Expected Disaster in World Cup 2007

India unexpectedly didnt qualify for the super eight's in World Cup 2007.Or was it expected.Most people would say that the least that India was expected to do was qualify for the super eight's.Some said that if u enter the semis than all it requires is two good days to win the cup.Everything said India didnt have even two good days in the prelimnary group matches.One out of three in the prelims and that too against Bermuda-some people were hoping that Bermuda will defeat Bangladesh and would help India go thru to the Super eights.

I thought the performance was pathetic.I thought Sehwag was looking quite good against Srilanka was good till it lasted.Tendulkar has overstayed his invitation in the indian team.India the land of great spinners saw Kumble and Harbajan fail to make even a decent impression in the matches they played.Inspite of the batting failure against there was no attempt to strengthen the batting against the better bowling of Srilanka.Why was Dinesh Karthick ignored during the three matches when he has been in good form till the world cup.Dravid's captaincy was nothing to write home about.Greg' "process"method of building a team was in tatters simply because the process itself was flawed.Now it is emnating from Greg's camp that he was not given the team that he needed.This was clearly coming as the media and the public has been scathing in its criticism of the way he has handled this teamSorry Greg it is time to pack your bags and go home.

CRIME AND CRICKET

With the tragic death of Bob Woolmer in West Indies crime has entered the game of cricket.Some would say it was time that it would come.I tend to agree with that view.With the amount of money that is involved today in cricket it was bound to happen.The hype sorrounding the game today is unbelievable.So why cricket and not other sports.In individual sports if a match fixing happens then it is easy to catch the culprit.This has happened a few times in tennis.But the focus thereafter has been so much on the players involved that it is not wise for the players to try match fixing.In cricket since there are 11 players involved fix a few key players then it is through.Right from the Hansie cronje saga the cloud of Match fixing has been swirling all over the game and it is tragic that it has resulted in the death of Bob Woolmer.

Tragic day for the lovers of the sport.It no longer remains just a sport.

THE WORLD CUP TEAM

So BCCI has finally selected the 15 players who would represent them in the world cup.Read carefully i am using the word BCCI and not India.The differentiation is subtle but very clear.Because the BCCI is not answerable to anybody in this country and is clearly managed by very few individuals the credentials of whom are definetly questionable.Elections to BCCI happen once in every two years are so and it is the state associations who elect the office bearers to the BCCI.And everyone in this game knows who gets elected to the state associations-industrialists and politicians who never have stepped inside a cricket stadium except for watching a match or attending a wedding party that is usually housed in these cricket stadiums during off seasons.

According to me out of the 15 -there are three questionable selections-Sehwag (inspite of his brilliant distant past and his pathetic near term past!),Yuvaraj (who definetly doesnt look fit!) and Anil Kumble (who has now clearly been deciphered by most of the top teams!).That leaves with a top 12 and you are not covered by injury and poor form.And the more riskier part is that all the above three would be selected in the first XI in every match.

My guess for the world cup-India would lose in the quarters or at the max Semis and would come back saying they were tired by playing too much cricket before the big tournament.

RETIREMENT AT THE TOP-LESSONS TO BE LEARNT

The past few weeks the news hogging the headlines has been the retirement of Warne,Mcgrath,Langer,and to a lesser extent that of Damien Martyn.The key thing is most of these players are retiring when they are performing.So they are going out when the question being asked is Why and Why not?.This long list of retirees does leave a huge vaccum in Australian cricket.More so in bowling rather than batting.But it does send a huge message to the whole community of team sportsmen and women.It is also easy to make the decision when the team is doing well.I am also reminded of Sanath Jayasuriya who was dropped then brought back into the team and since then has performed well-looks like he will play on till the world cup.In India we havent heard of anybody retiring from the cricket team-the last i can think of is Sunil Gavaskar who retired after he scored a marvelous 97 in a minefield of a wicket against Pakistan.

Retirement list from the top teams other than Australia-anybody keen to put it out??

DOES A WIN ABROAD CHANGE THINGS

The whole of India is celebrating the victory in South Africa.Of course there is no doubt that it is a great and historic win.But does that change things at the ground level.The answer is a BIG NO.It has happened in the past and it will again happen in the future with respect to Indian Cricket.One single win and we believe that we have done enough.The controversial issues are thrown under the carpet and everybody is led to believe that all is fine with Indian Cricket.While i have never been a great fan of South African cricket their game is suited to home pitches.While there are few cricket teams like Australia who are competitive while at home or abroad the champion team will always be competitive anywhere.For me this victory shows that there is huge potential to turn this game into a true national game where the team performs consistently over a long period of time and win major tournaments.To think of it we dont have a trophy since 1985 (that is a major one!).If this opportunity is seized by the power that be then a real and permanent change be brought about otherwise we will keep celebrating the odd win here and there and miss out on the big picture.

Saurav showed lot of grit to perform under pressure.It is always a mystery how VVS laxman continues to be under the selector's scanner after producing match winning innings time and again.

At last Greg has something to smile about-hope it lasts.

THE SAURAV SAGA CONTINUES

So Saurav is back in the test squad for the South African Series.The entire episode which still continues is a big joke.The only thing it reaffirms there is hope for everybody and nobody should put away his kit bag in a hurry.I am sure (and i am prepared to put my neck on the line!) that Saurav will find it hard to score runs out in South Africa.The bouncy,hard pitches and the pace attack of South Africans will find holes in his technique sooner than later.This will also in a way seal his future in Indian Cricket.

So,VVS finds his back in the one day team after being called unfit by the chairman of selectors.And more importantly being named Vice captain for the Test series.So that puts Sehwag in a spot.I dont many players in the international cricket have been the long rope like the way the Indians have been given.Justin Langer with so much of experience is always on the line with Philip Jacques pushing him for a spot.Micheal clarke was dropped after being identified as a future great by many well known commentators.Brad Hodge who a year back made lots of runs is nowhere in the picture.Gillespe has been slowly and surely eased out of the team.Now compare it to the Indian team.Sehwag,Sachin,Raina,Kaif and others should not be finding a place in the team on the basis of current form.

Indian Cricket stutters along as the cash registers keep ringing in ,so who is bothered?

INDIAN CRICKET-THE SORRY STATE

The last two matches in South Africa has left lot of Indian Cricket supporters in total despair.The issue has been raised in parliment and there is a lot of outcry among the parlimentarians.However to my mind this thing was coming for quite sometime.

If one has closely followed Indian cricket for the last few months and years the decay had started quite sometime back.For me the most critical position in the batting order is the No.3 slot.Here in the Indian team we have Dravid coming in at that position.Now in the last match which is a classic example of how Dravid has built his averages and his reputation in part,India were 40-3 or so and everybody watching the match would have realised that the match was lost (except for some magical batting by Dhoni) Dravid was pottering along to score some 60 odd runs.What he was trying to do is well known only to him.At some point one gets the feeling Dravid is playing for a draw in one dayers.In the past Sunil Gavaskar was blamed by various people for trying to play for a draw in one dayersBy comparison look at how Ricky Ponting plays in such a position.It is the attitude at that critical position that determines how the team performs.

More on the travails of indian cricket in days to come.Comments are welcome.