Wednesday, May 16, 2012

MATCH FIXING



There has been so much talk about match fixing that it is now becoming hard to ignore. At the very outset, I would like to state that ‘I do not believe a match can be fixed, although there may be instances of spot fixing’. This article speaks about why the result of a match cannot be fixed? If you are among those who are adamant that matches are fixed, I request you to read this with an open mind without any preconceptions.

This IPL has witnessed a number of last over finishes; a few have been won off the last ball. These wins off the last ball are being looked at suspiciously by the common man. People are saying that ‘the bowler purposely bowled a bad ball’, ‘why did he not bowl a yorker’ etc. Firstly, learn to appreciate a great cricket match which has gone down to the wire. Secondly, a full toss doesn’t automatically go for six, neither does a half tracker. In all my years of watching cricket, I can say with utmost confidence that more than a fair share of full tosses have cost a bowler less than 6 runs. In limited overs cricket, a low full toss was and sometimes still is, considered to be a very useful ball to bowl in the death overs. So it amazes me how people say that the match is fixed because a batsman hit a full toss for six. What if he mis-hits it? What if the bowler attempting to bowl a full toss ends up bowling a Yorker or a very low full toss which the batsman can’t hit for six? What happens to all the money then? And even more surprising is how does the bookie know that a particular bowler is going to bowl the last over? And how does one know that the match itself will go to the last over? I would really like to know the answers to these questions. If you then argue that the whole match is fixed and the players are playing to a script, I would say its as impossible as having a man on the sun. Cricket is a sport which is played live in front of thousands of people and millions watching it live on TV. It is not a movie where the actor is allowed to make mistakes and have re-takes. A batsman can get out to a bad ball, a ball he was ‘fixed’ to have hit for 6. What happens to the script then?

To fix the result of a cricket match, you need to ‘buy’ the captain. Look at some of the captains in the IPL – Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Adam Gilchrist, Sangakkara..... Would a bookie even dare to approach these men with money to throw a game away? I doubt they would throw a game away even if held at gun-point. MS Dhoni has achieved everything a captain can, would it make any sense for him to think of using unfair practices to influence the result of a match. Then there are players like Sachin Tendulkar, Kallis, Jayawardene who are legends of the game. Would a bookie dare to approach them? How much does money motivate them now? And players like Virat Kohli, ABD, Raina and Rohit Sharma are on their way to becoming legends, why would they do anything silly to jeopardise that? Captains, legends and rising stars constitute about 50-60 percent of every team. The remaining are the Indian domestic players. These players work so hard, have made huge sacrifices to pursue their cricketing dream and are on a constant struggle to get where they are now. All of them dream to play for India and continue to work towards achieving that dream. By accepting money to throw a match, they are putting themselves at immense risk. Yes they can earn a quick buck, but what after that? They may be dropped from the team and might not get a contract for the next season. What will they fix then?

There has been much spoken about the money in Indian cricket – mostly criticised. The BCCI must be commended for marketing and managing the game and the funds well enough to become one of the richest sport bodies in the world. BCCI was not born rich; it grew into its current position. A lot of credit must go to the players for making India a team to reckon with on the world stage. Equal credit should go to the administrators for managing the game well and creating the infrastructure that we see now. What this money and richness in Indian cricket has done is invaluable. It has ensured that players on the domestic circuit are well paid. Ranji trophy cricketers can lead a comfortable life from what they earn. Add to that IPL contracts for 30 lakhs a year and you have a more than comfortable life. One bad incident, and the player is set to lose all this (include pension to that).

At the same time, I would say that there may be cases of spot fixing. When you have so many players, there may be one or two who would want to take the short-cut to success. This is why the game should be monitored closely at all times and it is. Players found guilty should be banned for life. Young players should be educated about how to deal with agents.

Cricket is a sport, not a movie. It does not follow a script, it cannot. Matches cannot be fixed, it is impossible. Respect the game and respect the sportsmen – their human and are allowed to bowl a bad ball or drop an easy catch. 


If you are still suspicious look at the way a Dale Steyn runs into bowl, look at the passion with which these guys play their cricket! Respect!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

RAHUL DRAVID

PART I: ADMIRATION UNLIMITED
April 2012

The news of Dravid’s retirement is yet to sink in completely and I don’t think it will happen anytime soon. It will not happen till the next Test series comes around, it probably will not sink in till India lose the first wicket in their next Test match and we will see a batsman, who doesn’t go by the name Rahul Dravid. To me, Dravid was not just a cricketer, he was my role model in the truest sense, and his retirement is a loss which I will find hard to cope with.

There have been a number of accolades written about his cricket and this article will talk very little about his batting. It will consist of some anecdotes which makes Dravid God-like for me.

One afternoon, our school cricket team was practicing in the School Ground and the school had rented out the ground for some emission testing program and there was a huge crowd. We were pleasantly surprised and delighted when we saw Rahul Dravid walking towards us. Yes, he had decided to pay a visit to the ground where, as a Josephite, he had honed his cricketing skills. The one thing that caught my attention was he still parked his car outside the ground, and walked in despite all the rush. He could have easily driven right in and avoided the crowd but he respected the ground where he took his first steps as a cricketer and that really amazed me. Today, when I coach at the same ground, it hurts to see a number of parents driving their cars right in to drop off their sons and I fail to control myself from repeating this story time and again to the boys so they understand and learn from the great man.

He respects everyone, poor or rich, famous or not. When he was the Chief Guest at our school Sports Day, he actually stood up to greet Abu – ‘the canteen man’. He was sitting with a host of dignitaries but actually took the effort of getting up and greeting Abu.

Another story which I would like to share is the one Father Michael John (school Principal) told me. On a Sunday morning, Father caught Rahul Dravid walking around the corridors of our school with his wife. When father bumped into him, Rahul Dravid first apologised to Father for not seeking his permission and told him that he just wanted to show his wife where he studied and grew up and so was walking her around and sharing some ‘good old stories’. As you may expect, Father was a bit taken aback and asked him, “Why did you not inform me that you were coming?” To this Rahul told him that he intentionally did not inform him as he did not want Father to take the trouble of organising anything special for him and he just wanted to go unnoticed. So typical of the man, he even retired in a similar manner - just walked away quietly.

He is probably the most well spoken cricketer and it came as no surprise that his Bradman Oration was applauded by people across the world. His interviews are always clean and have never created a controversy. Once, when a journalist was waiting for a while to interview him, he said something like, “Why are you waiting for me? I will give the same boring answers. You must interview someone like Dhoni.” As a Guest Editor of the Times of India, he was unhappy that sports (cricket in particular) and Bollywood got so much space so regularly on the front page of the paper when, he believed, there were more newsworthy events and individuals who deserved to grab the headlines.

There is just so much in this man that one can admire. His humility probably tops that list. He has contributed hugely in making me the person I am and for the past 16 years I have loved and worshiped him. This one line which he said at his retirement press conference, when asked why he did not want to play a farewell match, makes me admire him even more.



 Just to keep playing for the sake of one Test, I don’t think it was right.   
  I needed to play for the right reasons



Saturday, January 14, 2012

The Golden Generation – We Love You!



The year 1989 was a significant one; it was the year when a certain Sachin Tendulkar made his debut and was identified as the man to carry Indian cricket to the next level. The Kapil Devs, Ravi Shastris and Amarnaths were at the brink of their careers. After 22 years we can say, Sachin has not disappointed. He certainly has taken Indian cricket to the next level, he did it, not on his own but with the ‘Class of 1996’.

Yes, 1996 is probably going to be the most significant year for Indian cricket. Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman entered the Test arena to join forces with Sachin Tendulkar. Often referred to as the ‘Fab Four’, they gave us hope; hope to compete away from home. Despite winning the 1983 World Cup and despite Sunil Gavaskar, India did not necessarily compete away from home. We were considered to be ‘Lions at home and lambs away’. However, this new generation of Indian batsmen were intent on changing the way opponents looked at us. They were willing to fight and India were not pushovers anymore.

Like in the education system, where the first few years you are a nervous young child in primary school and then move on to become a more confident senior, the start of the 21st century marked this transition for the ‘Fab Four’. Sourav Ganguly was handed over the captaincy and we also saw our first foreign coach, John Wright. We instantly saw a change in attitude. One name which often doesn’t get enough mention is that of Anil Kumble. He defied cricketing logic to become one of the best spinners in world cricket. This ‘new and improved’ attitude of the Indian Team got them more die-hard fans than they ever had. People believed in the team and took pride in being an Indian cricket fan.

Apart from Anil Kumble, we also had the likes of Javagal Srinath, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan. Virender Sehwag at the top of the order put pressure on the opposition straight away and played a match winning knock every now and then. We beat Australia in our own backyard in 2001 which is considered to be one of the best Test series ever. India also started winning Test matches away from home. We won Tests in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England, West Indies, New Zealand and South Africa. We even beat Australia in Adelaide in 2003 and Perth in 2008. The one constant in all these wins would have to be the contribution of the ‘Fab Four’. It is hard to imagine a single Test match which India has won, without some kind of a contribution from this wonderfully gifted set of batsmen. Indians all over the cricketing world were ‘respected’; yes respected for being from the same country as these ‘Greats’. I say it again, this special lot made us proud to be Indians.

Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble retired with a series win against Australia and probably left at the right time. Sachin, Dravid and Laxman continued to pile on the runs but were closer to the end of their careers. India reached the No. 1 ranking in Test cricket but talks were now centred on what happens after the retirements of these three. Neither of Sachin, Dravid nor Laxman were considering retirement, but speculations were on, not just in India but around the world. Experts said that its time for the selectors to start looking at the future, but these legends let their bats do the talking and kept silencing the critics.

The recent humiliation in England and now in Australia does hurt, it is most probably going to hasten the retirements of atleast 2 of the 3. Virat Kohli has shown us that India’s next generation of batsmen is ready to take on the world. Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are waiting for an opportunity. As much as we hate to admit, it is probably time for the ‘Class of 1996’ and Sachin to graduate from the school of Indian cricket and make way for a fresh batch. We can only hope that the ‘Class of 2012’ will be able to fill in the boots of their predecessors, they are huge boots to fill, but do not make the mistake of not hoping.

My only request to the Indian Board is to allow each of these 3 greats to retire. They deserve to have a special farewell in front of a jam packed stadium at home, our tears – the least we can offer for their service to Indian cricket.

Do not remember them for these last 2 tours, remember them for what they have given us over the last two decades. Sachin, Laxman, Dravid and the rest of the Indian team – we love you and will always do so.