Baptism by Fire

A baptism of fire you’d say. But I thought it was a trifle harsh on poor Manoj Tiwary. Barely 48 hours Down Under he is asked to take on one Brett Lee. Have a heart, one would take that many hours just to get accustomed to a new room, forget a new country and that too with hostile bowling conditions.

He was selected on merit for a tour of Bangladesh and had he succeeded — a probability of that would be close to one — things could have been different. Who knows? But as luck would have it, he had to come back following an injury. This time going to Australia as a standbye one would argue that he’s at least got a chance. But if the match against Australia, is the only one he’s going to get, it would be injustice. More so, when the selection in the first match is justified by the ‘instinct’ of M.S. Dhoni.

Golden era!

Team India speedster Rudra Pratap Singh feels that the selection of as many as four cricketers from the State in Team India should be considered as a golden era of cricket in Uttar Pradesh.

"It's a great moment for all of us that a large chunk of team members of the national side belong to Uttar Pradesh, which has no dearth of talent," said Rudra during his short stay in the State Capital after returning from Australia.

"Suresh Raina, Piyush Chawla and Praveen Kumar are very talented and I am sure that these guys would surely make a mark, whenever they get a chance for this," said Rudra, adding, "Some more youngsters like Tanmay Srivastava etc. are coming up gradually at the senior level, and in future too we can see more faces of Uttar Pradesh in the Team India."

Keep the faith

After today’s thrashing — mismatch, massacre, mauling; I can hear the derogatives pouring in as the day goes by — it may seem a little out of place to say these three words: keep the faith. And just in case you thought I didn’t mean what I just said, I am saying it again. Keep the faith in Dhoni’s boys. Thank god for anonymity.

Given that our patience when it comes to sport our patience or thoughts of long-term investment is as firm as a limp biscuit, it wouldn’t be unusual to lambast this team months after we put them on top of the world for we are like this only.

But consider this, all ye baying for young blood. This team did something in one attempt which the Big Daddies of our cricket could not after at least three tries. Most of these boys know what it takes to beat Australia in T20 because they have done it already. And when it took two Test matches for our batting gladiators to get the hang of Australia, their pitches, sledging, a furiously fast and now a fantastic pace ace called Brett Lee, shouldn’t these boys be given a little more time than a game which, if it did go the distance, wouldn’t last more than three hours.

And before we hit the roof about Dhoni’s reported obstinacy in keeping Sourav Ganguly out, just think for a moment whether there would be any sportsman who would deliberately weaken a team he is leading. Also, didn’t Ganguly keep VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble out of ODIs for pretty much the same reasons as he is being kept out now? The old guard has had its time in the sun and deserved every second of it. But, ladies and gentleman, it’s time to move on even if it mans taking a few in the ribs or on the chin.

Kotla 101

The Kotla, in a rather perverse way, reminds you of a dance bar. Now not that I have been to any — relax mom — but the long corridor, the small, dimly-lit rooms at either end and the even more dimly-lit bars really make you wonder how this could be the office of the Capital's cricket association.

As I approached what was going to be my 'haunt' for the next few months — more like my haunting, if you ask me — I was first stopped by the guard.

The guard, despite me telling him I was from the Hindustan Times, and showing him my I-card, didn't seem convinced about my identity and gave me more than just a stare while letting me in.

For one minute, as the guard was looking at my I-card and alternately at me, the thought of something more sinister than just good ol' folks working their socks off for the betterment of the game in the city was being hatched inside the Kotla.

So, anyway once the guard was absolutely certain I wasn't a mole sent by Cricket South Africa to look at the pitch ahead of the game between South Africa A and India A, he let me in.

Now, like any other 'organisation', now terming DDCA an organisation is, in itself, a massive shot in the arm for it, here too, there are certain people who make all the decisions. They might not necessarily be people holding big posts, but they wield much, much more power and influence than most.

Ask anyone who frequents the Kotla — and believe me there are quite a few — who has all the inside information, before anyone else, and you'll be surprised to hear the answers. People, whose official job would be keeping files in order, are the ones who are the be-all and end-all of the day-to-day affairs.

That, in a nutshell, was the first impression I formed of the Ferozeshah Kotla, so long then, till the next time I find myself in the cauldron that is the Kotla. There's plenty more where this came from.

Whatmore's challenge

Dave Whatmore will get millions of advices on what to do with Indian cricket in his capacity of Director of Operations at the National Cricket Academy.

But even before he took charge of his job there was one advice waiting for him: NCA Chairman Ravi Shastri's.

When during a press conference, Whatmore was asked whether he had taken any suggestions for Lalchand Rajput, who is Director of Coaching at NCA, Shastri interrupted and said "I have given him only one advice: in India it's better to hear more and talk less."

Whatmore will do well to follow this advice, given his previous experience.

Respect our players

Legendary shuttler Prakash Padukone had told HT a few months back that India sport will have no future till we learn to respect our sportspersons.

The officialdom was never expected to be considerate towards our players but when a former international great does the same to another, Padukone's words come back to haunt.

Dilip Vengsarkar and his selection committee definitely have the right to drop a player, including Rahul Dravid. But can't one at least expect that the committee, that has three former internationals in the rank, have the courtesy to treat the player of his quality with dignity?

What if Sunny had been a fisherman?

What if Gavaskar's uncle Madhav Mantri had not been able to rescue him from the fisherwoman, who had mistaken Gasvarkar to be her own child.

Aren't we racist too?

Still smarting from the colonial hangover, we as a race have for long been in awe of the white skin but in the same breath have been dismissive of the colour black. Or how would we explain the disdain and indifference with which we treat the numerous African students who land on our shores in search of a better tomorrow. [...]

Jingoistic fans

Ouch. I had meant this to be a very different post. But then I woke up this morning to find that someone had taken the trouble to read something I had attempted to write on Indian spectators. And then decided to get his morning off by calling me a "stupid *#$@" [...].

On Racism

Why does the Indian crowd these days behave as if winning is all that matters and enjoying the various skills for which any sport is watched irrelevant? Otherwise why should the abuse of a Sreesanth be admired and not that of a Symonds'? And why should the rare athletic skills of Symonds be booed but a Harbhajan's verbal aggression be appreciated. The full piece.