Ye Dil Vishy More!!

Often, when I begin to write, I look at the things I can talk about.
The newsmakers, the trending topics, the talk of the town - it is cricket or political affairs that occupy center stage for me most of the time.

However, this time is a bit different.
Of course, there are a host of things going on in cricket and politics.

Yes, India has been doing well at the T20 World Cup.

Yes, the Supreme Court has rightly shown N Srinivasan the door and attempted a fresh, credible and clean start towards reviving the cricket fan's faith in the game and in its administration.

Yes, it's also easy to talk about the choices an Indian voter is facing in probably the most bitterly contested elections. It is worth writing about the pros and cons of each major party.

The new nadir in electoral vocabulary, the punch followed by counter punch among candidates and spokespersons from different parties - all these ingredients are good enough to create a melting pot of all the wrongs we are facing in today's times.

However, being an eternal optimist, I am in no mood to talk about such negative stuff. Not now for sure, when we do have a positive news with us.
A news that could be easily forgotten or undermined in the midst of all these other heavyweight news items.
It's the news of a lone ranger who keeps going about his job quietly and keeps churning out world-class (nah, make that world-beating) performances day after day. Year after year.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, I am talking about the one and only chess prodigy from India Vishwanathan Anand.

It was only in November last year that he lost the world title to another genius called Magnus Carlsen.
While it might not seem unique to have been able to win a tournament, what makes Anand special is how he picked himself up from the disappointment of having lost comprehensively to Carlsen just a few months earlier and then come into a new tournament and fight his way back into winning it and ensuring a rematch with Carlsen for the World Champion crown for this year.

It is easy to lose this news to other eye-catching stories but make no mistake, this is a true account of how a fighter and a hero should conduct himself even when faced with not the best of times. To win the Candidates tournament and two be able to do so at his age, and so close on the heels of his loss to Carlsen (which must have sapped him of so much energy), and script an unprecedented turnaround, is truly heroic and commendable.

Vishy might still lose against Carlsen again but that is not of utmost importance.
To just be there and make such a stupendous comeback so quickly at his age requires not only talent but also great will, tenacity and unflinching self-belief.
Mind you, the Candidates tournament was also against the top players in the world, not against any rum-of-the-mill players.
Truly heroic.

Well done Vishy and more power to you for the final encounter later this year!!
For one more time, ye dil maangey (wishes...Vishy) more!! :)

MSD: Must Start Delivering

Just a few Februaries ago, there was a captain who could not put a foot wrong.

It was circa 2011, and MS Dhoni had been riding on the crest of series victories over Australia and New Zealand in both Tests and ODIs.

Even the Test series in South Africa (yes, that perennial 'away' tour bogey) was managed and salvaged with a respectable 1-1.

After the crest, came the crescendo - the ultimate - a World Cup victory, culminating in an incredible season of achievements and never-seen highs.

The unprecedented crests and highs were followed by the troughs and never-seen lows: the disastrous tours to England, Australia, the heart-wrenching home-series-loss to England, followed by the recent losses in South Africa and New Zealand.

The only reason MS has not had the axe is because we are talking about a man for whom the only cricketing trophy/tournament that he has played in and is yet to lift, is the Ranji Trophy!

The always-hallowed World Cup victories - in T20 as well as the ODI format, Test# 1 ranking, Champions Trophy victory, beating Australia on home turf in ODIs, even conquering the IPL and Champions League - the glitziest medals from all these competitions adorn the shelves of his cupboard.

However, this is not about results or stats alone. Not about just wins or losses.

As a matter of fact, not for nothing were questions raised about Dhoni's approach, even when India won the Test series but played out a draw in Dominica, West Indies - opting for an ultra-defensive approach and shutting shop in a possible chase for victory in the last Test, knowing that a draw was enough for the series win.

As Sidharth Monga points out, there have been quite a few such instances where Dhoni's defensive, meandering, unimaginative and / or simply reactive tactics have let the opposition rise from ruins, far too often for one's liking.

Given the increasing number of such instances, there has also been a proportional increase in a clamor for MS Dhoni to either change his approach or be changed.

The upcoming Asia Cup will also provide us with a glimpse of the mettle of Virat Kohli as captain.
Given the fact that (form and fitness being much the same as today), he is the one youngster who is a certainty for India in all formats of the game for the next few years to come, he is the best choice as heir apparent to MSD.

However, I am still not prepared to throw in the towel just yet.
I still believe MS will understand and introspect about what he is not doing as well as he should or can.

Just the way MS has persisted with quite a few players and given them a long(er?) rope during their lean times, I believe given all the achievements he has garnered at the helm, he too deserves to be given some extra time as well, in delivering outside home conditions.

Most importantly, the break might also help him analyze and hopefully galvanize himself, into becoming a lot more imaginative, dynamic and aggressive skipper.

Unless Dhoni delivers outside the subcontinent (yes, that ultimate benchmark for all Asian teams to get the 'tigers-at-home-lambs-abroad' monkey off their backs) - with, if not results, at least with sharper, better and more aggressive captaincy - the Februaries of 2010-11 will seem even more years away.

As a fan, as a pragmatic optimist, one is still hopeful that he will find a way to remodel himself into being more aggressive than defensive, and more proactive than reactive, in the near future.

All the best, MS!

Jai Ho!

Happy New Year and all that.
Yes, this is a review alright, but not a movie review, albeit a cricketing one.

It was the first series of the new year, and with the loss to New Zealand, we have now lost the numero uno ranking in ODIs in the new year.

It is not the loss that rankles fans like yours truly.
It is the insipid display of our batting (barring Kohli and Dhoni, and later Jadeja) in this series and the perennially toothless bowling attack that we have been enduring, which hurts.

There are times when the very first ball of the match sets the tempo - the immaculate line and length a bowler finds right from ball one, the agility and reflexes shown by the fielder(s), the team spirit and body language that is reflected in the way the team carries itself, and if batting, the intent, concentration, and discipline shown by the batsmen.

All these add up to make a cricket match exciting and accelerate its tempo, building up to a crescendo by the time the last ball of the series is bowled.
This time, however, the euphoria has ended much before the last ball of the series actually gets bowled, thanks to the series already having been lost by India, and the last match turning out to be a dead rubber.

As I said, it is not the result - victory or defeat will eventually follow, sooner or later, as per the efforts that are put up in either direction - it is the efforts, the process being followed (or the lack of it) which needs correction.

With the likes of Dhawan, Ishant Sharma, Raina, and to a a large extent, even Rohit Sharma, failing, the time has come for some serious introspection on what we need to do to perform better overseas.

Hopefully, we shall see a reformed and as the cliched new product commercials have us believe, a (New, Improved!!) Team India on its next important assignments overseas.

PS: Watch this space for more - we still have the Test series to go.
And with the change in personnel - someone like Pujara coming in, we still have hope for a better performance by our team in Test-ing conditions overseas too.

Hoping for better performances and victories eventually: Jai Ho!

To new times and fond remembrances!

Though all years have their own particular significance, the year 2013 will be remembered for many historic reasons.

It was the year that saw a paradigm shift in Indian polity, with the Aam Aadmi Party capturing a sizeable part of the imagination and votes from the people in Delhi.
In pretty much a year after it was formed, this party, led by Arvind Kejriwal, has been sworn in to power. A fabulous metamorphosis from a grassroots person to the head of governance in the city.
The symbolism that the city also happens to be the nation's capital, should also not be lost on anyone.

From a cricketing standpoint, it was also an year where many greats left the game.
Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar, Graeme Swann, and Jacques Kallis - to name some of the truly great ones.

Of these, the last person to announce his retirement - Jacques Kallis - was someone truly special.
The most complete of cricketers of the modern era, and arguably the best all-rounder the game ever saw, besides Sir Garfield Sobers.
The remarkable thing with Kallis has been that he has been able to achieve such staggering numbers in not just batting, but also in bowling and fielding (catches) too.
They say, the best definition of a true-blue genuine, quality all-rounder is that apart from doing multiple things, he can walk into a team on the basis of any one ability itself.
That holds true for Jacques Kallis, in every possible way.
You take the numbers from batting, bowling or fielding (catching) - and he is right up there, with the very best.
And we are talking of numbers taht belong to the all-time list.
Highest number of matches, highest number of runs/centuries, maximum wickets, maximum catches - you name it, and he is spoken of in the same breath as the very best of all times.

As if this were not enough, just consider the fact that the guy has also played a sizeable numbers of One Dayers for his country, and other county/IPL stints too.
Take that workload into account, and what you get apart from a smorgasboard of awe-inspiring statistics, is also the disbelief that someone could do so much, so well, in so many things, and for so long!
Truly an all-time great, Jacques Kallis, you are a hero in every sense of the term - fare thee well!

Farewells apart, it is also a time to sit back and assess some of the performances of our young guns in South Africa. Especially two gentlemen by the names of Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli.
These two, along with Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, have been touted as the future of Indian cricket and the next Fab Four, after the originals - Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly, and Laxman.

As is often rightly said, the true test of a cricketer, is outside of his natural zone - such as in a match situation where an attacking batsman might have to shelve his blitzkreig in favor of a more sedate and cautious approach for his team.
Also, the other obvious 'alien' territory is the territory itself - foreign shores, bouncy pitches for players from the subcontinent!
It is here that the performances of Pujara and Kohli have gladdened the heart the most.
Both have acquitted themselves very well in both the matches that India have played, and while the second innings of the last Test is still to be played as I write this, it is certain that the future of Indian cricket is in good hands.
Apart from the NFF - New Fab Four - combine the experience of Gambhir, the dash of Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, and a still young Mohammad Shami, and we have the solid nucleus of a team that can truly serve us well for the next decade or so.
The coming year(s) then, should truly be ones to cheer about and look forward to!
So here's to new times and fond remembrances, and a very happy new year 2014 to all!!