The Match Referee

CWC19: A Eulogy Of The Indian Cricket Team

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 13:57:00 +0000

My dearest Cheeku,

I'm addressing this to you because I don't know who else would care as much as I do. I don't know who else would hurt as much as I am hurting. Truth be told, I feel like I'm writing a eulogy of the greatest team not to win a cricket world cup, not a blog post.

I'm addressing this to you because we've come a long way - you and I. From the clubs of the world's greatest cricketing cities to the (supposed) home of cricket. We've seen many downs, but more ups. We've seen the best of days and downright dismal ones.

I'm addressing this to you because a day after the fact, the pain is still raw and you're the only one that I can think might be feeling something similar.

Before the tournament, when I was planning the drive from Manchester to Birmingham, I had two scenarios in mind:

The pressure is off and we can scout our finals opposition knowing full well that we qualified in Manchester; or
Anticipation of us winning and reaching the finals, knowing who we're going to play.

There was no third scenario - it never crossed my mind, so sure was I, that this was our moment. That this was our tournament. That our boys would make good on all the promise that they've filled us with over the last 4 years.

A gamut of emotions flashed through me as I drove. The most prominent among them being a sense of grief. Then it hit me: if I'm this glum, then what you and the boys must be feeling could only be described as truly dark.

After all, I'm just a fan. I accept your exploits as mine. The entertainment you provide is my escape. I probably shouldn't feel this empty, but I'm only human. I have emotions and I can't help but hope. I can't help but feel an emptiness that no concoction of expensive poisons has been able to fill.

You know what gets me most? It's that we had the best ODI team we've ever had. One of the strongest opening partnerships the game has ever seen. You, as the best ODI batsman and chase-master. A game-changing lot of finishers. And finally, a bowling attack that is unmatched in terms of economy and potency. But when the fat lady sang, we were never really in it.

The pundits have written reams about a lack of a genuine number 4 (which was almost "criminal" on the part of the selectors, if I'm being honest) but that shouldn't have derailed us in the manner in which we finally stumbled. I think you'll agree.

What gets me most is that we could still suffer the exact same fate in 4 years' time even if we find a genuine number 4 before then. What demoralises me is that I thought we were building a dynasty to rival that of the Aussies until 2005, but we're still far from that. What baffles me is that we still haven't been able to perform at a level that is greater than the sum of our parts despite boasting some GOAT candidates in our first XI.

Am I suggesting that you step down. No.

But we do need a change in the team's think-tank. Maybe an addition, but definitely replacements. As good as you are with your individual skills and the mindset that you instill in others, there is a lack of tactical awareness in the current setup that allows or even contributes nonsensical team selection all too often.

This is where you need help from the coaching team and especially the selection panel. You should never have been in a position to choose between the decidedly mediocre Vijay Shankar and nice-guy-but-not-really-a-batsman Dinesh Karthik as your backup number 4 and 5 for the most important match of the last 4 years.

I don't fully understand how much power you wield behind the scenes but the powers-that-be need to put the right structure around you to help you do what you do best. If they don't do it of their own accord, you must demand it. That is the essence of true leadership, is it not?

The way I see it, this is your time to do what Mahi did when he realised 3 of the big 4 were not longer fit-for-purpose in ODIs. To me it's clear that your legacy will be sculpted not so much with the changes you make to the playing XI, but the improvements you demand from those behind the scenes.

I hope and pray that you succeed. Because I'm not sure that my health can handle a three-peat of our world cup semi-finals curse.

Yours through the good times and the downright pathetic,
Ayush

CWC19: Semi-Final 1 Inda v NZ - The 3-Pronged Gameplan

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 00:51:00 +0000

It's fair to say that my brethren celebrated harder and louder as South Africa vanquished the Aussies, than we did as Team India made merry on the graveyard of joy that is currently masquerading as the Sri Lankan cricket team.

Our joy at watching the Aussies falter was not misguided - because if you did a secret ballot of Indian, English and Aussie players about who they would want to play in their semi-final, the unanimous answer from this poll would be New Zealand.

It's not that the Kiwis are lesser players or aren't good lads. It's just that some things in life are meant to be. Butter belongs on bread. Pink belongs on flamingos. New Zealand's cricketers belong in world cup semi-finals. No more. No less.

We live in strange times you see. The only reason I'm writing this right now is that I'm so anxious about tomorrow's game that I can't sleep. Not because one of us is sleeping in his India shirt and is sleeping on a bed so small that his legs are dangling off. The one sleeping next to him is halfway on the floor because the guy with long legs needs...a lot of room.

Then there's the other case where a king size bed isn't big enough for the smallest bloke among us. And what's with English hotels not being equipped with air conditioning - this is the Marriott for crying out loud - the purest symbol of American hospitality where air conditioners that could warm many globes are the first item on the specs sheet and oversized beds are next?!

I forgive you for concluding that I have no space to sleep and that's why I'm writing. This is not the case. I have my designated space. Everyone does in life. I'm writing because I bleed blue and I'm nervous about ~~tomorrow's~~ today's game and I consider it my duty to remind our Team India that this match-up with the Kiwis is a banana-skin game, because it's common knowledge that professional sportspersons don't read newspapers on the morning of a big match these days, they read blogs.

So if Team India are to maintain the natural order of life, here's what they must do to win (apart from scoring more runs and taking 10 wickets):

Play Ravi Jadeja

Fresh out of the ring with cricket's most cringeworthy commentator, our own Ravi Jadeja is on the warpath. It's time for Virat to harness and unleash this surd's pent-up frustration on the frail Kiwi batsmen.

Yuzi Chahal was rested for the last game so he'll definitely return, which means Kuldeep Yadav must make way. If you're used trotting out outdated cricketing norms you might complain about how both Jaddu and Yuzi spin the ball the same way. If this was you ask yourself, would you want two bazookas in your arsenal or a bazooka and a misfiring handgun?

Admittedly Jaddu's batting is about as useful as Khawaja's hamstring these days, but if those who bleed blue are known for anything, it's for holding out hope eternal for the return of past glories. But his fielding is still dynamite and Ravi would be proud of his "tracer bullet" arm.

Don't be afraid of chasing

Despite each cricket ground in England having a block the size of which could host an Olympic 400m relay, I don't understand why matches needed to be played on used pitches. Thankfully, wiser heads have prevailed and the semi-finals will be played on new decks.

This means two things:

Nobody knows how these new pitches will play. Will they be built for flat-track bullies or will they two-paced like the Indian economy?
The commonly agreed wisdom of bat first to win the world cup that has prevailed thus might well be as useful as useful as SanjuManju's "analysis" on TV.

You and I know for a fact that no team chases an ODI total like Team India in the last 8 years. Despite a weak middle order, we have enough firepower at the top and down below to chase any total, especially after we've been given the lead on how a pitch is playing. It is a strength and we should be confident of relying on when it comes to the crunch.

But it's been raining in Manchester over the last few hours and more rain is predicted for the match, which could turn this banana skin match into a real lottery. What would you do?

Who's our Piyush Chawla?

Mahi Bhai has single-handedly changed the meaning of the term "impact player" by using Piyush Chawla as a surprise "weapon" in both the 2008 ODI tri-series in Australia and the 2011 world cup final. So bamboozled were the Aussies and the Lankans by this most overrated of spinners that their batsmen were competing with each other about who could score the most dots when this bloke was bowling.

Unfortunately our growing list of infirmary visitors has meant that almost everyone who could've got a game during this world cup has got a game. Plus, with the 3D skils of Vijay Shankar back in Chennai and no other useless bowler in the squad to call upon, Virat's options are limited.

But there is one bloke. He was hitting the ball crisply in the nets over the last few days and nobody really knows any thing about him - especially not in ODI cricket. His breeding is unquestionable because he's just helped us do this down under for the first time ever.

Could Mayank Agarwal be the antidote to the number 4 plague that has gripped Team India over the last 12-18 months? Could Agarwal be Virat's Piyush?

PS. The smallest guy in our group is only 17 months old - in case you needed that context.

PPS. Mayank, as you choke on your Weetbix during breakfast over being compared to PC, I'm sorry. But you know what I mean, no?

CWC19: Is This Cricket's New Captain Grumpy?

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Wed, 26 Jun 2019 12:43:00 +0000

His team were hot favourites before the world cup began. His team just got smashed by their arch-rivals. He didn't make any runs. Then he was asked to explain other "experts" views at the press conference.

Is Eoin Morgan the new captain grumpy?

Earlier I wrote about how Morgan was putting up a fine exhibition of calmness under pressure, but this just proves what I concluded about the pressure that the England captain and his team are under.

You see, playing for a country that has had little national sporting success, despite employing some of the highest paid and bankable stars across many sports, brings with it an immense burden of expectation. Often inflated expectations.

I guess it's now clear that Eoin Morgan is now experiencing what every English football captain has endured since 1966. The only difference between said English football captains and Morgan, is that Morgan isn't even English!

CWC19: England vs Australia - 3 Things You Need To Know

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Wed, 26 Jun 2019 09:34:00 +0000

The pre-tournament favourites versus the tainted arch-enemy on the comeback trail - this match was going to be the veritable clash of the titans. In reality, it was a one-sided dud where after the 10th over, the Antipodeans in canary yellow were the only team that was going to win.

That's not to say that this match was inconsequential. We gleaned 3 very important learnings from this match:

1. England haven't just stolen South Africa's players...

...they've also poached the Saffas' undeniable ability to choke through their inability to play to their collective potential. How else do you explain the Poms' wilting under the burden of being heavy pre-tournament favourites?

Don't be fooled by Eoin Morgan's fine exhibition of calm, under-pressure leadership. He and the English brains-trust will know full well that their tournament hopes are hanging by a thread. Most worryingly, there seems little that they can do to arrest this woeful form slump.

Some might point to the return of Jason Roy as being the answer. I'm not convinced. You see, the problem with England is not their lack of firepower, but their lack of on-the-fly nous when playing against different opposition each game and on different surfaces. Having played tournament cricket in the past, I assure that that is not a muscle that can be built overnight.

The real question is whether England can actually now make the semi-finals, or will the Bangla tigers/Lankans/Pakis steal the 4th semi-final spot from under the Poms' noses?

2. Was I at the opera?

I realised yesterday that I have been spoiled. I've been spoiled by the electric atmosphere at India's matches, irrespective of the opposition, venue or competition. Because at yesterday's match, you could hear a pin drop.

You'd think there would be a certain tension and a requisite amount of needle when arch-enemies step on to the field in a tournament that actually matters. I found neither throughout the day yesterday. Was it the Lords effect where the English stiff-upper-lip is the only acceptable standard? Or was it that the locals shared my sense that their team was never really in the match?

This is not intended to be a diss, but a doffing of the cap to the Bharat Army and all those that bleed blue in stadia the world over who band together to make a day at the cricket entertaining and a pleasure to attend. A pleasure that is only heightened when on-field events are in our favour.

If you can afford me the liberty of saying so: we are incredible!

3. Forget England, Australia are the real world cup favourites

I've said it before and here I even pointed out the weaknesses that Australia needed to correct to become favourites to win this world cup. Unfortunately for all non-Australian fans, I fear that my prediction is coming true.

By introducing Jason Behrendorff into the starting lineup in place of Nathan Coulter-Nile, the Aussie middle overs bowling attack looks immeasurably stronger. This is primarily because Patty Cummins, our new favourite Aussie cricketer, can bowl all his 10 overs during the middle to late innings.

With Warner and Finch having worked out that wickets in hand after 10 overs is really where the game is won, the Aussies are clicking into a world cup gear that few of their rivals possess. The (sometimes annoying) Nasser Hussain put it perfectly in the analysis to last night's game where he said that the Aussies have discovered their world cup-winning formula despite all the on-field and off-filed travails they have been grappling with over the last 18 months.

This should be a scary thought for all Team India fans, only because India (and sometimes on New Zealand) is the only team that actually has a hope of seriously challenging the Aussies.

It's not just me that thinks so, the bookies have made the Aussies equal favourites to win the tournament, which I think is being very gracious to India because of all of India's frailties:

CWC19: New Zealand vs South Africa - 3 Things We Learned

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Wed, 19 Jun 2019 20:23:00 +0000

This was the match-up that has produced real contests over the last two editions of the Cricket World Cup. These two sides have enthralled both supporters and neutrals with everything from venom to heartbreak to pure brilliance. Even the most casual observer knew before the match that this one was going to be close regardless of the result.

How right those casual observers were! Here are the three key takeaways from this gripping encounter:

This is what India v Pakistan should be

To be real "contests", a cricket match requires three things, a) two well matched teams in terms of talent, b) an equal sprinkling of game-changing or explosive players on both sides, and c) an emotional quotient that helps some go to the next level and compels the weak to crumble most inexplicably.

Neutrals may not grasp the New Zealand vs South Africa rivalry, but it does exist. This rivalry didn't start with cricket, but was seeded by the two nations' shared passion for rugby supremacy. The apartheid era added a political dimension to this through the sporting boycotts, but in reality this is a rivalry based not on political disputes or jingoism, but on pure thrill of bettering an equal.

A fractious series during the Smith and Fleming eras brought some of the rugby emotion to the cricket field and in recent World Cups it's fair to say that these two teams have produced entirely gripping and see-sawing matches that help us remember why the ODI format and the ODI World Cup, in particular, is such a treat for fans.

These two teams show us just what is missing from India v Pakistan world cup matches. Time for the Pakis to pull up their socks, no?

Change your mindset, change your life

This is one of the four secrets of life and I've talked about it previously, but it's never been more true than when it's applied to the South African plight in cricket world cups.

In 1992, they were unlucky. In 1996, they were probably done under by a match-fixing captain and nobody expected them to do well in the subcontinent anyway. In 1999, they choked and it seems as if they've actually started believing in their own mental fragility, which is undoubtedly is stopping them from shaking the "chokers" tag.

Modern research tells us that we are what we believe. It's not a new concept, people like Napolean Hill had provided some "evidence" that this maxim was true many decades ago. The evidence of South Africa's world cup performances show us with complete certainty that the chokers tag has been (probably inadvertently) passed down through the various generations of South African teams - much like children imbibe the fears and biases of their parents from a very young age.

Their dropping of easy catches, missing easy run outs and not calling for reviews of clearly audible nicks are prime examples of team who's spirits have wilted because they believe that they don't have a chance of winning.

If you're a sports psychologist this is your chance to make a difference. To work with talented players and help take them to a new level simply be helping them believe in themselves. You'd be doing the cricketing world a huge favour by succeeding at this task too!

Do the Kiwis have a beautiful game in them?

The Kiwis have shown us that they can fight doggedly to win matches in this world cup. This grit is important in early-summer English conditions. But with the three favourites, Australia, England and India, showing that they can pile on big scores against half-decent bowling attacks, New Zealand batsmen will soon need to find a way to be fluent and confident in order to post or chase 300+ scores.

It's pretty clear to me that the semi-finalists have already been decided and New Zealand have the advantage of playing group games at all grounds that will host the semi-finals and the final, including Lords, which will host the final. But there has been a certain kink in their batting displays that should give Kiwi fans pause for thought about whether the men in black can really turn it on over the next 3 weeks.

As an aside, India is the only team of the four semi-finalists that will not play at Lords before reaching the final. Who in the BCCI allowed this to happen?

CWC19: 5 Things You Must Know About From Week 3

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 05:59:00 +0000

This was going to be a very short post, had it not been for the amazing atmosphere in Manchester - a match that Virat Kohli's Team India had seemingly won inside the first 10 overs, but we'll get to that shortly.

Here are the 5 things you need to know:

The people scheduling this world cup should be sacked

I don't say this lightly because taking someone's livelihood from them is no fun exercise - trust me, I know. But these supposed experts who thought it wise to schedule cricket's second-most important event in early-to-mid June in England of all places, are they worth the money they're being paid?

Anyone arguing that this weather is "unseasonable" knows nothing about England in early June. There's a reason Wimbledon is held in July. There's a reason that the BCCI only starts Team India's tours of England in July. You join the dots about when this world cup should have been held.

Are the Aussies peaking at the right time?

Six weeks is a long time in cricket. This tournament in particular gives all the big guns plenty of opportunity to experiment and perfect their combinations while doing just enough to qualify for the semi-finals. Australia, IMHO, is leading the pack in this regard.

I have a strong suspicion that while the Aussies are squeaking by for now, the sum of their parts is building up to slowly become a powerful, world cup winning force.

We now that Australia has world cup pedigree in spades. Their batting is the undoubted strength in this world up and it is that which seems increasingly ominous as the tournament progresses. If one or two others in their middle overs bowling unit can find the wherewithal to support the rejuvenated Mitch Starc, the Aussies might just be playing off on July 14.

The West Indies are operating like India of the 1990's

Team India fans remember the painful 90's when the game was lost as soon as Sachin Tendulkar was out. Our aspirations, our fortunes and our results started and finished with Sachin. It wasn't just his batting either, his bowling was of equal potency when compared to potency and venom offered by the David Johnson's/Dodda Ganesh's/Venky Prasad's of that time.

Andre Russell is to the West Indies in this world cup what Sachin was to Team India in the 90's. Playing him when he's injured is a stark reminder that the West Indies are a one-man-team, at least in their own minds.

It's painful to watch a talented bunch of entertainers shoot themselves in the foot time and again because they've forgotten the most basic shot in the cricketing textbook - the forward defence. Dre Russ is no Sachin. He doesn't have the talent nor the temperament to carry a team over 300 balls.

Somewhere along the way the Windies think tank forgot that strategy is a key part of ODI success. Proper batsmen with an 80 strike rate can often provide as much value as a batting order stacked with 100+ pinch hitters. It's such ~~unentertaining~~ people (think Darren Bravo) that give those like Dre Russ the license to wreak havoc.

I don't think this is rocket science, the Windies seem to think otherwise.

Change your mindset, change your life

It's a motto that the Sri Lankans will be wise to adopt. When team management starts complaining like little schoolkids, you can imagine the complete lack of leadership in that camp.

Long-time TMR readers will remember that I'm no fan of Sidhart Monga, but his insights into just how much is wrong with Sri Lankan cricket have redeemed him somewhat in my book. Fascinating, although very sad reading.

This is the only gameplan that will beat Team India

It's really simple, but nobody has managed to do it so far: get all of the top 3 out before the 20th over. After Shikhar Dhawan's hairline fracture, India's middle order has gone from having a soft underbelly to being completely non-existent.

The Pakis were utterly hopeless in their attempts to make a dint in the Indian top 3. So much so that even KL Rahul looked untroubled while strolling to his half-century. The biggest indictment on the Paki bowling attack is that it allowed Rahul to show us something that he's never managed thus far in his international career - to show us that he has half a batting brain.

The case of Rahul is a curious one. He has all the talent in the world, but despite being around Kohli and Rohit Sharma he appears to have learned nothing of the grit, tenacity and mindset that those two exhibit more often than not. Maybe, just maybe, CWC19 is for KL Rahul what CWC03 was for another supremely talented player of that time - Andy Symonds.

England and complacency are Team India's strongest opponents at this stage. Unless the plucky Afghans can prove me wrong.

CWC19: 5 Things You Must Know About From Week 1

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Sat, 08 Jun 2019 09:15:00 +0000

When the great game returns to its roots I was expecting lots of fanfare, fan parks and buzz. Lots of buzz. While much of the cricket in week 1 of Cricket World Cup 2019 has been enthralling, the onshore experience for cricket tragics like you and me has been underwhelming, at best.

Here's why:

Is there a cricket world cup going on in England?

In 2015 I commented to a friend of mine who was responsible for PR for the world cup about how her team had succeeded in creating an amazing atmosphere. The buzz was palpable even outside the grounds, where everyone was talking about cricket.

In the last week, I've seen one CWC19 poster in London and that was inside Lords. There's not a single billboard in the city that let's people know that the big show is in town. In Southampton to watch India demolish South Africa, the first signs we saw that the city might be hosting a world cup match, was 100 meters from outside the stadium gates.

The staff at the Artisan, which does a great smashed avo in case you're ever in Southampton, had no idea that the world cup was in town.

How did the ECB/ICC mess up so badly?

Who thought no reserve days was a good idea?

In a country where the last drought was 16 years ago, why are there no reserve days for the group games?

If you remember the rationale for trimming the minnows from CWC19, we were told it was to increase the number of more even matches. Thereby provided greater spectacles for the fans.

IMHO, there's no point having fewer teams if you're only going to subject them to the whims of the British weather Gods. A great match is one that is actually played, not one that is abandoned.

Just ask the Pakis.

Mitchell Starc is swinging the ball again

I'm not insinuating anything here. I'm not going to dredge the depths of cricket fan sledging by bringing up events of the past. I don't want to besmirch any reputations, especially those that have already been befouled by their owners.

But, I think someone needs to point this out. Two of Australia's finest ball tamperers come back into the team and Mitch Starc, who has been resembling more of a dinghy than a destroyer for the last 12 months, amazingly starts hooping the ball around menacingly again.

Who would've thunk it?

England are no sure bets to win this world cup

Yes, they're playing at home. Yes, they have an amazing batting lineup. Yes, they've lorded over the ODI scene over the last 4 years. But a world cup is a different beast where fortunes change for no logical rhyme or reason.

The Pakis seem to have again saved their unpredictable best for these six weeks. The Aussies have 1 in-form batsman and bowling attack that can finally swing the ball again (see above). And the Indians are probably the most balanced team in the tournament.

You and I already know that it's not mountains of runs or great batting lineups that wins world cups. It's the bowling that brings home the bacon. Do England have the strongest bowling attack of the three main contenders?

My early call is that they don't.

Are India saving Mohammad Shami until July?

Remember how MSD used Piyush Chawla as the X-factor for a one-off final or a finals series? The least talented spinner to ever wear an India cap was used to befuddle the world's best ODI players in major tournaments by the world's greatest captain, ever.

I wonder if Virat Kohli is doing the same by not playing Shami? I mean no harm to Shami's reputation by juxtaposing his selection with that of Chawla's, but it makes sense that Kohli thinks playing Bhuvi Kumar in June in English conditions gets the best out of him. Shami then uses this time to rest and recharge for the big tilt at the pointy end of the tournament.

If this indeed is the plan, I think it's genius!

Virat Kohli: His Evolution From King To Emperor

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 00:28:00 +0000

Source: ICC Cricket

When Fox Cricket coined him the King, I thought it was a fantastic marketing gimmick, but a little hyperbolic nonetheless. However, when Virat Kohli's Team India sealed the deal in Sydney, it dawned on me that calling him the King might be doing him a disservice. Virat Kohli is conquering cricket at a rate that puts him on track to becoming the Emperor. If, he can do one thing.

I'll come back to that one thing, but first understand that there are ~~three~~ two accomplishments that distinguish ~~wheat from the chaff~~ kings from emperors:

A king rules one "country" or "nation"; an emperor rules over many; and
A king normally rules by birthright; an emperor normally rules by conquest.
~~Having every man of Indian descent feel obliged to refer to your wife as "Bhabhi".~~

Kohli has already conquered the lesser Test playing nations and you'll be well aware of his most recent achievement. He's already the most successful Indian captain, winning the equal most away tests, in fewer attempts.

The juicy scalps missing from his list of conquests, test series wins in England and South Africa, have seemed out of reach, in perception and in reality, for most of Kohli's predecessors. I put it to you that these blots on his record will also be erased within the next 4 years.

You might sit there thinking, "jeez, that's a big call." I'll tell you why it's not. Kohli's modus operandi and path to success is a great guide about why I'll be right:

He failed on hi first trip to Australia. He came back 4 years later, scored four centuries in his first series as full-time captain. A 2-0 series result could easily have been 1-1 or 0-2 with a little more support from his teammates. Then he did the unimaginable in 2018/19.
His batting was an abject failure on the 2014 trip to England, a personal record that he promptly rectified in 2018. We all know that the eventual 4-1 result doesn't tell the real story of how close this series actually was. Again, the team needed merely another ounce of nous and fortitude to completely turn the final series tally on its head.
He's never failed personally on South African tours. The 2018 was a classic example of poor scheduling by the BCCI, because of which the South Africans were able to win the series before Team India had woken up.

Where past performance may not be a good guide to future performance for shares and superannuation funds, it definitely is for Virat Kohli. Each four year cycle brings us an even better Virat Kohli. But this is not why my prediction will be proved correct.

Each four year cycle proves that Virat Kohli improves as a leader of men. It's easy to improve yourself. But helping others become better versions of themselves is a concept that has eluded many great cricketers from the motherland. It is this commitment to continuous growth that will see Captain Kohli conquer lands that Team India fans like you will have thought impossible only a decade ago.

Temporary regressions and aberrations are a part of life. It may be hard to believe, but even King Kohli is a mere mortal and he will faces new challenges that will stretch his aptitude, leadership and fortitude. But the bloke clearly learns from his mistakes and ensures that his charges do the same.

My logic is undeniable, even to unbelievers among us. So before you accuse me of heinous crimes like being biased and bleeding blue, by no means am I contending that his evolution from king to emperor is complete, just that it is all but inevitable.

I well understand that the difference between Captain Kolhi's achievements now and at the end of his career will be the difference between wonderful and incredible.

Which is why I implore his naysayers to appreciate him for the unbridled joy he brings to our lives and forgive him for any flaws they may perceive in his ability or character (if not also for Bhabhi's choice of movies), because Royal gems like this one aren't born every day - not even if our land abounds in nature's gifts of beauty rich and rare.

Tell me I'm wrong.

Why This Is Also Your Achievement

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Sat, 12 Jan 2019 13:15:00 +0000

I was sitting on the back lawn with my 11-month old and watching has his fine motor skills improve in front of my very own eyes. I handed him a blade of grass, which he initially struggled to grasp. Very soon, not only was he swapping blades of grass from hand to hand, he was pulling more out like a seasoned pro. All this happened in a matter of 10 minutes.

The sense of achievement I felt on my sons's behalf was just the same that I felt after witnessing Team India end our 70-odd year wait and impale the Aussies on their own flagpole in a test series. Albeit that this victory took a little longer to manifest.

You might judge me for comparing the two, but if you're a true Indian cricket fan, you too will find little else in life that supersedes this achievement.

In no way am I being facetious with this comparison. While the players undoubtedly deserve the plaudits for their achievement, every real Team India fan knows just how much we have invested in their success over our lifetimes. We may not train every day, but the emotional energy we expend praying, hoping, cheering is just as taxing.

The satisfaction we feel at this achievement is our trophy for surviving the lean times, when everything from Bucknor, et al, to snicko hearing invisible edges from Dravid, conspired with the many inadequacies of our players to leave us feeling like someone was conducting very thorough penetration testing on our sensibilities.

Where we had to console ourselves with responding to Aussies' taunts of "go back to where you came from" with a "Centrelink is that-a-away," we can now also laugh and attack with "scooooreboard". Every real Team India remembers the despair-laden tracks we made after yet another Indian loss. More than losing, it was the feeling that our team never really stood a chance that actually mentally disintegrated us.

While I applaud the new India that has produced a Team India that starts fights rather than wilting at the first sign of opposition aggression; while I appreciate that new fitness standards have ensured that we start the match as equals rather; what I revel in is that our unending and unwavering support is now actually rewarded with the opportunity to destroy our lungs for not only "jeetega bhai jeetega," but also "jeet gaya bhai jeet gaya..."

So the next time you traverse Yarra Park / Driver Ave / St John's Wood Road / Corlett Drive after bleeding blue and carrying Team India to victory, take a moment to absorb that sense of achievement, to embrace that feeling of barracking for a team that actually plays to win. Generations for have of your brethren have yearned to feel what you've just achieved.

If you need inspiration, get it from my good friends at the Bharat Army who put other more media savvy supporter groups to shame by stoking our passion, dedication and verve.

Do you feel it now?

The Rot Started With The Temporary Captain

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Sun, 06 Jan 2019 07:25:00 +0000

After an enthralling test series where Team India will conquer their "final frontier", all fingers are being waggled at the wrong ~~characters~~ players in the Australian dressing room. While some Australian players are undoubtedly unworthy of wearing the baggy green, nothing is as clear as the need for Australia's temporary captain to accept full responsibility for his team's embarrassing and farcical performance.

TPaine's lack of leadership ability and presence on the field means that this hapless Australian team never had a chance in this series or any other that it takes the field under his leadership. Despite this humiliation at the hands of King Kohli's warriors, it appears that everyone but TPaine's position in the team is up for question.

I put it to you that effective and prominent leadership is required in exactly two situations in cricket:

When a team is performing poorly and well below the sum of its individual parts; and
When a team is performing well with a core of established, confident and outspoken stars.

Cricket, in particular, is a sport where leadership must come from the captain, because it is the captain who makes the real decisions in the heat of battle. A cricket captain's role is not just to make bowling changes and decide the batting order. His most important job is to coax, cajole and demand team performances that far exceed the sum of his teammates' abilities.

You should already have joined the dots to arrive at the conclusion that TPaine has been an abject failure in performing the most important component of his job. If you're still on the fence, consider this:

It was Allan Border's captaincy that turned his group of above average cricketers into world beaters. Before Border, Australian cricket was in crisis during the Hughes era.
Nasser Hussain employed not only tactics, but presence to turn a team of club cricketers into frustrating, fierce competitors - quite a departure from the dismal results that a myriad of English captains before him managed to produce.
Glen Turner brought in Lee Germon as a specialist captain to reform the team after a decade of insipidness under Rutherford and co. While Germon had little success, he paved the way for a strong, long-term captain that New Zealand needed, Stephen Fleming.
Mark Taylor had the presence (and gum chewing ability) to scare an elephant and this helped him to harness the talents and desires of great players to forge a dynasty. Ditto Steve Waugh. Ditto Ricky Ponting.
The Prince was the exact dose of attitude, clarity and vision that the doctor ordered to cure the traditional and self-inflicted ills of Indian cricket. Ganguly single-handedly dragged Indian cricket out of its generations-long slumber.
I'm ill qualified to comment on the Gary Sobers and Clive Lloyd reigns, but from all accounts those two blokes did a statistically fine job of managing the biggest egos south of Wall Street.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not having a go at TPaine. He's doing the best he can, but he simply doesn't have the toolbox to succeed as an Australian captain. By all accounts, he's a nice guy, and this may just be where the problem lies. He's probably TOO nice.

If King Kohli is at one end of spectrum of expressive leaders, TPaine weighs in at the exact opposite. I'm all for captains supporting their players when the chips are down. But, captaincy is not a popularity contest. The captain must be willing and able to bring the thunder when it is becomes painfully obvious that certain personalities are under-performing.

I challenge you to conjure a single instance where TPaine has reacted with even the mildest hint of emotion at a piece of poor fielding or bowling. While I agree with you that negativity doesn't always help, you will also have to admit that a timely injection of emotion goes a long way to extracting inspired performances that do not correlate with talent or ability.

As someone who has oft railed against the arrogance of Australian cricketers, particularly Australian captains, it is so pathetic to watch one who only serves to remind me of the white flag of surrender. Australian cricketing tradition has not been built on the backs of nice guys who accept definitions of "the line" rather than writing those oh-so-convenient definitions.

In the grim wake of Cape Town, Australian cricket may have needed a new personality at the top, but what miscalculation convinced the powers-that-be that they needed a person with characteristics completely unrecognisable from those of his recent predecessors?

Again, this is not TPaine's fault. He was made a temporary captain by his Board. But somewhere along the way, the Board lost itself in its own troubles and forgot to install a real captain.

Unfortunately, TPaine's legacy will only be that of a captain who "led" a team that plumbed horrific depths that Australian cricket and its fans would not have imagined in their worst nightmares. After all, we know that the rot always starts from the top.

A River of Purpose and Joy

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 13:17:00 +0000

There's a river that runs behind our house. It's a man-made stream but it is expansive and beautiful enough for me to lose myself watching the water flow, every day. It fills me with hope and sense of purpose that no pep talk can do for me. So does MS Dhoni every time he takes the field.

As we watch Indian cricket's greatest leader make everyone dance to his own unselfish, but highly focused tune one last time, I couldn't help but pen a few thoughts about a man who has filled me with hope and vistas of joy for over a decade, and almost always, held up his end of the bargain.

Writers with greater access than me will unearth stories about how he transformed the team, the players, even the system. But this is a man who most Indian cricket fans never met, but he still transformed their mental states for a few days every year. Year after year. There can be no bigger success than this.

I'm a Sachin fan through and through, but Dhoni has his own special place in my pantheon. It's difficult to admit, but he probably stands on the same pedestal as Sachin, in my book. This is not because of his grotesque technique. Not because of the helicopter shot. Not even because he won a few important trophies. It's because he filled us, the fans, with an unending hope that a match could be won, no matter how hapless the team's position or fancied the opposition.

For purists and cricket tragics like me, it isn't Dhoni's skills that make him so irresistible. It's his mind. His unmatched command of the situation; his ability to manipulate most situations to his advantage; but most importantly, the audacity with which he leads the most ordinary into slaying the most fancied. It's a trait few leaders possess, but one which a young Dhoni so magnificently articulates in his gripping biopic after the game during which a young Yuvraj made merry.

The mystery that the man has built around his persona is lamented by professional scribes. This opacity didn't help Dhoni's image during Srini-gate. Those who wished his reputation tarnished (and make no mistake, there were many such infidels) almost succeeded. But the thing about real heroes and true legends is that their reputations aren't built on performances or statistics, they are constructed with almost equal dollops of charisma, mystery and tenacity. Characteristics that real fans appreciate and naysayers never seem to imbibe.

It takes a man of unprecedented panache conjure as much respect for the near misses, as he does for his undisputed successes. MS's successor will do well to take every last opportunity to understand this from close quarters. I thank the heavens for allowing me the good fortune to witness MS flow free, if only for a few short moments more.

The King of Good Times Is Not Merely Lip-Service

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 04:06:00 +0000

I'm not talking about the beer, but the man behind the brand. At least, the bloke that owns it. My debut first-hand experience with the IPL this year has blown my mind as to how spectators can really be given value for money in Indian sporting stadiums. I must admit I come from the school that propagates the "sport must be front and center" line of thought. Anyone who has seen a live sporting event in Australia will understand this acutely. Australia is a place where entertainment is provided by the warriors on the park and everything else is left to the drinking holes behind the stadium or before/after the game.

The first Royal Challengers Bangalore match of IPL6 at the Chinnaswamy stadium was my first experience with American-style sports entertainment, outside of the US. I love my cricket. I mean, the technical, dour aspects of the game. I could watch a test match, alone in a stadium, if I wasn't so afraid of looking like a loner! Yet, the Chinnaswamy's exhibition of criketainment was something from a different planet.

I haven't been to other IPL6 venues this year, but from what I can see on TV, they don't come close to the RCB, Chinnaswamy experience. The Chinnaswamy married glitz, glam and the wonderful game in a heady cocktail of irresistible entertainment.

There wasn't one identifiable element that elevated the event above all others. It wasn't just the DJ. It wasn't just the sea of red. It wasn't just the nightclub like ambience. It wasn't just the traditional dancers showing up the cheerleaders. It was all of these things rounded off with massive Chris Gayle sixes, a dollop of Virat Kohli elegance and a sprinkling of the mastery that only one Sachin Tendulkar can provide at the crease.

Mallya's airline might have crashed. His personal fortunes may be in decline. But, when it comes to selling good times, this bloke certainly can still teach his disciples and naysayers a thing or three.

The Cracks Keep on Swallowing

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 18:24:00 +0000

Cracks. Dust. Dodgy pitches. They may as well all be synonyms for an Australian cricketer thinking about Indian conditions. After the progress of Waugh and Gilchrist's teams, it appears that Australian cricket has once again regressed to the depths of the abysmal, as far as subcontinental form is concerned. The series has only reached the halfway mark and the dogs are already out!
In all honesty, however, Phil Hughes really shouldn't feel so dispirited. After all, one of the best batsmen of his generation, good ol' Ricky Ponting, would rather have batted on ice than against Indian spinners on Indian pitches.

England proved during the previous Ashes and India has proven all over again, that Australian cricket is short of ideas. Not talent. Just ideas. Domestic performance is measured after tests undertaken on domestic featherbeds. Australia's best bowlers are, more often than not, injured during international duty, which leaves international batting hopefuls to play against "next best" attacks. These are not the characteristics of a system that once produced two decades of some of the greatest cricketers seen in the modern game.

Team India was a great cricket team two years ago. Many a whitewashed series since have well and truly exposed the existence of cracks that every Indian fan dreaded. Today's Team India should not be beating the Aussies in a manner so demoralising. A team must know it's plumbing the depths of despair when the enigmatic Ravindra Jadeja becomes a 'match-winning' Test match bowler!

This Australian debacle can only be attributed to a poor domestic structure that churns out flat-track bullies and an administration that has lost the ability to stick to the over-arching principles that produced success in such abundance over the previous two decades.

Fixes for these structural issues are not found overnight. There will be more failures and more reports and more discontent. Team India fans can only but look ahead to Mohali with utmost glee and anticipation.

Is Anyone Still Watching The IPL?

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:10:00 +0000

What are we up to now? IPL5? IPL6? I've lost count and I've lost interest. Part of it could be attributed to the lack of Lalit Modi. Part of it could be attributed to the absence of the FakeIPLPlayer. Mostly, in a sign of how the IPL has turned from cricket into packaged entertainment with little allegiance, my lack of interest can be attributed to the lack of TV coverage here in Australia. Lalit Modi created the IPL for TV. From the gaudy opening and closing ceremonies to the strategic timeouts. From the fat pay cheques to the televised player auctions. The IPL was an 'As Seen on TV' product. So what happens when the TV doesn't carry it any longer? The product fails. At least it has in Australia. The ratings drop suffered by last season's IPL was easily blamed on a nation still hungover from winning the World Cup. Most things in Indian cricket are attributed by those in power to 'minor blips' or 'something not so important' (anyone remember Team India's performances in England and Australia recently?). The real reason for a fall in TV ratings, anywhere in the world, is the fact that cricket administrators, the world over, don't actually care about crowds and audiences. They'll happily take in sponsorship money from betting sites, but won't actually take notice of how such sites treat their customers to ensure they keep coming back. It's high time administrators started paying attention to us, the fan that deserves a whole lot more love than we're currently getting.

Will The Real Swami Army Please Stand Up?

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:30:00 +0000

After 1 and half Tests of this 2011/12 Australian summer, it has become increasingly clear to many at the MCG and SCG recently that the famed Swami Army is merely a group of media hungry, bandwagon Team India fans bankrupt of all passion and verve when the chips are down. It's all well and good to tell the truth in advance, but at some point very soon there will need to be substance to support the fluff, else this lot's credibility will leak from Australian cricket stadiums at quite some rate of knots.

It is easy to join in the banter when life is good, but the modus operandi of a real supporter group should be to sustain the volume and vigour from the stands when shoulders begin to sag on the park. This requires creativity. This requires a genuine commitment to the cause. Above all, this requires unadulterated passion for the team in the face of all obstacles. After having witnessed this group in the flesh in Sydney and Melbourne, I can only surmise that they sadly may lack many of these qualities.

The one notable exception to this are the diligent lads on the dhol. They have shown time and again that they only need a small group to dance to their rapturous beats in an attempt to keep the inhabitants of the Swami Army bay from falling asleep. Long may they continue their fine work!

Welcoming High Commissioners and former Prime Ministers and cricketers is all fine and dandy. It looks great on TV and is also great fodder for the sound bite hungry online news media, and its no secret that any supporter group needs ample publicity to succeed. However, to actually fill a bay at an Australian cricket ground you need to be inclusive and prove that you are able to rally the troops when results on the park are less than stellar. Otherwise you leave yourself open to suffering the ignominy of being drowned out by opposition fans in all but the four rows you occupy.

As is the case for Team India for the remainder of this summer, there is still time aplenty for the Swami Army to prove they are the real McCoy and not merely the fair weather, flat track bullies they appear to be at the minute.

Scrape Till You Can't Scrape No More

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 07:11:00 +0000

So four years after Lalit Modi and the BCCI gave us the IPL, Cricket Australia has decided the time is right to introduce its own franchised ~~clone~~ Big Bash League. It all sounded like a good idea, until they started telling us that the biggest crowd pullers they could attract to the competition were two 40 year olds. One is most recently known for giving up pizza in order to bed a former supermodel, while the other used to sell cookbooks and endorse oddly shaped cricket bats!

Has Cricket Australia seriously lost the plot in dusting off these "show stoppers" or is it merely a reflection of the sorry state of Australian cricket? It sounds ominously like the latter, for mine.

Take nothing away from the many exploits of Matthew Hayden and Shane Warne. Particularly, Shane Warne. Loyal readers of The Match Referee will attest to our unconditional adoration of the Great(est) Victorian (ever), over the years. The question is not of their greatness, but of their relevance to professional cricket in 2011/12. Frankly, for blokes who haven't bowled or hit a ball in anger since the inaugural IPL season, they are as good as irrelevant on a cricket field today.

The seeds of this sorry situation were sown all the way back on that Ashes tour when Andrew Symonds was sent packing, reportedly at the behest of one Michael Clarke. Cricket Australia lost Australia's best all-rounder in decades because of the personal peeves of an individual in whom they had invested all their eggs. You do not need a financial advisor to tell you why that was a disaster waiting to happen!

The result of all that pettiness is that Australian cricket has no bankable current player capable of drawing a crowd. Clarke's name is poison after THAT tawdry affair and other shenanigans, Shane Watson has proven himself to be a somewhat unbalanced simpleton, David Warner is a one hit wonder and Mitchell Johnson is best known these days for fighting with his mum in the Australian Women's Weekly. Hell, Mohammad Hafeez would have been a better face of the Big Bash League than these blokes!

This was the ideal time for CA to expend serious cash and bring in the big names of the sport globally. Instead, they've trotted down the County cricket route where geriatrics pose as cricketers. Such decision are only likely to increase the amount of money made by the sports betting types lurking in the midst!

Australian cricket needs more than just the Crawford Report. It needs an overhaul at the top, a large dollop of fresh ideas and someone prepared to make the tough decisions that will see the development of commercially bankable stars. Talent, personality and charisma get the turnstiles whirring, not corporate blandness and rigidity.

In It To Win It

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 17:31:00 +0000

The Match Referee has been the staunchest supporter of Yuvraj Singh over the years. It doesn't take a genius to deduce that the kid has raw ability that many current international cricketers would kill for, however, like many of our loyal readers, we've often questioned whether he has the temperament and / or desire to fulfil his potential and deliver on the hopes and dreams of his many fans?

His past indiscretions / misdemeanours / lapses in judgement are well known to all and do not need to be trotted out here. However, I'm a student of a large school of thought that was hoping, praying and daring to believe that Yuvraj's performances in THAT tournament (yes, "the best world cup of all time"!!) was a turning point in Yuvraj's life. A turning point that would see him permanently ejected from the 'pretender' category and given his rightful dues in the 'genuine superstar' category.

Alas, thanks to a mysterious "lung infection" my fellow pupils and I have again been left scratching our heads as to whether this is yet again the corner that Yuvraj or his destiny steadfastly refuses to turn! After recently being dropped from the ODI team, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Yuvraj had realised that you've gotta be in it to win it. Clearly not!

In Yuvraj's place, Suresh Raina has shown that he may just have the gumption to turn himself into what Yuvraj has been promising all these years. Also, let's not forget that this tremendously unsuccessful series for Virat Kohli is probably the best thing that could've happened to the lad at this point in his career, for he has confronted every previous setback head-on and grasped his next opportunity with a vengeance and panache that belie age. There is no doubt that Kohli will be back in white very, very soon.

What about Yuvraj, you ask? I reckon weather forecasters have a better success rate than those predicting the outcome of Yuvraj's career, and we know how accurate our weather predictions are, right?

Same Ol' Same Ol'

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:34:00 +0000

So much has happened in cricket over the past months that a passive peruser of cricket media would be forgiven for thinking the sky has fallen in. But, stop and think for a second. What do you know now that you didn't know 6 months ago? Have the events of the past few weeks actually changed your opinions about players from certain countries, proficiency (or lack thereof) of cricketing administrators or the unparalleled brilliance and grace of the living legends?

Reams have been wasted on the ~~spot~~ match-fixing controversy, but the revelations of Mazhar Majeed or the desperate and amateurish allegations of Ijaz Butt have taught us other than that the most delinquent team ever to take to a cricket field is still doing what the whole world has suspected, proven and kept suspecting. Clichés abound about fathers and sons, and apples and trees.

Then come reports of a certain Australian captain being advised by an Australian cricketing great to follow the in the footsteps of ~~God~~ one Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. I, for one, would have thought there was a greater chance of Mike Hussey being caught with a hooker than any member of the Australian cricketing establishment advising his current captain to follow the lead of an Indian. For all the shock and horror of such news, Taylor has merely pilfered what real Team India / Sachin fans have been quietly advocating for years. Does that make us experts too, then?

And in the "It Happens Only In India" files, the BCCI has again affirmed its unstated view that it is a nation unto itself. That compromise, humility, national pride or common sense are attributes as foreign to it as cricket is to North Korea. The Indian Commonwealth Games organising committee must be the only body of its type to allow the sport with the largest supporter base in that country to play a marquee series during the Games, without even the slightest attempt at a whimper. Suresh Kalmadi's claims that he wasn't busy augmenting his personal accounts with public funds seem increasingly dubious.

Given nothing has really changed, we can assure ourself that the treacherous trio from Pakistan will soon be off the hook on account of lack of evidence, Harbhajan Singh will be "slapped" with a ban / fine at least once during the next month and Michael Clarke will once again out-bowl Nathan Hauritz in a Test, if not the entire series.

With this in mind, will you be watching India v Australia, or diversifying with a little multi-sport action offered by the other even in town?

If you enjoy watching the great sport of Cricket, why not check out the latest Cricket Betting?

Money Makes Your World Tick, Ricky

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:35:00 +0000

You can't blame Ricky Ponting for being stuck in the times of Taylor and Waugh. A man is defined by his experiences and upbringing, and Ponting grew up in an era where brotherly Aussie love within it's cricket team was the be all and end all. However, in these times of freelance cricketers, the IPL and significantly greater personal at stake, such institutions of togetherness are paid lip mere service, at best.

With this background, it is no surprise that Ponting assumed that the words of the captain of Australia would carry the weight they once did. Welcome to the real world, mate.

As the opportunity and burden of personal responsibility and decision making power is transferred to kids of increasingly younger ages, so is their prerogative to pick and choose the people who's advice they heed. With Ponting's admission that nobody heeded his advice with respect to Aussie players' participation in IPL³, it is infinitely clear that the office of Australian cricket captain no longer carries the clout for which it was once renowned. Some might even argue that Ponting's unsuitability for this role has been the catalyst for this erosion of influence.

Ponting's strategic shortcomings are ruthlessly exposed by such admissions of leadership failure, especially in an era where he has been charged with the responsibility of developing and moulding a new generation to recover their nation's reputation as consistent world-beaters. Ineffective and impotent is a leader bereft of powers of persuasion or incapable of showing the requisite discretion to carefully select the fringe issues on which his voice must be heard by his charges.

It doesn't help that Ponting's own conflicted interests in this matter could rightly be deemed by many as highly hypocritical. The result of these heated discussions also put paid to frequent foreign players' utterances that security and safety is paramount in their thinking. Such assertions are pure facetious at best, for the it is abundantly clear that the number of greenback-filled suitcases are the sole consideration.

Ponting's leadership qualities have never been his strong suit. He has failed almost every time a situation has required him to show real leadership, tact or guile, on or off the pitch. His latest admission is yet more affirmation that Cricket Australia needs to act strongly and decisively in charting a succession plan that will deliver a captain that the next generation of Australian cricketers demand and deserve.

Where'd All The Good People Go?

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:12:00 +0000

Compare the decks prepared for the SSC Test between Sri Lanka and India to those prepared in the ongoing England v Pakistan series and you have before your eyes ample evidence of a sad and irritating attitude of subcontinental indifference to one of the key ingredients that will ensure the continued success of the most revered format of our great game. Add to this the utterly illogical support for the SSC surface from one of the greatest names in Sri Lankan cricket and the picture, of a total lack of understanding of the issue at all levels, is complete.

While the third Test track for the Lanka v India series was almost the perfect subcontinental track in terms of balance between bat and ball, one gets the distinct feeling that such occurrences are a function of happenstance, rather than the result of strategic planning and / or scientific formulation. The issue is one of supreme importance because there appear to be two distinct schools of thought on the issue of good cricket wickets: those that care and those that do not. Unfortunately, these groups are delimited by geographic and board room voting lines, thereby, making it very difficult to impress upon them the need for change.

It is an irrefutable fact that a healthy bottom line is integral to the continued success of the game. It is, however, a travesty that the Asian boards are now intent on devaluing the product to make it last longer for their TV executive masters. Surely it is not that difficult to create a 'product' that maintains its quality while still lasting the best part of five days? What's the point of Viagra, if there is no climax?

As with every malaise in subcontinental cricket, the rot starts at the very top. The charge of apathy towards the what's really good for the game can be laid squarely at the feet of cricket administrators who's wont for power and tendency towards greed far outweighs their sense of responsibility towards the stakeholders who look to them for leadership, guidance and vision.

The ineptitude blighting the administration of the game in both the East and West will do it no good. While not perfect, Cricket Australia actually makes admirable attempt at introspection and continued self-improvement. Its experiments and players may not be the most popular, but name me another cricket board that faces as much pressure from rival sports as Cricket Australia, and still manages to succeed? I guess it really is true that competition really does sort the wheat from the chaff.

Given the rapidity with which preparations for another of the subcontinent's great sporting hopes, the Commonwealth Games, are unravelling I'm moved to join Jack Johnson in asking, "where'd all the good people go?"

Dear Diary

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Mon, 24 May 2010 01:02:00 +0000

In the second instalment of our Dear Diary series we afford ourselves an exclusive sneak peak into the life of a player who has seemingly been in the news for reasons more bad than good in recent times. You do the math:

May 10
Big game tomorrow. Through some miracle we actually still have a chance of making it to the semis. To be honest though, with me out of form, and the Aussies letting the world know that we still can't play bounce, I don't see the point. Had the usual pre-game team meeting. Usual shit was said. Thankfully that clown Jadeja has finally been kicked off the team. What do people see in him? Such a waste of space. Even then, we've got one bloke who can't hit the ball unless it bounces with 1 metre of where he's standing. I'm out of form. Gauti's out of form. Vijay (or is it Murali, I still don't know?) eats too much idli sambar to be any good and there's a shortage of milk in St Lucia, so Dhoni will probably flop. Everyone knows what's going to happen. Let's just enjoy the beach, down some liquids and check out the scenery - and I don't mean of the floral variety. We're all going to cop it when we get back anyway, lets just live a little while we still have the chance.

May 11 (Pre-match)
Doing my usual prep for the game. I got kitted up in my hotel room to do some visualisation, but then I was really uncomfortable. The numpties must've turned the heat up too high in the hotel dryer coz my India shirt didn't fit properly. Way too tight. I know I've put on a few kilos over the past couple of years (after all I am a senior player now), but I'm still no Ramesh Powar. I mean look at Kapil paaji, he hardly had a beach body and he was one of the greatest ever. People really should mind their own business. Either way, I'll still pick up more models than any crap blogger who thinks I'm too fat.

May 11 (Post-match)
Shit hit the fan. 7 of us got called in for private meetings with the coach. Even this idiot thinks I'm too fat. He reckons he's fitter than me. WTF!! Just coz I drink a little, party a little, doesn't mean I lose my natural talent. It's not rugby where we all need to look like Teri Maa Ki. What does the coach expect? Everyone knew I was out of form. They knew picking me was a gamble. Hell, me out of form is still better than that Jadeja in form. I think coach was just frustrated. Mid-life crisis maybe. Whateva. Last night before heading back, gonna make it a big one!

May 12
Last night was a waste. It started off pretty well, we were all giving Nehra crap about how he looks like a horse and Jadeja was about to cry because we made it obvious that he was the only player to have lost his country not 1, but 2 world cups, and then some idiots started having a go at us. They must've been call centre workers, bloody fools were putting on some weird American accent. You're Indian, just talk normally, no? Everything was fine until they were concentrating on Jadeja & Pathan, then one clown called me fat. And I lost it. Obviously I'd had a little to drink so the emotions were flowing. I would've punched that guy's lights out, but some bouncer saved him just in time.

Some Aussie players were sitting in another corner, but they saw what happened. Nothing would have come out, coz no punches were thrown, just some swearing, word is that the same idiot who got Teri Maa Ki kicked out of the team blabbed all about it to the media. We really are gonna cop it now!

May 16
Coming through customs today, some bloody customs officer thought I had something hidden under my shirt. I was like WTF!! I said it was only my frickin stomach. He had the gall to tell me it looked too big to be a stomach. He even lifted my shirt to have a look! What's with these people?!?!?

May 18
Apparently I've received a show cause notice. What notice? From whom? The bloody BCCI tells the media it's going to do something and then actually does it a week later. And what are we going to tell the BCCI anyway? That Nehra needs braces and Jadeja is a waste of space and should be offered to Pakistan as Sania's dowry? Dad says not to worry coz I'm the Sher of Punjab and this is only minor. It's not like they're gonna sack me from the team! Hell Lalit's got them in so much trouble they won't even bother with us. Anyway, Priety's in town with some friends. Gonna be lots of drinking tonight. I love alcohol, its legal, gets you happy and doesn't make you fat.

Seriously? No Way!

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Fri, 21 May 2010 00:03:00 +0000

He is the preordained second-most-powerful-man-in-Australia. At the very least, one could reasonably expect him to be near the forefront of thought leadership of the patch he prowls. At a bare minimum, he should understand the tactics, temperament and tempo demanded by various formats of our great game. I thought all this to be reasonably reasonable, until I stumbled upon this gem. Michael Clarke believes an attacking approach may be required to succeed at T20 cricket. No frickkin way! You can't be serious! Surely not!

That I believe Cameron White to be the best man to assume the throne on Ricky Ponting's departure is no secret. Michael Clarke's upbringing in the scarecely-intellectual western suburbs of Sydney has not an iota of influence on my line thinking. Nor does his questionable former choice for life partnership. Hell I'm even willing to forgive and forget that he was allegedly instrumental in shunting into oblivion the single most talented all-round cricketer that Australia had (until then) produced in the last 2 decades. My preference for White over Clarke has everything to do with the fact that Mick just doesn't have it all together upstairs.

Clarke, IMHO, is all emotion and no intellect. He's perfect as a member of the leadership team to raise spirits when the chips are down (and somewhat irrelevant when matchfixing scum from the opposition are at work). He's great at slip, gully, cover and any other location the ball may travel on a cricket field. I'm sure he also has the nous to offer a nugget or two of great intelligence (of the informational, rathen than intellectual variety) to the captain of the day. But, more than anything, this latest gem proves that the bloke is a step or two behind where he ought to be.

However, as a Team India fan, it is with much glee that I realise that the wise men who staked their cricketing reputations on Clarke's leadership abilities will not revoke their decision. They have invested far too much in Mick for an admission of failure to even enter their minds. Here's to imagining what could have been of the Aussies had they been provided the leadership their talents deserve and demand.

RIP the records of the next generation of Australian cricketers unfortunate enough to suffer under the captaincy of Michael Clarke.

Hooking & Pulling Should Be Left To The Experts

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Sat, 08 May 2010 23:44:00 +0000

The old curse has returned (some may argue that it never actually went away, just that it was shovelled under the carpet for long enough to be "out of sight, out mind"). The rib-tickler may once again help in forcing India out of a global competition on foreign soil. However, the inability to play the short ball is only a symptom. The real malaise, should Team India fail to progress in the 2010 edition of the World T20, will be the batsmen's inability to think their way to success - yet again.

Any batsman who tells you they love facing the short ball at upwards of 145 km/h is lying. Facing Shaun Tait and Dirk Nannes in full flight on a remotely helpful deck is not nearly as easy as it looks on TV. Unlike Mitchell Johnson who is fast but predictable, Nannes and Tait possess an X-factor that makes them particularly difficult for a batsman to pick up and play when they're on song.

All this does not mean Australia's pace arsenal cannot be faced, quelled and even conquered. Brendan McCullum showed in the second match of the recent T20 series against the Aussies in Christchurch that the pace and bounce must be turned into the batsmen's advantage, for very few people can pull and hook like Ricky Ponting and Kevin Pietersen and in the middle of a pressure cooker international match is not the time to experiment and learn.

MS Dhoni's "fight fire with fire" attitude has achieved him much success and earned him many plaudits since 2007. However, getting caught with your pants down will only serve to take some of the sheen off his fast-building legacy. I wonder if Team India has seen the footage of McCullum's assault on the Aussies earlier this year? While McCullum's freakish scoops hogged the limelight in all post-match bulletins from that day, Team India must look beyond the glitz and realise that the Kiwis used the pace and the bounce to play plenty of up-and-unders that brought runs untold. If there's one shot that Indians play well, it is the ramp shot on the on-side between the 'keeper and point. You complete the maths.

Team India's re-found predicament calls for real fire fighting equipment: cool heads. If there's anyone with the ability to bring about this cool change, it is Captain Cool, Dhoni. Now, is the best time to start.

Early Reports: 27 IPL Players Involved In Match Fixing

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:52:00 +0000

News is coming through in drips, but the early reports say that 27 cricketers and 1 administrator have been caught match fixing by the Government of India's income tax department investigators. NDTV is reporting that the allegations of match fixing relate to IPL², which was held in South Africa. Apparently, the cricketers allegedly involved in match fixing are of both Indian and non-Indian origins. Thankfully, one consolation for Indian fans in this sorry state of affairs is that the "Big Three of Indian cricket - Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid - are clean and above this muck."

The reporter staking out at tax department headquarters has reported that at least one big name Australian cricketer has been implicated in the match fixing allegations by this latest report. This cricketer has apparently fled India early than he was originally scheduled to leave after the conclusion of his IPL³ commitments. This bloke clearly had friends in high places who tipped him off!

While the details are still sketchy and the NDTV journalist on location at tax department headquarters is reporting rumour, past experience tells me that fire is ultimately witnessed when smoke is smelled pertaining to such matters. One small tweet from Lalit Modi has blown a giant lid on the slime that lays beneath the glitz, glamour and brash displays of wealth and power in and around the IPL circus.

If these allegations are eventually proven, the administration of cricket worldwide, but particularly in India, will require a fundamental paradigm shift. It has only been 10 years since the last match fixing scandal claimed international captains and their players. The wounds from that trauma had begun to heal, but the scabs have not yet fallen off. In this context, cricket will need to undertake some serious confidence building measures to regain the trust of diehard fans and cynical critics alike. To do so again, within 10 years of the previous episode, will be infinitely harder.

I beg the question, do cricket administrators have the ability and inclination to rise above their petty politics, egotistical ways and general greed to do all that is necessary to comprehensively rid the game of this despicable evil? On the basis of the evidence they have furnished over the previous few years, you would be forgiven for thinking not.

Allegations will continue to fly for quite some time. As a committed cricket fan and consumer of all things cricketing, I can only hope that this latest disaster will prove to be the line in the sand between a past in shimmering armour, and a future of bright, clean and golden sunrises.

Stay tuned to TMR's Twitter feed and homepage for more updates on this latest instalment of sleaze and greed in the greatest game on this planet.

Finger Out, Socks Up

noreply@blogger.com (Ayush Trivedi) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 04:47:00 +0000

That bombs went off is a deplorable and unpardonable lapse on the part of the security men. That more bombs remained passive can only be attributed to the grace of God. These events are yet another example of how public security and the sanctity of life are nothing more than platitudes for the privileged few, entrusted with maintaining law and order in India. Given all the brouhaha about security prior to the commencement of IPL³ and the international implications of the upcoming Commonwealth Games, such comments from the likes of Lalit Modi will rightfully make visitors think long and hard about travelling to India.

The ever-growing ~~non-issue~~ spat between Shashi Tharoor and Lalit Modi has provided cover for people with important titles to make daft, irresponsible and reprehensible comments on the bungled Bangalore security operation. Such disgusting attitudes showcase the "what's in a couple of deaths here and there" attitude that clearly permeates throughout India's top political and law enforcement ranks. The disturbing aspect of all this is that people like this will also be responsible for Commonwealth Games' security. God save the Queen's Games!

While Modi's decision to shift the semi-finals out of Bangalore deserves commendation, this episode must not be explained away through denial, ignorance and the unprofessionalism of a distracted media. I hope and pray that police chiefs, particularly in Delhi, are cognisant of the ineffectiveness and inefficiency that ails their forces. Only after accepting that one bomb is one too many will security chiefs be able to implement appropriate measures to overcome these failings.

There exists a real fear that some within the establishment will view this IPL example as an instance of great Indian administration, courage and powers of persuasion. I can only imagine that Anil Kumble and Sachin Tendulkar's assurances that all was well convinced the other players, particularly those of the international star variety, that the stadium was safe. Had the match involved teams with international captains (Rajasthan Royals' Shane Warne and Deccan Chargers' Adam Gilchrist, for instance), I doubt whether we would have seen a match - unless of course, Modi took it upon himself to bully and threaten the players to play.

I can assure anyone who subscribes to the above theory that delusions of such administrative 'greatness' will yield nothing but ridicule during the Commonwealth Games. The slightest hint of a bomb within kooee of a sports arena or the athletes' village could be the rightful catalyst for an immediate and massive exodus of foreigners from Delhi. While such actions may result in more Indian Games' medals, they will also ensure that the world's tacit acceptance of India as safe and reliable destination for business, leisure and sporting exchanges will lie in tatters.

In this eventuality, what difference will there remain between us and Pakistan?

There is still time to remedy the twin ills of complacency and ineptitude when it comes to delivering a safe and successful Commonwealth Games. Do the administrators and political leaders have what it takes to make the right calls, not just those that easy and personally beneficial? I have my doubts, but I'll happier than most to be proven very, very wrong.

The time has come, India, to pull up and out the proverbial socks and fingers.