Virender Sehwag - the puritan of cricket

Natural, instinctive, pristine, predatory even and yet delectable - you might hear these terms on a national geographic feature but they best represent Virender Sehwag. He was by far India's best opening batsman since Sunny Gavaskar.

No Parallel:
Kris Srikkanth had been a good opener with limited success. Sachin in ODIs had shown the world a different dimension to batsmanship. Jayasuriya and Mark Greatbatch had popularized a phenomenon called "pinch-hitting". And ofcourse the world had witnessed the marauding swagger of Vivian Richards and stunning effectiveness of Kapil Dev.

The change:
But when he arrived on the world cricket scene, Virender Sehwag was an original, and a refreshing one at that. When he smashed that 101 on test debut against South Africa during that counter attacking partnership with Sachin, Ganguly knew he had unearthed one of India's greatest impact player because by then he had smashed a hapless Kiwi attack to a 90 ball hundred in an ODI. Saurav made Sehwag open. The rest as they say is history.

Paradigm:
Many people saw him as a carbon copy of Sachin in his early career and it only inspired him. And yet he built a game of his own what years later would come to become a mindset, a paradigm, a school and ofcourse a way of life. He defined calmness in calamity before India found their latest Zen master called MSD. The sheer simplicity of his game and approach was a connoisseur's delight. Mind you he was as street smart as they come. You don't make 17000 International runs if you aren't. He might have been a really good captain but MSD had already become the toast of the nation after 2007 so Sehwag's ambitions were to be limited, not that it would have bothered him. Even during the much reported differences between Dhoni and Sehwag, Sehwag's press conferences indicate immense genuine respect for MSD. He was a puritan, the most uncomplicated cricketer I've ever seen and a complete reflection of love you had for the game when you first started watching and playing the game as a kid.

Nostalgia: 
He played many fabulous ODI innings including the savage world record 219. But for a man who batted like he did, it confounded pundits and people alike how he averaged 50 in Tests and 35 in ODIs but it was the truth. He was a much much better Test batsman than an ODI batsman and I think that alone endears him to many especially me.
- The 309 in Multan was epochal not just because it came against a quality Pakistani bowling attack consisting of Shoaib, Sami, Shabbir and Saqlain, not just because of the gravity of the series coming as it did after 15 years but also because not since Bradman had the world seen a batsman score 300 in a day and a half.
- 195 in Melbourne had breathed hope into a hard fought series for India;
- 155 against Mcgrath & co in Chennai set up the test match for India in the final frontier series which rain eventually spurned,
- 254 at Lahore was part of as legendary an opening partnership with Dravid as his typical statement " who is Vinoo Mankad" when told of the record
- 319 in Chennai was against the March heat and not just South African bowling,
- 201 and 293 against Sri Lanka were when 10 other batsman coudn't even defend Mendis,
- 83 against England on 4th day turner in chase of 385 just after the nation been in a sombre mood post the Mumbai attacks
- oft forgotten 150 in Adelaide in that infamous 2008 series

The final stretch:
The decline happened as rapidly as he batted. His last Test hundred came a year and a half before he was dropped. His final ODI hundred was at that time the world record. His famous hand eye coordination was in doubt. Yes he did sway in the IPL with some good innings here and there but he knew he wasn't going to make it back. It was said that he made a scintillating hundred hundred for Kings XI against CSK because he had promised his son so. That was the last magnificent knock you'd see from him.

The memory:
People will say that he didn't get the farewell he deserved. And rightly so. But to actually say that is to not know Sehwag. That's just the way he was. He moved to Haryana in Ranji to see if he could bat like himself but he had long stopped being that. "See ball hit ball" is a term used even in the corporate world for uncomplicating solutions. And it comes from watching him bat. Two anecdotes reportedly attributed to him sums up the genial spirit called Sehwag -
1. Shoaib akthar keeps bowling bouncers from around the wicket and sledging sehwag saying "hook markhe dikao". Sehwag tells him "tera baap udhar non-striker's end pe kada hei, usko bol. marke dikayega". Next over Sachin smashes Akthar for a six. Sehwag to Shoaib " baap baap hota hei, beta beta hota hei"

2. Days before 2011 world cup semifinals against Pakistan. reporters ask Sehwag during practice, "tension hei aapko?" Sehwag nonchalantly retorts " yaar yeh tension lene ka samay nahi hi, tension dene ka"

thank you for the memories viru.

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.

Best 20 Knocks in World Cups

Top 20 batting performances from World Cups from 1996 – 2007:

The reason I am restricting the purview of this post to World Cups between 1996-2007 was because these are the tournaments that I viewed on TV. I watched very little of 1992 World Cup as well as was an immature cricket fan in 1992. So 1996 would the right point of departure.

I am going to do a countdown. So let’s get this going:

20. Saurav Ganguly – 183 vs Sri Lanka, 1999 World Cup, England:

This was the innings that established Ganguly’s credentials in the One Day Game. It didn’t appear to be such a high scoring game when it started. India had ambled to 28/1 in 6 overs when Ganguly went berserk. In the company of Dravid, Ganguly tore into the Sri Lankan attack on a small ground in Taunton and went on to make what was then India’s highest individual One day score until Sachin’s innings of 186*.  It was a scything attack and ended in the pursuit of the highest individual One Day Score.

19. Roger Twose – 80 vs Australia, 1999 World Cup, England:

It was an innings of purpose, concentration and defiance. The Kiwi bowlers had done well to restrict Australia to under 220 and the Aussie bowling attack of Lee, Mcgrath and Fleming were raring to go. Twose with help from Chris Cairns and Harris took New Zealand to a sweet victory over their Tasman rivals. This win would help the Kiwis to go through to the semis.

18. Kevin Pietersen – 100 vs West Indies, 2007 World Cup, West Indies:

It was a trademark Kevin Pietersen innings, flamboyant, swashbuckling and crowd pleasing and effective at the same time. England was chasing a stiff target of 300 and Pietersen’s 91 ball 100 single handedly carried England to the doorstep before being the 9^th man out. England won by 1 wicket.

17. Stephen Fleming – 134 vs South Africa, 2003 World Cup, South Africa:

In a rain shortened game, the New Zealand captain played one of his most fluent innings as South Africa were pushed to the brink of elimination in their home World Cup. It was one of the most graceful and stylish innings ever played in a World Cup game and that was the last we would see of the astute Fleming.

16. Brian Lara – 116 vs South Africa, 2003 World Cup, South Africa:

Once again the Proteas were the unlucky ones to be at the receiving end of an inspired Lara epic. Such innings were becoming few and far between but for the second time in 3 World Cups, South Africa bore the brunt of the Lara genius. His fluent knock helped West Indies triumph over the home team and dimmed South Africa’s chances of progressing to the next round.

15. Saeed Anwar – 113 vs New Zealand, 1999 World Cup, England:

One of my favorite knocks. Saeed Anwar  had been a very under-rated cricketer all his life. But time and again he had proved his value in gold to Pakistan’s success. This was one such occasion, the semifinals of the World Cup. Pakistan was chasing a tricky score of 240 against a sharp Kiwi bowling attack consisting of Geoff Allot, the highest wicket taker in that tournament, Chris Cairns, Styris and Vettori. Saeed Anwar ensured there would be no contest at all and Pakistan won by 9 wickets to storm into the finals.

14. Michael Bevan – 74* vs England, 2003 World Cup, South Africa:

A typical Michael Bevan innings. The One Day game’s greatest finisher pulled a rabbit out of the hat as he carried Australia through to what should have been an easy victory chasing 220. Bevan played with the last man to take Australia home and keep their unbeaten record intact after James Anderson had swung the game England’s way.

13. Brian Lara – 111 vs South Africa, 1996 World Cup, Subcontinent:

South Africa had won all 5 group matches and was in good form coming into the quarterfinals of the World Cup and looking for redemption for the injustice meted out in the 1992 World cup rain calculations. But they ran into a red hot Brian Lara who had had a quiet World Cup thus far. It was an inspired knock as he sent the South Africans on a leather hunt with a 94 ball 111. As a cricket lover, there are few better sights in cricket than a Brian Lara in full flow. A majestic knock that sent the South Africans back home.

12. Mohammad Ashraful – 87 vs South Africa, 2007 World Cup, West Indies:

Bangladesh had had a brilliant start to the World Cup with a win against India. They had to prove that that win was not a flash in the pan and that they were improving as a team. Ashraful showed his precocious talent with an 83 ball 87 that helped Bangladesh beat the South Africans. It was a very good knock from a confident young man.

11. Sachin Tendulkar – 137 vs Sri Lanka, 1996 World cup, Subcontinent:

We had seen the talented young man play in the 1992 World Cup. But this was the World Cup where the Little Master began asserting his landlord rights over this format of the game. He dazzled the world with his hitting as he took India from 171/2 in 40 overs to 271/2 in 50 overs, very rare in those days. Pace or spin did not seem to matter to him as he had so much time to play his shots. The master had arrived bright and regal.

10. Sanath Jayasuriya – 79 vs India, 1996 World Cup, Subcontinent:

Sachin had helped India go to 271. Jayasuriya’s much talked about pinch-hitting ensured Manoj Prabhakar did not play cricket again. As we all know, it was incredible hitting. You’d wonder for years to come whether those wrists and arms of his are made of skin and bones or iron and steel. This was Jayasuriya’s World Cup and his innings helped Sri Lanka chase a tough target.

9. Sachin Tendulkar – 90 vs Australia, 1996 World Cup, Subcontinent:

We had seen Sachin hitting a century against Kenya and Australia were bracing themselves to face the champion. It was majestic batting from the Master that kept India in the game chasing 240 in front of his home crowd. People were stupefied that this man could score so quickly with such a good technique and proper cricketing shots.

8. Andrew Symonds – 143* vs Pakistan, 2003 World Cup, South Africa:

A terrific innings under pressure, Symonds carried Australia through from 43/4 to over 300. Against a bowling attack of the likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar, symonds waded into the bowling to hit a magnificent hundred.

7. Sanath Jayasuriya – 82 vs England, 1996 World Cup, Subcontinent:

One of the most destructive innings you’ll ever see in a One Day game. Sanath Jayasuriya tore a hapless England attack as he plundered 82 off only 44 balls. England had come into the quarterfinals of the World Cup with dreams of going big. But Jayasuriya simply blew them away, initially with the ball and then with the bat as hen ensured an easy run chase for Sri Lanka.

6. Steve Waugh – 120* vs South Africa, 1999 World Cup, England:

A match-winning innings from the Ultimate Crisis man in cricket, this would go on to be the World Cup defining innings for Australia as they successfully chased South Africa’s 270 target and the win would help them sail through to the finals after the famously tied semis. Not only was it a composed innings but we saw some calculated hitting from Steve Waugh as he scored his 120* off only 110 balls on a difficult batting pitch against the likes of Donald, Pollock, Ntini and Klusener. The innings became more popular with Steve Waugh’s alleged comments of  “You’ve just dropped your World Cup mate” to Gibbs.

5. Sachin Tendulkar – 98 vs Pakistan, 2003 World Cup, South Africa:

When Pakistan scored 270 odd, Tendulkar went in like a man on a mission. He took the Pakistan attack to the cleaners. One of the most fearsome bowling attacks in the world consisting of Akram, Waqar and Shoaib Akhtar was made to look pedestrian as the Little Genius put India on the road to victory with a blistering knock of 98 off 75 balls before hamstring injury and an Akhtar snorter cut short his innings. But it would be remembered as one of the most calculated assaults on some of the best bowlers of all time. It is my favorite Sachin innings in a World Cup.

4. Aravinda DeSilva – 66 vs India, 1996 World Cup, Subcontinent:

A brilliant counter attacking innings after Sri Lanka were 1 for 2 with both openers dismissed in the 1^st over. De Silva smashed the Indian bowling as he made 66 from only 47 balls as he helped Sri Lanka set up a match winning total of 251. An innings of substance under pressure from a great technician of the game.

3. Adam Gilchrist – 149 vs Sri Lanka, 2007 World Cup, West Indies:

The innings that had taken a long time coming. Adam Gilchrist had taken the One Day world by storm 10 years earlier but his calling did not come until the World Cup finals of 2007. He had not had a spectacular World Cup and there were calls for his head. But in a rain shortened game, he put his squash ball in his gloves and began swatting the Sri Lankan bowling around. It was an innings that did not stay in people’s memory because the entire World Cup was a non-descript World Cup. It bore the Gilly stamp all the same.

2. Ricky Ponting – 146* vs India, 2003 World Cup, South Africa:

Ricky Ponting could not have written the script better. It was his first World Cup final as Captain, Gilchrist had laid a very good platform and the wicket was a batting beauty. Ponting tore into a lackadaisical Indian bowling and sent them screeching to all parts of the ground. The highest individual score in a Final, it was a remarkable innings of authority from the Aussie skipper. He ensured the Finals were pocketed after the Aussie innings ended at 359/2. It was one of the best example of leading from the front.

1. Aravinda De Silva – 107* vs Australia, 1996 World Cup, Subcontinent:

Well this innings scores over Ricky Ponting’s for the sheer magnitude of the occasion for Sri Lankan cricket as well as the quality of the bowling attack.

Sri Lanka was going through a tempestuous political time and Australia and West Indies had refused to play in the Emerald Isle. They had reached the finals with a simple gameplan. Restrict the opponents to a decent score with spinners, bat second, hit the first 15 overs for as many and then consolidate. It was a strategy that had worked for them. They were in the final facing a fancied Aussie team consisting of stalwarts like Taylor, Ponting, the Waugh brothers, Mcgrath and Warne. The spinners had done well to restrict Australia to 241. Jayasuriya had fallen cheaply. Aravinda De Silva took his calling and played one of the best knocks you’ll ever see on such a momentous occasion as a World Cup final. A chanceless unbeaten 107 off just 124 balls took Sri Lanka home with 7 wickets to spare and changed the face of Sri Lankan cricket forever. One of my all time favorite one day innings, it was a lesson in batting under pressure.

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.

A Very Very Special Tribute

Yes you guessed it right if you guessed Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman. As he turns in another match winning knock, it is perhaps time to take notice of an immensely talented vastly under-rated self-effacing cricketer. 

Following the Mohali Test match today was like going through a whole gamut of emotions for me. Even after 18 years of watching cricket, I still feel like the schoolboy who somehow miraculously wants his team to win and who will never give up hope until the match is over. May be we shall never grow out of that. It is sometimes a nice little indulgence in life, amidst the entanglements of adult everyday living and its insistent demands and responsibilities, to be able to get into the mould of a schoolboy praying for his team. It makes you smile to yourself that things were simpler weren’t they - it was another time, another world.

I was also transported back to those schoolboy days at the beginning of the 5^th day of this Mohali Test. India tottering at 55 for 4 and as usual, a certain gentleman by the name of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar still at the crease carrying the hopes of a billion hearts. And I thought to myself- boy, nothing has changed in life, has it- still I wake up dreaming of Sachin taking India to a seemingly improbable win, if only the other batsmen can hold out a little bit. And Sachin played like a man on a mission. The signature straight drive, the magnificent backfoot cover drive, the wristy square cut, the silken leg glance, the quick flick, wow, Sachin looked in a hurry. And then the heartbreak. He tried to upper cut a delivery on off-stump and ended up scooping it to Michael Hussey. And one part of me thought, okay here goes India’s chances and another part thought maybe Laxman and Dhoni can do something. And when Dhoni went, I thought okay Harbhajan can bat a bit. And when he went second ball, I gave up saying only Laxman can save us otherwise India loses- that is a die-hard fan for you.

I had no doubt that VVS Laxman would come to bat today, irrespective of what the doubts were about his fitness. Well that was the man for you- he will do his job. And when he did come out to bat, my mind went back to 2002 when Anil Kumble bowled 14 consecutive overs with a broken bandaged jaw and even got Brian Lara out lbw. Laxman was a very similar cricketer – always wanting to give his best to the team, always rising to an occasion, always doing his job quietly without a trumpet, never given his due as a batsman but never wanting media attention, happy to be respected and loved in the dressing room.

And what a class innings he played. 73 off 79 balls on a slow and low fifth day track with the last 2 batsman to hold fort and his back giving trouble – it would rank among one of his best knocks for me. And I can imagine only four other players in international cricket that I have seen who are capable of playing a knock at that rate given the circumstances – Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Adam Gilchrist, each in their own style. And this was a very very special one from Laxman.

I have always believed that if strokemaking is an art, Laxman is the foremost artist in the world – a true purist’s delight. Even when he plays those shots with a bad stiff back like today, they are silken. Those caressing cover drives, the smooth square cuts, the poignant pulls, those sizzling straight drives and most of all the wonderful wristy flicks to balls that are pitched on or outside off stump, oh they are intoxicating. I remember Harsha Bhogle once saying ”When you listen to the other batsmen, their bats will make a tuck sound when hitting but if you listen to VVS Laxman, his bat makes a chick sound even when the ball speeds off his bat.” That goes to show the artistry of his batting.

The Hyderabadi flavour is unmistakeable in Laxman’s batting. I have never watched ML Jaisimha bat but I watched Mohammad Azharuddin bat for eight years. I especially remember a Test Match against South Africa in Kolkata in 1996 when Azhar’s  forearm was broken by a Lance Klusener delivery and he retired hurt just before lunchtime. Immediately after lunch, he came out to bat with an arm guard and Klusener bowled the first over after lunch. Azhar hit him for five boundaries on the leg side, everything flicked. I was amazed at those crunchy supple wrists. But nothing of that could ever match the silken elegance of Laxman.

And it is not merely the art of his batting. He makes crucial contributions at crucial times. And I think there will be no arguments there. For a man who took four years after his test debut to hit his maiden century, Laxman has made priceless contributions to Indian wins.  Stats say India has lost only twice when Laxman has hit a hundred. That makes it 14 out of 16 times India has either won or drawn. And some of those have been magical batting.

Any sportsman’s ultimate achievement is to be respected and praised by the adversary. The Aussies can be said to be the fiercest adversaries in the game. And by now, they not only respect and praise Laxman but probably fear him as well. The ability to raise your game against the best in the business at the most testing of circumstances is a mark of sheer greatness. It is not easy. It requires great confidence in your own abilities and perseverance and determination to stand up against such tough challenges. VVS Laxman has shown it time and time again.

And yet he has never been given his due. Yes I understand it is a little difficult to overshadow a man as good as Sachin Tendulkar but nevertheless, Laxman’s contribution to Indian cricket has been no less in value. Critics have always taken a liking to Laxman for his slack fielding and running between wickets. Yes I agree he is not as agile in the field but that still doesn’t take the sheen off his batting. And for that matter there have been about one handful of good Indian fielders that I can remember watching- Azharuddinn, Ajay Jadeja, Robin Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina. The others have been mediocre.

Having said that, Laxman’s catching in the slips has been extraordinary at times. Even Ian Chappel once compared Laxman’s slip catching to Mark Waugh’s catching. Even in this match, Laxman’s catch of Tim Paine in the first innings was a very crucial one.

Another unfair treatment has been in the One Dayer arena. Laxman is yet to play a World Cup - Would you believe it? And just for stats sake, Laxman scored 3 hundreds in 4 matches in one week at Australia in 2003, two of them against Australia. 4 out of his 6 ODI Hundreds have come against the Aussies. Well it certainly defies the logic of form and performance as the criteria for selection that Laxman’s place in the One Day side was never certain and he has never been picked after 2006.

And yet not once has he complained. We have never seen him sledge or abuse. We have seen him reprimanded by an umpire or match referee. We have never seen him in a brawl. Here is a man who respects the game and tries his level best to do his job for the team.

Well he may not have the aura of a Sachin Tendulkar or the fashionability of a Mahendra Singh Dhoni or a Yuvraj Singh. But VVS Laxman has been for me a remarkable great of Indian cricket.

And as is usual, I will end with my top 5 favorites of Laxman’s Test match innings:

1. 281 vs Australia, Kolkata 2001: Of course what else could it be? The innings that changed Indian cricket forever – an innings that showed what guts and grits could do, an innings that infused self-belief in Indian cricketing mindset; a once in a lifetime knock that would paralyze the marauding Aussies. Shane Warne, arguably the greatest spinner of our times was perplexed and made to look like a gully bowler with Laxman’s legside play. Enough has been said about it but enough can never be enough for that knock. Every cricketer’s dream knock, possibly the greatest knock by an Indian cricketer.    
2. 167 vs Australia, Sydney 2000: An innings that announced the arrival of a Very Very Special Player. Brett Lee, in his debut test match was smashed around the park. Laxman sparkled in a losing cause.
3. 148 vs Australia, Adelaide 2003: Remembered more for Rahul Dravid’s double century, Laxman made a vital hundred that helped India cut down Australia’s lead and then Ajit Agarkar’s dream spell and Dravid’s toughness brought India’s win after a long time in Australia.
4. 103* vs Sri Lanka, Colombo 2010: Another superbly paced knock, India was chasing 250 plus on a 5^th day turner against Mendis, Malinga and Herath. Tendulkar played beautifully while he lasted. And it was left to VVS Laxman to steer India home with an attacking innings. His flicks were delectable.
5. 73* vs Australia, Mohali 2010: A brave knock with a sore back, Laxman batted beautifully with the help of Ishant to snatch victory from defeat.

  There can be no comparisons of Laxman with Ganguly, Dravid or Sachin for each of them have contributed immensely to Indian cricket. Even if he is not the hailed as India’s greatest Test batsman (the Aussies will probably vouch for it and Laxman would probably hardly be bothered), VVS Laxman will always be a Very Very Special Player for those who still love aesthetics. Kudos VVS ! Bravo !

The Challenge of Being Rafa in a Roger Era

First of all let me tell you a truth. I wanted to write this article when Rafael Nadal won Wimbledon 2010 after a breathtaking tournament in which he appeared to have shaken off the tag of King of Clay and moved on to become a complete player. I was just caught up with other things and it became a little late for the article to be of immediate relevance. So I told myself “let me write this when Rafael Nadal wins the US Open later this year”. I do not know if it was just an educated guess or gut feeling that told me Nadal would win. And win he did. In what style!!

It was yet again a clinical performance from a man who could go on to become the greatest player of all time. Yes I just said that even though a certain Swiss gentleman going by the name of Roger Federer still plays tennis with the same finesse as the time he looked invincible.

The Federer-Nadal rivalry is in my opinion a celebration of two distinct yet pivotal attitudes in life- perfection versus perseverance. And I do not mean to say that each of these gentlemen portray the values respectively. What I mean is that each of them is persevering to make themselves perfect and yet keep finding that the state of perfection that they wanted is not exactly perfect and hence they try some more. They keep raising the bar.

To add a little bit of history to this duel, it could not have come at a better time. Of course, there have been all the great rivalries over the years- Borg vs McEnroe, McEnroe vs Connors, Lendl vs Cash, Becker vs Edberg, Sampras vs Agassi, Chris Evert vs Margaret Court, Navratilova vs Graf and Graf vs Seles.

Seles vs Graf ended in 1993 and even when Seles came back from the stab, she was never the same player again. That’s when Sampras vs Agassi became a rage. It was an intriguing matchup between the greatest serve and volley player of all time vs the greatest baseliner of all time; one of the best servers in the game vs one of the best returners in the game. It produced scintillating tennis for a decade from 1990-1999. I say 1999 here despite the fact that both Agassi and Sampras played on for a couple of years but they were well past their prime. 1999 Wimbledon Final was the best ever tennis we have watched Sampras play. After losing the match in straight sets on the 4th of July, Agassi said “The Man walked on water; I couldn’t do anything”. Sampras did walk on water and never again would play tennis at that level.

For the next 5 years a lot of wanna be Kings tried their best – Marcelo Rios, Carlos Moya, Marat Safin, Lleyton Hewitt and the Clay brigade- Albert Costa, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Gustavo Kuerten. They were all very good players but none of them could be termed great. Becker and Edberg had long gone, Ivanisevic went away in glory, Rafter silently disappeared and then Sampras retired in 2002 with the US Open crown defeating Agassi who became a pale shadow of the great baseliner that he was in his prime.

Men’s tennis needed fresh faces and new champions. A young pony-tailed Roger Federer had beaten the mighty Sampras at Wimbledon and won Wimbledon in 2003. He was showing glimpses of his greatness to be. Rafael Nadal was a precocious teenager looking to break into the top 5. Michael Chang had once been nicknamed “Bullet Train” for his relentless returns and the ability to run down every ball. The world was witnessing a similar phenomenon on the rise in Nadal. Nadal won his first ever meeting with Federer at Miami Masters and went on to win the French Open in 2005.

By 2007 the rivalry had become intense but it was one-dimensional: on clay Nadal was invincible, on grass Federer was playing on another plane and on the hard courts they were well matched but Nadal held the upper hand in terms of wins. Nadal looked like the only man capable of beating Federer. So dominant was High Royal Highness.

Without doubt Federer has one of the best game that we have ever seen- his athleticism is good, his serve only second to Sampras I would think, his baseline play is efficient, he is adept at the net, his forehand is devastating and poignant at the same time, his single-handed backhand is silken and finally his attitude and the desire to win unmatched. In my opinion, he is the most aesthetically pleasing all round player of all time, yes even above Sampras. I adored Sampras, he was my first childhood hero- with the typical swagger walk, his tongue sticking out while he served those bombs, those empty trouser pockets, slam dunk overhead volleys, the beautiful 45 degree head bent single handed backhand and the breathtaking running forehand- he was simply awesome. It was the greatest natural talent on display. And then arrived Roger Federer. Nobody would believe what he did on the tennis court. His game looked as though it was a robot playing perfect tennis. It was powerful yet poignant, rich and real. And for 5 years he was simply unstoppable. When you made the draw, you could almost close your eyes and put Roger in the final of the Grand Slam, he made 23 consecutive semifinals, 10 consecutive finals, overtook Pete Sampras for the record and won the elusive French Open as well. He attained unparalleled glory with that 16th Grand Slam. History books would not have even had second thoughts about the greatest ever player of all times and surfaces but one man made that difference. He has brought in the uncertainty and made an argument possible and necessary whether Roger Federer is the greatest player of all time – Rafael Nadal.

When Nadal was winning the French Open year after year and beating Federer on his way, he was still only the “King of Clay” who could have the confidence to beat Federer on any day but yet to attain glory on another surface. He worked his way to two Wimbledon finals in 2006 and 2007 but lost both to Federer and people were almost decided that grass would be his Roger’s Clay. And then came the turnaround. He beat Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon Final in what is considered by many as the greatest tennis match of all time. In pitch darkness on the third Monday of Wimbledon after two rain stoppages and almost 5 hours of impeccable tennis, Nadal conquered the demons of grass.

That was the turnaround he had wanted. He had been No.2 to Roger Federer for a record 160 weeks. No player had been No.2 for so long. He told the world that he was happy to be second to the greatest player of all time. He has always held Roger in a pedestal. But deep inside him, his heart would have cried out in pain and anguish that a man of his ability and effort has to wait so long to be at the pinnacle of his sport. Once the moment came, Nadal pounced on it. 2009 Australian Open was another example. He pummeled Federer for the crown. Destiny’s child had his day. He became No.1 but injuries brought him down. Almost eight months out of tennis, even he might have wondered if his knees would ever let play tennis again. But once again, the workhorse in him came out. He recovered and came back to win his 5th French Open. When he came to Wimbledon 2010, it was evident that he had worked hard on his game and fitness. His volleys were impressive and serve was improving as was his backhand. He sailed through the early rounds and went on to win the championship without losing a set. This was liberation from the tag of “King of Clay”. He was a force to reckon on any surface now. And then the US Open triumph. The world waited in anticipation of the first Federer- Nadal US Open Final. But Djokovic ensured it did not materialize. And I think for good measure. For I could not have borne to see Roger Federer cry again. Roger’s cry after the defeat at Australian Open 2009 signaled his dismal failure in trying to overcome Nadal. And it might have broken the great man down if he had reached the US Open Final and lost again to Nadal which was highly likely given the form Nadal was in.

Just take a look at these stats from the newspapers:

At the age of 24 Nadal is the youngest man to win a Career Grand Slam. He has won 9 Grand Slams while Federer had 6 at the same age. He has an 82% winning record while Federer had 76% at the same age. He has been part of 3 Davis Cup triumphs for Spain while Federer does not have a title. He has won the Olympic Singles Gold while Federer is yet to win in singles although he has the doubles Gold. He has a 14-6 Win Loss record against the No.1 player while Federer at the same age had a 2-3 win loss record. This is a vital stat. To be so consistently successful against a man considered the greatest player of all times is a stupendous achievement. But therein lays an irony. This will go down as the Roger Era when the smiling beloved gentleman called Roger Federer displayed such immaculate skills, finesse and art that was as pleasing as a Rembrandt painting and ruled the tennis world except for one man Rafael Nadal.

And it is no mean achievement. Nadal has worked his soul out for this. Those long hours at the gym to get those superb Rambo style biceps and the stamina was not easy. He slogged for it. And then his game was built with sweat and blood. Every shot was learned and tried and practiced a gazillion times before they became useful to him. Those legs of his have withstood strain that have been the equal of a million earthquakes. And those knees have troubled him like Achilles’ heel. Make no mistake about it. I might sound as though I am exaggerating it here but you’d know what I mean if you have watched Nadal go pounding after every ball and return them as though his life depended on it. Those nerves and muscles and tissues have been stretched to their sheer physical limits. And yet he seems capable of returning just about every ball wherever the opponent dares to hit it. You can send him flying down to both flanks alternately with such speed and yet he runs each of these balls down and returns them. It is his calling. He is called the “Golden Retriever” and how beautifully apt is it? Over the last season he has toned down his biceps, become fitter, leaner and yet stronger. He has worked tremendously on his game. His serve is so powerful that even Federer thinks it is awkward. His backhand has become stronger. His net play is more craftier, his angles are so precise, that forehand has become even more devastating and of course those legs of his are now more eager to run down every ball. He has become such a complete all round player now. This is what has enabled him to be so successful on grass and the hard courts. Just imagine this. Nadal won Wimbledon 2010 without dropping a set and the last man to do so was Bjorn Borg back in 1976. Not even the great Pete Sampras, regarded as the greatest grass court player of all times, could do it while he won 7 Wimbledon Championships. And grass was considered Nadal's potential weak link. Just goes to show how much effort goes into his game day in and day out. And then when critics said he has not got past the semis in the US Open, he came up with a thorough clinical performance to win the US Open. And now people have started arguing that he is the perhaps the greatest player of all times in terms of his sheer performance.

Nadal has never let these claims affect him. He has always been a fascinating person off the court. Who would forget his younger days’ press calls where every sentence of his would end with a “No?” He has charmed everybody with his respect for the game and the opponent. He has never sledged or been reprimanded for misbehavior on the court. He has been a graceful champion. He has transformed beautifully from the boy wonder to the gentleman champ. I think he has had such a good example in Roger Federer- probably the best-spoken champion of all times. Nadal looks up to Federer. They are such good friends and share a rapport that is very rare among such intense rivals. Even in the heydays of the Sampras-Agassi rivalry, Sampras was always the superior player and Agassi had an easy job acknowledging it. But in the Federer-Nadal rivalry, it is Nadal who is the dominant player and he is graceful in conceding that Roger is perhaps the greatest of all time. But that is the irony. Even as he works to become more successful, even as he attempts to win more slams, even as people argue whether he is truly the greatest men’s tennis player or is it Federer, Nadal knows that it will go down as the Roger Era unless he does something special to overtake Federer’s tally of Grand Slams. And it is not going to be easy. We saw the stats for Federer when he was 24 but after that he won just about everything. That will be Nadal’s challenge. To keep his fitness, stamina and desire so that he could go chasing after those big slams will require the same amount of effort that he has put in so far to get here. That will be the challenge of being Rafa in a Roger Era. But if at all any man could do that, it is the Golden Retriever.

Men’s tennis is at such a crucial happy juncture that the two best players in the world are such fabulous charismatic champions and they are still hungry for more. And for Rafa, the climb to destiny begins here. Those bullet legs of his are ready to run the race to retrieve the glory that is truly his. Whatever history may go on to say, Rafael Nadal is a people’s champion. Vamos Rafa! Go Retrieve!