Nawab 2.0

He is the prince. He has arrived. He is your next king. He is Virat Kohli.

Seeing him bat with discipline and responsibility, Allan Donald is reminded of Sachin Tendulkar. The devastating style of batting along with overflowing passion reminded Sir Vivian Richards, arguably the most dangerous batsman ever, of himself.  With the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar, Ian Chappell believes Virat Kohli is the batsman that every bowler fears to bowl at.

There is not one country he has played and not scored a century in. There is not one dull moment on crease with him hogging the strike. Between the trademark, effortless drives through the covers, back foot punches and mid-wicket pulls, there is not one shot he cannot play. Be it inside out over wide long off or be it a flick to mid-on or be it a nudge to fine leg, he has almost every shot in his book. Strong off the front and back foot, he has an exquisite batting style and an orthodox technique. Add cheetah’s legs between the wickets and a picture perfect front foot defense to that. What you get is a near perfect batsman and arguably the best in this era. 

A cursory glance at his numbers will reveal his clout. A piece on Virat Kohli without his prowess on chasing is incomplete. His determination is second to none and that has made him the master of chases. Batting second, in the 75 innings, Kohli averages 63.43 at a strike rate of 92.03 with twelve centuries. However when the equation is successful run chases, the numbers gets even bigger. He, with his bat, has lead India to victory 64% of times he has batted in the second innings at an average of 84.40 and a strike rate of 95.98 while doing so.

The intimidating style of his batting however can be understood what happens to the team when he has a rare failure. India has lost 45 ODI games with Virat Kohli's name in the team sheet. Breaking down,

1) India lost sixteen times when he has got out for a score less than or equal to ten.

2) When he has managed to score something between  11-20, 21-30 and 31-40, India lost 7, 3 and 4 games respectively.

So, to conclude, his failure to score at least 41 runs equates to 66%(30 out of 45) of total losses.

So what happened when he managed to score more than 40 in the remaining 34%(15 out of 45) of games we lost? He went on to make at least a fifty and outscored his teammates in twelve out of fifteen games giving his best. (Thirteen fifties and two centuries)

This is what Virat Kohli is. When he sets his eyes on a target, he is unstoppable. When he smashed Malinga and co. in Hobart, Sourav Ganguly said that he could hardly believe what he was watching. George Bailey wondered if there is a way to get him out when he went on to score the fastest century by an Indian. 

Having established himself as the leader of Indian ODI batting line up there were always a few murmurs on his ability to bat in tests prior to the tour of South Africa. No one answers critics as he does. This time his answer was a 119 and 96 against the world’s best bowling attack in their backyard. He didn’t stop. Napier and Wellington were the latest to witness -what Adelaide, Colombo, Hambantota, Dhaka, Johannesburg, Hobart, Harare, Cardiff, Port of Spain and various Indian cities did- this guy from Delhi mastering the art the batting.

Virat Kolhi is the top scorer in ODIs since his debut. Sangakkara who played 8 more ODI games since then is 61 runs behind. The next best Indian batsmen, Dhoni is 999 runs behind. In tests where he is supposedly not ‘that good’, he has the most runs scored for India since his debut.

In a nation that grew up idolizing batting in Sunil Manohar Gavaskar & Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, Virat Kohli is all set to become the next superstar, if he isn't already.

There must be something that sets him apart from millions, no?

He is talented. But as they say, having the talent is one, using to the fullest is another. He is one of the rare ones who does. He is determined. He is a hard worker. He has a good knowledge of the game. He learns from his mistakes. More importantly he adapt himself.

Dravid recently said how Virat sought advises from himself and Sachin Tendulkar way before the series in South Africa. Martin Crowe who is happy to be called as ‘Virat Kohli fan’ is proud of his former pupil who has learned to play straighter and better than what he used to in 2008.

The unfathomable commitment, that attitude of leading the team from the front, the determination to give anything and everything to the team makes him what he is - a Champion.



[ Images from Google, Cricinfo, NDTV]

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C for Change

On the general notions, MS Dhoni will go down as the most successful captain of the Indian Cricket team. It’s hard to argue the other way with him having his name on the two World cups and a Champions’ trophy to his honour. But the never ceasing overseas embarrassments will suggest otherwise.

What possibly could be the reasons behind a highly regarded captain’s deficiency in inspiring the troop overseas? Or he isn’t great as he is perceived to be? Or he is just a home great? (You have to exclude the England's tour of India though. But it doesn’t matter. Just like having one odd success of Champions Trophy in the dry pitches overseas.)

‘A bad captain can make a great team look ordinary’, this was from the India’s youngest and the greatest captain ever, Nawab of Pataudi lately Mansur Ali Khan, thanks to Indira Gandhi. Statistically again the current captain has far better numbers. If this is not the citation why statistics is not everything then not any could ever be.

Now, this is a great team? Certainly not.  A team that boasts to have one whose legs tremble with the short ball, the team which has openers of iffy technique, the team that has a lead spinner who has forgotten the art of picking wickets can never be termed ‘great’. If you read it again, this is the other place where the captain has failed apart from the oft repeated tactical flub ups.

“Captain is as good as his team”.

The above statement is partially true and certainly it isn’t dubious. The lazy perception will prompt to close the argument in the favour of Dhoni. A close look will suggest the glitches. The captain is sworn to pick and choose his team. Pick a good team, lad.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has a policy of picking players and giving them a long-winded rope. This is a great thing to do especially in this age of hasty and nasty decisions. No issues, if there are going to be viable returns to the ‘investments’. A rope is fine as long as it doesn’t get longer enough to get snapped. 

How worse were/are the ropes? Here are the prominent undeserving ropes that were offered.

Raina, the CSK mascot, was picked in the team to face New Zealand even after averaging 26.11 in his last 27 games in which he boasted one fifty against Zimbabwe. He played three more in New Zealand. How does a longer rope matter with Raina? This would make sense at least if there were enough ‘away’ numbers with him. He doesn’t. He averages 27.27 against the non minnows outside sub-continent. He has no centuries to his credit and has two half centuries in 53 games.

Ishant, the hairy bowler with scary consistency, who has the fourth worst economic rate in the ODI history of who had played at least 50 ODIs (Second worst in Indian ODI history), was given the chance to don the blue for the seventy first time. A long rope. After getting one more game, he gave away 118 runs in the fifteen overs he bowled.

Now, questions to Captain after his comment of having “invested heavily”

• Will Ashwin-who has an average of 198 and a strike rate of 216 in his last 8 games, be given an even longer rope?

• Ajinkiya Rahane who has a career average of 22.30 and an average of 9.83 in his last six games will get another game? If yes, why?

• With Rohit’s reputation of inconsistency and Dhawan’s Raina syndrome, how long will the investment last?

• What is the reluctance in testing the bench strength even after a series of underperformances from the heavy investments? Does he not know the result of prolonged and improbable investments?

Sunil Gavaskar speaking to NDTV puts it better, "By sticking to those who have failed, the impression given is that there is no faith in reserve players."

As a captain of a cricket team, you certainly need not to be a tactical commander which he isn’t. The key here is team rotation. The man management. The recipe lies in picking the right men and equally crucial is discarding the misfits. With a meticulous plan letting them know their respective skills, the next step is to get the most out from every member of the team.

With the world cup approaching, we may have to forget about defending the trophy if the captain-apart from the tactical blunders- is going to err in the team selections. We are badly in need of new ideas, better thinking and a better plan. Will Dhoni step up? Will he get rid of his underperforming core for the deserving people who are warming the benches? I will leave you these questions which probably will remain unanswered.

Hope the Indian cricket doesn’t pay for his farfetched, imbecile and imprudent investments. We can only hope. 

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Blackboard CWC '15 - issues, issues, issues

So it's been over two months & nine International matches since the Men In Blue won a game of cricket. Sometimes they came close, sometimes agonisingly close, sometimes threw it away, sometimes succumbed to pressure & sometimes never made a human chance out of it. No, before you assume that I'm here to throw my furnitures at the Indian cricket team regarding their recent heroics abroad, as much as I'm tempted but that's not the case. They escape today, marginally so.
My agenda today is a little far sighted, approximately three hundred & eighty two days away. It is the cricket World Cup 2015, to be hosted by Australia & New Zealand & to be defended by erm, us.
I'm writing this specifically to emphasize that "erm" there. And ofcourse, I have enough details to scare you guys a bit more if the boys haven't done enough already.

The pre & the present math : source of the scare 

© CFL 

What happens if you grab your goldfish out of the aquarium & put it on the desk for a minute? It starts trembling, crawling & waving it's fins desperately in need of the oxygen it's used to. That goldfish is Indian team, outside the subcontinent, on the bouncy green decks, facing an average to a good bowling lineup, exposing the familliar woes, out of sorts, moving in no direction. No kidding, the current set is brave, brave enough to overcome these but then my friend, you ought to say that the results are yet to show up. The overseas record since the last World Cup in 2011 has been well, shameful. Yes, big enough word but 4-0 (England), 4-0 (Australia), not making the finals of the CB Series, 2-0 (South Africa), 1-0 (South Africa) & now 3-0 (New Zealand), the list just keeps getting longer & longer & painfully longer. And you know what's worse? The schedule coming right up involving tours of England & Australia just threatens to add a bit more to the sorrow.

So brace yourselves, I intend to break down the issues neat & clean. If at all, we are to retain our glory, a serious postmortem is in order.

Opening woes : once resurrected, twice fatal 

We thought we had this in the bag, damn it.

But thanks for making our heaven drop right back to Earth & now inching towards hell, dearest Rohit & Dhawan. They batted like a dream, not putting a wrong foot forward, it was unreal to think that we found Viru & Gauti 2.0 so soon. Oh yes, too soon. Dhawan averaged 24.00 in the 3 ODIs vs South Africa & 6.00 in the 3 ODIs vs New Zealand till he was dropped on the fourth one to make way for Ambati Rayudu. Not to dwell on the results but it was his manner of dismissals that would make you frown. Cross seam deliveries at a genuinely quick 140+ pace, short of good length or banged in short. He pulled, it went to the keeper. He pulled, he mistimed it. He pulled, straight to the man on the boundary. Personally a fan of his, I was gutted. He was last person I wanted to put in the Raina-Yuvi category. Rohit on the other hand, threw it away mostly like a Rohit Sharma can do, fired up by verbal duels or a string of fishing outside off. So what do you do? Bring back Gambhir & Sehwag? Stick with these two? Make Virat open? Make Rahane open? Make it a combination of experience & youth? Drop Rohit back to the middle order & let Dhawan stay? More options the merrier? Not. Bringing back Gambhir doesn't seem like a bad idea after all. He has the experience, he has the anchor as long as he doesn't wish to poke. Him & Dhawan will do. The latter has some serious sorting out to do though. Or Che Pujara. He provides the solidity & consistency a Kane Williamson does for New Zealand. I'm not with Virat being made to open, although there is not much difference, the no.3 position has some blood-flesh relationship with him. Why not let the man have it?

Overdependence on the men in charge 

Just because they don't disappoint you 99.99% of the times, if you're banking on Captain & Vice-captain to win you every match, day in, day out, I'm sorry, that's called burdening. There are people who would blame it on Virat & Dhoni, saying that they got out at the wrong time. Maybe they did. But for heaven's sake, what are the nine other men doing? Is it just their responsibility to take you over the line all the time? No, it isn't. Virat Kohli & MS Dhoni are your trump cards, key players, they'll set it up, they'll finish it off but you ought to have another guy or two stepping up, supporting them. 

Swing 'em, eh?

I remember the cricket pundits nodding in approval when four succesive balls went past Md. Hafeez's bat in Bhuvaneshwar Kumar's debut match. It was fun to see him playing the Oh so close oh so close game with the top orders of the oppositions. He didn't have the pace but the accuracy was admirable. It's been a while since he has looked a bit ordinary. Be it Md. Shami bowling in tandem or whatever, too many down the leg, too many loose balls & barely any swing. On the other hand, Shami, having the pace, the ability to take wickets, does save the day more often or not but he's quite expensive as your leading bowler. All you can hope for is that these two too don't end up in the eventually swingless, ineffective list of the Kumars of Indian cricket. Varun Aaron, fresh off a prolonged injury break, I'd give him some time before I judge him. But he looks raw, pacey, lack of direction &  variations so far. So is Umesh Yadav where Ishwar Pandey & Rishi Dhawan are yet to be given chances to prove themselves. This 3rd option will cause some headache & if fit, Irfan Pathan is my man.

Oh, I forgot Ishant. Keeping him on the bench looks like good karma, we should stick to it for some time. (i.e forever)

Part time options, the lack of quality 

The fifth bowler. It's like you have to choose between candies, sugar & honey. Yuvraj Singh & to an extent Suresh Raina were the best we had. Had. When you see Virat Kohli bowl those nasty leg cutters & full tosses & no balls off the wrong foot with that ridiculous to the power ridiculous action of his, you know you don't have many choices. Seeing Ambati Rayudu bowl yesterday, it felt like even Virat would've been better. Rohit being the other option & all three being good enough to give away 20 an over, you have to pity Dhoni.

So what do you do? Keep your fingers crossed that Binny bowls as hardcore as he looks. For now.

Captaincy : Y u no attack? 

A captain is as good as his team. Yes, most certainly. Although a certain Tiger Pataudi would've disagreed with the cliche. To him "A bad captain can make a great team look ordinary." This is certainly not a great team but MS Dhoni the captain isn't great either. Why does your part timer bowl 3 overs at 7.25 & the allrounder you picked in the expense of an One Day veteran bowls just one when you are defending 278? When the best test lineup in the world is as cornered as it could be, why do you start the final session with your 5th bowler? Just because you lost two matches chasing, why choose to bat first when your bowlers are inable to pick wickets at the right time? Oh the questions are endless. To be honest, we all know that MS Dhoni does pull out a rabbit from his hat but overseas, if you cancel out the Champions' Trophy, I see the hat but where is the rabbit? You have to question his field sets, his decision to "back" non-firing players for longer than any captain should, his approach to win a match, his favoured team combinations with the luxury of two spinners on foreign tracks & ofcourse, his prized tactics. I think Gideon Haigh, the master of words has put it right. "Dhoni isn't a tactical commander, rather a supervisor. He leads by ineffectual experience."
( Reference : Here)

Mind you, this is about Dhoni the skipper & has nothing to do with Dhoni the batter.

There is a level till which one can tolerate, hoping for magic, luck & even fairy tales.
But that level has been crossed by far, don't you think? As a friend said, he has to be a very lucky person to be asked to lead the team with the dubious set of overseas records he carries with his ever so cool, ever so calm, ever so smiling persona.
He is the luckiest, no doubt. I cannot imagine another captain from any other country, continuing or being asked to continue with half the burden from Dhoni's records. But then, Indian cricket doesn't work that way.
Maybe we need to believe in some supernatural overhaul that takes away all the cool & calm and transforms Dhoni the defensive to Dhoni the aggressive overnight.

Or you could try out a Virat Kohli. Please, enough of that he's yet to mature shit. There was a smooth transition possible a half century ago with Tiger taking the responsibility from Nari contractor and if we have to believe the history books, there wasnt any outrage seeking maturity from a 21 year old.

There is a famous footballing philosophy saying, "You are old enough if you are good enough" He is good enough and with that he should be allowed to take the reigns from a captain who is struggling to turn the tides overseas. Why?

 I'd rather lose with the youth who learns from his mistakes.

Death bowling : well...

When it comes to the bowling department, we are still in the same phase wherein we are still looking at who our permanent bowlers are. We know the spinners and they look good and we know they are the ones who will carry on until the World Cup provided there are no injuries. Fas bowling, we are still not sure who our choices are and what individuals we are looking forward to. Back at home we talk about pace & bounce. We get bowlers who bowl quick but they end up giving more runs without even bowling at the slog. So we have to find a fair balance.

That was MS Dhoni in his press conference yeserday. There, you have your answers. We don't have the crop of fast bowlers to bowl you out anywhere, forget the death. Bowling is our main worry, as always, heading into an international tournamnet but giving away 80-100 runs in the last ten like they are now, is an alarming practice to be beheaded as soon as possible. Easier said than done & then batting has always been our aura. But it is time when batting marvels are unable to bail you out, there is just too much to do. It is time when our bowling is disappointing & disgracing our batting.

So what do you do? There is not one pleasing answer, unfortunately. You groom Shami, who looks the best bait so far, you hope Jadeja-Ashwin keep up the good work since the 2nd ODI & then you have a blank to fill in the form of your 3rd go to man. Bhuvaneshwar is sincerely, not cut out for death.

There are so many more problems, so many more issues to address, so many weaknesses, so many gaps.

There is slip fielding that make you pray that may Rahul Dravid gets out of the commentary box & take the field. There is the familliar issue of tackling short balls. There is overall deep fielding, in the form of Ashwin, Aron who needs to improve by far. There is Suresh Raina, whom you have to decide on. There is the lack of a genuine allrounder, you have to stress about. There is the toss factor, the pressure, the expectations & well, I will just stop and let you enjoy the depression.

It is easy to say, based on the present that Cricket World 2015 looks like a dream with thousand stairs leading up to it. We have to climb & climb hard, solving the issues, giving the answers & showing the results. Dare I say, it looks unlikely with every passing match we lose & ofcourse, the credit is mine for reverse jinxing if they make the finals after all.

But we can't just give up, can we? We are world champions. We bleed blue. We will fight.

Here's crossing my fingers & hoping for the best. 

[ I think I'll check for white hairs now that I'm done with the piece. You should too. ]

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