Dhoni Should Go

Posted: January 7, 2011 by The CouchExpert in India in South Africa 2010-11, Opinion
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Prasad Moyarath

Bangalore

6 January 2011

“A captain is only as good as his team,” is a popular saying in the cricketing world and if this holds good, Mahendra Singh Dhoni should be the best Test captain in the world at the moment. No doubt, the Indian Test team has been doing well under his captaincy and has attained the no.1 ranking. Fighting back and winning Test matches abroad has become a habit for India, but still find satisfaction in drawing a series abroad and are not disappointed in not winning it. Indian team still gets worried about the green top wickets even though they boast of the best batting line-up in the world. Don’t you think that there is something missing in the overall performance of the best Test team?

Though India with Azharuddin as captain and Ajit Wadekar as coach won a lot of Test matches, those wins were never appreciated by critics as the majority of these wins were in India and on spinning pitches. It was Saurav Ganguly who changed the face of Indian cricket team with his aggressive captaincy. Those who switched off their TV sets after the exit of Sachin Tendulkar till then started watching the whole innings. Ganguly was a players’ captain and also a people’s captain. He stood for the players through thick and thin and instilled confidence in youngsters. Don’t forget that when Saurav Ganguly took over in 2000, Indian cricket was in dire straits after the match fixing controversy. That young Indian team has matured under the subsequent captains Dravid and Kumble. Now under Dhoni, the team is still winning due to the performances of the experienced players.

Any cricket fan following the development of Indian test team will notice that the performance graph of this team is not on a big ascent after the exit of Ganguly as captain. From a losing team abroad, India reached the level of drawing team abroad under Ganguly and now after a few years under Dhoni, the team is expected to be a winning team abroad. That has not happened and don’t seem to happen in the near future and that is when we look at the strategies and skills of a captain. No new strategies, poor man management skills and the team lacking killer instinct, Dhoni as a captain stands exposed after the South African Test series.

Attacking the opposition team verbally before a Test match is a common tactic used by Australia and South Africa and Dhoni played into their hands by criticising Sreesanth in public. Sreesanth’s good bowling in South Africa despite his captain’s public criticism shows his strength of character and not Dhoni’s man management skills. He forgot what Andre Nel and Allan Donald had done to Indian batsmen years back and found fault with Sreesanth. This was never expected from an experienced captain.

With South Africa in dire straits in the fourth day of the final Test, Dhoni had no back-up plan to counter Kallis and tail enders. The fact that the fielder who went to the boundary to fetch the ball after Kallis reverse swept Harbhajan never came back to his actual fielding position showed Dhoni’s lack of confidence. With Harbhajan bowling well from one end, any captain would have bowled a left arm seamer from the other end to help the off-spinner with the rough created by the left-arm seamer’s foot marks, but not Dhoni. He preferred to start the fourth day with Sreesanth.

Dhoni doesn’t seem to nurture talent like Ganguly. Abhimanyu Mithun, who bowled decently in the dead tracks in SriLanka was never selected to represent India again even though Dhoni had praised his performance. There is no doubt that Mithun would have bowled better than Ishant Sharma in the bouncy tracks in South Africa. Is Dhoni like Azharuddin, not having the back bone to fight for his favourite players with the selectors? If India was playing for a draw on the final day of the third test, why didn’t he send Pujara at No.3 after the fall of Sehwag? That would have given a big boost to the confidence of this youngster.

India is an ageing side and if they have to escape the phase that Australian team is going through now, BCCI has to take some bold steps. Dhoni doesn’t seem to have the skills to take India to the next level and we should not get fooled by the statistics. It is time to think beyond Mahendra Singh Dhoni as captain.

Series Review: A Keen Battle To The Finish

Posted: January 6, 2011 by The CouchExpert in Cricket, India in South Africa 2010-11, Series
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John van der Westhuizen

Johannesburg

6 January 2011

 

It seems like just yesterday the TV news networks were advertising Test Cricket’s clash of the titans. The series was eagerly anticipated and commercially it promised to be the series that ‘has it all’. Seems like the ponytails weren’t far wrong. Aside from there being no clear winner, the series served to stand as a great advertisement for Test cricket, and a confirmation if there was ever any doubt, of the two teams’ respective rankings in world cricket.

After the first Test at Centurion where SA won by an innings, many punters predicted a landslide series win for the local side. SA punters mostly. That India is ranked number 1 for their performances over time, should have warned us that they would come back fighting. And so it turned out to be, much to the relief of Indian fans I am sure, who knew all along their team was better than the Centurion result indicated.

On a difficult wicket in Durban, the Indians gave as good as they got (no, they gave better than they got), and we were all set for a series decider in Cape Town. That the third Test and indeed the series was drawn should not detract from what was a great series. In the hearts and minds of neutral supporters (if those even exist anymore) this series competed for face time with another reasonably well-followed rivalry, The Ashes. While England grow from strength to strength, even they will concede that the current Australia team is a shadow of its former self. Apart from the fact that Australia were outplayed in every facet, and England fans got to enjoy a long awaited series win, the series was never in the balance, there was always one team with the ascendancy.

The SA-IND series offered both sets of fans a glimpse of potential glory, and when Boucher strode out to the wicket on Day 4 at Newlands, a billion people thought the time had come for India to break their duck in South Africa. 4 hours later, SA would have definitely fancied their chances having set a 340 target for the visitors on a tricky final day wicket. As it turns out, the Indian top order held on for the draw, and fought the pace battery off with distinction to obtain it.

Only 6 centuries were scored in the 15 day battle, and 3 of them belonged to 1 man. Kallis was at his vintage best and any thoughts of him being past his prime must now well and truly be out the window. For now. You see the thing is, as Mark Boucher so rightly put it in his press interview after day 4 in Cape Town, that we have “one of the greatest cricketers in the history of the game” right here among us, and that many South Africans still do not appreciate his value to the team over the last 14 years. Despite 40 Test tons, and over 250 wickets, many local fans still somehow point out his low strike rate as a weakness. I choose my words carefully when I say that despite Tendulkar’s longevity and ability to perform at the very highest level for such a prolonged period, I believe Jacques Kallis to be the greatest cricketer that ever lived. Better than The Don, better than Viv Richards, better than Ricky Ponting. As a batsman alone, obviously Tendulkar is the best ever, but Kallis’ wickets in the Test arena puts his nose in front as a cricketer.

It must be pointed out that Tendulkar’s contribution to the series and the way he fought especially in Cape Town, went a long way to securing the draw for India. Without his ability to stick around and keep the board ticking, the relative failures of Sehwag, Laxman and Pujara would have cost India the series. The same could be said about SA to a lesser extent, where without King Kallis’ 498 runs, only Amla really stood up to be counted, with 250 runs at an average of 50. For SA, Prince, Petersen and Smith were all disappointing.

Since the series was not played on a host of flat tracks, it was a rare chance for bowlers to see their names up in lights, and for the most part, as long as Neither Kallis nor Tendulkar were at the crease, the trundlers took their opportunities. 5-wicket hauls however, were in relatively short supply despite consistently good bowling from each teams’ top 3. Dale Steyn was head and shoulders above the rest, and is destined to get a career haul over 400. Along with his 21 wickets, he often bowled wicketless spells where one felt he deserved better.

For India, Singh, Khan and Sreesanth were the standouts, but in the end they weren’t as consistently menacing as Steyn and to a lesser extent, Morkel. It must also be said that SA got the benefit of the toss in 2 of the 3 games, and as a result SA’s bowlers would have enjoyed marginally better conditions over the course of the 3 Tests.

All said and done, I think 1-1 is a fair result. A one-eyed South African supporter can seldom say that without going into the ifs, ands or buts. The reality is that whenever SA had India on the rack, the Indians fought back. When SA were in trouble at Newlands early on day 4, they too fought back. An excellent series that lived up to its billing, long may the rivalry continue.

Bring on the ODI’s.

Ian Chappell: Past his Use-By-Date?

Posted: January 5, 2011 by rjsays in Cricket, Opinion
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Rajat jain

Mountain View, CA

5 January 2011

Ian Chappell has been a great batsman, an astute captain, and an interesting observer of the game, and ranks high in the list of favorite cricket columnists and commentators. One of Chappell’s strengths, unlike most of his fellow colleagues, is he does not fear in saying his mind, and does not need to sugar coat his voice to hide something harsh he may have to say. And it is refreshing to see a person not afraid to say the obvious with the fear of making a person or player of a high stature angry, when the cricket world is filled with numerous diplomats (the leaders of the pack being those anchoring the microphone for the IPL). Geoff Boycott is another analyst whom I enjoy listening to.

As great as it might be, speaking up the mind and being critical requires a great thought process, a process following game from an unbiased point of view and evaluating the game not as a critic, but as a fan. Being a great batsman, but more importantly a great captain, Chappell has this ability to analyze the game intelligently and quickly became a constructive critic of the game enriching it with his great intellect. And the great thing about him—as it is with great analysts—was that he knew where his strengths lie and acted accordingly (unlike a Ravi Shastri or Sunny Gavaskar).

Unfortunately for him, though, he has gone so deep into acting on his strengths, that it has become his biggest weakness. In trying to analyze the game from a critic’s point of view (and not a fan’s), he has himself become its greatest critic. And it is not only today, but happening for some time now. In 2007, after the Indian disaster at the World Cup, he was among the first to ask for Sachin Tendulkar’s immediate retirement from the game.

Neither Sachin, nor the Indian panel of selectors followed his judgment, and three years later, Sachin has not only become inarguably the greatest batsman in the last three years, but has gone to such heights that no player barring Jacques Kallis, and (with a faintest of chances) Ricky Ponting can even think of coming close to. And he achieved greatness to such an extent that the same person who wrote in length on Sachin’s dismal mental strength acknowledged it two years later.

And the story is continuing for this former Aussie great. Never the one to support aging out-of-form but champion players, Chappell wondered the state of the Australian team without Mike Hussey as he came back into form in the Ashes after a series of disappointments. On the other hand, though, Chappell has left no stone unturned in asking for the resignation of Ricky Ponting from captaincy, and even possibly his retirement.

It seems that his great analysis skills are have now shrunk only to follow the flow of the river and wet the hands while at it. And it is not only in the analysis of matches and players. It has hampered his analysis of the sport in general. Listen to the podcast by Harsha Bhogle featuring himself and Sanjay Manjrekar, and it is clear as to who was doing the bulk of analysis, and who was merely acting as a critic for being a critic.

Just like Chappell said for his countryman Ponting, I feel sad to say that Ian Chappell is past his “use-by-date.” And it is time he devotes himself to something other than the sport he dearly loves ……… to criticize.

IPL Auctions 2011: The Right Decision By Kumble

Posted: January 4, 2011 by The CouchExpert in Cricket, IPL
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Goutham Chakravarthi

Bangalore

4 January 2011

A sportsman’s shelf life is only so much. The travel and time away from family does take its toll, but as all sportsmen will tell you, they miss the mateship and competitiveness and the sense of battle and accomplishment on a daily basis is hard to replace. A void so deep that it lures many back into the game as experts, administrators, selectors, mentors, coaches, umpires ad referees. And some as players again in the IPL.

Anil Kumble’s decision to stand down from the IPL auctions is most welcome in that regard. When he did show the inclination of playing this season I was vocal in disagreement on some forums. He was already the chairman of the National Cricket Academy and also the president of his home cricket association – Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). Continuing to be an active player after all that seemed to be complicating matters. Also, there was always the danger of him not being picked in the Royal Challengers’ squad the moment he was not retained by the franchise. Even if he was picked, he might not have been its leader considering his age and other commitments.

If anything, it would throw up unnecessary situation of him perhaps potentially not being the leader and therefore not even in the playing eleven. As the president of the KSCA that would perhaps make the younger local players not know how to deal with the situation – of having to take sides involuntarily.

With him having volunteered to mentor the youngsters at the NCA and as its chairman, he had clearly moved on as a person. Then he ran for office for his home cricket association. Countless days were spent speaking to the stake holders and the district associations in convincing them of his vision for Karnataka cricket. A clean sweep at the elections showed that people were tired of the ones running its cricket and their belief in him and his team.

His willingness to choose administration where many cricketers have tried and failed impressed the keen followers of Indian cricket. As impressive also have been the measures his team has laid out already. Among the many things that annoy locals about administrators is when people get elected time and gain and do nothing time and again.

Accountability isn’t much of thing with our administrators. Karnataka’s cricket has taken a beating from the highs of the mid-nineties. Among those proposed by his leadership is a cap on the maximum terms one can serve at the office: two. For long, it has been the bane of all sports administration in this country. This might pave the way for cricketers getting into administration. Rahul Dravid is expected to get into administration once he is done with cricket.

When Brijesh Patel and a set of cricketers took office at the KSCA back in ’96, similar expectation and the hope of change lingered. After a promising start, the inevitable daily petty challenges that administrators have to face took its toll and they became just another set of blokes who couldn’t be the change. Kumble, with his stature could have chosen far easier and more lucrative positions. That he has chosen to run office for his home state is typical of the man wanting to be associated with the game for all the right reasons.

The reasons behind Kumble opting out of the IPL auctions might be more than a clash with business commitments. In a world where excellence is a quick-fire 50 in a Twenty20 game, Kumble stands for it with deeds spanning close to two decades. Now, he pursues challenging tasks as an administrator of a state with its cricket in decline, as a chairman of young boys in the academy confused between the honour of Test cricket and the glamour of IPL. Now, as the chief mentor of Royal Challengers, he has made another impressive decision.

Many an administrator has failed duty. Many an ex-Indian cricketer has attempted and failed at administration. Kumble may or may not achieve everything he sets out to achieve, but it is the step in the right direction. Opting out of IPL auction is not a step backwards. He has moved on as a person. We won’t see him again on the cricket pitch. But, all for the betterment of the game.

Alas, the same cannot be said of Brian Lara.

India vs. South Africa Third Test Preview: More Than Just Cricket

Posted: January 1, 2011 by The CouchExpert in Cricket, India in South Africa 2010-11
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Goutham Chakravarthi

Bangalore

2nd Jan 2011

Cricketers come in all sorts. Some restless who can’t sleep a wink before the Test, some carefree, some free spirited, some meticulous, some superstitious. None of which can guarantee success, but each in pursuit of individual excellence and collective results. It can get complicated – money, fame, expectation and the pressures that come with it. The better ones understand what works best for them and try to remain in the mental frame that gives them the best chance of succeeding.

It is often overlooked that it is young boys and men with varying personalities and back-grounds (most certainly in both India and South Africa) come together for five days on the field to achieve a result. Some succeed. Most fail. Also, the ones delivering at the final stages of the game walk away with the limelight though victories are constructed and achieved over the five days. And often, it means different things to people within the team itself – some on their last legs who may never experience it again; some for the first time who don’t know how many more is in store for them, and some after a long time who don’t know if they will be around when it is the next time!

And often, for a lot of them, including the game, certain things matter more than the result itself. When Duminy and de Villiers scripted a famous chase in Perth two years ago, it showed the giant strides post-aparthied South Africa had made as a cricket nation. True that the quota system still rankles many in that country and have affected a lot of cricketers who seek refuge in the UK as Kolpak players and even those who try to qualify to play for England. But, it also showed progress of cricket in a nation that is spread across the society and colour.

The day might not be far when a Muslim with Indian roots will lead South Africa. It is a huge statement considering that football is still seen as predominantly a black man’s game and rugby as that of the white man. Recently, they embraced the idea of playing two spinners in spin-friendly conditions, not seen previously as their forte. They might not have always won under extreme-pressure, but perhaps, they have got it right with regards to their cricket and its progress and development. Kallis, Donald, Pollock have been great cricketers – the best of their kind. Who is to say Amla, de Villiers and Steyn won’t? And they are not far away from being the best Test side in the world either. Perhaps that vindicates their progress on all counts.

On the other hand, India has its own tussles. A country brimming with growth and confidence but also a nation where corruption is widespread and cricket a national pastime like no other. All Indians are armchair critics with opinion more from the heart and widely fluctuating from one game to the other. After all, million dollar business acquisitions and million dollar scams can appear side-by-side on its newspaper front pages on the same day. Success and failure can be measured by the quantity of runs and wickets than the quality of wickets and opposition. Relative comparison is the order of all Indian families – from entrance exam results to cricket scores.

Cricket has managed to survive the many changes with the country – the many divides from culture to class, language to religion – it has managed to survive the chaos it can be and move on – from the time when each religion fielded its team in the Bombay Pentangular to the top of the official Test rankings and conceiving the most successful and controversial cricket league.

Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman may never tour South Africa again. But they represent the India who fight odds but still make it big in their fields. It shows endurance, courage and more than anything else that pursuing excellence often yields results. May be that is the lesson many of the IPL generation needs to learn from them.

So when India square-off against South Africa in a few hours’ time in what would be a crucial Test for the many that take part in it and how it might change the lives of many based on its outcome, and how the winning team and its supporters might lay claim to be best team in the world, let’s also understand that they are best two cricketing nations for they may have embraced a lot more than just cricket to be best in the world.

Let the game begin!

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