Is time running out???

The recent losses of India in the ODI’s (0-2 to SA, down 0-2 to NZ already) are not going well with the followers. I’m surprised fans are getting impatient sooner compared to the tolerance exhibited when India was clearly on downward spiral for a prolonged duration in the longer format. By no means, I’m backing India’s losses now. At the same time, impatience of fans is understandable. There is not much time left before the World Cup 2015.

Looking at the FTP schedule, India has 3 more ODI’s at NZ, minimum of 4 ODI’s in the Asia Cup at Bangladesh, 5 ODI’s at England, probably 5 more ODI’s at Australia too. Roughly 20 ODI’s before the World Cup of which only 13 ODI’s (played at NZ, England, Australia) can be termed meaningful preparation. Dhoni made it very clear that he is going to lead India in the 2015 World Cup.

The questions that hamper are…

Is his army good to defend the title?

If not, who are the weak links?

Can these weak links get better with tutoring time?

If not, do we have enough time to bring new players and groom them?

Let the introspection begin…

There are definitely some questionable places in the side. So, let’s start with the OUTS.

Raina

If a player like Dhawan needs more time to settle in the side, it is understandable. But not Raina!!! Raina has been with the Indian side for little more than 5 years, played about 200 ODIs, played every condition, played every opponent, played almost in every possible slot, but still his batting is found wanting. Except being an outstanding fielder and a utility bowler, there is not too much in favor of Raina. I think by end of this NZ series (if he does not come up with stupendous + consistent performance with the bat from here), he will be shown the door. It is not only my personal opinion; the public noise is also getting louder on Raina’s ouster. Yuvi is a better alternative than Raina. I pretty much know Yuvi is never out of the equation. I’m just trying to compare apples to apples. If we start looking for Raina like players, may be Sehwag is handy. Sehwag can be useful bowler, better bat than Raina and of course an awful fielder. However, India does not need the Sehwag with the current attitude. Raina will/should be out.

Ishant Sharma

He is losing his pace, failing to discomfort batsman (leave alone picking wickets) and getting clobbered. It is only a matter of time before Aaron/Yadav or someone else seals his spot. Ishanth will be out.

May be In - May be Out

Ashwin

Ashwin has about 75 ODI’s under his belt and he has been a regular feature since the World Cup 2011. I’m not sure if Ashwin has it in him to be in the ODI side as a lead spinner. Definitely his performances in the recent ODI’s (abroad) have been very ordinary. Break thru’s does not seem to be coming. His batting style does not have the wherewithal to produce low order cameos. At the same time, India does not have too many choices for the role of lead off spinner. Either India should go back to Harbhajan or introduce Parvez Rasool sooner than later. From the context of running short out of time, luck may favor Ashwin’s persistence. But I think, Rasool should be ventured in the Asia cup and persisted in England Series to evaluate between Ashwin and Rasool for the World Cup 2015. So, Ashwin May be In, May be Out.

Shikar Dhawan

I know Test performances are not a metric to evaluate a player in ODI format. Dhawan was definitely found wanting in the Test Series at South Africa. And the shadow of failure in the South Africa Test series seems to be rubbing him in the ODI’s at NZ too. Again these are very early years in his career and it is only fair he gets a decent run. In the current political cloud, the odds of Dhawan featuring in the World Cup 2015 appears bright than Gambir. However, I’m personally not convinced with both of them. Pujara could be a better alternate compared to Dhawan or Gambir in alien condition. He has the appetite to bat long and possibly can be a better partner to suit the stroke players like Kohli, Yuvi and Dhoni to follow. Even a youth like Unmukt Chand is not a bad idea, especially after following the rise of De Kock. Shikar Dhawan, May be out.

Rohit Sharma

He is another player consistently annoying public for failing to live up to reputation. The latest joke running rounds, Pappu can’t bat sala!!! No doubt he is a talent and scoring double century is no joke by any means. It is very obvious Dhoni want him to replace Sehwag. And, Sharma has all the ingredients to replace Sehwag. However, talent is different, performance is different. Since his partner Shikar Dhawan is also not doing any great, Rohit Sharma is likely to get an extended run up. In all probability, he will feature in the World Cup and these 20 odd ODI’s will be considered as a tutoring time. Even though public sentiment is largely against Rohit Sharma, he May be In.

B Kumar

Swing is King. It is interesting to see how he performs in NZ and England. Except P Kumar and Zaheer Khan, there are not many in the circuit to challenge him. B Kumar May be In, May be Out.

In’s

R Jadeja

Sirji has proved with his bowling as why he should be in a line up. However the all-round tag associated with him is the only concern. As an all-rounder he should be out. But, the public has started seeing him as a bowler these days. Sirji, is in.

Rahane

Rahane, finally break into the XI. He looked good in the second ODI against NZ until he got out. The reminder of the ODI’s before the World Cup will be the nurturing time. Rahane, In.  

Needs

Going into the World Cup, India need a fast bowling all-rounder. There are not many choices in store except Irfan Pathan and Roger Binny. Unfortunately Irfan Pathan is caught up in the tussle of becoming an all-rounder Vs bowler. If Irfan Pathan wants to play as a bowler, the odds of him making the cut in the side is very limited. Again, we are yet to see Binny. I just wish one of them become that all-rounder India badly needs for this World Cup campaign. And for that to happen, the least one of them should make a head start. We should see more of Binny from here. It is important Binny turn into that Robin Singh.

Options

With Raina & Ishanth clearly marked out, Ashwin & Dhawan classified as May be outs, what are the options for replacements?

Both openers (Sharma (may be in), Dhawan (may be out)) barely making an impact, there is a good chance we should see a new face. My personal bet would be Pujara, but it is not a bad idea to venture a youth like Unmukt Chand. I’m not sure if India has time to try both Pujara and Chand in the space of 1 year. Odds are good Chand should start fresh post World Cup. So, Pujara is likely to don the role of opener soon.

Also it is not a bad idea to venture somebody like Sanju Samson or Vijay Zol in the mix for the World Cup for a middle order slot. Again for that India should start playing Rayudu before eliminating him from the equation. And for that to happen, fall of Raina is imminent.

I feel Aaron, Yadav, Pandey (one of the fast bowlers) is surely making the cut ahead of Ishant Sharma.

We should see few changes coming soon.

Here is my preference pool for every slot.

Openers

Pujara, Sharma, Dhawan, U Chand & Sehwag (remote possibility)

No.3

Kohli

No.4

Rahane/Rayudu/Samson

No.5

Yuvi

No.6

Dhoni

No.7

Binny/Pathan

No.8

Jadeja/Ashwin/Rasool/Mishra

No.9

B Kumar/Zaheer Khan

No 10

Aaron/Yadav/Pandey

No 11

Shami

I guess all those Samsons, Chands, Zols, H Singhs, Babas are a feature post World Cup when a new captain takes possession.

Bottom line: Time is essence. Patience is virtue.

Dinesh

Cricket Lover

IPL-- Spotfixing and beyond

When Lalit Modi invented the concept of IPL (Taken from EPL), many Indians were jubilant for the fact that India as a cricket crazy nation was going to its next level. IPL was a premium idea from BCCI and hence attracted only the very rich and people associated with Bollywood when it came to team formations. IPL 1 was a grand success with Owners from Reliance, India Cements and few other Bollywood celebrities bagging teams. IPL changed cricket into a great money spinner. Sex, Money, sleaze and corrupt practices get into the stream in any entertainment industry and IPL was no exception with its late night parties and all other forms of entertainment.

Coming to the topic of spot fixing, cricket those days was called a gentleman's game and was a sport that was played once in a while across the globe. Though it has always been a popular game, the likes of Kapildev and Gavaskar played very few games throughout the year and had to be contended with the amount of compensation they received. It was driven by passion those days and that is the whole reason why you and me play the game just for the sake of happiness it provides. Though Dhoni lifted back to back trophies, the 1983 world cup win will always be the most cherished win for a true Indian fan when kapil and his boys broke all odds to beat the ruthless West Indian team. I still get goose bumps when I think of those moments. Those were the good old days of cricket.

Today Cricket is a totally different affair and IPL has taken it to a level where money takes centre stage. Money is dominating the proceeding and is even helping first class cricketers become millionaire’s in no time. It's not just what you do in the field, but off the field activities in the form promotional events which form a major chunk of celebrity cricketer’s revenue. That is what would have prompted even a passionate cricketer like kapil to even compete against IPL. Little did he know about the powers of BCCI that his venture got totally bulldozed to extinction. Few years later, he too joined the IPL bandwagon to get his dues paid for the contribution to Indian cricket.

The lifecycle of a cricketer is unpredictable. You earn fame and money as long as you strike the willow or the timber on a consistent basis. Love for the game is the entry point for a true cricketer and as you succeed, money starts becoming a priority. If you look from a practical angle, it is probably the right thing to do as cricketers also have to plan for their future once they quit playing. They will have to plan early to succeed as businessmen at a later stage. Captain cool Dhoni has led by example in this front as well with his association with Rhiti and his other ventures. I do not want to talk about conflict of interest here, but would definitely like to point out certain coincidences of Raina and Jadeja being part of test teams and Harbhajan getting omitted after he closed his contract with Rhiti management firm.

Though enough money is made in this sport, it is again restricted to very few and leaves hundreds of other first class cricketers to fend for themselves in a career that has a short life span. BCCI is a so called sport body which is run by politicians and industralists rather than being run by people who were associated with the game. It is also known for bullying other cricket boards and ensures that the plans are always in line with what they draw. It is also one of the richest boards with last year's earning of close to 850 Crore INR. With so much of money under its kitty, it was very surprising to know that player payments were to the tune of only 50 crore. What are they doing with the money other than rewarding cricketers at all levels? Where is all this money going? Is the lack of insufficient payments and rewards that is forcing cricketers to engage in fixing activities? When people like chandila got trapped under the fixing scandal, it was the easy route of money that came from IPL. IPL is not about national duty, it is about entertaining people. When Gayle or Dhoni hammers a bowler for 20 plus runs, the crowd erupts in joy. Something similar to what used to happen when a gladiator striked the sword at his opponent. IPL is all about entertainment and when owners like Mallya or Ambani own a team, don't expect passion to emerge for the game. It is pure business and the ROI associated with it. It was very foolish for someone like Gurunath or Kundra to get involved as the risk vs returns never came close. For a few crores of easy money, they have lost the false reputation that he had built so far.

Having said all this, i do not support spot fixing or rigging of games, but will not compare it with games played for national duty. BCCI has a huge role to play and should come out of IPL. But again when people like Srinivasan exist, he will bull doze his way to do whatever he wants.

As far as i am concerned, i am the happiest when i play the game and will always love the game for the happiness it provides me...

Venkat Raghavan

Who am I?

I’m not sure yet. But I used to be ardent cricket fan, trying to follow any cricket played in any part of the world, irrespective of who is involved. Today, I feel very depressed. I feel let down. My faith is destroyed. And, I’m not motivated to watch the sport anymore. As I spill these words, it now makes sense as how the earlier generations must have felt when the match fixing scandal first broke in 2000s’. Guess I reverberated the same words of people from a different era. By the way, I was not too young in 2000s either. It is just that I was not matured enough to understand it then. I thought the game got sane after the bad elements were removed. And, I remember fighting with those elder generations until recently assuring them that the game has come out clean and they should give it a benefit of doubt. By now, it is a no brainer that the elder generations are mocking at me. Well, I hope NOT to become a member of the earlier generations from here. I now faithfully represented the sentiments of a common a cricket fan.

On a personal note, I really did not watch any IPL match this year after the scandal broke. For the sake of time already spent, I kept following the results in news, including playoffs/championships. However, it did not deter my enthusiasm to play the game. But the truth is - I got motivated to play the sport only after passionate following from childhood. Thanks to all those elder generations who induced that love for this sport. Now, my concern is the next generation. After what happened now, parents like me may not be enthusiastic to switch on the TV and watch game. Parents like me may not be excited to send their kids to cricket coaching camp. Parents like me may not be enthusiastic to teach the sport themselves to their kids. Sooner or later people like me will turn deterrent to generation next to love the sport.

Look at what have you done, guys? Until few days ago, I was thinking if IPL was in my era, I would have taken my cricket little too seriously. Never mind, I was still excited for the fact that it is there for my kids generation. IPL gave me the courage to say the future generation kids now have the choice of considering cricket as profession. After (still) following the scandal closely, I’m not sure if I’ve the courage to talk to any kid to pursue cricket seriously.

For some reasons, I’m even losing faith in people like Rahul Dravid or Sachin Tendulkar when they say “they were shocked and surprised”. As of today, Siddharth Trivedi will be the prosecution witness. Trivedi had refused to accept an invitation by Ajit Chandila, to attend a party arranged by bookies. He had also refused money and gifts offered by the bookies. Such a faithful player, I’m sure would have appraised the situation to his captain Rahul Dravid at some point. So, if Dravid knew already, I’m sure Tendulkar knew too. I’m sure a lot of people ranging from players, ex-players, owners, coaches, commentators, support staffs, administrative staffs and many more inside the system knew all about it (and some of them still a part of it waiting to be exposed). If you have watched the Tehelka expose (http://tehelka.com/how-to-fix-greed-2) of 2000 match fixing scandal, I’m sure you will agree with my statement. It is just that none want to be the whistle blower. So, when a Dravid or Tendulkar say they are shocked and surprised, I only have to say that they were shocked and surprised that the scandal actually saw the light of the day. Between, I’m not accusing anybody here, but only venting my frustration.

If you are a regular follower of this blog, you must have known my love for Rahane. I was very upset when Dhoni deprived him opportunities in Indian Cricket. Here and there even Rahane’s name surfaced in the scandal (may be for matches played in previous year). Now if I try to put the pieces together, I’m compelled to lean towards Dhoni. May be Dhoni knew already that Rahane is not a trustable guy and hence kept him away. My frustrations and disappointments are hurting the flow of this article. I think that is how words come out of your mind, when you are in distress.

Another day, I would have been extremely excited for the Champions Trophy. Especially, patting the selectors for presenting a young India team. Now, I really don’t care what happens out there.

Bottom line: It takes a lot to heal this wound.

Dinesh

Is it fair Dhoni???

This blog is mostly on the lines of venting my frustrations.  Today, I found more reasons to vent after reading Dhoni’s post match interview.

Before even I start accusing anybody, I would like to make my stand very clear. I’m a big fan of Dhoni. He gave me a lot of pride, made my following of Indian Cricket fulfilled after leading India to the World Cup glory in 2011. As much I’m fond of his cricketing abilities, I’m extremely disappointed with his handling on selections/resources.

In today’s interview Dhoni more or less confirmed that Jadeja will be included in the playing XI for the second Test (possibly the entire series too) at Hyderabad. If I interpreted Dhoni’s statement properly, “Jadeja will be a feature in the Test XI, until he develops into a fine all-rounder that Dhoni/India wishes him to be for all the talent he is blessed with”.

Dear Dhoni,

Your intentions are fabulous. But there is a breeding ground called ODI and T20 which can be well utilised to develop Jadeja into a fine batting all-rounder. You can send him up the order in any of these formats, make him score few hundreds and then experiment him in Test arena. In today’s scenario (especially Australia series), Jadeja’s presence is doing injustice to two players. A specialist full-time batsman at No.6 (or) A specialist left arm spinner like Ojha. Because a good cricketer was born in the era of Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, you (Dhoni), Laxman, Anil Kumble and hence could not break into the national setup, it is understandable. But, not by any means a player like Jadeja keeps a proven/proving performer like Ojha out is chewable proportion.

If you did not want Harbhajan Singh, you could have prevented the off-spinner’s selection from the squad. I’m sure you have that much power in the system. Also if Harbhajan Singh is not selected for this series, not many are going to brood over it. After all, Harbhajan selection in the squad or XI hardly carries merit, which even a common cricket fan can understand. But if you select somebody (especially in the XI), it is important to give a fair run, especially when the person is trying/doing it good. When Clarke and Siddle were strongly holding fort at the crease, none of the bowlers could make an impact on the partnership. It was only after the (delayed) introduction of Bhajji (an hour before lunch on Day 2 of First Test against Australia at Chepauk), things started happening. It was Bhajji’s bowling that cost Clarke’s wicket to Jadeja at the other end. In the next over, Bhajji also broke the resistance of Siddle. Interestingly, you took Bhajji out of the attack immediately, only to bring back Ashwin for his hunt of 7^th wicket. By the way, that last wicket did not come to you as swiftly you anticipated. The trio of Ashwin, Ishanth and Jadeja need extended lunch session to break the last pair. This is what I term unfair. To show Ashwin in better light, it is not fair to give Harbhajan a raw deal. At the same time, every critic like me is surely happy to witness Ashwin’s progress as a bowler compared to the previous outing against England.  

It is understandable Sehwag is getting an extended run at the opening slot. After all, he did something worthy in the past to deserve an extended run. I know I will be harsh now, but it is unfair if Vijay even feature in the second Test. If in a paltry chase of 50 runs, Vijay could not save his wicket, how does it justify playing him the next Test? And the guy (Rahane) who has been waiting, has been waiting for nearly 2 years now (with the squad), while Vijay made 2 comebacks in 2 years (at West Indies and now). Is this any fair?

We all understand this much that the relationship between you, Gambir and Sehwag was causing dissent in the side. If 3 of you cannot co-exist in the setup it is important you all required to be separated. Understanding you are better of the trio in terms of age, talent, respect, adoration, leadership (by the way leadership does not mean winning matches for India), Gambir and Sehwag are being slowly removed from the system/setup. This way you can work on the next generation with pedigree.

When so much is done for you, do you even care to reciprocate the courtesy?

I sincerely doubt at this time. Varun Aaron (touted as pace sensation) was only a passenger in the 5 match ODI series played at England. If you don’t nurture (debut) a fast bowler in those assisting surfaces of England, where else would you? In, dust bowls???

India was sinking ship in Australia with a famed batting line up falling apart game after game. If you don’t blood youngster even after losing the series (3-0), when else would you? After forceful/self-conscious retirement of players??? If you had taken the DECISION of dropping Dravid and Laxman for Rahane, Rohit Sharma in the final Test, the retirements of the legends would have ended with fewer controversies. The least, there would be only few lips to speculate it today.

The comeback of Yuvraj Singh, followed by Raina, followed by the launch of Jadeja for a role in the middle order during the course of different series, all happened at the expense of Rahane warming the bench. Back then we (Rahane included) were thinking that Rahane is an opening prospect and hence it was alright if Rahane was not considered for No.6. We were waiting for Sehwag/Gambir axe for Rahane to make an entry. Now, after 2 years when Gambir finally received the axe, the opportunity goes to Vijay and not Rahane. After all this time, you now spill that Rahane is considered a middle order prospect. Is it any fair on your part?

If you don’t like him, please don’t select him. Had you not selected and benched Rahane all this time, he would have spent those period wisely playing domestic cricket. For all the time he rusted in the bench, even if you give him a chance now, we don’t have any idea of his form. Is this fair? Thankfully Manoj Tiwary injured and ruled himself out of contention. Otherwise, his would have been another unfair story for scoring a century in an ODI only to be dropped from thereafter. Then there was an Irfan Pathan, who was only a second choice all-rounder after Ravindra Jadeja even on sporting surfaces like Australia (CB Series 2012). And then there was a Pujara who served the ODI squad with no purpose (except the purpose of carrying water) who would have made sense if played in the finals of Ranji Trophy 2012-13.

By the way, what the hell is this Captaincy phobia? Every board/skipper uses the short format to develop a new skipper. In some situations, the skipper themselves give up the format in order to manage the workload or give up the power to future considerations. Smith, De Villiers, Clarke, Jayawardene, Misbah Ul Haq, Cook are some examples who don’t do skipper duty in the T20 format. Do you even have any plans of developing a successor?

If this has been your handling of resources/selections and personal agenda - how do we expect that you will do anything with pedigree?

You already mentioned that you don’t look for the sports column in the Newspaper. I’ve no hopes that these questions from a common fan in a tiny blog would anyway reach your eyes. I wrote this to vent my frustration.

BCCI,

What the hell was that track in Chennai? It clearly appeared a dirt road than a cricket wicket. The surfaces produced for the limited overs cricket against Pakistan and England was fabulous. We for once believed that you are truly preparing for the World Cup 2015 and also for the Test series to be played at South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia beforehand. As a matter of fact, the strip for the Irani Trophy was better than the one that hosted the first Test against Australia. Also news on media floating that BCCI is strongly insisting curators to produce sporting surface for all domestic matches including IPL. That sends a message that the next generation cricketers should not be laughing stock on bouncy surfaces outside subcontinent.

If so much is your fore thinking, why the hell be short sighted for results and produce such ugly looking strips? Win series? Save Dhoni?

Selectors,

Can’t you do one inspirational selection? Don’t you think there was one cricketer from the World Cup Under-19 team good enough to be even part of this squad? By the way, what are those talks about Jeevanjoth Singh making runs in debut season on those lively tracks of Mohali. Wouldn't be inspirational had you included him in place of Vijay/Dhawan?

If the board is working on cricketers for tomorrow with sporting surfaces, I sincerely doubt you will make good selections.

To All

Please don’t treat Indian Cricket fans stupid. We expect you to go a notch above us and not trick us with filthy gimmicks.

Bottom line: Preparation for tomorrow starts with today.

Dinesh

Cricket Lover

Blue Print...

The 4 T20’s and 8 ODI’s scheduled before the commencement of Australia Test series definitely served well for Indian Cricket. I know there is still a game left, but the performances from the earlier matches are already sufficient to start working on a blue print.

Let’s go over in detail.

All of batting, bowling and captaincy (fielding included) failed India that resulted in England sealing the series 2-1.

I personally wanted the Selectors and Team Management to use the 12 games into good effect to address the issues/short comings from the England series and before. To be precise, identifying fresh pair of opening batsmen, discovering new bowling talents and groom an able candidate to replace Dhoni as a Captain (in the future). Now, after 12 games, I would like to review the Selectors/ Team Management’s performance in this aspect (as how well they capitalized this opportunity to find solutions to their problems).

Did

Young Rahane was given a decent run in place of Sehwag as an opening batsman. Rohit Sharma was tried as an opening batsman in the penultimate ODI against England. Dinda, Awana, B Kumar and Shami Ahmed were tried in the area of fast bowling. The wickets in the main centers produced more bounce, pace and swing for the bowlers.

Did Not

Though Ashwin was found wanting in the Tests as a lead spinner, India did not attempt to try a new spinner in all these 12 games. Rather, India persist playing Ashwin in almost all matches. To some extent this ploy was understandable. It is my guess that the Selectors/Management wanted to give Ashwin a good run in his favorite format to strike form before the Australia series. Selectors did not attempt to try a new skipper (even in the shortest formats), thus sending a strong message to the seniors, youngsters and public that “Dhoni is the ONE”.

The Big Review

Now that we know what Selectors/Management, DID and DIDNOT, let us review their work. Good things first, Selectors can proudly raise their collars, for introducing B Kumar and Shami Ahmed. Surely the duo appears to be quiet a good prospect in the fast bowling department. As I had mentioned before that I’m little circumspect over B Kumar as I feel his success is largely due to the 2 new balls (coupled with surface) used in One Day Cricket. Also his quota of overs was mostly completed when the ball is new. In Test arena, he will have to operate with older ball most time. So, it remains to be seen as how well he fairs there. At the same time, I’m very certain that he would do a better job than the current form of Zaheer Khan. Zaheer Khan of today neither picks wickets with the old ball or new ball. From that perspective, B Kumar definitely gets thumbs up over Zaheer Khan. Also, for the next 3 years, India is likely to play more matches abroad than home. Also the new ODI rules with 2 new balls are there to stay (the least till next World Cup). So, B Kumar more or less will be a permanent fixture for India in multiple formats. Probably, even Praveen Kumar could get another lease of life as a back up to B Kumar. Also an ideal situation for Irfan Pathan to stage a comeback once his injuries woes get over. And there are more youngsters in the lineup waiting for a call too.

Though the results against Pakistan and England did not matter, the win over England was due to the fact that India settled to the combination of B Kumar, Shami Ahmed, I Sharma, Ashwin and Jadeja. This established two points. It helps India to win more matches when played with 5 bowlers (despite the batting department not clicking well.) The same combination of bowlers allows each bowler to settle to their roles very well. It is time India takes a leaf out of their own book and tries the same in Tests too.

With respect to batting, it is disappointing that Rahane could not produce runs as many as we would have wanted/expected. However, he did not do any bad for himself or in comparison to Gambir so far. Rahane in all 16 matches scored 404 runs at the average of 25.25, while Gambir in his first 16 matches scored 409 runs at the average of 25.56. Even the average of both these batsmen in the current two series should be more or less the same. From what we have seen with Rahane, he deserves another run for more evaluation. When compared to the opportunities given to Rohit Sharma and Jadeja (including their limited bench time), Rahane definitely deserve a longer run.

On the flip side, I’m extremely disappointed with the selectors for not trying a new skipper in the shortest format (to say the least). I would have been happy had India explored a new spinner in one day cricket. Finally, the management did not earn any point for not debuting Pujara (up until 4^th one dayer). This is another instance where the Team Management ignored a player’s form while selecting the playing XI.

As much I root for Rahane’s extended run, as much I root for Pujara’s inclusion in the ODI setup, as much I root for Gambir’s exclusion (I heavily blame the Team Management here for not doing all of the above), I appreciate the Team Management’s effort for trying Rohit Sharma as an opener in the penultimate ODI against England. I did not say this because he made runs. The logic is – India is looking for new opener in Tests. And it is very evident that Gambir will be replaced in the first test against Australia. Logically, it would have made more sense if Pujara had opened the innings for his inclusion in ODI set up, but it is important India also use this opportunity to find the next opening batsman to pair Sehwag in Test Cricket (until Sehwag himself is replaced or repositioned). I don’t necessarily say that the Team Management approached Rohit Sharma’s inclusion in the 4^th ODI in this perspective. At the same time I don’t wish to ignore the possibility too.

After watching Rohit's innings today to entirety, he batted out (both) the new balls quiet comfortably on a good surface that assisted bowlers. He was behind the ball well ahead of time. There was only once he was beaten. Also once he tried to play a shot too early that almost cost his wicket (thanks to Pieterson for dropping at Mid-Off). But that was a shot in effort to accelerate the run rate. Otherwise he definitely looked tight and composed. May be it is India’s curse that they could never discover a proper opening pair in Test Cricket. May be India is a country that is destined to get the job done by make shift opener only. Let’s see.

Though the negatives outweigh the positives, I still wish to be generous and give 60/100 to the conservative crop of Selectors and Team Management for putting some effort to progress.

The Blue Print in writing

We already have Ojha and Yadav ready to bloat the resource pool of bowlers in Test Cricket. For a place in side, the best the make the cut. From my perspective Yadav, B Kumar, Shami Ahmed and Ojha are automatic selections. One among Ashwin and Jadeja will fill the fifth spot as a batting all-rounder (I know they are not there yet to be called as batting all-rounders or even deserved to be called as a bowling all-rounder. But somewhere we have to start creating one). I will give Ashwin the first opportunity considering his batting skills are better and more suited than Jadeja for Test Cricket and his off spin bowling could be a variety to the attack. Ishant Sharma will get a place in the side only if Yadav is down. After all Sharma’s wicket column never helps his case for a place in the XI (But in the recent ODI’s he has improved and picked some wickets too). However, we all know Indian Cricket is not played this way (5 bowlers). The spot of Shami Ahmed will go to a batsman or a spinner, until Jadeja/Ashwin turns into a genuine all-rounder.

My starting XI for the first test against Australia would be

Sehwag, Rahane/Rohit, Pujara, Tendulkar, Kohli, Dhoni, Ashwin, B Kumar, Ojha, Yadav, Shami/Chawla/Jadeja. (Chawla/Jadeja's selection based on surface)

I guess, by the end of Australia series/beginning of South Africa series, Tendulkar would have retired and Sehwag would have taken his spot as middle order batsman. While someone like Unmukt Chand or Jeevanjot Singh should be surfacing for the role of opening batsman.

Bottom Line: We will keep working on the Blue Print.

Dinesh

Cricket Lover

Play him or send him...

What is the point in having him (Pujara) in the squad and not playing him? The least if he is released, Sourashtra will benefitted for having their star player in the side for the upcoming Semi Finals against Punjab in the ongoing season of Ranji Trophy. And it does give Sourashtra a fair opportunity to fight against Punjab. Sometimes, it is disappointing to see the way things work in Indian Cricket.

While I’m baffled as how Gambir continues to play game after game despite a horrendous run (for a long time now) with the peculiar technique of prodding the ball outside the off stump (that makes me puke), a friend of mine gave an interesting theory. According to him, Srinivasan & Co did not want public to believe, Gambir ouster is influenced by a political motto. Well, it wasn’t too hard for me to buy the theory. However, I still feel it was never Dhoni’s style to drop a senior player (it took him forever to drop Sehwag from the T20 and ODI) from the playing XI. Eventually, the selectors eased his pain by dropping Sehwag from T20 and ODIs squad permenantly. By all means, I opine, Dhoni again wish the selectors to take the ownership and drop Gambir from the side too. Anyways, we will have our answers as selectors gather to announce the squad for the final two one dayers on 19th Jan.

In the meantime, let me present you another dimension to this subject. I guess Gambir and Sehwag will not be fielded together in Indian colors. Obviously both of them in the same team would be too much pain for Dhoni. Gambir in all probability will be restricted to limited overs cricket, while Sehwag in Tests only. Well, that is only my personal speculation. We will have to wait and see if the speculation carries any merit when the squad for the Test Series against Austraila is announced. By any means, Rahane should be thanked for Gambir’s extended run in the playing XI (in the ongoing one day series). Obviously, Rahane scores more or less the same amount of runs as Gambir in every game since the final ODI against Pakistan. That makes Gambir undroppable, while Pujara waits in the wings for no reasons.

Between, India won the 2^nd ODI against England quiet emphatically. As the games moved to the smaller centers, all those pace, bounce, movement have become very subtle or none. The tracks are more in the lines of typical sub-continent surface. It was no surprise, Jadeja won man of the match (although after his performance), while I was little surprised that the award did not go to Mahinder Singh Dhoni for his scintillating 72 and Captaincy.

As the game moves to Dhoni’s Home Town, it should be another run fare.

Dinesh

Cricket Lover

3 Down, 1 To Go!!!

After closely following the ODI series Vs Pakistan, I for a moment felt, if cricket has moved back to the era of 80’s? Oh yeah, 250 was the highest score in 3 matches. If you did not watch the games and simply read the scorecards, numbers as 157, 167, 165, 227 etc., are sure to raise the suspicion, did they play in dustbowl?

Never mind. You can be confident that cricket was not played in dustbowls. Few changes to playing rules (Only 15 overs of power play instead of 20, 2 new balls from each end, Only 4 fielders allowed outside the 30 yard circle during non-power play overs) and little effort from the curators to provide lively tracks – ODI Cricket has moved to a new era!!! Because they were all India-Pakistan matches, stadiums were mostly full. Otherwise empty stands are sure to rule ODI, if scores less than 200 are regular feature. In other words, the seeds are sown to bring curtains to ODI cricket. Wait!!! I hear somebody say - it was already done with the inception of T20 and Franchise Leagues. Let’s do this topic another day.

As a cricket lover, I thoroughly enjoyed watching these games. After all I’m very much fatigued watching non-stop run scoring and slam-bang cricket (no respect for bowler whatsoever) for some time now (especially in subcontinent). And these games when ball did the talking, it sure brought relief. Also I should say I was little startled by the EFFECT of rule changes. I honestly did not expect the impact of 2 new balls coupled with more men inside the circle to be this BIG. However, it still remains to be seen as how the run rate pattern would be in a typical sub-continent surface.

I’m sure it is due to the tours of South Africa, New Zealand, England, Australia and World Cup 2015 (at Australia-New Zealand) BCCI has moved on a rapid pace to change the nature of the tracks.  And they did not mind the temporary loses. Also they did not bother chopping few heads in the name of World Cup 2015. If all this is done with that vision – BCCI, take a bow!!! Also please rub this attitude in Test Cricket too.

After watching this series, I’m definitely excited by the arrival of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami Ahmed. On a circumspect note, I tend to think two new balls (couple with surface) is what showing Bhuvneshwar Kumar in better light. After all, the new ball stays newer for a longer time than usual that assists the likes of B Kumar good. I think it is for this same reason Dhoni finished B Kumar in the final ODI as early as possible. Anyways, we will have a good idea when young Kumar features in Test Cricket. With respect to Shami Ahmed, I personally feel he is more in the mold of Ishant Sharma (bowling predominantly back of length deliveries). I just hope he is not as unlucky as Ishant. The good thing about Shami is he tried bowling Yorkers towards the end. I’ve been screaming for a while that India should use this opportunity of 4 T20’s and 8 ODI’s to narrow down the bowling resources for the Test series against Australia. At the half way stage, I’m definitely delighted by the promises offered by Kumar and Ahmed. In the same line, I would have been happier had the selectors tried a new spinner (like Jalaj Saxena) instead of Ashwin for the England ODI’s. In other words, Ashwin deserves a break for the non-stop cricket he has been playing all along. And India needs to validate the spin cupboard.

Sehwag Axe

Sehwag axe was on the cards for a while now. Especially Dhoni’s announcement as skipper for the T20’s (despite World T20 defeat) against England and Pakistan confirmed the axe. The move of selectors pursuing with Dhoni made the statement, “The New India to be built around Dhoni!!!” Sehwag’s tiff with Dhoni hardly helps the Delhi Marauder in the large scheme of things. This day, it turned reality. First he was dropped from T20 playing XI, then dropped from the T20 squad, then dropped from the ODI XI and now dropped from the ODI squad too. Sehwag’s poor performance made the exit painless for Dhoni & Selectors as they could avoid the public wrath. I’m sure his days are numbered in Test Cricket too, unless he stages a grand come back in all formats when the head of administration changes. I’m sure Gambir must be feeling the pinch already. I’ve no doubts Gambir will be dropped starting from the first ODI (if not after) against England. It is very evident India need to play 5 bowlers (B Kumar, S Ahmed, Ishanth Sharma, Ashwin and Jadeja) in the revised playing conditions/rules. Dhoni will take the 6^th spot. That leaves, India to play only 5 batsman. Of the 5, Kohli, Raina and Yuvraj Singh are automatic selections. That leaves Pujara, Rahane, Rohit Sharma and Gambir to fight it out for 2 spots. It will be insane to drop your best batsman (especially when he was called up as Save Our Soul measure). Which means Gambir will pave way for Rahane as Rahane has warmed the bench long enough.

For those who think Sehwag deserve a chance as much as Rohit Sharma in the Squad - If Rohit Sharma is regularly benched, nobody is going to care much. However the same is not possible with Sehwag. The management will be compelled to answer many questions for every game Sehwag not selected and India lose it.

Bottom line: Zaheer Khan, Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gambir featured in the CB Series at Australia. A year now, it is 3 down and 1 to go!!

Dinesh

Cricket Lover

"A Ton in Vain" made SENSE...

I simply could not believe the events that unfolded at Chepauk on Sunday (30^th Dec 2012).  By the way, I still cannot believe what happened last time I was in Chepauk to watch an India – Pakistan (ODI) encounter. It was 1997. I should say I was lucky to have got the tickets. I was sitting in the stands alongside my friends. A jam packed stadium chanting “Gumthalakkadi gala gala gala… ooh aah ooh aah” was blowing away the roof top. By the way, none knew the meaning of this phrase.

The high octane crowd was all set to witness their home team thrash the archrivals. But then nobody knew that Saeed Anwar had other plans. Thanks to his cramps/injury that aided him a by-runner to take on the sweltering heat & humidity of the Special Chennai Summer (more than the Indian attack). In the end, he badly bruised the home team with a masterful 194 that still remain vivid in my eyes. Not to mention the three consecutive sixes he hammered Anil Kumble. In other words, Saeed Anwar simply executed the Indian attack this day. The real beauty was the quick turnaround of the crowd’s attitude. Rather booing for the home team’s failure, a wise crowd quickly started acknowledging Saeed Anwar’s mastery. For a moment, it appeared as though Pakistan was playing in Pakistan. Not to let down the fans, the home side fought brave (despite early exit of Tendulkar) in the mammoth chase of 327. Rahul Dravid essayed a beautiful 100 in the company of Vinod Kambli. Robin Singh tried his best to create some false hopes towards the end. Anyways, a fitting result for a fitting innings. And, the record stood tall for the highest individual score for more than a decade.

After 13 years, Chepauk produced yet another remarkable innings, in an India-Pakistan encounter. This time from the Indian camp. It was easily one of the best Captain’s knock (Dhoni innings too) that I’ve witnessed in some years of watching cricket. Tottering at 29/5, in walked M.S. Dhoni to play an innings totally out of character. May be, this has become his new character in the recent days. After all, the 99 he scored against England in the final Test came under similar circumstances with a similar structure. A very laborious start mostly in the survival mode, then raising hopes to live thru the day (and living up to it), managing useful partnerships with Raina and Ashwin, eventually launching himself to a blistering finish to score 113 that took India past 225. This surely goes a notch higher than the World Cup Finale. Unfortunately, a historical innings did not change the course. Pakistan remained victorious yet another time at Chepauk. For convenience I’m ignoring Tendulkar’s mastery. If you take that into account, then Pakistan prevails over India at Chepauk irrespective of the format. Oh yeah, they still need to play a T20 here for confirmation.

I’m able to observe some refreshing changes in Indian Cricket. Of the 4 T20’s and 1 ODI played in the recent days, the least 3 of them were played in lively tracks. The selectors showed the willingness to move forward by dropping Sehwag in the T20s. However, I was pleasantly surprised when Ravindra Jadeja was dropped for the last T20 and the first ODI against Pakistan. Usually that doesn’t happen, considering he got into the Test lineup, soon he was drafted into the squad. Again, I won’t be surprised if he comes in place of Rohit Sharma for the second ODI. It is a pity Rahane keeps warming the bench even in ODIs. It is a blessing in disguise that Tiwary got injured in domestic cricket. Otherwise he would have given him company in the perennial bench warmer list.

I would be personally delighted if India fields the following XI for the second ODI.

Sehwag/Gambir, Rahane, Kohli, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Raina, Ashwin, Jadeja, B Kumar, Shami Ahmed, Ishanth Sharma/Dinda.

It would not be bad idea if Pujara is drafted into the ODI setup sooner than later.

Moving ahead, it is nice to see young Bhuvaneshwar Kumar shaping up good. Hopefully he will answer some of India’s bowling woes as they take on Aussies in the Test series. From the current crop I only see Umesh Yadav and Pragyan Ojha as the two bowlers who are ready to take their places in the lineup. Ashwin is clearly not in any league as Harbhajan Singh to be the lead spinner. However, Ashwin is decent enough to cement his place as a 5^th bowler, in other words as a genuine all-rounder. If B Kumar can last the distance (all 8 ODI’s before the Test series) with good performances, he is good to cement his place in the side as the third bowler. This leaves one bowling spot vacant. From the looks of it, it appears, India will settle that spot to the leg spinner (Piyush Chawla). But, if they chose to go the seamer way (depending on the surface), that spot should go to Ishanth Sharma. It is a not bad idea to have a good look of Shami Ahmed (in the ODI’s) before deciding on Sharma. After all, Ishant Sharma never takes wickets. Not just identifying the bowling pool will resolve our miseries. It is important that the same set of bowlers play all the 4 test matches to get the rhythm/combination/chemistry going (like Panesar, Anderson and Swann played almost all test matches in tandem). It is a no brainer that Dhoni takes his spot as wicket keeper batsmen. Now what left to address is the batting setup. Pujara, Kohli and Tendulkar are sure shot to take their spots. That leaves the two openers place vulnerable. Gambir and Sehwag can break into side only by reputation and not by performances. May be it is time to drop one of them and blood Rahane. But to do that with authority, Rahane should play the reminder of ODI’s.

Rahane, Gambir/Sehwag, Pujara, Tendulkar, Kohli, Dhoni, Ashwin, B Kumar, Ojha, Chawla/Shami Ahmed/Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav

For now, the above would be my test line up for the Aussie series. Let’s see, if this goes a makeover during the course of the remaining ODI’s. Hopefully we would be able to boil down to our captaincy candidate by then.

Bottom line: Wishing you all a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year. May this New Year bring better fortune to Indian Cricket.

Dinesh

Cricket Lover

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)