A Refreshing Change

After the unfortunate death of Phil Hughes a couple of weeks ago, cricket and moreover the Australians needed a game to overcome the bereavement of their close teammate. And boy what a match it was! As Bill Lawry would say - “What a ripper!”.

Even though India lost the game, they can look back and take heart from the fight they put up on the last day. It was the sort of effort fans have been hoping for the last few years. The previous tours to South Africa, New Zealand and England had few occasions when India were on top, but they just didn't have the skills required to finish the game.

Kohli's positive attitude is a refreshing change. On a last day deteriorating wicket he instilled belief in the team to chase down a record score at the Adelaide Oval. One can easily envisage the approach the team would have taken under Dhoni's captaincy. Maybe India could have escaped with a draw, but having seen the team's batting overseas over the last 4 years, a draw too would have been a remote possibility.

Was there a difference in terms of results under Kohli's watch? Probably no. For all the aggressive play Kohli has talked about, India were able to take only 12 wickets in the game. A few of them were taken when Australia were just looking to score quick runs. Unless there is a remarkable improvement in the bowling, a change of captaincy may not bring a drastic improvement. Michael Clarke too, despite having a potent attack and a positive mindset has an extremely poor record in Asia.

But what gives hope for India, is Kohli's never say die spirit to try and win matches. At this point, India probably can compete overseas only with such an attitude. Choosing a leg spinner showed intent on trying to take wickets which is a welcoming change from playing Jadeja who at best can be a containing bowler. Given Lyon's success, should India have played Ashwin in hindsight? I believe India's best chance of taking 20 wickets is by playing 2 spinners. The question arises if Ashwin is a good enough bowler overseas. I feel it's too early to judge. After the horrendous first tour in 2011 he has been given just 3 test matches overseas, with the last two with hardly any score to defend. Kumble took almost a decade to be an effective bowler overseas. Harbhajan Singh has had sporadic success in between, but was largely unsuccessful. Unless Ashwin or any other spinner for that matter is given the time to develop, there is no way he will be effective. Whether Karn Sharma and Ashwin are among the best 2 spinners in the country is up for debate. Ashwin is more than a handy batsman and given Rohit's and Dhawan's lacklustre performance overseas, he could easily slot into the number 7 position.

With Dhoni being the appointed captain, there is not even a remote possibility of Kohli captaining in the remaining matches. Will changing the captain make a difference? That remains to be seen, but atleast when a captain speaks out confidently and leads from the front, there definitely can be a change in the mindset.

Dhoni has for long been harping about concentrating on the process rather the results. The team's outlook on the last day should be the process he must aim for. Even if India goes on to lose 4-0, fans would atleast like to see a fighting performance rather than meekly losing the game in 3 days.

Turning Twenty Three and counting…

A couple of weeks ago, Sachin Tendulkar announced that he will consider about his retirement series by series. A statement by Sachin will always be a headline, and once it was of this magnitude, it was bound to send shockwaves throughout the world. It has almost become a fashion now, people commenting on what Sachin should do or shouldn’t do. Don’t worry; my article won’t be one of the same! 

Sachin, for many is the greatest batsman to play the game, for some he’s just behind Sir Donald Bradman, for others he lies somewhere in the top 5. I really don’t know where to place him as it would be unfair to compare him with batsmen of previous generations. In the case of Sachin, it is really hard, as he has endured which no sportsperson must have ever gone through. His presence lifted the hopes of the nation, his dismissal brought about despondency among the masses. It is hard to imagine any other person who had to face such ordeals. 

Sachin’s career has to a large extent symbolized everyone’s dream. As a small kid, you always wanted to be a national sensation at a very young age, be adored by your country-men, be a celebrity, best player for your team, play match winning knocks, take your team to victory in a stiff run chase, being the brave hearted warrior when everyone around you is struggling and above all a World Cup winner. The lesser I talk about the magic number of 100 international centuries it is for the better. One might argue that only half of his centuries have resulted in victories, but it is a number which has to be respected. It is a feat, which even the very best will find it hard to achieve. No matter how irrelevant one finds statistics, this is an accomplishment which everyone silently in the minds would wish was theirs. 

Back when it all started

He has had an illustrious career and it is remarkable how well he has sustained his performances for the last 23 years. Twenty three years! These are numbers which you generally don’t tend to hear for sports personalities. To still remain at the top is stupendous. At a tender age of 16, the nation had pinned their entire hopes on him, and he rarely failed to deliver. Perhaps many of us were realizing our unfulfilled dreams through Sachin. Maybe it’s no coincidence that India’s economy was on an upward rise as Sachin was growing up, and as he is reaching towards the end of a glorious career, the economy is going down. 

The World Cup victory for India last year was the icing on the cake. It was a dream for Sachin to be a part of a world cup winning squad, and for a billion viewers watching him with his child like smile run onto the field after the victory in the final, gave us hope, strength and the credence that one day, if we pursue our goals and dreams with utmost dedication, it will be fulfilled. 

 Virat Kohli summed it up best after winning the world cup final in 2011, by saying “Tendulkar has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years; It was time we carried him”. I think Sachin deserves his space to make his decision regarding when to leave the game. We owe him atleast that much. 

Having said this, it doesn’t mean he can go on irrespective of his performances, but for now he seems good enough to carry on for a while longer. His whole career has been scrutinized with disdain, for once if we stop marking each and every move of his during the twilight of his career, we might be able to watch the child in him play freely, relieved of all the burden on his shoulders. Until then, let us sit back and enjoy a once in a life time player, wield the magic with his willow and bring a smile on the faces of a billion people.