Of discussing a cricket match even before the start!

Another India-Pakistan cricket match, another win for India, another celebration! Every time the two teams lock horns on the cricket field, followers of the game from across the border hold their breath until the match gets over. A lot of discussions (at public places, news studios, media platforms) have become routine before and after the match between neighbors.

Joining these discussions are the cricket experts, irrespective of the number of matches they have played for the country. They see to it that the match is made a ‘virtual battleground’ between the two nations. The ‘experts’ from both the countries, who think they are the most intelligent brains in the game, leave no stone unturned to express as to how a particular player of their respective country is better as compared to his counterpart.

And this is not happening only today, we are witnessing this ‘rivalry’ for ages. Take for instance the comparison between Kapil-Imran, Miandad-Gavaskar- Inzamam-Sachin, Wasim/Waqar-Srinath/Prasad, Saqlain-Kumble/Harbhajan to recent players such as Saeed Ajmal-Ashwin, Ahmed Shahzad/Babar Azam-Virat Kohli/Rohit Sharma etc, the experts have been trying to overpower each other by raising some ‘interesting’ points and counter-points.

Not only India-Pakistan, but similar ‘rivalry’ is seen between England-Australia, West Indies-South Africa or Australia-New Zealand.

The question that comes to my mind is—Do we really need to compare the players? Why can’t we leave them and let them play their natural game? After all, someone has to win. So what’s the point in discussing the match even before the first ball is bowled. Analysing the match after can be understood, but why discuss the possibilities before.

The most ridiculous part lies when the experts create pairs of rival bowler-batsmen and discuss how they can bat or bowl to their rival in an attempt to gain an advantage over each other. The players themselves do not think on these lines and concentrate on the match, but these experts put an unnecessary burden on them by creating ‘virtual rivalry’ irrespective of the friendly equation these players share among each other.

And remember, these experts were players themselves at one time and had been subjects of similar discussions. They also must have faced the similar pressure as is being faced by the current lot. Are we taking any sort of revenge? We need to get over this habit and discuss pure cricket, particularly during pre and post-match shows.

My humble request to these experts is please spare the players to perform on the field. Why are you deliberating over his performance over the mike? This is a Gentleman’s Game and should remain like that. Infuse the spirit of patriotism among players if you can. This will help them play with killer instinct and bring rich laurels for their respective nation.

That’s the way, Mahi way!

Lot is being said and written about the way Mahendra Singh Dhoni is batting in the past few months. People are not stopping from criticising Dhoni and his ‘approach’ towards using his willow.

These are the same people who used to go bonkers over the man’s batting skills and approach earlier. They seem to have made an agenda to ‘pressurise’ Mahi take the eventual call (of quitting). Considered as one of the best finishers in the game, this Gentleman has given India some of the memorable victories which we cricket lovers will cherish for life.

From inaugural T20 World Cup title to 2011 World Cup after a gap of 28 years to Champions Trophy to many series wins, he has given us all with his brilliant captaincy and never-say-die attitude. Now since he is approaching the fag end of his career, why this hullabaloo about this batting style and approach?

He has been a true leader and always put team’s interest ahead of his personal goals. He always took some bold decisions which paid rich dividends. Some people have started a ‘campaign’ to malign his reputation. This is not new to Indian cricket. We have seen such malicious tactics in the past when people used their ‘freedom of expression’ to lodge verbal attacks on those who gave their blood and sweat for the Indian cricket.

Even the legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Mohd Azharuddin and others had to phase similar criticism at the end of their illustrious careers. And the best part is these critics use the language that ‘hurts’ a lot and completely ruins the reputation of the greats. Mahi seems to be going the similar way. The outspoken critics are leaving no stone unturned to pressurise MS take the eventual call of hanging his boots and putting his bat down. He has already ‘obliged’ them by quitting the longest form of the game. And now these people want his head in other formats too. This besides the man proving his fitness again and again by completing the yo yo test with high points. This test seems to be the highest fitness criteria for any cricketer to be eligible to represent the country.

The point here is why are we indulging in such antics? Let the man enjoy his game as long as he wants. His contributions have been exemplary and difficult for future players or captains to match. Known for taking some bold and surprising decisions, Mahi will himself say goodbye when he feels its time. Till then, let the guy play his favourite shots that made him famous. That’s the way Mahi, go on. We want you to continue entertaining and amusing us with your helicopter shot.

Of imagining sporting successes without surprises!

The ongoing FIFA World Cup has been throwing surprises after surprises with the kind of results being produced. Who could have imagined an early tournament loss to mighty Messi’s Argentina? Or would the world have imagined a group-level exit for the current world champions? Such surprises are not new to the sporting world since we have seen many upsets and twists in various sporting events in the past. The biggest and the foremost that comes to my mind is India’s cricket world cup winning campaign of 1983. Considered as ‘underdogs’, the team referred to as ‘Kapil’s Devils’, gave an exemplary performance to beat ‘strong’ teams enroute to winning the final against defending champions Windies. This performance of Team India surprised the entire cricketing world and won several accolades. This form was carried forward by the team by winning Benson & Hedges Cup in 1985-86 under the leadership of Little Master. Ravi Shastri’s prized holding of Audi (then considered as car owned only by the elite) came as a shock to the world and helped Indians cement their position of ‘world dominating’ team across the globe. The other sporting surprises came during 1987 Wimbledon final when two underdogs and new entrants on professional circuit—Kevin Curran and Boris Becker—played the scintillating final, particularly eventual winner Boom Boom Becker with his unmatchable reflexes and power serves. The spring of surprises continued in the world sports thereafter too. Argentina’s quarterfinal win against England in 1986 World Cup finals, thanks to Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’, helped the team claim coveted world champions title while Sri Lankan team’s extraordinary performance in the 1996 cricket world cup took the Lankan Lions into top bracket of the cricketing world. Till then, the team was struggling to make its own mark in the global scenario. Coming back to 2018 FIFA World Cup, the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, the Germans and the Spanis have to book an early return flight owing to their losses in the round of 16. These defeats not only shook the world, but also put a question mark on the future of some sporting geniuses. Are we in for more surprises in the tournament as it enters quarterfinal stage? Only time will answer the question. Till then, we just have to remain glued to our television sets and enjoy the ‘beautiful game’ and applaud the performances of some of the up and coming stars such as Suarez, Mbappe, Frietzmann and Neymar. There are many astonishing and surprising results which were not mentioned by me. The point here is not about mentioning them, but to advocate for some magic wands being waved in the sporting arenas world over since ages. And how these delightful results provide opportunity for an ‘out of the box’ thinking to the sports lovers. Happy Viewing!

Transforming cricket in Vidarbha, and how!

“A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.” This might seem to be a normal quote, but what attracted me to it is the deep meaning it holds for an achiever, particularly a sportsman. The cricketers from Vidarbha must be realizing the importance of this quote after engraving their names on the coveted Ranji Trophy for the first time. They saw a big dream and realized it with dedicated team effort along with some strategic thinking by one of the seasoned campaigners and coach, both of them hail from ‘city of dreams’. It is not that the cricketers from Vidarbha saw this dream for the first time. Ever since it started competing in Ranji Trophy 60 years back (1957-58 season), the players dreamt of getting hold of the trophy. I had privilege of looking the team from close since I started following the game, from a spectator to sports reporter to a well-wisher. All earlier players who captained the side such as Suhas Phadkar, Hemant Wasu, Praveen Hingnikar, Preetam Gandhe to Manish Doshi (apologies for missing some names), all gave their best to build a team that can win the title, but it was not to happen and the title kept eluding Vidarbha cricket. The current team, however, gave a different direction to the way the cricketers look at the game in this part of the world. Chandrakant Pandit and Wasim Jaffer, the two stalwarts of Mumbai cricket, along with skipper Faiz Fazal enthused a sense of belief within the players which gave an altogether different meaning to the team in starting its ‘campaign’ so as to reach the pinnacle, which is holding the trophy. It was not only these two gentlemen who believed in the players’ abilities, but the young bunch of cricketers also gave a confidence in their ‘mentors’ by performing on the field par excellence. If I have to quote Fazal verbatim after the team’s emphatic win against Delhi at Indore on New Year day, then it will go like, “It was a dream that we all saw together and with the support of my team mates and coaching staff, I am happy to realise the same”. The over three month Ranji Trophy campaign bore fruit for the team and have put Vidarbha in an extraordinary league. I am not sure as to how many players from this side will get themselves selected in the national team, but one thing is sure that they have carved a niche for themselves and caught the eyes of selectors as well as administrators. Long live cricket in Vidarbha, which gave India its first Test captain in Col Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu.