Dhoni makes waves of all kinds in Goa

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Reports indicate that Mahendra Singh Dhoni happens to be the most popular cricketer in the world after that man called Sachin Tendulkar. While Tendulkar has had an international career of 21 years now Dhoni is just 29-year-old not having been on the horizon for full six years even.

And there’s an area of the game where he has already overshadowed the Grand Master, who has numerous world records under his belt. Dhoni has proved to be an outstanding leader and his success record at all levels has simply been incredible so far.

No wonder he has been hailed as the best captain in the world at the moment, having accomplished conquests with consistency. No discredit meant to the feats of Tendulkar of late but Dhoni’s inspirational captaincy has been the key factor in the continued success of Team India.

Dhoni has been such a calming influence on a team that has the vast experience as well as the raw talent to come good in all conditions. He has been chiefly responsible for taking India to the top of the ladder in the Test rankings. The manner in which he is moving there’s very little doubt in one’s mind that his team would become the leaders in the other two formats of the game as well.

I had written the first-ever article on this blog exactly a couple of years ago captioned ‘Dhoni: The toughest not the luckiest.” He has proved me absolutely correct although it’s very difficult to the extent of next of impossible to predict about the success of any Indian in any given field with so many external factors involved.

Dhoni, I maintain, is an extraordinarily gifted soul who has perfected the art of concealing his emotions. Seldom does he react adversely in the grimmest of situations and commands complete respect from the seniors as well as the juniors.

I don’t know how many management books has he read or what else he does to enhance his own mental toughness the fact remains that he is the single greatest motivating factor behind the success of the new-look Indian team.

He knows better than anybody else than nothing could be taken for granted. He’s very much aware of the fact that you have to do the basics right first before thinking of further progress. He has set very high standards for himself but I get the impression that he’s not traditional hard task master who would scare any of his teammate.

Dhoni’s modesty has also had a role in ensuring the boys and elder statesmen in the side remain in peace and complete comfort under his leadership. He’s not willing to put undue pressure on any of them with everyone assigned a definite role.

The cool head of coach Garry Kirsten must have helped Dhoni considerably in extracting the best from the team in every situation. I think they represent an improved version of John Wright and Sourav Ganguly.

With the wet outfield preventing any play in the third and final One-day International against Australia on October 24, Dhoni availed the opportunity of celebrating the series win by spending time with wife Sakshi on Goa beaches.

The happy couple visited the Benolin beach where they were spotted splashing and canoodling together. It was a rare sight for the other visitors, who didn’t miss to capture the moment in their cameras and mobile phones.

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What’s more important Team India or IPL?

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Isn’t it strange to learn that the movers and shakers of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the virtual owners of Team India, have become so particular in taking care of their star players of late?

Isn’t in funny that they have decided in principle to field second string side for the upcoming home series against New Zealand in order to preserve the energies of some their key players?

I can’t understand the double standards of the BCCI. They have become so much careful and concerned for their cricketers all of a sudden during the middle of an international season.

Forget the World Cup. What about the Test and ODI series at home against New Zealand? What about the tour of South Africa which starts just a few days after the conclusion of the home series against the Black Caps?

Who had chalked out their plans? Who had finalized their itineraries? Who was responsible for ensuring adequate rest for the players besides ensuring that they fielded the strongest side in the park?

When the BCCI have so much influence in the affairs of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and all the member boards appear to be at their beck and call they had a duty to protect the interests of their own cricketers and the paying public.

What’s the fun in letting all the top guns participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Champions League, both of them being the babies of the BCCI, at the expense of their cricketers who should rather be motivated to give their sweat and blood for the national team?

I think the BCCI functionaries are playing around with the emotions of the millions of fans of Team India by compromising on their interests. There’s certainly no need now for having an IPL or Champions League when they already have a crowded international calendar.

Every country is more than eager to play with Team India for commercial reasons. India have had a formidable combination for every format of the game for quite sometime now. Their cricketers are crowd pullers in every continent of the world.

Besides minting money, which they can very well do by hosting more international matches, they have to think in terms of protecting the interests of the people of their own country. It are the people who have made the BCCI rich. It’s payback time.

Isn’t it a pity that the cricket-crazy towns will be denied the pleasure of watching the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh who are more likely to be rested for the ODIs against New Zealand?

Don’t the spectators deserve to see those legendary cricketers? The cricket matches have immense entertainment value and it’s the duty of the BCCI to strike a balance somehow.

I know they are more focused and interested in the television rights rather than worrying for how many people who turn up at the grounds but I reckon it’s unfair to field below strength teams in international matches.

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Kohli makes selection committee proud

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Well it’s an established fact that the selection committee gets all the flak when their team fails to deliver but they seldom get praised or even recognized when the boys picked by them succeed beyond expectations.

The chairman and the members of the selection committee are in the firing line for the slightest of mistakes but they are hardly mentioned when their tactical moves pay rich dividends.

India’s national selection committee, headed by Kris Srikkanth, deserve to be complimented for have reposed confidence in Virat Kohli who made them proud by a match-winning century in the second One-day International against Australia in Visakhapatnam.

Srikkanth, who was a rare attacking batsman in the Indian line-up of the 1980s, described the victory as a confidence-booster ahead of the World Cup. India's highest successful chase against Australia in the absence of five first-choice players, Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh, certainly gladdened the hearts of the selectors.

"It was an important win in the context of the World Cup because it creates confidence in the team. When you win against the number one one-day team in the world chasing a record total, it is all the more satisfying,” he remarked in an interview.

“The way we approached the game was fantastic. The good sign is that the youngsters are putting up their hands and taking up responsibility. It has proved that we have strong bench strength. It's always heartening to see youngsters winning matches for you. It is a good sign for any country," Srikkanth said.

“We have held meetings with the captain, coach, team management and the BCCI. We know what they are doing with the board. We have drawn up a beautiful plan in coordination with all sides concerned. We're on track," he reckoned.

Kohli, in particularly, batted exceptionally well to guide India to a resounding five-wicket victory with plenty of deliveries remaining.

“Honestly I was struggling to get runs. I had not scored in last six-seven matches. I was under pressure. I was not hitting in the gaps. It was very satisfying and it gives you a lot of confidence when you score chasing under pressure. I will not say my place is cemented. I have to keep performing well in few more chases,” Kohli conceded.

“You try to learn from the mistakes. You tend to fail sometimes. This is part and parcel of the game. You do the basics right and train hard, it pays back. I didn't perform well in last two series. I could not convert my scores into big knocks. There was a struggle for a place," the youngster felt.

Well Kohli has to keep performing in order to stay in the team. With so much competition for the batting slots he needs to score prolifically in whatever opportunities that come his way. He also has to prove his worth on the livelier pitches that greet the Indians away from the comfort of home.

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India’s rare triumph in battle of young brigade

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

It didn’t look like a true Australia-India game with both the countries packing their sides with an eye on the future rather on present. I don’t agree to the theory of both the nations having fielded a second eleven with the World Cup 2011, to be played in the sub-continent, in just a few months time.

The Indians have had this habit of obliging the visitors by not picking their strongest available side but the Australians have not been known for giving away caps cheaply. Therefore I was little surprised when they chose to enter the second ODI in Visakhapatnam with three inexperienced fast bowlers.

That seemed one of the reasons why the Indians got away with it this time round. Otherwise their young sides have often fared miserably with the disaster in Zimbabwe having taken place just a few months ago.

The Aussies proved too fragile themselves to contain the flamboyant duo of Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina while defending a total of 289. Stand-in captain Michael Clarke didn’t have the ammunition to come good on the flattest of tracks.

I was under the impression that the match had gone Australia’s way once they had plundered 84 runs in the last five overs of the innings. Cameroon White continued to be India’s nemesis and the experienced Clarke had no problems in milking the bowling.

Australia, having been jolted at the start of the innings by the seasoned left-arm quickie, Ashish Nehra, seemed to have done a great job by setting target of 290 in the end because at no point one foresaw them crossing the barrier of 250.

As we have become accustomed to watching over the years the Indian bowlers were taken for far too many runs in the final overs after having exercised control in the earlier part of the innings.

But there was an unusual story when India began the chase. Having depended heavily on the tried and trusted trio of Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir for kickstarting their innings they had three new faces with two of them, Murali Vijay and Shikar Dawan, failing not unexpectedly.

The third one, Kohli, turned it around with the knock of his life yet. His magnificent century lifted the home side and his productive partnerships with Yuvraj Singh and Raina settled the issue decisively.

It was one of the rare occasions when the youngsters had done it on their own for the home side who were prone to crashing in the absence of their star performers. Kohli proved many critics wrong with his technique and temperament.

There was not much element of surprise in the half-century of Yuvraj, having had to struggle for form and fitness for the past many months, but the knock of Kohli was something of a sensation.

Raina’s onslaught took the pressure off the limping Kohli, who celebrated his ton with a series of boundaries to seal the fate of the game. Ideally he would have liked to stay until the end but he was caught in the deep once more while attempting to clear the fence. We have seen him so many times getting dismissed in such a manner.

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ICC warning should serve as wake-up call for Ijaz Butt and protagonists

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Ijaz Butt has strong connections in the corridors of power and he has appeared least bothered about managing the affairs of Pakistan cricket in a professional career throughout his two-year tenure.

New records of nepotism and corruption have been created in his era and yet he has the burning desire to seek extension. He has brought the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) at the brink of disaster. If he’s allowed to rule a little longer it will come as little surprise to find Pakistan touching new lows.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has issued a strict warning to the PCB to implement a series of measures to solve problems faced by the country’s cricket or risk sanctions.

“The PCB must act and be seen to be acting to uphold the zero-tolerance attitude to corruption in sport and conduct a thorough review of players’ integrity, educate them, implement a process and introduce an anti-corruption code in their domestic cricket,” the ICC said in a statement after their recent two-day board meeting in Dubai.

“If the PCB fails to carry out the above to the satisfaction of the board within the next 30 days, the board will consider what further action (including, if appropriate, sanctions) is required in the circumstances,” it said.

The Pakistan cricket was rocked by allegations of spot-fixing in during the recently concluded tour of England, resulting in two separate inquiries. The ICC has ruled there was no evidence of spot-fixing in the third one-day international between Pakistan and England last month but another inquiry, relating to the Lord’s Test against England in August, is pending.

The trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohamnmad Amir was provisionally suspended by the ICC after alleged to have taken money from a book-maker to deliberately bowl no-balls in a Test match.

A couple of the top former Pakistan cricket administrators were critical of the ICC for having warned the PCB to take extraordinary measures to avoid sanctions over alleged corruption.

“It is damning. It means that the ICC has publicly called that PCB has to regain confidence of the ICC, and put them under pressure to take serious steps,” Ehsan Mani, a former ICC President, was quoted as saying.

Khalid Mahmood, who headed the PCB for a brief period in 1999 when the organization had as many as five different chiefs, described the ICC warning was an insult to Pakistan.

“The ICC warning is an insult to the whole nation. This step of the ICC is an evidence of inability and incompetence of the PCB officials and they have clearly mishandled the whole situation,” he remarked in an interview.

“ICC has cleared Pakistan of any corruption in the Oval one-day, Scotland Yard has yet to level any charges on the Lord’s Test inquiry, under these circumstances the ICC warning is biased and unjustified,” he felt.

Both these gentlemen appeared justified in defending the integrity of the nation but they should also have publicly condemned Ijaz Butt to have brought Pakistan to this stage where anything could happen.

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Tendulkar’s magic earns emphatic series win

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Sachin Tendulkar seems to be in the form of his lifetime and more importantly he desires to make it count. He has the same hunger for runs as he had 21 seasons ago while breaking into the international arena at the age of 16.

His brilliant knocks earned India a convincing seven-wicket win over Australia in the second Test at Bangalore. If India’s victory in the first Test at Mohali was a narrow one in what had remained anybody‘s game until the very end, they confirmed their superiority over the visitors by whacking them in the following game to be deserved winners of the series.

Tendulkar starred in both the innings. His double-century allowed India to surpass the huge Australian first innings total of 478 while his unbeaten half-century in the second outing ensured a hassle-free triumph for the hosts.

With the hero of the first Test, VVS Laxman, ruled out of the game due to injury and the prolific left-handed opener, Gautam Gambhir, also missing from the line-up, there was greater pressure on the shoulders of the tried and trusted trio of Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and Tendulkar to take up the responsibility of piling up the runs.

Remember India are the only team in the world who register victories at the strength of their batters. It are primarily their top batsmen having been instrumental in taking them to the number one position in the ICC rankings.

Sehwag threatened briefly before disappointing the big crowd and Dravid lived to the reputation of failing on his home turf. The Indians were in a spot of bother and Ricky Ponting exerted pressure in a bid to square the series.

The one man who upset Ponting’s plan was none other than Tendulkar. He outthought the Australian skipper with his brilliant batting and none of the Australian bowlers could contain him. His total control inspired Murali Vijay and together they added more than 300 for the third wicket after the early departure of Sehwag and Dravid.

Another collapse followed after the fall of Tendulkar’s wicket on the fourth morning but not before he had completed a wonderful double-century to take his team ahead. India squandered the opportunity of registering a big lead as all the four bowlers failing miserably with the bat.

The Indian bowlers, however, made amends by dismissing Australia cheaply in the second innings and the home side had all the time in the world on the fifth and final day to chase down the target of 207.

Sehwag disappointed once again and Dravid was demoted in the batting order in order to let the young debutant Cheteshwar Pujara at number three. Vijay played another superb knock but the match was far from over when Tendulkar arrived at the wicket.

It was the third wicket partnership between Pujara and Tendulkar that brought India at the threshold of victory. Dravid had very little pressure when he walked in at number five with Tendulkar in full cry. They completed the job in a clinical fashion.

Tendulkar was very rightly adjudged Man of the Match as well as Man of the Series. He would have also collected Man of the Moment award if it was on offer. He will remember the Bangalore Test for a long time during which he also completed 14,000 runs.

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Lady luck now smiles on Misbah

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Everybody knows that the strangest of things happen in Pakistan. Be it national politics or the most talked about game of cricket one is never tired of watching the most unlikeliest of events taking place.

I mentioned politics and cricket in particular because these are the prime areas of interest for the common man in Pakistan. Every newspaper and television channel covers the minutest of details of cricket because that’s the sport having a massive following in the urban as well as the rural areas of the country.

Yet the game of cricket is governed most controversially. In other words it are the emotions of the people being played with. But who cares here. The present Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ijaz Butt, has broken all records of indecency and his adventures continue unabated despite the consistent and loud media criticism.

The latest from Ijaz Butt is the appointment of Misbah-ul-Haq, who was not even a member of the national team for quite sometime because of the loss of batting form, has suddenly been elevated to the rank of the captain.

Misbah should not be believing his luck. He hardly deserved to be there in the team and now he would be leading it during the upcoming Test series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

There are rumours that Misbah won the nod upon the recommendation of an influential politician, who is also believed to have facilitated the return of Mohammad Yousuf during the Test series against England a few months ago. The stories were also doing rounds that Shoaib Akhtar’s comeback in the team was also made possible by another high-profile political figure.

Such possibilities could not be ruled out because Ijaz Butt has been ‘ruling’ Pakistan cricket for the past couple of years primarily with the support of the politicians who get their work done with the blink of an eye.

Former captain Wasim Akram didn’t take time in having expressed shock at the appointment of Misbah as Test captain.

"I was surprised when I heard that Misbah has been named the Pakistan captain. He has been out of the team since the beginning of the year and to bring him back as a captain was a bit shocking," he remarked.

"They did not have too many choices. Kamran Akmal is there but he is inexperienced. They have also tried Shoaib Malik. Mohammad Yousuf is making a comeback after a long time and he should just concentrate on his batting at the moment. If they have named him the captain for one series, it's okay. He is already 36 and the PCB needs to find a long-term solution to this problem. I do not know the vision of the selectors," he added.

Wasim reckoned that Misbah will have a key role as a leader in the South Africa series, “He will be under pressure. He will have to improve the image of Pakistan cricket. For Misbah handling the media and getting runs himself could be demanding. The wickets in Dubai might suit his style of batting, but you cannot take the South Africans lightly. They are a very tough opposition under any conditions. Misbah needs to work hard and make sure he earns the faith of the team. If he gets runs, everything else will take care of itself," the former captain felt.

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‘Tiger’ Pataudi also bids farewell to IPL

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi has become the latest casualty of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which has witnessed monumental shift in policies following the unceremonious exit of its Commissioner, Lalit Modi.

There were three former Indian captains, all of them enjoying legendary status for their exploits in the cricket field, on board with the charismatic yet controversial Modi, who had proved himself a go-getter of the highest order.

Two of the former Indian greats, Sunil Gavaskar and now ’Tiger’ Pataudi have withdrawn from the IPL Governing Council and the only one left is Ravi Shastri, who has somehow agreed to work voluntarily.

Interestingly Gavaskar had played under the captaincy of Pataudi in the 1970s and Shastri arrived on the international scene when Gavaskar was leading the Indian team at the start of the 1980s.

Modi, whose organizational capabilities were awesome, must have considered many factors before inducting the trio of Pataudi, Gavaskar and Shastri in his team to kickstart the IPL. The council obviously became heavyweight with the inclusion of these former greats and there was no harm in remunerating them for their services.

At least it appeared a transparent deal with no hidden benefits or anything of that nature. Paying these former cricketers in lieu of their services was a fair deal for all practical purposes. Even the figure of Rs one crore for each of them didn’t look astronomical in context of the status they enjoyed in cricket and the value they added to the council.

With Modi out of the equation, in controversial circumstances, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is now pushing for total control of the IPL which is more likely to have as much red-tape as the Board itself.

The BCCI has had its own ways of operating. The IPL, under Modi, looked an independent entity, even though it was working under the umbrella of the BCCI. The situation has become different now and the IPL by the look of things would be governed at the whims of the influential office-bearers of the Board.

The one decision which has caused them to lose Gavaskar and now Pataudi is the recent BCCI decision that the council members would not be paid henceforth. Gavaskar was first to refuse a post on the IPL's governing council with Pataudi following suit just a few days later.

"I have written a letter to the BCCI which states that I do not wish to continue with the governing council. Earlier I was on a contract with the IPL, but the new changes are unacceptable for me. So, I have decided to move on," Pataudi was quoted as saying.

Gavaskar had immmediately turned down the BCCI's offer to be part of the governing council clearly stating that the IPL was a commercial enterprise and those working for it should be remunerated.

Pataudi and Gavaskar have walked out. Let us when Shastri decides to part ways with the IPL or may be he’s not much concerned about the financial matters.

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