To say that I expected India to win the CB series would be a lie. In fact, I am not even sure if they deserved to win. You could of course argue that.

I had decided not to watch the second game because it was somewhat understood Australia would bounce back and make room for the third match, which would have then be dubbed as the final of the finals, etc., etc. But of course, I watched most of it.

But oh, India won. More important than the win itself was the fact how Indians remained composed during the death overs. This is one aspect where they definitely have achieved praiseworthy progress. Clinching two wickets in the last over was dreamlike. Couldn’t believe this is the same team that was notorious for conceding extra runs and losing quick wickets in the death overs.

While this is the kind of win that’s going to elevate their confidence manifold, they shouldn’t forget England has already done this. And currently, they are not in a very good situation. So winning over Australia doesn’t mean they are the best team in the world. On a bad day, even World No. 111 can beat Roger Federer, but that doesn’t make them World No. 1 overnight or even better than Federer, for that matter. So basically, what remains to be seen is how Oz-gate will transform Indians– will it make them complacent? Will that fire their enthusiasm, to use a metaphor, to improve their game even more? Time will tell, but we all know, Indians are not very good at handling victories. Something almost always goes wrong. Consistency has been and still remains India’s biggest issue.

Something went wrong with Australia over the past week, and it’s not my business to find that out. But they still are good. And consistent.

Some interesting discoveries:

* After being in the business for about a decade, Harbhajan Singh has finally learnt a few cliches. I am here to play some good cricket. I’m really proud. (Followed by, “Main Thaka Hoon.”)

* Symonds is the kind of guy you could go on a date with without worrying about eve teasers.

* Sachin is a bit like Gandhi. He gets angry. A lot. But won’t show it.

* Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the man India needs. You can’t pinpoint any move he made. Some tremendous leadership by him. Actually, Dhoni has always been a good captain, but this series, especially the second final made me realize that we can’t do without him. Really. Hats off to him.

What discoveries did you make?

Post from: EveryJoe

Great Expectations

Finally, the elusive and much awaited 42nd ton came. At Sydney Cricket Ground. Where it was most needed. Does anyone doubt Tendulkar’s match-winning ability now?

But, the credit for this glory also must go to Gambhir, who selflessly sacrificed his wicket to save Tendulkar.

Post from: EveryJoe

Tendulkar Can Still Win Matches

Australia v India, CB Series, 7th ODI, Adelaide ; February 17, 2008

Australia 9 for 203 (Clarke 79, Pathan 4-41) beat India 153 (Johnson 3-42) by 50 runs

Australia beats India in the 7th CB Series ODI by 50 runs

There’s been a lot of talk recently about Australia losing the confidence and luster they were once known for. It might be true, but the thing is, they’re still a cut above the rest, whatever level they are at.

Their most in-form bowler didn’t play, they struggled to put up a decent total, and yet they managed to win. You could argue it wasn’t their bowling but India’s batting inadequacies that steered the match in their direction, but who cares. A win is a win. Australia won. End of story.

This Indian team isn’t bad per se, despite the absence of regulars like Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid; they just failed to perform. Dhoni said at the post-match presentation that the youngsters are learning. It’s true these guys are rookies, and it takes time to handle the kind of pressure that comes with facing Australia, but inexperience should not be used as an excuse. If they are not good enough to play against Australia, they shouldn’t be playing in these matches. You don’t go to Australia to give practice to your players. And let’s not forget that even with the bigger players on board, India has never truly threatened Australia. Yes, they have challenged Australia’s domination to some extent, but then again, the Aussies never lost sleep over it. Sometimes the batsmen don’t click; sometimes the bowlers disappoint. It doesn’t work that way. You’ve got to put your act together.

Anyway, Gautam Gambhir looked good, but like always, lacked the patience and fell into the trap the Aussie have been using to snare him throughout the Commonwealth Bank Series. Yuvraj Singh was a bit of himself in the match, but you can’t expect a miracle from an out-of-form batsman, and that too at such a critical stage. Dhoni did bring some stability after a disastrous start and could have saved the game, but no go again.

James Hopes’ two quick wickets could be justified as the turning point of the match. They sealed the match for Australia. Pretty much.

Looking at the big picture, there needs to be some serious work done on the players. If the BCCI can take some time off their important matters like IPL, it would do the players some good. The physio and another staffer on the team have left. That might bring their focus back to the team.

The next match is going to give us some idea where this series is headed.

—-

It must have been quite crazy to see the last few wickets falling. Not for me though, because I switched off the television after Dhoni’s dismissal. And it wasn’t a complete waste of time for me either; I gulped half a dozen oranges while watching, and that’s given me enough Vitamin C for the rest of the week.

Post from: EveryJoe

No Hopes for India

eat Cricket, sleep Cricket, drink Cricket

Other than that he bowled extremely well in the two Commonwealth Bank ODI’s, there’s another important reason why Ishant Sharma is important for India. His presence in the team has raised the average height of players. He and Pankaj Singh can help India shed off their “little boys” tag.

Ishant Sharma is a promising pacer, and he’s only 19. But he must understand that it takes 434 wickets to be a Kapil Dev and 23 years that go into clinching those wickets. He should also understand that anybody could have a series of their life and then disappear like a meteor in the night sky just like Narendra Hirwani. It’s also worth keeping in mind that sometimes you could be talented like Balaji and Ashish Nehra and still fizzle.

For the next three years, let’s:

1) Not Burden him with endorsements. Let him set himself up first and sweat it out on the fields.

2) Keep him away from the dazzle of Bollywood. Bollywood is the sweat poison of Indian cricket.

3) Make him strive for a spot in the team and not just gift it away just because he clicked in a few matches and seems like the next big thing in Indian bowling.

That and a few other things should possibly help him become a real match winner for India.

Just an aside: Since he’s laid the gauntlet down to the Aussies, it’s not going to be very easy for him in the series now.

Post from: EveryJoe

Ishant Sharma: Indian Bowling’s New Pillar

So the Australian Open finished off with the results I had predicted in this post. Masha, aka, Maria Sharapova sailed through to the trophy. As I said, nobody in the tournament weiled the kind of power she did, and on the men’s side, Djoker, aka, Novak Djokovic, got the better of suprise finalist Tsonga. We had been pretty much hooked to the tournament, so much so that we missed out on a lot of cricket. With the Commenwealth Bank Series on, we’re back to bats and balls.

Anyway, lots of things happened during the Border-Gavaskar Series, and some of it wasn’t pleasant. And it lead me to compare a few aspects of our favorite game to tennis. There are quite a few things ICC, the various local cricket authorities, and the players can learn from racquets and balls.

* Off-season: We’re a big fan of this one. There was next to no tennis in November and December. This time of the year is off-season for the game. After the US Open, the number of tournaments declines sharply and by the time it’s November, the tennis world is alreading on vocation. The tennis season, after this temporary halt, unofficially kicks off in January with the tournaments building up to the Australian Open. The players and viewers get back to the game with revived enthusiasm. Cricket is played all the year round with no break in between. There are obvious downsides to this, but they deserve a post of their own.

*Mutual Respect: Respect for opponents is something that has been missing in the game recently. Everyone saw what happened between Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds, how Ricky Ponting and other players on the Australian side took to swords. That was the on-field story, but the trend of psychological war of words off the field is worth a mention, too. There is nothing seriously wrong with trying to bring down the morale of the opponent, but look at the tennis players. At pre-match conferences, they’re not telling us why their opponents suck or why they have an edge over them, but why that opponent will be difficult to win over. There’s a sense of respect for the opponents, both on and off the court.

* Women are powerful: Tennis’s popularity today is largely due to the women’s tennis. What if women’s cricket was given equal importance as the men’s cricket? First off, it would encourage women to take it up as a career, and second, it would help the game get female readership. You can’t match the glamour of miniskirts and spaghetti tops with trousers and half-sleeved tee-shirts, but women’s cricket is worth giving a try. The most popular and rich sports have all progressive women’s circuits as well– golf and football being two examples.

* Integrative training: Cricket is both physically and mentally exhausting. Shaun Tait proves that. Besides the usual training, there should be some yoga, pilates, etc. Ingtegrative training is big in tennis. Maria Sharapova spends two hours after every match with her trainer who does acupressure and allied stuff.

Obviously, there are lots of things tennis can learn from cricket, but that’s outside the scope of this talk.

Fan Question: What other sports do you think cricket can learn from?

Post from: EveryJoe

What Cricket Can Learn From Tennis?