Sachin Tendulkar: A Journey of Two Decades

The time of growing up is very interesting; very often, it is a time of innocence. A time when the vagaries of the world seemingly leaving us unscathed. For a person like me and my generation, the beginning of the decade of the 90s was still embalmed in innocence. The hard realities of the world seem to be not affecting our morale. I would still vouch that, many facts and realities were yet to sink in. It was after covering great distance, from my formative years, that one is able to come to terms with those years. I could not understand, that the Post-Rajiv's assassination, the Narasimha Rao government at the centre was in fact in minority; I was still trying to understand the communal polarization being built up after the Babri demolition; the nitty-gritty of the 'Manmohanomics' in the form of economic reforms were still to be dissected; corruption and scandals in the form of Harshad Mehta, Hawala, et.al were still throwing up new truths and one was yet to see Shahrukh Khan as the Badshah of Bollywood!! Life for a school boy in the beginning of the decade of 90s was dominated by only one name......an image built stronger by conversations among the friends.....a time when everyone just watched him and forgot the happenings around them...perhaps his act was that of a transporter, who took us on a ride, into surrealism, away from our troubles and miseries........SACHIN TENDULKAR!!

Every person needs someone to look upto as he/she grows up......Every generation have their icons to remember...........My generation of the 1990s have not had anyone better than him. The first instance of observing him was the 1992 World Cup. Catching up with the rage and seeing a short, sturdy guy playing solid cricket shots was nothing sort of magic. Cricket for us was then identified with him. He was the 'Be All' and 'End All' of everything associated with the game. He was the prized wicket and his dismissal ended all the high hopes. The nuances of his game were still not understood. Neither were his array of shots nor his poise. The only thing that mattered was his image, his presence to face the bowler. The shouts were only for him blast the bowling and cart the deliveries all over the park. Eager eyes followed his exploits, at home against England, as he scored his first test hundred in India, at Chepauk-a ground where he has continued to maintain a great record-in Madras. On one early February morning, on the way to the morning school assembly, a friend informed that Sachin had made his debut as opener in the ODIs in New Zealand and scored an aggressive half-century. One still fondly remembers, how curses were breathed, for not having a cable connection at home. The feeling was one of missing the good things in life!! Curiosity and passion ruled the minds, as one saw him score his first ODI hundred at the Premadasa Stadium against the Australians in Colombo in 1994. Life has from then, carried on along with his journey, watching him score heavily in the 1996 World Cup till that stumping by Kalu off Murali in the Eden Gardens on that fateful day.

As one grew out of boyhood, into the responsible time of adolescence, the image of Tendulkar changed from a dasher to that of an accumulator. Along the way, he also accepted captaincy, where despite his best efforts he faltered. The most challenging time for him definitely seemed to be that test match at Bridgetown, when in the face of the gettable score of 120, the team just wilted away and crumbled for around 90. Nobody would have been more dejected than the skipper himself. It was only when the growing up as a youth was complete, that a closer peak into Sachin's beginning years could be developed. His exploits for Sharadashram along with mate Kambli under the tutelage of the Achrekar in the Harris Shield. The Mumbai cricketing nursery had produced another gem, having been tested in the fire of the different leagues in the city. The Bombay school of batsmanship was driven into him deeply. His performances in the Harris Shield and the Kanga League catapulted him into the Mumbai Ranji line-up. Scoring heavily, he also made a Century on Debut in the Ranji trophy as well as in the Irani trophy. As a 16 year-old, Sachin's only purpose on this planet seemed to play cricket. In fact, in one of his last interviews before his demise, Raj Singh Dungarpur remarked as how the Cricket Club of India had to revise its rules to allow the teenager to practice at the venue. Having been selected for the Indian team at the tender age of 16, he was straight away thrown into one of the toughest cauldrons, to tour Pakistan. That challenge was not only uphill, but was also demanding mentally for any youngster. His first captain, Krishnamachari Srikkanth got him into the final XI and he had to literally undergo his Baptism by Fire. Facing the pace of Wasim Akram along with another tearaway from Burewala-also making his debut-Waqar Younis, along with the astute leader in the fiery Pathan, Imran Khan, at Karachi, the 'boy' was not one to be intimidated. Even though hit by a snorter of Waqar in the second test at Faislabad and having his nose bleeding, Sachin defiantly carried on and made a half-century. Navjot Singh Sidhu was his partner at the other end. It was on this tour that he even took on Abdul Qadir for 16 runs in an over.

He reached his first big landmark of getting the initial three figure mark at the Old Blighty in the company of Manoj Prabhakar. But he would have scored that earlier in the year, on the tour to New Zealand. However, in the midst of a well-made 80, he was caught by John Wright. His room-mate on that tour, Sanjay Manjrekar during his commentary in later years, remarked as to how little Sachin cried for missing that hundred. But it was his tour to Australia that put him in an altogether different plane. His remarkable tons against the marauding pace attack of McDermott, Whitney, and Hughes in Sydney and Perth displayed his strengths. Driving good length deliveries, he also cut and pulled well. Perhaps, the best shots were the punches down the ground, that were played with supreme class and precise timing. The hundred at WACA at that age, is still adorned and forms part of the folklore. Over the years, following and keeping track of him has been an exercise, worth every single pie. The country cried as he lost his father in the midst of a World Cup and stood together in solidarity as he cracked a hundred against the Kenyans immediately after his return. That battle for Tendulkar was one he fought within himself more than with the opposition. His grit and determination were best displayed in that knock of 131 against Pakistan on a searing hot day at Chepauk in 1999. Fighting a back injury,while wickets were falling all around him on a fifth day track, he held one end up and almost took India home. One of the most epic chases with just the climax being different. Falling to a skier off Saqlain, Sachin walked off and India were left high and dry by 12 runs. People still remark how he didn't come to collect his Man of the Match award and just cried the entire day.

As time has progressed, his body has also undergone enough wear and tear. Playing for two decades is no mean achievement. Injuries have plagued him greatly and there is no part of the body left, which has not been placed under the scalpel. His stroke-making has changed. The booming drives and dances down the track have become less pronounced. But the sobriquet of the 'Run-Machine' still holds onto him. The timing and compose is always there. he still shifts gears with ease. Take the match in World Cup 2003 against Pakistan for instance. he just tore into Akhtar and rest of the attack. Missing the ton by just a whisker, it was wanton display of brutal, but still calculated aggression.

The 1990s had only one image of the Maestro: that of him taking the entire burden of the team on his shoulders and getting into the assault mode. Many a match can be remembered for analyzing this effort of Sachin. The battles against the Aussies in Sharjah in 1998, in the famous 'Desert Storm' was one such. Scoring two back-to-back hundreds-one in the final on his birthday night-wherein he launched himself against Kasprowicz, Fleming and Warne, was an image etched in stone.So me of those towering hits still encapsulate his batsmanship. Switching gears according to his will, he took control by being in the driver's seat. No wonder, the Aussies still consider him the biggest threat!! The team's fortunes hinged on Sachin's show. How he batted and how his work report sounded became the benchmark for the team's upward mobility. That clearly overburdened the champion, but he never let the team down. It was only in the beginning of the Sourav Ganguly era, where the vision and trajectory of the team changed. Greater challenges were identified and determination was plugged in to fulfill targets. The Indian batting became more stabilized with the emergence and flowering of the Dravids and Laxmans. New talent was unearthed and nurtured in all departments of the game like Sehwag, Zaheer, Harbhajan, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Kaif, Raina, Rohit Sharma, Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma, Ojha, Nehra, Irfan Pathan. The team began to win tests and even series abroad. The raw talent was getting more polished with greater exposure and more competency through the astute coaching under John Wright. New thoughts and ideas were planted and germinated. A New purposeful Aggression was visible in the march of the Indian team. Followers began to believe in the team itself as a whole and not just limit their interest in Sachin getting a hundred, even if India lost in the process. The New Sachin was born. Gaining the status of an elderly statesman, he was more a guide and a father figure to the youngsters. That certainly freed Sachin, making him more reassured that there were others to shoulder the burden and he could play lot more freely.

Batting is just class. It is not just about taking the attack to the opposition. It is in fact an Art Form; an Amalgamation of lots of components. The essential features includes timing, placement, transfer of body weight, playing with soft hands, using the bottom hand to good effect, rolling of those magical wrists-typical to the batsmen of the sub-continent-and much more. The battle is also of the mind. To overcome pressure; to know that one may be still on high after getting a ton, but the next incoming delivery may send you back to the hut. Its about concentration, perseverance and elegance. The beauty of watching Tendulkar on song cannot be compared to anything else. Its a magician or great artist at work. Working the ball into the gaps, running hard converting ones into twos and twos into threes along with launching those big hits. The lovely straight drive, the crisp cover drive, the short of the jab pull, the hook, the mesmerizing square cut, nice on-drive, the brilliant punch back past the fast bowler, the elegant late cut, the cheeky paddle sweep, the mighty slog, the calculated reverse sweep......these and much more are all integral part of the Tendulkar book of batsmanship. Pure orthodox cricket shots, nicely off the meat of the bat....that sweet sound as the ball wheezes off to the boundary. But the most rapacious picture, without doubt is his dance down the track to hit the spinner down town. The way in which he picks the length early and positions himself to unleash his barrage of strokes. Even the way in which he scored the last of his test hundreds against Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad, he reached close to the hundred after getting one past the ropes, after picking it up from outside the off-stump off Welegedara and depositing it away from mid-on. The experts have often opined on how he dictates terms; how the opposition bowls to his own terms. How the picking of line and length makes the bowlers to bowl, not to their fields, but to how Sachin wants to bowl. That puts forth a psychiatric pressure from the master!! He may have cut down on many of those shots with the age catching up with him. But he still displays them on the needed occasions. Just like that innings of 175 against the Aussies in Hyderabad, few days back. Hitting back-to-back sixes of Hauritz, keeping the run-rate ticking; Even if there was a dip in the rate in one over, he compensated it in the next over with those meaty blows. Even when the going is tough for him, he still is able to come out with flying colours and finding opportunities in adverisities. The Double Hundred(241n.o) at Sydney in 2004 was made in the backdrop of a string of poor scores in the earlier 3 tests. In fact during that innings, he did not play a single boundary through the off-side. That was a complete story of leg-side shot making. Such was his planning and execution that the double hundred became more sweet.

It is not only his batting, but his bowling also need strong mention. He was on his own terms, a mystery bowler, by not moving him into any category. He was a tweaker, bowling both the off-breaks and the leg-breaks. He even bowled pace up at times. Captains have used him often as a breaker of partnerships. Whenever, given the ball, he has most of the times delivered. His best have come in high pressure games. Those three wickets in the defining test match against the Aussies at the Eden Gardens in 2001, with his victims including the dangerous Gilchrist, trapped in the front. The two important wickets of Damien Martyn and Steve Waugh at Adelaide, caught by Dravid in the slips ensured that the Australian second innings was broken, later opening the doors for Ajit Agarkar to get a six-wicket haul, that in turn culminated in India winning that epic test match. Again, his tight bowling during the Hero Cup semis against the Proteas in that final over amidst great pressure ensured the team's passage to the finals. Also, the two 5-wicket hauls against Australia and Pakistan in different years in Kochi. It must be noted that whenever he didn't shine with the willow, he made for it with the ball. His bowling even finished careers-the tweaker to Moin Khan in the Multan Test match in 2004 on the final ball of the third evening, squeezed through between the former's legs and crashed into the stumps. And ever since, Moin Khan did not play any international cricket!!

Critics have often passed judgements stating that he had failed to take the team to victory batting wise, or falling at hurdles on the way. But as recently, he has dismissed those notions through his willow. Not a great deal of time has passes since that hundred against the Englishmen at Chennai chasing 387 on the final day, a century he later dedicated to the victims and Martyrs of the Mumbai Terror Attacks. Or his innings of a ton and 91 in the two finals of the CB Series against the Aussies in Down Under in 2008. Even the latest 100 against the Sri Lankans on the final day of the Ahmedabad test was a sign of him putting himself in to save the test match. Out his 43 hundred, one of the testing, of attrition was against the Englishmen in 2001 in Ahmedabad, when Nasser Hussain and his main bowler, Ashely Giles were sticking to negative bowling to dry up the runs and frustrate him. Or how about his 160 odd in that test in Cape Town in 1996-97 in the company of Azharuddin to take the game to the Proteas and saving it ultimately.

In each of the media sessions and interviews on him completing 20 years in international cricket, Tendulkar remarked that he would like to be remembered for 'giving 100 per cent' for team and country. Thats what has come to symbolize him. The perfect balance, both on and off the field. He may have a million endorsements, multitude of fame and have the charm of the global icon; but his feet are still on the ground, the passion for the game growing with each passing day, the hunger for runs still unabated, seeing each upcoming day as a new challenge, willing to learn something every day, trying to gain perfection with those teeny-weeny bits of advice.....that makes Sachin the best!! Retirement may be far off, despite his aching body taking great toll. There are still aims to be fulfilled, even though he may possess the record for the highest runs and most centuries in two leading forms of the modern game. His poise and passion are still intact, the intent well preserved. The aim for larger causes for the team and country still there....an elusive World Cup that has continued to slip from the grasp. Despite coming close on two occasions in 1996 and 2003-when he single-handedly almost won it-the spirit of Sachin being part of a World Cup winning unit is still alive and kicking. That would be ultimate dedication the current Indian team can do to the Little Champion.

Fortunate are we for witnessing the acts and exploits of this Gentleman in this era. Sachin Tendulkar is like the Kohinoor; that diamond only comes once in a generation. The Maestro is like that. People have started demarcating the timeline in international cricket, by drawing in the prefixes of before and after, against Sachin's name. That may be a bit off the cuff, but still Tendulkar has come to be identified as a phenomenon. my generation is fortunate to follow his gamesmanship, integrity, sacrifices, determination, grit and glory. In fact, I have even the audacity to state that I have watched all his centuries now-even if that meant, exploring through various channels to access his knocks in the beginning of the last decade, mainly those in the tests. One can also remember the grounds, opposition, atmosphere and nature of the attacks against which he made them. It was in the Caribbean that he had not scored much. But he erased that glitch too, when he equalled his admirer, the great Don Bradman, after scoring in the second Test match at Port-of -Spain in 2002. Erasing landmarks and conquering new peaks, the voyage of the legend called Tendulkar continues into the 21st year. Tracking and following him as an avid fan has been truly enchanting. Today, the government at the centre is a coalition against a

minority with the Congress party back to the helm, the neo-liberal economic policies have deprived people, the Liberhan report on Babri Demolition is finally public after 17 long years, terrorism is a major challenge, mass struggles are now on the horizon, nuclear deterrence has again been tested, the country has its own Moon Mission, Shah Rukh Khan is now the Badshah, and the country has hit gold spot in the Olympics......Many things have changed and many have stood still; some have even given way to newer forms. But Sachin Tendulkar continues playing and that Age of Innocence still lingers on. The eyes continue to follow him avidly with greater expectations, for that surreal experience, giving that hope for millions watching. As Sachin himself said for the forward march for any player or performer, there needed to be people to celebrate with, to constantly look upto and feel motivated. He was happy that for this precise purpose, he had "A Billion".....Play on Sachin, the world continues to look forward to that sweet music from your hand, whether it be by the willow or by the cherry.

As Hayden Walks Away.........

There are some images which never fade away, even in the torrential flow of time. Such images that are gripping seem to transcend time barriers and move along bringing in a surreal experience. The game of cricket has always left many such powerful images in me, and one such image is that of the giant frame of that Queenslander called Matthew Hayden. Gripped with the willow and dominating the bowling, Hayden just synchronized his game with utmost perfection. The gripping image of Hayden that remains etched in my mind is his imposing figure during the pulsating and rivetting series against India in 2001; that time, when Steve Waugh dreamt to conquer the 'final frontier'-that unfortunately did not work out. The Aussie were then on a roll, emerging as the world beaters, crushing all teams that came their way. But if a post-mortem of the series is carried out even today-irrespective of that mammoth innings of Laxman at Kolkata- on individual terms, I would term it as between the batting prowess of Hayden and bowling magic of Harbhajan. That 'once-in-a-generation' series saw my admiration grow for him with the passage of every test match. As Hayden walked away into the sunset of his glittering career with a lump in his throat last week, that gigantic image in my mind also fluttering in the wind.

As I tried to engross myself in the process of studying and finishing my final year Higher Secondary exams, to earn a place for my graduation, the Indo-Australian series provided the excuse to remain glued to the television. Thus, I tried to gulp down every bit of news and trivia in the build up to this series. Hence, when the curtains were eventually lifted for the landmark series, the pulls between the television and books rankled. However, I never once missed a ball of that series; in the end, I could fully immerse myself in the world of study and preparations, after Harbhajan effectively sliced the ball towards deep point and ran a double with Sameer Dighe to clinch the Gavaskar-Border trophy. Hayden had announced his arrival with authority in the first test at the Wankhede, as he partnered Adam Gilchrist in re-building the falling Aussie innings. Both scored centuries as Australia batted India out of the test match. Complemented by a strong bowling attack with likes of McGrath, Gillespie, Kasprowicz and Warne, the Aussies were home extending their record of consecutive test wins to 16. He carried on his exploits into the historic second test at the Eden Gardens by scoring fifties in both innings, when the Aussie juggernaut was finally stopped by a resilient Laxman and incisive Harbhajan. Even when the mighty Aussie batting line-up crumbled before a target of 384 set by the hosts on the final day, Hayden stood among the ruins with a fighting 67 before being trapped in the front by Sachin's leg spin.

But my best picture of Hayden is the 203 he scored in the concluding test of the series at the Chepauk in Chennai. Scored in the height of the blistering Indian summer amidst the hot and humid conditions that is prominent feature of this city, this double hundred ranks high for Hayden. It came at a time, whereby he continued his aggressive batting, despite the constant fall of wickets at the other end. After winning the toss for the third consecutive time, Steve Waugh sent his team to bat. Hayden, though initially deterred by the fall of two wickets, tried to stabilize things, with Mark Waugh. Slowly, the domination of batting also started. While Harbhajan was having a merry time with the ball scything through the Aussie tall order, Hayden kept one end up. Even though he lost Mark Waugh who perished on the score of 70 after mistiming a leg spinner from Bahatule to Badani at mid-off, Hayden upped the momentum. If it was not for Steve Waugh's hand that stopped a Harbhajan delivery that didn't spin-the captain was given out for handling the ball-the Aussies could have posed a much more higher score, riding on Hayden's knock. Coming from 320 balls and spending 474 minutes at the crease scoring 15 boundaries and 5 sixes, the Queenslander had led the team from the front. The tail did not wag for the Aussies, leading to their quick collapse before Harbhajan's antics. But what was more majestic about the innings of Hayden was the magic that lay within it. Those big arms bringing the willow down to meet the ball with passion made contests more intense. His authority was clamped down with force; toying with spinners through the employment of the powerful Sweep Shot was a feast to the eyes. His accurate head position,with the eyes coming straight to meet the ball was always a sight that turned new leaves for other batsmen around the world to play spin in the sub-continent tracks. Especially, for those batsmen who lack the magical wrists of the sub-continent, the sweep was a useful weapon. Hayden retained the command over the spinners and India, became one of his favourites preys. His test match statistics against India speak a magnificent tale-he scored 1888 runs from 18 tests at an average of 59 including 6 hundreds. As an Opener, he was involved in more than 20 hundred run partnerships with Langer. No doubt then that his captain, Ponting during his farewell media conference, called him "the greatest test opening batsman ever". Scoring over five hundred runs in that epic series, my analysis of the post-mortem became further accurate, as the two main protagonists of the series, Hayden and Harbhajan shared the Man of the Series award. Even though the final frontier could not be conquered then, Hayden had left his signature before he left the Indian shores after the series. He remained in the loop though later, as the Aussies achieved that dream under the able leadership of Gilchrist in 2004 at Nagpur. But as they say all good things must come to an end. The tracks in India-his favourite hunting ground-viewed his downfall in 2008. Replacing Harbhajan and his bag of tricks, was the exponential pace bowling of Zaheer and Ishant Sharma. The 'reverse swing' became more and more difficult to comprehend. Thus, Hayden's failures and the drying up of runs from his willow carried on in the home series against the Proteas; their den being conquered, the Aussies lost a home series after 16 years.

The super imposing image of Hayden once again flows into the mind from the WACA in 2003 when he went on to claim the world record for the highest individual score of 380, from Lara-which the prince from Trinidad reclaimed with a majestic 400 against the English at Antigua a few years later.In that test in Perth, he stamped his domination slogging the minnows all over the park. He ate his way into the bowling taking the ball to the cleaners. he scored his mammoth triple hundred scored after spending 622 minutes and facing 437 balls that was graced with 37 boundaries and 11 hits over the fence. Writing his name into the record books, Hayden's class was further strengthened through the knock.

As Hayden leaves, another image that may also disappear is his initial stance at the crease. As he walked in to take strike, he used to squat on the pitch with the bat prodding down. This was termed as his 'private talk with the pitch', a belief or practice for him. One would also miss his arrogance filled 'walk to hit the fast bowlers over the top'. Players with bigger frame and built like Hayden cannot miss the eye so easily. The images in the mind cannot be blurred that easily. Perhaps, it is only fitting that Hayden remains part of the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, for his 'home away from home' without doubt would be the Chepauk arena. The cool sea breeze flowing from the close by Marina beach, continues to weave innumerable images of that valiant double hundred scored right in the middle of the hot and humid summer in Chennai.

As an Era Ends..................

On 30th December, 2008 a mighty 'empire' fell at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. As Hashim Amla and Neil McKenzie scored those winning runs to take South Africa to glory in becoming the first team in 16 years to trounce Australia at home, they had definitely struck at the foundations of an age-old structure, which many of us were 'led' to believe, wouldn't crash for time immemorial. When an Empire falls, there is a deafening noise; noise of a mighty fall that resounds for many ages. It may well be a hyperbole, but end of dominance always brings in the picture of the crumbled edifice. Australia, the once mighty and fearful force in world cricket is crumbling. Their ship has been wrecked more than once in the recent past. However, as the champions are quickly being unseated from their exalted positions, there is surprisingly no noise being heard of this mighty fall.

Sports have always been an extension of human endeavour, wherein the predicaments and aspirations have their own importance. Cricket is no different. The human emotions and physical exertions are well reflected in the playing arena. "Playing Cricket Differently"--that's what the world was reminded of Australia. That difference was between the victor and vanquished; the essential being to be a mile ahead of the rest of the caravan. "The Aussies used to maraude and trample"........those were the words used to describe every Australian victory. After the fall of the Windies' pace in the early 1990s, the Australians came to take their crown. A team built under the astute leadership of Allan Border, it was further nurtured by Mark Taylor. However, it was the mercurial thinking and commanding ability of the 'Iceman' Steven Rodger Waugh, that moulded Australia, into the fearsome unit. He made 'Australia' the force we know in world cricket. I belong to a generation whose prime age in adolescence passed watching Steve Waugh wear the tattered Baggy Green and lead his men to crush all opponents, thus adding new feathers to his crown-even though the 'Final Frontier' still remained unrealized!! This legacy was then taken over by Ponting with pride and moved on. For years, I believed Australia can never be 'defeated' consistently!! There may be an odd failure here and there, but that massive structure would have no cracks.

For people like me, Australia was always a fascination.........a dream that was being realized!! Their team in the history was also called the "Invincibles" in the 1920s; a team that included the legendary Sir Don Bradman. It was a belief that the team could never be made to bite dust.... that they could never lose. May be it was because they always found a champion on any given day to perform for them. The Cricketing world learnt many things from the Aussies-techniques, coloured clothing, white balls, floodlights and night games (from the Packer revolution). They kept on winning.......some stupendous performances, some truly magical. It was practically difficult to imagine any other team winning continuously without long breaks. One needn't had to watch the TV continuously to watch their progress; every morning a prophecy was made that they 'will' win and this turned true every evening.......Only the margin of victory was asked and the rest was understood. Patriotic fervours and biases were raising their heads only if the opposing team was India. But even then, the Aussies used to continue rolling their juggernaut. They won in different lands......on the soggy surfaces in Sri Lanka, in the greenish tops in New Zealand and South Africa, places favouring swing and seam in England, those 'Dead as a Dodo' wickets in the Carribean and even conquered the Final Frontier!! Their pace attack was lethal and armed with precision....McGrath, Gillespie, Lee, and Kasprowicz; they had true magician in those 'fingers' of Warne....along with the solid batting of the Waugh twins, Ponting, Clarke, Hayden, Langer, Slater.....the wizard in Gilchrist who not only rewrote the skills of keeping, but also effected the 'slam bang' in batting at the top order.........then they had the allrounders in Symonds, Bevan and Watson.....all these was stocked with accuracy and clinical precision in fielding. The Aussies were a complete unit in all ways; their team management was also a lesson for other teams to emulate....Simpson, Marsh and Buchanan were not only impressive, but also armed with the expertise. Their man-management skills were tactful and deceptive....Their dominance in the field showed in their verbal volleys too. Intimidating the batsmen, bad mouthing them and playing the 'Mind Games' to dismantle the opposition in all possible ways. They won every trophy on which their hands were laid....be it the World Cup thrice, the Champions Trophy and innumerable test matches.

So, when the historic turn-around started in 2001 under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly's Team India from that once-in-a-generation Test match at Eden Gardens, the sight was astounding....Reflecting upon the 'inability' to fully crush the opposition, Ponting said that their win in the Caribbean in 2008 to retain the Frank Worrell Trophy was the beginning of a period when the team had to switch back the usual method of 'Grinding' to win. This essentially meant that the days of test matches getting over within 3-4 days had virtually ended. The usual image of Australia only batting once to score more than 400 and then bowling teams out twice was not the visual that people could watch again with increasing frequency. But that 'grinding' is also coming to a halt; India in 2008 showed that in Perth in January and then again in the four remarkable tests in September-October 2008. The Proteas completed the formalities and showed the signs of shift in the balance of power.

Various reasons are being attributed to the decline of the Aussie aura. The retirements of senior blokes like Warne, McGrath and Gilchrist in quick succession along with Martyn, and Langer seemed to have left behind a big void that was never easy to fill. Plus dogged by arrogance and injuries, the seniors also were not firing when needed. Those magical times-when in need, hands would have 'lifted' automatically taking the onus on themselves-is a thing of the past. Captain Ponting is firing; but that is not causing any major breakthroughs. As they say, the captain is only as best as his team. The captaincy is also becoming a heavy burden for Ponting...tactics and plans are failing. There have been times when the team really lacked an alternative plan, if the original failed. Suddenly the giant scoring skills of Hayden and the pace of Lee seemed to have deserted them. Compounding all this is the fact that their second line is not that great. As Ponting himself says, it would be difficult to imagine that the youngsters like Johnson, Siddle, Hauritz, Kreiza, White, Bollinger, Hilfenhaus, McGain and others to perfect the role of the former senior pros. The rebuilding of the team that had to start earlier, well in time has been in fact 'well delayed'. Persisting with an unfiring old guard also do not help matters. It is in fact appalling that the Aussie playing XI for any test match that would have been announced a day earlier in the past, is no more a sureity. There are conflicts on the role of the spinner. The Australian team has played with four different spinners in the last 8 test matches they have played. This 'revolving door' policy, once which was the bane for Pakistan, is now turning its hood on Australia. To complicate matters further, there are even murmurs of breaking down of communication between players at times. This was amply seen between Ponting and Lee, during the second test against India at Mohali. Later, the Vice-Captain Michael Clarke expressed his inability and asked the media to turn their questions towards Ponting on the question of not asking Symonds to bowl against the Proteas in the Boxing day test in Melbourne. There are also notions that young blood is not given the right opportunities, which could also be said to mean a lack of will to invest in them. Thus, neglecting their potential and stick to 'experience' as the only factor.

The crown is slipping with each passing day and the contours of the game are being redrawn...game watchers are even stating that the rivalry between India and Australia that had been gripping the enthusiasts is now shifting in favour of the same between the Indians and the South Africans. That they say, is the series to be watched out. The descent has begun. A childhood illusion is also breaking.....that 'wins' are not always guaranteed; Defeats are also not just a rare possibility. Consistency in defeats are also not in the surreal world, but in real world. The collapse of empires and dominant regimes may not be loud and bombastic, but they certainly leave behind rubble. Gathering those rubbles to rebuild the splendid castles and citadels with stronger concrete is also a sight to be watched amidst this collapse. The child in me may have passed over to become the more mature adult in understanding the human aspect of Sport, whereby we realize that the men and women involved in this endeavour are also prone to wear and tear; that they are not 'Invincibles'. But somewhere at the bottom of the heart, one still longs for the report in the next day's sports pages that 'only the winning margin matters', for the 'rest' would always be................

Post Script: It is not often that one gets to write some additional lines, when the victors have vanquished the adversaries. However, the overhead piece was written some days before the New Year test at Sydney. Suddenly, you find the 'dead' rising. When pushed to the corner, the Aussies came up with a spirited show and manage to win the test match with minutes to go before stumps on the final day. The win was guided by a resilient hundred by Michael Clarke( scoring 138 off 250 balls and a fighting 64 by Mitchell Johnson). Peter Siddle joined in the efforts by taking 5/59 in the first innings of the Proteas and finishing the match with figures of 8/113. Aiding the home side was a crumbling SCG track, with enough cracks to make the South African chase in the 4th innings difficult. But the hero of the test match was definitely visiting captain Graeme Smith, who came out to bat as No.11 to try and save the test from the Aussie jaws. Already suffering a muscle tear-that ruled him out of contention in the later part of the tour comprising the LOIs and T20 games-he broke his little finger after a delivery from Mitchell Johnson reared up from a crack in the pitch. Despite having his hand in cast, Smith fought bravely to do the impossible: save the match for his team. His bravery reminds one of the bandaged Anil Kumble coming out to bowl in the Caribbean in the 4th test at Antigua, in spite of a broken jaw by a Mervin Dillon delivery earlier. This however is forgotten in the given list of brave acts on the field. However, the win for the Aussies doesn't camouflage their impending problems, which continue to linger. Hayden failed again, Ponting shined only in the 2nd innings with a fifty. This win has come on the backs of the youngsters......Clarke, Johnson, Siddle, McDonald, Haurtiz and Bollinger. The win does show that 'the castles and citadels can be rebuilt'........; the future for Australia rests on these young faces. Though the Aussies maintain their lead as No.1 Test side, the gap has been reduced. With the return series coming up in South Africa in four weeks, the crown on the Aussie heads is slowly slipping away.

Aussies Rule Again

Didn't feel any particular need to write something in the blog, after having a post just couple of days back. Then saw the Aussies triumph for the third successive time at the World Cup finals, this time against the Lankans. McGrath had a fitting farewell as he was declared the Player of the Tournament. Just do not know whether any other team can rise in the near future to challenge the Kangaroos. Seems as if the real battle is among the rest of the teams to decide the Second Best; for the title is reserved for the Aussies. Deservingly they have made winning a habit.

Well, speaking of the rest of the teams, just read this article by Rohit Brijnath in the latest edition of the Sportstar, titled "The Problem with the Australian Cricket". A nice refreshment for the heart and soul!! Really at least on one front, the Aussies need to learn from the Indians!!

The Magicians

As the year comes to an end, the media and the masses have already started to float their minds back at the events that occured in the passing year. There were many fond memories and some painful ones. While many people may choose different issues, themes and incidents, for me the one memory of this year will be from the sporting arena. The Azzuris were crowned the World Champions in the Beautiful Game; China reasserted itself in the Asiad at Doha; Nadal and Federer continued their glorious run in Roland Garros and the Centre Court of the All England Club; Indian cricket team went through its usual highs and lows; Sania Mirza created some flutters; Schumacher and Agassi walked into the sunset of their careers with their heads held high. But for me the image of 2006 would without doubt be, the retirement of the two magicians from International Cricket- Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. The duo who have formed a great wall for the Australian cricket, will be the last members of the Allan Border era to bid their farewell to international cricket. As they hang up their boots, becomes impertinet to all the lovers of the Gentleman's Game.

A Magician performing trciks through revolutions in the cricket ball. That was a breath-taking sight. Shane Warne-a wizard becoming synonymous with magic word of Spin; he was truly a magician on the field. That too of the art of 'Leg-Spin', at a time when that art was dying away due to the lack of quality bowlers. Like an artist whose works were marked by clear precision and guile that would go on to bring about a final product of aesthetic beauty and splendour, Warne's bowling reminded us of the similar works of art by Da Vinci and Michelangelo. Making his test debut against India in Sydney in 1991-92 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, he was thrashed all over the park by the batsmen adept playing any quality spin. Even though he went for over hundred runs, he took the wicket of Ravi Shastri, thus announcing his arrival in the test match arena. But it was in Old Trafford in 1993, with the ball of the century that he showed his real spirit and stamped his authority against the batsmen. A ball that was pitched outside the leg stump, turned viciously to hit the off-stump of Mike Gatting. Later, Warney played a pivotal role in many Ashes series wins for the Aussies over the English. Warne's bowling statistics in test matches reaffirms his class and grittiness. Warne also has a good batting record with scoring more than 3000 runs and scoring 11 half-centuries. Warne's ODI record is also impressive wherein he having played 194 matches got 293 wickets with an average of 25.73 and got a career best of 5/33. This wizard brought along with him a series of weapons in his repetoire. A whole array of different sort of deliveries which kicked and turned even on lifeless surfaces. He had the googly, the flipper, the drifter, the conventional leg break, the slider-which was a new delivery by him-and then the 'wrong un'. He also had a delivery like that of a medium pace bowler, which was so cleverly disguised that it was difficult to predict whether it was the leg-break or the off-break. With a shorter run-up and higher trajectory, his deliveries could never be read clearly by any batsmen. With his magical fingers being held across the seam, the ball came from the back of the hand, thus cleverly disguised from the watchful eyes of the batsmen across the world. With his favorite victims being the Englishmen, and the South Africans, Daryll Cullinan was his bunny. He could only name Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara as the most difficult batsmen to bowl at. Who can ever forget his duels with the Indians in general and Sachin in particular?? In his 3 tours to India, he could only have one 5 wicket haul. Indians were perhaps the only people against whom Warney struggled enough, which is also reflected in the record books. But still he played his part in the first series triumph for the Aussies against the Indians on the latter's home soil for many years, during the 2004 tour. Having been crowned as one of the five best cricketers of the century by Wisden, Shane Warne has also been given the Wisden Player of the year award on several occassions as well as the Man of the Match in the World Cup Final (the 1999 edition in England). Away from the cricket field, his private life may have been in rocks, with accusations of match fixing, doping and adultery, but he tried to hide his sorrows with his bowling. His presence was a revival for Leg Spin, which was absent from the scene since the days of Richie Benaud. Infact, Warne's legacy was followed by his contemporaries like Anil Kumble, Mushatq Mohammed, Danish Kaneria, and his own compatriot, Stuart MacGill. An ever persuasive Shane Warne is a beauty to watch on any given day-even his 700th wicket, the first by any bowler in test match cricket, was a portrait to be framed forever wherein Andrew Strauss' stumps were rattled by a ball that pitched outside his off-stump. The batsmen around the world can rest easy with departure from the scene by this assassin.

On the other hand, Glenn McGrath made his test debut against New Zealand at WACA in Perth in 1993/94. He was a pace bowler with great accuracy and penetration. He did not possess express pace or a great amount of swing. His strength was to pitch the ball in the right areas and stick to an off-stump/outside the off-stump line, thus never allowing the batsmen to get away. Through that long career, McGrath rose to be the No.1 strike bowler for Australia thereby getting into the shoes of Dennis Lillie, and Craig McDermott. His bowling record in test matches bowling tell the accurate story. He was also a good batsmen at the tail for his country with him scoring even 1 test fifty. This being the case in the middle of the Boxing Day test of the Ashes series. However, it was his ODI record that needs further mention. More than that he was part of two World Cup winning teams (Along with Warne, he was also part of the team that was beaten by the Sri Lankans in the 1996 final at Lahore). With he going to be part of the team to defend the World Cup in the Carribean in 2007, it would be fitting climax to his long and chequered career if the team bring the trophy for the third straight time. In Test match cricket, his bunny was Michael Atherton whom he has dismissed 19 times, with Lara and Tendulkar also being among his high profile victims (Sachin was his victim on 6 occassions!!). The Pigeon as he was fondly called, had been thinking for long of calling it a day to spend more time with his wife, who has been suffering from breast cancer.

With the end of the New Year test match of the Ashes series both the legends will walk into the sunset in the longer version of the game; however, McGrath would be free in formal terms only after the World Cup. The world of the batsmen will heave a sigh of relief with the moving away of these greats. However, the world of cricket will be never be the same like before. The magic may have ended, with many pundits and doomsayers even predicting the downward trend of Australian cricket. Fortunate are we souls to have lived in an era, when these two magicians performed tricks with the ball, mesmerizing cricket lovers and enthusiasts world wide, encouraging more and more generations to take up the art of leg-spin and pace bowling. In a game where the bowlers were always the underdogs when compared to the batsmen, Warne and McGrath showed different paths. As the sunset approaches, Murali may overtake Warne and McGrath may have opened the doors for a fresh bunch of young blood to come and stick to line and length, thereby forcing us to engrave in our minds that there is also something to pace bowling beyond express pace and high swing. But then like the Kohinoor which comes only in one generation, Warne and McGrath are the wealth of this generation, who have thrown open the vistas for further expansion of the game. Their footprints lie in the sands of time, undulated and undeleted, telling each of us that the Gentleman's Game was a fine work of art, with they being the artists. Those were memorable days!! Adieu mates, and Thank You for the Golden Memories................