"He is the greatest player, but not a captain"

After a month of IPL, everyone felt that the Mumbai Indians would dominate the remainder and go on to lift the trophy. The team owners, players, fans, management and supporting staff were all satisfied, probably not realising that they might have peaked a bit too early. Sachin Tendulkar captaining his troops had a brilliant team in front of him, like having a "Royal Flush" (poker). The likes of himself, slinga, pollard , bhajji, rayudu being retained and further enforcements in the form of Rohit Sharma, Andrew Symonds and James Franklin. This was a destructive team on paper and they inscribed that on the cricket field.  At times, Sachin Tendulkar's captaincy lacked an idea, but when the team was winning, no one probed into it. As the tournament progressed into its last segment, complacency crept into the team, taking their position for granted, they found themselves at the brink of the top four. It was important for the captain himself to show some positivity on the field and uplift the morale. When they were on the other side of winning, the body language of the captain, in particular was found wanting. 

It started showing on the performance and it looked to me like, the Mumbai Indians team were very dependent on Sachin's performance. Certain decisions taken by the team was very surprising, not playing Andrew symonds was a shocker. I understand that he has not engaged in any cricket but over time he is a true match winner. Probably looking at the opening partner for Sachin, symo could have filled that spot as the others were not consistent enough.

 In the semi-final game of the IPL, when Mumbai Indians won the toss, it was a shocker that they chose to bowl. Sachin has played some brilliant knocks on that ground; he knows that ground as well as anybody else. Moreover, the record at the chepauk  conceals that the team batting first go on to win the game. The decision to bowl Abu nechim to gayle turned out to be a game changer for the challengers. He missed a trick there. Gayle is a shaky starter and getting him out early is a massive moment. Perhaps, there lied a difference between MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar. MS Dhoni used his ace ( R.Ashwin) to gayle and he picked him to seal the fate of the game. Sachin Tendulkar certainly should have started with Malinga. In Sachin's captaincy, there lacked calmness, he looked very fidgety with his actions and generally such emotions rubbed on to the others of the team.
 In the end, it looked a blunder and in most likelihood thats what cost them the tournament.In hindsight, the Mumbai Indians will be disappointed with their performance. 

POWERPLAY

Todays cricket is generally dominated by the batsmen. With shorter boundaries, fielding restrictions, flat decks its a bonus to the batsmen. Previously there was a mandatory 15 over fielding restriction with only 2 fielders allowed outside the 30 yard circle. This has evolved and now termed "POWERPLAY".The word itself has an aura of destruction .

In short, its a period of 20 overs which is sub divided into three parts which has to be taken during the course of 50 overs. The 1st division consists of 10 overs being mandatory with two close in catchers and the remaining two of 5 overs in discretion with the batting and bowling team.

When the Powerplay is taken by either team, we are expecting power hitting. Yes only 2 fielders allowed outside the 30 yard circle during the 1st 10 overs and for the batting and bowling powerplay 3 fielders allowed outside the 30 yard circle. Batsmen play a powerplay with an intention to express themselves, play the extravagant shots, clear the short boundaries.

The bowling powerplay has generally been taken in the 11-15 over slot with a few exceptions and all teams have got used to this. Batsmen tend to start a bit cautiously and they accelerate during the middle of the 1st powerplay and carry it on till the end of the bowling powerplay. Its the batting powerplay that is tricky, making it difficult for the batting team to ponder upon when to avail it.

But during this segment batsmen don't have a control over their batting and end up  playing some unorthodox looking shots in order to up the rate. I am referring to quality batsmen . They don't have a presence of mind to last an innings. They are looking for about 60-70 odd runs in these 5 overs. But they should understand that by playing the conventional strokes majority of these runs will be achieved and chances of wickets falling will also reduce. Well I understand if a batsmen spends some time in the middle and then takes on the attack, but going right from ball number one cannot be accepted. The fielding team without realising are putting a lot of pressure on the batsmen by bringing in all the fielders . The batsmen feel it and a couple of dot balls and they start playing all over the ball.

In this WC, the msot effective use of the batting powerplay was probably by India against bangladesh, Ireland against England , South Africa against India. The worst use of the batting powerplay was by India against South Africa and when England crumbled to India .

In the coming matches, I would like to see bowling teams creating a powerplay kind of situation by having about 3-4 fielders outside. Get the batsmen out of their comfort zone and make them play some bad shots. Its worth a gamble during lets say about 25 to 30 overs. Trying it on for a couple of overs isn't  going to hurt and if it works then its going to change the game.

The Powerplay which was seen as an out and out destructive period has now made the batsmen a bit more cautious and the bowlers have become more confident. If they stick to descent lines and lengths the batsmen could well get into the self  "destructive" mode.

UDRS - A battle of Ego

How would it be if in an ICC World Cup Final, a wrong decision given and the team looses if not otherwise!

Umpire Decision Review System in short UDRS is one of the few technological advancements introduced in the sport of cricket. This system has been introduced to minimize controversial decisions made by the umpire which could manipulate the game. In the past, we have noticed many decisions going against a team and thereafter changing the course of the game. This system has its own benefits and flaws.

According to me this a brilliant idea towards a fair game. No one gets to criticise this game and speculate saying what if this desicion was given or not.On the face of it, the rules behind the law are very basic, each team gets 2 opportunities per innings to review a decision and if correct they stand by. But there seems to be some complex provisions which have erupted during the world cup like the 2.5 m rule and the decision getting back to the on field umpire to take a call. All captains should be explained clearly regarding these provisions. The BCCI isn't a great fan of the UDRS. But I sure they can be influenced if it is made very transparent.

After all the UDRS is trying to correct the wrong decisions made by the on field umpire. An umpire to make it to the Elite ICC panel has to get a high percentage of his decisions right. As far as i know, Simon Taufel, Aleem Dar, Asad Rauf are the top ones out of the elite panel. To a far extent their decisions are precise.

There are moments when a review gets back to the on field umpire, he has to take a call and here comes the ego issue. If an umpire corrects his decision, it results as a flaw in his umpiring skill. Not only on television, but people on the ground are able to see the replay of these decisions.

The decision that went for Ian Bell against the Indians at bangalore was a very controversial one, where the batsmen himself has made half the long walk back and then being called back. The decision against Gary Wilson of Ireland against West Indies, where hawk eye should the ball hitting the pads outside the line of the off stump and he was given out. The decision was given because the on field umpire, Asoka De Silva thought he wasn't offering a shot. Given that situation, requiring 8.5 runs an over and batting at 60 odd, why would a batsmen not offer a shot, just simply because he missed the line of the ball. Whereas in the game India v/s Ireland, there was an appeal but the umpire adjuged it not out and after a review he gave it out.The decision against Morne Van Wyk against India, which showed the ball jus clipping leg stump and probably a few years back that wouldn't have been out. Umpires should understand that they won't be criticed when they over turn their decision. If their ego is in the way, they better put them down . If wrong decisions are going to be given based on their mental mind then this system is going to go down soon.

It is early days for this system, but one shouldn't delay to correct such mistakes. The ICC should give these umpires an incentive which allows them to overturn their decisions. No one likes to be pointed at but no one likes to watch an interesting game turn one sided due to such decisions. Umpires need to understand that if they are corrected now, in future such decisions will be prevented and they can confidently give their decisions.

BLEED BLUE - BHARAT ARMY V/s BARMY ARMY !

There are certain special days in cricket where one would have wished to have witnessed the game live, I am proud to say that i was part of the only and ever second tied World cup ODI. The hype had already been created with the ticket madness. The only issue that could have played a spoilt sport were the grey clouds lingering dangerously close. The atmosphere was already frantic outside the stadium. Two hours before the game , people scrambling all over to find their respective stands, some trying to get a last minute tickets and a few others making their bit of money. Having an extra ticket, i encountered this person who was ready to give me his mobile phone for the ticket, such was the anxiety and passion and soon the team buses passed us while we stood in our long lines. Among all this confusion i had got my cordless residence phone along too (haha).

 Barely half hour from start of play, i was inside along with 4 other friends. Each of us trying to identify the players during their warm ups.Toss time and a mighty roar for captain cool. As the national anthems were played, each of us sang our hearts out. The ingredients for a firework was all set. Clear sky, sun out, Indian Batting and a stadium literally bleeding blue. All guns blazing, the indians amassed a mighty total of 340 which i thought was 20 runs short . The fans at half time were pleased as the hero of many had scored another century but i am sure no one dreamt of anything close to what they were going to witness.

Out came the english openers with a positive intent that india certainly lacked. They smashed the ordinary bowling attack and made sure the crowd could never get into the act. Back in my stand a few of the barmy army clan were instigating the crowd and it was a sight to watch. Something was to surely give in. A few people from the crowd left fancing that it would be an english victory. I was never going to leave the stadium, the previous time i did that Yousuf pathan tormented the kiwis with a destructive century a couple of months ago. 8 overs remaining and  58 odd runs required with 8 wickets left . Strauss and bell took the batting powerplay, a couple of dot balls, the crowd chanted " INDIA INDIA" . In recent times, the indians have created a belief among the crowd that they could crawl in from any situation. 

A slower ball from Zak and bell was into it  early and spooned a sitter to kohli. The noise that erupted is just unimaginable. The next ball strauss out, the alarm "Bell" had been rung. The crowd went bizzerk, i finally felt what it was to be in an atmosphere that was elecrtic. I cannot explain the feeling, middle aged people jumping in their seats, high fives all around, 45000 people screaming their intestines out. India were favourites with 2 overs to go, but there was a devil who took a pounding earlier, waiting to return the favour - Mr. Swannie. The final over, a person who is fit to graze a herd of cows was called in to bowl. Running up at his own pace and bowling at a much slower speed, Ladies and Gentleman lets give it to MUNAF PATEL for bowling a juicy length delivery to a batsmen who is playing his first ICC WC  smashed him straight for a six and finally the game ended in a tie. India should be lucky to salvage a point from that situation. There are many If's and But's that could have scripted a totally different ball game. What if england would have delayed the batting powerplay to the 45th over, what if chawla bowled a better penultimate over.

Lets face it, India are a poor fielding unit, horrible runners between the wickets except a couple. They surely need to deliver a better performance in the coming up games.

Nevertheless the result of the game, many would have loved an Indian victory but a tied game is something that can never be predicted and i certainly enjoyed it. The fans deserve credit. Whether the Indian players bleeded their hearts out towards winning the game, I don't think so. But certainly the fans did their best to see them through.

A SLIPPERY OUTFIELD

With the World Cup coming to a country where cricket is followed just like a religion, does the system beneath able to satisfy the most possible? The other day i was at the M.Chinnaswamy stadium, Bangalore trying to purchase a ticket for the high profile game between India and England. This game was shifted to Bangalore which was previously scheduled to be held at the prestigious Eden Gardens, Kolkata. As a cricket lover, i feel that a ground like Eden garden wasn't ready to host a big game is a real shame. The schedules for the matches were out very well in advance and it is unfortunate that the men in charge were unable to get a ground which has witnessed some great games including the finals of the1987 edition of the World cup.The deafening noise of 100,000 fans is  a sight that only can be experienced. Its a honor for many cricketers to play in this ground. Anyways, as the game has been shifted, it is a test for the newly appointed group at the Karnataka State Cricket Association to make this game a special one. Such a game calls for thousands to crowd up at the ticket counter. But there seems to be no facilities that can cater to such a number. The tickets for the members representative are given only at one counter. It took me four hours to get myself a ticket. The line is stagnant, no clear announcements regarding which category of tickets have been sold out. All that we get are rumors regarding which category of tickets are sold out. There were a few people who left when they got to no that the tickets they could afford were over, unfortunately for them within a span of ten minutes of them leaving the same class of tickets were available.With so much technology around, they could speed up the issue of tickets by probably using a technique of scanning the member cards so that it saves time of data entry . The tickets issued to the public the next day had about 3 counters. We are talking of 1000's of people and just three counters to serve them. It is absolutely ridiculous. Recently, there was an announcement that the server for the online booking site for the Final game at Mumbai crashed because of an over load. It is not new that people want to watch a game of cricket and moreover the finals. This has always been the trend in India but there seems to be no parallel improvement in the additional facilities. 

Lets compare this with the Football World Cup. The grounds can accommodate more people and they are as enthusiastic as we are about cricket. But, did we hear anyone complain about the facilities?

There are talks going on regarding the downfall of Test and ODI Cricket in the near future. Lack of facilities is only going to cater to this downfall. The BCCI should make it easy for people to get there ticket at the venue otherwise it will disinterest people. 

It is time that the BCCI took a stand and adopt a more professional way of working. We boast about having the richest board in cricket but why are the facilities so weak? The BCCI should look at hosting the World Cup as a honour. The last time India hosted it was 15 years back, we don't know when we are going to host the next one.

Nevertheless, I had a moment to cheer, when my friend and myself got a glimpse of the Indian team getting off their bus and get into the nets. The sight of Sachin Tendulkar gave us  goosebumps.

Lets hope all twenty two men in blue gives us a competitive game to watch and that any grey clouds above the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium disappear. 

Restriction on the number of "Minnows" in an ICC event

Just before the start of the world cup 2011, there have been speculations regarding the number of minnows who should be playing at the International event. These speculations could become a reality if the lesser teams under perform. As a cricket lover, its always exciting to watch a new nation create an upset over a better skilled nation. Countries like Ireland, Netherlands, Canada are all new to the international scene. The exposure they get compared to the big teams is considerably very low. Teams like  Zimbabwe, Kenya are  going through a transition. These teams need to be given sufficient time to prove themselves at the big stage. The ICC instead of putting a lot of pressure on such teams, should encourage them. These teams have a lot of individual talent to showcase, they only have to be guided in the right path. The ICC needs to accommodate these teams into tri-series along with  two big teams. They might under perform, but it allows them to gain sufficient exposure which is going to improve there mental skills and the attitude to handle pressure at different situations.Cricket isn't an age old sport in these countries. It is relatively new, the only way more talent is going to come out is by encouraging these teams to play at the highest level. We have seen in India, post IPL there has been an abundant talent of names and they are ready to play at the international level simply because of the fact that they have had the opportunity to play amongst the best in the world and learn there tricks. Sri Lanka is one example, they weren't a big force in world cricket two decades back, playing more cricket against the better teams then, today they are a big force to reckon with. Another team that comes into mind is Bangladesh, they were also tagged as Minnows, but they have risen to the next level with convincing performances against New Zealand and other big upsets.

We all want to watch  more competitive cricket. The initial few matches of this edition of the WC which had the minnows haven't helped the cause as there have been dismal performances. The easy way out is to put a  restriction on the number of such teams, but its not going to help the overall game. If cricket is to become a popular sport all over the world, smaller teams have to be encouraged. Lets hope that there are more than a few upsets in this edition of the WC.