The rise of Moeen Ali and England's triumph

Old Trafford: There were so many things about this test match which caught so much attention. James Anderson bowling from James Anderson end, Pressure on South Africa to protect the streak of not losing a series in England since 1998, Faf under pressure to not lose his first test series as captain, Pressure on Root to start well in his first test series as captain, So many careers of newbies like Jennings, Malan, Kuhn, De Bruyn etc. on line and so on. There were so many speculations going on over the combination.

All the matches played in this series were quite similar in a lot of way. Team winning the toss (England on 3 occasions, South Africa on 1) chose to bat first, put a respectable total, gain a reasonable lead and then winning comprehensively defending in fourth innings. Despite the role played by toss, I firmly believe England were more consistent after a long time with bat and ball and always stayed ahead in 3 out of 4 games in this series. South Africa missed the services of AB, Steyn and Philander (in the last test) badly. Better team won at the end.

South Africa have a lot to think about their combinations. With AB almost certain to call it a day on red-ball career, they need to groom someone for number 4. Bavuma has been solid, but he is fragile as well. He gets starts and then throws it away. De Kock batting position has been very fickle and he needs to be given a healthy go at a fixed position. I would want him to bat at number 7. He can do a lot of damage coming down the order and taking the attacks apart. Hashim Amla's power seems to be on the wane, still he is the best they have at this moment. Faf just had a bad series. Elgar has been the biggest positive in last 3 years for South Africa. With just a little tweak here and there, there is no reason why they can't be a good test team.
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Let's talk about Moeen Ali. A person who believes in Cricket, faith and family. I can't imagine anyone who doesn't like him. Hating him is like hating nature, rainbows, sunny day in winter and cricket itself. He comes from a poor background in Birmingham and is a perfect example of how talent trumps every adversity thrown in the way. He is an epitome of humility and gentleness. England have found a gem in Moeen the test cricketer.

Moeen Ali is not very talkative. He is a silent achiever. He is humble and as honest a cricketer as you will ever find. He has picked up a test hat-trick. He picked up so many vital wickets in this series. He slams innings like 87 and 75* when England desperately needed it.  Moeen Ali is the only one to achieve 250+ runs and 25 or more wickets in a four-Test series. Since his debut, Moeen Ali has won 5 Man of the Match awards for Moeen Ali in Tests - the joint most for England, alongside Joe Root, in this period. Only Steve Smith has higher (6).

Statistics don't always tell the full story, of course. Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes give England enviable depth in the middle order. Combine that with the superb form of Johnny Bairstow and they have the best lower middle order in the world. Moeen Ali has been a catalyst in the making of this England side.

Moeen Ali's rise has been enormous. From a bowler who used to succeed because batsmen wanted to annihilate him, he has come such a long way. He has taken so many top-order wickets that it is fair to call him a proper bowler. He is not like other off-spinners. He bowls quick and gets drift and the ball skids through. It has been one of the reasons he has been so successful in English conditions. He picked up 18 wickets against India in 2014 who are adept at spin. He has made a double of 2000 runs and 100 wickets faster than Sir Botham, Hadlee, Kapil, Sobers, Kallis, Imran Khan. He is a bloody good cricketer.

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Final Words: It was surreal to watch James Anderson bowling from his own end. Marcus Trescothick has an end named after him in Somerset, but there is a big difference between hitting sixes to your end and picking up wickets from your end. Jimmy had a great test match by picking 7 crucial wickets. He seems to be certain to make the Ashes trip this summer and reach the summit of 500 test wickets against West Indies in the coming series. He still has a lot to offer to this English side.

England still have a lot of questions to answer. Who will replace Jennings and Malan? Should Dawson be given another go? How good will Toby Roland-Jones be in Australia? What is the ideal spot for Johnny Bairstow to bat? There are 3 holes in top 5 which needs to be rectified before Ashes in this summer.

This series win will boost their confidence and hopefully they find all their answers in due time.

England: Consistently inconsistent

Finally, the humiliation is over. If you are an England fan, you will be relieved that the game didn't go to fifth day. It was almost comforting. The whole batting looked like a comedy show. Dean Elgar said last night that Proteas didn't want an easy win. Maybe England heard them. As if they were so desperate to prove him wrong, they didn't show any fight at all. Total surrender. Complete submission.

England have been amazing in terms of inconsistency for the last two years in test cricket. Since 2015, this is the 8th occasion on which they have lost a test match in the very next match after pulling off a victory. They have now lost 6 of their last 8 test matches. In this match, their combined two innings spanned for 96.1 overs, while South Africa's first innings stretched for 96.2 overs. You don't win many games by batting for less than 100 overs. They didn't last 2 sessions in second innings. Everyone talks about how much talent is there in this England's side. It annoys me a lot. Brutal fact: They don't deliver when it matters.

Their team selection is comical. Let me highlight more over this.

According to coach Trevor Bayliss, Moeen is England's 2nd best and Dawson is the best spinner in the country. (I doubt even Dawson's mum will agree with that). Moeen has picked 14 wickets and won Lord's test for his country. Dawson got a pair there. Dawson doesn't look threatening with ball, that is totally fine. He was picked over Rashid as he is miserly in giving away runs. The problem is : In both the tests, he gave away too many vital runs. His batting was bonus, which ran out of luck against world class Proteas attack. (He got 66* on debut against India, which led to his preference over Crane and Rashid). Sometimes, I wonder what would a team with 11 Dawsons look like (Imagine the 12th man is Dawson too). What in almighty God's name they are gonna do? Can't bowl. Can't bat. Fields at innocuous positions. By his reaction on the field, it seems as if even he has no idea why he is getting picked.

Coming to Gary Ballance. He has no idea what he is doing in the middle of a ground with a wooden thing in his hand. There is no doubt that he earned his England recall by scoring oodle of runs in county championship. (For the record, he was averaging almost 100 when he got picked). But, on international arena, he is just so clueless. His technique continues to betray him. He doesn't know whether to go forward or on back-foot. He was standing almost pacific ocean deep in his crease even when Vernon was pitching the ball so full. By the time he makes a decision, a whole parliament session is over. His weak craftsmanship against full balls were exposed dangerously in 2015 Ashes by Australian pair of Mitchells. He has already been dropped twice for his poor technique, I doubt there will be any way back for him to live this dream once another sack happens. He needs to pull up his socks and if he is lucky enough to be included for Oval test, that will be probably his last chance. He needs some vital runs if he wants a ticket for Brisbane later this year.

Opening pair: I can write a whole romantic novel over Cooky's long search for true love in the form of opening partner. Ever since Strauss retired, England have tried 11 openers (if my memory serves me right in this old age). Still everyone comes, hangs out for a while and then Cook is left frustrated. It is not that the openers England have tried have not been given long runs. Just the mere fact that the gap between County championship and international cricket is proving out to be too much to adjust. I liked young Hameed. It just disappoints me so much that he got injured when he was in sublime touch against India. This county season, his form has been abysmal. I really adored Keaton Jennings. From Durham. Good mates with Woody, Stokes and Collingwood speaks highly of him. His father has been an amazing influence over his cricket. He looks good when he bats. Getting a ton in your first game on Indian soil is something not many players achieve. Sadly, even he is turning out to be just another heartache. It is not that he has played very badly in this series. But, he seems to be getting too many unplayable balls, which indicates that he is not international quality yet.

Mark wood is proving out to be too one-dimensional. In white ball cricket, he is the go-to bowler for Eoin Morgan. He can run, bowl fast and reverse swing the old ball. A perfect weapon for any captain. But, I doubt he is yet ready for the rigors of test cricket. He last played a test in 2015 and has never played two tests back to back. He is averaging 197 in this series. One wicket in two games. That wicket too of JP Duminy. It is simply not good enough. Perhaps it was a mistake to include him for Trent Bridge. Maybe Toby Roland Jones should have been given his debut here. Well. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn't it? Everything looks so clear when we look at things in retrospect. Ah!

Another issue which is hampering their progress is : There are just too many all-rounders in this England team. Once Woakes returns, there will be 8 players in this line-up who can ball and 10 players who have got a first class hundred. It is certainly nice to have this cushion of skill in your team, but right now it is backfiring for England. Moeen doesn't know what his role is. He was not given the ball till first 45 overs in first innings and later he was the one who picked 4 wickets in second innings. Either he is doing too much, or nothing at all. Stokes: normally a helluva cricketer when on song. This series, he has not done justice either with bat or ball. He is bowling too many release balls at the moment. Bairstow, Root, Cook, Anderson and Broad have looked good, but haven't found much support from others.

This defeat won't be hard for any England's cricket fan to swallow. After all, they have been doing this for a while now. They are getting used to this. Anyway, tomorrow we have England and South Africa ODI game in Women's world cup. I can only expect that Knight's team haven't watched the highlights of this game and put on a better show.

Well. Enough already. Like it is: With England cricket, happiness is a rare episode in the general drama of pain. Let us await what unfolds in Oval.

Shine Joe Shine

Joe Root on 99. He gets a full ball on leg stump from Maharaj. If you are playing at Lords, you are generally so desperate to get a 100. You will either flick through your pads near square leg and sprint a single. Joe Root chose to paddle sweep it to fine leg for a 3. Here it was! The helmet comes off. Punch in the air. Moeen Ali hugs him and congratulates him. The whole atmosphere is electric. The applause doesn't stop for almost forever. Everyone is at their feet giving standing ovation. His father, grandfather and son all are there to watch. All 4 generations of Roots on the same ground at the same time to cherish the most beautiful moment in their family history.

This is what dreams are made of. First test as captain at Mecca of Cricket. Getting your name at the honors board. Leading the team to position of fortitude. Converting the hundred into a daddy one. Leading from the front. That's Joe Root for you. Root de Force.

Just before this match, I saw his interview at Lords. He spoke about his nervousness and the immense pressure the job brings with it. The constant scrutiny is just the nature of this beast. He got a cold and sore throat just before the match began. It looked like bad omen. At 76 for 4 at Lunch, the situation looked perilous. England were in usual mess again.

But, Root found a way to overcome it. He didn't only put England out of trouble, but he put them in a commanding position. He, along with Moeen plummeted 175 runs in the final session to give South Africa a bad night's sleep. At the end of day 1, he was unbeaten on 184. It was magical and surreal.
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Joe Root on 149. He comes down the pitch. Maharaj is bowling from Nursery end. He gets a sharp turn and beats the outside edge. De Kock does the rest. It is all over. Root gets a handshake from Philander. But, wait a minute. They are checking the front foot. No. It can't be. Not a spinner. No kidding. He had overstepped. God was watching and enjoying Root's innings equally well as 29,000 spectators at the ground.

Next ball, he pushes to sweeper cover to reach 150. Applause begins. It doesn't fade for the rest of the day.

In many ways, this was a day destined to happen. It was inevitable. All other 3 members of Fab-4 of this generation (Virat Kohli, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson) are already the captains of their countries. Kohli and Smith got hundreds in their first test as captain, while Kane got 91. It was almost as if Joe was due to get a ton at the ground he relishes batting so much. He is now also the fastest to reach 1000 runs at Lords(17 innings) surpassing Strauss (19 innings). He is sixth England captain to get a 100 in his first test. (Previous all 3 captains Strauss, KP, Cook had done it)

He is undoubtedly the best batsman England have ever produced. I remember his debut against India in Nagpur where he scored 73 and 20*. I had a special feeling about him. He looked like a school boy ready to take on the world. Little did I notice that he will go on to become this good. He has an insatiable hunger to improve. He is one of few players who play all formats for England. He has all the shots in the book, can play any situation.

This hundred will definitely settle him into this new England captain role. Admittedly, it was riding on a lot of luck. 2 dropped chances and once out off a no-ball, but like they say, "fortune favors the brave". Root made sure that he made most of it. He was aggressive throughout the day and in the evening session at one stage he had scored 94 off 83 balls in 150 runs partnership with Moeen. He wasn't ready to slow down to savor the moment. He was there to put South Africa out of the match. There is a lot of work to be done, but it is nice start for sure.

The butterflies in the stomach are gone. The monkey is off the back. Highest score in first innings as England skipper. Captain Root sets a new marker for England. Shine Joe, Shine.

Crisis looming Test Cricket?

Test cricket is dying. Not yet. But, soon it will if it keeps on getting ignored by ICC and the current state is very delicate. Let's investigate it a little further.

Test cricket is the ultimate form of not only cricket, but all forms of sports. It tests you like nothing else. It will peel you off gradually layer by layer and finds out all about you. It will reveal what you are made of from inside. The highest possible form. The summit. There is nothing like it. It explores you 6 hours a day continuously for 5 days. You don't lose or win a test match by fluke. Victory has to be absolute. You won't lose a test match by a one-over disaster. You will lose it slowly and there are hardly any upsets. If you have got a flaw, it will be exposed over and over and unless you find a cure for it, you will be gone. Just like that. There are no fielding restrictions, one bowler will keep on probing you till he gets you or you get him. There is follow-on, night-watchman, declaration, Lunch, Tea and all those things. You have to use the best conditions for bowling, batting and give the opposition what they like the least. It is a battle of patience, technique, temperament, character and skill. As Sir Ian Botham said, "What's not to like in test cricket?" It is pure joy. It is a class above all other formats.

But, current state of Test cricket is abysmal. So many problems have loomed test cricket. Crowd attendance is getting poorer each day. Star Players are not playing test cricket. There are games without context. The pay players get for playing test cricket is not matching to that to T20 leagues and so on. It warrants immediate attention from ICC. If unchecked, this may lead to extinction of test cricket as we know it altogether.

One of the big factors causing slump in test cricket is the fact that big players Like AB deVilliers, Chris Gayle etc. are opting out of it. The usual excuse is to keep themselves fit for the world cup or extend their cricket careers. Or the ostensibly palpable fact that they can earn a lot more money by playing just a few weeks of ludicrous T20 leagues than they would if they play test cricket for whole year. To me, world cup build up is one of the most overrated things in cricket. There are knockouts in a world cup and cricket is one of the sports in which you don't have to play bad to lose. The opposition brilliance might do it. One player in opposition can take the game away from you. You can't prepare for something like that with complete certainty. Of course, you can do a lot of drills, play a lot of matches to acclimatize yourself, but it will remain uncertain till the day. Why prepare ourselves for an ideal situation which doesn't exist? Why not enjoy a full career involving test and limited overs cricket side by side if you are good at it? Why restrict ourselves to doing half the work? Why not savor the longest format? It is disheartening to see the current state of affairs involving test cricket.  Because of these T20 leagues hampering the availability of players, hardly any team is putting their best XI on the field for a test game at all. Players pull crowd and if good players aren't around, crowd won't come.

Well. Let's talk about T20 leagues. There are T20 leagues going on in every country now. Very recently, Cricket South Africa announced the onset of their own T20 league. So, there we have it. T20 leagues in India, Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and so on. Even England are planning to  remodel their T20 blast structures to a city based structure. How far it will go can't be said at this stage. It is certainly a potential threat to the very existence of test cricket. If people don't go to watch test matches, the game won't survive. A big part of cricket will die.

For International cricket to thrive and prosper, more teams should be playing test cricket and above all, all great players should be playing test cricket. Very recently, ICC added two more teams Afghanistan and Ireland to their test arena and I certainly couldn't be happier about it. To me, it was an absolute moment of joy. Test cricket needs more teams and competitive matches. The crowd attendance in countries (other than England and Australia) have been deteriorating continuously for test cricket. In some parts of the world, the perception of test cricket is diminishing. They prefer T20. There is music, slam-bang batting, starting the game with a fire and all that. It is certainly exciting and undoubtedly, cricket has grown a notch up because of it. But, by abandoning test cricket, we risk losing the sacred legacy of the beautiful game we love. Test cricket needs safeguarding and desperate measures are needed. It is really frightening to see that if the current stage continues, then it may reach the point of no return.

Test cricket is all about heritage and tradition. Bring on pink ball, day-night, four-day tests or test championship. It hardly matters. As long as superstars are opting out of it, it won't be the same. Spectators go to watch cricket to watch quality cricket and only the reinstatement of good players can provide them that. The gap between earning due to T20 leagues and national contracts for test cricket needs to lessen. ICC could provide giving more context to the test matches by launching test championship.  That would encourage interest among players, spectators and broadcasters. Talks about it have been going on for a while and it is time that something actually happens in this direction.

Test cricket needs its fans. It needs protection from ICC. After all, it is the mother of all forms. Hopefully, things will sort themselves out and the inheritance of test cricket will last forever.

Why do we watch cricket?

After spending an eternity of watching cricket, today I had an epiphany: Why do I watch cricket? Why does anyone watch cricket at all? Why waste the precious time of  our lives on some silly game? The game where someone keeps on hitting a piece of leather with a stick. I mean what kind of game is that? Hitting things with a piece of wood, two players playing and rest others watching, a guy in funny hat making strange gestures. No. No. We need to stop this madness. This doesn't make any sense.

All sports are absurd in some sense. Take Football for example. 22 guys are crazy for one ball to go into some rectangular net. They could have been doing million other things at that time. Like reading and writing letters to their loved ones,  taking a world-tour, eating pizzas etc. But, they would rather spend those hours of life kicking a round thing. what is the fun in that?

Take another example. Tennis. Two guys are hitting a ball back and forth across a netted-wall till one guy dozes off to sleep or decides to sneak a peek to surroundings. Why can't they do something else with their time? Why can't they stop the madness and be sane like rest of us?

Sports has an enormous wide spectrum in things-to-do. In some sports, animals race for their masters, in some sports, people actually run on animals, in some sports, people run for no reason, in some sports, you have to do some stunts. Some sports are played with hands, some with legs, some with both. Some sports are played on land, some in water, some in air. There is no fixed standard. It seems like Sports is idiotic after all.

But, cricket has got to be the oddest of all sports. It involves ridiculous number of rules, idiosyncrasies, inexplicable rules, inconsistent and weirdly long hours and worst of all, two players having fun and rest of them thinking about dinner. So, why do we watch this mindless game at all? Why? Do we choose cricket? Or Does cricket choose us? Let us investigate a little further.

Every time I ask any fellow, "Why do they watch cricket?" They call me a "buffoon". They love the game, but they don't seem to have the answer. But, I reckon there are at least 42 reasons to watch cricket. I can't list them all down here. Nevertheless I will provide a glimpse of possible rationale:

Is it because of excellence?: There is no doubt that cricket admires and appreciates excellence. Some sportspersons are freakishly good at what they do. Same is true in cricket. Batsmen like Bradman, Tendulkar, DeVilliers, Ponting, Lara, Sobers etc. inspire millions and people are often in awe of them. There is nothing more motivational to human soul than watching a fellow being excel at something. When people watch their heroes shine, it stirs them up to be the best in their respective fields. Cricket helps in this.

Because of an outlet from real life?: There is no denying that normal life can be boring and dull as hell sometimes. The ennui and despair of life can be daunting at times, that's for sure. Cricket provides a perfect outlet. People watch cricket to refresh themselves. Adolescent people are often so worried about the future and they succumb to weltschmerz of life. Cricket comes as a perfect rescue. It nourishes the spirit and tells that it ain't all that bad and gloomy.

Is it because it is simulation of real life?: Cricket is as close as it gets to a simulation of real life. Someone once said, "The way you bat, reflects your character as a person". I hardly agreed with any other surmise more than that. Batsman come, play, entertain and leave the field like we do in life. Someone out there is always there to get you out. You have to take calculated risks and keep the scoreboard ticking along. Isn't it a lot like real life? Cricket, however is often better than life. Life often is cruel and unfair. It demands us to take perfect decisions based on incomplete and imperfect information. Cricket will let you decide for yourself and you alone are responsible for the consequences. There is no hiding in cricket. Transparent.

Is it because it is sacred, unadulterated version of things?: Cricket is holy. Cricket is sacred. Cricket is pure. It is gentleman's game for no other reason. Things are so crisp and absolute in cricket. Whatever is out there against you, you just swallow. It irks me a lot that there are corruption, match-fixing etc. cases coming up in cricket. It breaks my heart. But, I am sure things will turn out to be okay in grand scheme. To me, There is no better sight in the world than someone using his feet, coming down the track and flicking the ball off his legs. MAGIC. Silence. Purity. There you go.

Is it because of drama and uncertainty, or Is it because of fun?: Might it be possible that we watch cricket because of enormous drama and uncertainly it provides? Things are not done till they are done. It ain't over, till it is over. I have been riled by a number of teams losing unlosable games and what has pleased me on a number of occasions when some team snatches a win against astronomical odds. Who can forget the drama of 1999 world cup when South Africa couldn't get a run in 4 balls and crashed out of tournament after a tie or when India defeated the mighty Australians after coming back from a follow-on? What about Botham's magic at Headingley, 81? What about T20, 2016 world cup cup final over? Or those heart-stopper super-overs? Very recently, IPL 10 finale?

Cricket: We choose you. No questions asked. Men may come and men may go, but cricket goes on forever. Endlessly. Full of joy. Full of spirit. Come. Join. Rejoice. Celebrate.

To Cricket,
Yours....
Apparently forever,
Pawan.

The curious case of Shikhar Dhawan

I just opened the cricinfo profile of Shikhar Dhawan. It is smiling back at me. Mustache, beard, little hair. He is sort of a cricketer, not easy to forget.

But, he is also one of the most hated cricket players in India. Let me inspect the anatomy of Shikhar Dhawan's cricket career.

Debut: His ODI debut was a horror when he was bowled off the second ball on a duck by Client McKay.  On the other hand, his test debut was a fairy tale, when he smashed the fastest hundred by a debutant against Australia off 85 balls. He absolutely hammered the Aussies all around the park. He was finally dismissed on 185 in his debut innings. In the words of Ed Cowan, "He was batting as good as Don Bradman that day". It was an absolute gem of a knock and his stamp of authority on the world cricket of his second arrival. Carrying the momentum gained from that match, he played quite a lot of great knocks in the coming months and finally got a berth in India's champions trophy 2013 squad.

CT'13: Shikhar Dhawan won the ICC champions trophy for India. He averaged more than 90 with two hundreds at better than run-a-ball in English conditions. He was the difference between India and other teams. It was not only the amount of runs he scored, it was the way he got them. Completely annihilating the bowlers and the opposition. Stepping out against quickies and punching through covers, getting back on back-foot and lifting over third-man, sweeping the spinners over long-leg for maximum. They were the trade-mark shots and it really made him special. Everyone chanted the name "Dhawan". Even in my family, my father often asked me if Shikhar was still batting. He was one of the most liked Indian cricketers those days.

Slump in form: But, the wrath of time. Ah! Haven't we all seen it? Good things don't last. What lasts is the fickle memory of good things. A slump in the form was imminent. When you are at absolute top, the only way is down. Shikhar Dhawan got a string of poor scores in test cricket on some very tough tours of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. He was first axed from the test squad. He was doing okay in ODIs for now. Many people said that he has a very limited scoring options and not the first choice in T20. It was reasonable as he didn't get good scores in World T20 2014, which India finished as runner-ups. He was dropped in the finals. Who knows, had he played, India might have got more than a puny 130. This is a kind of butterfly effect which none of us will ever know. Dhawan was put under tremendous pressure time-to-time. It was like every time he went to bat after that, he was being evaluated. Coaches, assistant coaches and billion people: all were out with a notebook and grading his shots, laughing over his inside-edges and secretly praying for his failures. Public memory is short after all. They were the same people who once rejoiced his batting prowess and now they wanted someone else. Sports can be cruel, at times. Only the rising sun is saluted.

Stats: He has 3090 ODI runs at an average of 42.91 and strike rate of 90.9. He has got 9 ODI hundreds and 17 ODI fifties. Only of his 100 has come in losing cause (That was a horror show indeed. India needed 40 odd runs in 8 overs with 8 wickets in hand and a collapse happened). Yet, People have a problem with him in ODI side. Strange, isn't it? I have hardly seen any batsman whose runs matter so much and yet he is constantly abused by everyone. It is hard to be Shikhar, it seems. His test stats aren't exactly remarkable. He averages around 38 with the bat in 23 tests with 4 hundreds. But, to put that in perspective, Murali Vijay averages, in spite of all the hype around him as a test cricketer, averages a mere fraction more, 39. Hard to notice, but FACT.

The lone warrior: When Shikhar gets going, the team hardly needs to do anything. He won games on his own. At least stats say so. Have a look at his ODI hundreds in winning cause. Look at it. 8 out of 9. That is really freaky stuff. Last 100 in losing cause was a brain-fade by Indian team. (Kohli-Dhawan special) None of his test hundreds have come in losing cause. Not many people notice that the runs of Shikhar Dhawan matter than most. Have a look at the centuries he has made and you will observe that when he does well, it is not in a losing cause. When he gets going, the opposition gets deflated, and hammered. When he makes runs at the top, hardly anyone is needed to do the job. It is very easy to shrug his runs off as a consequence of good pitch, poor opposition, a lot of luck etc. But, he has made hard runs, some very hard runs.

Fun-loving Guy: He is one of the funniest guy you will meet off the field. Always trying to make everyone laugh around him. I remember once his bowling action was brought into scrutiny by ICC. (He was less than a part-timer anyway). He announced his bowling retirement in style. By removing his cap and presenting to the camera. It was indeed fun.

Converting limitations into strengths: Shikhar Dhawan is kind of batsman you will feel that you can plan against him and trap him. He knows that. He has not got full range of shots. He can't hit the balls 360 degrees. The best part is he will make runs in the areas where he is supposed to. You can't put fielders at all the places. He will find a way. He always has. Till today. He is mostly conventional batsman when it comes down to batting. Not much switch-hit or scoop. Just pure use of feet to carve through covers, flick over square-leg, square cut through backward-point etc. Simple. He got more than 4500 runs doing that.

Scapegoat number 1: In spite of all the good things he has done, every time he goes out, people have prayed for his failures so that he can be pushed aside. There are more jokes and trolls of him than Donald Trump followers. Dhawan seems to bear the wrath of all cricket fans who belong to Tendulkar-Sehwag era. He is often the most hated person in playing XI. Every time something goes wrong and Shikhar Dhawan is in the team, it is his fault. It must be. We won't lose a game, if he ain't there. He is the country's number one scapegoat. People are licking their lips to see him fail and once he does that, BAM. He goes out. I will say this: He was amazing, so he got a chance. Now when he was no good, so he was out. Still, people consider giving him a chance as poor decision and his sacking a bright one. That is irrational and unjustified.

Reason of hatred: One of the reasons why most of the people loathe him, but don't want to talk about it is : He actually replaced Virender Sehwag when he first came into the team. What people don't realize is this: Shikhar Dhawan was part of India's Under-19 world cup in 2004.  He kept on waiting for his chance endlessly years after years. Everyone else, but him got a chance. He didn't lose hope and kept on making runs for a living. And when he got the opportunity, he made it count. It is not his fault that his good form coincided with poor form of Sehwag.

I have a number of friends who stopped watching cricket once Sachin, Sehwag, Dravid, Sourav, Laxman retired. They can't let go of them. It is hard for them to watch someone else in the same jersey and do well. They will have to compare the present with the past. It is tough. Mentally and spiritually. They think of Shikhar Dhawan as the starting point of that transition. He came into the team as opener. Played fearlessly. It reminded them of Sehwag. Only left-handed. But, they couldn't move past Sehwag. They had a feeling that if he had failed at that time, maybe, maybe Sehwag could have come back. They can't forgive Shikhar Dhawan for that.  Therefore, Sehwag fans hate him. I can't fathom logic here much. There is hardly anything to say. Still, it must be understood that Sports is so dynamic and fast-moving. The game is and will always be bigger than one player. They seem to forget the very basic nature of sports and life itself. Nothing in sports and life is irreplaceable. Good things must make way for great things. That is the way it has always been. It is the essence of life, of cricket. If only people understood that. Players come and go. The game stays. 

Okay. I think I have made my point. Love him or hate him. But you can't ignore him. You can't write him off. Because if you write him off, he will come back at you with the bat. Well, most of the times.

Annoying cliches in cricket

Despite being the most beautiful game on this planet, the game of cricket is full of cliches. These quotes used to mean a lot of things once upon a time. But, now they have been used so many times that they don't mean almost anything. In this blog, I am going to list a few of them which I can recall.

Let me start with the obvious ones:
We wanted to :

1. "Take it ball by ball" : Yes. You can play only one ball at a time. No hints required there, Genius. 
2. "Take it over by over" : Sure. But it is just another way of saying "ball by ball for 6 consecutive times", isn't it?
3. "Take it session by session" : Again, This is like: "I'm so sick of same old love".
4. "Take it one game at a time" : You can play one game at a time. 
5. "Take it one batsman at a time".
6. "Take one opposition at a time".
7. "Take one season at a time".

Bla, Bla, Bla.

All of these above things absolutely mean nothing. Their semantic content is absolutely NULL. Let us go through a few more:

• Catches win matches: That has been established a long time ago. 
• The Corridor of uncertainty: Looks like Hiesenberg at work here.
• Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game: Well, they keep saying that. But, those are usually the guys who promote T20 cricket.
• Play your natural game : What the hell is that? 
• If it is in my hitting zone, I will go for it: And if it is not in your hitting zone, then what do you do? Lend an axe, dig the earth and bury the bat? Huh?
• We don't worry about the opposition, we focus on our strengths: You will worry about them mate, once you get quality opposition. 
• I was just trying to hit the correct area: But, there are batsmen who will clobber you for sixes from your correct area. What if your correct area happens to be the same as theirs? What do you do then? 
• Bowling wicket to wicket: But, what if they are dispatched? Over your head? 
• They were not able to read my variations: Okay. Understood. Try doing that against Good batters. 
• I don't mind going for runs, I am always looking for the wickets : You will mind them if the captain screams at you. Ever heard the captain using swear words at you? What if you give away runs and then the captain gives the ball to someone else? 
• I was trying to bowl dot balls, build pressure and I knew that wickets would come: Well. That was no rocket science. Patience is the virtue.
• Just bowl straight: He will hit it straight then. 
• Once I am set, I know that I can do some damage: What if when you were trying to do some damage and suddenly, the furniture behind you was damaged by Kookaboora ball?
• Don't worry about the ranking. Ranking will take care of itself. We want to take one game at a time : You don't have to be an Einstein to say that. Cricket ranking works like that.
• Switch on and off between deliveries: Tell me something I don't know. 
• That's a great lesson for a youngster watching the game: What lesson? 
• He is better than his numbers suggest: Haha. Numbers do lie then. 
• Good line and length: Good for you, bad for him.
• That's a complete textbook shot: May I borrow the text-book please? I would like to read it.
• Right on the money: Someone should have told me that they are keeping money near the wickets.
• Business end of the innings: Do people start doing business during those overs? 
• Form is temporary, Class is Permanent: Sometimes, class is also temporary.
• When he hits the ball, it stays hit: Till how long?
• No matter which team wins the game today, the ultimate and real winner is cricket: But, I saw the points being given to one team and not the both. 
• Early wickets will be the key here: When was the last time early wickets were worthless? Tell me, please.
• Bowling in the block-hole: This ain't so bad. At least, they are not talking about black-holes.
• Mixing the pace will be crucial here: So, we have finally unraveled the secret ingredient to limited-overs cricket bowling?
• All the three results (4 in test cricket) are possible here: Yes sir. Duly noted. Will eliminate the others once we get the result.
• The next session is going to be very crucial: It is always the next session, isn't it?
• The bowler won't mind it at all (After the batsman takes a risk to hit a boundary): How do you know if he doesn't mind? Every bowler minds giving away runs.
• He is living dangerously here: Seriously? As far as I see, there is no danger to his life. It is just a game.
• It is a flat track and everybody will cash in: Lol. 
• This was a nice toss to win/lose: This is not so bad actually.
• Now would be a good time to get a wicket: When is a bad time to get a wicket? Will someone please tell me? Last time I checked, anytime you get a wicket, you inch closer to a win.

There are a hell lot of them out there. I will add to this list in case I am able to recall more of them.
For now, Enjoy the IPL and of course, it is full of cliche. Cheers!

Thank you Younis, Thank you Misbah

Like it is said, "Good Things don't last forever." Misbah and Younis were Pakistan's two good things. They weren't going to last forever.

They aren't. They are retiring. Two of Pakistan's most dedicated and dutiful servants have decided to call it a day on their careers.
                                           
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First time, I saw Misbah in that test series against India. I liked him from the first time I saw him. Extraordinary skills of concentration. Being born in a country where you need to shout to make yourself hear, he used his eyes to talk. He has a mesmerizing effect on everyone he knows. He is so calm, placid and humble that you feel like cuddling him. There was an air of greatness around him.

People remember him for playing that scoop shot off Joginder Sharma, and hence letting the T20 world cup 2007 slip away from Pakistan. But, what none seems to remember that he was the one of those guys who showed Pakistan to dream big in the first place. He carried his team completely on his lone shoulder and brought them this far. Pakistan will win a T20 world cup in their next attempt in 2009, Younis will be the captain.

Misbah, because of his heavy-weights on his shoulders, always looked older than he was. He was the man Pakistan needed. In a world of Lunatics, Misbah made sense to me. He took all the bullets fired at Pakistan's cricket to himself. Everyone complains about his "Tuk-Tuk" and talks about how slow he was, but none remembers how bad Pakistan were before he came. Without him, they would have struggled to bat their quota of overs.

Misbah had an amazing ability to inspire the team-mates around him. He gave the Pakistan their first test mace. It was arguably their greatest cricketing moment since triumph of 1992 world cup. He made hundred at Lord's. That push-up celebration is something, which I will remember for a very long time. He did more with his shrug and playing with his beards that most people achieve in a life-time. He gave Pakistan hope and ability to dream that they can be number one. He made them number one. However short it was, it was their most beautiful cricketing moment. He brought love back to the cricket-crazy country.

His numbers of 10 test centuries with a batting average of 45.84 won't do justice to how he made them. Almost every time he went out to bat, he was judged. By million eyes. People remember him for slow batting, but he has the second fastest test hundred of all times.

No Home tests, broken system, ancient analysis, no proper system, match-fixing, terrorism, unfit athletes. This list is just getting warmed up. And Yet Misbah rose them to Number one rankings. This would be a great achievement in any sports. Let alone cricket. No team has ever overcome so many obstacles to rise to the summit. Except Pakistan. Misbah stopped the madness inside Pakistan's cricket and brought serenity and calmness to it. He mostly succeeded. It wasn't perfect. But, still it was beautiful.

                                                             * * * * *
 On the other hand, Younis is someone I have watched my whole cricketing life. In 2000s, when India used to play Pakistan, Indian bowlers had absolutely no clue where to bowl at him. He was adept at pace, wrist-spin, finger-spin, medium-pace, swing, or whatever you throw at him. He will smash the hell out of it. One of the most talented batsman I ever had the privilege to witness. He could bat all day. If given a chance, He would have batted all night without bothering to sleep. That's how much he liked to bat. There was a time, you drop him once and you prepare yourself for 100 more runs by his turmoil. He could reverse-sweep almost any bowl from leg-stump to 3 feet outside the off-stump. He was an unstoppable force in test cricket. When he came out to bat, you needed extreme skills along with a combination of millions of prayers to get him out. Once he gets going, he used to be in Zen frame of mind. Peaceful. Nothing in the world to worry about. His presence on the crease was one of the constants in the world. He just bats, bats and bats. No non-sense whatsoever. His brain is a cricketing machine.           

Younis and Misbah are someone who are perfect role-models for Pakistani young cricketers. I have never seen them on social media picking fights.

Younis is always someone, who guided youngsters, shared as much knowledge as he could. I was recently seeing a video when he was even passing batting advice to Shoaib Akhtar, and Shoaib was listening with a shrug. Younis always had a genuine smile and watching him all my entire life, I can tell you this: He was one of the most gentleman's cricketers to have ever played the game. If someone introduced Younis to him, you will give him a high-five.

His numbers are as good as anyone. In 115 tests, he has 9973 runs. His centuries count are 34. His test batting average is 53. Along with Misbah, he helped Pakistan reach number one in test rankings. He was someone Misbah could rely upon. Together when they batted, oppositions were not beaten, but annihilated. He was always friendly and he always looked like someone who you could go out on a dinner with. He will smile, make you smile. He was Mr. Dependable for Pakistan's cricket. He was never given the credit he deserved. In a career spanning 17 years, he should have played more than 115 tests. He averages more than 50 at home/away from home/at neutral venues. If given a chance to bat on another planet, he will average over 50 there as well.          

Perhaps, the biggest moment as a cricketer in Younis' career will be the T20 World cup 2009 win at Lord's. He led the team with authenticity and made Afridi a T20 superpower. He will always remain an underrated limited over players. An ODI average of 31 is just a glitch in the universe. He was way, way better than that. He gave his everything to change his ODI fortunes, but it just wasn't meant to be. A triple failures in world cup 2015 meant that last chance was gone. He departed very soon after that.     

                                                             * * * * *
Experience of 190+ matches. Age experience of 83 years. That is not the only thing Pakistan is losing. More than this, two pure gentlemen of the game and two people who played cricket with all their hearts. Cricket as a sport is so much better because of them playing it.

So, Thank you Younis. Thank you Misbah.                      

Best Series since Ashes 2005?

It all ended on March 28, 2017. India ended their home season with a thumping win at Dharamshala. It was a close one. Good one too. Probably the best one since Ashes' 05.

Remember in Ashes 05, when Ricky Ponting made a gritty hundred at Old Trafford to save the test for Australia. Australia were celebrating at the balcony. Michael Vaughan said to his team-mates, "Look at the mighty Australians. They are celebrating a draw for us. We have got them." It turned out to be a catalyst and England eventually managed to win the Ashes after 18 hard, long enduring years.

But, what was palpably visible in that series was that the pendulum of momentum swung between England and Australia a million times a day.

A little of that was true for India-Australia 2016-17 series too. Let's go through each of the tests one by one.

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 Test 1: Horror at Pune
 Arguably India's worst defeat at home. India conceded lead of 150+ on a pitch which got swelled by Smith, courtesy to dropped catches and poor use of DRS. Smith out-batted India alone. Smith had made 109. India made 107 in the second innings. India were belted. Quite comfortably. Young Australian team was on absolute fire. India were left looking puzzled.

 To me, the momentum shifted from India to Australia when Starc managed to lift the team from a dismal score of 205-9 to 260, a respectable score. From there on, it was all downhill. You don't drop Smith once and hope to win. India did it 5 times. India didn't win.

                                                                       * * *
 Test 2: Bangalore gives redemption
 Trust me, It could easily have been worse and India did an extraordinary comeback to win this one. Again, they had conceded a lead of 87 runs on a track, which was keeping low and giving variable bounce. It was Pujara's magic and Rahane's valiant defiance which gave India something to bowl to and Boy, oh boy. India did bowl well there. Causing Australia one of the biggest collapses from 104-4 to 112 all out. The test was done and dusted within 4 days. Series was level. 1-1. Bring it on, boys.

 Pune helped Pune's captain for this IPL, Steve Smith. Bangalore helped Bangalore's captain, Virat Kohli.

 What will happen in the lands of one of the finest captains ever? MS Dhoni. Let's find out.

                                                                      * * *
 There was a significant time gap between 2nd and 3rd test. Australian spear head, their X-factor, Mitchell Starc was out of the series. Though, he was horrendous with the ball in Bangalore, (except for a gem to get Nair cleaned up first ball), he was still scoring very useful runs for Australia. Losing him was a big blow on any tour. And this was Indian tour. The cauldron itself.

 Australia didn't panic. They called up someone similar to replace Starc. Replace pace with more pace. They called up Pat Cummins.

 I have always liked that bloke. Goes in, bowl fast, bowl accurate. Find edges, let fielders do the rest. He is quick. I mean, serious quick. If you don't value your life, try facing him without helmet. Yep. He will bowl like lightening. India pretended that they didn't care. Ranchi was ON.

                                                                      * * *
 Test 3: Ranchi gives Anti-climax
 One of the best things which happened to all the visiting teams like England and Australia this season that they managed to win more tosses than not and hence denying India much advantage. Smithy won the toss and tried the well-set Australian formula. Bat first. Bat big. Catch everything which comes your way. That is game over.

 They got first two things right.

 Then came Cheteswar Pujara. He played like he was trying to own that pitch on basis of occupancy thing. He played more than 500 balls. He played 215 balls by O'keefe alone. All I can remember from that test match is constant chirp by Mathew Wade, "Nice bowling, Gary.", "Nice Gazza.", "Well bowled Sokee boy.", "Good one Sangu.", "He is going to come down at you, it just brings another dismissal into play, mate", "Keep doing what you are doing, Gary", "He didn't get that one from the middle Gazza".

 I listened to him saying these things for around 2 days. Australia bowled more than 210 overs. With 4 bowlers. One of them being Pat Cummins. They toiled hard and hard. At one stage, It looked as if Pujara is planning to bore them out of the series. It often looked like even if a few of the Aussies players go for a quick nap, it won't matter. Pujara made them work harder and harder. He grind-ed them down. When he got out, the lead of India was already around 100. Saha and Jadeja did their part and left Australia around 100 overs to save the game.

Contrary to the experts' opinion, Australia managed to save the game. Handscomb proved his worth. Shane Warne claimed a few years ago with his time with Melbourne Stars that "Peter Handscomb is the best batsman of spin in Australia." Handscomb proved it right. They believed that they had won the mental battle. A lot of people disagreed. After day 1, India outplayed them and saving the game barely is not what you want from a game.

Good thing for Australia was that they had managed to keep the series alive and with a couple of good sessions in last test, they could do the unachievable. Beat India in India. It all came down to the final test in Himalayas. Dharamshala, making its test debut. Aussies wanted to conquer the Himalayas itself. Here we go.

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 Test 4: Dharamshala brought serenity and restored equilibrium in the universe

Virat Kohli was declared unfit before the match and India brought one mystery man, Kuldeep Yadav. People rubbed their eyes a few times to actually believe what they saw. India were already batting-light and they chose to go with 5 bowlers instead of 4? This is a disaster. They are driving the car straight into the cliff. No. Stop this madness. At least replace Kohli with someone who can bat.

The other problem before India was Dharamshala was actually the most Australian conditions you can ever give in India. Yep. There was bounce, there was carry, swing. Everything, which every Australian ever born loves. If there was one pitch they could have asked for, it was that one. It was more like India in Australia than otherwise.

And India lost the toss. Again.
At lunch on day 1, Australia were 136-1 going for more than 4 an over.

It all looked bleak. Australia were running away with the test match.

Then Kuldeep Yadav happened to Australia. He ripped apart Australian middle order. Before the sun set down in Dharamshala, India were batting. The advantage was lost. The beast of momentum was with India. They had managed to remove Australia from top and it was their turn to take the advantage. The plan was clear: Bat as much as you can. Let the pitch deteriorate and grind them down.

At the end of next day, India were 248-6. Still a reasonable deficit to have when you have Saha and Jadeja batting at stumps. Australia managed to keep the scoring down, but couldn't bowl India out. That was beginning of the horror.

By the end of third day, Hope will be sucked out. India deflated Australia both with the bat and ball. If the Australian spirit was bruised on day 4 in Rachi, it got buried on day 3 in Dharamshala. India destroyed them. First with the bat and then they showed remarkable piece of swing and swing bowling with new ball. India had a lead of 32.

Before this lead was wiped off, Top 3 Australian batters were in the dug-out, chipping the nails. One of them was someone who had got 499 runs and 3 hundreds. Australia were still behind. They tried, kept losing wickets. Tried more, and lost more wickets. Ultimately, they got bundled out for 137. Surprisingly, it was only their 2nd sub 150 score on the whole tour.

India had to hit 27 boundaries to regain the Border-Gavaskar series.

Rahul hit 3 in the first over. 24 more to go.
If everyone thought that there was going to be hiccups in the small chase. You know mate, it is bloody hard to beat Australia. Rahul responded with, "What hiccups?" He played with such an ease that It put all of the Australian batters' shot selection in question.

Australia were still thinking, "At least we didn't lose it 4-0". The whole world was laughing. Consoling yourself on a loss of 2-1 when you were supposed to lose 4-0 is the lamest excuse, I can think of.

India won 2-1. Hence, restored the equilibrium to the world. They showed that they are more than Virat Kohli and Ravi Ashwin in tests. They maintained Number 1 ranking. On the other hand, Australia played the best they have in Asia for last 5 tours. They managed to challenge India every single game. They just weren't good enough. They showed one hell of a fight and that is something they should be really proud of.

India managed to end their home season with another test series win. And it brought a lot of sweet memories to all of us. Now, they hold the test series trophies against all nations at the same time. That is something huge to celebrate. Cheers!

That beast called Momentum

Hang on. I am not here to tell the answer to life, universe or everything. (Douglas Adams has already that one figured it out: The answer is 42.) I rather would talk about something more mundane and more common occurring phenomenon. I am here to talk about the role of momentum and confidence in life and in sports.

Why do some teams keep winning games after games? Why is it so hard to lose once you are on a roll? Why does everything seem achievable when you are at top? This question has been around for many centuries. None knows the answer precisely. There is a vague cloud over the understanding of role of momentum among our species and as usual we always make up something for which we don't understand. I mean this: Come on! Why in the Merlin's beard winning should be easier when you have won your last game? The events are independent of each other. The molecules in the atmosphere have changed. So many cells inside your body and your opposition's body have died and reborn since you last played them. Why you should be having any advantage over them at all? Is it merely psychological? Does it exist? No real evidence.

No. Stats will silence you. Forget about stats. Even you must have noticed how easy things seem to be when last few things you have done were awesome and easily managed. Didn't you feel lighter and felt like you could do anything, achieve absolutely anything? Yeah. Me too. It happens. That is confidence and momentum right there. At work. Silently.

Gift of momentum: I don't want to even start over examples of momentum in sports. They are probably countably infinite. Okay. Let us take a few. Remember how England, in spite of being huge underdogs, were able to topple in-form favorites Australia in Ashes 2015. How everyone predicted that England are going to lose 5-nil, which will make it total of 10-nil over last two Ashes. Well, I wasn't very surprised when England actually managed the opposite and won the Ashes. That was actually win from New Zealand test series just carrying over. Baz and co. infected them with positive aggressive cricket and England just embraced it, went with the flow and crushed Australia with the gift of momentum. Don't believe it?

Let us take a few more. Examples of Mitchell Johnson and Steve Smith. Mitchell Johnson was probably at the final edge of his test career at Gabba 2011-12 Ashes. His figures read 111-0. Everyone wrote him off. His bowling average had increased to around 32, his career highest. He took a break from cricket, worked with his mentor Dennis Lilee, came back, destroyed England in 2013-14 Ashes with 37 wickets, murdered South Africa in their home, leading to retirement to legendary Greame Smith, won ICC cricketer of the year for the second time and he was able to bring his bowling average to 27. Almost 5 below to where he was a few years ago. Confidence and momentum at work. Simple as that.

Steve Smith is probably the latest example of how to ride momentum and make your life a fairy tale. His test career had a horrific start. After 11 tests, he was averaging 22 with the bat, batting at number 8 for Australia and had a highest score of 91. He got one hundred after that. Then came confidence along with it. He started his career as a leg break bowler. Today, he is the sixth best batsman ever in terms of test batting ratings point. Ricky Ponting has even used the phrase, "The greatest Australian Batsman Since Sir Don Bradman". How the hell did that happen? He wasn't meant to score runs. Wasn't he supposed to be a bowler?

Everyone was confused how Smithy was getting hundreds after 100s. Is he scoring hundreds because he is a great batsman or is he a great batsman because he is scoring hundreds? Which was true? Which came first? There was no answer. The secret was simple. Hundreds begat hundreds, which lead to more hundreds and so on. Once you are on that road, it is hard to look back and you will even occasionally wonder, "That wasn't so hard, was it? I could have done that over and over."

So, Why does it happen? Isn't it against the weak law of large numbers? Aren't you supposed to fail after a success? How come success embrace you daily on a regular basis when it eludes everyone else?

Well, It is counter-intuitive, but don't worry. We don't understand it either. None does. There is no logical explanation.

Coming out of the pit: So now what? I am in a bad patch. How do I overcome it? I have been failing for a number of times now. Is there no hope for me? How to come out of the pit of failures when success is mostly about confidence and momentum? Isn't it a chicken and egg problem? You need to succeed to gain confidence and you need confidence to succeed. This is so confusing. Ugh.

About that, Yes it is. It is just so hard to break the shackles first time. Once you are over that, then you are unstoppable. First step is always the toughest one. You must have heard the quote, "The hardest thing to do is to begin". Just try to win the first game and see the magic of momentum take you over. Of course you need to work harder and harder every time, but the effort gets reduced. It is like starting a rolling car on a surface, once you take over the static friction, Kinetic friction is always lower than that. Just have the self-belief that you can turn it around. It is never as bad as it looks. None is invincible. You just need to knock it harder and harder and someday you are going to cross the winning line.

Ride the wave of Goddess of momentum. Make the most of it. Enjoy it as much as you can. Never ever take it for granted. You never know when she will desert you. Even when she does, just remember that you are one good performance away. She has not left you forever. Just try harder next time. Win her back. Never let her go.

I am still trying to understand it at a spiritual level. I don't know why confidence and momentum works either. I guess I will never know. More in the next blog post.

Thanks.