RaviSez

Often times, things are rarely as good or as bad in cricket as the media tends to portray it. Every newspaper in India is on a Ganguly hunt, yelling at the peak of their voices to remove him as a captain. Apparently things are bad because India failed to win the series they were expected to take with a glee, what with the inexperience of the Pakistani side. But what most people are forgetting is the wonderful performance put forth by their inexperienced side. True: it would have been a walk over, had Asim Kamal decided if he is just a lower-order batsman and not fought on the last day of the first tets. True: it would have been a second place at the ICC championship table( but with a considerable distance from Australia in first), had Younis Khan told himself, he's not good enough a test player. True: Sourav Ganguly would have been lauded on what a great captain he was if Inzamam thought to himself, he's the only batsman that can show some gumption in the Pakistani side. What people are forgetting is, that the Pakistani team never once thought they were out of sight inspite of people putting them down as a weak team in front of the Indian batting behemoths. Which naturally inspired people to think, this Indian team which showed tremedous ambition in Australia and came quite close to beating them at home. Pakistan, in this series showed similar traits that India did in 2003 in Australia. Which is good for them. And also good for International cricket. Because, if a team like India, who in my opinion are hyped up only because of the following of the game in the country, were as close to claiming the second spot in terms of rankings, there is something wrong with the other teams. A quick look at the other teams will tell you that barring England, nobody as performed consistently in the past few years. South Africa is in doldrums. New Zealand has no spine. Sri Lanka nope. About the other teams, the less said, the better. So it was no surprise that India with it's mediocre performances were seen as contenders for the coveted second spot in International cricket. Teams have forgotten that they have to fight for the top spot and not play dead to Australia.
Which brings us to Pakistan. If Pakistan can revive with the way it did, it can only be good for test cricket in the long run. If there are competitors, the sport will move forward and become more interesting. Kudos to the Pakistan team for a well fought series. I hope they show the same effort in the ODI series as well. Infact, given the Indian team's travails, my bet will be that Pakistan will come out as a winner at the end of it.

How wonderful it would be if we could write scripts for cricket matches! Not that people haven't tried and weren't successful in the late ninties, I am not going to dwell on the match-fixing of earlier times. But here's a scenario I made up and works best for the current situation at the beginning of the last day of the third test between India and Pakistan: the revenge to Gavaskar's last test. Wasn't it almost the same then? India chasing a target( the pitch was terrible then); Gavaskar plays one of the greatest innings of his life; India comes close to the target; Gavaskar gets out a little short of his thirty-fifth century; Pakistan wins the series; millions of India hearts(including mine) break.
Now here's a scenario for today: ninteen years after that match, it's almost the same situation; India is chasing, Tendulkar is the only good batsmen left; it's the nintieth over, India is short of the target by four runs; Tendulkar is four short of his century which will be his thirty-fifth. He hits the boundary; India wins the series.
But if you want this to be a Kafka-esque classic, Tendulkar gets out, India loses and Pakistan squares the series. Pick the ending based on whatever side you are on. Oh, if only sport worked like literature. Well, we already had that in Cheannai in 99 -- so I am rooting for an India win. Although I know I will sorely be disappointed.

Terri Schiavo is supposed to have reached her last hours. Like most issues, this one has reached extreme proportions in terms of polarising the country. To be in circles that considers themselves progressive, it's hard to imagine there are thousands of people who believe in the spin that it's wrong taking her life. A life that's in persistive vegetative state for more than a decade now. I can understand the parents being troubled by it. But spare a thought for the husband too. President flying half-way around the country to sign a Terri Schiavo bill intended to serve only her; Governor making repeated calls to the courts; people or more aptly conservative christians who demonstrate and call thousands more to join, the motive seems more political than saving a life that the person living it would gladly let go. These same people think killing somebody using a lethal injection is fair, war and thousands of innocent people written of collateral damage is justified makes me wonder if politics is only about agendas and nothing to do about real issues. Let Schiavo die in peace.

By now, my distaste for Ganguly is certainly evident in my earlier blogs. Not because he's a bad cricket player but because to me he comes of as a bad human being. Consider this: when asked about his bad form and if he's going to move down a slot, he says he's fine, there's a big innings around the corner and he's made most of the runs at his current spot. Then he says both him and Laxman are out of form and need to make runs. What's wrong with that, you say? Firstly, it's not proper to talk about other player's form when asked about yours. Why? Because you are implying that not only I am not in form, there's somebody else like me and I want you to look at his numbers. Second Laxman did not seem like he's out of form. He made a fifty and was out ninth wicket at Mohali. The first ball duck in the first innings was inexcusable but the second innings he was out looking to increase the scoring rate. It was unfortunate he got hit and couldn't continue to bat in his normal position and did what he was asked to do and got out. With Ganguly it wasn't the case. The three innings he played were disastrous and each time it was a free wicket for the opponents. They've spotted the man and they know how to get him out. I doubt he will have any success in the coming matches. So what does this mean? Ganguly says, if I am going down, I am taking Laxman with me, which is unfortunate.

People who came to Eden Gardens from far to watch Steve Bucknor were delighted to see him perform once again. The great man standing in his 100th test did not disappoint the crowd when he gave his trade mark decision, ruling Tendulkar caught behind. Almost all of the paying public are his loyal fans for many years and kept track of his career diligently. "He's absolutely top class," gushed a young boy who begged his father to take him to see Bucknor umpire in this test. "I want to be just like him when I grow up," he said.
But for Bucknor it's a typical day on the field. Back to nets after a tiring day, he practiced his methodical raising of the finger, slowly and steadily. "Preparation is the key," he said. "Everybody has his style -- but I employ guile when I umpire. So much so that sometimes the batsmen are cajoled into thinking they are not out -- but when I think it's time up for them, they have to go." He then practiced his walk to square leg and back a number of times to get his rhythm right. "You don't leave these things to chance," he said.
That preparation since he was a young aspiring umpire, confused as to which sport to choose -- football or cricket, made him what he is today. From the day he started officiating in his first test to his hundredth in Eden Gardens, he always had one motto: the umpire is always bigger than the game.
Ehsan Mani, the ICC president is full of praise for him. "If not for Steve, the game would have gone to pieces. He is the single biggest reason crowds come to watch cricket, or turn on their TVs whenever a cricket match is being played around the globe. Our members always see a drop in attendance when Steve is not umpiring for a Test, or a one-day international. Everybody wants him; some adjust their tour itenariries so as to have Steve umpire in their matches.
It's the other end of the spectrum for the players. He instills a certain fear in them. "I am always worried when the bat does not touch the ball," Tendulkar, one of the Indian cricket players said. "Everytime I missed the ball, I had to go. Then again, it's an honour to be given out by Steve. Not for nothing he officiated in 100 tests." He added, "We all love him very much."
Indian captain Ganguly couldn't contain his admiration. "Did you see the guy?" he said. "Every time he stands imposingly on the other side of the wickets, you know you have to edge the ball. Otherwise you are out -- caught-behind. Personally, I like the ball to come on to my pads obstructing the wickets directly. It's the only way to save myself from an LBW decision. But when a great umpire is officiating, you can't help but being awe-struck. And I just don't mean dumb-struck after being given out -- caught-behind to a wide delivery."
Indian vice-captain Rahul Dravid had excellent things to say. "He is the game; and the game is him. We are all honoured to be playing when he is officiating. When he reached his 100th test, I walked up to him and told him: 100 is not your goal; 500 is. And many more bone-headed decisions." He also agreed Bucknor is a master at playing mind-games with players at the crease. "The gentle rubbing of the ball, imitating my actions in an earlier match where I was fined, definetely had it's desired effect. I marvel at his shrewedness in shattering players' egos. If anything, the he needs to officiate in every test match."
Parthiv Patel the young former wicket keeper for India said he is afraid to make a comment on Bucknor. "I am scared of Bucknor," he said. "Ever since he waved his finger at me in Sydney, I always wake my mother up, if I have to go to the bathroom at night. That's how bad he scared me."
West-Indian captain Lara said he is disappointed Bucknor could not stand in matches that the West Indies played because Bucknor is also West-Indian and cannot officiate because of the ICCs neutral umpire rule. "The reason West Indies matches have poor attendance rates and television ratings is because Bucknor cannot officiate in our matches. We are asking ICC to make an exception just in his case.
Inspite of all the adoration from around the world, Bucknor is humble. "Every time I walk on to the field amidst the cheering crowd, it's for the game of cricket, not me," he says. "But then again, I am cricket," he adds humbly.
So will he stop after reaching the age of sixty? He smiles, "And let the players take the spotlight? No way!"

Yesterday night, as I walked out of a grocery store on Devon street – a street in Chicago, well known for Indian grocery stores, Indian restaurants and an Indian atmosphere, I saw something for the first time in my entire stay in the US: an Indian woman begging. With an eight year old girl in tow, this young woman barely looked like somebody who asked money from strangers. She was good-looking, dressed reasonably well, her accent was spiff and one could tell she is not somebody that has immigrated from India recently; she appeared she has been in the States for quite sometime – even grew up here. Curiously, the little girl had a scarf tied across her face, so one could not see her face.
At first, when she approached me, I thought she was looking for directions; turned out she was looking for money. Money to buy food for the little girl, she said. She started explaning that her husband had left her and the kid – living with some other woman now and that there is no food in the house. Soliciting on the streets was not new to me, and I never offered money earlier. I just stood there weighing in, how I could help her when my wife walked out of the store a few minutes later and wondered what was going on. I explained to my wife that this woman was looking for help. My wife immediately suggested to the woman that she should seek help from Apna Ghar – an organization that was close by and provided shelter to distraught women, primarily of Asian origin. . Having done volunteer work for this organization, my wife knew that was the right thing to do rather than walking away after giving a dollar or two. The woman did not seem interested in the idea and was pressing for immediate money. She said she wanted money to go to the nearest grocery store and buy food. My wife kept insisting that she should go to this place and they will assist her. She offered to give her the number, address and such but the woman just turned a deaf ear to all that and there was little we could do to help her and we walked away.

I thought I was the only one who shuddered when Ravi Shastri said "It will do his confidence a world of good." Clearly there are others. I have been away from Indian TV for a long time but had plenty of opportunities last year to see him perform his role as a commentator. He would come on ESPN Sportcenter and say inane things like the one mentioned above. He might just be proving that he can be as bad at commentating than he was while he was batting. The Shaz-Waz show is one program fully riddled with cliches; with both Shastri and Akram throwing one after another. I remember one episode during the championship in Sri Lanka where they would ask a woman to sit in the commentary box with them. That particular day the woman in question was the starlet Priyanka Chopra. Shastri was so floored by her, he would go on and on about how lucky they were to be in the presence of "The woman in red". He at least said "Woman in red", twenty odd times. A classic case of Shastri-bot crashing.

I know what Ravi Shastri is going to say on TV tonight. "There's a lot of cricket left in him," he will say referring to Tendulkar. Incidentally which is what Tendulkar said during his end-of-the-day interview. He also said "Test cricket is a different cup of tea". But Tendulkar is paid to bat and not appear cute on TV while it is Ravi Shastri's job to come up with something orininal when he is called up on as "Expert Commentator".

It was just a matter of when. There was never a doubt if he will ever get past the 10000. I think Gavaskar knew it when Tendulkar entered Indian cricket. To a remarkable career, which for the most part has been Tendu...and Ten don't*, I say Bravo.

*A brilliant banner I remember seeing in a match in Australia.

Every one has their suggestions to make the team better. Here are mine. Send Laxman at No.3: he thrives on agressive field settings. And he is a natural at that spot. Rarely does teams start playing defensively at one down. For a long time the Indian batting order was one of my biggest gripes. It all started when Laxman was relegated to No.6 by Ganguly during the Indian tour of West Indies in 2001. Laxman was hitting his usual 30s and 40s and getting cozy in the pavillion. So he was moved from No.3 much before that. The reason Ganguly gave why he came in ahead of Laxman: he hated waiting in the dressing room. Since he was the captain and could do whatever he wanted, he came in earlier. But not as early as to precede Dravid or Tendulkar. The reason? Dravid clutches his No.3 and Tendulkar, even in his dreams grips his No.4. Traditional logic seems to make No.4 a position for the best batsman in the team. Even though one doesn't play by the traditional rules, it's a good place for a slow starter who is rock sold after that. Too much initiative is lost when Dravid comes in at No.3. No.4 may just be right for his style of batting. Why break something that ain't broken? But dude, it was -- a long time ago. We just persisted with it and think it's right.

Warne is planning to make England home and has a Hampshire home. He says:

"At the moment, it's home and down the track it will probably be home for the family as well," Warne told the Courier-Mail. "I'll live over there and base myself there and come back and play my stuff for Australia and head back. I'm only in Australia for a couple of months each year."

Hmmm...his wife, only on the next day says:

"We're not moving overseas. It's something we have talked about and we will see what happens later this year but that's about all I can say at the moment."

Good point for New Zealand to sledge, I suppose. "Hey Warney, did you talk to your wife lately? You know, if you want, I can set up a meeting!"

Got into this habit of trying out new brands of beer. So while shopping for bread and cheese, picked up a six pack of Oranjaboom beer. Apparently this beer was from Holland. Hmm..Heineken country, I thought. Got home, poured myself a pint. Didn't care much for it. Mental note: stick with the ones you like the best. Then again, how is one supposed to know there isn't something better out there? Have to try Grolsch the next time.

This was before the first test between Pakistan and India. When asked about his poor form recently, Ganguly replied:

I haven't got a hundred from the last one in Brisbane on the 2003-04 Australian tour, but I still averaged over 50. But, yes, it's a criteria to get a Test hundred; I was close a few times – the next time when I get near to a hundred, I will try and convert it into a big score.

I was curious as to when he averaged over 50. Is he talking about his career average? Or his average since he got a hundred in Brisbane? So a quick look at Cricinfo gave me this: his career average in tests is 42.06. Since Brisbane, his average is 40.9.( Figures before the first test with Pak). He made five fifties ever since and two of them against Bangladesh. Just from an averages perspective he didn't do very badly but claiming a 50+ average is a false claim and there are no significant contributions when the team is in trouble. In the recent past he's been very good at promoting himself as a better player than he really is.

Consider why Australia is a good team: they have Adam Gilchrist. Simple as that. If Gilchrist played for Zimbabwe they would be the best team in the world too. Well...that might be taking things too far but if somebody can keep wickets and then bat like only he can, no wonder Aussies are the no1 team in the world. He is pivotal to their success; for starters his batting position comes when other teams around the world start preparing for a long day in the field waiting for the tail enders to get in and get out. Imagine you are Hayden and Langer going in to bat: oh there's Ponting, Martyn, Clarke, Katich and Gilly to follow. And then just imagine yourself as the next person in that order until you are Gilly. Little reason to worry there will be a collapse. If there is one, time and again Gilly has come in, without even settling in, unsettled the opposition. There is one way India can have a shot at the top: teach Sehwag how to keep wickets and send him at no7 and hope he retains his current form. I know, I know, I am on crack!

India and the rest of the teams lack a player who fills that role as wonderfully as Gilchrist does and that is an advantage Aussies have over other teams. The day Gilchrist retires the Aussies will no doubt have problems retaining the top spot.

I was following the first test between India and Pakistan and was only a little bit disappointed when India didn't win the match. It's heartening that the encounter was turned around by a little known wicket keeper and a man fully of potential but vastly unrealized. I remember the days when Razaq was the next big thing in the world cricket -- somebody who was deadly with the ball and the bat. And the series needed to maintain it's interest unlike the last test series where it was a conspiracy theorists dream: India goes 1-0; Pakistan levels it 1-1; then Pakistan plays dead by rolling over in the third and India wins the series 2-1. I doubt it was a set up then but one has to admit the matches were one sided. With so many catches going down for Sehwag I thought this one was going the same way. Tendulkar was left six short of his 35th century, just like he was with 194* on that ocassion. These days Tendulkar reminds me of Gavaskar in his last days when we used to say he's only playing for records. I agree with him that his batting has matured and he is no longer the young blow-away-the-opposition kind of guy; but doesn't it make sense that his batting order need to be changed to accomadate for his new found maturity? More on batting order later. I hope to see a tense encounter in the second test as well. Thanks to Cricinfo for making this possible.

Aaah...the frenzy to create home pages back in the early days of the web. I've been there. Seems like it was such a long time ago but I remember when we lined up to post HTML on our college servers with garish backgrounds, crazy fonts and links to the favourite websites with jokes about the desi in the US. Why, I got my cushy campus job when I showed my page to the professor who was looking for an HTML coder to have his own web page for his department( I have to admit it was definitely useful than mine.) After the initial pages I never went back to the web page ever again. Now, the need to post personal information seems to have taken over by blogging. I am not late here either: I had short-lived blogs on cricket, life, and well...nothing else. The point is I was there when blogging was still in it's diapers but didn't keep up. I never went back to my blog pages again. However, this time blogging seems somewhat useful. Let your opinions rule. If it's cute enough somebody might notice and you might have a following. If not you can go into hibernation. So again -- what will be another attempt at persistent blogging, I give you RaviSez.