All posts by n8rngtd.top

Pakistan’s decision to play an unfit Shoaib Akhtar weakened their bowling attack and the Indian batsman took full advantage

Anand Vasu in Kolkata30-Nov-2007

Two errors of judgment, one from an inexperienced opening batsman and the other from an experienced umpire, caused minor blips in an Indian batting feast that left the first day’s play devoid of any contest. Wasim Jaffer, tall at the crease and elegant in stroke execution, provided much aesthetic pleasure to those who enjoy batting as spectacle, and the Kolkata crowd was happy just cheering India’s unchecked advance. However this isn’t why Test cricket is regarded as the highest and most pure form of the game.Beyond a point, there’s little joy in watching a set batsman dominating in conditions where the bowlers, fast and slow alike, have been defanged by a pitch so dead that you’re more likely to find life on Mars. But it’s hardly India’s fault that they dominated so, in fact it was to their credit. If anything, it was Pakistan who should be held accountable for taking the life out of this Test.The decision to play Shoaib Akhtar – flying in the face of common sense and, presumably, medical advice, given that he had been in hospital receiving antibiotics via an intravenous drip since Tuesday evening – was foolhardy rather than brave. Sure, Shoaib looked the only bowler likely to get a wicket in Delhi and might have been desperately keen to play, but if teams were merely decided on who was keenest to play, there would be no need for selectors.A 20-minute fitness Test on the morning of the Test deemed Shoaib fit to play. From his first spell, though, it was clear that he was nowhere near match fitness. After Anil Kumble chose to bat, denying Pakistan’s bowlers a chance to rest a bit more, Shoaib bowled four overs for nine runs, often pushing 140 kmh, before disappearing from the attack. He returned for a limping two-over spell just after lunch where enthusiasm rather than ability kept him going. The third spell, again two overs, was an apology and the final one – a solitary over before stumps – left Shoaib with 9-1-29-0 at the end of the day. In all honesty he should pass a large chunk of his match fees to Sohail Tanvir and Danish Kaneria.

With their strike bowler out, Pakistan had only one option, and that was to take a leaf out of Nasser Hussain’s book and strangulate the opposition into making a mistake. On a pitch perfect for batting, Younis Khan, the stand-in captain for Shoaib Malik, should have done all he could to control the flow of runs. This would have meant putting men out on the fence to protect the boundaries, a conservative field in the ring, and bowlers operating on one side of the stumps.Instead, Younis had some strange fields in place, often employing two men in unorthodox and largely pointless midwicket and cover positions, slip and gully, giving Jaffer space on this large ground to pick off his boundaries. As the day progressed, Jaffer went past the milestones – 50, 100, 150 – with mind-numbing certainty and was unbeaten on the verge of his second double-century.By then, a procession of bowlers had tried their hand at changing Pakistan’s luck. It’s not clear if Younis was making a point by asking Tanvir to bowl left-arm spin. Abdur Rahman, the specialist practitioner of the art, was left out of the XI in place of two iffy fast bowlers. Having Yasir Hameed bowl offspin was an equally desperate measure, and to see these two operating in tandem on the first day of a Test was unedifying. To compound matters the ground fielding, spoken of as an indicator of team morale, began erratically and ended comically ragged.The only relief for Pakistan came in the form a Kaneria googly that Sachin Tendulkar failed to pick, being bowled for an unusually brisk 82. Once again the century proved elusive but, with Jaffer on 192 and India having reached 352 for 3 in a day, with VVS Laxman and Mahendra Singh Dhoni still to come, even the most optimistic Pakistani supporter would do well to curb his enthusiasm.

India had gone into the second final without Ishant Sharma but any doubts over the potency of their attack were dispelled by Praveen’s understated brilliance

Nagraj Gollapudi at the Gabba04-Mar-2008

After going wicketless in his first game of the CB Series, against Sri Lanka in Adelaide, Praveen Kumar said he couldn’t get much swing because he didn’t get the new ball. In the first final, against Australia in Sydney on Sunday, Mahendra Singh Dhoni threw him the new ball and Praveen responded by picking up the wickets of Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting. At the Gabba on Tuesday, Praveen went two better – to those two wickets he added Michael Clarke and began the process of Australia’s defeat. Later, he dismissed Brett Lee to break a dangerous partnership.India had gone into the match without Ishant Sharma but any doubts over the potency of their attack were dispelled by Praveen’s understated brilliance. Bowling with vigour and accuracy, and controlling the swing, he worked on the Australian batsmen relentlessly. The rewards came soon enough: Gilchrist edged the outswinger, Ponting mistimed his favourite pull shot, so did Michael Clarke.There’s nothing imposing about Praveen’s physique – he stands just under six feet – nor anything intimidatory in his run-up. In fact, his smooth delivery stride ends with a neat side-on action that allows him to keep a good line. His strength is his prodigious swing – thanks to a strong wrist and his ability to use the conditions. Aware that he lacked the pace to beat the bat, Praveen utilised the Gabba’s low bounce to keep the batsmen tied down; the ball hurried on to the bat, giving them no time to go for their shots.Credit must go to Dhoni, who once again displayed the knack of using his bowlers according to the situation and the conditions. What also helped was Sreesanth keeping things tight at the other end. But ultimately the kudos belonged to Praveen, who bowled three spells, each making a difference. The first, 6-1-25-3, left Australia hobbling and on the back foot; the second, 2-1-6-0, pulled down the run-rate when Michael Hussey and James Hopes were scripting a fightback. The third and final one, 2-0-15-1, ended the last real flicker of resistance and brought India within reach of victory.To think Praveen was playing his fifth game showed how much this tour has been a valuable learning experience for him, as it has been for most of the youngsters. At the start of the tour Dhoni said he would like to play each of his squad but with almost every game a crunch encounter he fell back on his first-choice XI. Praveen was called for in India’s sixth game and retained his place since.Much of his success came from keeping things simple. Against Sri Lanka in Hobart last week, Praveen – coming in first change – bowled to his strengths, getting the ball to swing at 130kph and making the batsmen play. The lack of pace is tempting for the batsman; there’s nothing wrong with that as long as one respects the good balls. That fact was lost on Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Chamara Silva. On Sunday, he opened the bowling and showed no nerves while embarrassing the likes of Gilchrist and Ponting.None of this has come easy for Praveen, who has had to transform himself from just another domestic bully into an international player of impact. He plays his domestic cricket for Uttar Pradesh where, in the absence of a good coach, he has relied on the likes of Mohammad Kaif, his state captain.Earlier this year, Manoj Prabhakar, the former Indian swing bowler, called Praveen a “magician” after his heroic effort in the Ranji Trophy final, when he picked up eight wickets in Delhi’s first innings. Prabhakar’s only suggestion was for Praveen to add genuine pace to his swing. Praveen was once a 125kph bowler, today he is in the 130-135 kph bracket and that has already made a marked difference.

It must have been a heady feeling being the Indian captain on Friday at the Goodyear Park, Bloemfontein

Krishnamachari Srikkanth22-Jul-2009It must have been a heady feeling being the Indian captain on Friday at the Goodyear Park, Bloemfontein. Sourav Ganguly’s men hardly broke a sweat while pounding a hapless and pathetic Kenyan side. The contest might have been farcical but, believe me, all cricket teams desire such comprehensive wins every time they take the field.It went like a dream for India from the moment Maurice Odumbe won the toss and elected to bat. Ajit Agarkar, in particular, bowled a beautiful line and length. It is always thrilling for a bowler when he rattles a batsman’s stumps as Agarkar did Ravindu Shah’s and David Obuyo’s in the space of three overs. And then he broke Kenya’s residual resolve by dismissing their best batsman, Steve Tikolo, a classy stroke-player on his day.Agarkar’s initial breakthroughs have laid the ground for India’s win in the last two matches. The Mumbai lad bowls a fuller length than all his other fast bowling partners and also has the ability to move the ball away from the batsman. He has built up a nice rhythm in this tour backing it up with some useful pace.The 22-year-old never lacked attitude. Now there is the added fire provided by his raging hunger to do well. If he continues in this vein , he will surely prove his captain right once again.Let me use this column to commend Sourav Ganguly for backing the men whom he believes in and for taking up cudgels on their behalf even when it meant he had to be a lone ranger on occasions. What has been impressive is the way in which he has proved right on most occasions. The famous instance that comes to mind is his backing Harbhajan Singh ahead of the series against Australia. And how the young man repaid his captain’s faith…No wonder then that Ganguly has won the respect of his players. It is a good sign for Indian cricket that we have a positive captain who is not afraid to speak his mind. I firmly believe that only confident leaders can breed a confident team.The match would also have done our two senior bowlers – Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble – a world of good. Srinath had been rather erratic in the first two matches. Though he was patchy on Friday, two no-balls and three wides in seven overs do no justice to a bowler of his stature, he returned very economical figures. Sri has been India’s premier fast bowler for long and it is in India’s best interests to see him back at his best. Hope the figures and the bowling award help him on his way.Kumble was impressive again. It sure helped him to have umpire Dave Orchard at his end. Orchard is one of those umpires who frown upon batsmen who use their pads as the first line of defence. This fact and his wicket-to-wicket line helped Kumble claim three wickets through leg-before decisions. Harbhajan Singh, his young spinning partner, meanwhile, had a rather mundane Friday after a super Wednesday at the Centurion.It was good to see Virender Sehwag and Deep Dasgupta walk out to open the innings after the bowlers had cleaned out the Kenyans. I felt it was a powerful statement that the team management was sending out – telling the Kenyans in no uncertain terms that any of our batsmen are good enough to do the job.Dasgupta, who has played as an opener for Bengal in the Ranji matches, had a good essay in the middle and this would have helped him feel more at home on the international stage.Sehwag, returning to the top of the order for the first time in South Africa, blazed away at the other end. He is, as Ganguly later said, one of India’s most promising batsmen, and a match-winner on his day.The young man looked good while playing both off the front foot and the back foot. The only time he seemed to be in some discomfort was while handling the short stuff. But that shouldn’t cause him much unease in the one-dayers where bowlers can only bowl one bouncer an over.The Kenyans bowlers were, like their batsmen, very, very ordinary. The performance of the side did no justice to an international-level team. Their coach Sandeep Patil and Bob Woolmer, set to join them as an expert, would have to work a minor miracle to turn them into a competitive outfit on Sunday. You can trust the South Africans to come at their neighbours with all the firepower they have got. Kenyans would do well to avoid it from turning into yet another massacre of the innocents.

In a little over three years, Brendan Nash has gone from being an Australia substitute fielder to playing a Test against them. He speaks about switching sides, and how much things have changed for him

Interview by Peter English23-Nov-2009Brendan Nash will line up
at the Gabba on Thursday, on his old home ground, but this time he will be
playing for West Indies instead of Queensland. He left Australia, the
country of his birth, to reacquaint himself with his family links in Jamaica
in 2007 and has emerged as a reliable middle-order batsman for the Test
team, playing nine games and scoring his first century against England in
March. Over the next month he knows he will face challenges on and off the
field, including some testing spells from Mitchell Johnson, his old
house-mate.You’ve been on the Gabba during a
Test before as a substitute fielder for Australia. What are your
memories from that 2005-06 encounter?

I dropped a catch so it wasn’t that great – it was Denesh Ramdin. As it’s
turned out, something deep down inside of me probably told me to drop that
catch. It was obviously a different time of my life.It must be amazing to think how much has changed in four years?

It is. At that stage I wasn’t in the Queensland team, so it has gone from
not playing first-class cricket to being lucky enough to play Tests and
ODIs.You played in the drawn tour
game last week against your old side. What was the reception
like?

So far the reception has been quite good. I heard the odd little comment in
the crowd but it wasn’t too bad. It’s just surprising. It shows I had some
true fans when I was here and I hopefully did a job that they appreciated.The Team Nash support group will be at the Gabba. How many will be there
watching you?

I have hopefully 30 or 40 friends and family coming. Hopefully there will be
a few more that I don’t know about. It’s great to hear.What about the rest of the crowd? Do you think they will support you as
well?

I doubt it, no, to be honest. I can understand it. I’m competing against
Australia so I can understand them remembering my days as an Australian and
feeling very proud.Do you think you’re a better cricketer than when you were at
Queensland?

I do feel that. In your late 20s and early 30s a lot of batsmen find their
best form and I think that’s what I have been going through, and hopefully I
can continue it.From a distance, people might think you had an easy ride into the Test
team, but it was actually pretty tough.

It has been. There was a lot more to it. First of all I had to be accepted,
which was the main thing, from the Jamaican people. They are a very proud
cricketing nation, so to be invited to trials within the first few months I
was there was quite a big step, and that’s probably what made it more
difficult. People didn’t quite understand why I was getting offered these
trial matches for Jamaica when some guys had been playing for five or six
years at local level and not getting a go.I performed pretty much straight away and I had probably had one shot at it.
If I didn’t perform in the first few trial matches then I wouldn’t be here
today, no doubt about that. I wouldn’t be playing for Jamaica. I was playing
a cutthroat game-by-game situation. Settling into Jamaica was a little bit
easier, having the heritage there. Once everyone understood what I was there
for and why I was there, it was a lot easier.And now you’re getting the rewards?
Exactly. It wasn’t that much different when I was back here playing at
Queensland. You might have got two games. If you didn’t perform there was
another guy knocking on the door. I’ve always had that pressure.

“Since I’ve been involved it feels like West Indies are taking baby steps, but we’re moving in the right direction. There’s no more standing still”

How do you feel you’ve developed as a Test player in your nine
games?

When I first came in I wasn’t expecting to play so many. I was just taking
each one as it came because it’s really a blessing. I never expected to play
Test cricket and maybe, to some degree, that’s helped me.What are you looking forward to most in this series?

Every time you play a Test you are always looking forward to it. Given the
opportunity to be in the XI, I want to do the best I can to help the team
out, to keep coming on the strides that we have been making. Since I’ve been
involved it feels like we’re taking baby steps, but we’re moving in the
right direction. There’s no more standing still.Mitchell Johnson used to be a flatmate in a house you owned. Did you play
a lot in the backyard?

There was no backyard but there was a bit of driveway cricket. There was a
steep driveway. [Queensland’s Nathan Rimmington, who got him out in the
tour game] was there as well. It was more those guys playing. I was always
working. Those guys were having a great time during the day and out
partying. I might get a bat when I came home.Do you chat to Mitchell much?

I haven’t really spoken to him a lot, he’s quite busy, so the odd email and
text message. He’s come on in leaps and bounds since I last played against him
and has got a lot of confidence. He’s one of the main bowlers, and with
Brett Lee out now, he’s No. 1.Does being part of this team feel like the place that you’ve always been
going towards?
I think so. Maybe the experience in me, being a little bit older, everything
has fitted in nicely. I do have a calm feeling inside of me and something
that felt like it was always there, and it’s coming out now.

Andrew McGlashan presents the Plays of the day from the first day’s action at Centurion

Andrew McGlashan in Centurion16-Dec-2009Late withdrawal
In the build-up to this Test, most of the injury talk around the South African camp was concerning Jacques Kallis and his rib. Dale Steyn’s hamstring problem had kept him out of the latter one-dayers, but he was going to be fit – not much to worry about there, surely? Wrong. On the morning of the game he felt tightness in his leg and the medical staff weren’t convinced he would get through the full five days. So, with little more than half-an-hour’s notice, Friedel de Wet was handed his international debut. At 29, de Wet is a late developer but he now has the chance to live up to some encouraging remarks from Mike Procter, the convenor of selectors. Still, Steyn’s shoes are big ones to fill.Smart Strauss…
“It helps having experience,” Andrew Strauss said about the umpire review system. Initially he made some wise decisions about not calling the system into use, when Graham Onions had two loud shouts against Hashim Amla turned down. Both were proven to be too high – not extravagantly so, but enough to ensure the the on-field call would certainly have been upheld – and Strauss’s judgment was shown to be spot-on, even if Onions needed a little convincing.…not so smart Strauss
Then, however, the England captain couldn’t resist any longer. James Anderson had a big leg-before shout turned down against Jacques Kallis, and after a lengthy discussion between Strauss and Anderson, the review was called in. It always looked an unwise move because Kallis’s stride meant there was a strong chance he was outside the line. And so the replay proved (plus, there was also a hint of inside-edge) and England had lost one their reviews. It ought to have been a salutory lesson to Strauss – never trust a bowler’s instinct.Swann’s turn
Ashwell Prince had been a beneficiary of the review system when, on 19, he correctly challenged his lbw decision after being given out by Steve Davis. The TV evidence showed the entire ball was heading over the stumps so the decision was overturned and Prince survived. It looked as though he would make England pay, at his own sedate pace, but after repelling the pace attack for 93 deliveries, he pushed forward at Graeme Swann’s second ball and provided a low edge to first slip. As Prince trudged off, Swann had once again shown his knack for making things happen.What technology?
The latest incarnation of the review system is meant to make use of all the latest technology, but in this series it doesn’t. There is no HotSpot available as there are only four such cameras in the world and they are in Australia and New Zealand – much to England’s chagrin. Swann and Matt Prior were convinced AB de Villiers had got an under-edge on a sweep but Davis said not-out. They called for a review instantly, but the replays were – once again – inconclusive, while there was also no snickometer on view. The decision therefore stood although, given the recent evidence from Australia, it is debatable how much help HotSpot would have been.Searching for the love
Kevin Pietersen wants to be loved – he really does – even by the people who still greet him with boos when he walks out to bat. While fielding on the boundary he made sure he could sign a few autographs between balls or overs to keep the fans happy. And did it buy him some love? Not really. When he dived over a ball at cover and conceded a boundary, the home supporters didn’t hide their glee. Keep trying KP.

He was on a king pair and without technology would have gone down in the record books for the wrong reasons, but Pakistan’s debutant keeper turned into a hero

Nagraj Gollapudi at Edgbaston08-Aug-2010Belief. Goddamn belief. Where have you been hiding all this while? Pakistan might well ask that question after a day in which Zulqarnain Haider, Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Amir played like the most cocksure men in the world. They showed the necessary arrogance to stand up to England, and coupled that with a self-confidence that irritated, frustrated and exhausted in equal measure. By the close Pakistan had done the unthinkable: they had batted a whole day for the first time this summer.It would have been ridiculous to entertain such a notion in the morning. The other prediction – that Graeme Swann would bowl rather more than his series quota of two overs – came to fruition fast and quick as the best offspinner of the moment deceived Pakistan’s specialist batsmen with stunning flight and turn. By lunch, Salman Butt was already pondering what new reasons he could offer for another shameful fold-up. Once again the young and old in the Pakistan top- and middle-order had played aimlessly, flopping into a discarded heap like dirty laundry.But then came Zulqarnain and Co. who refused to be hung out to dry on the line. After technology spared him the ignominy of a king pair on debut, Zulqarnain steeled himself for whatever England could threw at him for the rest of the afternoon. And let’s not fool ourselves. The real story wasn’t about how he rose above his debutant nerves. The real story was of how he lorded it over England’s bowling. Along with Amir for the 90-odd minutes after lunch, and the next couple of hours in the company of Ajmal, he forced Strauss into a complete re-think of his tactics.Remember England had one foot squarely on Pakistan’s throat already. So something extraordinary was needed to get them off the canvas. But Zulqarnain did something clever. He sensed the bowlers were attacking him but he needed to get back on top. Against Swann he took guard slightly outside leg stump to take lbw out of the equation, as Swann attacked his pads from around the stumps. At other times he was seen walking up the pitch a few yards to face down James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Nothing dents a fast bowler’s ego more than a batsman charging him with such impudence. Both gave him a ‘don’t-you-dare-do-that’ stare immediately. He out-stared them.Even Strauss, at first slip, was rattled. What helped Zulqarnain was Amir’s dead-batted defiance at the other end. And whenever Zulqarnain tried to do something silly, it was the 18-year-old Amir who slapped him on his wrists. Ajmal did the same later. Like a nagging pair of parents, the duo protected the newcomer from getting carried away. The three amigos understood patience was key and the only way to push back the enemy.The other aim was to tire the opposition and make them do things that they would not normally attempt. Like placing two fielders in the deep behind square as Steve Finn mechanically tried to knock Ajmal’s block off with bouncers but ended up wasting them. It proved to be a futile tactic as Ajmal grew confident and even notched his own maiden half-century.Zulqarnian said later he was playing with the psyche of his opponents. It was working. Naively Broad threw back a ball in disgust at him, and earned himself a date with the match referee. Anderson was chirping constantly at the Pakistan wicketkeeper from mid-on, but was just wasting his breath. At times when the situation got out of hand, the Pakistanis were not afraid to have a go at the hosts. Ajmal was seen walking up towards Strauss, asking the England captain to mind his own business. Strauss walked, head down, towards the other end.Situations such as today’s are when a cricketer reveals his character. Zulqarnain, who was picked ahead of Kamran Akmal, could not properly celebrate his debut because his father was in a coma in hospital after contracting Hepatitis C. Syed Raza Haider only regained consciousness on the day the tour selectors picked his son in the team for the second Test. But today the senior Haider watched his son’s stoic battle with the English from the hospital bed on TV. He would’ve been proud of Zulqarnain keeping his head high throughout.It was double joy for Zulqarnain as the four that got him his maiden fifty also took Pakistan past England and put them into the lead. A more important stat came at the end of the day. In their last 15 Tests over the last two years, Pakistan have batted for 100-plus overs in an innings only five times. It is a damning indictment of their ever-failing top-order. But by the end of the day Pakistan had batted for more overs than in any other Test in 2010.All three of their lower-order batsmen showed a distinct quality which was sorely missing from the specialists: Zulqarnain, Amir and Ajmal showed the hunger to stay at the crease. They took the blows, the opposition taunts, and battled the pitch and the conditions with a poker face permanently in place. England hated being dominated in such a manner.”Frustrations arise from the fact that all through the series we have taken wickets at regular intervals and very quick and very easily almost. So when two guys apply themselves that is when our standards drop. But all credit to Pakistan,” Swann said of Pakistan’s fightback. He even admitted that watching his opposite number Ajmal get his half-century gave “perverse pleasure”.Butt, grim faced on the previous evening, was all smiles today and said he and the other batsmen has a lot to learn from the lower-order today. “It is remarkable the way he played,” he said of Zulqarnain. “And he has shown us all that if you are willing to stay there and take the pain there is surely gain.”For the first time this series, Pakistan played proper Test cricket today. They tested England’s patience and came out on top. Pakistan might not win the Test, but this particular battle belonged entirely to them.

Virat Kohli today is a batsman India can depend on, unlike three years ago, when the Under-19 World Cup win and an IPL contract botched his priorities

Nagraj Gollapudi13-Feb-2011Virat Kohli was one of the first to walk in for the player headshots photo session, for the World Cup broadcaster, on Friday morning at the team hotel in Bangalore. Dressed in a dark t-shirt and knee-length shorts, he had a light stubble and the sort of designer crop teenagers sport these days. Still, there was also a business-like demeanour about him as he walked in with an English daily newspaper tucked under his arm.Later, during the media interaction, Kohli’s answers were clear, vivid and elaborate. He was not afraid to talk about his past mistakes, which he says he has corrected, nor was he shy to speak about the progress he has made.Sitting next to him was Suresh Raina, listening intently to his younger team-mate. It seemed as if Kohli was the older of the two. Raina, too, will be playing his first World Cup but he has been in the ODI business for six years. In comparison Kohli, with three years in international cricket, already seems far more settled, more assured and possessed of more clarity of purpose.Two years older, Raina seems short of having gained the same sort of fluency. At times he seems to be stuck, fighting the doubts he had four years ago. This has allowed Kohli to take centre stage. While Raina fights with Yusuf Pathan for a place in the lower order, Kohli has become a strong contender to play at No. 3, posing a threat even to Gautam Gambhir, whose absence in the recent South Africa series allowed Kohli to strut his stuff.Though he did not score a century in the tight series, which South Africa won 3-2, he notched up two fifties. India lost those two games while chasing, but Kohli’s scores were the highest for the side, and he seems to have built something of a reputation as a go-to man in a chase. In the 27 innings where India have batted second, Kohli averages 59.85, at a strike rate of nearly 84. Three of his four centuries have been logged while chasing, and his 118 against Australia last year, his personal best, proved he could pace the innings in the middle overs, where a batsman can neither take his foot off the pedal or press down on it too hard.In 2010 he was India’s most improved cricketer. He was also the most sound Indian ODI batsman, technique-wise, in South Africa, where he handled extreme pace, swing, seam and bounce from Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe with aplomb. He did not succeed always, but there never was the visible vulnerability that Raina continues to show against short balls at high speeds.”It is all about looking in the face of the opposition and not getting bogged down by them,” says Kohli. “They might be the best bowlers in the world but if you are confident of your ability, you can succeed. It is about believing in your ability and having trust and confidence in what you are going to do out there. So that really gives a different message to the opponent – that you are there to compete and perform and they have to earn the wicket.”The growth chart
Kohli’s turnaround is a remarkable story. Immediately after he captained the India Under-19 side to the World Cup title in Malaysia in 2008, he seemed a brash youngster who, having tasted victory, was more interested in the spoils and the fame. Cricket experts were apprehensive the paint would peel off quickly on Kohli’s talent. An official present the day after India’s victory against South Africa in Kuala Lumpur recollects how at a photo shoot for one of the main sponsors, Kohli was glued to the phone. “I could hear him talk about how much money the BCCI had announced as bonus.” Then the IPL happened.”That cocky image was evident,” says a team-mate at Royal Challengers Bangalore about Kohli in the first IPL. It was a disappointing tournament and Kohli finished with 165 runs at 15 from 13 matches.A few months later, in the domestic season opener between Delhi and the Rest of India, he was an easy target for the opposition. “Munaf [Patel] got him out for fun. Virat had no clue against the bouncer. People were laughing at him,” recollects one Rest of India player. Kohli scored just 20 in the match. The bubble had burst.Kohli then went into a phase of introspection and walked out with some answers and a new-found maturity. First he admitted he was going wrong. The next step was rehabilitation, and he applied himself to it. Cricket became his central focus.He was among the top five batsmen for Bangalore at the end of the second IPL, held in South Africa. He worked hard in domestic cricket, became more responsible in the Delhi dressing room, and started to enjoy his game once again.Looking back now at the transition, Kohli says identifying the errors was critical. “I think I have learnt from my mistakes and that has been my main goal.”

“He had learned from mistakes and he never repeated those mistakes, which is one of the signs of a good player”One of Kohli’s India team-mates

The other factor that played in his favour was that the Indian team management, MS Dhoni and Gary Kirsten, supported him and belived in him. “I was given more responsibility of batting up the order [for India], and I realised I had a good chance of playing longer innings if I applied myself more. These are the few changes I have tried to make in my game. I was really happy the way I controlled myself when I felt like playing a rash shot and actually didn’t.”Kohli was happy to share a couple of the errors that he felt were unnecessary but helped him become a better batsman. “I played a few rash shots and some of the important matches earlier. One was against Pakistan in Champions Trophy. I was set and the situation demanded me to keep going but I played a rash shot. The other was against Australia in Baroda. I was batting on 30 and again I played a rash shot, I got out and the team was in trouble. These were the really big mistakes on my part because these were really important matches in the context of series and tournament and that’s why I decided not to commit those mistakes and carry on.” In the first match, India needed 178 from the remaining 29 overs with Rahul Dravid in good form, but they failed to maintain the momentum. Though he was not entirely to be blame for the four-run defeat against Australia, Kohli’s admission is an acknowledgement of the fact that how he was thinking about the team and not himself.”The people in the team, seniors all of them told me I should have played a better shot in the situation, and told me I would learn with time. That helped me to some extent but it was upto me to correct those mistakes,” he speaks on the period where he was searching for a remedy. Even outsiders started observing the changes in Kohli. “He had learned from mistakes and he never repeated those mistakes, which is one of the signs of a good player,” an Indian player who has played alongside the Delhi-ite says. “He parties hard, and plays hard,” is the view of another IPL teammate.”The kind of places we field in, it’s all about anticipation and if you are too nervous, you won’t be able to anticipate”•AFPKohli’s new outlook is evident in training sessions, where he is intense and focused. On the first two days in Bangalore, Kirsten and Dhoni worked on his body position and anticipation during the fielding drills, while Sachin Tendulkar worked on his bat-swing coming down straighter, which could help enhance his control over his strokes.Kohli is considered by many to be India’s best fielder. “When Gary hits those balls to point and covers, we try and enjoy every session and we try and bring out the best while enjoying,” he says. “I think fielding is all about enjoying, and if you take more pressure you tend to make mistakes. The kind of places we field in, it’s all about anticipation, and if you are too nervous you won’t be able to anticipate. So it is all about being relaxed and wanting the ball to come to you.”Kohli may have just started sharpening his cricketing intellect, but already he displays a natural grasp of the game – to the extent that many believe he is captaincy material. Listen, for instance, to him talk about why batsman like to chase: “I think not only me, all cricketers concentrate a lot more under pressure. While chasing you have set target and plan your innings, like when to accelerate and when to have a period when you are happy with singles and doubles and the odd boundary.”It is not certain that Kohli will find a berth in the playing XI, but he is keeping himself ready if called upon to play his maiden senior World Cup. “The matches that I have played with the team in the last one and a half years, and the kind of situations I have played in, have really helped,” he says. “That has been a learning process. Going into this World Cup I am really confident because of the way I played in those matches.”

No other captain has won as many international matches as Ricky Ponting

S Rajesh29-Mar-2011With 219 wins in the 322 matches in which he led Australia, Ricky Ponting is easily the most successful captain in the history of international cricket. The two World Cups triumphs – in 2003 and 2007 – two Champions Trophies, and a 5-0 drubbing of England in the Ashes home series in 2006-07 were the most prominent results he achieved as captain, but there were several other notable ones too, during a period when Australia won much more than they lost.And through all the rigours of captaincy, Ponting ensured that his batting remained largely unaffected – his Test average fell only marginally during the period when he was captain, while his ODI stats improved. In the 77 Tests in which he led, Ponting averaged 51.51, which isn’t far away from his average of 55.97 when he wasn’t captain. In ODIs, he averaged 43.30 as captain, and 41.37 otherwise. It also helped that through most of Ponting’s tenure as leader, he was the best batsman of the side, with the ability to either convert on a strong start from his No.3 slot, or consolidate and rebuild after the loss of an early wicket.Among captains who’ve led in at least 50 Tests, Ponting’s win-loss ratio of 3.00 is next only to those of his predecessor Steve Waugh (who won 41 and lost only nine), and Viv Richards (win-loss ratio of 3.37). Clive Lloyd is the other captain with a ratio of 3, winning 36 and losing 12. Five of Ponting’s 16 losses came in his last seven Tests, during which period Australia won only once. That means Ponting’s win-loss record after the victory against Pakistan at Lord’s last year was 47-11, a ratio of 4.27.In ODIs, though, Ponting’s record stays the best despite defeats in his last two games as captain. In fact, the gulf between the top two and the rest is huge: Ponting’s win-loss was 3.28, Hansie Cronje’s was 2.82, but none of the others touched 2. Of the 29 games he captained in the World Cup, Australia won 26, tied one, and lost only two. In fact, of the 34-match unbeaten run that Australia enjoyed in World Cups, 27 came during Ponting’s captaincy.

As mentioned earlier, Ponting’s batting stats as captain are pretty impressive. The only aspect that’s slightly disappointing is his conversion rate as captain: out of the 54 times he topped 50, his century count was only 19.

A question of personnel
Ponting’s captaincy record is exceptional, but those who question his tactical nous claim the wins were largely because of an exceptional team who needed little leadership. Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Matthew Hayden were the three top-class players who were around through the first third of Ponting’s captaincy career, but none of them were there through the last third. The contrast in the numbers is stark: in the 24 Tests when the trio was around, Ponting averaged almost 79, scored ten centuries, and Australia had a 19-0 win-loss record. When the trio departed, Ponting’s average dropped to almost half, his rate of converting fifties into centuries diminished visibly, and Australia lost far more often.The team results were obviously likely to worsen, but what would have been far more disappointing for Ponting are his own batting stats – his form dropped away just when the team needed him more.

In ODIs, McGrath and Hayden were the two who played through the first third of Ponting’s captaincy career. Australia’s win-loss ratio went down significantly after they left, but Ponting’s batting stats didn’t suffer as much as they did in Tests. His conversion rate, though, dropped in ODIs too.

Leading by example
Overall, though, Ponting’s batting stats as captain are still exceptional: he is one of only seven batsmen to score more than 4000 Test runs as captain. Among those seven, only Brian Lara and Greg Chappell have a higher average. Ponting is also the only captain to score a century in each innings of a Test on three occasions; it’s a feat that’s only happened 13 times in Test history, and no other captain has done it more than once.

In ODIs, no captain comes close to Ponting’s tally of 8488 runs: the next-best is Stephen Fleming with 6295. Ponting’s 22 centuries is twice the tally of the second-best, Sourav Ganguly. Twenty of those hundreds came in winning causes; the two which didn’t were his 164 in ODI against South Africa in Johannesburg, and his 104 against India in the World Cup defeat in Ahmedabad. He has scored 6977 ODI runs in wins, which is more than 3000 ahead of the next-best.

Ravindra Jadeja arrived in England only on the eve of the third ODI but managed to make significant contributions with bat, ball and in the field

Nagraj Gollapudi at The Oval10-Sep-2011Ravindra Jadeja trudged off The Oval with head bowed, having done everything possible to try and secure India’s maiden win on this tour of England. He led them back from the depths of 58 for 5 with a half-century, took two wickets at critical moments during England’s chase, and threw himself in the field to choke the flow of runs. He did all this despite landing at Heathrow only at 7.30 am on the eve of the third ODI.When Manoj Tiwary played the second match at the Rose Bowl hours after arriving in England, Jadeja was in Mumbai, waiting for his UK visa to arrive. Tiwary’s call-up as a replacement for Rohit Sharma had been announced on September 4, while Jadeja had been named as Gautam Gambhir’s replacement on August 31. Yet, Jadeja had to wait nearly a week in frustration before he could join the squad.Jadeja, however, has already had to face greater tests in his fledgling international career. At 22, he is part of the wave of young cricketers whose fortunes have been shaped by the IPL. Soon after being part of India’s Under-19 World Cup triumph in 2008, Jadeja played a significant part in Rajasthan Royals’ victory in the inaugural IPL. His success coincided with the Indian selectors’ and captain MS Dhoni’s push for youth in the Twenty20 and one-day squads.Jadeja was a fit for the second allrounder’s role, after Yuvraj Singh, but failed to secure his place despite several opportunities. His inconsistent batting hurt his cause at a time when Yusuf Pathan’s big hitting attracted a lot of attention. Jadeja eventually had to make way.The BCCI then barred Jadeja from playing the third season of the IPL because he had tried to sign deals with other franchises when his contract with Rajasthan did not allow it. Jadeja admitted his fault and sat on the sidelines. A year later, however, demand for him had not dropped. Kochi Tuskers Kerala paid $900,000 for him and he repaid them with all-round performances, finishing the fourth IPL season as the franchise’s second-highest run-scorer.Jadeja brought all his IPL learning to The Oval today. At 58 for 5, with 31 overs to go, he was up against Graeme Swann, who has phenomenal success against left-hand batsmen. Jadeja paid him respect, playing predominantly on the back foot, a method Rahul Dravid, India’s best batsman on the tour, used successfully against the world’s leading spinner.Alastair Cook, the England captain, did not set attacking fields, perhaps assuming Jadeja would try to battle his nerves by doing something rash. Like Suresh Raina had. Jadeja, however, batted with composure. Even when subjected to a short-ball barrage from Stuart Broad, Jadeja stayed in his crease, rode the bounce and scored behind point.Ravindra Jadeja helped rescue India’s innings from disaster•Getty ImagesIt helped that he had Dhoni with him. They annoyed England’s bowlers, Swann in particular, with their swift running between the wickets. They stole singles and took two when other Indian batsmen would have settled for one.Before he tapped James Anderson delicately to the fine-leg boundary, Jadeja had barely played two scoring shots on the leg side. There were plenty on the off though. With three overs to go, Anderson surprisingly had four fielders deep on the leg side. Jadeja capitalised by lofting twice over the fielder at mid-off for successive boundaries. He added 60 runs with R Ashwin in the last five overs, leading India to a modest total of 234 for 7.A bigger encouragement for India than Jadeja’s batting, though, was his slow left-arm bowling. To arrive on the eve of the match and adapt to English conditions without any overs under his belt was a significant achievement.”[When] I was batting, Graeme Swann was turning the ball, so I thought if I bowl slow I can also get the turn,” Jadeja said after receiving the Man-of-the-Match award. He did bowl slowly but he also gave the ball a hard rip on a pitch that turned more as it got older.Not having faced an Indian left-arm spinner on this trip, England’s batsmen were not at ease. Bowling an off-stump line, Jadeja mixed his orthodox deliveries with arm balls. Craig Kieswetter, who had given England a brisk start, could not read a straight delivery, having been beaten by turning deliveries the previous two balls.With the penultimate delivery of his final over, Jadeja angled the ball sharply into Tim Bresnan and bowled him, breaking a 60-run partnership for the sixth wicket. England needed 25 from as many deliveries. Jadeja had finished his quota of nine overs and, as he had done with the bat, had brought India back into the contest.”His bowling was always up to the mark. Maybe it was the batting which was a bit of a concern,” Dhoni said about why Jadeja was dropped last year. “He showed improvement from the IPL, where he faced bowlers who bowled close to 140kph, and he was able to play those big shots needed when you bat at No. 7. Overall he looks more complete right now.”

Afghanistan’s captain is happy to be back in charge and leading the team to one- and four-day wins in Canada

Faraz Sarwat26-Aug-2011Have you achieved the goals you set for the tour of Canada?
Yes. We were very focused coming to Canada. We’re the Intercontinental Cup champions and intent on always playing like champions and remaining champions. We did that in Canada.Playing a team like Canada is of great benefit to us. Everyone knows Canada has just played in the World Cup, and now we have beaten them. I only learned after arriving here that cricket is actually a very old sport in Canada and has been played for years. It is therefore a great achievement for us to come here and win the Intercontinental Cup match and the ODI series. This raises the profile of Afghanistan cricket. Afghanistan does very well in four-day matches, often winning games comprehensively. What do you think is the reason for this?
I’m glad you’ve said this because people always said we were just a Twenty20 team, but we do perform well in four-day matches. The reason is that our players are always enthusiastic about playing cricket. We want to be on the field, and because of that enthusiasm, our temperament and our confidence, we do well. Whatever cricket we get to play, we are grateful for it. Many members of your team have experience of playing first-class cricket in Pakistan. Does that also contribute to your performances in four-day matches?
Absolutely. As I said, we’re always eager to play, and the experience of playing in Pakistan or for other clubs is very important.Who were your cricketing heroes growing up?
As a refugee in Pakistan, I took up playing cricket after Imran Khan won the World Cup for Pakistan in 1992. I loved Wasim Akram. I really enjoyed the way he played the game, whether he was bowling or batting – he was a hero of mine. When I actually started playing cricket seriously as a batsman, Sachin Tendulkar became my hero. I would carefully watch how he batted and learn from that.Do people in Afghanistan who have not been to Pakistan know what cricket is and do they care about the team?
When we went back to Afghanistan from Pakistan and played cricket, the local people did not like it and did not understand what we were doing. They actually disapproved. But when we started to win matches overseas and progressed through the ICC divisions, they started to take notice and care. They began to feel pride in our success. Now the name of each player is known in every street and alleyway of Afghanistan. And as players we want nothing more than to be successful for our country. Cricket is so popular now that people feel proud naming their babies “Karim Sadiq” or after some other Afghan player. People stay up all night listening to our matches on the radio. Even people who don’t understand cricket pray for our success.Your generation came through having learned and played cricket in Pakistan. How do you think the future is for the next generation of Afghan cricketers, who may not have a similar experience?
The future of Afghanistan cricket is bright. Our junior team and A team are always improving. Our Under-19 team has just qualified for the World Cup in Australia, and that tells you that we have talent coming up. Once we have a proper cricket ground in Afghanistan there will be even more progress.All of Afghanistan’s ODI cricket has been against Associate teams. Do you feel you’re ready to take on the full-members in ODIs?
Yes, for sure. But the more experience we gain, the better we’ll play.Afghanistan has had something of a dream run in cricket, so in that context, was the 3-0 loss to Pakistan A earlier this year an eye-opener?
Yes. But that Pakistan A team was very strong. They had picked the best performers from Pakistan domestic cricket for that series and they played as well as the Pakistan national team. We hadn’t played any ODIs in seven to eight months and were rusty in the first two games. We did better in the third game, but what we learned from that series is that we had to improve our fitness levels. You gave up the captaincy for a while. What was the reason for that and the reason for becoming captain again?
The cricket board had chosen a new captain because they thought there was a lot of pressure on me, but they decided to reappoint me because of all my experience as the leader. They understand that I know the players very well and that’s good for the team. I am grateful for the confidence that the board has shown in me.You’ve been Afghanistan’s captain for most of the team’s remarkable rise. How was the experience of not being captain for a while?
I was very relaxed and happy to just be in the team as a player. There was nothing to focus on but my own game. Once I was captain again I started thinking about the Canada tour and preparations for the team. On the field the captain is always switched on and thinking about things. I like that too.