Take a bow, Sir Sachin!

Everytime we talk about Sachin Tendulkar, it produces a wax lyrical and this piece is no different. On the verge of completing 20 years in international cricket on November 15, Sachin gave a performance that generated shouts of encore.

Taking guard to chase Australia’s elephantine total of 350, Sachin and everyone else in the ground had the figure of ‘seven’ on their mind. It’s not a riddle that numbers associated with Sachin mean runs and he needed seven of those to summit at 17,000 ODI runs – a feat we may not witness anybody achieve ever again.

A clip to the square leg and he was there, leading to deafening cheers and unveiling of a host of banners designed especially for the occasion. Sachin’s response though insinuated that he had something more important on his mind. He didn’t raise his bat animatedly. Knowing Sachin, a win for his team and the country meant more than anything else to him. He quite noticeably harnessed himself up to go into an overdrive.

Maintaining a run rate of seven all through the 50 overs is no mean affair and while Sehwag was going for the broke, Sachin held himself back. A promising Sehwag knock again ended dolefully and it was left to Sachin who changed gears swiftly. He drove, cut and lifted balls hurled at more than 140 km/hour without fear or favor.

To the crowd and Sachin’s disappointment, the much needed assistance from the other end went missing from Gambhir, Yuvraj and Dhoni. The scoreboard read 162 for 4 in the 24th over. Raina came in to join Sachin and almost left immediately but for Cameron White who dropped him at slip. The catch looked to have cost Australia the match, as Sachin and Raina started building the innings, not with ones and twos but with a flurry of fours and sixes.

The 45th ODI century beckoned Sachin and he didn’t let the nervous 90s come in his way this time and got it in just 81 balls. With 24 overs left at that stage and Sachin playing the inning of his life, India started sensing that it might just happen today. Saeed Anwar (194) and Coventry’s (194 not out) world record became fresh like an apple in our brains. Sachin got to 150 with panache, flicking one to the square-leg boundary, off just 121 balls.  

The arduous assignment almost became a left-hand task, courtesy Sachin’s masterly class and Raina’s youthful belligerence. The score read 299 and a rush of blood saw Raina top-edging a pull shot for Manou to backpedal and take a fine running catch.

All hopes of an improbable Indian win hinged on Sachin’s shoulders, but it’s a team game. Support from the other end kept fading away, with Harbhajan back in the hut for a duck. With 51 needed off 42 balls, Ravindra Jadeja had an opportune moment on hand to prove that he wasn’t a square peg in a round hole. The duo took the batting power-play and Jadeja started stroking the ball crisply over and between the fielders to find much-needed boundaries.

At the end of 47 overs, the match was there to be won for India. Just 19 needed off 18 balls with four wickets in hand, including that of Sachin’s. The situation reminded of the Test match India lost to Pakistan a few years back. On that occasion too, Sachin was at the crease with Sunil Joshi, having scored a century, but he got out, resulting in India losing that Test. This is the only shadow that casts a dark area on Sachin’s illuminated career. He has carried the blame of not finishing matches on his own. More often than not, he has got out after doing all the hard work, which gave a window of opportunity to the opposition. On most of those occasions, India lost the match when Sachin should have won it for them. This was the day Sachin had to get rid of that shadow.

However, it wasn’t to be. Sachin played an uncharacteristic inventive scoop over the short fine leg which went straight up and easily lapped up by Hauritz. There was stun silence in the ground before the crowd rose to give the master a standing ovation for his inning of 175 in 141 balls, studded with 19 fours and 4 sixes. Jadeja got run out in the same over to declare himself a nine-day wonder. What happened after that was reminiscent of the Test match mentioned above and hurts to recall as an Indian fan.

The match would not have been a nip-and-tuck affair without Sachin’s knock. It must have reminded the Aussies of their tour in 1999 when Sachin took them to task both here in India and at Sharjah. But still, it was better than any other ODI inning he has played, considering the pressure of chasing 350 against a resourceful Australian side.

It’s hard to believe people commenting on his age, slowed reflexes, getting vulnerable to fast bowling, blah…blah…blah! When he plays like this, he looks good for at least 20,000 runs and 50 centuries, if not more. After all, it’s just a question of three more seasons and gauging by the hunger he continues to show, Sir Sachin looks good for many more.

Thanks for the entertainment and the wonderful inning you played for us Sachin! God bless you!

ODIs call for multi-utility cricketers

While the third ODI again brought pitch factor to the fore, the fourth one at Mohali surfaced the need for multi-utility cricketers for ODIs to thrive.

The pitch, or the dust-bed, used for the third match at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla was the complete opposite to one that hosted the run-feast at Nagpur. It was a test for the best of batsmen to attempt a shot on the roughed up strip, more so in the last 50 overs of the day. The contrast between the two pitches at Nagpur and Delhi has even strengthened the conception that it’s obligatory to have ODIs played on a batsmen-friendly wicket. Sorry if that hurts the bowlers but its mandatory, at least for the moment.

Yuvraj (78) and Dhoni (71 not out) though had other ideas and batted uninhibitedly while chasing a challenging 229 on a slow, dusty, turning track. From a precarious 51/3, they shepherd the Indian ship to safer shores by the time Yuvraj got out with the score at 201 in the 44th over. India completed an unexpected but facile win over the Aussies and went 2-1 up in the seven-match series.

The fourth match was played at Mohali – considered to be one of the best grounds and best pitches in the country. Experts considered it to be full of runs but with dew expected in the second half, Dhoni wisely chose to field. The Kangaroos were going great guns until the 38th over with 196 on the board and seven wickets in hand but after Hussey went for a characteristically quick 40, Indian bowlers lapped up the opportunity to restrict the Aussies.

The explanation behind an Aussie total of 250 after being 196 in the 38th over lies in the lack of all-rounders in their ranks, owing mainly to injuries. While Brad Haddin and Michael Clark were unfit for the tour, the injury list continued to grow after arrival of the touring party. Tim Paine, Brett Lee and James Hopes had already flown back and before the fifth ODI, Siddle too picked up side stiffness and headed home. If that wasn’t all, Moises Henriques became the latest to join the list of injured back-packers to be ruled out for the series due to a troubled hamstring.

Looking closely at that list, it’s easy to make out that except Siddle, most of those missing are multi-utility players and very adept at wielding the willow and delivering the cherry. Manou and Henriques failed to impress as replacements for Paine and Hopes respectively. So that created a gaping hole in the Australian batting which the Indians exploited well to restrict them to 250 on a good batting track in Mohali.

India, on the other hand, made a meal of what was an easy target to chase. Aussies came out charged up and kept taking wickets at regular intervals. It never let the Indian batters settle down and with Gambhir missing and top order failing to fire, it was up to Yuvraj and Dhoni once again but Ponting’s direct hit broke their promising stand, opening the floodgates.

Once again, at a stage when it was looking all over for India, a multi-utility cricketer – who is very fond of Aussies – called Harbhajan Singh came out and started plundering runs, bringing back memories of the first ODI. He showed that players like him can win it for their team when all seems lost. Though he didn’t actually win it for India, his inning of 31 of 25 balls and bowling spell of 10-0-48-2 showed that ODIs crave for such cricketers.

Pitch has a big role, reflects 2nd ODI

The second ODI of the closely-watched and fought India-Australia series, which in all probability may leave an indelible impression on the face of ODI cricket, has drawn everybody’s attention to an indispensible element – the all important 22-yard pitch.

The Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Jamtha, Nagpur, had been host to just one Test in Nov 2008 – also against Australia – before this ODI. Looking back at that test, it was apparent that batsmen are going to have a ball. In that Test, while Sachin hit a century in India’s first inning score of 441, half-tons were scored by as many as four other batsmen. For Australia, Simon Katich was the top scorer with 102, followed by Hussey who made 90 in a total of 355. While India won the match in the end, the most important note made was that the pitch was a belter.  

Coming back to this ODI, Both Ponting and Dhoni were wary of the dew factor at the toss and on the back of that, Australia put India in to bat. The pitch reporters had already predicted 300 to be the par score, guaranteeing value for money for the spectators. Indian stroke-makers found it easy to hit on the up and through the line, making life miserable for the Australians. Never did the run rate fall below six throughout the Indian inning and they amassed 354 – their 12th score of 300 or above in ODIs and the highest against Australia.

The euphoria created by Dhoni (124 off 107), Gambhir (76 off 80 balls) and Raina (62 off 50 balls) had its roots in the pitch. If it wasn’t for the true 22-yard strip in Nagpur, the spectators would not have witnessed post-Diwali fireworks by these three batsmen. If we add Australia’s chasing effort of 255 to India’s score of 354, it totals up to 609 runs in the day, which is what spectators want off ODIs.

It’s about time we realize that wickets falling don’t entertain as much as fours and sixes being hit. Although it’s unfair to the bowlers, that’s how it goes at present. Interestingly, pitches like the one witnessed in Nagpur ensure such entertainment: high score by team batting first is more or less guaranteed, which means the team chasing has to go for the big shots, resulting in entertainment unlimited.

So while the pundits ponder on the possible modifications to the ODI format, the importance of a batsmen-friendly pitch highlighted by this match is surely food for thought.

Ideal beginning to a crucial series

Indian bowlers and for the most part Indian batsmen too did little to generate interest among the public in the first ODI on Sunday. The pasting Indian bowlers got wasn’t one bit amusing and many started leaving by the time the seventh Indian wicket fell in their run-chase. Though Harbhajan and Kumar couldn’t win it for India at the end, they certainly have set the series up. A meek Indian surrender was on the cards but for Harbhajan and Kumar who almost did it for India with the willow in hand in a strokefilled partnership of 80 plus – a record for the eighth wicket for India.  

No doubt Australia would have loved to win far more comfortably, but it’s also true that a close finish was best suited to get this crucial ODI series underway; crucial because the future of ODIs more or less hinges on the success of this series. The only change needed in the script was in the climax, which should have ended in an Indian win instead of the usual Australian dominance. Anyhow, ODIs do need such edge-of-the-seat finishes to bring the viewers back and going by how the first ODI ended, the viewers will certainly plug into the series.

Sometimes, however, it seems that the matter is being dragged out of proportions. Phrases like saving the ODIs and dying interest in ODIs become overly frustrating. The only time people don’t talk about it is when a T20 series is going on, which, in a way, is another testimony to the fact that people enjoy T20s more than ODIs.

It’s interesting to listen what the experts opine about this burning issue when they discuss it while commentating. Some of the changes or innovations they suggest are worth giving a try. I have been making a note of what different experts have to say about it and will share it with you in my next post. Until then, enjoy the India-Australia battle, as it enters round two tomorrow.

More than an ODI series

One day Internationals (ODI) may undergo a drastic revamp depending on the response 7-match ODI series between India and Australia receives, starting tomorrow. If there is a match-up after India-Pakistan that can draw crowd in hoards, it’s the bubbling rivalry between India and Australia.

Much has been said and written about the future of current 50-over ODI format that hangs by a thread after the stupendous growth of T20 cricket. People have found the 20-over format, finishing just in 3 hours, more easy to be accommodated in their respective schedules. Plus, the adrenaline that never ceases to rush in T20 cricket makes it a crowd-puller.

It’s no longer a secret that the two editions of the T20 World Cup and IPL and the recently concluded Champions League have set different benchmarks as far as revenue earnings from a tournament are concerned. The graphs of ticket-counter collections, sponsorships, broadcasting revenues and TRP ratings during ODIs and T20s have taken altogether different course, with the former descending and the latter gaining unprecedented ascendancy.

It can be said and has been observed by experts that ODIs in India are still well received and bring people to the stadium. No doubt T20 has had a global effect, but it’s less so when we compare it in the Indian context. However, that’s only true about attendance at the grounds in India. TV viewership of ODIs has certainly dropped considerably in India as well, since a one-fourth of the day is eaten up if one sits in front of the TV set to watch an ODI. That’s way too much time and way less excitement compared to T20 cricket.

Thus, considering all the above scenarios, this series may act as a stepping stone in either reviving the ODIs or initiate a change in the format. ICC will keep a keen eye on how well or how bad a series involving two of the heavyweights of world cricket, India and Australia, and that too in India, is being received by the fans.

So while fans will enjoy a bitter on-field rivalry and see which team becomes world’s No. 1 ODI team, this series between India and Australia may well hold the key for the future of ODI cricket.