Should BCCI take a leaf out of RCA?

Rajasthan's Fairy Tale

 I am not an avid follower of the Indian Domestic cricket or The Ranjis. But I cannot  help notice that Rajasthan's Ranji team has performed exceeding well over the past two ranji seasons and  have even made to the finals of the 2011 Ranji finals and if everything goes well they should trounce and make short work of Tamil Nadu and retain the Ranji Trophy . The scores read Rajasthan 621,Tamil Nadu 66/3 (25.0 overs) at stumps as I write this article . Mr Ranji would be  happy to know that atleast one team is taking the game seriously.

I have seen some cricket pundits accuse Rajasthan of playing it safe in this years tournament finals by being too conservative and amass 621 at a snail's pace and crush the day lights out of the Tamil Nadu .
==>What's wrong with Rajasthan taking advantage of the first innings lead rule to their advantage and winning the match
==>It is not Rajasthan's fault that the ground at Chepauk aided neither spin nor pace.They won a contest with the ball fair and square against harayana in Rothak.Why let Tamil Nadu cricket association prepare a dead pitch?
==>Their game-plan is different based on different pitches and this shows their organisational capacity , their dedication to win each and every game.
==>They are hungry for victory in the final and they deserve to win the trophy this year too.

 Let us not forget that Rajasthan is not standing at the top as a matter of luck.They literally had to claw their way up to the top.They never reached a final before 2010/2011 Ranji series after their run in the 60',70's.One may even argue that Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) started showing their real might from the inaugural IPL in 2008 which they won with a motley bunch of youngsters under the able stewardship of the spin legend Shane warne.They have proved that it was not a fluke by translating themselves into a impeccable team in the first class cricket i.e.Ranji Trophy

 It as not been a cake walk for Rajasthan team.They had to start from the bottom in 2009/2010 when they were in the plate league and they won only  1 out of the 5 matches in the league stages and occupied the bottom of Group A . For the uninitiated Ranji Trophy now has a plate leagues and super league / elite  system where plate trophy is for the bottom rung teams and Elite is the for the much better playing team. Moving from the bottom of plate league in 2009/2010 to winning the 2010/2011 elite trophy and making it to the finals in 2011/2012 in the elite league is by no measure a small achievement . It is comparable to a human chiselling a tunnel through a mountain.

What did the Rajasthan team get it right?

==>They played first class cricket/non limited overs cricket as it is supposed to be played.They did not rush things.They never lost their cool.
==>They planned well and rebuilt their team after they finished at the bottom of the plate league in 2009/2010
==>They brought in good players from other teams.
==>They take their game seriously
==>They play according to a plan.
==>They developed the cricket game in non urban areas too , which would obviously lead to unearthing fresh and untested talent which will not be possible with a limited talent pool. More about it here

Why is the National Team  fairing poorly overseas?

If a state team like Rajasthan with limited resources  can plan well and execute the plan and play well why can't BCCI,the richest cricket body in the entire world whose coffers are loaded with unforetold wealth and treasures do a good job with the national team?
==>What is happening to the fresh talent that Ranji unearths each year ?
==>What is the national cricket  academy doing ?
==>Why are we losing 7 overseas test matches on a trot ?
==>Didn't the current ,much hyped Indian team win last year's ODI World Cup(2011).
==>Why are we losing each overseas test by an innings?
==>Why can't we just draw a few of the games ?
==>Why are we the laughing stock last year in England and this year in Australia?

BCCI is rotten / corrupt / ineffective :-

Well BCCI has done every thing wrong to begin with
==>The pitch used in this year's (2011-2012) final in Chepauk is horrible . It is really is the famed dust bowl.Why can't BCCI appoint some experts to oversee pitches before important games in domestic tournaments?
==>BCCI never managed the players injury properly . During the English tour of 2011 more than half of the Indian team was changed due to injuries . Dhoni also was quick to point out this fact.
==>BCCI never plans an overseas tournament well.We played only a single practise match before the infamous 4-0 drubbing against England in 2011
==>Indian team is also not playing according to a plan.
==>We are relying too much on old warhorses like Sachin , Dravid and Laxman rather than relying on young blood.Where are the centuries and double centuries from new comers in the last 7 or so tests?
==>We are still retaining Zonal based selection system instead of picking players for the team  purely based on talent.
==>As Dada has pointed out here (Dhoni not interested in Test cricket: Ganguly),Dhoni seems to have lost interest in test cricket.Then why the hell does he not quit immediately ? There is no place for half hearted players in the team.
==>The head of BCCI is still not a former test player but a politician though India has a long history of playing cricket even from times before Independence.
==>Why do the selectors go Scott free and the blame is shouldered on by the players when the team performs poorly.
==>Why doesn't BCCI reveal what it is doing (BCCI rejects Ajay Maken's revised Sports Development Bill) with its enormous funds.Is it really using it for the betterment of cricket in India

Why the hell can't BCCI take a leaf out of Rajasthan's successful run in first class cricket?

Sehwag Steals Thunder from Sachin

Sehwag Steals Thunder from Sachin / Sehwag ,The god of records

 Why did Sehwag steal the thunder from Sachin ? Why did he choose to overthrow the Indian cricketing god from the position of highest run scorer in a single innings in ODI cricket? Why did Sehwag choose this day to break Sachin (his mentor's) record

==>He wants to replace Sachin / overthrow because he has had enough hearing about Sachin's 100'th hundred (OR) Dravid's rise in test cricket and hit a purple patch?

==>He wants to claim his rightful place in  hearts of India's cricket obsessed populace by putting together his own enviable set of records?

==>He has suddenly woken up from his English siesta?

==>He wants commentators to again start comparing him to ODI cricketing legends of yesteryears like Desmond Haynes,Richie Richardson?

==>He wanted to be interviewed again by Indian news channels ?

==>He wants to show up at the post match presentation and get the man of the match award from Ravi and co

==>He wants a documentary made out of him in cricinfo?

==>Like always he wants to throw a little surprise to the Indian cricket maniacs?

==>He doesn't want to get dropped from the team for the Australian Tour 2011/2012?

==>He wants to show Ashwin / Ojha their places in the Indian cricket team pecking Order by showing that he is batsmen supreme?

==>All he wanted to do is to play a captain's innings?

==>He wanted to put the West Indians in their place lest they get carried away by their victory at Motera?

==>He was losing a lot of advertisements to Dhoni that he has decided to score some runs and divert the attention of advertisers towards him ?

==>He was on a High?

==>He has just regained his form ?

==>He wanted to get a thunderous applause from the stands which he didn't for a long long time?

==>He was in a very bad mood that he wanted to belt the ball around the park?

==>He was seeing the cricket ball like a football ?

==>Did he have Boost / Bournvita / Horlicks / Complan early in the morning?

==>He wants one of the stands in In Indore, Holkar stadium to be named after him and commemorate this feat

==>He was just rockin to "why this kolaveri" tune?

==>Or he just wanted to surprise / amaze / bamboozle / the cricket fan in me ? and make me write this post (NAY)

Like always Sehwag is as unpredictable as ever.!!!!!!!! He is just being himself.

Stats

Batsmen:V Sehwag
Runs:219
Balls:149
Fours:25
Sixes:7
Strike Rate:146.97
More details here

After reading this post, you want to imitate Sehwag and hit a few fours and sixers ,then go ahead,help yourself here

The Curious Case of Zaheer and India

Just like the film "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" where the film protagonist ages backwards which is most unbelievable,the same is the case with Zaheer Khan's performance and Indian Cricket Team.The is strange relationship between the his poor bowling and team's losing chances.It is a strange but the synergy is undeniable.

I was pondering about the humiliating defeat that the Indian cricket team was handed down by the English team(2011 Pataudi Series),when it dawned upon me that there is peculiar relationship between this series and ODI world cup final of 2003.I find strange similarities between Lord's test in 2011 Pataudi Trophy and 2003 ODI World Cup final.

==>Both matches are important as far as the series is concerned.

==>In the current series the unfit zaheer khan bowled only 14 overs and bowed out of the rest of the remaining 1s test on day one of the test.

==>Similarly in 2003 world cup Zaheer bowled a horrendous first over ceding 15 runs to Australia

==>Indians handed the Test Crown to the English in the 2011 Pataudi trophy

==>Indians handed the ODI Crown to the Australia in the 2003 ODI World Cup

==>In both the series 2003 ODI world cup as well 2011 Pataudi series India were considered the front runners

==>Zaheer khan opened the bowling in both cases

==>India won the toss on both the times and chose to field

==>The current Indian captain as well the one in 2003 were considered one of the very best were highly rated

==>Both occasions India was playing away from home and in iconic famous grounds "The Wanderers Stadium"Johannesburg,South Africa(2003)and Lord's Cricket Ground,London(2011)


In the next important match of the series that Indians play they should do the following to avoid humiliating defeats be it a test ,ODI or T20 or whatever new format they invent in future like T10,T5 etc:-

==>BCCI must haggle with ICC to get to play at a newly built stadium

==>Avoid winning toss

==>Even if they win the toss opt to bat instead of choosing to field

==>Ask some one else other than Zaheer to open the bowling in the event that they are asked to field first after the opposing team wins the toss and opts to bat first

==>BCCI can ask press to write articles telling the current team is weak and so on

==>BCCI can request ICC to drop Indian team a few places down in the ranking on the eve of the match

==>Appoint a stand in captain for the match and give the current captain(who would be certainly a very highly accomplished cricketer himself) a paid vacation to Alps or some remote location

Rahul Dravid The Bhisma pithama/Karna Of Indian Cricket

 Every Hindu epic has a few characters who display impeccable  character.
Similarly  Indian cricket has Rahul Dravid.I would like to draw upon analogical similarities between great characters of mahabharata , Bhisma pithama/Karna and Rahul Dravid.

==>Similar to how  Karna was abandoned in favour of pandavas,rahul dravid despite being a good ODI player the later part of ODI  career was scarified so that new faces can show up in the team.

==>It was Rahul Dravid who first announced that senior players would not take part in 20-20 cricket just before 20-20 world cup which paved way for India's success in inaugural 20-20 world cup.This is similar to the stand that Bhisma took(in staying with the kauravas) when the kurukshethra war was about to start

==>Since India lacks good batsmen in the current series(2011 IndvsEng ODIs) Rahul is being recalled by BCCI to bolster the ODI side.This is similar to th e case where druyodhana begged Bhishma to lead kaurava's into battle despite many younger warrriors like drona ,karna who were also possible suitors.The trait that tilted balance in favour of Bhisma was character integrity in addition to being a good warrior.Similarly though India has lot of Indian youngsters who are keen to make a impact in current series selectors wanted to bring back Dravid who is the epitome of classical stroke play and ofcourse good batting in IPL matches.


==>Have never seen Dravid loose his cool regardless of the moment whether India is winning or losing similar to Bhisma who put up with every nonsense in his life ranging from his old father not asking him to marry as he wanted to marry a young maiden and also allowing kauravas to run rampant when they asked pandavas to leave for vanavas

==>Dravid kept wickets for a long time for India in the ODIs and in recent test series (Ind vs Eng 2011) when  Dhoni wanted to bowl a few overs .This which was not at all necessary as India has always had a great talent pool and it would be very easy for BCCI select a decent wicket keeper from the domestic circuit(Ranji,Duleep,Deodhar to name a few) . This can be equated karna donating his kavacha kundala to fully knowing that the alm seeker is Indra.This is case of sacrifice which was not required from Dravid .

The list is endless and we can just salute Rahul Dravid for  his yeoman service to Indian cricket


Twists in Dravid's tale :- Mr Dependable

Better Cricket Ground

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asking all affiliated units to have dedicated stadiums and quality pitches within two years if they want to host matches in the future.
Dedicated stadiums, good wickets must for future matches

Does this mean that it would bridge the performance of ranji teams and international teams? The current ranji games are played in dust bowls which aid only spin.This I hope will create a better talent pool.

Panacea Of Indian Cricket

It seems cricketers when they get accustomed to any one of the three forms of cricket their form in others suffer.Though India won the T-20 World cup they could not win the 7 match ODI series against Australia but they could win the only T-20 match played after the ODI series quite conmfortably.

So summarising that Indian cricketers can concentrate on only one form of the game why not have one team each of 14 players for each form of game(i.e.One team each for Tests,ODIS,T-20) and build up specialized team.

This would have following advantages :-
==>Players need not adapt to other formats
==>Large talent pool of players
==>Better utilization of talent as more players get chance in the Indian team.

Australia Back With Vengence??

Australians have scored two 300 plus totals in back to back matches against Indians in the recent ODI series.They look like a more commited side than in the T-20 world cup.Dhoni is facing his first real test after capturing captainship from Dravid.I hope he fares well.Australians are looking more like a pack of hungry wolves ready to tear apart Dhoni and his men in blue(Apparently i like team india in tights like in hollywood flick Robin Hood: Men in Tights)

ICL Vs BCCI

Well The drama continues in Indian cricket. BCCI is desperate to keep its tight grip on Indian cricket whereas ICL hopes to give the six-team league a foothold in the India market. We have been hearing a lot about Indian Cricket League (ICL). BCCI bosses are not happy with ICL. They are not even ready to recognize ICL and trying their best to derail ICL. While both BCCI and ICL take pot shots at each other the main benefactors seem to the players.Here is what ponting had to say about ICL :-
Ponting: ICL may lure cricketers into early retirement

Ricky Ponting has hit out at the proposed Indian Cricket League (ICL), saying the million-dollar series threatens to tempt ageing cricketers into early retirement while luring youngsters away from national duty.
“It’s only a concern if there is huge money involved in it. If this sort of stuff gets off the ground, these guys won’t even be playing with their mates, they’ll be thrown into made-up teams. You’ll be out there by yourself and trying to win some money,” Ponting was quoted as saying by the Herald Sun.

So the main question is "Whether this situation benefit indian cricket or not ? Also Will this curb the rot in INDIAN cricket?" These questions remain to be answered.Guess people in INDIA must wait and watch as the drama unfolds.