domestic level and that is precisely the reason why they seem to win all the close games even from difficult situations (Remember the Semi-Final against SA and many more) when other teams are more nervous, they in fact seem to raise their level when needed.

They do not even have a planned strategy in the sense that each player has the freedom to play as he feels right because they know that each player has team interest ahead of himself. Just take the recent case where Australia had said that they will not allow Murlitharan to overtake Warne in Australia. This was not arrogance but perhaps giving responsibility to their players as if to do something for their former great player, like giving him something back for serving Australian Cricket so well. And they did it! Imagine the joy they would have got out of it and even Warne was thankful to them. Such things only strengthen the team spirit further. And they had said that each batsman tackled Murlitharan in his own way. Each individual made his own plans and that’s the way they play. Each individual does his homework.

But having said all this, Australia isn’t invincible. Still it can lose against Bangladesh and India can defeat it in Twenty-Twenty too. Nor are all their players always at the top of their game, their batsman too get out for ducks and sometimes even their bowlers are clobbered but it’s the overall big picture that counts where they get the things right. They might lose some battles but they win the final war; which is what counts.

India - Number 1?

Well, just take a look at these facts- Winner of the Twenty-Twenty World Cup, Winner of the under-19 World Cup, winning the CB series in Australia- defeating the number one team twice in a row in the 2 finals, excellent performance in the Test Matches as well.

So is this Indian Cricket team the number one in the world right now? Logically if you are better than the number one team, or defeat it, then you automatically become number one. But is India better than Australia, which is still number one in the rankings? Unfortunately Cricket is not like a race where you become number one by overtaking the first one. Undoubtedly this Indian team’s performance is as good as any performance by any Indian team ever in the past. Its record of winning overseas has improved really drastically over the past few years specially from the time Ganguly was the captain.
India which was earlier an impregnable side in its own backyard hasn’t been exactly that over the past few years but earlier its overseas performance which used to be so pathetic has improved in leaps and bounds. It has done well in Pakistan, South Africa( World Cup 2003 and Twenty-twenty world cup), England( with the swing bowlers having a swinging time there), and now Australia too. Only New Zealand and West Indies remain the two places India hasn’t quite come to terms with as yet according to me.
In fact a lot of wonderful fast bowlers have come up who have relished the helpful pitches and that’s a major reason why India has done well overseas now. India I believe is the best Asian side now and the Asian team with the best look in other forms as well. Pakistan the ever mercurial side is still that and Sri Lankan side now I think revolves around a few individuals which was the situation with India for quite some time.
Undoubtedly this win in Australia would go down as one of the best ever performances by any Indian team but more importantly what this team went through in terms of even the off-field controversies and the pressures related to it, crossing swords with the best team in their own backyard, taking on the most aggressive side, fighting the trend or jinx of losing in the finals etc this team really deserved to win and you can only imagine what it must have done for the confidence of this young team.

You really have to admire Dhoni, he hasn’t been playing that long for India, a young man not from a Metro, who rose to fame almost instantly and everybody’s favourite and idol, he has taken it up all very well and done his job remarkably. His attitude, trusting his instincts, backing his players and winning the close matches is like a fresh breeze. Irfan Pathan’s last over in the 2nd Final, Joginder Sharma’s final over in Twenty-20 final and a few more, India has become a side that wins close games which is inversely proportional to the fear of losing. The more you are thinking about the future and the consequences of losing the more the chances that you will lose. The team selection and the batting order has been almost spot on more times than not and again the credit for this should go to Dhoni. And what can one say about Sachin Tendulkar. I don’t think anyone has the right to comment on him but still his contribution to this side is much much more than what the general public might think. His sheer presence is invaluable for the team and the players.

Although quite a few good youngsters have come up, the only thing I fear is people labeling them as the new stars or future greats. We have to learn to have patience and not get too excited. Yes, these players might indeed go on to become future greats but they should be given enough time. We all know what happened to the likes of Ashish Nehra, Balaji and others. Agarkar was never settled in the team and Munaf Patel only has his past performances to help him. Many have come and gone. Only if they maintain their fitness, skill, attitude, they might go on. The finds have been undoubtedly Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar, even Rohit Sharma has impressed and Gambhir seems to have found his place in this team and no need to say that a lot depends on the vice captain Yuvraj Singh.
So although things are looking good for this Indian team, the dream of winning a World Cup is still far away. It is not about winning a tournament or a series but to consistently win over a long period, in all conditions against all teams and India might well be on this way but this is just the beginning and who knows India might become the third team to dominate world cricket after West Indies and Australia! Or is it just dream that will remain a dream and did it just flatter to deceive…Only time will tell but this team does have it in itself to be that team.