When the Heart Stopped Pumping.........

 

March 14,2001. A day that changed the face of Indian cricket. Let alone face, it was the stepping stone for a change from the traditional 'surrender meekly when you are down' attitude. Today it's been 11 years since that epic day of test match cricket at the Eden gardens. Two supreme individuals fought for their team, for their country. A trait that was hardly seen over decades of Indian cricket. Yes..fighting it out. The fight continued to bear sweet fruits of success in the succeeding years. And when we say fight, 5 days back the fight indeed came to an end. An abrupt end it was, but it finally had to. Not in the manner everyone would have thought, not in the manner even Rahul Dravid would have hoped to.

In this period of 5 days, I have had a recollection of so many wonderful memories of the sweet Indian victories he orchestrated and also those for which he built the foundation for, but was somehow overshadowed by other performances. Yes...getting overshadowed. No one likes that, is it not ? More so when we strive to the best of our ability or sometimes even beyond to achieve things. But Dravid was one man who never made a fuss about those things. Finally the end result was what mattered, and he would walk through anything as long as things would be for the Indian Cricket Team's benefit.

The Indian National Cricket Team...Sounds to be similar to a pick up line from a famous Hindi movie. For Rahul Dravid, everything else came later, after it. And that was something he carried with pride. He was named 'The Wall' for various reasons. His defence, technique, fortitude...

various traits that he was uniquely known for. For me, meaning of 'THE WALL' was for the sacrifices he made. 'The Wall' was a boundary which ensured that the respect of the team was always kept at a high stature for the eyes outside and also prevented any negative winds of thought from creeping into the harmonious setup.

Anger has seldom been man's best friend. And Dravid so fiercely advocated it- on the field,by never compromising on the cricket he played and also off the field, by NEVER reacting to any remark directed at him with inappropriate intentions. Although the one occasion that stands out, which could be an exception is the reaction during that breathtaking revival at Kolkata. The picture which is put up as the face of this blog stands on top of the list of my Rahul Dravid memories. 

After all, that was an anger that led to a career revival..

An anger that led a cricketing nation which was staring down the abyss, towards glory and success...

An anger that was simply selfless.... 

Many say he is one of the greatest role models for the younger generation. If Dravid himself were to have some expectations that someone will be like him in the future, there is a good chance he would be disappointed. There is no way that someone can match up to even half of what he did and in the way he did. Especially looking at the way the game is played today and level of desire to succeed that the youngsters possess in comparison. The great Steven Waugh was an exemplary role model and in all respects should be one proud individual to have seen someone like him from a different cricketing nation and from a tough rival team. For all we know, Dravid being chosen to write the foreword of Waugh's autobiography and Steve's gesture of 'your words mean a lot to me', is a fine testimonial. 

Even when he left, he left us with a message and with assurance that the future is not so bleak. He said 'I was nowhere near as talented as the young 23-year olds of today'. It simply speaks volumes about the man's humility and wisdom. By the statement, he has not only humbly downplayed his achievements but also ensured that it can encourage the youngsters. On one thought though, that was probably more in optimism than realistic deduction. And optimism was one thing that Dravid had in abundance, because he knew that not being supremely talented, he had to have bucket-loads of positive thought.16 years...16 fabulous years of high class career is what has unfolded on the strong foundations of patience and positive attitude.

So true with his character, he did not choose any celebratory moment or something like a victory lap on the shoulders of his illustrious team mates. He was not brought into the cricketing world with kid gloves, nor with any godfather's backing. The end also came in a similar way. 

Fight hard to gain entry, fight hard to exist, fight hard to sustain and also leave...fighting.

More or less akin to the way the Heart functions in a body. It continuously pumps blood to the entire system, and runs all along the duration of a human being's life span. Not even for a single moment, does it say 'I am tired, I need a break'. If it does so, then the repercussions of it are well known. Yes, sometimes scientific replacements can get a heart to keep functioning, but the body will not be the same again. 

Such was the stuff Rahul Dravid was made of. The heart of Indian cricket has now stopped pumping. And life will never be the same again..........

An Open letter to MS Dhoni haters....

Well as promised, I return for my second post.Albeit late, but better late than never. There has been too much going around saying - "Indian cricket should do this, Indian cricket should do that". I too thought of pondering over it, but felt it's better to enjoy the sport  as I have done over the past 2 decades than worry about such things. If things improve, then nothing better...else it was just meant to be that way..cannot do much indeed..

Disclaimer :

Too much of dirty stuff gets written about Cricket and Politics in India. When it comes to the former, sometimes it is not worth it. Because it is more often than not, baseless..Hence just pouring down my thoughts one of those stuff. All the thoughts written below are purely personal. 

Open Letter:

He has been one man who has copped so much from all corners in the past 7-8 months for the Indian team's failure..The captain - Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Now then, he is never in the good books of so many connoisseurs of the game, similar to how many connoisseurs of tennis give Roger Federer that much more respect in comparison to Rafael Nadal. Well yes...those two are completely different sports, and should never be compared. My mention of tennis here is just incidental and not intentional.

That flowing mane we had in 2005, when he walked with his bat akin to a rapier, is now no more. But the athlete he was still remains. I find it a bit preposterous when people say MSD is a lucky guy and only luck has got him to where he has been to. Well I ask them...if luck alone had a say, he could have sat in the pavilion as non-playing captain and yet India could have won the world cup isn't it ? Why take the effort to go out there and play ? Agreed that luck plays an important role in every human being's life. But purely luck and only luck ?? Ridiculous I say !!

There are so many people who sit there in their cosy living rooms and say this guy MSD does not deserve to get the accolades he has got. Well then, get up from your sofas or chairs and go and play out there....Cricket is an easy game to play as said by millions of Indians. There are so many people who say they can bat this way, bowl this way, bowl that way....But what stands out finally is mental strength and ability to deal with pressure. Not for nothing does the golden generation of Indian cricket stand out...its only for their mental strength in comparison to the so many people who feel, they can go out and play for India.

You simply cannot win matches just like that continuously for 5-6 years with only luck..or so it is said by those self-proclaimed 'pundits' of the game, who report in the media just for the heck of it ! And yes..we also have those 'N' million people who write on social networking sites and think MS Dhoni is only as good as them, or even worse. 

Yes..he has his own limitations, he is not naturally as talented a cricketer, he has a flawed technique as well....But then he was never one since he began to play for India. He was always that swashbuckling, flamboyant cricketer and yet never made any attempt to show off that he is one the best ever cricketers talent wise !

For the matter of fact, just have a look at his record... OK, if numbers do not matter, can anyone just pin point a single cricketer who has finished matches in ODI cricket for India the way he has done ? Or for the matter of fact a wicket keeper in world cricket ? Only Adam Gilchrist stands apart..and you get a Gilchrist only once in a lifetime. People said "Ahh..here is another guy who is trying to be like Gilly..he will never succeed"....those people now are finding reasons after reasons to cover up..and pathetic ones at that !

Now people even find issues with the way he chases down scores...Just refresh your memory, go back to the 90's..any ODI game involving India that would enter a tense finish, would more often than not result in an Indian defeat ! Yes he makes mistakes sometimes, but it is always a team game...don't the other players also need to step up ? When India had only Yuvraj Singh and Rahul Dravid trying to shore up the middle order and finish games for India, Dhoni put his hand up and said he would take over the baton...In the hindsight, one can say that one of the very few things that happened for India's good in the Greg Chappell regime was the evolution of Dhoni as a finisher.

And yes..people also have issues with the way he speaks at press conferences or post match presentations. Well I cannot remember any Indian captain openly saying that he is the main culprit to be blamed. Truly, he said that to shut the media up. Once he said he is to be blamed, what can the bewildered media - who were looking for controversial remarks - say ?

Well my point here is only that, why crib when he is winning ODI games for India ? That he deserves to be captain or not in test cricket is a different point of contention. But people now are of the opinion that Dhoni simply does not deserve what he gets...Now this meaningless Dhoni bashing attains humongous proportions when I read about folks who say that even his captaincy is questionable. He backs XYZ player in the team and does not consider some ABC player. If that was indeed the case, then what do you say about regionalism and favoritism that exists in the world around you ? Everyone would be doing that in some way or the other...intentionally or unintentionally...but finally end up finding faults with others..and in this case with MS Dhoni. 

Oh yeah by the way..I forgot that Sourav Ganguly too was given the same treatment during his captaincy days...and those people were not aware that the very bane of Indian cricket called regionalism was broken down by him..And Dravid, Kumble and now even Dhoni have tried to take it forward, than go back to the 90's selection methods !!

He may not be elegant, but is effective. His style may not be an eye-catcher, but makes one watch in awe. He keeps things simple and that is what stands out. To all those who envy MS Dhoni, my sincere request is.."Wake-up..open your eyes..if you can prove and be better just by one single factor of what he has done, then kudos to you.." !! Else try and learn to appreciate the fact that he is at least better than you, if not anyone else !! :)

Till next time...enjoy life... :)

Not the End..Just a Change of Guard...

At the end of the 4th Vodafone test...India v Australia.

Forlorn faces...disappointment in the heart..At the receiving end of a drubbing..!!


Flashback - 
I began my journey as a cricket fan(atic) in late 1992, the first series that I can remember, which I followed with zeal was the India-South Africa ODI series. I was hardly 8 years old, only knowing that cricket was a sport. And had my uncle in tow to watch the late night games in South Africa. The first time ever I watched cricket on television was the 3rd ODI of the series, India winning thanks to a single handed effort by Woorkeri Raman !!


I had heard of the big names by then, Kapil Dev, Gavaskar etc etc... But everytime I sat to watch cricket, in all earnest way would wait for Sachin Tendulkar to come out to bat. For me, he was the first cricketer whom I really loved to watch. As did scores of my friends and millions across the country. The great batting sensation he was called !!


Memories involving Tendulkar are many...The first knock of his etched in my memory is his blistering 82 at Auckland after volunteering to open when Sidhu woke up with a stiff neck. His first ODI hundred came as a news to me. I did not even watch the game and had to watch the news to see glimpses of his first ODI hundred. As a kid, cricket watching cricket then was all about watching Sachin bat. 


The first test series I watched..yes the England series at home, where Anil Kumble bamboozled them for a whitewash !!Test cricket and in general following international cricket was restricted to minimal watching, newspapers and the one and only 'Sportstar'.


The 1996 World cup however was a huge turning point for me as a cricket fan. 
And yes it was also a huge turning point in Sachin's career....in terms of his brand value !

Missed watching his hundred against Kenya due to the summer loadshedding , was aghast when his blistering ton against Sri Lanka at Delhi ended up in a losing cause. But one distinct memory of mine is watching that cracking 90 at Mumbai against the Aussies...for the very fact that it was beamed LIVE at a wedding ceremony at Sanghaniketan, Mangalore. The moment Tendulkar got out, people got up from their seats to proceed for the dinner !!! :)

When the semifinal began, I remember waiting to get home from school that afternoon...our sports teacher came to our class and announced..."Sri Lanka are batting first and they are 1 for 2"...And our whole classroom went berserk with chants of 'India India'... 

Only to get home to see Aravinda play out of his skins and that day was a huge lesson for me as a cricket fan...That defeat really hurt... !!!
From here is when I had to resign to the fact that cricket was after all a team sport !! And not of individuals !!


A glorious ERA -
But hey hang on...why do I want to say all this...Is Sachin Tendulkar bigger than the game ?
Surely not...the list of his achievements will continue...he will continue to get the accolades..


Although I have mentioned only about him at the very beginning of this post, the biggest pain as I write this is for the fact that, a golden era is coming towards an end !!! Probably the best ever in Indian cricket !


A golden era indeed...Sometimes its easy to say that these people are old, they need to retire and move on. Yes, True, agreed...but the hole they leave behind can never be filled..Never ever !! 
There was the rise is stature of the ever determined Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble,and there were debuts of VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly...but Indian cricket also went through turmoil despite having Sachin Tendulkar as the messiah. Losses of image, both on the field and off the field simply tainted the face of Indian cricket.


Many people doubted themselves, "did I want to follow the game that had showed up its bad face this way?"
Hope still remained in me...that things would get better. And there we saw the rise of the phoenix...
Led by Sourav Ganguly, in daredevil fashion, with a backbone of Dravid-Tendulkar-Laxman-Kumble-Srinath, and ably guided by the composed John Wright, Indian cricket never took a backward step. Youngsters came in, and of the likes of Yuvraj,Zaheer, Sehwag,Harbhajan,Dhoni...all matchwinners in their own right !!! A decade that began with that spectacular comeback at Kolkata in 2001, culminated to a huge huge extent with the World Cup win in 2011.


Heads rolled in between, clashes happened, personnel changed hands....but yet the seniors showed the right direction all the times..In times of distress people lambasted them..in times of success, people glorified them.
But support ? Did we give that to them when they needed the most ? 
Atleast I did....and may be a very small percentage of the followers of the Indian team.


Time never stops... 
From the days of people switching off televisions when Tendulkar got out, to the days where Laxman,Dravid and Harbhajan showed the world that miracles can be achieved...

From the days of the pleasure of a overseas test win at Trinidad, to the days where a bandaged Anil Kumble came out courageously and got Brian Lara out...



From the days where Yuvraj-Kaif showed what youthful exuberance can do,(Yes..I had NOT switched off my TV sets, when Tendulkar was bowled by Giles in that Natwest final, and Harsha Bhogle said "Bowled him!!This was on the cards..He was playing a high risk game"!!),






to the days of beating England at Headingley against all odds...

From the days of burning effigies when the 2003 World cup began badly.....

to the days when the team showed their character to reach the final....

From the days when Ganguly came out at Brisbane with fire in the belly, after all the talk of chin music down under....

to the day when Dravid kissed the crest on the India cap at Adelaide...

(I did actually bunk an engineering Internal exam, just to go to a nearby college mess,  and watch Rahul Dravid win that Adelaide test in 2003!!)

From the days of Sehwagian brilliance at Multan... 


to the days of a twin series win in Pakistan...






From the days of a record string of ODI victories.....


to the days of test series a win in West Indies...
From the tumultuous Chappell regime....

 
























to the out-of-the-blue victory at Johannesburg....


From being knocked out of the 2007 World cup, 
to that famous series win in England driven by an inspired Zaheer Khan..
             





Coupled with the T20 world cup victory when nobody believed...
From the days of Sydney-gate.....

To the days of a Perth knock out ..........

And the CB series win...

From seeing Kumble and Ganguly bid farewell, 

To the days of Dhoni and Kirsten forging a brilliant partnership...













From the days of going great guns in test cricket............

to one of the biggest day of all our lives, the World Cup victory .... 

We have seen them all...and then we saw what we had not seen for a long time...string of morale crushing defeats after defeats...and yet we need to support them. Not sure if it would be the same vigour with which we can support the younger generation of cricketers...

Gone are those days....
When we rushed to friends' houses to watch cricket on cable television...
When we used to bowl and bat like our idols...just imitating them was a privilege..
When we spent hours in front of our TV sets without moving, not even for a toilet break..
When we spent time discussing stats and trivia..
When we used to SMS live scores during college hours..

Indian Cricket has come a long long way... and so have I as a person....as a 

cricket fanatic...From the hurt of 1996 to the hurt of 2012 !! With 16 long years of several joyous moments!

Yes...with time, these defeats will be forgotten...and fresh hopes will be ignited. 

But hey...a generation is about to end..and this is one generation that gave us immense happiness. They kept fighting to give us joy..they failed sometimes, but they gave us joy more often than not...and they are completely irreplaceable..both the greats as well as the joy they gave us !! 

Thank you so much..To the golden generation of Indian cricket...The Adelaide test match signals the end of a major part of a journey....but the journey needs to continue...to achieve those goals which were dreamt by these greats when they vowed to get Indian cricket back on the world map in 2001 !!

But do these defeats matter ?

To the players ? To the administrators ? To the huge fan base ?

Can we bounce back ? The intent remains, but do we have the hunger ?

If we do not see any hunger, then as they aptly sang, did Linkin Park, "In the End, it doesn't even matter !!"

Next time around, my thoughts on where Indian cricket can do better with.. Coming shortly..

Till then keep your spirits high :)