World T20 2009 – A Reflection

First things first….. Congratulations Pakistan. They won because they deserved to win. They played an expressive brand of cricket & played to their strengths. Congratulations to Sri Lanka as well. Sangakkara as captain was absolutely marvellous. The way he conducted his team’s proceedings was reminiscent of MSD’s world cup winning campaign last time. But only one team gets to win & this time it was Younis Khan & Co.

The two teams that played the final were the teams that needed it most, truly. Both countries were torn by internal strife, terror & domestic unrest. The people of these two nations needed something to keep them together, something to unite them against this onslaught of evil. And again it was provided by the game we love most. Cricket again bridged barriers to bring people & nations together. In the centenary year of the ICC, the spirit of cricket surely lives on. This is why I play this game & love it so much. For me, these two teams playing the final was absolutely apt. Their people needed strength & their teams gave it to them. Bravo, Pakistan & Lanka.

This world cup will mean so much to the people of Pakistan. Ripped apart by civil war & terrorism & their own government’s inability to combat them, this victory will give cheer to a sad nation. Add to this the erstwhile PCB & it’s totally hopeless band of bureaucrats who bungled up their issues so badly I doubt they’ll ever host a ICC tournament again. Confusion reigns in the PCB & I very sincerely hope this trophy will knock some sense into their heads, though I’m not too optimistic.

There are a few things I observed in this tournament which were very interesting & should be discussed. One, this edition saw far superior cricket than the first one. The reason, I believe, is because this was a bowler’s T20 world cup. The teams which shone were the ones which had a varied attack & a large dependence on spin. Afridi & Ajmal for Pakistan, van der Merwe & Botha for the Proteas & of course, Murali & Mendis for the Lankans being the stand out ones. These are all very different & contrasting slow bowlers, some of them totally unorthodox. They mesmerized batsmen from all teams & fewer batting records were broken. I think this is very good for the game & this trend should continue. Great job from the English ground staff.

Two, overconfidence is definitely the way if you wanna lose in T20. Opening match, for example. The English thought the Dutch were here to make up the numbers & got a thrashing so severe it knocked them senseless. I loved the match. It was my favourite of the tournament. There’s something so romantic in the underdog, isn’t it?? Collingwood’s shocked face at the press conference after the match was priceless. Did he think the Dutch came to have a drink & go home? They are a serious cricket team, Colly. Underestimate them at your own peril. Same with the Irish. They are fast becoming a superior side. Hope the ICC’s looking to speed them through to full membership status. I’d love to see them play test cricket.

Three, T20 will serve as the perfect tool to market our game worldwide. The ICC should use it as a way to get more countries to play the game, so our game can go truly global. Test cricket is surely the pinnacle, but T20 brings people together & it should be used in that way, as a platform to introduce our game to new frontiers.

A Pakistani fan, jubilant after his team’s win, shouted at the cameras, “Where is India now???” after the game. A bit undiplomatic I know, but saying that made him very happy. I would like to answer that question for him, with the reasons of our exit as I see it. We were the most fancied team of the tournament, favourites to defend our trophy. What went wrong? Coach Kirsten said that fatigue was a very important factor. Skipper MSD denied it. But I believe our Coach hit the nail on the head. No Pakistani player featured in the IPL but they won, didn’t they?? They were fresh & were able to concentrate. The IPL schedule is too crowded with too many matches in too little time. The strain on our players is just too much. The strain is more mental than physical. Our guys just aren’t fresh enough. Add this to injuries sustained during the event & we were really on the backfoot. Even now, on the tour to the Caribbean, I believe our team is not fully fit to go. The injuries caused due to the unforgiving IPL schedule will haunt us there too.

The BCCI is milking our players for all they’re worth. I enjoy the IPL surely, but I’d like to see fewer matches & less of the freaking “strategy time outs” type things thought up with the sole reason of raking in more money. Come on guys, see some sense, isn’t it obvious?? Our boys are tired. Give them a break. Find a balance otherwise our international tournaments are gonna suffer.

IPL season 2 – The Overview

Sorry people I’m late this time. But Engineering exams at university aren’t easy by any means & my final semester exams were as taxing as ever. But that doesn’t mean I missed any of the action. It was good fun, wasn’t it?? I had to finish all my studies before the late afternoon start of the double headers, though.  

First let’s analyse season 2 with season 1. Season 1 was far better (according to me, contradict me if u like). But the cricket was top class. I was disappointed with the crowds in the middle of the tournament, but that couldn’t be helped. The time outs were rubbish, only meant to squeeze in some more ads & as a result the cricket suffered. Everything else was on cue & very acceptable.

Now let’s analyse the teams performances. KKR, by far the worst, seemingly coz of a lack of vision & leadership. Dada may be a mediocre player you haughty fool (Buchanan), but our Dada is an amazing leader of men & you half  lost the tournament when you took him out. McCullum was never a good captain but it wasn’t his fault either. The blame is to lie squarely on the skinny feet of John Buchanan whom I believe is the most stupid coach of any sporting team on the face of this planet. A kid can tell you Mortaza is a better player than Angelo Matthews. SRK, really I thought you knew better cricket but you turned out to be another Dada basher. Suck on the loss, you deserve it coz of what you did to my former captain.

Sorry for the language above but I grew up watching Dada play & I can’t stand it when everyone takes pot shots at him, even when they know zip about our game. All other teams were pretty good though, Mumbai losing coz of their dependence on Sachin & Sanath, Punjab through sheer bad luck & Rajasthan, I really don’t know why. They played quality cricket & I loved it.

The IPL was a tournament meant  for developing young Indian players & giving them a big platform. Until now, apart from BRC ’s Manish Pandey, the only team giving us consistent young players is RR. Credit to Warney & Co. All the other big performances are coming from overseas players or our own established players. Get a move on, guys.

Now to the top 4 teams. CSK fired well but lost due to a singular problem. Their overseas allrounders Oram & Morkel didn’t fire throughout the tournament. Jakati was impressive among the newcomers. Tyagi & Vijay were good as well. BRC came through due to Jumbo’s experienced leadership. I wasn’t the least bit surprised. After playing so much, you would expect him to know a bit about leadership & strategy. DC were the better side in the tournament, starting so well & holding their nerve to win the season. DD were by far the best side, with a line up that threatened to hit 300 in 20 overs. Add a certain Dirk Nannes & they were almost unbeatable. But T20s are unpredictable games & they lost in a good semi final to the Chargers due to a single knock. 

The final was a great game & the closing ceremony was spectacular. But somehow the masala of the first season was missing, at least for me. I’m looking forward to the Champions League in October, but for now I’ll have to make do with the English domestic T20 cup, far less glamour but good cricket nevertheless. The T20 world cup beckons……. Oh.. it’s gonna be a great holiday…..

India’s tour of NZ- The Tests

The T20s went to the Kiwis, the ODIs to the tourists. T20s are really just entertainment shows which any team, provided its good on that day, can win. ODIs are the next level where you need considerably more skill & wits & execution to win. But even ODIs can be won against a better side if you have the drive.

Test matches are another thing entirely. No mediocre side can convincingly win a test match against a better team by just pure luck. That’s just plain impossible. To win tests a team needs to take 20 wickets & also have the class, character & temperament to bat at least 2 days. That’s why our game is different from other games. A test match is a great judge of a player’s character & his patience as much a test of his technique & skill. It is here that experience gives you an added advantage. And it is here that the Kiwis lost the series. Add to that the fact that the tracks were not typical Kiwi bowling tracks but sadly, batting tracks. I don’t envy the bowlers at all, they had to bowl to one of the best batting line ups ever in world cricket, with almost 40000 runs between them. To bowl to Dravid, Sachin & Veeru in a test match is a nightmare & a honour at the same time for any bowler. The Black caps needed to be at the top of their game to even play catch up to this team.

And sadly, they failed. Zaheer is a bowler in form, India’s spearhead in all forms. Harbhajan’s class shone brilliantly. Ishant is learning fast & the others are playing well. The Kiwi batting is immensely talented, make no mistake about that, but their inexperience let them down against an attack thats firing on all cylinders..

The first test, the only one with a result was as convincing as can be. Good performances from all the Indians involved led to the win. The second test on the featherbed at Napier led to runs & runs. Ryder starred with Taylor for the home side showcasing their immense talent. A couple of county seasons for both of them would make them test match batsmen of the highest caliber. But at this time, they are good only for these type of knocks. But the knock of the match was from player of the series Gautam Gambhir. Displaying grit & patience that I thought he never possessed, he produced an epic 600 minute innings that saved the match for the Indians. Possibly, it saved the series itself. That innings shouted Dravid all the way. It was an innings typical of the Wall.  This series saw the birth of a new Gambhir & damn, I’m excited. The third test ended in a stalemate with Dhoni’s defensiveness being strange. Anyway, the series was won. Top performers were Gambhir, Zaheer, Harbhajan, Dravid & Laxman. For the Kiwis, Ryder, Taylor & Danny Vettori shone.

Dhoni brought home another overseas trophy. The Black Caps need not lose heart here. The team they faced was far superior. Bring Bond back & revamp the selection process guys. You wont get anywhere like this.

India’s tour of NZ- The ODIs

This article comes a bit late on my blog but college took it’s toll on my blogging time, so better late than never, right?? Anyway the one dayers were pretty enjoyable, though for the most part one sided. These teams are not by any stretch of imagination evenly matched. The famed Indian top order came good, and on the small Kiwi grounds, they made merry, slamming top bowlers like Mills & Vettori to oblivion. Especially Mills in the 3rd ODI, when he was simply battered to submission. But the Kiwis are known for the fight in them , & they did fight back, but they couldn’t bring all their players together, like they managed to do in the T20s. The last ODI was the only blemish for India in an otherwise flawless one day series. Dhoni was happy, Viru was happy, Sachin was in form & India was happy.

Only thing that nibbles at me is the pitches. This series was made out to be an acid test for this team but alas! These were not the typical Kiwi tracks that barely allowed 200 to be scored. Why did they have to make batting tracks??  I was hoping for a series in which the ball dominates the bat, but bowlers like me have not a say in this world! It’s depressing to see even the famous Kiwi tracks becoming like this.

Terror attacks my game

It’s exactly a week since the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore & I still am not able to get over it. Until now the perception was that terror would never target the game that the subcontinent loves so much. Well, that view has now been rudely shattered. I believed that too. I always thought that cricket was immune to such gore. This was due to the reasoning that we just loved the game too much. I was sitting in college thinking about our chances in the 2nd ODI when a friend who’d gone to the computer lab to get an update on the score ran back saying that Lankan cricketers have been attacked & its all over the news. My first reaction was disbelief & then shock. Slowly news trickled in that everyone was safe & Sangakkara & Samaraweera were the ones most injured. These are the world’s most decent & well respected cricketers. Attacks on sportsmen just cannot be tolerated. These people came to Pakistan to end its isolation on the international arena. But now this has been Pakistan’s downfall. I don’t see any international cricket in Pakistan for at least 2 yrs, that is, if the conditions don’t improve.

First the injuries, Thilan has a bullet in his thigh. Hopefully he’ll be back in about 2 months. All others were relatively lucky that no career threatening injury occured. Sanga’s shoulder should be ok too, judging from reports. Mendis & Paranavitana are fine as well. Mahela looked shell shocked at Colombo airport on his return.

But I was just as shocked by Pakistan’s reaction. The Pakistan board & politicians & the media reacted in the cheapest manner possible. The board washed their hands off the matter saying that the government was responsible for the security. Where was the security, you fools?? If a group of terrorists is able to come & tactically situate themselves on vantage points with a truckload of weapons at their disposal on the eve of a sensitive game in one of your main towns without anyone even having a hint, how will you protect a touring party?? With what assurances will you call another team to tour?? This team came to help you when the world wouldn’t…. & this is how you treat them!!! Shame on you.            What if something had happened? What if we’d lost Sanga or Mahela ,you bastards, then what would you’ve said?

The politicians went back to what they always do-blame India. One fool openly blamed India on national tv, claiming RAW was responsible. So what if RAW was responsible, you old hypocrite?? It’s your job to protect them. You failed. If you can’t protect them against a government agency against which you’ve a counter intelligence apparatus,how the hell will you protect them against organised guerrilas?? The media joined in this propoganda as well. Sure, blame us all you want, it’s not gonna do you a speck of good. Forget cricket in your country for the time being you dumba@#%s.

The losers in this whole scenario are the cricket lovers of Pakistan. This country produced players like Imran Khan, Akram, Miandad, Waqar among others. Because of the downright foolishness & incompetency of their board & a government weakened from within, they stand humiliated & ashamed before the cricketing world for no fault of their own.

The PCB is as pathetic as the Pakistan government in the sense that it sill believes it has control over events concerning it. I’m happy my team didn’t tour Pakistan & I’m mighty glad I’m not a Pakistani.

India’s tour of NZ – The T20s

The current tour to NZ has already been called as the litmus test for Mahi & his boys considering how all sub continental teams struggle to find their game on the Kiwi wickets. I believe that our team will come out of this team stronger than ever. Yes, it is gonna be pretty difficult since Dan Vettori & his team are no pushovers. They played quality cricket in the last series across the Tasman sea as they almost lifted the Chappell-Hadlee trophy. Only rain denied them the glory coz I thought they would win the series decider quite easily. Anyways our team must battle the alien conditions as well as the guile of Danny Vettori if they want to conquer NZ.
This was quite evident in both our T20 losses as our team struggled to adapt. I dont attach much importance to these losses coz I believe with just a little more acclimatisation our team would have won, and won easily.
But just one thing. 3 balls 9 to win, McCullum on strike & coming down the track, Irfan, did u have to bowl a fulltoss!!?? Even a failed university bowler like me knows not to do that. But good work with the previous over & the balls before the fulltoss. You brought us back into the match.
McCullum was the hero in both matches as we struggled to get the dasher out & he made us pay with man of the match performances. Good knocks from Guptill & Taylor too were handy. Vettori is a class act nowadays bowling with all the cunning & guile acquired in all those years of bowling to the best in the game. His long exposure to international teams has made him fully equipped for almost anything. He is damn difficult to get away & the arm balls are now more vicious than ever. Not to mention the really slow delivery that bamboozles batsmen. I believe we should do the same with spinners like Ojha, giving him more time on the international stage to hone his skills. Bowling to the best will only make him better, won’t it?
There were not many positives to take away from the games for us. But I believe our players have now understood the conditions & will fire in the matches to come. The main reason is this- hitting a 60 off 30 balls is easy in a T20 is easy but building a score needs patience & temperament which I think is lacking in most Kiwi batsman. Except perhaps Grant Elliot, whom I think is a very good player. He has the capacity to build an innings. The bowlers are world class & it is of them we have to be wary of. But by far, I think we are the better team & Mahi will prove this in the one dayers, I believe.

The Chappell Hadlee Trophy 2009

The latest edition of the Trans Tasman battle was being followed very closely since the Aussies losing again could mean that they are really out of it. But in the end it proved nothing. The matches were competetive & nail biters, but in the end failed to prove which was the better team since rain played spoilsport in the series decider. T20’s rarely prove a thing but this time the one off T20 proved how close the teams were since the Kiwis lost by just one run. Let’s go to the first two one dayers, good matches which the Kiwis won, mainly because they had the cool head to do so since these went down to the wire. Vettori again proved his mettle as a bowler & as an international captain. The stand out performers were Elliot, Taylor & Guptill. Guptill looks a real talent indeed. The Aussies just could not get their top guns to fire & its been costing them matches this summer. But in the next two games, it all came together for the hosts. A good fightback from Haddin & the other guys gave them a win. The fourth match was a Hussey show as the brothers finished the game for their country. Both of them are players of the highest caliber & Australia needs them dearly at this time. I’m not a great fan of the Aussie selectin policy but I think this time they got it right with Callum Ferguson. I’ve seen him in domestic matches & rate him very highly. He proved them right with good performances.
The last match was spoile by rain, a pity, since it was at a great situation & would have been a great finale to an outstanding Aussie cricket summer. But the match was called off with the series drawn at 2-2 & the hosts retained the trophy by virtue of winning it last year.
Not too deservedly I thought. But a trophy is a trophy & so congrats Ricky.
The T20 had a surprise as Haddin was named captain & was a nail biter again with the tourists losing by just one run. Adam Voges took a blinder on the boundary, one of the best catches I’ve ever seen & Moises Henriques of NSW too made his debut in Aussie colors. McCullum shone for the Kiwis but the game was won by Bracken’s miserly spell of 4 overs for just 16 runs, an economy rate unheard of in T20’s.
The Aussies are due to leave for South Africa soon for the most anticipated series of this year, excluding the Ashes. This tour will tell us truly & finally if the Aussie era is really at an end.

Pakistanis not in IPL season 2 – Who cares???, not me!!!!

The latest news about the season 2 of the IPL is that  Pakistani players won’t be featuring in it. With the season kicking off in April, it is kind of a sour taste in the mouth. Most probably it is the PCB’s retaliation at the BCCI for not touring their country. To be fair, it wasn’t the BCCI’s call. The Indian government didn’t want our team to tour after the Mumbai attacks, but thats not what I want to eloberate upon here.

This seems to be another one of the PCB’s downright stupid decisions. It’s gonna cost their players a lot of money & at the same time doing absolutely nothing to raise their image in the cricketing fraternity. It’s a legal paradox since the players have also signed 3 year contracts with thier respective franchises. I’m not a lawyer but I think it’s not legal to just not come to play after commiting yourself especially when they have no international duty to their country.

And what do they mean to achieve by boycotting arguably the biggest cricketing spectacle in the modern era? Believe me, no one’s gonna miss them. Maybe some teams will miss the star players, like the Rajasthan Royals for whom Tanvir & Akmal were instrumental in lifting the trophy. Also Bangalore may miss Misbah but that’s about it. The Knightriders have a lot of bowlers equal to Gul, maybe better.  Afridi & Malik didn’t perform at all at any stage last season. The tournament will go on like these people never existed.

The 2nd auction is on Feb 6 I believe. The franchises have a lot of money to spend & replacements will be found soon enough. The PCB have blundered yet again. The Pakistanis already haven’t played enough cricket & by missing opportunities like this they miss the chance for some match practice & at the same time lose a lot of money. No one will remember this revolt by the end of the season coz this is T20. Their are enough players in the world who wanna play & my country will be very happy to accomodate them. If you don’t wanna play guys, tough luck this time & really, even for a hardcore cricket fan like me, it doesn’t really matter if u play or not. You are the losers. Say thanks to your board again. They are digging graves for themselves as well as Pakistan cricket.

South Africa’s tour to Australia- What a Series!!!!!

In Mark Taylor’s words “what a ripperrr!!!!”. it has been a great tour for SA down under & a riveting series as a cricket fan. For cricket buffs like me, this is what dreams are made of. First the test series, possibly the best since Ashes 2005 & now the ODI series which was too close for comfort. The 2 teams were matched man to man. I definitely thought that the Aussies had the edge over the Proteas but what transpired was so damn superb I couldn’t miss a ball bowled. I missed college to watch the games & boy, was I glad I did. It was tremendous action all the way & top class cricket. The game just doesn’t get any better.

Botha was the surprise package for me. Relatively unknown on the international stage, he conquered the last frontier for SA. The Proteas come up with these inspired captain selections. He follows Smith who too came on the stage as a stranger at 21. He was agressive & innovative in his fields & bowled brilliantly. I was flabbergasted at his performances. He took the best from his team. Great going Skip, we loved it. Filling up for Smith, one of the best captains in the world is no mean feat & he has to be lauded.
I thought Ab de Villiers was a flash in the pan but damn, was I wrong! He gave match winning performances both in the test & one dayers & a man who can bat so well in the last innings in a test has to be a player. But definitely the player of the series for SA was J P Duminy. He came in for Ashwell Prince as a replacement but now he’s made himself undroppable. Talk about grabbing your chances!!. The boy is a star, make no doubt about it, & he’s the future of South African cricket I believe. Read my earlier article on him. I was proved right by him in the one dayers n T20s as he went on amassing runs. He can bat to win a match in the last innings of a test & also finish a ODI by hitting 60 off 35 balls with sixes & fours. These kinda players come rare people. Duminy is a gem. Hats off bro…..
But the Proteas won because they played as a team. Performances from seniors like Kallis & Steyn and the young guns Duminy, the Morkel brothers & Duminy with the captaincy of Botha playing a huge part.

The Aussies have a huge task now on their hands. The Kiwis have already arrived & beaten them in the first ODI. They need to regroup & go on the offensive. The brand of attacking cricket they were so famous for is just not being played. I kept waiting for the great Aussie fightback but it just never came. Its not that they don’t have the players since the big guns have retired. I don’t believe that crap. They are a great one day side. Its just a matter of time that they’ll be back. I’m waiting & so is the world……

Me, Sachin & Cricket.

I was about 9 yrs old when I first came to really understand the game. Of course I knew about it, what with my dad & his friends watching & talking about it all the time. It is difficult really to ignore it really when u’re living in an Indian Air Force base & your father is an ardent sportsman. My first memories of cricket are from my dad. I remember once going to the barracks (that’s the place where bachelor officers stay on the base) coz dad wanted to watch the game there. It was the 98 Australian tour to India I think. Amidst lots of shouting & praying & cheering & cursing I saw a little guy with curly hair raise his bat. I asked my dad “papa,woh kaun hai?”  (Dad, who’s that?). I remember this vividly coz my dad told me with pride in his eyes “that, my son, is our champion”. There were crackers bursting all the way as me & my dad walked home late at night that day. That day, the cricket fanatic in me was born. I was 9 yrs old. And like all other fanatics in India, to me, Sachin became God.

My days & nights revolved around cricket & Sachin. Air Force School, Jamnagar, Gujarat was a great place to study, & a greater place to learn cricket. And I played.I played until my hands ached. I bowled until my shoulders ached. I played cricket sometimes upto 9 in the night coz we had floodlights in the main ground at the base. Dad & Mom would be out for their evening walk with my sis. They watched sometimes as I played with officers sometimes  triple my age. My dad used to tell me” This game is the greatest game in the world. It’s not a contact sport like football. It’s for gentlemen. Play like a champion, play hard, but always play honestly. Never play the game for winning. Play the game for the sake of the game itself. Play coz u love it. Play like  there’s nothing else you wanna do in the world.” Then he switched to Hindi. I was fluent, being brought up on Air Force bases across north India, but Dad spoke with a typical tamil accent “Beta, tum jeeto ya na jeeto, Hamara game jeetna chaahiye.” U win or lose, my son, it doesn’t matter, but our game should always win.

And then it was the Coca Cola trophy in Sharjah. We were glued to the tv when the situation arose that we had to get this minimum score to get to the final against Australia otherwise Pakistan would qualify. And Sachin was batting. My mom sat praying near the place where we kept our deities. I fingered my gold Ganapathy on my neck. My sis sat with me asking questions like “anna, did we win???”.And then came the innings which I rate as Sachin’s greatest ODI innings ever. Damien Fleming said something to Sachin & I saw Sachin’s face change a bit. I’d no grasp of sledging then but still understood that he wouldn’t have asked him the time. That was what sparked it off. Ball after ball disappeared to the fence as Sachin launched into the greatest counter attack ever seen. He pulled, cut & drove as a nation of six million watched their hero play. I could hear cries & cheers from the street as people shouted their happiness. We qualified easily but lost the match. That innings was to be christened  “The Desert Storm” at Sharjah in later years. But i didn’t know all that. I sat there & looked at the street outside filled with people shouting & hugging each other.

What did Sachin mean to me & thousands like me? What made people ignore work & watch a little man with a voice u sometimes couldn’t hear play? My dad told me that in 1983 when he was in service at Ladakh(near the foothills of Kargil), he was miserable & very homesick. He had just signed up for the Air Force & that was his first posting. He didn’t know a word of  hindi & had never seen such cold before, having lived in Pondicherry for 20 yrs. In all those testing times he said only one thought drove him on-that our team should win the world cup. After we won, he said he braved the cold & the fighting & the general misery for 2 yrs thinking about our win. He said it brought a warmth to his heart in those desolate times. Seeing his country’s flag fly high kept him alive. If you can understand my dad’s feelings, you sure can understand what Sachin means to my country.

The next day we won the final too. Sachin hit a century again. Mom made sweets that day. I celebrated by eating all of them & then went off to play cricket.

But my most sad & at the same time proud Sachin moment came in World Cup 99. We had lost the first 2 group stage matches, much to the dismay of me & my friends, & were due to play Kenya next. We had to win to stay alive in the world cup.  Then came the news. Sachin’s father had passed away. A nation was in mourning. I remember seeing a letter to our team in England written by a small girl. It said “Dear team, play without Sachin this time. Let him stay at home.” The letter moved me then, it still does now. This maybe can make u understand what Sachin & the team mean to my country. But Sachin came back to play the match, flying in to the venue. With a face that betrayed not an inkling of the storm that raged within his heart, Sachin slammed 140 not out. But there was a rare display of emotion. On reaching his century, Sachin took off his helmet & looked at the sky with tears in his eyes. I couldn’t help but cry. The man had did it for the sake of his country, for a nation of six million expected him to make them win. If there was ever a man to be called a Champion, there he was.

Years passed & Sachin played on. Dad retired from the force. I began to concentrate on my studies. But even now, a match is a family occasion. We sit together & watch it as often as we can. And as Sachin gets to the 90’s my mother goes off to pray. She’s Headmistress of a school, a major in physics & every bit an intellectual, but even for her, when Sachin is playing, Sachin comes first.

This year 2 of our old warhorses retired, champions in every sense, loved & adored by us. Jumbo & Dada were the finest my country had ever produced. But I still dread the day when Sachin will retire. A childhood of raised bats & straight drives & flying tricolors will flood my memory.

Anyone can be called a good player or a great player. But its very difficult, even impossible to be called a great man. My champion is all of these & more. Cricket is the greatest game in the world & for me, Sachin is the game’s greatest ambassador.