What a game??????......

Ganguly in Kanpur:

Ganguly came back......

Former Skipper Ganguly Led Well

With Dravid absent, and Tendulkar scoring 10, former skipper showed his nerves. He was 83!

As I was going through the news report in TOI this morning, I could summarize this assertive come-back in a few phrases ---- bouncers and short pitches,  a very good hit on the head, very offensive seven close-in fielders, and 83 runs amidst a disastrous batting line-up! I remembered Patuadi, and Nory Contractor. 

Apparently Ganguly's batting has improved, (though he does not appear as classy as Tendulkar); and definitely some of his fans have reasons to talk about his come-back against South Africa.

SG,
Bangalore,
Dec. 8, 2006.

Just a few tips......

How to Understand Cricket?

If you are used to only American football, soccer, or baseball, Test cricket might not be your cup of tea. In any case, you can learn the basic rules and terms in the game (as usual there are good books on cricket both in the British Libraries and in Harold Washington Public Library). Then you can now watch several of the Test and One day internationals on the TV (buying tickets may be expensive), and learn to appreciate the finer points.

If you are already an initiated, you might appreciate cricket the way I do. As you watch the bowlings of Harbhajan or Sewhag, you might be amused how they pitch the ball around the same line and length, and get the same type of 'action' on the ball. You might also be amused to notice the pattern of batsmen ---- many repeatedly score runs by similar kind of shots (you might wonder why better fielding can not be done with nine options over the entire field!). Can you change your patterns? If you can, then you become very famous --- imagine if Harbhajan were to spin one ball at 80 kmph, and send a yorker at 130+kmph in the next delivery! Why were BS Chandrashekhar, BS Bedi and EAS Prasanna (the steady trio of Indian spinners) so famous?

If you are a bit more curious about team selection, you might wonder the difference between one day and the Test cricket. If your goal were to win, what kind of pitch would you make? Would you take more specialist bowlers or specialist batsmen?

Now do a simple homework --- read the coverages of batsmen in the popular press (TOI for example) during the Indo-Pak Test series, that had become the batmen's paradise, and check the scoring patterns. You would see the differences among Dravid, Sehwag, Inzy, Afridi, and all other century makers, as regards their favourite (or most successful) strokes.

Why should you listen to me? Please do not. Be happy with your American Football.

SG,
Bangalore,
Jan 23, 2006.

This piece is on the former Cricket Captain of India, Sourav Ganguly..

The Sourav Episode

Khelar raja cricket, rajar khela cricket (Beng.) ..  .. Cricket is the king of  games and the game of the kings....

When my paycheck for research jobs was going down in the USA, ostensebly due to the competition from mediocre Indian techies apparently with the supported by the US Democrats of Indian origin, I came to know of sourav Ganguly as a rising star in Indian cricket. Ganguly and Dravid  found a stable niche in the Indian team --- Ganguly became the Captain and the Dada.  And Dravid scored 8000 runs in the Test  cricket. Both remained as they are due to the real Master, Tendulkar.

Tendulkar always fascinated me, his body- and foot- work impressses me everytime I watch him on the TV.  A mumbaikar as a worthy successor to Gavaskar is no surprise; but how about a Kolkatan who sprang from a family that cannoy boast of neither the likes of Gavaskar, nor the Nawab Pataudi. When young, we only talked of Gopal Bose and pankaj Ray.  We were told Kolkatan Gopal Bose could not get a spot because of  Mumbaikar Gavaskar; ironically Gavaskar's son, Rohan, became regular in Kolkata but cannot get a spot in the Indian team because of  the Prince of Kolkata.

Tendulkar and ganguly partnership, as i followed for quite sometime, impressed me. eventually Ganguly asserted as the Captain, a batsman with distinguished accomplishment in Test and one-day International cricket, and became to be judged the most succesful indian cricket captain. Through ups-and-downs, suspensions and garnishment of  match fees, and the media controversies, Ganguly apparently bids farewell to the Indian team sooner than anticipated.

There are no Jyoti Basus in cricket --- players come and go. some play longer than others, and captains retain their power for several years.  Azhar's fate was not so splendid with the law enforcement officials, and Tendulkar-Ganguly pops up among the Kolkata fans at times .  I remember reading, in the Bengali press, instances of cricket fans garlanding Tendulkar and Sourav's effigy with sandals, several years ago. Some other cricket fans, apparently unhappy with the unceremonius exit of the former Captain, are disrupting normal civic life in Kolkata now. Kolkatans express sentiments, hope and despair thus.

As I go through Sorav's impressive personal data sheet, I do not know what personal imlestone he could possibly achieve in the short-term now -- except that playing for the team few more seasons. Proverbial Tendulkar is also likely to face the same dilemma soon. Irfan Pathan may replace Ganguly as a batsman-all-rounder, but I am sure if he could possibly become a captain. Dravid met with early success, though Dravidians in Chennai disappointed him, and Gujrati's in Ahmedabad called him back from Kanpur.

What is at stake? Sourav would loose his match fees (his predecessors in the 70's did not get much) after his exit; his statistical averages may or may not improve even if he stays. Captaincy record already is outstanding.

Who are the people concerned? The selection committee voted for his exit. Some of the professionals in the cricket world  want him to continue --- they expect 'normal retirement', not a banishment amidst controversy. However Bengali politicians, both left- and nono-left- , found an issue in the controversy (i did not know that the leftists watch Test cricket, in addition to the favourite soccer!). Gone are the rhetorics of politicising the masses and the institutions for braoder social good!

What can Sourav do? Sooner or later he would retire in a normal way. He should be pleased that he continued so long in the lime-light --- and did not become another Gopal Bose. He should be amused to learn that a person of my profession followed his career! And with the support he received from Pranab and priya, in addition to CM Buddhadeb and MP Karat, he can surely plan to become an MP from Kolkata. He should also claim a bigger pay than Mr. Chandan Basu 9the illustrious son of legendary father) and can become Director in a number of companies in Kolkata. This would keep him busy along with the other commitments he had in business and the cricket Academy. of course he should continue with first class cricket.

There are no Jyoti Basu's in cricket! Is it a farewell for Sourav now? May be. Would it be a farewell ever? Of course.

SG,
Bangalore,
Dec. 16, 2005.  

To be completed soon...

Colourful Cricket in Delhi

As the Test match in Kotla ground continues, I must mention the colourful cricket in Delhi... you must enjoyed all sorts of cricket that paid for you ticket.

Though failure of the skipper dravid to score a Century may bothar cricket commentators in TOI, and the Southie and delhite policy makers, on cannot but talk about Tendulkar, Murali, Kumble and the Srilankan skipper.  

Tail-ender and night-watchman  were the terms in vogue during Tiger Pataudi's time, the failure of the batting line up on the Indian side (in their first innings) reminded me of those dreadful days (I remember BS Chandrashekhar batting...)

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OLD POST FOUR ( IV)

Cricket: Dravid chased easy target and Won
Saturday, November 19, 2005  9:28:00 PM

by Dr. Subrata Ganguli

Another on cricket....

Amazing Cricket at Karachi

"Bhago hiyanse bachcha...(Hin.)..."  After Iqbal 
[No rooms for bright kid syndrome].

I wished Ganguly a ton, instead he snatched the first wicket of Pakistan in the second innings! It is one thing to copy Mr. Hoover's commentary from TOI, it's a totally different story facing Akhtar with a bat in the hand! Had Ganguly turned the bat by 5 degrees more (refer to his first innings batting), he could have gotten a four or six; he got caught instead. I would like to see Ganguly back as a bowler, so that he could compete wih Afridi.


The first two Tests were only runs, but  bad on wickets. If you go through the score-card (either Yahoo India or India times) in the Third Test, you might notice the number of missed centuries as two; but you would miss at least four patches of football (Tendulkar had experienced one of them), and at least four missed catches (Indian batsmen were saved at least four times). At the end, with India 251 for 9, I was wondering if Yuvraj could take the team to draw. Dravid must have been praying to God for fog, rain and cloud! 

Mr. Hoover of TOI might post-mortem the failure of  the Indian and Pakintani batsmen in the two Indian and one Pakistani innings with his dispassionate professionalism, as he did with Sourav in the past. I however was impressed by  the half-centuries of all the seven batsmen out in the second Innings of the Pakistan. Pakistani players must have shared the luck, credit and joy equally well.

The first two Test matches were, at best, boring. The Iqbal Stadium displayed cricket at its best.

SG,
Bangalore,
Feb 3, 2006

.. A comment on the Test Match at Bangalore....

Pakistan played good cricket in Bangalore --- the statistics of the visiting captain, and his deputy --- is known to all who followed the match. A conservative skipper would have delayed the declaration of their second innings, perhaps until both the batsmen scored centuries in the second innings, or until the fall of one more wicket, or until a short spell of five overs during the first hour of the game on the fifth day. Pakistan skipper chose to surprise instead. Perhaps he was banking on claiming one wicket before the day break. Pakistan forced India to play, and win, if possible.

I watch cricket since Tiger Pataudi's time. Winning a test match was very difficult then. The trio of spinners (at times quartet) always forced the opponents to the crease, and the days used to drag. Indians lacked fast-bowlers; fielding was not upto the mark (Solkar and Pataudi were exceptions). Goal was to draw! Time had changed since then.

Pakistan, since the time of RSS-Jinnah-Gandhi, had neither been the 'true st friend', nor the 'noblest foe'. As a matter of fact, we always mistrusted each other. There had been reasons. Pakistan, in dealing with the Indian army, is said to depend on suicidal first-strike tactical units. During the Bangladesh war, many Indian towns were worried of mass scale water poisoning. Bhopal disaster, some rumored, was the work of the KGB though! Pakistan always blamed RAW for the 'Muktibahini' in Bangaladesh. RAW, CIA, ISI, KGB, Mossad -- or 16 -- any name brand you take, are professionals who mind their own business. ISI can poison me to death any day in any one of the places I hang out. If KGB were to murder me on the MG Road, local police would never be able to ascertain time, place, cause and motive. Such being the nature of the business world (Infotech, Biotech, Steel, nanotech. missile etc. etc.), what can the Bengali 'pancharatna' (Sidhu-Jyoti-Runu-Pranab-Priya) do? They can only consult with the Karnataka 'navaratna', and Modi and Laloo, and explain the nature of the trends in Indian development in a quick photo-session.

Pakistan played good cricket. And Bangalore voted in favour of the visitors!


(To be edited)
Dr. Ganguli,
Bangalore.