IPL:Boon or Bane

IPL was started with much fanfare in 2008.It was regarded as the next big thing in cricket.Under the able guidance of Lalit Modi, it started of really well.It was inspired by the highly popular EPL(english Premier League).Since its inception,it has caught the eyes of players and viewers alike.It brought in Bollywood and corporates under one roof. It resulted in huge amount of money poured into the game. Presence of bollywood stars during matches raised the glamour quotient. Pay package of international players, increased by leaps and bound. Players who appeared for a season, started drawing much more than what they were paid by their respective boards. This has lured a number of international cricketers to cut short their international career. Many others have become free lancers. This has resulted in question being raised over player's loyalty for his country. There is nothing harm in the players opting for these leagues which offer them lucrative money but definitely it should not be on the expense of the country. It was only, when they played for their country, their exemplary performance got noticed by the franchise.

IPL, inspite of its money and glamour quotient was projected as a league for nurturing the young Indian talents. Youngsters get to share dressing room with the greats of the game.Useful tips from the seniors in the team real helps them improve their game.Truly, IPL has helped in unearthing new talent .Just that it has been in news for a number of wrong reasons, its contribution to Indian cricket has taken backstage. This tournament provides great opportunity for budding cricketers from India to show case their talents. They get to learn nuances of the game while playing along side top cricketers from around the globe. Owing to popularity of this tournament, it gets a wide media coverage. As a result of which a player who performs really well, stands a strong chance of making it to the Indian team. Saurabh Tiwary, who has featured in a couple of ODIs for India sums up how good performace in IPL can provide you an opportunity to paly for India. In one of the interviews, he stated that he had been playing exceedingly well in the domestic circuit for quite sometime  but it never caught the attention of the selectors. But couple of good seasons with Mumbai Indians earned him an Indian cap.
Every thing has its pro and cons. IPL is all about entertainment for the public but for cricketers its just serious cricket. Most franchises are criticised for holding late night parties after matches. I do not see any problem with it for cricketers are human beings, they also like to hang out and party after a stressful day in the field. It is important here to draw a line too. Cricketers should never forget that they are role models for the society hence its imperative that they maintain a certain level of dignity when in a public place.
IPL being a domestic tournament does not come under ICC control.This has made it prone to match fixing.Of late BCCI has realised this and each franchise has been made aware of it. They will be solely responsible if any player contracted with them is found to be involved in some wrong doings.This has brought some sanity to the tournament which has been plagued with a number of controversies.
IPL has provided us with a  number of gifted talents.Many of them have made it to the Indian team and proved  their worth.Raina,Ashwin,Jadeja to name a few, have been major finds from IPL. Still I am not fully convinced with the theory of selecting cricketers just on the basis of a good IPL season. Domestic circuit is the best platform for a cricketer to nurture his skills.The more he plays in the domestic circuit, the better he gets.
After every series loss , IPL is billed as one of the reasons which I believe is totally unfair.Even recently,when India failed to qualify for the semis in T20 WC, few pointed out IPL as one of the reasons.Some even went as far to suggest that owing to the money involved, players have become more loyal to their franchise than to their country.
We have to stop blaming IPL for each and every loss we suffer at home or away in any format .I believe none of the players do any wrong by appearing in IPL matches for it provides them a handsome package and a secure future.This is testimony to the hard work the cricketer has put in over the years.Not all players get a chance to paly in this tournament. You have to be best to be here.Its simply unfair to undermine the players commitment for they try to give their best whenever they come onto the field.

Lets accept that IPL has totally redefined the game of cricket. It has brought glamour and money in the game. Its fan base is increasing at a rapid space which is really good sign for cricket as a game.

Test Corrigendum for India

Retirement of Dravid and Laxman in quick succession has left a huge void in the Indian middle order. Once reputed for its FAB4(Dravid,Sachin,Ganguly,Laxman),the batting line up suddenly looks brittle.Worse enough,we still have not found a replacement for Ganguly, who had retired from test cricket wayback in 2008. Yuvraj and Raina were considered to be the most suitable replacement for Dada. Both of them promised a lot but none of them delivered .Cheteshwar Pujara, the run machine from the domestic circuit was drafted into the Indian team owing to his potential of playing long innings. He had a promising debut against Aussies and he carried his form on to the tour of SA. It was widely felt that the search for Ganguly's heir apparent was over. Unfortuantely, it was short-lived as Pujara while appearing for KKR in an IPl match, injured himself. The injury was so grave that he was out of action for more than 5-6 months.
Last year was a forgettable year for the  Indian test team. They suffered a humiliating white wash in England.The Indian batsmen, except for Dravid had a horrendous time.This was followed by the much anticipated tour,down under.It was again a nightmare for the batsmen, in particular. Even the pillar of Indian batting in the England series, Dravid had his stumps rattled a number of times.Only bright spot in this shabby display, was Virat Kohli who fought against all odds to score his debut century. Soon, Dravid announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. Laxman followed suite few months later.
How does our batting line up look post Dravid and Laxman's retirement?
We do not have problem at the top as we have Sehwag and Gambhir to open the innings.They have showed us time and again what they are capable of. They might be having a bad patch at the moment but it should not trouble the skipper. The problem lies in the middle order which is still young and untested. Pujara,Kohli, Raina alongwith Tendulkar make up the middle order. Pujara has shown mettle to play long inning in the domestic circuit His continued hunger for runs , makes him a real asset for the test side.He has marked his arrival on the test arena by blasting a strokeful century against the kiwis in the recently concluded test series. Kohli has performed exceedingly well in the ODIs and rightly earned the ODI player of the year.He needs to replicate this form in Tests.He has shown glimpse of what he is capable of: just needs to be consistent.Coming to Raina,his trouble with short balls keeps haunting him.When it comes to ODIs or T20 he is a different player all together.Even the short balls donot seem to trouble him.But when it comes to test match cricket, short ball has been his nemesis. I believe its just about having confidence which I believe Raina lacks when it comes to test cricket.He needs to have patience and spend sometime on the crease: this will do his confidence real good. Dhoni needs to bat up the order.He is too good a batsman to come in at number 7.He will get to face more number of balls which will help him to get his eye in.When he gets in, he can be at his destructive best. Apart from the current lot, there are few other players who deserve a place in the Test team. Just to name a few: Manoj Tiwary,Ajinkya Rahane and Ambati Raydu

The advent of T20 cricket(read IPL) has resulted in players resorting to play attacking cricket which entertains the crowd .Most players donot believe in the old school of thought :leave the good balls and punish the bad ones.Test cricket is a different ball game. It involves high level of concentration and its a real test of character.You got to have immense patience and maintain vigil for hours at a stretch. This can be mentally and physically exhausting.This why its said that Test cricket is the real form of cricket. Our younger batsmen should take a cue from Dravid or Tendulkar on how to pace your innings. They need to be solid in defence and yet attack the loose balls. They should have the patience to bat for long hours and lay price on their wickets. Great batsman always make bowlers toil for their wicket. If I were to pick a batsman from the present middle order, one who has the best test match temperament. It will have to be Pujara. He has never failed to impress me with his grit and determination. This man is the next Dravid in the making. No doubt, he has a long way to go but atleast he is on the right track.

Unlike our batting, our bowling looks pretty good.We have spinners in form of Ashwin and Ojha,pace battery comprises of Zaheer,Umesh,Ishant.In all our bowling has the capability of bowling out opposition twice, provided they play to their potential.Add that Ashwin is no mug with the bat for he averages above 30 in Tests,which simply remarkable stats for a tailender.


The young brigade is fortunate to have Dhoni as their captain for he backs them which in necessary for you have to give them ample chances to prove their mettle.You donot become a Dravid or a Laxman in a day, you need to play a number of test matches. More test matches mean, you get to spend more time on the field. This really helps in the development of the cricketer.

We have a long season ahead wherein we will host England and the Aussies.This will be a real test of our younger team under Dhoni.This might shape the composition of our future test team.We might get new Dravids,Tendulkars and Laxmans.We have to wait and watch.

Virat Kohli: Mr. Consistent

Virat Kohli, the lad from Delhi has been the most consistent batsman for India in the last 2 years. He averages ov 52 in ODIs with a strike rate of around 87.0 that is simply phenomenal. The good thing about Kohli is that whenever he comes on to bat, he is really calm and composed and can switch gear at will. He has a wide array of shots which makes him a potent player. When he is at his destructive best, he  makes the best bowlers look ordinary. He is from the younger generation that doesen't wilt under pressure and love to face challenges.

As a skipper of U-19 team,he guided the team to World Cup glory in 2008. The transition from U-19 to senior level never been a smooth ride for the players in past. In the past we have seen a number of U-19 cricketers making it to the senior level at an early age but soon they were lost into oblivion.Kohli was no exception. After his heroics in the U-19, he was considered the next big thing in the Indian cricket fraternity. As a result he got to play for India at the nascent age of his cricket career.Owing to frequent injury to our regular openers,Kohli was made to open innings for India . Having played most of his innings as a middle order batsman, opening innings was definately going to be tough for this youngster. Unfortunately, he did not perform to his potential and was soon shown the door when our first choice openers were back. Though he kept on getting few chances here and there :mostly in place of an injured player. He marked his arrival on the international scene by scoring a century under pressure in the second innings against Srilanka in 2009. It was truly a gem of innings where in he mustered a colossal partnership of 224 with Gambhir and won the game for India.Since then he has never looked back. He has amassed runs whenever he has come into bat and become the cornerstone of the indian batting line up. He has truly been Mr. Consistent for India since 2009. 
His delightful cover drive is a treat to watch. He can handle spinners and pace bowlers at ease. Add to that he is a brilliant fielder. Be it backward point, slip or in the outfield, he is just an asset to the team. He is naturally aggressive that  is apparent when he comes in to bat or field. Being a fighter, he nevers likes to lose and wants to give his best whenever he there on the park. Lately, he has been more than effective with his medium pace bowling.
Even though he takes his game seriously which is apparent by the number of runs he has scored in the last two years, he lives his life to the fullest. When he is not playing cricket, he loves to party and hang out just like any youngster of his age. He just knows when to switch on and off which is so important for a cricketer especially if he plays for india. Thanks to BCCI, Indians play a huge number of matches through out the year and add to that 2 months of IPL. This can really stress you out. So you need some time to go out and recharge your batteries.
Success does not come easy. It requires a lot of hard work and dedication. The same rule applies to cricket. You need to practice day in and out to hone your skills. Fortunately, for budding Indian cricketers, you do not have to go far, for you have Kohli to look up to. Kohli is an ardent student of the game of cricket. He always tries to elevate his game by taking useful tips from senior pros in his team. As once Kevin Peterson, his teammate in IPL, once pointed out that if kohli gets out cheaply in a game, he just goes back and tries to rectify the mistake that he had made. He keeps bothering his fellow teammates and his coach for their useful tips so that he can make improvements in his game. This is real dedication. 
His batting simply seems flawless at the moment. He has matured and its not the same Kohli who used to vent out expletives on scoring a century. This is good news for indian cricket. Aggression should not be confused with sledging and abusing. A matured Kohli is the need of the hour for he is the captain in making. Owing to his terrific performance with the bat, he has been made vice-captain of Team India. Who knows few years down the line he might captain India to another World Cup triumph.

Dhoni is still the best choice to lead India

After India's third successive Super 8 exits, voice over axing Dhoni has grown strong.Former

cricketers and so called cricket pundits have come up of theory of having different captains

for different format.Some even believe that dhoni should have been stripped of his captaincy

after the debacle in Australia itself .Though everyone is entitled to have his opinion but I just want to put forth one question to them : Do we have a replacement?

 Indian team has performed exceedingly well under Dhoni. The same crictics had hailed him as the one of the best captains.I understand that recent overseas performance especially in Tests were not up to the mark. A captain is always as good as his team and when the team is not performing to its potential, there is little a captain can do.Having said that a captain should shoulder much of the blame for he is is the man in charge when team takes the field.But to drop him after couple of series loss is totally unfair.One should not forget that it was under him,India became the number one Test team. We were crowned WC champions in both T20 and ODIs under his captainship. He has proved to be an inspirational leader and reamins cool under pressure. His calmness even in pressure cooker situation has earned him the tag of Captain Cool. He has built a team which doesn't bog down under pressure and always is ready for challenges.Add to that his performance with the bat is not really bad. In ODIs, he has been one of the best match finishers for India. His  average in Tests is ordinary,but thats mainly because he comes into bat lower down the order.

Lets have a look at the replacements we have. Gautam Gambhir, has become  a strong contender after leading his team to IPL glory. But after the IPL finals, Gambhir is struggling with his form therefore not ideal to lead the team Viru, owing to his attitude has already let the team down and its not helping his batting either. Virat Kohli is definately is in his form of life but he is too young to be burdened with captainship. No doubt, he has already captained the U-19 team to World Cup victory but leading a team at senior level is a different proportion altogether. Moreover, captaining a team like India brings in additional pressure with it which might affect his batting thats the last thing Indian team would want at this stage. End of the day we are left with no choice but stick to Dhoni. He is the best man to lead the team owing to his experience. Meanwhile, we can groom Kohli for the future. I have no doubt in stating that Kohli is the future captain in the making but we should give him a couple of years. We have a fairly young test side which needs a captain with strong wit and conviction as a result of which Dhoni fits in quite well. He has a cool head which is ideal thing to have when you are playing for India where cricket is religion so passion soars sky high. We had failed miserably in tests while playing abroad but it was not because of poor captainship. It was more because we were under prepared and we did not have sufficient  practice matches to acclamatise to the conditions.We showed that what we are capable of when NZ toured India. Dhoni is here to stay as a captain of India for a couple of more years.

T20 WC12: India's performance review

India again failed to make it the semis. It seems to be nothing new as per few angry fans for they expected it to happen. Third time in a row, India had failed to reach the knockout stage. Nevertheless,  it was a much improved  performance. In the previous two outings, we did not win a single game in the Super 8 stages. Still this did not augur well with the former cricketers and cricket pundits.  Swords were drawn against Dhoni and experts began to question whether he was the right person to lead the team. Suddenly, a man who was supposed to be one of best captains of India, was considered to be lacking motivation and will to lead the team. The bigger question is do we have his replacement? Under Gambhir KKR were crowned the IPL champions but the man is struggling with his form of lately in all formats. Viru's attitude is neither helping his batting nor the team as a whole. Kohli is terrific played probably the best ODI player in the world at this time but he is too young to be burdened with the additional responsibility.

I simply fail to understand this question being raised over Dhoni's leadership though the Indian team did not have a bad outing in the T20 WC by any standards. Even going by the ICC T20 rankings, we hold a respectable third position. I agree to the fact that we failed to make it to the semis even though we have players who haved performed exceedingly well in the IPL. Having said that I still believe that we played really well. We managed to win 4 out of the 5 games that we featured in. We were critised for having a weak bowling attack but still we manged to bowl out opposition not once or twice but 4 times which is no mean achievement. Its true that few our batsmen did not play to their potential. Our batting  relied heavily on Virat Kohli but such was the case with other teams. Aussies depended heavily on Shane Watson, not just for his batting but for his bowling too. Infact T20 is such a format where one batsman can make a difference. We had one bad game against Australia where we failed to click as a team. Speaking about that game, Aussies bowlers bowled really well in restricting us to a score of 139 which was not a bad score to defend on a spinning track. Going by the performance of our spinners in our previous game against the english ,we were very much in the game.
But short showers during the Aussie innings changed the course of the game. Indian spinners were not able to grip the ball as a result they kept balling short. Aussie found easier to score on short balls. Watson, in particular simply feasted on short balls and carted them for sixes. Once they were in,Aussie openers were at their destructive best and won the game  in around 16 odd overs. India played out of their skin in their next game against Pakistan and  much to the rejoice of the Indian fan, handed Pakistan a thumping defeat. They even improved their run-rate which had got a beating against the Aussies and were one of the strong contenders for the semis going by their form. It was again, Australia vs Pakistan match that spoiled the party for the Indians. Last time(in champions Trophy) it was Pakistan when it lost to Australia has shun the doors for Indians in the tournament, this time as to return favours, Aussies lost to Pakistan, leaving India with an improbable task of defeating a strong SA team by a big margin. It seemed nothing was going  India's way on 2nd October . First, Aussie were simply thrashed by Pakistan which was followed by Dhoni losing the toss against the proteas. India would have loved to chase under lights as they has done in the previous game. India came into bat and against a strong SA attack, scored 150 odd runs which in the end was just enough to win the match but not enough to earn a qualification for the semis.

End of the day, couple of things went against the Indians in this WC which cost them a place in the semis. It happens in cricket as we must not forget that its just a game. Moreover, its T20, where a match can change in a couple of overs. We might have made the mistake of playing 3 spinners against the Aussies but the same team struggled against Pakistan, when spinners were in operation.  Questions were raised against Dhoni's decision of the not fielding 3 spinners against the SA. I doubt  if that it would have helped as the pitch was really a batting paradise in the second innings. Du Plessis played a gem of an innings and handled Indian spinners without any discomfort. Even the bulk of the wickets were taken by Indian pace trio. Whatever be the theory, I strongly believe that we played really well but just few things did not go our way and we were out of contention for the semis. On the other hand, WI even after winning lesser number of games not only qualified for semis but also won the tournament. This is T20 for you.

Champion League:Is it really the League of the Champions?

Having seen Champions league involving soccer clubs all around the world, I am  somehow perplexed to see the format of the T20 Champions League. Is it really the League that involve the champions club from all over the world? The answer to that is no. Just have a look at that soccer clubs that feature in UEFA Champions lLeague. It comprisesof clubs from all over Europe competing in away and home matches for the ultimate glory, thats Champion of Europe. Most importantly, they are the champion clubs from the respective European nations. After all Champions League involves champions, isn't it?

Sadly, T20 Champions League does not provide equal representation from all the member countries. We have 4 IPL teams , 2 from SA, 2 from down under and 2 other teams( top 2 teams from the qualifiers) that make up the list. Even, startling is that clubs from few member countries like Zimbawae and Bangladesh are not even invited to participate in the qualifiers. Why can't we have top clubs from all member countries competing in the CL? I mean thats the concept behind the Champions league. Moreover, 4 teams from India, 2 from SA and 2 from Australia automatically(his league was intiated by the boards of India,SA and Australia) make it to CL but teams from England,SL,Pakistan,NZ and WI have to fight out in the qualifiers. Add to that only one team from SL,Pakistan,NZ are invited for the qualifiers. As a result of which we have a situation where have no teams from SL,Pakistan,WI in the CL, this year. This is really ironical for we have no teams from countries which made it to finals in the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup. I am not from the school of thought that believes that IPL and CL is all about money. I have no problem with the money quotient involved in such events. We should not regard  these tournaments as some money extravaganza. This should be being unfair to all the players who play their hearts out when they take the field for their respective franchises. One should never question the commitment of the players, yes one or two might be exceptions. My problem is with the format of the tournament. Even though it seems to be a global event, it does not have participation from a number of member countries of ICC. This should be addressed and steps should be taken by those involved in organising this event to make it truly a global affair. We should have atleast one team(top team in their country league) from all the member countries. We can do away with this qualifiers or it can be used to add a couple of more teams(i.e runner up teams from different country league). This can make CL, truly a league of champions. I have no doubt that this would make CL even more popular and it will increase its fan base. Going by this years CL, which does not feature  teams from SL and WI. This will  result in CL being followed by much lesser number of people for both these nations have a huge fan base. Hopefully, this thing is sorted is sooner than later so that real fans aren't robbed  of some T20 cricket aka breathtaking entertaiment. 

India without the Wall and VVS

Having grown up in the era,where I have been used to see Dravid and Laxman bat whenever India played a test. It would be quite unusual to see an Indian test team without these stalwarts. They were just not important for the indian middle order  but were a key component of the slip cordon. If its a test match, slip cordon is definately the lifeline for the pace bowlers. So, its impeartive that you have your specialist fielders in there, VVS and Dravid were those fielders for India. If Dravid was "the Wall" ,then Laxman was always Very Very Special. Though both of them had won numerous test matches for India, there match wining partnership in Eden Test against Australia in 2001 was by far the best. India were made to follow on and might have faced an innings defeat . Sadly, for the Aussies these gentlemen had other plans. They forged a partnership of well over 300 odd runs which just not saved India blushes of an innings defeat before a capacity crowd, infact it gave india a substantial lead which in the end proved too much for the Aussies.

They had their own style of playing but they had a thing in common, both always remained calm under pressure. If Dravid was a more compact player and had a solid defense, Laxman was more flashy one with minimum feet movement. His class cover drives were a treat to watch. He had an amazing ability of flicking balls pitched way outside off stump towards legside. Both occupied, key positions in the batting line up. Dravid,came in at the crucial position of number 3 so he had the job of building the innings. Laxman came in at 6, and his role was more of an accumulator. He played his part really well especially with the tailenders around. Though VVS scored much less runs compared to Dravid that was mainly because he mostly got to bat with the tailenders. Still, he managed to score huge amount of runs that speaks about his class. Owing to this quality he was always considered special and india's go to man  in crisis. Dravid scored tons of runs against every opposition and on tracks all round the world. Laxman, on the other hand had a special liking for the Aussies. Aussies feared him more than the great Sachin.

Loss of Dravid and Laxman has definately left a void in india's once reputed middle order. Suddenly, it looks brittle for it does not have the solidarity of Dravid and calmness and composure of Laxman. We have got new talents in their place but they are also aware that they have really big shoes to fill. I fear that the younger lot is from the T20 era who does not have patience. One of the most important key to the success of these batting legends was their patience, which the younger lot doesn't have. If one has to score heavy in test cricket, one has to play patiently, respecting the good balls and punishing the loose ones. After all Test Cricket is the REAL CRICKET.

Knights from Carribean

7th Oct 2012 was the day, when the West Indies were crowned world champions in T20 World Cup. It was a night to remember not just for the Carribean people but for the whole world. We have heard about the West Indies of the past. The 70s era was truly the time, when the WI were a force to reckon. It was the time when WI boosted of the Holdings,Marshals and Lyods. This team did not have any superstars but it was fiercely competitive. They definately weren't underdogs for how can a team comprising of players like Bravo,Gayle,Pollard and the mystery spinner Narine would be considered a weak team by any means. A strong West Indies cricket team  was the need of the hour. But some how it was not happening owing to contract related fights between the players and the WICB(WI cricket Board). So this victory was good for the game of cricket and hence was appreciated by  fans from all over the world. No body enjoys or shall I say are more passionate about their game than the Carribeans. Just having a look at the celebrations after the fall of every wicket made you love this team. You kept guessing where was this team all the while. This might be a new beginning of era in West Indies cricket. This era might not be of fear and domination of the past but would be more about of passion and celebrations. It would involve competitive and fearless cricket but yet fair. You will never find a West Indian guy sledging after being hit for a boundary. This is what makes them darlings of the crowd. This T20 WC has emphasized that the WI have finally arrived. Though its a good news for world cricket but really ominous signs for their to be opponents in future tournaments. Just have a look at the knights that adorn this team from Carribean. Chris 'Ganganam' Gayle can make  mockery of any attack. He maybe a chirpy character but when on the field , he is truly a marauder. He doesn't believe in the common theory of taking singles and rotating strikes. He has his own philosophy that is to send  the ball out of the ground. Keiron Pollard, the man from Trinidad is one of the hardest hitters of the cricket ball. Such is the power behind his shots that his mishits also sail over the ropes. Then we have the man with a golden heart, Dwayne Bravo. He is a true allrounder who can bat,bowl and field. Though he might not feature in the list of top all rounders of the world, his commitment when he is on the field can never be questioned. Then we have the comeback man in the form of Marlon Samuels. He has  always been in the news for wrong reasons. This WC might be the beginning of a new chapter in his life and hopefully he will bring many more laurels for the WI team. Sunil Narine, the mystery spinner from the Carribean can find place in any T20 team. Its quite ironical for we have a world class spinner from the land which was once famous for churning out pace bowlers. His knucle ball has often mesemerized batsmen into playing false strokes and thus losing their strokes. He has one of the best economical figures in T20.
Last and not the least, the WI captain ,Darren Sammy who has kept this team  together and motivated. He might not be flashy as his counterparts but he has a great cricketing brain which he has showed time and again.

T20 WC12 will always remembered for the carribean style of celebration. If Gayle brought Ganganam style dancing to our living rooms, his teammates where not far behind. Their WC final celebrations was a treat to watch. Sun is Shining and the weather is sweet.....