Reboot, and Restart!

A zillion plus cricket fans in India hoped against the hope of Afghanistan defeating the Kiwis. But as it so happened, Kane & Co. rather comfortably, and much deservedly so, made it to the final four of the tournament bringing curtains down on India’s campaign, rendering its last match against Namibia inconsequential.

Looking back on the four matches played by the Indian team thus far in the tournament, they have no one else but themselves to blame for the early exit. They have failed to be consistent which ultimately resulted in them depending on other results in order for them to qualify. The losses in the opening games versus Pakistan and New Zealand hurt India’s chances tremendously, virtually knocking them out inside the first week unless some other results went in their favor. In this format of the game, there are no clear favorites as such, since any team on their day can beat the best team going around purely because you only have to be that much better for only that period of time. Having said that, there is no denying the fact that India made errors, both tactically and in terms of execution.

While it was refreshing to see India play the way they did against Afghanistan and Scotland, it was, one would feel, too little too late. The brand of cricket they played was particularly endearing where fans finally got to see potential translating into performance. I won’t be surprised if they play the same dominant form of cricket and steamroll past Namibia in their last match to end the tournament, ironically, on a ‘high’, so to speak.

As Indian cricket readies itself to turn a page to the next chapter, with Kohli giving up T20I captaincy and Shastri coming to the end of his tenure, there is this pressing need to ‘Reboot and Restart’. For starters, we need a settled eleven for T20 internationals with at least 22-23 overs being available at the captain’s disposal. Rohit, who, by all means, is the next in line to lead India in the limited-overs format, has his work cut out for himself since the next edition of the World T20 will be held in a year’s time from now. Here’s hoping the winds of change bring about a change in fortunes for the team in the shortest format as well.

Not the start India wanted, but the one it needed…

The most awaited T20 tournament in the world, arguably after IPL, is upon us and we have had quite a few moments already that would definitely go on to make the highlights package of the tournament. The debutants, Scotland and Namibia, stake a majority claim on those moments. Looking forward to seeing more of them during the course of the tournament and afterwards.

India played Pakistan in their opening match last night. After having cruised to victory in both their warm-up games, India started as favorites going into the match. Their arch-rivals, mercurial neighbors, Pakistan, have always been the underdogs, well, atleast since the turn of the century, but even more so in a World Cup match. Having said that, they have always had the knack of causing an upset, but it is never known which Pakistan would turn up on the day. And that makes watching them in action all the more worthwhile. Sadly, India found itself at the receiving end right from the word go, and always seemed to be playing the catch-up game thereafter.

Having won the toss, Babar put India in to bat first. Pakistan were brilliant with the new ball. Shaheen pitched it right up, hit the right areas and allowed the ball to swing, something which the Indian counterparts did not. Three quick wickets early in the game pushed India onto the backfoot, as a result of which they struggled to get any sort of momentum into their innings. Pant, being his maverick self, did bring out his one-handed swipes for sixes and accompanied Kohli to restore some stability. Despite the continuous loss of wickets from one end and an elongated tail, one would feel India did well to post 151 on the board. Pakistan were equally good in the field. Apart from ‘that-one-overthrow’, they were pretty disciplined otherwise.

Indian bowlers werent as effective with the new ball, largely owing to the line and length they bowled. The positive intent showed by the Pakistani openers didnt help their cause either. Rizwan and Babar dispatched the lose ones to the boundary and were able to rotate strike regularly, making sure the scoreboard always kept ticking. It was as clinical a run-chase as any could get, wherein they did not give a single chance to the opposition. The fact that they won by a 10 wicket margin is a testament to India being completely outplayed.

India have a week’s time to get past this and I am sure, they will put up a better performance when they turn up next on the field. They were beaten comprehensively by a team that played better cricket. On a lighter note, I feel we should be relieved that the ‘one-bad-game’ has been done away with early in the tournament rather than having it in the knockouts. And hence, the title of this piece. I know nothing is as good as ending up on the winning side, but as they say, ‘Failure will teach you more than success ever will.’

My World Cup Squad!

For the past couple of years now, every limited overs series which Team India has participated in, it has enabled itself to find the best combination possible going into the Cricket World Cup 2019. We are already a couple of months into 2019 and I am sure that barring a couple of spots, Team India has got all the bases covered. Touted as one of the favorites, if not the favorites, this time, to lift the trophy, I present to you my squad for Team India for the World Cup.

1) Rohit Sharma

The Hitman has been India’s mainstay at the top of the order since past few years and has been a match winner in the true sense in white-ball cricket. He grafts his innings wonderfully well and his ability to mix caution with aggression makes him a dangerous customer.

2) Shikhar Dhawan

Gabbar completes the other half of the most prolific opening pair of our times. They complement each other exceptionally well and for some inexplicable reason, Dhawan almost always performs in multi-nation big-ticket events which should settle a few nerves because even if he has not looked his best leading up to the tournament, we can rest assured that he will catch up.

3) Virat Kohli

Unarguably the best batsman in the world right now (across formats), Kohli is the fulcrum of the Indian batting line up. He has matured as a player and even more so as a person ever since taking over as the captain of the national team.

4) MS Dhoni

This could well turn out to be Thala’s last outing representing the nation. For me, its best suited for him as well as the team that he bats at number four and hence, in the team that I propose, he slots in right after Kohli. He may not be the finisher that he once was and might take a little longer to get going as well, but simply his presence in the team would do a world of good to Kohli and the bowlers, especially the slower ones.

5) Kedar Jadhav

He has proven himself to be an excellent utility player over a period of time and has made the most of opportunities on offer. He is a smart cricketer and his peculiar bowling action has been surprisingly effective which I believe goes a long way in furthering his case as far as his selection in the playing eleven is concerned.

6) Rishabh Pant

Yes, next up, ‘We’ve got Pant, Riiishaabhh Pant!’ He can make this side purely as a batsman and could well be a game changer at number 6. He can hit the ball long and far, apart from serving as a backup wicketkeeper. He is an exciting prospect and I am looking forward to seeing more of him in the upcoming games.

7) Hardik Pandya

Off late, he has been talked about a lot, largely for non-cricketing reasons but that is for another blog and would require a completely different vantage point. I do see him featuring in the World Cup squad hopefully having learned that talent and ability are not the ONLY boxes which need to be ticked. Having him the squad makes Kohli’s life much easier as it allows him to play the spin twins together. He is a ‘work-in-progress-fast-bowling-allrounder’. He is already showing signs of improvement and he is a much better player than what the numbers might suggest.

8) Bhuvneshwar Kumar

His strength has been his immaculate control over the new ball and old. He looks fitter than ever now and here’s hoping that injury concerns stay away from him at least till after the World Cup ends.

9) Kuldeep Yadav

The left-arm chinaman has carved a niche for himself in his short career already. He is Kohli’s go-to bowler every time he needs a breakthrough and he delivers! Batsmen just don’t seem to pick his deliveries at all. One of the best attributes of his bowling, I feel, is that he gets rid of the tail quickly. Sometimes when the tail sticks around for a bit, it can be agonizingly painful, but not when Kuldeep is around!

10) Yuzvendra Chahal

Wrist spinners, we know, are the hottest commodities going around these days. Having two of them means double the trouble for the opposition batsmen. Chahal can go for some runs but is he will always give you wickets. The two spin-twins bowl well together and control the middle overs very well with constant inputs coming from behind the stumps.

11) Jasprit Bumrah

Currently, he is worth his weight in gold. Like Kohli, he too has been exceptional across formats. He is an automatic selection into the playing eleven like a few others above.

12) Ambati Rayudu

He has done just enough to claim a spot for himself in the squad. I personally would see him as a backup to Kedar, replacing him if and when he does get injured. There are certain sections who do see him as a potential number four, but sadly he misses out being the first choice in my team.

13) Ravindra Jadeja

I have all the time in the world for Jaddu. He is the best fielder we have and can almost manufacture a wicket with his fielding alone. You can actually play three spinners as well if we get a surface that is dry and one that does grip a bit. He makes for excellent value addition in the team and would be interesting to see how Kohli uses him if he is in the squad that is.

14) Mohammed Shami

Lala can, in fact, make the first eleven as well going by his performances in the recently concluded limited overs series Down Under. He is fast, he is accurate and he is right on the money from the word go. Shami and Bumrah would make a lethal comb with the new ball and in the death overs as well.

15) Prithvi Shaw

He is my reserve opener for the tournament. From the little that we did see of him in whites, he seems ready enough to debut in colored clothing for the senior team, provided that he has recovered from the injury completely, which I am hoping he does in time to be available for selection.

Right then, this is my squad for the Cricket World Cup 2019.

This is the privilege we, as fans, enjoy. We can pick and choose our favorites, not necessarily the most deserving ones while building our squads.

Here’s wishing that everyone who boards the flight to England does his best and makes the nation proud.

‘Chase your dreams, they do come true!’

There is no one who has given the billion plus people of this nation as much joy and happiness as this man has. We as a nation were so fond of him that it became nothing short of an addiction of sorts, almost to a point where India slept well when he played well!! Yes, I am referring to none other than Sachin Tendulkar. The child prodigy, as he was once called, went on to become the God of Cricket in this part of the world.

Born in April of 1973, he was only 10 years old when he saw India lift the World Cup at Lords. Little did Kapil and his team knew then that they had inspired a whole new generation of kids back in India and among them was this young curly-haired boy who was probably too young to understand the magnitude of the win, but old enough to dream big. It was then that he took up this sport and pursued it relentlessly. He used to bat for long hours at the nets and almost had no energy left while having his meal at the dining table. Soon people started taking notice of some special talent in this young kid and it wasn’t late until national selectors got him on board. He was fast-tracked into the national side and there he was, making his debut for India in Tests against Pakistan at a tender age of 16!

In a couple of years time, he was a regular in the side and by the mid 90’s he was an established international player and was the go-to man when India was in trouble. It was a time when India was liberalizing its market and with Sachin too coming to his own, it was a marriage made in heaven for the Indian spectators. Sachin was promoted up the order to open the innings and was smashing bowlers all around the park. He impacted the game in more ways than one as he could do damage with the ball in hand as well. Be it leg-spin, off-spin, seam-up, he could bowl it all.

One of the earliest memories that I have of Sachin is during the 2003 World Cup. He owned that tournament. He almost single-handedly took India to the finals and was very close to realizing his childhood dream before it was shattered by a formidable Aussie side who made their Indian counterparts look pretty ordinary in the finals. The highlight of the tournament, however, was the onslaught against top Pakistani quicks. Wasim, Waqar, and Akhtar all were taken to the cleaners by Sachin and his then doppelganger, Sehwag.

India was dominating abroad and had just started winning overseas when the tennis elbow kicked in and he had to sit out the whole season. It was so worse he could not even lift the bat. Was it curtains then, on a prolific career? No. He battled his way out and struck a scintillating century on his return against the Windies. He remodeled his technique. He had to listen to his body and could no longer be the attacking batsman that he once was. He worked hard on his defense and started a new chapter in his career. India had a forgettable outing during the 2007 World Cup. Having being knocked out in the league stage itself, India had many questions to answer and some sweeping changes were in order.

The preparations for the 2011 World cup started way back in 2009 and rightly so. The management had identified certain players that were going to be an integral part of the team going into the 2011 CWC. It was important then for them to have enough matches under the belt so that when it came to performing in tough situations, they didn’t have nowhere to go to.

2011 World Cup was going to be Sachin’s last. He came agonizingly close to lifting the trophy twice (’96 and ’03), but as for many other things in life, some things are only supposed to happen when they are meant to happen. India began their campaign on a winning note and looked set to bring home the cup this time around. There were emotions attached to this tournament and players too were determined to do it for Sachin. India’s road to the finals was not a smooth one either. The QF vs Aus, SF vs arch rivals Pak were as competitive as any could get, both for different reasons though. The final was to be played in Mumbai and it seemed as if puri kaaynaat ne saazish ki hai aur har zarre ne Sachin ko World Cup se milane ki koshish ki hai!! Dhoni hit the winning shot and with that, he brought all Indians out on the streets. Entire Indian dressing room rushed out and there we saw players hugging each other and crying tears of joy.

Finally, their dream had come true. Sachin’s dream had come true. After long, the people of the nation had something to cheer about. Sachin, again, was in the center of it all.

Young Achievers Club

Right, so India brings home the U-19 World Cup Trophy. They have been invincible all throughout the tournament and their performance on the night of the final was a testament to how dominant a side they have been. Boys in Blue lifted the title for the 4^th time, most by any team, in their record appearance in the final. Speaks volumes about the kind of work done right from the grass-root level. Harsha Bhogle, the voice of Indian cricket, rightly points out how BCCI invests heavily in making sure that talent meets opportunities at the junior level. How well it has translated into winning at the world stage is an indicator of the amount of work done by them, the authorities, in setting up the right environment for them, the players, to blossom.

All said and done, it was the hard work and commitment of the young Indian brigade that bore the fruits last night. We went into the tournament with possibly one prospective future star, Prithvi Shaw. He was making headlines, whenever and wherever he played. By the end of the tournament, we were looking at a minimum of 5-6 players who looked ready to play at the highest level. The likes of the Gills, the Kalras, the Nagarkotis, all announced their arrival and showcased their abilities in front of the whole world and how. India had a good all-round balance to the side. We had explosive openers right at the top, followed by Gill at no.3, who I believe has been the find of the tournament and will make it to the senior division sooner than later, well supported by the wicketkeeper in the middle order. More often than naught, it was the bowling department which set it up for us or brought us back in the game. Kamlesh, Shivam, and Ishan put up an exquisite exhibition of fast bowling and that really got Ian Bishop pretty excited. It was not just fast bowling which caught everyone’s attention, it was the discipline with which these young pacers were hitting the right line and length which troubled the batsmen. Anukul Roy also deserves a special mention, returning as the joint highest wicket taker of the tournament.

One cannot rule out Dravid’s, or even the support staff’s contribution for that matter in India’s World Cup triumph. They have been with the boys from the start, grooming them, nurturing them, and most of all, making them believe in themselves that they are worthy of becoming world champions because oftentimes, nerves get the better of people, and they are still under 19s mind you, on big occasions. And it was very important for someone like a Dravid to be with this young group because he embodies everything we attach goodness to. He was probably the last one to play the sport, the Gentlemen’s game as it is called, with the spirit it echoed.

This has been a fantastic achievement by the boys, winning the U-19 World Cup, but they must remember, it is just the beginning. They have a long way to go and if this tournament is anything to go by, the future of Indian cricket looks to be in safe hands. It is a wonderful stepping stone for many and they would be full of confidence going ahead having defeated the best of the teams to become world champions. It must be overwhelming for most of them to create history and be at the forefront. However, it’s only a matter of time before we see some of them playing for India at the highest level. For now, we must let them have their moment. It must take a lot to soak it in, to let it sink in before they bask in the glory that comes with this win and enjoy the richly deserved success.