2013 உறுதி மொழிகள்

தண்ணியடிக்க மாட்டேன், தம் அடிக்க மாட்டேன், தினசரி உடற்பயிற்சி செய்வேன் - இதெல்லாம் மாங்காய் மனிதர்கள் (அதாங்க, காங்கிரஸ் பாஷையில் ஆம் ஆத்மி) மேற்கொள்ளும் புது வருட உறுதிமொழிகள். பெரிய மனிதர்களெல்லாம் சிறுபிள்ளைத்தனமாக நடந்து கொள்வதால் இந்த வருடம் அவர்களை உறுதிமொழி எடுக்க வைத்தோம் (சில நாதாரிங்க அப்படியே தங்கள் கனவுகளையும் மிக்ஸ் பண்ணிடுச்சுங்க):


தமிழ்நாடு மின்சார வாரியம்:

இன்னும் கூடுதலாக மின் வெட்டு செய்து பல எடிசன்களையும் ஐன்ஸ்டீன்களையும் உருவாக்குவோம் (அவங்கல்லாம் மெழுகுவர்த்தி வெளிச்சத்துல தான் படிச்சாங்களாமே!)


பிசிசிஐ ஸ்ரீனிவாசன்:

நான் இந்திய அணியின் பொறுப்பாளர் என்பதை நினைவில் வைத்துக் கொண்டு செயல்படுவேன். ஒரு பொழுதும் இந்திய அணியை CSKவாக மாற்ற முயற்சிக்க மாட்டேன் என்று உறுதி கூறுகிறேன். மேலும், புதிய மற்றும் திறமையான பௌலர்கள் அணியில் இடம் பெற முயற்சிகள் மேற்கொள்வேன் எனவும் தெரிவிக்கிறேன்.

சல்மான் கான்:

வீணாப் போன தமிழ் மற்றும் தெலுங்குப் படங்களை ஹிந்தியில் எடுத்து மக்களைக் கொல்ல மாட்டேன் என உறுதி கொள்கிறேன் (சார், அப்புறம் நான் புவ்வாவுக்கு என்ன சார் பண்றது? இவ்ளோ வயசுக்கப்புறம் இப்படி ஒரு முத்திப்போன மூஞ்சியை வைச்சுக்கிட்டு என்னால வேற எதுவுமே பண்ண முடியாதுண்ணா (கல்யாணம் உட்பட) - கொஞ்சம் கன்சிடர் பண்ணுங்க)

சின்னத்திரை ராதிகா:

எப்படியும் இந்த வருடத்திற்குள் செல்லமே சீரியலை முடித்து விடுவேன்.


செஹ்வாக் / கம்பீர்:

எப்படியும் ஒரு மேட்ச்சுக்காச்சும் கேப்டனா ஆயிடணும். அதுல எந்த வில்லங்கமும் வராம ஜெயிச்சுடணும். நீங்க உறுதிமொழி எடுக்கச் சொன்னீங்கல்ல, சாரி, வயசாயிடுச்சுல்ல, அதான் மறந்துட்டோம். பந்தைப் பார்த்து எட்ஜ் வாங்காமல் ஆட முயற்சி எடுப்பேன் என உறுதி அளிக்கிறோம்.

சந்தானம்:

சிரிப்பு வரும்படி மொக்கை போடாமல் யாரையும் காப்பி அடிக்காமல் காமெடி பண்ணுவேன்


கூடங்குளம்:

குப்பை கூடும் களமாக மாறுவதற்கு முன்னால் யாராச்சும் மோட்டாரை ஸ்டார்ட் செய்யுங்கப்பா!


மன்மோகன் சிங்:

சொந்தமாக, யாரும் சொல்லிக் கொடுக்காமல் ஒரு நாலு வார்த்தை நன்றாக வாயைத் திறந்து பேசுவேன்


சூர்யா / கார்த்தி:

ப்ரமோஷன் என்ற பெயரில் அப்பா போல் ஓவராக மொக்கை போடாமல் அளவாக பேசுவோம் என உறுதி கொள்கிறோம்


சச்சின்:

எம்பியாக, ஒரு விளையாட்டு வீரனாக, கிரிக்கெட்டுக்கும் மற்ற விளையாட்டுகளுக்கும் உருப்படியாக எதாவது செய்வேன் (பின்னே? ரிடையர் ஆயிட்டு எவ்ளோ நாள் தான் சும்மா இருக்க முடியும்?)


"நீயா நானா"கோபிநாத்:

இந்த வருடம் எந்த ஒரு நிகழ்ச்சியையும் கோட் போடாமல் சாதாரண உடை அணிந்து நடத்துவேன் (அவ்ளோ பெரிய பாடியை மறைக்கறது கஷ்டம் தான், இருந்தாலும் முயற்சி திருவினையாக்கும்)


கமல்:

கேபிள், சாட்டிலைட், சுனாமி என்று நான் சொன்ன அனைத்தும் உண்மையாகி விட்டதால் என்னை கடவுளாக நம்பாதீர்கள். நான் மனிதத்தை நம்பும் மனிதன். உங்களை நம்பி உங்களுக்காக DTHல் விஸ்வரூபம் வெளியிடுகிறேன். கண்டிப்பாக இந்த வர்த்தக முறை விஸ்வரூபம் எடுக்கும். வெல்.... உறுதி மொழி.... சுற்றி வளைக்காமல் நேரடியாக பேச முயற்சிப்பேன். சுற்றி வளைப்பதால் என்னைக் குழப்பவாதி என்று எண்ண வேண்டாம். குழப்பவாதிகள் தெளிவானவர்கள். நான் இன்னும் தெளிவைத் தேடித்தேடி குழம்பித் தூர் வாரும் ஒரு விவசாயி....ஆம்.. சினிமாவும் விவசாயம் தான்.......


ஹாரிஸ் ஜெயராஜ்:

முந்தைய பாடல்களின் சாயல் இல்லாமல் சற்றேனும் யோசித்து புதுசாக டியூன் போடுவேன்


தோனி:

ஆடி அமாவாசை போல் வருடத்திற்கொரு முறை விளையாடாமல் அடிக்கடி விளையாடிப் பழகுவேன். பாலிடிக்சை பகுதி நேரத் தொழிலாகவும் கிரிக்கெட்டை முழு நேரத் தொழிலாகவும் (அணியில் இருக்கும் வரை) வைத்துக்கொள்வேன்.

பாரதிய ஜனதா கட்சி:

கட்சியின் சார்பா ஒருவர் மட்டுமே பேசுவோம், ஆளாளுக்கு கருத்து சொல்லி குழாயடி சண்டை போட மாட்டோம், எங்கள் முதுகை முதலில் நன்றாக சுரண்டி அழுக்கு நீங்கிய பின்னர் பிறர் மீது குற்றம் சுமத்துவோம்.


கேப்டன்:

அடிக்க மாட்டேன்...நடிக்க மாட்டேன்.... எடுக்க மாட்டேன் - தப்பாப் புரிஞ்சுக்காதீங்க பாஸ்.

தேவையில்லாமல் யாரையும் அடிக்க மாட்டேன்

காமெரா முன்னால் மட்டுமல்ல, மேடையிலும் நடிக்க மாட்டேன்

அரை வேக்காடான முடிவுகளை எடுக்க மாட்டேன்


டிவி சேனல்கள்:

ரியாலிட்டி ஷோ என்ற பெயரில் அழுகாச்சி பண்ணாமல் ஒழுங்காக நிகழ்ச்சிகள் நடத்துவோம்


ரஜினி:

கண்ணா ,சில பேர் சொல்வாங்க, சில பேர் செய்வாங்க, நாம சொல்றதைத் தான் செய்வோம், செய்யறதைத் தான் சொல்வோம் - இதுக்கு எதுக்கு உறுதி மொழி? விடற மூச்சுக் காத்தே வாடகைக்குத் தான். அதுவே எப்போ சப்ளை கட் ஆவும்னு நமக்குத் தெரியல. அதனால நல்ல சிந்தனையோட, முழு உழைப்போட மட்டும் வாழுங்கன்னு சொல்லி உங்க எல்லாருக்கும் வாழ்த்துக்களை தெரிவிச்சுக்கறேன்

பவர் ஸ்டார் ஸ்ரீனிவாசன்:
பவரான சூப்பர் ஸ்டாரே சும்மா இருக்கும்போது பட்டப் பெயரில் மட்டும் பவரை வைத்துக்கொண்டு தேவையில்லாமல் ராவடி பண்ண மாட்டேன்

இந்தியக் குடிமகன்::

சேனல் மாற்றி மாற்றி சமூக அவலம் மற்றும் ஊழல் செய்திகளைப் பார்த்துவிட்டு வலை தளத்திலும் மொபைலிலும் வெட்டிப் பொழுது போக்காமல் உருப்படியாக எதாவது செய்வேன். இல்லையேல் உடம்பில் இருக்கும் நவத் துவாரங்களையும் மூடிக் கொண்டு சும்மா இருப்பேன்.




ஆங்கிலப் புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்




Jayaraman

New Delhi

That favorite shirt is not in the WARDROBE anymore...

It’s a sinking feeling to know that Tendulkar retired from ODIs. Of course, he is not a regular feature in the side for the past few years. But, we knew he is there and only chose to opt out. After all, it’s not 90’s era anymore when the Team entirely rode on Tendulkar’s shoulder and he had to play every single game. Thus, Tendulkar’s time offs served some purpose. It gave an opportunity for a youngster to make most of the spot. It helped Tendulkar himself to prolong his career. It taught, India to play without Tendulkar. Most importantly, it educated the public to watch the game without Tendulkar. Now that the transition is complete in all aspects, Tendulkar may have chosen to bid adieu (from the format to say the least). Or probably, he is preparing the nation to get used to his retirement before he signs off one last time. Or maybe, he threw something to the pundits who kept calling his head (Now that they are given something to chew, Tendulkar could quietly concentrate on resurrecting his career).

But, it all appears to have happened only yesterday. The sight of little Tendulkar walking in place of Sidhu to open the innings for the first time against New Zealand at Auckland in 1994. At that point, nobody knew what was going to strike them. In the end, a 49 ball 82 rocked the entire cricketing world. It brought million smiles and unlimited joy in every Indian’s home. It gave every fan a hope that India is not a walkover anymore. Rightly so, there was no looking back for Indian Cricket and Little Tendulkar went on to become the Little Master with time. Almost 18 years passed between now and then. In all these years, Tendulkar played countless innings, scored countless 50’s, countless 100s, countless runs. He surely lived up to the tag of Run Machine.

It would not be an overstatement, if I say “There is no other sports person in the world to have made so much impact to a nation like Tendulkar did to India”. Such a heavy persona, had he not finished a World Cup winner, it would have been heights of cruelty. Thankfully, Dhoni’s Men made sure they added that ultimate feather to his glorious cap.

Much like million others, I too fell in love with the sport only after watching Tendulkar. And I should say I’m privileged to have followed his career to entirety. In other words, Tendulkar was the only constant in my life all these years. To put that statement in perspective, I completed school, finished college, joined work, switched careers, moved companies, entered matrimony, joined fatherhood etc., so much of facets in my own life, but Tendulkar remained the only constant all these years, doing that only job of scoring all that runs for the country. I’m sure I mimicked this journey with Tendulkar alongside million others. So, it is not that bad when You & I feel a lump in the throat, soon we heard the news of Tendulkar retirement.

Of all his brilliant innings, Sharjah Storm would be my personal favorite. Reasons – those were the times Tendulkar used to be the only hope. On these days, he surely lived up to that reputation. Importantly, it came against Waugh’s men and came back to back.

To give an opinion, Tendulkar surely got it right announcing his retirement from ODI’s. Had he announced this retirement impulsively after winning the World Cup, the timing would have been picture perfect. Never mind, we can’t crib about what did not happen.

Bottom line: That favorite shirt of (Y)ours is not in the wardrobe anymore.

Dinesh

Cricket Lover

Should Tendulkar Play? Should Dhoni Lead?

The subject has turned into a raging debate in the recent days. And we hear a lot from Pundits and Media every day. But, what does a common cricket fan have to say on this? Let see.

Aravindan Chandrasekaran - Hey ****** pls retire for the goodness of Indian cricket team and let a potential youngster take your place. The team is no more dependent on you. Extra baggage.

Kamal Saini - Anybody who has played cricket and led the team knows how thankless this captaincy job is. There are 11 players in the team but they are all one team. Nobody is pointing out how horribly all bowlers bowled and how bad everybody's batting was. On top of that, British did the exact opposite. They were great in both batting and bowling. As a result, India lost, Indian team lost. So, why is it that the blame goes on 2 individuals? That is truly crazy. A sane mind would rather say, well done England, Indian team were no match to you this time. Raina, Yuvraj, Rohit, Sehwag, Gambhir, etc name anybody who can replace Rahul, Laxman, or Sachin at the moment. The fact is, there is nobody in the pipeline, no replacement parts for this engine that is running on some old parts.

Devi Yogha - Sachin can take a break and given one more opportunity for him to excel and retire with pride for the kind of genius he is. But I feel he should revisit his retirement plans and need not stay until next world cup. Dhoni can stay as a Captain and Virat is too young as Kapil said. What I think the main problem is the Coach. In my opinion, Gary Kristen was one of the Major reasons for our World Cup victory. We need a coach like John Wright or Gary to make our guys unite and fight back with spirit. A good coach can turn things around.

Sandeep V Iyer - I would like to see Sachin retire gracefully while he is in good form. I personally don’t want him to retire on a bad note. Dhoni according to me is still a good captain. His team doesn’t seem to be performing well, so he is being put in the line of fire. As the old adage goes, "A captain is as good as his team is". I believe the focus should rather be in making sure that the team plays better cricket, rather than changing the leadership. Of course, my comments can be debated, but that is how i feel at the moment.

Vijay Srinivasa Rangan - When Saurav was handed over the captaincy it was said that he was sure to be in the 11 in all the formats i.e Test and ODI. Now with Dhoni not being a certainty in the test 11 he should consider giving up test captaincy and T20 captaincy and should continue with ODI. Virat should be given T20 captiancy and Sachin should be allowed to captain the team for next 2 series and retire after playing 200 Test and passing on the mantle to somebody who will be ready by then. If Gambir regains his touch he would be the 1st choice for captaincy

Dharmendra Ponala - Sachin: I still believe he has a role to play in the current Indian Test Team to provide solidity and experience at the middle order, which is now a big void left by Dravid and Laxman. Dhoni: He should be relieved of Test captaincy as he doesn't seem to enjoy it anymore and ran out of ideas and started making unnecessary excuses. But he is still a good captain in ODIs and T20s

Hariganesh Ramamurthy - Sachin should not play the ODI series against Pak/Eng as he is grabbing a chance from a youngster. Against Australia in 2013 if he plays like what he did in Australia 2011/2012 he should consider playing in the overseas series against SA, NZ and England. Else he should retire from cricket. Simply put Aussie Test Series is the acid test for Tendulkar. Dhoni does not deserve a place in Test cricket forget about captaincy. He should lead ODI format and play T20 under a younger captain like Kohli/Raina.

Anbalagan Varadharajan - Yes for Dhoni, No for Sachin. It is the transition period from seniors to juniors. And Dhoni don’t get much support from bowlers as well. Don’t think change in captain is good at this time. The next question mark is Coach.

Rohin Rana - No Captaincy for Dhoni in Test matches only. We need more aggressive captain in Tests than Dhoni. India never had great fast bowlers still some of our fast bowlers did well in India. But here Dhoni completely neglect them and doesn't trust them. Why play 4 spinners where Anderson was man of the match? Also he was not able to resolve his issues with Sehwag and Gambhir. He is still very good captain in T20 and one day. It's a Transition Phase (b/c Dravid and Laxman already left) and Sachin still have a lot to give youngsters in Test cricket. Sachin should get retired in one day.

Perumal Murgusubbiah - No for Dhoni. His insistence on certain players, being ready with excuses even before the loss, portraying A DON’T CARE attitude that is disturbing...... About Sachin, i think he is the best judge of his career. May be he thinks that he is in good form though stats don’t show it. Frankly, i don’t think Sachin retiring will do any change to the team's fortunes. We will get another replacement who will not play unless Dhoni likes him and if dhoni likes him, he is more likely to fail.

Anubhav Chopra - India needs to move past the old school thinking of wearing a person out completely and then looking for a miracle. With that in mind, I believe there was also an article on Cricinfo that stated that one of the reasons for Indian cricketers not being able to develop completely is due to not getting the right amount of exposure at the right time. So I would say - Currently Dhoni is one of the best captaincy material for ODI, but let's face it we can all see where his flaws are.... Not to also mention he is way more over worked. As such I believe, Indian selectors should definitely start naming and grooming someone like Kohli as vice-captain, so that he can take full charge soon after. Dhoni is still a good player but age always has a role to play... We just saw this recently with Clarke- Ponting issue in Austraila..... Next moving onto Sachin.... Yes he is the most complete batsmen of all time, but now it's time to switch roles and be the best all round batting coach for India... Like I have mentioned in the past, take more time out for domestic competitions... There is no way in hell we should not have good bowlers coming out, if they are practicing against Sachin in domestic competitions.... Bottom Line - It's time for BIG changes and what better time to look towards the future than now... Indian team has nothing to lose.

Sudarshan Sadagopan - Sachin should decide one thing. When is he calling it off? With lot of home games he should announce his time and then go play without any extra pressure. Dhoni has been a good captain though he makes mistakes here and there. Making Kohli will anyways split the dressing room with seniors waiting for opportunity. So stick with Dhoni for another home series and see what happens.

Vignesh Shankar - Anyway if we win the ODI series against England people will forget about the Test series which we lost and again this issue will come up when lose against Australia. And then there will be an IPL to follow immediately that will again take our mind away from these issues.

Those were random opinions. And the opinions on this subject are still divided. However a large majority is still not so hard on Tendulkar, while they also wish to see a new Captain the least in one format.

Dinesh

Cricket Lover

PS: We did the same exercise in Feb 2012, when Tendulkar was struggling to complete his 100^th century. “Tendulkar Retirement Debate” was a hot topic then too. Back then people single handedly backed Tendulkar. Read (http://crazycricketlover.blogspot.com/2012/02/what-fans-have-to-say-about-tendulkar.html)

in the conservative world of INDIAN CRICKET

I’m sure the BCCI and Selectors are compelled to give something to the public who are very much infuriated by the 2-1 loss to England.

Even if the Selectors strongly believe, Dhoni still the way to go, it is not a bad idea to give the benefit of doubt to the sect (media, public and pundits) who perceive otherwise. Luckily, we have the sport which exists in multiple formats. And the Dhoni they back so much came after a trial in T20. So it is not a poor logic to retrace the success path. I suggest, try Kohli as a skipper starting with T20’s over Pakistan. Let’s see what he can do with it. Even if he does not come out in flying colors, it would still be a move with an eye for the future. By the way, countries like Australia, England, South Africa, Pakistan are all threading this path to explore/develop upcoming talents. Importantly, new skippers are launched everyday using T20 vehicle. Australia is working with George Bailey, England with Broad, Pakistan with Haffeez and South Africa with DuPlessis now. So, if India ventures Kohli in T20, it is not such a bad move.

It is not just the debut of Kohli as a skipper that will suffice. An overhaul is equally important. I would like to share the squad that I carry in my mind for the T20’s against Pakistan. I picked these names based on my limited domestic following. I don’t exactly mean the same team, but a team like this that is entirely new and refreshing.

Ajinkya Rahane, Unmukt Chand, Virat Kohli*, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary/Rayudu, Mandeep Singh/Maneria, Manvinder Bisla, Stuart Binny, Bhuvaneswar Kumar, Jalaj Saxena, Harmeet Singh, Pankaj Singh, Parvinder Awana, Shami Ahmed.

The above squad gives an opportunity to try fresh pair of openers, some known names trying to break in, new all-round talents, new crop of spinners and fast bowlers. By no mean, I say the above team will succeed. But this will be our genuine effort to induce youth into the system. At the end of the day, a handful of them will surely come out in flying colors after the T20’s against Pakistan. But that could be under the expense of losing to our archrivals. Again, what worse than 8-0 and 2-1? After all, here we know we are sure to lose, but still benefit.

I don’t end here. Those names that succeed in these T20’s against Pakistan should be tried immediately in the ODI’s that follow (against Pakistan and England). At the end of 2 T20’s and 8 ODI’s, I’m sure, we would have unearthed 2 or more players, who are worthy a debut in the series against Australia.

Bottom line: Not sure, if all this will happen so fast in this conservative world of Indian Cricket.

Dinesh

Cricket Lover

Fan Loyalty Abused

Fan Loyalty Abused - Simplest choice of words to define the performance of Indian Team.

Since we discussed enough way forward, I wish to proceed further. Rather I wish to add the following to the way forward. From my perspective, time has arrived to tie the player’s performance directly and immediately to their annual earnings. I know, we have not even completed a quarter from the time the Annual Contract was issued in Oct 2012, but it is not a bad idea to start from here.

Following is the current contract list awarded to Cricketers in Oct 2012

Grade A: Rs 1 crore each (approx $186,000) Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin

Grade B: Rs 50 lakh each (approx $93,000) Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Irfan Pathan, Umesh Yadav

Grade C: Rs 25 lakh each (around $46,500) Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, R Vinay Kumar, Munaf Patel, Abhimanyu Mithun, Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha, Parthiv Patel, Manoj Tiwary, S Badrinath, Piyush Chawla, Dinesh Karthik, Rahul Sharma, Varun Aaron, Abhinav Mukund, Ashok Dinda, Yusuf Pathan, Praveen Kumar, L Balaji

Going forward, I place the following guidelines.

The Contract

Cricketers will be awarded Annual contracts. Players will be classified into Grade A, Grade B or Grade C. Though the contract is valid for the entire year, there will be quarterly performance appraisal. Based on the performance in each quarter (series), players will be promoted or demoted. Again, nobody will be terminated from contracts (unless exceptional situation like involvement in match fixing), until the completion of the year. Every year, serious introspection will be made before awarding new contract to players.

The Guideline

Since, we take pride in saying Test Cricket is the pinnacle, anybody who don’t play Test Cricket will not be issued Grade A contract. In other words, no matter how exceptional the player is in ODI or T20, he cannot win a Grade A contract. Basically the player does not have a choice but to become a Test prospect to earn Grade A contract.

The Verdict

Here are my revised contracts for players at the end of England series.

Grade A: Rs 1 crore each (approx $186,000) Cheteshwar Pujara

Grade B: Rs 50 lakh each (approx $93,000) Virat Kohli, Pragyan Ojha, Irfan Pathan, Ashwin

Grade C: Rs 25 lakh each (around $46,500) Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, R Vinay Kumar, Munaf Patel, Abhimanyu Mithun, Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha, Parthiv Patel, Manoj Tiwary, S Badrinath, Piyush Chawla, Dinesh Karthik, Rahul Sharma, Varun Aaron, Abhinav Mukund, Ashok Dinda, Yusuf Pathan, Praveen Kumar, L Balaji

The Justification 

I’ve not removed anybody from the existing contract (though I want to badly). I’ve accounted their performance in the England series for any promotion/demotion.

Sachin Tendulkar is demoted to Grade C. Reasons - He does not play T20 (for India), picks and choose ODI series and ultimately did not deliver in Test Cricket too. His performance in the series against England is too good for retention in Grade A, while demoting to Grade B is too subtle to even pinch. I guess Sachin Tendulkar’s case is self-explanatory for promoting/demoting remaining cricketers. Dhoni is demoted to Grade C for not delivering as skipper while Yadav lost his Grade B contract for not taking care of his body.

Will this Work?

You may ask: Will this have any bearing? After all, these players rake in millions in IPL, endorsements etc.

In my opinion, it surely will. IPL is a cut throat world. Their bosses mean business. In the first season of IPL, the Royal Challengers Bangalore failed pathetically. As a result, the entire side was overhauled in the second season. And Rahul Dravid lost his captaincy too. Similarly, Knight Riders removed Sourav Ganguly from captaincy in the second season. By the end of 3^rd season, Ganguly more or less became a refugee. You can find 100’s of examples like this in the business world of cricket. The players themselves know that the income in IPL is not a guarantee for many years/seasons.

However, it is only the Indian Cricket that plays it soft to the players. If players performances reflect on their annual income instantly, I’m sure every individual will fight hard to save their skin, if not for their country.

Dinesh

Cricket Lover

PS: The above re-dressing in contracts will ensure Tendulkar will retire/not, Dhoni should captain/not and the Openers should survive/not. Also, every year, Grade A contract should revise its Rate (to match the highest paid amount in IPL).

No Pace, No Bounce, No Turn...

There is absolutely No Pace-No Bounce-No Turn in the wicket to disconcert Indian batsman. Yet 4 were already in the hut with the scorecard reading 87 and India still trail by 243 runs. In the 87 runs made thus, the only time India looked in control was the phase when Pujara stood at the crease. Pujara not only looked confident, but rubbed his resoluteness on Gambir too. For once, it looked like India will post a total over 400 and make a match out of it. And then it happened. The ball from Swann hit the elbow of Pujara and flew to the fielder at Short leg with the shouts of Catch IT Bell. A rough decision ended Pujara’s stay and India’s hopes. Until then a solid looking Gambir, quickly turned out of sorts, while Shaky Tendulkar continued his flimsiness. The Signs of Parade Began!!!

Despite what the scorecard reads, I still believe it’s a very good wicket to bat. In optimistic terms, all the circumspect batsmen (except Pujara) are already in the Pavilion. Dhoni promoting himself at No.6 looked refreshing. It should be Kohli, Dhoni, Ashwin and contributions from Jadeja (+bowlers) to take India around 300. If the quartet of Dhoni, Kohli, Ashwin and Jadeja play the game of their life, Dhoni can renew his lease in power for saving the series.

No matter, how much oneself is a passionate Tendulkar fan, it is still difficult to motivate and witness the master’s failures. For the sake of his fans, Tendulkar should announce his retirement in the middle of the test match and play the final innings. This will not only save Tendulkar his credibility, but also the Indian Team from public wrath for losing 1-3. And then we can start it fresh in the year 2013 with brand new teams in all forms of the game.

We have watched many miracles in Test Cricket. This time, I don’t want to harbor on such false hopes.

Bottom line: It will be a true marvel if Tendulkar lives to play the series against Australia and Dhoni leads it.

Dinesh

Cricket Lover

the last GAMBLE

I’ve done enough i-thinking and shared all my thoughts, opinions, way forward etc., for Indian Cricket. So, I prefer not to think what I think. Now, I’m attempting to pick Dhoni’s mind. Especially, when his own place in the side is in jeopardy, how can Dhoni on sane mind ask for Piyush Chawla and Ravindra Jadeja in the side for fourth test?

This is must be the case for Leg Spinner.

English batsmen are not challenged by Ojha’s left arm spin or Ashwin’s off spin. The reason being, their batsmen get to practice same clan of bowlers with better quality in the form of Panesar and Swann. As a result, their batsmen are well accomplished to face the Indian duo. In such a scenario a square turner alone is not a guarantee to save the series. The only ammo that India didn’t fire yet is a leg spinner. The odds are good that English batsmen may fail to read the wrist spinner on a turning surface.

Why Jadeja?

It really does not matter as to who the left arm spinner is. The reasons are already mentioned above. So, rather playing Pragyan Ojha, it is better to play Ravindra Jadeja and possibly cash on his twin triple century form. This way, the value derived from the left arm spinner is doubled.

Of course there is always flu or a muscle cramp or back spasm to bench the leading wicket taker in the side.

But why bench the leading wicket taker?

Except for Pujara the entire batting line up appears vulnerable. Also a turning track is going to make life even more difficult. So, it is important to bolster the line up with an additional batsman. This would be a better time to debut Ajinkya Rahane to try and seal the hole in the batting order. So it is a good gamble that the following XI will produce a favorable result (without ignoring the possibility of fielding 3 spinners).

Sehwag, Gambir, Pujara, Tendulkar, Kohli, Rahane, Dhoni, Jadeja, Ashwin, Dinda, Awana/Sharma/Ojha.

I’m back to being myself now. This all appears more of gambling rather a strategy. If a common cricket fan could read Indian Captain’s brain, I’m sure Andy Flower & Co would have done a better homework. If I’m not wrong, the spin bowling Coach Mushtaq Ahmed must be working overtime already in the nets to train English batsmen to play leg spinners.

Finally, Amarnath has come out in public to reveal what we already know is/was happening. Will it have a bearing? Yes it will, if England wins 3-1.

Dinesh

Cricket Lover

Correction: I failed to include Chawla in the lineup thus beating the purpose of the post. The team Dhoni must be considering is
Sehwag, Gambir, Pujara, Tendulkar, Kohli, Rahane, Dhoni, Jadeja, Ashwin, Dinda, Chawla.

12.12.12

12.12.12. = கூட்டினா 36. திருப்பிப் போட்டா 63. அது தலைவரோட வயது. இப்படி ஒரு ஸ்பெஷல் பிறந்த நாள் எத்தனை பேருக்கு அமையும்னு தெரியல. இப்படி ஒரு கோலாகலமான நாளில் சோர்ந்து போயிருக்கும் நம்ம இந்திய கிரிக்கெட் அணிக்குத் தெம்பூட்ட நினைச்சோம். தலைவரைப் பார்த்தாலே உற்சாகம் தொத்திக்கும். இந்த நிலையில் தலைவரோட சில கேரக்டர்களை அவங்களுக்குப் பொருத்திப் பார்த்தா? யார் கண்டா? வரவிருக்கும் டெஸ்ட் மேட்சில் அவங்க நல்லா ஆடினாலும் ஆடலாம். அப்படியும் அவங்க ஒழுங்கா ஆடலேன்னா என்னை கோவிக்காதீங்க. சில ஜென்மங்களை தலைவரால கூட திருத்த முடியாதுன்னு நினைச்சுக்க வேண்டியது தான்.

(சுவாரஸ்யத்திற்காக சில முன்னாள் வீரர்களையும் டீமில் இல்லாதவர்களையும் இன்ன பிற பிரபலங்களையும் சேர்த்திருக்கிறோம்)

தன் பிறந்த நாளை மறந்தாலும் கூட தலைவர் பிறந்த நாளை மறந்து போய்க் கூட ரசிகர்கள் மறப்பதில்லை. ஜமாயுங்க நண்பர்களே!!

Jayaraman

New Delhi

(facebook வாசகர்கள் மற்றும் சின்னத்திரை கிரிக்கெட் விமர்சகர்களுக்கு நன்றி)

Oh my god, this is becoming insane than before...

 “This is insane. The selectors here are paid to pick the team that Dhoni wants, rather a team that India needs”. This was my first impression soon I read the squad for the 4^th Test at Nagpur.

Am I being too critical? Let us take one issue at a time.

Dhoni cannot be blamed for the player’s failure

It is easy to say Dhoni cannot be blamed for the batsmen inability to score runs or bowlers failure to take wickets. If this is the excuse, where is the accountability for Captaincy? If players are measured by their runs and wickets, the captain should be measured by the results he delivers. 8-0 loss abroad, failure to reach finals in CB Series and Asia Cup, early exit from ICC World T20, down by 2-1 in the home series against England are beyond chewable proportion.

It is the Captain’s responsibility to bring the best out of his players. Dhoni has failed miserably for more than a year now. He should be blamed largely for not creating conducive atmosphere in the dressing room. Since players were not enjoying the environment, dissents began, players are not giving their best and India is only experiencing downward spiral. It is a big disappointment that BCCI or selectors has failed to read or in otherwords turned a blind eye to the situation.

We don’t have adequate resources to replace stalwarts like Dravid and Laxman

In my books we have more than adequate resource to replace Dravid and Laxman. Definitely Pujara and Kohli proved it already. Somebody might point Kohli’s poor performance in the current series is below ordinary. For the run he had in 2012 a form slump is imminent. The irony is it happened at the wrong time for him and India.

Ashwin is in no league of Harbhajan

I agree. Definitely Ashwin is in no league compared to Harbhajan Singh as an off spinner in Test Cricket. But, what we have unearthed in Ashwin is very unique. After a long time, India has discovered a genuine all round cricketer. He has all ingredients to replace Laxman at No.5 in the test line up. Of course that will happen only with time. Add his current bowling skills he could turn much handier than Laxman for India. If some captain has a vision, Ashwin will be explored as an opener. Who knows, if things go his way, Ashwin could bring the perfect balance the team desires. (When Manoj Prabhakar turned into a all-rounder, he resolved the issue of opening batter to partner Sidhu, India could play 4 specialist bowlers – Kapil Dev/Srinath, Kumble, Chauhan, Raju. Also, India could manage 5 batsman and specialist keeper. This is the same thing DeVilliers offers to South Africa, while Watson for Australia). Ashwin’s emergence is more of a blessing in disguise.

Mishandling of Harbhajan Singh

At the start of the series, I said Harbhajan Singh should not feature in the Test Series. I still stand by it. But, if India were to waste time on non-existent leg spinner, India might as well persist with Harbhajan Singh. Unfortunately Harbhajan Singh experiment turned futile.

Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj and Harbhajan axed

Every beginning starts with an end. I’m happy that Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh met their ends duly after the third test. I’m personally disappointed for the failure of Yuvraj though.  But, I’m extremely saddened as an Indian fan when I read the replacements. Jadeja and Chawla are more backward looking statement in a forward going world. We thought we already moved ahead of Jadeja and Chawla by the earlier selection committee. If two triple centuries warranted Jadeja's rush into the side, then Sarath, Sriram, Amol Mazumdar, Wasim Jaffer should have been permanent fixtures for India. I knew this was coming when Jadeja piled two triple centuries. And, going back to Chawla for the Final Test beats the purpose of overlooking him in the first place.

   

Dhoni is a wrong trump

I’m not sure if Dhoni’s long rope as Captain is justified. What else can you expect, when Srinivasan is at the helm of affairs?

I’m not upset because Dhoni is named skipper for the final test. I’m only upset because Dhoni is again named the Captain for the T20 side. That clearly shows that BCCI is keen to build a new team, again revolving Dhoni. So, the Selectors job is all but (slowly) replacing the team with Dhoni’s warriors. Selection of Jadeja and Chawla are just the effects of it.

Despite, India being a falling knife for more than a year in Test Cricket, it is still not justified as why Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Badrinath did not get a fair look. On the contrary, Dhoni’s favorites as Chawla, R P Singh, Jadeja, Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay have/having/had a sneak peak. If you closely examine, it should all appear one sided/biased moves. This is why, I claim Dhoni a wrong trump. All of Gambir, Sehwag can get ready to back their bags. Oh, by the way, Sehwag is already out of the T20 side.

Where Selectors Failed?

It is very evident that the selectors lack the conviction. Their actions show all of it.

Let me, tell you what I would have done, if I were the Chairman of Selectors. In this climate, it is very difficult to out power Srinivasan. It is not good for India if lead by any of Gambir, Sehwag or Dhoni. Pujaras and Kohlis leading a Test Team is too much a gamble to take. Sachin Tendulkar does not look in any urgency to end his career. I will go to Tendulkar, persuade him to lead the side as a stop gap arrangement starting Australia series. Also Tendulkar is too big a figure even for the likes of Srinivasan or Dhoni to take on. I will name Kohli as the Captain of T20 side. As Kohli matures (I’m sure he will mature quickly), I will pass over the mantle to Kohli somewhere before or after South Africa series. Since Tendulkar is not retired already, this is the greatest service Tendulkar can offer to Indian Cricket now.

Bottom line: The selectors here are paid to pick the team that Dhoni wants, rather a team that India needs. Nobody here seems to care for the future of Indian Cricket. Everybody is only interested in the mileage they could derive during their tenure of power.

Dinesh

Cricket Lover

Is that a bird? Is that a Plane? No.... its SUPERMAN

"Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!"

I think my favorite comic book hero has arrived in real. He has shades of Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh and to good extent Henry Cavill too. Feel free to include Tom Welling to this list, if you wish to account every cast of ‘Man of Steel’. Speculations are rife that Christopher Nolan is considering replacing him for Henry Cavill in the sequel. Until then, Alastair Cook will confine himself as a Superman to the game of Cricket.

At only 27 (6 years since debut), 7000+ Test runs with 23 centuries are staggering numbers to be true. Since it is true, there is no wonder he is our Superman. And this Superman’s authority will see Dhoni out of his power by the end of this series. By the way, come next year ‘The Dark Knight’ is visiting India. He will ensure wholesale changes sweep Indian Cricket. Until that time, all cricket fans are advised to take patience route.

Tendulkar’s first innings 76 is the only saving grace. It was a gutsy innings from the master. At this time, I don’t know if he has discovered his touch. But he gave a feeling that he has figured a way to stretch his career. In all likelihood, he should live to bridge another era of Indian Cricket.

Honestly, there is not much left to analyze this Test Match or Series. I’ve made all possible predictions/analysis. Let’s hope better sense prevail in Indian Cricket System for the greater good.

Bottom line: Rather be disappointed by India’s poor show, it is time to rejoice the Superman’s and Batman’s. After all, you now need their powers badly. To fight one like Indian System, you definitely need the entire Justice League.

Dinesh

Cricket Lover

A Preview, WHEN FATE IS IN LINE...

So much happened in the past few days, the Test has already drawn all eyes before the start. Also thanks to the conclusion of Australia - South Africa series. The viewers are now hardly left with any choice but to follow India – England battle.

When I said so much, I meant the controversies surrounding the pitch preparation. Too much is being talked about this subject from all corners. I don’t want to bug you all anymore on this issue. Still wish to add my 2 cents. By the way, you already know how big my 2 cents are.

Let us wind a bit, to the point when India completed the formalities in the first test at Ahmedabad.

To me, Dhoni was right in asking for a turning wicket (like the one in Mumbai that turned from day 1) when India stepped into Mumbai for second test. From Dhoni’s perspective, India as a country was not willing to settle anything less than 4-0. Having witnessed what happened at Ahmedabad (where English batsman played unlike English batsman in the second innings) playing in a traditional subcontinent surface at Mumbai may not produce the result in India’s favor, especially if England batted first. The odds were good that the English batsman could carry the momentum from Ahmedabad (and it happened too), especially when conditions are conducive for batting at Mumbai. This would potentially result in a draw and deprive India a much needed win and the authority on the series.

So, Dhoni in the crucifixion mode asked for a turning surface from Day 1 at Mumbai. It was his assumption/gamble that England would fall out cheaply. And then going into the third test match 2-0 up, the surface would not matter much as spin demons would take care of dreading English batsmen minds. From this stage, conquering the remaining tests (or even one) would be a relatively easier assignment. It would be very similar to the way India lost in England and Australia where the side’s performance deteriorated test after test rather improvement.

But, what happened at Mumbai surprised everyone. Let’s not dig into this issue as we sufficiently analyzed this topic.

At this stage, Dhoni’s request for turner from Day 1 at Kolkata a good gamble?

Not sure if it’s a good gamble or not, but surely Dhoni must have seen a bigger picture. Clearly, it is not a situation like the one in West Indies (2011) were India was leading (1-0) and did not want to jeopardize it.

This day everything is different. If India misses the opportunity at Kolkata due to traditional surface, the third test could potentially end in a draw. After all, England now has the momentum of two test performances behind them to manage a draw. And then India will be in ultimate pressure to win the final test at Nagpur. Again if things don’t go according to plan at Nagpur, India would be in soup for losing it 1-1 or 1-2. Also, there is every possibility of English batsman to prosper in Nagpur as they would have gained sufficient experience by virtue of playing three tests already. So, it is not a poor gamble by Dhoni after all. Not, when his fate is in line.

Of course every coin has two sides. A turning surface at Kolkata can backfire and bring curtains to his regime immediately. But, what are the odds? For England, Compton, Trott, Bell and Bairstow are the weak links with the bat. Out of which Bell did not play 2^nd test, Bairstow is short of experience, Trott has his own problems and not much is known about Compton. For India, the odds are good that Kohli should strike form, Gambir his, while Tendulkar eventually his and Yuvraj manages his survival. Since the quartet of Kohli, Gambir, Yuvraj and Tendulkar featured both tests, Dhoni would any day back his mates to fire over the English counterparts. By all means, even if it backfires at Kolkata, Dhoni is not going down alone. Not, when his fate is in line.

  

What is my take?

After all the hoopla between Curator and Captain, it appears the world will witness a wicket that is in between Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Which means the result is most likely and the result will come anywhere around 5^th day.

England is likely to field the following XI

Compton, Cook, Trott, Pieterson, Bell, Bairstow, Prior, Swann, Finn, Anderson, Panesar

While India this

Gambir, Sehwag, Pujara,Tendulkar, Kohli, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Ashwin, Zaheer, Ishanth, Ojha

On paper, England appears a strong bowling unit. Every one of Swann, Panesar, Finn and Anderson outmatch the quadrant of Ashwin, Ojha, Ishanth and Zaheer. The spin duo of Swann and Panesar have out-wicketed the pair Ashwin and Ojha so far. Both Finn and Ishanth are new entrants to the series. Also Anderson appears to be in better wicket taking form over Zaheer. So, the weakness of bowling unit has to be over powered by the success of batting department.

Bottom line: It’s difficult to make any predictions. I’m curious as much as you to witness, how this test unfolds. My hunch says Dhoni will prevail. My heart wishes England to succeed for a wholesale change in Indian Cricket.

Dinesh

Cricket Lover

A dream of a DREAM XI

I thought of taking a little break from analyzing India – England series. For a change, I wanted to do something different. At the same time I don’t wish to do anything far from cricket.

Here, we go!!!

In today’s cricket world, it’s a growing concern that there is a dearth of all-round cricket talents. After Kallis and Watson, I really don’t know if there are any all-round cricketers in near vicinity. It was not too far (may be it is too far now) when a South African side featured McMillan, Cronje, Pat Symcox and Kallis in the same line up. Even after the exit of McMillan and Cronje, cricketers like Klusener, Pollock kept emerging. The South African cliché spread its wings to the rest of the cricket world. When teams could not unearth all-round talent from their system, the exploration continued in their own pool. The names like Mark Waugh, Prabhakar, DeSilva, Tendulkar, Warne, Bevan, Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh etc., for their contributions outside their specialist skills are more an offspring of this discovery.

In the 90’s, the importance of being an allround cricketer was felt in the wicketkeeper role too. As a result, the Gilchrists replaced Healys and the Dhonis replaced Mongias with time. Ultimately, the Bouchers, Moin Khans, Sangakaras became the new order of wicket keeping world.

So much happened in the past and so much the impact these all-rounders made, it is so much a surprise that all-rounders are a rare breed again.

I now come back to the exercise I began. I’m compiling a list of genuine all-rounders I’ve enjoyed watching over the years and selecting my dream XI from there. Feel free to join the fun. You have the comments sections to share your XI.

Australia

Steve Waugh, Shane Watson, Adam Gilchrist

England

Ian Botham, Andrew Flintoff, Alec Stewart

South Africa

Brian McMillan, Hansie Cronje, Jacques Kallis, Lance Klusener, Shaun Pollock, Mark Boucher

India

Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri, Manoj Prabhakar, Mahindra Singh Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Ashwin

Sri Lanka

Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumara Sangakara

New Zealand

Chris Cairns, Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum, Adam Parore

West Indies

Carl Hooper, Jimmy Adams

Pakistan

Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Moin Khan

Zimbabwe

Andy Flower

My Dream All-Rounders XI

1. Shane Watson

2. Sanath Jayasuriya

3. Kumara Sangakara

4. Jacques Kallis

5. Steve Waugh

6. Adam Gilchrist (WK)

7. Imran Khan (Captain)

8. Wasim Akram

9. Carl Hooper

10. Chris Cairns

11. Daniel Vettori

The order of XI defines their specialist role despite them being allrounders. More than the playing XI, choosing the captain was a tough call. Between Steve Waugh and Imran, I tilted towards Imran.

Bottom line: Not sure, somebody started watching cricket from now will be able to build an All-rounders XI, 25 years later. I wish them all the best.

Dinesh

Cricket Lover

PS: The 1983 World Cup winning Indian Team side was mostly made of all-rounders.