WHITHER INDIAN CRICKET

It is a crucial time for Indian cricket. In the last 4 years since the advent of MS Dhoni as the captain, India has become the No.1 team in test cricket, won the ODI World Cup, started winning series outside of the sub-continent and have not lost a Test series yet under Dhoni’s captaincy. Amidst all these fabulous winning moments, there have been some failures, the 2007 World Cup, the Champions Trophy in 2009, the series in Sri Lanka. And no doubt there has been the odd loss in Tests as well, usually the first Test of an away series. Nonetheless, none of it has been as testing as the current series in England. India has been in woeful form in all departments of the game. They came into the series as favorites, as the Champions, as the best Test playing nation in the World and a huge expectation on the 100^th hundred. They have been found wanting in preparation, intensity, commitment, fitness and form.

As if the on-field incidents weren’t enough, the recall of Dravid to the One-Day squad and his subsequent announcement of retirement from the shorter formats have created a furore. To just rub salt into the BCCI’s wounds, Zaheer Khan has been ruled out of cricket for 16 weeks joining the injury list of Yuvraj and Harbhajan. These are tumultuous times in Indian cricket. They have been found out against seaming and swinging conditions and high-class fast bowling. No apparent successor has emerged for the batting trinity yet. Ganguly’s place in the batting order hasn’t been snatched by anyone. The dependence on Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan at the start of the innings has never been more pronounced. The selectors have had to send an SOS to Dravid to ensure that the World Champion side doesn’t face embarrassment in the ODI format.

What exactly is the cause of this downslide? Has India gone from being the best team to an ordinary team over a fortnight? Were they ever the best team in the World or did they just got lucky through the points system? What is the way out of the current crisis? All these questions pop up. But before we get down to find scapegoats and accuse BCCI of overkill, let’s just be a little rational in our analysis and avoid knee-jerk reactions.

Well first of all, India does not become a bad side over 2 test matches. They are still a very good side and have won matches and series outside of the sub-continent. They are definitely the No.1 team in the World, or at least were until this series began. Are they the best team in the world? They certainly are one among the best teams of today but they aren’t dominating cricket like the West Indies in the 70s and 80s or Australia in the last 2 decades. They are yet to win a series in Australia or South Africa. In fact world cricket is at such a stage where there are a number of teams that are all good enough to beat each other and no one team is dominating World cricket. Australia is in a transition phase and so is New Zealand, India & Pakistan. South Africa is still finding consistency; England looks a dangerous Test team at home but yet to prove their mettle away. Sri Lanka look like a settled side but have been besot by too many injuries to its bowlers. The other sides have not posed a big threat despite occasional good performances. So it’s not such a bad time to have a bad time actually.

Let’s look at what’s ailing the Indian team. We have to look at all three formats of the game because the challenges are different in different formats as well as the team composition. Let’s start with the test team first. The core of this team is a bunch of world-class players who are on the wrong side of 30s. Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman and Ganguly have shouldered the responsibility of batting India to good positions. Sehwag has emerged as one of Test cricket’s greatest ever openers. Gautam Gambhir realizing his potential was the best thing to have happened to Indian cricket as he formed a potent opening pair with Sehwag. Their opening partnership has been the reason for many a wins. Anil Kumble and Zaheer Khan have carried the bowling on their shoulders. Harbhajan Singh has been phenomenal at home and threatening abroad. A lot of credit is due to Gary Kirsten for building a strong team. Even though there were different teams for the One Day and test arenas, Kirsten built a sense of togetherness and trust among the players. He was quietly efficient, ever willing to work in the background and stay in the background when the team cornered glory. In MS Dhoni, India found an amazing captain who was street smart as a cricketer, supremely fit and had an uncomplicated, unflustered attitude to captaincy. The way he took over the mantle of captaincy from Dravid, Ganguly and Kumble was inspiring. He looked like a natural leader. The flowing mane was a reflection of both his ability and confidence. He was playing the kind of cricket India has not seen in the limited overs format. India settled into a balanced unit capable of beating any side and in fact winning test matches in Australia and South Africa. The same time that they were becoming a top team, IPL became a big hit. Ganguly announced his retirement and was soon followed by Kumble. India’s best captain and their greatest match-winner both faded away at the same time. Zaheer Khan manfully took over the responsibility of spearheading the bowling attack and has been one of the best fast bowlers in the world in the last 3 years or so.

What India did not realize however amidst all this rosiness was the fact that no heirs appeared on the scene who looked good enough to take over from the ageing superstars. Murali Vijay had his chances but could not translate his T20 form. Wasim Jaffer was ignored. Abhinav Mukund has looked good but hasn’t produced the scores. India has had to use makeshift openers and ask Dravid to open. We still do not have an alternative to Sehwag and Gambhir. And of course the holy trinity of Indian batting has experienced their second coming in the last 3 years. Tendulkar has been in the form of his life. Laxman has single-handedly won so many matches in the last 3 years and Dravid has looked as solid and as dependable as ever. Yuvraj Singh was the man expected to make the No.6 slot his own but injuries and a lack of self belief has hurt him. Cheteshwar Pujara looked solid against the Aussies but has struggled with his fitness. Badrinath was never given his due and probably will never be. Kohli and Rohit Sharma need to establish their credentials. Suresh Raina has looked vulnerable against short-pitched bowling. We have a good 2-3 years before the holy trinity moves away and we need to groom replacements fast. It would be in the best interests of Indian cricket if the batch of Raina, Rohit, Kohli, Pujara and Badri get their act together quickly and have the chance to ramp into the squad while the three great men are still there. As for the openers, Gautam Gambhir is still young and Sehwag has a good 5-6 years of cricket left in him. But inorder to remain as the best team or even to be competitive, we need to build a pool of players who could just walk into the side when the regulars get injured and play well for India. I haven’t seen much talent in opening slots. Jaffer has made loads of runs but I doubt if he will get another chance. Ajinkya Rahane has looked solid for Mumbai but these days he bats at No.4. Vijay and Mukund have to pull up their socks. Another opener from Tamilnadu who has been consistent in Ranji has been Arun Karthik. We need to groom these players for Test match cricket. A-tours need to happen a lot more than it does now. IPL and T20 have just diluted the significance of A-tours. Kevin Pietersen is a classic example of an A-tours product.

Now the bowling. I think there needs to be a mindset change. It’s not so much that we depend on Zaheer than the fact that the players believe we depend on him. No doubt he has been the match winner on all surfaces. But injuries have plagued him and he is 32. Many a fast bowler has gone who did not give fitness its due importance. Shane Bond and Andrew Flintoff are prime examples. Akram, Walsh, Mcgrath, Murali, Warne and even Kumble were great matchwinners because they were able to sustain their form and fitness. As the senior fast bowler in the country he has to realize that he does not have to play every Test, ODI & T20 game. He has to ensure that he is fit for the most crucial games that India play. The England series should have been the biggest series of this year so far. And yet Zaheer Khan chose to play the IPL and had to miss the West Indies tours and pulled up at Lord’s after a dozen overs. And the selectors cannot be blamed because they have to agree if your premier fast bowler says he is fit. Zaheer is so much more experienced now that he should know his body better than any doctor can. He has the responsibility to guide India’s next generation of pacemen, the likes of Sreesanth, Munaf, Praveen, Irfan & Vinay Kumar. They all look up to him for guidance and we can see a significant difference in their performance when he is around. He needs take the onus of shaping the future of India’s fast bowling. He has about 3-4 years of solid cricket left in him and he can do wonders if he puts his priorities in place.

Harbhajan Singh has been the other worry for India. Everyone knew that he was not the same bowler away as he was at home. But since Kumble’s retirement, his performance has diped significantly. In 25 tests played after Kumble retired, Harbhajan has taken 101 wickets at an average of 34 at 72 balls per wicket and only 3 five wicket hauls. One can understand that spinners hunt in pairs but when you do not have the choice, you have to make do. Anil Kumble did it remarkably well for a decade before the Australia series in 2001. That has been India’s problem. Zaheer has been the only one who has delivered on all surfaces. And we have depended too much on Zaheer. Of course it is almost impossible to replace someone like Kumble but Harbhajan should take a lead. He has the ability. He just needs to sort out his technical weaknesses. Duncan Fletcher is a good man to have in this situation. He oversaw the development of Graeme Swann and knows the ropes.

One major problem India will continue to face is the 5^th bowler. This will be a thorn until we find a bowling allrounder. In test matches, I think it is disrespectful to go in with 4 bowlers and end up losing one of them to injury during the match. This is where we miss Irfan Pathan. Prioritizing batting has ruined his career. No one can forget the promise the young man had when he got the ball to swing. The hat trick against Pakistan was a delight in swing bowling. If the bunch of seniors can help him rediscover his bowling skills, he will be an invaluable asset. He still has time on his hands. He just needs the right guidance.

The ODI format is where we have the least problems. That is also partly due to the fact that we have a balanced team in this format with well defined roles. Sachin and Sehwag at the top, Gambhir to stabilize, Yuvraj to consolidate, Dhoni, Raina & Yusuf or Rohit to finish. Indian batting is well settled even when we tour abroad. Ofcourse the selection of Dravid to the team for England is more an ad hoc emergency measure than a long term one. Dravid did the right thing in announcing his retirement. He has served the country as no one else has. He deserved the graceful exit. The bowling has the tendency to leak but can hold its own against any side. Again it is important to keep building a pool of talent rather than be complacent about it. But I think the shorter the format the easier to build a talent pool. Of course India are the world champions and in recent times have won in Australia, drawn in South Africa, won in Sri Lanka, NZ, Pak and West Indies. So they look okay in ODI.

I am considering T20 not so much for the format but for the importance being given by players in India. Yes IPL is a big hit no doubt. And yes as a professional cricketer, each one has the right to safeguard their finances for their families. But its important not to lose sight of the larger picture. Indian cricket should not suffer because of it. Zaheer Khan does not have to play every IPL game. Harbhajan Singh does not have to play every game. Dhoni himself does not have to play every game. Graeme Swann does not play domestic T20. He plays only international T20. Dale Steyn plays less than half of his county’s T20 matches. T20 can sometimes put you out of form. The nature of the format is such. So we need to be careful from now on. I think the best person to learn from is the Little Master himself. He has survived 20 years in cricket through hard work, determination, hunger and also being smart. One should watch how he chooses the tournaments he wants to play. The youngsters have volumes to learn from him, not cricketing skills but the attitude towards the game. No one is blessed with the talent of a Sachin but you can replicate his respect, attitude, approach and commitment to the game. The BCCI also has to step in here and ensure they don’t kill the geese that lay the golden eggs. Youngsters should be given opportunities in the T20 and then groomed for the longer versions.

Duncan Fletcher is a really good coach. He built this England side to become fearless, to play the kind of cricket that they have never done before. He got them to believe in themselves and find out their own winning strategies. India is a different ball game altogether. The pressure is immense and margin for error is minimal. Yet the advantage he has is the wealth of seniors in the dressing room. And India has processes in place now thanks to Kirsten. So it should be easier than when Kirsten took over from Chappell. Gary Kirsten deserves all the accolades he was given. He has done a tremendous job in making this Indian team to the pinnacle of the sport. To remain there requires a different level of commitment, preparation, intensity and hard work. That is the stuff of champions. Australia did this for 2 decades and West Indies before that. It is not impossible. The domestic structure needs support. Some of the exorbitant money from the BCCI coffers should go towards attracting and developing the talent at grassroots level. Without a solid domestic structure, no team can hope to remain competitive for long. BCCI has the resources to do it. Do they have the will? That will determine Indian cricket’s future once the golden generation walks into the sunset.

The World Cup Build Up- Part One: A Look Back

What better time to start the build up to the world cup with just over a month to go for the event.


I was wondering how I wanted to build this build up. And then I thought it will make sense to do the proverbial cliché – begin at the beginning!!

1975 World Cup:

The inaugural Prudential World Cup as it was called after the sponsors of the event Prudential Assurance Company was at that time, a shortened version of Test match cricket. The traditional white clothes, red cricket ball and 60 overs a side was just an attempt to get a result within one day. England hosted the tournament as the only country with the financial capability at that time to host such a big tournament. There were three notable incidences in that World Cup.

1. Sunil Gavaskar’s 36 not out in 60 overs: It was really a bizarre batting performance in the very first match of the tournament. England had amassed 334/4 in 60 overs with Dennis Amiss and Keith Fletcher making centuries. Gavaskar carried his bat through an Indian innings that ended at 132/3 in 60 overs. Not even Gavaskar can explain what he was trying to do that day.

2. Clive Lloyd’s 102 in the final: One of the most accomplished batting displays in the World Cup came from the man they called “Big Cat”, West Indies captain Clive Lloyd. Coming to the crease at 50/3, Lloyd played a fabulous knock with sublime strokes all around the wicket to score 102 out of a partnership of 149 with Rohan Kanhai.

3. The rise of West Indies: West Indies won the tournament by 16 runs with some good bowling by Keith Boyce, Andy Roberts and Lloyd himself. This was the beginning of a period of great glory for West Indies cricket. A young Vivian Richards impressed everyone with his fielding effecting 3 run outs in the final. The King was waiting to be crowned.

1979 World Cup:

Again there were only 8 teams in the tournament with Canada replacing East Africa in the lineup. England hosted the tournament again. Australia sent in an unknown team following the breakaway Kerry Packer series and played poorly to go out in the group stage. Gordon Greenidge began the tournament with a fluent hundred as West Indies steam rolled India in the opener with Holding taking 4 wickets and Roberts and Garner coming together to form a feared bowling attack. Sri Lanka surprised India with half centuries from Sidhath Wetimuny, Roy Dias and Duleep Mendis. Pakistan reached the semi finals for the first time but ran into a rampaging Greenidge and Haynes. Vivian Richards rescued the final from 99/4 with a belligerent innings of 138 along with Collis King who smashed the England attack. England had no chance after such a slow start by Mike Brearly and Geoff Boycott. West Indies were crowned champions for the second time running and yet one could feel that there was more to come from the Calypso kings.

1983 World Cup:

England played host again as 8 teams including Zimbabwe who replaced East Africa participated. This time it was a double round robin format with each team playing the others twice and the top 2 teams from each group went to the semifinals. England began the tournament well with over 300 scores in the first 2 games with Alan Lamb and David Gower scoring tons respectively. India shocked the world by beating the champion West Indies team in their opening match with Yashpal Sharma scoring a brisk 80 odd and Ravi Shastry’s left arm diagonals fetching him 3 vital wickets but West Indies hit back in their return match with Richards’ 119 crushing India. Australia’s disastrous loss to Zimbabwe in the opening match hampered their chances. Kapil Dev played one of the greatest One Day knocks ever with his 175 not out against Zimbabwe which however has no videos at all and so lost for viewing.

Mohinder Amarnath was the real star of the semifinal with his all-round performance as India beat England while in the other semifinal Pakistan found the fiery West Indian pace quartet of Roberts, Holding, Garner and Marshall too good to handle. Richards’ half century carried West Indies through to their third consecutive finals easily. A lot has been said about the final but it was a truly remarkable final for the sheer self-belief displayed by the Indians. Kapil Dev deserves a lot of the credit for holding together a team which was considered 60-1 outsiders when the tournament began.

A paltry score of 183 was being taken apart by Richards with his magical batting. The world will remember that knock for the sheer beauty and domination of Viv Richards’ batting. Richards did play for a few years after this World Cup but none was as graceful or as gorgeous as the way he played in this tournament especially the semifinals and the finals. With his typical swagger walk, chewing gum all the way through, hitting balls outside off stump towards midwicket and square leg with the grace of a ballerina, Richards was the King of the game at his peak. Even to this day, I would love watching those 33 runs in the final as much as I love to watch the Indian victory.

Kapil Dev’s running catch has been much talked about. And rightly so because in that era India fielding was nothing to be proud of. And hence that catch was truly remarkable. The true impact of that world cup triumph for me is the rise of the financial dominance of the Indian Cricket Board and I do not mean this in any negative sense. All of a sudden, cricketers were national sporting heroes and cricket administration became that much a fancied and at the same time difficult task. But thankfully India had some good administrators in Chando Borde, Lala Amarnath, Raj Singh Dungarpur, Madhavrao Scindia et al.

1987 Reliance World Cup:

When the World Cup came to the sub continent, it became a festival with India being the defending champions and Pakistan beginning to build a good team and Sri Lanka unearthing new stars every year. It was reduced to 50 overs a side contest with the same 8 teams that played the 1983 World Cup. It was however the first non-summer world cup landing bang in the monsoon season of October- November. Pakistan began the tournament with a win against Sri Lanka through Javed Miandad’s century. India lost by 1 run to Australia. West Indies unearthed their next batting stalwart in Richie Richardson but began badly by losing to England. However they bounced back in the next game against Lanka with Richards scoring a world record 181. They lost their next game to Pakistan but Courtney Walsh’s sporting gesture in not running out Pakistan’s Saleem Jaffar who had backed up too far was praised by all. Courtney Walsh was showing the world the abilities and the sportsmanship that was going to make him the gentle giant of the future. Another great fast bowler in the making, Wasim Akram debuted for Pakistan. Allan Border built a strong Aussie team consisting of solid batsman like Boon, Dean Jones, Border himself and Steve Waugh and clever bowlers like McDermott and Tim May. This was the beginning of Aussie resurgence in international cricket. They beat Pakistan easily in the semifinals despite Miandad’s 70. England rode on Graham Gooch’s hundred to beat India on the other semis. Steve Waugh emerged as a game breaker in the finals with both batting and bowling.

1992 Benson & Hedges World Cup:

In many ways this was a pioneer World Cup to the modern day One Day game. Kerry Packer’s series had already introduced the world to colored clothing. But it was implemented in the One Day Game for the first time in this World Cup. Australia and New Zealand co-hosted the first World Cup in the southern hemisphere. White balls, black sightscreen and floodlit games were to become the norm of the game soon. South Africa had been readmitted to the International Sporting events and the world cup grouping was altered to include the Proteas. Thereby it changed the previous system of 2 groups. Now the formula was a simple each play all in the round robin stage with the top 4 teams moving to the semifinals.

Martin Crowe introduced two game breaking strategies to the One Day version- introducing a spinner Dipak Patel to open the bowling and sending Mark Greatbatch as a pinch hitter at the top of the order. Both these tactics have now become a part of captain’s alternate strategies- successfully employed by Sri Lanka in 1996. Martin Crowe himself led with the bat as the Kiwis turned out to be the surprise package winning 7 matches out of their 8 group games and emerging as the top team beating the Aussies in the very first game. India never got going in the World Cup and ended up winning only 2 games. A lot of the games were affected by rain. A new calculation system was introduced for matches affected by rain. But it proved to be disastrous.

The World Cup stood out for many significant memories and ignition points:

1. Birth of new age superstars: This was the tournament that saw superstars being born for different teams who would go on to do great things over the next decade- Sachin Tendulkar was showing the world his precocious talent and everyone began to sit up and take notice of his remarkable batsmanship; Brian Lara was showing glimpses of the graceful genius his batting could conjure; Aravinda DeSilva was displaying his impeccable consistency. Steve and Mark Waugh were ready to take on the mantle of the great Aussie tradition; Inzamam Ul Haq exhibited the laidback lazy wizardry his batting would go on to symbolize in the next decade; Wasim Akram was blossoming into the greatest left arm fast bowler since Derek Underwood; Waqar Younis was churning out those potent yorkers; Chaminda Vaas was honing his diverse bowling skills.

2. Great Captaincy: This was one world cup where we saw fine captaincy exhibited by most captains. Ground breaking strategies, street smart thinking and innovative execution all made this world cup memorable. Aravinda DeSilva and Arjuna Ranatunga , Martin Crowe, Kepler Wessels and most notable of all Imran Khan all contributed as players and captain.

3. The Human Missile or the Flying Machine: More than any other aspect of this World Cup, what caught people’s imagination was the man they called the Human Missile or Flying Machine- yes a certain Jonathan ‘Jonty’ Rhodes. Certainly we had seen some brilliant fielding over the years especially Viv Richards’ 3 run outs in the 1975 World Cup but we had not seen anything close to what Rhodes did in this World Cup. His fielding was electrifying and no one can forget the flying run out of Inzamam Ul Haq. Next day, the papers showed a picture of Jonty in the air and the caption below read- “Is it a bird? Is it a missile? No it’s Jonty Rhodes”. Move over Mr.Superman, here’s the newest version. Fielding as a dimension of cricket was altered forever.

England had played well to edge out West Indies to the semifinal. South Africa was deservedly there. Pakistand and New Zealand teed off in the other semifinal. And what happened in the first semifinal is part of cricketing folklore now. The flawed rain calculation system left South Africa needing 22 runs off 1 ball from a perfectly gettable 22 runs of 13 balls. And in the other semifinal Inzamam Ul Haq scripted a fantasy of a knock in the company of the trusted soldier Javed Miandad to take Pakistan into the finals.

In the finals, Imran Khan led from the front with a brave captain’s knock to get Pakistan a respectable score with some help by Inzy. And then he captained brilliantly by rotating his bowlers and having innovative field placements. Wasim Akram destroyed English hopes with his 3 wicket burst.

1996 Wills World Cup:

The subcontinent played host to a world cup engulfed in terror threats and bombing in Sri Lanka with Australia and West Indies refusing to play in the island nation. 12 teams entered the tournament with UAE, Netherlands and Kenya making their debuts in the World Cup. It was split into 2 groups of 6 teams each with the top 4 teams from each group making it to the quarterfinal. Sri Lanka used the pinch hitting concept very well with Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana at the top of the order. They used part time spinners along with Murali and Vaas to contain the opponents. South Africa won all their group games with their openers Hudson and Kirsten scoring big tons. However in the quarterfinal they ran into a red hot Brian Lara and started picking up the tag “chokers”. Australia had beaten India but lost to West Indies and scraped through to the quarterfinals. Sri Lanka had an easy path while England, Pakistan and New Zealand also made it to the quarters.

This was the first World Cup that I saw live in my life. And it had a lot of memories, some good, some not so good:

1. Sachin Tendulkar: The most poignant memories of this world cup have to be the batting of the little master. He exhibited batsmanship of the highest class only surpassed by his own 2003 heroics. I remember every single innings he played in that world cup. Beginning with 127 not out against Kenya, he hit a superb 70 against West Indies, then the 90 in vain against the Aussies, the rampaging 137 against Sri Lanka before failing against Zimbabwe and Pakistan. In the semifinals he had scored 65 out of 90 when he got out at 90/2. India slid to 120/8. It would be one of his painful knocks. The sheer class of his batting was unmatched even by the blitzkrieg of Sanath Jayasuriya.

2. India vs Pakistan Quarterfinals: This has to be one of the best games of the World Cup ever. The pendulum swung to and fro as Navjyot Sidhu laid a good platform for a scything attack launched by Ajay Jadeja on Waqar Younis. And then the Aamir Sohail vs Venkatesh Prasad incident. Prasad was fired up by that and he picked up crucial wickets even as Javed Miandad came out of retirement to play that game. Nothing could save the game as Srinath and Kumble sewed up the match.

3. Sri Lanka’s performance: Sri Lanka won the World Cup undefeated. It was a planned campaign with Dav Whatmore and Arjuna Ranatunga calmly laying down novel strategies executed wonderfully well by everyone in the team. The openers’ batting ripped the opposition bowling in a matter of few overs. Aravinda De Silva provided the solidity and the consistency needed to sustain the aggression. Mahanama and Ranatunga could carry the team through to the finish. Vaas and Murali ably led the attack with help from a lot of part time spinners backed up with some superb fielding. Aravinda DeSilva played 2 innings that I would rate as one of the best under pressure- both in the semis and finals.

4. The decline of West Indies cricket: A personal pain for me was to see the beginning of the inexorable decline of once masters of the game. Lara and Hooper and Ambrose and Walsh were the sole reminders of a glorious tradition and heritage in which West Indies had dominated world cricket for close to 2 decades. Sadly it was all coming apart as poor administration and contracts issues plagued the Caribbeans.

It was a World Cup organized well despite doubts and criticisms and won by a team that had the best plans and executed their plans best.

1999 World Cup:

The World Cup came back to its traditional home, this time in a new avatar. England played host to a world cup that saw a refurbished format with the introduction of the Super 6. Bangladesh and Scotland replaced UAE and Holland in the lineup. This was a World Cup that reflected the transitions happening in a lot of teams. India and Australia saw the emergence of new pillars to their team. Ganguly & Dravid for India, Mcgrath, Lee and Gilchrist for Australia. Sri Lanka’s tactics did not work on the seaming conditions in England. Their bowling fell apart as India piled on 375 runs against them. DeSilva had a miserable World Cup and that had a telling impact. South Africa had a solid batting lineup with Kirsten and Kallis as well as a strong bowling line up with Donald, Pollock and Ntini. Lance Klusener was emerging as the game’s foremost all-rounder. Sachin Tendulkar came from his father’s funeral to score a hundred against Kenya but otherwise had a quiet World Cup. Zimbabwe surprised India and Australia with the help of Neil Johnson and Murray Goodwin. Pakistan was picking up momentum as the tournament progressed. Australia and New Zealand also went through to the Super 6. Steve Waugh rescued Australia against South Africa with his famous statement “You just dropped your World Cup mate” to Herschelle Gibbs after he dropped Waugh. India lost all its Super 6 games. Pakistan steamrolled New Zealand in the semis with Saeed Anwar scoring a ton. And then we know the famous tie between Australia and South Africa. Shane Warne was deservedly the Man of the Match in both semis and finals. The ball that got Gibbs out reminded people of the ball of the century to Mike Gatting all those years ago. Pakistan had the most forgetful finals one can ever have, being bowled out for 132 and Adam Gilchrist cleaning up the match. It was a very good World Cup that had a forgetful ending but signaled the beginning of Aussie dominance.

2003 World Cup:

The rainbow nation of South Africa co-hosted Africa’s first World Cup along with Zimbabwe and Kenya. 14 teams played the tournament as Canada, Namibia and Netherlands joined the 10 test playing nations and Kenya. The World Cup began in scam as Shane Warne was banned for using diuretics. Andy Flower and a couple of other players wore black arm bands to protest against Robert Mugabe’s rule. Teams refused to travel to Zimbabwe and Kenya. In terms of cricket as well, it was eventful and keenly contested. India started out slowly against Netherlands and faced backlash at home with the loss to Aussies. But Tendulkar carried the team on his shoulders with his batting. Ganguly came to the fore as captain and the bowlers stepped up as Nehra bagged 6 for 23 against England. Australia found new match winners in Symonds and Gilchrist. Bevan was his usual self finishing off hopelessly lost games. This world cup was the best that I have seen so far and had some incredible moments:

1. Sachin Tendulkar: Again the master came to the party. His batting in that world cup was on a different plane altogether. I still remember the 6 he hit of Andy Caddick. Shoaib Akhtar was made to look like a club bowler; Wasim and Waqar were left clueless as Sachin single handedly took India to the finals. And then as misfortune would have it, failed in the finals. But still this was stamping of his signature on World Cup batting records.

2. The Bowling: The bowling that we saw in this World Cup was really top class. Shane Bond, Mcgrath , Lee, Andy Bichel, Ashish Nehra, Chaminda Vaas and Daniel Vettori all bowled very good bowling spells throughout the tournament.

3. South Africa’s calculation blunder: Once again rain would deny South Africa a chance to progress. They miscalculate the Duckworth Lewis target and hence tie the game and go out in the group stage.

4. Adam Gilchrist Walks: The first high profile instance of walking we saw in the game. Adam Gilchrist became immediately famous for his sporting gesture of walking in the semifinals when the umpires were unsure of the decision. Debates would continue to rage but a fine gentleman cricketer would live to be happy with that decision.

5. Saurav Ganguly & Indian cricket: Saurav Ganguly’s contribution to Indian cricket is best exemplified by his leadership in taking the team to the finals. He instilled the fighting spirit in the team and he himself lived the spirit. He was prepared to look adversity in the eye and give back aggression. The Indian cricketing mindset changed with the World Cup. India began the process of developing into a world beating team. Ganguly’s strategy of playing 7 batsman with Dravid as keeper paid off on many an occasion. That was to show the path to novel and street smart strategies to playing the game.

6. Ricky Ponting: Ponting led from the front with his batting. His innings of 140 is perhaps the greatest ever in the World Cup for the sheer magnitude of the occasion and the class of his batting. Martin’s class along with Ponting’s assault ensured that the game was over in 50 overs. Not even a Virender Sehwag innings could rescue India and Australia were deserving winners again going through unbeaten.

The world cup was by far the best I have seen till date and it had the 2 best teams of the tournament competing in the finals with the best team winning it. Nobody could’ve scripted it better.

2007 World Cup:

The first World Cup in the Caribbean Islands was also the most forgotten World Cup ever. 16 teams, a dreary schedule, far away venues, over priced tickets, empty stadiums were a sign of things to come.

India and Pakistan lost to Bangladesh and Ireland respectively and were eliminated in the group stages. As it is, it was an unearthly hour for fans in the subcontinent to watch the game. And with their favorite team’s exit after pedestrian performances, the viewership dipped completely. And then came the tragic news of Bob Woolmer’s death. The Pakistan coach was found dead in his hotel room. The cause of his death is yet to be established. Frankly I remember only 2 things from this world cup. One was Adam Gilchrist’s superb innings in the finals after carrying a squash ball in his gloves for good luck. I wonder how he managed to bat with that. And the second thing is that the finals ended in darkness in bizarre conditions. Australia had again won undefeated in the entire tournament. Thankfully the most forgotten World cup was over.

Watch this space for more as I build to a promising World Cup.