Number 1 All Rounder of his era, Jacques Kallis has decided to retire from Test cricket. Ongoing Durban Test against India will be his 166th and his last. As with every farewell match, emotions are running high on this one and hence the retiring player’s performance can take the back seat. However, Kallis is not the one to let emotions get better of him. He scored a hallmark test century to make the opposition struggle for a draw!
Kallis has better batting average than Sachin Tendulkar, widely considered the best batsman of Modern era and bowling average at par with Jimmy and Zak, both world-class quick bowlers. It is no exaggeration when it is said that with Kallis in its side, Proteas played with 12 man team! Although I don’t want to compare the legends, I can’t help but say that Kallis was important to SA side than Sachin Tendulkar was to India and Ricky Ponting was to Australia. He never had the fervent following that likes of Tendulkar, Dravid, Ponting or Lara had but his performances and contributions to team were always on par with them.
Kallis can be compared to All Time Great Sir Sobers statistically as both were hugely successful all-rounders. Sir Sobers had batting average of 58 and bowling average of 34 while Kallis averaged 55 with bat and 33 with ball. Statistics apart, their style of play are polar opposites. With 13,289 test runs and 293 test scalps, Kallis has been instrumental in Proteas being one of the better Test teams. His retirement will affect SA bitter than Tendulkar’s/Dravid’s retirement has effected India.
Compared to Great Tendulkar’s retirement, Kallis retirement has been relatively silent. Also in deep contrast to BCCI which has distrubuted match passes to VIPs and left out the fans, CSA has given free entry to fans into Kingsmead for fifth day and welcomed fans to give King Kallis a royal farewell. The fans will oblige!!
After Lara, Dravid, Ponting and Tendulkar, Test cricket is set to lose another jewel in its crown. Let’s hope that it won’t cost Test cricket dearly.
Looking at how much he has contributed to World Cricket in general and to Indian Cricket in specific, Sachin Tendulkar deserves any tribute one pays to him. And as Cricket’s regulator in India, BCCI decision to pay a never heard before tribute to this great man shouldn’t raise many eyebrows. So why is there a storm of controversy around BCCI’s latest decision?
Sachin Tendulkar is just two match away from the milestone 200th Test match. Although Tendulkar owns almost every known batting record, playing 200 test matches is no ordinary feat and has almost no practical possibility of being achieved again. Hence it would be of great pride for India to host its champion’s landmark test match. So why is the noise all around it?
India is scheduled to tour South Africa this December and Tendulkar is all set to play his 200th Test match there. Don’t know what has happened but West Indies tour of India has come on cards all of a sudden. The Caribbeans will be playing 3 ODI and 2 Test Matches in India from 31 October to 27 November. Now Tendulkar is expected to complete his 200 tests landmark in this series.
Sachin didn’t play his 100th Test Match in India and hence it will be a great opportunity for India to host the 200th Match for the sport’s true champion. After arranging a tournament in haste for him, BCCI further decided to leave the 200th match venue to Sachin Tendulkar himself. Wankhade is competing with iconic Eden Gardens to host the landmark test match. Both Eden and Wankhade are not eligible to host this series as per BCCI rotation policy. But Wankhade, on grounds of being the master’s home pitch, is fighting for the opportunity to host the match while Eden, on grounds of being India’s iconic stadium and master’s favorite hunting ground, is pitching equally strong for the oppurtunity. Leaving venue fixture choice to a player is never heard of before in world cricket.
Although there is no doubt that Tendulkar deserves more than anyone can offer, BCCI’s latest decisions are infuriating the cricket sport lovers. No player can be put above the sport irrespective of him being one of the sport’s greats. By arranging a tournament just to allow him complete his 200th test on home soil, BCCI has put him ahead of cricket itself. And now by offering the choice of venue to him, BCCI is denying to give the sport its due. But the question here is that has BCCI crossed limits just to honor this man or for its selfish propaganda?
No denying the fact that Tendulkar has been the golden goose for BCCI. Tendulkar name itself ensures that stadiums are packed to capacity and TRPs are spiked to max. Tendulkar has played a crucial role in shaping current India’s influence on Cricket while BCCI has successfully converted the popularity he brought to sport into money. As the story goes, the farmer kills the goose in greed of more gold. Is the BCCI doing the same with Sachin?
Looking at BCCI’s never quenching thirst to fill its treasury, one suspects that the main motivation behind West Indies tour is that BCCI plans to commercialize the landmark moment. With the buzz around it, 200th test match for Sachin will open a lot of commercial opportunities for BCCI and BCCI can’t let the moment pass of with minimal money-making opportunity in SA. This also explains SA disappointment over WI tour of India; they have lost the opportunity to cash on Sachin 200th test. Some also say that BCCI desperately wants to push the limelight it has currently found itself under to someone who can handle it. BCCI is lately associated to all wrong reasons and is losing it credibility with every passing day. Analysts say this is the reason the WI tour was brought on cards; to allow the buzz of Tendulkar playing 200th test on home soil take over the news and buzz over corruption at BCCI.
Sachin Tendulkar is a man who plays his cricket with lot of devotion and reverence. He wouldn’t like himself to be put over the sport and he wouldn’t have any personal choices of where to play his cricket. Although I have no clue if BCCI truly feels it has been paying proper tribute to the legend, I sincerely feel that its more of gimmick than a tribute.
When the IPLspot fixing news broke, not many eyebrows rose! Even though commentators and former players cried from rooftops that the sight of cricketers in black hoods being presented before a magistrate made that day a black day of our lives, not many were aggrieved!! Even when the triangular love plot between cricketers, Bollywood stars and underworld mafia surfaced, there weren’t many stunned faces!!! Although police arrested a team’s top executive for betting and revealing team info to bookies, too many emotions weren’t hurt!!!! One after other new links between star players and bookies were surfacing with little shock impact on cricket aficionados!!!!!
It’s not one’s mistake to expect news like spot fixing in IPL to rock the entire nation. Afterall Cricket has always been treated more of a religion than a sport in this country. But how many of us were shocked by this incident? Most people felt sorry for Sreesanth but not many were shocked to see a player who represented national team to be involved in a fixing scam! Why weren’t we shocked? Simple, we were expecting things like this to happen in IPL.
The question we have to ask ourselves now is: Why were we harboring suspicions on IPL? Although our suspicions were mere baseless speculations, we had our reasons to believe them. I have listed few of them:
1) We are being ruled by a government that’s always in news for wrong reasons. In last 9 years, how many scams did we witness? And who can forget the Common Wealth Games scam? Obviously people have lost their trust on the Government. But it’s just not that, we began to smell foul everywhere wherever big money is involved. This is exactly what happens when we have a completely corrupted political class.
2) Team India had players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman and Javagal Srinath who were simply spotless. These players were liked not only for their great performances on field but also how they handled themselves off field. They took their cricket very seriously and played it for their love on game rather than anything else. These names inspired the trust of people. How many such cricketers do we have in our modern-day team? Current day Indian Cricket lacks a name that can be called incorruptible and can instill trust in the hearts of billions of cricket fans.
3) It is of no doubt that IPL has managed to draw all sections of people towards cricket. But IPL itself has corrupted cricket. IPL may be the most entertaining form of cricket but it will never be the purest form of cricket. Ask any cricketer who plays IPL if he plays IPL for the love of playing cricket or for the money involved in it and an honest cricketer may say money. Cricketers’ love would be Test Cricket while they play T20 league for some thrill and more money. That was why IPL never looked correct for cricket fundamentalists.
4) Before IPL, only few had access to cricketers. Apart from team and support staff no one were allowed into dressing room. But IPL changed that all. We have seen people with no business with cricket sharing dressing room with cricketers. As if it wasn’t enough after match parties make cricketers more accessible to shadowy figures. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that IPL has provided people with dirty minds all the means to corrupt a cricketer with feeble mind.
5) Most of the crimes take place at night. That could be the reason why late night parties weren’t a part of Indian tradition. Along with many other things it has brought to the table, IPL also introduced late night parties to Indian cricket fraternity. One look at those parties and you would be in doubt if the players play the gentlemen’s sport. IPL night parties have hit the news now and then for some wrong reasons. These didn’t help enhance the credibility of IPL.
These are few reasons among many that have contributed to trust deficit on IPL. One can’t help but worry about the times our children are born in; times when crimes like spot fixing are no news!
Sachin Tendulkar has retired from IPL. The master batsmen surprised everyone by saying that he played his last IPL season while being casually interviewed by Harsha Bhogle after his side won its maiden IPL title.
Tendulkar led Mumbai to IPL finals in 2010 where they were defeated by Chennai despite Tendulkar’s half century contribution. Tendulkar’s last IPL match was against Sun Risers Hyderabad in Wankhade and picked up a tendon injury in that match. Sachin sat in sidelines for the next matches due to this injury.
It is yet to be known if Tendulkar will play the Champions League T20 this season. As nothing was mentioned about Champions League T20 in Sachin’s statement, his fans are expecting him to play this season Champions League. Tendulkar played 78 IPL matches scoring 2234 runs with an average of 34.83 and a strike rate of 119.81. He scored 1 century and 13 half centuries in that process. Tendulkar also holds the record for scoring highest number of 4s in IPL.
Tendulkar may be spotted playing few Ranji matches for match practice if he has decided to tour South Africa in this year-end. Then he may be a part of test squad touring South Africa.
Sachin’s decision has come as a heart-break to millions of his fans. They have made their disappointment evident all over the web but also supported the decision of their God.
IPL has lost the most celebrated cricketer of world history. IPL is already being tormented by the spot fixing scam and now Tendulkar decides to retire from it. It won’t help its TRP ratings any better!!
As I have predicted in my previous post, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings have reached the Pepsi IPL 2013 finals. First, let me pat myself on the back for being 75% accurate in play-off qualifying teams prediction and 100% accurate in final qualifying teams prediction. Next, let me predict the winner of IPL 2013 final.
Although the ongoing BCCI political game is likely to have more twists than the grand IPL 2013 finale, let us still go ahead and make a prediction on IPL 2013 champions. In a game as uncertain as a T20 cricket, it is very hard to make definite predictions. But we can make calculated predictions by looking at team morale, team strength, latest form, team X factor, team experience, pressure handling capability and team’s adaptability to pitch conditions.
In normal conditions, CSK is the team you can safely bet on in nerve cracking situations like IPL finals. But conditions aren’t at all normal for CSK. Their top executive has been arrested for IPL betting and leaking team info to bookies. If rumors are to be believed, Police have info that three CSK players also have links to bookies. Photographs of Suresh Raina and Murali Vijay with a bookie daughter have been published all over media. There have been whispers all over that conspiracy in CSK is so deep that even its Captain stinks. Even if a fraction of the rumors are true, one can easily say that the focus of players would be less on cricket and more on saving their faces. Not an ideal situation for team competing with the strongest club for a IPL trophy!
Although Mumbai Indians name hasn’t yet appeared in spot-fixing scam, there are again rumors on offspinner Harbhajan Singh. In a team mentored by Cricket’s finest ambassador Sachin Tendulkar, one generally don’t expect to find fixing links. But none suspected legend Rahul Dravid‘s team either! For now, Mumbai are well placed in team morale than Chennai.
On paper, MI and CSK look equally strong. MI have an edge over CSK bowling attack while CSK has deeper batting strength than MI. Although MI are still unsure about Tendulkar’s fitness, they have found a formidable opening attack in pair of Aditya Tare and Dwayne Smith. Its middle order woes that is worrying Mumbai Indians. If Sachin is unavailable, one can expect same MI squad to appear in finals. Ambati Rayadu had a very quiet IPL this year and he must shoulder lower middle order responsibilities better. Captain Rohit too had buckled under pressure in play-offs matches. CSK bowling looks very weak to stop the heavy Mumbai batting lineup but they can boast of batting order that can challenge the bowling might of MI.
CSK have thrashed MI in the first qualifier to make it to IPL 2013 final. Although Mumbai faltered in last few games, they made a spirited come back against Rajasthan in second eliminator. There isn’t much to separate the teams as per team form. However, CSK boasts of highest wicket taker and run maker in their ranks while Mumbai has largely depended on team effort rather than individual performances.
There isn’t much to differentiate the teams in terms of XP either! MI has loads of experience with decorated players like Sachin, Ponting, Anil Kumble, John Wright and Harbhajan Singh constituting the think-tank. CSK also has veteran players like Mike Hussey, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Bravo in its ranks. Both teams have enough experience to tackle the pressures involved in final matches.
Mumbai have been exceptional all through the league stage this season. But one must remember that this is not the first season where Mumbai have done well, they have done that in few previous seasons too. But they have never won the trophy because of their habit of underperforming in pressure matches. On the contrary, CSK bring out their best under pressure which is quite evident in their first qualifier against Mumbai in Delhi.
Mumbai and Chennai have good spinners who can play an important role in Eden Gardens. They both have big hitters who can hit the ball hard and reach the distant stands. Although CSK have better record playing in neutral venues than MI, if MI would be asked to pick a neutral venue, they would have chosen Eden Gardens only! Such is Mumbai’s record at Eden!! With Tendulkar in ranks, obviously Mumbai would be the crowds darling team.
With his explosive starts, Dwayne Smith is the X-factor of MI and with his consistency Mike Hussey is the X-factor of CSK. Both teams value the wickets of these batsmen, so whoever fires today might as well win the cup for their team.
Finally, although both teams are fairly balanced I would pick MI as my winner. On any other normal day, I would have picked CSK but today is not an ordinary day. The Chennai Super Kings know it better!!
nikhil palavalasa 