A Trip to the Green Park

So close, yet so far: This is what 4.693 million New Zealand people must be thinking right now. They let the opportunity of winning their maiden ODI series against India in India slip away. Just like that. They had exceeded everyone's expectations on this tour. Of selectors, of coaches, of the rest of the world who wrote them off. They just couldn't overcome the demons in their own head. 35 to get in 24 with 6 wickets in hand, you'd think that it was kiwi's game to lose. They did lose it.

Before the start of this ODI tour, India were flying. They had just beaten Australia quite comprehensively 4-1, the only loss coming when they chose to rest two of their best bowlers. It was almost as if they took a pity on Aussies' plight and let them avoid the bluewash. Before that, they had annihilated Sri Lanka in their own home 9-0 across all formats. Before that, runners-up in a quite impressive champions' trophy compaign. And before that, some other series win and so on for the last 2 years. They had been drubbing opponents for fun on their way to number 1 ranking in tests and ODIs.

New Zealand, on the other hand haven't been quite the same after the exit of flomboyant and the one and only Brendon 'Baz' McCullum. They had a forgettable Champions' trophy when they failed to win a single match. Two losses against England and Bangladesh and the game against Australia washed out, brought their exit in the first round. They had been struggling for quite a while in pursuit of making their way among the top teams. This series was supposed to be a no match for them. India were supposed to take them out and use these games as a practice for coming tough South African tour.

Except they didn't. New Zealand started the tour by stunning 1.3 billion Indians. They pulled off an enormous and incredible run chase in the toughest of conditions at Wankhede. The pattern was set: Use the new ball judiciously, take the top order out, choke them in the middle overs and use sweeps to negate the spin. It worked almost too well at Mumbai. Then, in the next game, for reasons none will ever know, they chose to set a target and hence fell away. This was India's turn to use the same trap against them. After both teams came out of Maharashtra to Uttar Pradesh (my current habitat): none had any idea which team was going to blink first.

I was well-set to enjoy the game without the medium of television coming in the way. I was going to Green park with two amazing computer scientists Dr. Raghunath Tewari and Dr. Subhajit Roy. Everything was well set. We reached the venue just before the national anthem proceedings. It was ON.

New Zealand won the toss at Kanpur. They went back to the same well-tested formula from the first game. Bowl first, bowl well and chase anything they put in front of you.

They did the first thing right. Last two things: not so much.

But, in their defense, wicket at Green Park was a paradise for the batsman and it was one of those pitches which will make you rue for the day you threw the bat away to become a bowler. Add pleasant weather and fast outfield to it and you have a whole recipe of disaster for bowlers. To top it all off, two of the most dangerous ODI batsmen in the world were on song. For kiwis, It was like a steel cage fight and the referee locked the door and threw the key away. There was no hiding place. Rohit and Kohli didn't play against the bowlers. They played with them. They hit boundaries at will and India were running away with the game.

Historically, New Zealand have always been the team with a lot of players who do the things in bits and pieces. They always seem to find a way to do well with limited resources they have. They never run out of bowling options, somehow manage to get you out. Their fielding have been outstanding since world war II.

This current New Zealand manages to tick most of these boxes. On bowling options though, they have a bit of a problem. They are forced to use deGrandhomme for his full quota of 10 overs. Now, he is a decent bowler by most modern standards. But, against India in India: well. Not so much. India have always been a bloody cauldron even for the best of fast bowlers. Unless New Zealand finds a good 5th bowling option, it will continue to hurt them like this.

Even after everything going against them in first half, New Zealand didn't bowl too bad. Though, no team after putting the opposition to bat would want 337 on board, I personally felt that it was decent bowling performance. Most teams do worse when two tons are scored against them. After first half, Williamson didn't seem much perturbed. His message to the teammates was clear: "Guys, this is a batting beauty. Let't hit back."

For Colin Munro, the message from Williamson was an epiphany of life. He started hitting the ball as if he had some personal grudge against it. He was in no mood to spare anything bowled at his pads. He was making runs so quickly that most in the ground were thinking that he is getting late to attend a late-night party. Before anyone even blinked, he was off to a dominating half-century and set to make a big one.

At the half-way of their innings, they were very much in control. They had the advantage of dew. They had managed to take out the threat of India's best bowler. India were forced to overuse Kedar Jadhav because of that. Kiwis had managed to keep wickets in hand. Their most experienced batsman was at the crease and the hero of the first match still to come. They were by all means the favorites to break the hearts of 30,000 people in the ground (One of those 30,000 souls was yours truly too).

Then, Yazuvendra Chahal happened to them.

They had managed to keep the spinners quiet till now. Then, came Williamson's slog sweep and finding the top of the bat landing in monstrously large gloves of Dhoni. India got an opening against the run of the play. That brought the couple of the year for New Zealand on the crease. Ross Taylor and Tom Latham are two of their better batsmen. Pleasant to watch, quick to rotate strike and making batting look easy.

But, when they bat together, they are ruthless. India tasted it in Wankhede. Surely, not again.

The required rate at this stage was nowhere near unmanageable. They needed around 8 an over for the last 18 overs. At every drinks' break, they were talking each other. We're gonna pull this off.

Then, Jasprit Bumrah happened to Ross Taylor. Or better, Ross Taylor managed to happen to Bumrah. He was batting so beautifully that he almost forgot that he could ever get 'out'. One slower one, taking extra bounce hitting the top of bat, giving India a very crucial breakthrough.

That brought Henry Nichollas to the middle. Now, Nichollas is supposed to be an average batsman. His strike rate before this game was a meagre 73. He batted in this game as if Jeus was controlling him from heaven. He looked to conquer India with bat in his hands. Henry Nichollas was destroying India's bowling with ridiculous ease. Almost none including 'me' saw that coming. Latham on the other hand was batting as if he were from a different planet. They both sucked the hope out of everyone. They created an atmosphere in which a dot ball was as rare as finding pearls on the beaches of Mexico.

It all came down to this: 35 off 24 balls with 2 overs to be bowled by someone who is having the worst night of his life.

Bhuvi is an interesting bowler. Described by Steven Smith as the best in the business along with Bumrah just before this tour. He is the go-to man for David Warner in IPL. He picks the wicket coming on to bowl at the toughest of occasions. He controls his swing telepathically. He is India's best all-round bowler in last half a decade. He was not having a good time at Green Park.

Bhuvi knows it better than anyone: In cricket as in life, forget the past and embrace the present. When he bowled that 47th over, he was a different human being than he was in last 3 hours. He managed to sneak a missile onto the leg stump of Nichollas and gave away 5 runs. The LEDs were glowing and whole India was celebrating Diwali again. I was on my feet and so were the other 30,000. On other days, it was just another Bhuvi's over. Today, it was a test of his will, fight and character and he managed to overcome it.

The only thing between India and 2-1 was one man. Short in height, but tall in stature: Tom Latham. As long as he was there, India had a problem.

Then, it was again the same hero, who has done it so many times in last 2 years and IPL. The superstar: Jasprit Bumrah. Latham dared to sneak a run. deGrandhomme stranded him in the middle. Bumrah smashed the stumps with his accurate as hawk throw and New Zealand knew in that second that they were beaten by Bumrah's brilliance.

In the end, India won by 6 runs. The maximum number of runs you can achieve in one ball theoretically. Yes. The margin between the teams was only that much. India, undoubtedly were the better side on the day. But, spare a thought for New Zealand. Everyone said 3-0 to them before the series. Add one six to their scorecard and they had their maiden ODI series win in India. They lost, but hardly they have ever got so many positives out of a lost series. They have a skeleton for their ODI team for 2019 world cup.

New Zealand managed to almost beat the current best ODI team in their own backyard. Almost.

For me, it was a match to remember. It was my first ODI game at Green Park and I was delighted with the outcome. I have a lot of happy memories from this game which I will remember for a long time. Now, onto T20I series. Can't wait.

Australia Tour of India 2017

Australia and India both have been proud nations in terms of cricket. Australia, on one hand have dominated the whole cricketing world for a very long time and unarguably the greatest cricketing nation of all time. India, however have progressed spectacularly well in last 20 years and they have as good a team as they ever had. In the beginning of this year in 2017, Australia toured India for 3 tests. Later on, in September-October they came back to complete the limited over leg of the tour. The 4-match test series between them was a huge success. From DRS brain-fade of Steve Smith to O'keefe destroying India in the first match, From Pujara marathon knocks to Rahane's dynamic captaincy, it was a blockbuster series. I have already written over that here.

Coming to this limited over leg of the tour, Australia came to India with possibly the worst momentum they could have. They didn't win a single match in ICC Champions Trophy 2017. That makes them the only top nation who have failed to win a single match in Champions Trophy since 2009 (when they had won the tournament). They were rusty in the test series against Bangladesh where they somehow managed to hold onto a drawn series after losing the first test. Though Bangladesh are a very formidable opponents at home, still this was the first test loss of Australia against Bangladesh and I still think Australia should have done better than a draw.

India, on the other hand were flying. Before this series, they were number 1 in tests and number 2 in ODIs with the trailing points for first spot in ODIs shrinking. When, this series was done, they were number 1 in both formats quite comprehensively. They were close to flawless in Champions Trophy 2017 when only possibly the best all-round performance by Pakistan halted their march in the finals. Just before this series, India annihilated Sri Lanka in all formats 9-0 in their own backyard. They were ready.

ODI Series (5 matches)

First ODI, September 17, 2017 - Chennai
Australia started the series splendidly. They had India down at 11 for 3 and 87 for 5 when they let it slip away. MSD showing his vast experience and Hardik using his newly found wings destroyed Australian attack to push India to 283, which was very close to Everest on slow Chennai pitch. Zampa and his leg-spin were hammered all around the park by Pandya. Australia were asked to chase 164 in 21 overs after the rain break, but India were just too good. A fine spell by Bhuvi and Bumrah in beginning followed by magic of wrist spinners sealed the deal in India's favor.

Second ODI, September 21, 2017 - Kolkata
Probably, the best chance Australia had to come back into the series. They had India all out at 250 and should have chased it down quite comfortably. Instead, they chose to mess it up. Yet another collapse at Eden Gardens brought them very close to losing the series. Wrist spinners once again proving out to be Aussies' kryptonite.

Third ODI,  September 24, 2017 - Indore
For Australia one of the major concerns in the opening two games was the form of Hilton Cartwright. He was brought into the team as a backup opener, but Bhuvi and Bumrah were just playing with him. He struggled to put bat on ball in both games and it was almost a relief when he got out. Both his ODI innings were deeply painful and agonizing to watch. Australia were missing big man Aaron Finch badly. But, no more. He was back. And back with a bang. Finchy made a ton and Australia were set for 350+ when Finchy and Smithy were batting till 37th over. Another masterpiece by Bhuvi and Bumrah restricted them to sub-300 total and now it was India's game to lose. India's job was made reasonbly easier when Smith chose to give very short spell to Cummins and Coulter-nile. Both Rahane and Rohit Sharma milked the Australian bowlers and after they put on a 100+ partnership, it was a cake-walk from there. A few quick wickets in the middle brought some excitement, but the door was closed by Hardik Pandya coming in at number 4 and guiding India to a series victory. 3-0 up. India went to Number 1 ODI team as per ICC rankings.

Fourth ODI,  September 28, 2017 - Bengaluru
Finally, Everything came together for Australia for the first time in the series. Won the toss, batted first, batted big. Warner getting a fine ton in his 100th ODI, while Finchy missing out on consecutive ones. India took it for granted and chose to rest their best two bowlers and paid the price. 334 in 50 overs proved to be a little too much for India in spite of excellent batting. To me, Rohit Sharma run out by flying Steve Smith was the turning-point of the match. Pandya and Jadhav gave Australia a bit of scare in the end, but one of the most spectacular displays of death bowling by Richardson put the game in Australia's bag and hence they avoided the embarrassment of blue-wash.

Fifth ODI, October 1, 2017 - Nagpur
This was a game, which was almost meant to be. India showing their pure class and beating Australia in a one-sided contest. Bhuvi and Bumrah were brought back as number 1 ranking came at stake. Australia were restricted to 242 and it was made to look like an absolute joke when Rohit Sharma single-handedly took care of the chase. Australia were beaten 4-1 and India were established as a new number 1 ODI side in the world.

T20I Series (3 Matches)

Then, came T20 series. A series of 3 matches to finish off the tour. As is often the case, T20s bring the teams closer together and it is often a very good way to finish a bleak tour on a high. To Australia's disappointment, Steve Smith got injured before the series and had to fly home. David Warner was appointed as stand-in captain for the series. Australia got some fresh faces for the series like Henriques, Christian, Behrendorff etc. They were raring to go.

First T20I, October 7, 2017 - Ranchi
I have always hated the idea of toss being the crucial factor in a game. Both the T20s in the series were remarkably similar and very much decided by the toss itself. India did to Australia what Australia later did to India in the series. In Ranchi, India chose to bowl first and Kuldeep Yadav making a mess of Australian middle order. They were 118-8 when rain came. Later on, India were asked to chase 48 in 6 overs which was ridiculous. It was easily taken care of and India were 1-0 up putting Australia in tremendous pressure.

Second T20I, October 10, 2017 - Guwahati
This was the first international game ever at newly built stadium of Guwahati. This match transpired very similar to first game, with only difference being the roles of India and Australia reversed. Jason Behrendorff produced a sensational spell of swing bowling to destroy the India top-order. A score of 118 was made to look even smaller when the dew set in. Moises Henriques showing his vast experience of IPL and finishing on a beautiful unbeaten half-century. Series: 1-1 with all to play for.

Third T20I, October 13, 2017 - Hyderabad
It is indeed annoying when the match gets called off without rain even coming. Leading up to the match, Hyderabad was soaked in rain for almost 2 weeks and hence the outfield was deemed not-fit-for-play. Australia and India sharing the series 1-1 and deservedly so. Both teams were equally flawed in T20 leg of the tour and it was overall a nice result.

Australia, no doubt will be hurting after the tour. They have an Ashes to prepare for. They managed to win only 1 test, 1 ODI and 1 T20 on India's tour, which clearly proved India's dominance in their home conditions. Australia have got a young team and they are still a long way off from being the team we grew up watching. Ashes, being played in their home will be a good chance to shed some poor memories of 2017 and slowly march their ascent to the top of the world. 

The magnificence of Jimmy

Let's wind the clock back for a decade and half. The year is 2003. England are playing a test match against Zimbabwe at the Home of cricket, Lords'. A 20-year old Lancashire kid making his debut has been handed the ball. When he bowls his 18th delivery in test cricket, a Zimbabwe batsman heard the rattle of stumps behind him. The stumps will continue to rattle by the same kid for next 14 years. The last one to hear it yesterday was Kraigg Braithwaite. Put into the history books by the shy kid from Manchester. Surely, none would have thought that the kid will become the greatest bowler England ever produced. Overshadowing the likes of Bob Willis, Trueman, Sir Botham and so on. It is amazing how the kid first became a man and then the master. The master, who reached the magical figures of 500 test wickets? The feat only 2 fast bowlers and total of 5 men in cricket history have achieved. Oh yes Jimmy!

Despite having a dream debut of picking up a 5-for at the biggest venue of cricket, Jimmy didn't have the greatest of times in the beginning. He struggled for consistency and batsmen weren't much bothered. He missed the bus on 2005 Ashes and he was overlooked over Matthew Hoggard, Steve Harmison, Darren Gough, Simon Jones etc. He got the Ashes taste finally in 2006-07 which was a horrible experience for him. He took 5 wickets each of which cost him 82.60 runs. England were destroyed by 5-0. It was an awful beginning. He toiled harder and harder. He was dropped multiple times, but he came back strongly and today he is arguably the most skillful fast bowler of all times.

The journey from being dismissed as 12th man to being the best fast bowler wasn't easy. He had to learn so many new tricks. In the early phases of his career, he was mostly an outswing bowler with occasionally keeping it straight to get the nicks. It used to work for him at Old Trafford for Lancashire. But, needless to say International cricket is bloody cauldron itself. If you don't keep evolving, teams will figure you out. He later learnt the art of in-swingers and since then, he has never looked back. It is as if he is having fun out there in the middle. He reads batsmen and stays one step of them. He is now more dangerous and indecipherable than ever. His team-mate and friend Stuart Broad recently stated that He has never seen Jimmy bowled better in his career. Like a vintage wine, he is getting finer and stronger with age. For instance, he averages 20 with the ball in his last 28 tests, which suggest that his best days for England might well be ahead of him. 

It is easy to be dismissive of such achievements by shrugging off the shoulders and saying, "But Murli picked up 800 wickets!". Well. Being a fast bowler myself (at times, mostly I am dibbly-dobbly), I can tell you how much your body inflicts pain upon itself. You have to hurt your body deliberately to generate the pace in extreme conditions. You have to sweat through the day and can't afford to let your guard down. Building constant pressure by dots after dots. Playing the game within the game. Setting up the batsmen by bowling so many outswingers only to bring one in to hit the pad or wickets. Bowling is pretty tough work.

In cricket, laws clearly favor the batsman. Bats are getting bigger and better. Boundaries are shrinking. Pitches are covered, rolled and tailor made for batting. This game is often thought of as cricket vs bowlers. Even among bowlers, Fast bowlers have the most insurmountable job to do in test cricket. They are expected to give the team breakthrough with the new ball to set the game up. They are expected to clean up the tail. They are expected to gain reverse swing and tilt the game after 80th over. Sometimes, they are even expected to save the team with bat too. Too much work. Really.

Anderson does each of these jobs beautifully. He has picked up wickets in all parts of the world. Even in Asia, his record is magnificent. After India lost to England in 2012-13, In words of MS Dhoni, "Anderson was the difference between the sides." That is how good Jimmy really is. He has picked up the dream wicket of Great Tendulkar a record 9 times. Anderson has a knack of picking wickets of top-order. According to statistics, Of Anderson's 501 Test wkts, 299 have been top-5 bats (around 60%). Some comparisons: Glenn McGrath 57.7% Wasim 48.5%, Stuart Broad 52.1%,  Malcolm Marshall 53.2% Dale Steyn: 53.2%. It clearly shows that he has worked harder and his wickets have put England in much better position of winning games.

Undoubtedly, Anderson is a modern great of the game. He has picked up most of his wickets after 2011 which shows that batsmen, coaches etc. had so much access to his video-tapes, data, analysts etc. He remained an enigma to the batters no matter what they threw at him. In last decade, a lot of laws have been manufactured to help the batsmen. Well. Jimmy doesn't care. He goes and works out the batsmen for a living. He wins England games of cricket. He is a true role-model for any young fast bowler. He doesn't pick up social media fights. He is humble, shy, dutiful, hardworking and a true sportsman of the game. Very recently, during England-South Africa test series, James Anderson became the first bowler to have ever picked up a test wicket from an end named after him itself. Jimmy bowling from James Anderson end at his home-ground. It doesn't get better than that. It was his 481st test wicket. Now he has raced to 501. There are still so many left in the tank. So many batsmen waiting to be shown the door of pavilion by Jimmy's magic. One can easily wonder if he will end up as highest fast bowling wicket-taker in test cricket history. Next Stop: Walsh 519. Then, comes McGrath 563. Not too far, I'd say.

Despite all the stardom and being the spearhead of England pace attack for almost a decade, Anderson has always stayed true to himself and hates the limelight. He is always content with being the man England relies upon in times of need and personal achievements are only a cherry on cake, not the driving force. In his words, "I just love playing cricket. It's my biggest passion and always has been since I was a kid. To be able to do it for my country - to be able to play in Test matches at Lord's - is something I could never dream of doing. The milestones are nice, but they're not what drive me. I want to help England win games of cricket. That's why I turn up every day trying to improve myself. I'm loving playing cricket. I'm really enjoying playing in this team and hopefully that can continue for a while yet."
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Anderson, from right-arm over the wicket. The ball pitched outside the off-stump on the slope of Lord's. Kraigg Braithwaite leans forward to drive it. The ball took a shape and found a way between his bat and pad as if it was being controlled by an invisible monster. It disturbed the furniture behind Braithwaite. James Anderson opens his wings and takes a celebratory flight. Fly, Jimmy, Fly.

How to save Test Cricket?

Test cricket is dying. Slowly, but surely. Viewers are diminishing, interest of people waning, superstars of the game opting out of the game. A calamity is looming test cricket. If unchecked, it might well be the end of test cricket as we know it.

Test cricket has been there since March 15, 1877 and even after 140 years of evolution, it continues to mystify me with its fragrance and charm. It survived two world wars. It went through all sorts of transformations. It continued to be played even before air-journey was possible. Players used to tour other countries doing weeks of journey for this beguiling love. One thing which remained constant throughout is: Test cricket remained the most magical of all sports. In this ephemeral and crazy world, test cricket is something which makes sense.

Test cricket is the ultimate form of sports. In test cricket, the victory has to be absolute. You have to get 20 wickets of opposition to win a test match. It doesn't happen by fluke. You can't skirt a player or two to win a test match. If someone's got your batting/bowling attack, it will bite you and the only way out is through.

Test cricket is struggling to keep its viewers engaged. As technology progressed, so did the life-styles. People are busier these days and to find time for such a long sports is something which doesn't come easily. Following steps I can think of to save test cricket in this dire situation:

• Day/Night tests: This is certainly an intriguing experiment done by ICC in 2015. Australia vs New Zealand Adelaide 2015 was the first test match played as a day/night test. The experiment was a huge success. Play starting at mid-afternoon. Two hours play before taking 20 minutes tea-break. Play resuming and then another break after 2 hours as dinner break. It all looked very exciting. This way more viewers can attend the game without affecting their work-life. It added a new dimension to test cricket and could prove to be a lifeline which ultimately saved test cricket.
  The biggest issue which remains is the pink ball. Players have complained about the softness of old pink ball and about the fact that it starts moving around laterally too much as night progresses. The toughest time to bat is an hour before the dinner break when the evening and flood-lights take over. It also raises the issue over the traditions of test cricket. Should the statistics of D/N tests be merged with Day tests knowing that they have been under very different circumstances? What about ensuring that the pink ball behaves in the same manner as red? Can both type of test cricket co-exist or should day tests be scrapped in favor of its young infant? So many questions need to be answered before day/night tests take over.
  
• Four day tests: The concept of test matches lasting four days is an exhilarating one. As seen in last decade or so, most of the test matches have hardly gone beyond 4 days and the number of draws is almost negligible. So, instead of stretching the game for 5 days and 3 sessions every day, the idea is to play 2 sessions of 50 overs each for 4 days. Each session should take around 3.5 hours to complete with 45 minutes break for lunch. It will fasten the pace of the game and we will be losing only a total of 50 overs from the 5-day quota. Good teams will still win and because of shortening the duration, the intensity of the game will inflate for sure. Though it has yet not been tried on international level, talks are being floated around for its initiation. I would definitely like to see this as an experiment. It could be combined with day/night tests as well to provide extra spice.
  Issues with this will likely be: tiredness of players. Playing two 50 over sessions for 4 days in a row will be a demanding one. It will take its toil over the mental and physical health. Since the number of overs proposed in a day are 100, flood-lights need to be used in the last hour or so.
• Two-tier test cricket: A lot of talks are going on around the future of test cricket as being a two tiered one. Teams like Sri Lanka and West Indies have slipped to the nadir in their cricket history. They are getting swallowed by the strong teams in 5-day format(home and away both). So, the proposal is to make the test arena two-tiered. Now that Afghanistan and Ireland have been added as test nations, there are total of 12 full members. So, the division could be six teams (based on the ICC test rankings) each playing home and away series with each other in their group over the duration of 4 years and then finally leading to a test championship. Have a look at the years in which test countries got their status: England - 1877, Australia - 1877, South Africa - 1889, West Indies - 1928, New Zealand - 1930, India - 1932, Pakistan - 1952, Sri Lanka - 1982, Zimbabwe - 1992, Bangladesh - 2000, Ireland - 2017, Afghanistan - 2017. As you can see, most of the countries got the test status so so long back.
  It is certainly unfair that some country getting the test status even before the introduction of modern game continues to rip the benefit forever. Cricket is a challenging game and you need to be on the top of the game everyday to ensure your existence. If someone can't cope up with the challenge, it is only upright that they be slided down to division two where they can reinvent themselves and come back stronger. Letting them brutally crushed by the strong teams won't their morale or test cricket any good. Test cricket is one format, where you need to be at the top of your game for a long duration to make your presence felt. 5 days is enormous time to compete against someone you are not upto. By having two-tiered test cricket, number of one-sided games will reduce, viewers will more engaged, no match will be a meaningless one and it will be for the greater good of the game.
   
• Increasing the match fee to 75k $ for each player: Match-fee is like elephant in the room when it comes down to any kind of sports. I think one of the most important factors in decline of test cricket is funding level to the players. Financially adept countries like India, England, Australia can afford to pay huge chunks of money to their players to keep them available for their crucial games, while poor countries like West Indies, Sri Lanka, Pakistan etc. are forced to see the back of their superstars to the T20 leagues and things like Kolpak etc. It is a gloomy situation. ICC can step in and take proper steps for the equitable distribution of money among the board and players across the countries. A standard match fee of 75k$ should be reserved to each player in playing XI irrespective of the country and series.

• Forcing the star players to play: In recent few years, some of the players have started to choose which series to play in. It is disastrous for the health of cricket. It creates uneasiness about unfair treatment in dressing room. Some players get insecure about their positions knowing that they might be dropped once big guns come back. For example: AB DeVilliers opted not to play the longer formats citing reasons over injury and workload. He participated in IPL, CPL last year which aggravated his injury. Though perfectly understandable is the fact that he is father of two children and this is certainly the time for him to earn enough money to have financial security for future, it has caused detrimental effect on test cricket. Undoubtedly, AB is a gifted cricketer and a crowd-puller. Any team with him in it is a force to reckon with. It is disappointing from the game and fan's perspective that he chose to take such a measure. Other examples of star players who have taken a sabbatical from test cricket are Chris Gayle, MS Dhoni etc. It is responsibility of board and the players to reach a mutually agreeable condition under which these players continue to represent their countries in the longest format.

• Encouraging the viewers: Test cricket can't thrive without engaging its viewers. In England and Australia, there is still an enormous craze for test cricket. But, other countries like India, West Indies, Sri Lanka etc. have lost the touch with the viewers. A lot of interesting steps can be taken to continue their participation. For example: Giving free entry to kids in the stadium, autographs of their heroes, lowering the ticket-fee, increasing women participation in the game etc. Fans are the most vital cog in the prospering of test cricket. Test cricket can't blossom without keeping an eye for them.

• Role of ICC: In recent years, ICC has taken a lot of steps in ensuring the uniformity and widespread of the game. Two new test nations have been added, DRS protocol is being used all over the world with the same conditions, rules are being modified to make it a fairer game and so on. ICC must pitch in "Cricke for Olympic" for shorter formats of the game. Test cricket shouldn't be messed up with. It should remain the pinnacle of the sports. MCC and ICC must collaborate to find the right equilibrium over 4-day and day/night tests.

Test cricket is our game's purest heritage. The sacredness of cricket depends on the continued flourishing of test cricket. Test cricket is a real test of character, determination and grit of an individual. It reveals our true-self.

A toast to test cricket which is 140 year old now and may it long forever.

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.