Over four wonderful days in Mysore last week, Indian cricket reconnected with its romantic past. With every season, the past recedes further and the romance is strengthened by distance. We remember things that never happened, recall events through the filter of fantasy. Heroes of the past are larger than life; the triumphs they authored take on a hue that current successes will take a long time to match.

Yet, except for the detail that Karnataka failed to win the title, the Ranji Trophy final was probably the best the team was involved in. Especially since unlike in the past triumphs, the heroes were future stars rather than established players. But it was more than that. For one, there was more action, more excitement than in the entire one-day tournament that was being held around the same time in Bangladesh.

The final was at the other end of the scale from the IPL – it needed no gimmicks, no hype, no commentators paid to sing its praises. Spectators didn’t have to be enticed into the stadium with promises of heart-stopping action on field and off it. There were no cheer leaders, and yet fans clung on to trees, occupied nearby structures, hung on to every available space.

More importantly – a throwback to an earlier era – they cheered good cricket from both teams. After Ajit Agarkar’s final catch, there was a stunned silence where disappointment, relief (from tension), excitement were all nicely mixed. The faces said it all. And then there was spontaneous applause, as the visiting team were given a standing ovation.

It is tempting to say that the Ranji final transported us back into a more innocent time but that would be taking it too far. This was no innocent knock in the park; some of the player behaviour was appalling. The teams played hard, and sought to take every advantage in the modern fashion. Quick reaction from the umpires and the match referee might have kept the emotions of an Agarkar in check. There was too the terrible sight of a team lining up to hurl abuse at a dismissed batsman.

But when this match is recalled years from now, it will not be the player behaviour or the official weaknesses that will be recalled, but the quality of the batting and bowling, and Read more…

Administrator India Domestic Abhimanyu Mithun, Abhishek Nayar, Agarkar, Blogs.CMDN.com, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Dilshan, IPL, Javagal Srinath, Jonty Rhodes, Karnataka, Manish Pandey, Mumbai, Mysore, Ranji

Just watched the end of an astounding ODI, Sri Lanka falling four runs short of chasing 415 to beat India in Rajkot. Guess it was a bad decision to ask India to bat first after all, although it didn’t look like that when Sri Lanka needed 15 off the last 12 balls. Only two run-outs (the first helped by some almost Ranatunga-esque casual running by Kandamby) and a catch in the final over put the result beyond doubt.

There are good and bad times to take the batting powerplay. England always seem to take it in the 45th over when James Anderson is coming out to bat, which seems a waste, but that is the fault of the recognised batsmen not hanging around. As Andy Flower told me a couple of weeks ago: “It seems bad logic to take the powerplay early just because we don’t think our batsmen will make it to the 40th over.”

India and Sri Lanka, by contrast, had built the perfect platform. India were 296 for one when they called for the powerplay after 34 overs; Sri Lanka were 291 for one after 35. From those positions it almost looks a disappointment that they did not get to 450 or more.

Virender Sehwag, in perhaps the best form of his career, was out in the second over of the powerplay for 146 and India’s run-rate dropped from almost nine an over to just over seven for the remaining 14 overs of the innings. Sri Lanka, likewise, struggled once Dilshan (160) and, in particular, Sangakkara (90 off 43) went. But these are minor quibbles.

One final word of praise: Harbhajan Singh arguably should have been man of the match instead of Sehwag. In the context of the game, to bowl ten overs for only 58, and to dismiss Dilshan and Jayasuriya, was pretty special.

Administrator IND vs SL Andy Flower, Blogs.CMDN.com, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Dilshan, England, Harbhajan Singh, James Anderson, Jayasuriya, ODI, Rajkot, Sangakkara, Sri Lanka, Virender Sehwag

Rejoice. After 77 years of trying, we are finally No 1 in the ICC Test cricket rankings.  A 2-0 victory over Sri Lanka in a three Test series makes you feel real good.

Here's a review of the series:

Like Sehwag, MS Dhoni often doesn't get much credit for what he does for the team and the country. I agree that the Indian captain's batting style is pretty ungainly. But can anyone doubt its efficacy? Both his centuries were crucial to the team's cause - the 110 in Ahmedabad took India to a position of relative safety; his 100 in Mumbai ensured that Murali wouldn't be able to take a second shot at us. Why complain about methods when it gives you the right results?

The best thing about Dhoni is his level-headedness. At the post-match interview, he told Ravi Shastri that maintaining the No 1 position would be the real challenge. That's a leader with a vision. I would reiterate, make him the captain till the 2011 World Cup.

I was also surprised that Shastri got Tendulkar for the interview immediately after the match. It was good listening to the world's highest run scorer. But I was expecting someone like Dravid.

Dravid's contribution in the series was second to none.  His 177 saved us in the first Test. Otherwise, we might have had a totally different end to the contest.  He had another ton in the second Test and scored 70 plus again in the third.  We saw a new Dravid this time - he was ready to be more aggressive, more adventurous.  One would have liked to know what really brought about the change in his attitude. So why not him? Why does he have to be in the shadows every time?

Two factors clearly went in our favour in this series. Our catching, as Dhoni too pointed out, was pretty good.  Unlike the Lankans who were surprisingly butterfingered, we snapped up nearly everything.

The umpiring decisions, especially in the third Test, also went much in our favour. I would say, it made a difference to the outcome. Dilshan got two rank bad decisions in Mumbai. If something like that had happened to one of our top batters, we would have had a national debate. Besides, Dravid and Tendulkar and others also got decisions to their advantage. That surely Read more...

Avijit Ghosh IND vs SL 2011 World Cup, BCCI, Blogs.CMDN.com, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Dilshan, Dravid, ICC, Kanpur, MS Dhoni, Mumbai, Murali, Pragyan Ojha, Rankings, Ravi Shastri, Sehwag, Shastri, Sreesanth, Tendulkar, Test Cricket, Zaheer

In the end, India managed to save the Ahmedabad Test pretty easily on the final day, thanks to solid efforts from Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar, coupled with good contributions from nightwatchman Amit Mishra and VVS Laxman. However, while the Test ended in a stalemate, the game of cricket ended up on the losing side. Amidst all the talk of ‘saving’ the most sacrosanct version of cricket, an unresponsive pitch was the last thing Test cricket needed. Since seven centuries were scored and plenty of runs amassed on both sides, one could say there was ample entertainment for the crowds. But there was no ‘test’, as such, for the batsmen even as bowlers bled profusely. In short, the contest that makes the five-day game intriguing was completely missing.

The authorities concerned have got to make sure that barren lands stay away from the Test arena as much as possible if they want to protect the future of Test cricket. Such surfaces also dampen the enthusiasm of the bowlers as even the best look insipid; something that was evident in Muttiah Muralitharan’s (the highest wicket-taker in world cricket) extremely ordinary figures. How then can you expect the less talented ones to perform? As it is, the bowlers are suffering in the various abridged editions. And more shockers like Ahmedabad will only lead to deterioration in the standard of bowling in international cricket, which is at an all-time low as it is.

Speaking of the match per se, it was undoubtedly dominated by Sri Lanka, with India having their sessions only on the first and final day. Batting wasn’t a tough task out in the middle. Hence it is the bowlers who did well that deserve most of the credit. And the first name that instantly comes to mind is medium-pacer Chanaka Welegedara. Considering the fact that he was drafted in at the last minute following an injury to regular new ball bowler Thilan Thushara, Welegedara came up with an exceptional performance. It was his devastating spell on a moist pitch during the opening day that set the tone of the game for the Lankans. Getting Virender Sehwag, Gambhir and Tendulkar is no mean feat - no matter what the conditions are - and no praise can be too high for Welegedara for his effort. The most impressive aspect of his bowling was that all his d Read more…

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Many Sri Lankan cricket fans would know the road of Sri Lanka cricket has been a rocky one, the inclusion into cricket’s mainstream in 1982 and winning the world cup in 1996. Sri lankan cricket is rich and full of folklore of cricketers past and the unconventional nature of the cricketers today which is true in the case of Dilshan, Mendis, Murali, Malinga and Jayasuriya to name a few. The present day cricketers are exciting one only beckons the question; can we again win the most illustrious trophy in the sport? - The World Cup 2011.

The team is blessed with unique and colorful players, which I know might be pushing for it, but it reminds me of the West Indies of old. They play their own brand of cricket that is both enjoyable to watch and is many a neutral’s favorite.

Our Captain Kumar Sangakkara is a workman’s cricketer; he strives for the best, day in and day out, and has excelled in everything he has done both on and off the field. One of his first tours was down in South Africa and he seemed at ease with his technique, even though he didn’t score much on that tour. He focused on his game and has gone from strength to strength. As a captain he is very clever and doesn’t give it away on a platter but keeps on fighting until the last run is scored or the last wicket is taken. It reminds us of another captain of such similar qualities that won us the trophy in ‘96 - Arjuna Ranatunga.

Dilshan and Jayasuriya, the latter, one of the saviors of the world cup in ‘96 and the man of the series in that tournament, blazed attacks all around the ground. it’s a well known fact that in his hey day the Indian bowling attack used to get smashed to all corners of the field and I am sure that the current bowling coach V.Prasad would be the first to agree that his career was shortened by a Jayasuriya assault. Sometimes I really wonder what sort of advice he would be giving to the current batch of bowlers how to execute a plan which he himself found it really hard to do. Some people say that his day has long gone and it’s time for him to pack his bags and bring someone else in but what a swan song it would be for Jayasuriya to lift up the cup once again and a real honor to one of the game’s greats. His present partner, Dilshan has been a revelation with the bat, at the start I thought he was more a flash in the pan sort of cricketer and his knocks were based on flukes but as time went on I realized there is actually a method to his mayhem and he has opened up the imagination of every cricket fan and player with his recent innovative shots. A right hand, left hand combination opening the batting and accumulating runs Read more…

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It’s been a while and I don’t really know where to start.

Firstly, I guess, we lost the first Test. Old news really, but it wasn’t a strong enough performance from us. To go down as we did in the fourth innings was, well, weak.

While in Galle, 12 of the 15 guys got sick. It seemed like it was just a matter of time before the whole travelling party got sick. Over the course of the match a few of the guys were so ill that they couldn’t even get themselves to the ground. It wasn’t pretty. The thing about whatever we got was that it lasted less than 24 hours but the side-effects of being sick meant that energy was hard to find for the next few days afterwards.

I got sick at the end of day three. We had come off for tea and Sri Lanka had declared; it was about an hour after that that I started to go downhill. Soon after I was vomiting and feeling very average. The timing of the onset was as good as it could have been, if there is ever a good time to get sick. I knew that I’d be back at the hotel soon and be able to spend as much time as I had to that night going back and forth from my bed and the toilet; and there were quite a few trips. I felt okay in the morning; I had the option to stay at the hotel for the morning and come down to the ground at lunch. I wanted to watch the boys bat and be a part of the changing room so I headed down with the team.

Recovering from it has taken longer than I thought. Putting the weight back on and Read more...

Iain O'Brien SL vs NZ Blogs.CMDN.com, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Dan, Dilshan, Galle, Jayawardene, Jeetan, Kapugedera, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Tuffey

If I could place my order for anything in the second test against Sri Lanka starting today, it would be preceded by an entree of 5-wicket bags, but the main course would have to be a smorgasbord of batting partnerships and high scores.

I’m not thoroughly obsessed with winning but if New Zealand can consistently score 450-plus that should stop us losing matches, even if the Ws do not begin to belch forth in the result column.

In the past 12 months of Test cricket, the record of Kiwi batting partnerships is dire. Only eight times have our pairings made it past 100 and then only one passed the 200-run threshold (Taylor & Ryder’s 271 in 60 overs vs India at Napier).

It is Big Ol’ Jesse Ryder who stands out as our player most likely to feature in a decent partnership - of the eight returning a century or more, he features in five of them: Taylor, Vettori, McIntosh, McCullum and Franklin are there twice, and Daniel Flynn put on 118 with Timmy Mac against the West Indies at the Fruit Bowl.

Another indictment on the top order is that the bulk of our best partnerships are clustered around the 4th, 5th and, disappointingly, the 7th wicket. None of the top six collaborations have been from “the top” of the batting order with our best opening partnership a paltry 55 (the two discards How and Redmond vs Bangladesh at Chittagong), for the 2nd wicket the Flynn-McIntosh effort above was the best, while the highest for the third wicket is an even more Read more…

Administrator CMDN.com Blogs.CMDN.com, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Daniel Flynn, Dilshan, Franklin, Jayawardene, McCullum, McIntosh, New Zealand, Redmond, Samaraweera, Sri Lanka, Taylor, Vettori, Warnapura

We walked off after day one at 293 for 3, as I said, not the best day in the field; that’s obvious. Day two was better though. We picked up the remaining seven wickets for 159 with Dan (Vettori) and Tommy (Chris Martin) both thoroughly earning their four wickets each. Dan bowled tightly throughout the innings and it was just a matter of time before he’d pick up wickets. Dan and I normally, in the past, have bowled well together, we’ve both been able to control the runs and then put scoreboard pressure on the batters to score. The ends we like to bowl from normally works that it suits us both too. I couldn’t hold up my end in the way I’ve been able to do enough in this first innings. So it took a change of ends for Dan so that he and Tommy could bowl together. And it worked, perfectly; the last four wickets for just eight runs, all of them off Muralitharan's bat. We love the way he bats, we all wish we could be that free. It’s raining right now, it’s almost 9am and we’d normally be at the ground by now.

An amazing storm came through around 5am this morning, thunder banging about and lightning as bright as I’ve ever seen; with it, torrential rain. The rain has eased but is still steady and doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon. We’ve watched the covers go on and come off, an amazing mission by the lads at the ground. The whole ground gets covered; I don’t know if there are that many covers in New Zealand, I’ve never seen anything like it. As we’ve watched them being taken off we know that it’s about a 90-minute even so there is no point going to the ground until the rain stops completely. There’s nothing we can do about it so it was a longer breakfast than normal and most of the boys will be in their room resting up some more.

Yesterday afternoon we got through to stumps two down and 87 on the board. McIntosh played a traditional Test match openers role. He blunted the bowlers and scored where he Read more...

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