Dear BCCI, Please Wake Up

For the first time after a long time, if not ever, tickets were not sold out for ODIs in India during the India v England ODI series. It did raise eyebrows but people weren’t really losing sleep. Then the West Indies Test series and after the second Test match, people are beginning to get worried. It is probably the lowest crowd recorded at Eden Gardens for atleast 20 years. Sachin was on 99 hundreds and even that did not fill up the stadium, VVS and Rahul Dravid were continuing their love affair with the Eden but there were very few people to watch it. This is worrying people across the cricketing world as everyone realises the importance of Indian fans to international cricket. Everyone except the BCCI...

It has always been taken for granted that fans would throng to the stadium for any fixture featuring India. Officials were more prone to facing problems of fans overcrowding at ticket counters, waiting in queues overnight, managing crowds trying to rush into the stadium and it may be said that the officials had not really mastered the art of such management and had often cursed this ‘fanaticism’. Now they are facing a completely new problem, a problem which does not make their phone go tring tring every two minutes with people asking for passes for a cricket match, but the fact that there are probably more security guards at ticket counters than fans seeking tickets. This has probably made their job more hassle-free but only for the short term. Falling attendances at stadiums will lead to reduced revenue through sponsorship and broadcast, for starters. There are more far reaching consequences and consequences that could hurt the international cricket community.

So what can the BCCI do? Firstly, stop relying on cricket to sell itself. It used to happen all these years but the times have changed. The men in power must start formulating strategies to bring people into the stadium. It is time the BCCI themselves invest in advertising. In the current scenario, they could have used Sachin’s 100^th hundred as a major driver to increase footfalls. Hire advertising boards at prominent places, put up attractive taglines like “Don’t you want to be there when God hits the 100^th 100?” or more creative ones. Yes people already know that Sachin is on 99 but when you have a huge ad-board with Sachin staring into your eyes and asking you to be there, it will get people thinking. What after Sachin’s hundred? Well we are never short of milestones in cricket and watching players like Sachin, Dravid and Laxman in the twilight of their careers should be motivation enough. We’re at the stage when these motivations need to be communicated to the fans, and communicated again and again. I am sure we will pass this stage and get back to the ‘tickets sold-out’ stage but this is like a passing shower and the BCCI need to pull the covers out, or else, the match could be abandoned.

On a more long term basis, the BCCI should have its own ‘Fans Relationship management’ division like a number of teams in different parts of the world. The Indian fan is known to be the most passionate and it is important to make him feel valued, make him feel that his passion is noticed; make him proud to be an Indian team supporter. The BCCI would do well to revamp its website, make it more interactive and get the fans involved. It is a hard thing in a passion-charged country like ours but allow registered users to have occasional online chat sessions with officials, selectors, team management and maybe the players too. Make the fans feel like their views are heard. Yes you may have a million people giving advice on selection issues which may not always be correct and considered even, but you may have a few thousand give you vital inputs on areas that can be improved like stadium facilities, ticketing and the overall desires and complaints. For that part of the population who do not access the internet, and its a majority in India, the BCCI could reach out through social activities, distribute India team jerseys and other merchandise, put up a big screen in remote areas, distribute free tickets and so on. With the enormous revenue that the BCCI has made, this concept should be a feasible one or atleast make an attempt.

Another method that can be adopted by the BCCI is to follow preferential allotment of games among venues. At present, there is a rotational policy in place to ensure that all venues get an equal share of games which provides no motivation to the Heads of State Associations to work on getting people into the stadium. Instead the BCCI could initiate a policy where a stadium which ensures maximum footfalls gets more games. This will certainly push state associations to increase ticket sales and also people from that state may want to go to the matches either with the hope of getting to watch another more exciting match in the future or with the fear that their stadium may not get to host another match anytime soon. I do realise that it is not as easy as it sounds as there are a lot of stakeholders involved who could lose if this policy came into effect. It may be complicated, but BCCI should draw up a transparent policy and get this into effect.

And a really simple suggestion would be to not start Test matches on a Monday! Please use the weekend for either the start or the finish of a match. Cricket fans too have jobs and schools to attend.

Also, make the experience of watching a match at the stadium a comfortable and an enjoying one. This will get cricket fans, who prefer the comfort of their arm-chairs and couches at home, to come to the stadium and watch a long day of Test cricket. Offer good quality food and beverages, clean stands and toilets and basically make the customers ‘feel at home’.

Let us hope, for the good of International Cricket that people in India become ‘crazy’ over cricket, just like before.  

RULE CHANGES - NECESSARY?

A Spanish friend in my course who is quite keen to learn and understand the game of cricket, after listening to me for a while on the rules and stuff said, “The game is quite complicated.”  Another French friend of mine said, “Why do only such few countries play cricket?”

Well the answer is probably because it is a game which requires a very special set of skills and also because it is a little complicated and being further complicated by the ICC. I have just read about the new playing conditions and I am quite bemused and wonder what the ICC want to achieve by making such changes?

Firstly, the idea of using a new ball at each end in ODI cricket. This move could probably be the final nail in the coffin of all bowlers (except in England, maybe).  For starters, it completely kills the art of reverse swing in one day cricket. And even at the 40^th over, a bowler will be bowling with a hard, 20 over new ball. With the quality of bats improving constantly, these hard balls will probably travel further and more often at that. What about the spinners? Yes, there are some spinners who prefer a hard and slightly newish ball, but in one day cricket? I’m not too sure. Add to that the fact that 10 of the ‘middle’ overs where spinners weaved their magic and aimed to control the game will be Powerplays. So an off spinner bowling in the 30^th over, will have a 15 over ‘new’ ball and may be allowed only 3 fielders in the deep. After bringing the boundaries in across different grounds in limited overs cricket, is this the next step to killing the art of spin?

Next we come to the fact that the non-striker can be run out if he takes a start. This can work both ways. Yes it is unfair that a non-striker is, or rather was, allowed to be halfway down the pitch before the batsman even hit or missed the ball but this new rule could just lead to a lot more controversies. Just imagine, an India v Pakistan match, say the final of the World Cup, and with 2 runs to win off the last ball, the bowler decides to run out the non-striker who has advanced a couple of steps. It could lead to a war between the nations. This rule will again raise the importance of the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ and we could have more captains like Dhoni, recalling batsmen. Are we further complicating the game?

And then the most ridiculous one – changes to the ‘obstructing the field’ clause. We have been taught, probably since the day we were taught how to play the forward defence, that ‘you must value your wicket and while running make sure you come in the line of the ball, even if you get hit it is ok but do not get run out’. And now, a batsman can be run-out if he changes his running path and the fielding team appeals. This will again come down to ‘Spirit of cricket’ and raise the job description of the umpires. It will come down to the perception of the umpires and the third umpire. How do I explain this kind of dismissal to my French friend? We’re complicating it......

What are the ICC thinking to change next? Some ideas – use only 2 stumps for ODIs, that’s it I don’t want to think of more...

Dear ICC,

Please do not complicate our game further.

Your Sincerely,

Fans of Cricket

INDIAN CRICKET - THE WAY FORWARD

On April 2^nd 2011, every Indian in every part of the world was overjoyed, jubiliant and proud to be an Indian. Just over 5 months later, all of us Indians were relieved that a tumultuous English tour had come to an end. A tour on which Team India did not win a single international encounter spread over the 3 formats of the game.

Going into the tour, we were the number one ranked Test side and the 4 match Test series was the most awaited Test series in recent times. We looked forward to it as much as we look forward to the World Cup and as much as the BCCI look forward to a successful IPL. But alas! We lost 4-0. It had been a while since we lost a series; we had forgotten that we too had a set of humans who turned out to play for the country. Yes, the way we lost, without a fight, was heartbreaking but then it is ok to lose a series. Take into account the number of injuries, and I dare say that any team would have struggled.

However, we must not just brush this aside completely. We are now entering that phase where one generation, a generation of greats, will slowly leave us and pass on the baton to a younger lot. Are they ready to take up the mantle? We will never know till they actually take to the battlefield but we must ensure that they are fully prepared. It has been a couple of years since Anil Kumble retired, and where is his successor? First, Piyush Chawla and then Amit Mishra were tipped to take over from the leading Indian wicket taker, but both have not risen to the next level. While Piyush Chawla has declined quite considerably, Amit Mishra still hangs onto his place in the squad and plays a Test now and then. We have Pragyan Ojha, but I do not think the skipper believes he can be a match winner in Test cricket. So, from the land of spinners, why are we not able to produce any quality spinners? And then we laugh at Australia, saying that they haven’t found a successor for Warne. It is here that the BCCI will have to pull up its socks. We have all the money we need, why cannot the BCCI have a specialised spin bowling centre where the top ten spin bowlers of the country ply their wares and learn the tricks of the trade from an Anil Kumble, an EAS Prasanna or a Bishan Singh Bedi? It is time we look at this seriously as the time has come to find a world class spinner. Unfortunately Harbhajan Singh seems to be fading away quicker than we thought.

And now coming to our next biggest concern – the fast bowling department. The MRF Pace Academy has been in existence for quite a while now, yet, our hopes of competing in a series are dashed as soon as Zaheer Khan pulls up with an injury. How long will Zaheer play? He is at the twilight of his career and even in his years before retirement, he will probably miss more matches than play.  If our pacers could not make an impact in English conditions then they will not in any known cricket playing nation. We have 26 teams in the Ranji Trophy, can we not pick the best pacer in each of these teams and work with them throughout the year? Have someone like Venkatesh Prasad appointed full time and have atleast ten bowlers ready to wear India colours at any given point of time.

And now the batting. Sachin, Dravid and Laxman will not be there forever. They might leave very close together and these are really big shoes to fill. But I do feel that we are a little better equipped on this front compared to our bowling. In Kohli, Yuvraj and Raina we have established one day performers. Cheteshwar Pujara looked impressive in the couple of Test innings he played. Rahane, Parthiv, Badrinath, Mukund, Tiwary and there appears to be a good reserve. Again, all these, let’s say, top 20 batsmen in the country must be constantly monitored and trained by the likes of Gavaskar, Ganguly and Sachin and Dravid once they retire.

Yes the former greats that I mentioned, all have media and other commitments but I am sure they will be willing to do this for the country, atleast on a rotational basis. The BCCI is in a position to compensate them sufficiently and should not hold back. Another important aspect is county cricket in England. This golden generation all played county cricket and honed their skills and technique there. The younger lot do not have that much of an opportunity now to play in the English summer because of the IPL. The BCCI must work out an arrangement where the top youngsters get to play atleast a season of county cricket.

Will the BCCI wake-up now? We might already be a bit too late but its better late than never. The new BCCI President has taken office and has straight away focussed on the IPL by terminating the Kochi Franchise. Right now, Indian cricket and its future, and not the IPL, needs more of the Board’s attention!

Royal Challengers BanGAYLEore!!!!

It was after a disappointing loss to CSK, our third on the trot after having won the first game against KTK, that reality sunk in. A few of us friends were at a bar and having a drink and we were dejected and angry that the top management had not retained top performers like Ross Taylor, Steyn, Dravid, Robin ..... We had gloom written over all our faces! But still, we did not lose faith and sat there discussing what could turn the fortunes for RCB and hoping that we won the 8 games required to seal a semifinal spot. A friend mocked at me and said, “You still have hopes on RCB this season?” I replied in the affirmative and said, “We have bounced back before and will do it again.”

Enter CHRIS GAYLE!! It was at the same bar and on the same gloomy evening that a friend of mine messaged me saying that he got reliable inside information that RCB were signing up Chris Gayle. That brought a smile on my face and another drink went down.  But there was no news about it, not on cricinfo, not on the RCB website and not on any newspaper or channel.  A few days passed and finally we got official confirmation that Gayle had indeed signed up. From the moment he stepped onto the field against the Knight Riders in the Eden Gardens, RCB was a different team. ‘INTERGAYLEACTIC’, ‘GAYLEVANISED’, ‘GAYLE MORNING’ were now everyday language. GAYLE was now being used as the superlative of every word. A girl would understand if a guy came upto her and said, “I GAYLE you, GAYLEHEART”.  The DLF IPL and India was hit by the GAYLESTORM.  He came in with the bat, smashed the ball around and embarrassed many a bowler. He came in with the ball, bowled economically, got crucial wickets and put in a dance step bringing smiles on all our faces. He was surely enjoying his cricket. Thank you West Indies Cricket Board.

It is difficult but we must remember that it was not just Gayle. There were crucial performances from all our players at various stages in the tournament. Virat Kohli seemed to be in sublime form and is probably ready to adopt Bangayleore as his home.  Vettori proved to be the ideal replacement for Anil Kumble and on a bad day, only on a bad day would he go above 7 runs per over. Arvind showed us that with a big heart, you can do wonders on the field. Zaheer Khan was a bit rusty at the beginning but came into his own gradually. AB was a livewire and his energy rubbed off on the rest.  Driven by Gayle, this RCB unit rolled on, beating team after team, quite easily and finished the league stage at the top of the table.

Gayle failed and CSK did beat us in that first play-off.  We next had Mumbai Indians on our platter, a team which had got the better of us more often than not. But it was to be different this time – Malinga, Harbhajan, Pollard and whoever dared to bowl that day were put to the sword by namma Chris Gayle. Young Mayank Agarwal too played a very mature knock and in no time RCB had crushed Mumbai Indians and qualified for our 2^nd Final. What happened in the Finals is unfortunate but it has to be said that we must be thrilled to be RCBians.

Let’s take a pledge that we will be ‘Royal Challengers for Life’ and let me hear you all say “JAI RCB!”

INDIAN CRICKET – RELIGION TO SOME, LIFE-BLOOD FOR OTHERS

We’ve heard it over and over again that cricket is a religion in India. It is the one thing that unites people from all walks of life, people of different castes and creeds. It basically unites the entire nation. But is cricket limited to only that? I think the time has now come to say that cricket is ‘blood’ for many of us, something without which we cannot live.  Some said that after the World Cup, we Indians would be saturated and have no interest in the IPL. Yes, the ratings have shown a dip, but we lovers of the game had the same passion and intensity as in IPL 1,2 and 3. It just shows that we can never have too much of cricket.

What is it that makes the game so much of an addiction for us? Well there is no definite reason, but we do enjoy being a part of the emotional rollercoaster that is associated with every cricket game. Not many of us sit back in a lounge chair and watch a game of cricket and say, “Oh! That was relaxing.” We probably are more emotionally drained than the players themselves. The players atleast have some control over the match and to an extent hold their destiny in their own hands. We fans are helpless and cannot make a contribution, but there are some of us who like to believe that we can. Yes it is foolhardy but that is the sort of involvement we like to show, we like to believe that by sitting in a particular position for 6 hours will win India the game. We like to believe that by giving up rice for 6 months India will win the World Cup. We have lucky t-shirts for match days, compulsory phone calls to make and so on. Thanks to all these little superstitions we believe that we have made a contribution to our team and are able to share the same feelings as the team. A loss will hurt us deeply and if by chance we have not followed one of our routines that day, we will take a long time to forgive ourselves and take blame for the defeat. A victory will delight us and will make us believe that we have made a contribution and encourage us to follow more such superstitions in the future.  Yes, you can call these fans crazy and I am proud to be a ‘crazy fan’.

This World Cup win has only raised the passion for the game.  April 2^nd, 2011 will be remembered as one of the best days of our lives. The image of Kapil Dev holding aloft the World Cup on the Lords Balcony in 1983 made us proud but also, especially for those of us who weren’t born then, created an urge, a desire and the hope to win another World Cup. The nation waited for 28 long years to experience the same euphoria again. The moment that ball left Dhoni’s bat we were elated. It was beyond joy and the scenes that followed are what make us so happy to be “crazy fans”.  It felt like we, 1 billion of us played the World Cup and it would be hard to say that we were any less happy than the players themselves.

The other day, a TV channel was telecasting India’s road to the World Cup victory and it brought tears to my eyes. We will never get tired of seeing Dhoni hit that ball over long on for six and then embracing Yuvraj Singh. That was the moment when an entire nation went crazy and some of us went beyond….

The World Champions

This is not a feeling that will sink in anytime soon. We really are World Champions, we have just won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. This is not something that happens day-in and day-out, not even yearly. It is only after 4 years will we get an opportunity to defend our crown and it is not the easiest thing to do.

India certainly went into this tournament as favourites, but halfway through, the critics said we were not good enough, our bowling lacked the bite, our fielding was horrible and Dhoni had lost his Midas touch. Team India, though, peaked at the right time. The fielding in the quarter finals itself showed us that there was a sense of purpose, something motivating them to raise the bar. What was it? The fact that they were 3 games away from winning the cup?  That they were playing Australia? Or Sachin stating that it was the most important tournament of his life? I think its Sachin’s statement that got them going.

What is it with this team and winning big games? Dhoni, the captain, has been phenomenal. He is straight forward with the media and is never shy of accepting his mistakes. He is calm and composed in the worse of situations and this has rubbed off on his team.  This team enjoys the success of each other, they play for each other. It was evident in the way they all said they won it for Sachin.

I believe that this spirit of togetherness developed in that famous Test at Sydney and that tour really got the team together. Anil Kumble played a huge role in getting his lads to stand by each other and that is paying rich dividends now. The fighting spirit that the team embodies now, initiated under Dada’s captaincy – he would never back out from a scuffle and went hard at the opposition. Much has been said about the guys giving their everything for the team, about being team players. No prizes for guessing who instilled this quality in Indian players – Rahul Dravid.  He had no business keeping wickets in that 2003 World Cup but did it for the good of the team. What about the come-from-behind victories? Laxman has drilled it into the minds of us Indians that no situation is horrible and there is always an escape route, a route which will take you to glory. This is why I feel, that though this win was achieved in Dhoni’s captaincy and with Sachin at the helm of everyone’s mind and heart, we must not forget the contributions of Sourav, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and VVS Laxman.

It is an amazing feeling, this feeling of being World Champions. Australia won their second World Cup in 1999 and did not look back for over a decade. I hope that we do not rest on our laurels and now continue to get better as a team. Could this World Cup win be the kick-start to an era of Indian dominance in World Cricket? Will an Indian fan be able to look forward to planning a trip to Australia for the 2015 World Cup with the confidence that India will go into it as overwhelming favourites?

Let us wait and watch. We can afford to bask in the glory of this win till the next season begins. Oh no! I forgot that the IPL is starting in a couple of days. It’s time to bleed Red and Gold (I’m an RCB fan)!! A pity cos I’d rather be ‘Bleeding Blue’ till this feeling of being World Champions completely sinks in….

T20 WORLD CUP – 2007

EXPECTED NOTHING, CONQUERED THE WORLD

A conversation on board a flight to Durban, South Africa between an Indian and an Englishman:

Englishman: “Hey! You flying to South Africa for the T20 World cup?”

Indian: “T20? We Indians do not call that cricket. Its just for fun, that’s why our big 3 – Sachin,  Rahul and Dada have pulled out. We’re just giving our youngsters a chance to play in South Africa. I’m on a holiday with family, certainly not going to watch the T20 or whateva you call it.”

Englishman: “You’ll are boring and scared of losing!”

The BCCI was one of the last boards to approve the T20 World Cup. The T20 craze had begun in England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and the West Indies. The sub-continental teams were not willing to accept it as a serious form of cricket, certainly not serious enough to have a World Cup. India never played any T20 Internationals on foreign tours at a time when all other tours consisted of atleast one T20 International. Indian cricket fans, known to be the most passionate in the world, did not care about the shortest format of the game. The 3 stalwarts of Indian cricket – Rahul Dravid (then Test and ODI captain), Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly made themselves unavailable for the inaugural T20 World Cup which further diminished the interest levels among Indians.

It was with this – lets have fun – attitude that a new look Team India under M.S. Dhoni headed to South Africa for the World Cup. (By now India had played only one T20 International against South Africa.) India’s first match against Scotland was washed out and it was now that the nation woke up, not because India could have suffered another first round exit after the disastrous 2007 ODI World Cup, but because India was up against Pakistan. And I do not have to mention the craze that is associated with an Indo-Pak encounter.

This India v Pakistan match was a dream come true for the organizers. A dramatic tie followed by a bowl-out which India won, meant that fans from these two nations acknowledged the World Cup. From then on, there was no looking back – packed stadiums with Indian flags fluttering all over gave one the feeling that the tournament was being played in India.

India was grouped with New Zealand, South Africa and England in the Super 8’s. A tough group by any stretch of imagination and even the most ardent of fans did not expect Team India to qualify for the Semi-finals. However, we secretly hoped that the team gets there. And get there, they did! India lost a close game to New Zealand and then handed England a real mauling in their ‘own game’. The match will be remembered for Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes off a Stuart Broad over. The mighty South Africans were the next to be derailed by this young Indian team and a billion hearts were now beginning to believe that maybe India can win the World Cup. However, no one was saying it out loud and we all kept our expectations low. We never really came here expecting to win the Cup.

The image of Sreesanth squatting and hitting the pitch with both his hands after getting rid of an Aussie batsman is the craziest celebration I have seen. India beat Australia and Pakistan beat New Zealand in the 2 semi-finals.

So after a disastrous ODI World Cup a few months earlier, India and Pakistan had set-up a World Cup final that every Indian and Pakistani had dreamt of since 1975. The ICC couldn’t have asked for anything better after the criticism they received for the ‘never-ending’ 2007 ODI World Cup. The match itself lived upto its expectations. It probably exceeded everybody’s expectation and caused a few heart attacks. The moment Misbah scooped that ball in the air and Sreesanth got under it and took it, the Indian team and a billion Indians went ballistic.

I was watching the match with a few friends and we did not know what to do. We were hugging each other, hitting each other, waving the Indian flag and taking videos on our cell phones – videos we will be proud to show our grand children. We weren’t born when India won the 1983 World Cup but this made up for it.

What is the similarity between the 1983 World Cup triumph and the 2007 T20 World Cup triumph? On both occasions, Team India went into the tournament without the weight of expectation; no one really thought we would win the Cup.

The Englishman posted on a social networking site, “They did it to us in Lagaan and now in the T20 World Cup, they beat us in our own game! I salute the Indian spirit.”

A Phenomenon Called ‘Dada’

Sourav ‘Dada’ Ganguly has done it and seen it all. Be it fall outs with coaches or team owners, annoying opposition captains or being suspended by match referees, Dada has done it all. Not to forget that the man has scored over ten thousand runs in one-day cricket and been one of India’s most successful captains. However, there’s something about Dada that makes him so different from his contemporaries.

A century on Debut at Lords - Sourav Ganguly couldn’t have asked for a better entry into Test cricket. Neither could he have asked for a better ODI record. Along with Sachin Tendulkar, he formed one of the most formidable and successful opening partnerships in ODI history. But still there’s something about Dada that makes him so different – his attitude.

While most people have a problem with his attitude, there are others (which includes me) who appreciate his – ‘I don’t give a damn!’ attitude. It is his attitude that really changed the way New India approached life. And by New India, I am not limiting myself to only the Indian cricket team. He rubbed off a bit of his ‘Dadagiri’ on us, followers of Indian cricket. He showed us that we are no less than anybody else and did not have to be intimidated by anyone. On the other hand, he led the way in intimidating the so called bullies. I would like to mention a few instances which would help to substantiate my point. Firstly, the way he made Steve Waugh wait for the toss in a crucial Test match. Steve Waugh himself has admitted that it really put him off, exactly what the mighty Australians tried to do unto their opponents under the name of ‘gamesmanship’. There was widespread criticism that Dada disrespected the sanctity of the toss. Dada did not bother, he just went about things the way he wanted to and was successful in unsettling the Aussies.

The second, and by far the more popular incident, is the ‘striptease’ act on the famous Lords balcony. For those of you who do not remember, on one of England’s tour to India in a crucial ODI match, Andrew Flintoff got the final wicket which sealed the victory for the English team and on his follow through he removed his jersey and waved it ‘soccer-style’. Dada, not one to forget things easily, did exactly the same thing when India pulled off a miraculous victory in the Natwest Final against the hosts. The only difference being that this was done in the Home of Cricket, where members are allowed to enter only in suits. Also the expletives that flew from his mouth would have guaranteed an ‘A’ rating from the Censor Board. Again the critics said it was disrespectful of him, but Dada couldn’t care less. He felt humiliated when Flintoff did it and there was no way he would be satisfied without giving it back.

He is a legend of the game, the figures prove it. Yet, he has not always, if not never, been treated like a legend. There is already a lot written about the fall out with Greg Chappell and I do not wish to document it further. He was unceremoniously sacked from the team but still made a comeback and bowed out of international cricket on his own terms.

It was disheartening to see that none of the ten IPL teams chose to pick Dada. It is certainly not because of his cricketing talent, as we saw a lot of Indian cricketers with much lesser pedigree being bid for. It probably is a result of his ‘larger than life persona’ and owners are afraid that he will dominate them. How Kolkota is going to react to this, one can only wait and see. Kolkota without Dada is like Sholay without Amitabh Bachan, and it must be clear in our memory how the Indian team was booed at the Eden Gardens when they took on South Africa without their ‘Prince’.

 I strongly feel that this is not the last we have heard of Dada, and I am forced to use the cliché – ‘Whether you love him or hate him, you just can’t ignore him!’

Two of the Greatest No. 3's Going Down

We, cricket lovers of this era, are really fortunate to have been able to watch 2 of the greatest No. 3 batsmen of all time. Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting at their best would have probably walked in to any side of any era. They have guided India and Australia to many a famous victory. As individuals, the 2 of them are as different as they can get. Ponting portrays himself as a confident, outspoken and at times arrogant personality whereas Dravid is more the humble and soft spoken types. If Ponting is about flair, Dravid is about discipline. The only thing similar is their batting averages and, unfortunately the fact that they are going through a rather long lean patch.

Rahul Dravid has been my all time favourite ever since he made his debut at Lords in 1996. He has been a savior to the Indian team on numerous occasions.  There was a phase in Indian cricket, before the Sehwag- Gambhir era, when Team India did not have the same openers for more than ten matches. This meant that Dravid at No. 3 was in more often than not, when the ball was new and hard. This is what makes his achievements and runs all the more special. For a comaparison, Ricky Ponting always played with some great opening batsmen which would have definitely made it a little easier. There have been times when Dravid has had to open the batting and never once has he complained. He has relished these challenges which were epitomized when he got the mammoth 400 run opening stand with Sehwag on Pakistani soil. Most of India’s famous test victories have Rahul Dravid’s stamp on them.

Ricky Ponting took Australia from strength to more strength. It is really hard to imagine an Australian side without Ricky batting at No. 3. He had a different approach to that of Dravid’s, wherein Ponting would look to take on the bowling rather than grind them out. Not too long ago, Ponting was tipped to overtake Tendulkar in runs and centuries.

It is a pity now to see these two greats struggling to make runs. We are so used to seeing them score heavily on a consistent basis that even a couple of poor series makes us feel like its all over for them. It would be a disaster if they are dropped from their respective teams but one cannot completely rule it out. In Australia, we’ve seen that past records do not really matter and in India, we know that unless you are Sachin Tendulkar you must not expect fair treatment. This is why I feel that maybe both these legendary No. 3 batsmen should look to bat down the order, maybe 5 or even 6. They both have done it before at the start of their careers and may very well be successful. A bowling unit would be really pleased after capturing 4 wickets, but then, to turn around and see a Ponting or Dravid walk out at number 6 might just deflate them.

India tour Australia at the end of this year. A number of legends have retired at the SCG. Could we possibly see Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting bow out together at the SCG? Cricket will be a lot poorer then….