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Right now I’d like to be on a flight to London, minor issues of visa notwithstanding. There is an almost magnetic pull to some test matches – like Mohali, October, 2008, the 5th day. India on the verge, Australia on the edge. And here we are again, Lord’s, July, 2009, the 5th day, England on the verge, Australia, you know where they are.
4th day, Mohali, Australia finished 5 down (ditto Lord’s) – Clarke and Haddin still there. That series though, neither Haddin’s mind nor feet were moving. Now, Haddin is uncluttered, and batting with him is, Clarke boy again.
Looking back, Mohali, like Lord’s, followed a drawn test. Both 2nd tests, and in both tests, Australia’s adversaries had the follow-on option, which they did not use. Useless I say.
In both tests, Australia was set a target in excess of 500. (516 and 522)
That 5th day in Mohali, you remember what Zaks did – he did Australia in. Who will do them tomorrow?
You know what I'm thinking: Really miss Teri Maa Ki - that was the the Teri 'Marquee' series!
Post Match Note - Both matches were lost by Australia pre-lunch. That's food for thought.
This could be Lord’s or this could be Mohali!
Beware England
By Q
Any team that can beat Australia 2-0 when Dravid hardly scores any runs and Kumble hardly takes any wickets is dangerous!
England need to be wary...
When Before?
By Q
When was the last time that Australia played a test series in which they didn't win a single test?
Dhoni's Gestures is What Makes Him...
By Q
Dhoni moves away from the interview and gives the trophy to Kumble and the entire team celebrate and pose with the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
A week ago, Naked Cricket asked whether Kumble should go to Nagpur or not, and of he should then in what capacity.
This is what my comment was on that post:
"...In fact I would say that when Dhoni lifts the trophy (did anyone say Ind hasn't won the series?) he should probably call kumble and lift it with him..."
That is exactly what Dhoni did.
Not only that but in the last 7-8 overs of the Australian innings, Dhoni let Ganguly captain the side.
Another outstanding gesture by the man at the helm of Indian cricket today.
Some people call him cunning and canniving and evil... I think Dhoni is a man of great character. He will take India a long long way.
His time at the top is here to stay.
Fitting Finale!!
By Q
90 Overs...
369 runs to get...
10 wickets to get...
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy could not have asked for a more fitting finale!!!
A Unique Feat?
By Q
A Century on debut.
A Golden Duck in the final innings.
Is Saurav Ganguly the only one?
A Few Nagpur Thoughts ...
By Q
When I asked a question regarding what next for Sachin, the simplest answer would have been - the 40th ton!
When I asked Rahul Dravid to get felicitated during the Nagpur test, I meant it!
If someone had told me that Krejza would get the wickets of Sehwag, Dravid, and Laxman in his debut test, I would have laughed on their face!
When I said that a weight had been lifted of Sachin's shoulders, it was a true story!
Who is M Vijay? Where are the Jaffars? Karthiks? Chopras?
If someone had told me that Krejza would bowl the most overs for Australia on day 1 of the Nagpur test, I would have laughed again!
Get Felicitated Rahul...
By Q
When Australia's 2006-07 season started there was a lot of media speculation about it being the last season for a number of the senior players.
McGrath, Warne, Hayden, Martyn, Langer, Gilchrist were well past their 30s but all denied that retirement was anywhere on the horizon.
But as the Ashes in Australia came to an end that season, 4 of these seniors had hung up their boots.
However, their announcements had came at different times.
While McGrath had announced his retirement before the series began, Martyn ended up abandoning the team midway and calling it a day. Warne announced it after the Ashes were sealed, whereas Langer did so before the final test of the series.
India's ongoing series against Australia has been somewhat similar.
There was news of the Voluntary Retirement Scheme for the senior citizens and speculation about the careers of Sachin, Saurav, Dravid, Laxman, and Kumble was increasing by the day.
As always, all of them said they know when to go and that no one should dictate it to them.
Just before the series started, the first retirement announcement was made public as Saurav Ganguly told the world that this would be his last series.
As the series went on, the speculation around Kumble peaked but Kumble kept shutting the media up.
Finally injuries and other things caught up with him and he too called it a day on the final day of the penultimate test of the series.
The final test of the series kicks off in 2 days.
Will someone announce their retirement before or during the match?
It is highly unlikely that Sachin or Laxman are going to do that. Both have plenty of years left in those legs.
But Dravid?
Highly likely I reckon.
With Kumble gone, he might feel a bit distant from the captain, the same captain who has kept him out of the ODI team.
What more he might also be feeling left out as the only senior who is not being felicitated at Nagpur.
Maybe he wants a felicitation.
What better way to get it than by announcing the last test of your career?
Leaving it too late?
By Q
Is Kumble leaving the declaration too late?
Is he waiting for Laxman to get 200?
Is he waiting to post 600?
With Mishra and Kumble in the side and Zaheer and Ishant bowling the way they have been bowling coupled with the hold they have over the Aussie batsmen at this time, I feel they should have declared long time ago.
Dhoni would have I reckon.
They are losing out on valuable overs to bowl Australia out here.
A Special Day
By Q
I meant a VV Special Day!
I called it yesterday. Batting on 104 and no one looks classier than him when he scores.
Quite a partnership he has put up with Gambhir, who himself is approaching a double! What a knock he's played.
Poor Dravid would be feeling left out. I wonder if he would ever come back to his form of old. Watching the highlights I could not believe I saw him chase a wide one and get out. That was Dravid?
Back to Laxman and Gambhir - Marvellous!
Telling the Deccan Chargers Whose Boss!
By Q
VVS Laxman 26* (31b) 2x4 SR 83.87
Looks like its a Very Very Special day today!
Home Boy!
By Q
60.6 Watson to Gambhir, SIX, what a way to get to a hundred! Gambhir, take a bow! Down he skips, using his feet and simply lifting Watson over long-on for half a dozen ...
Thats his:
3rd Test century
2nd at home
2nd consecutive against Australia
This man grows with every innings!
Look at Sachin Go...
By Q
50 off 80 deliveries with 8 boundaries!
Looks like a weight has been taken off his shoulders.
Lick Your Lips!
By Q
Anil Kumble seems to be fit and back for the 3rd test against Australia.
How could he not. The match after all is being played at the Kotla!
So out goes star-debutant-and-hope-for-the-future-of-leg spinners Amit Mishra and in comes skipper Anil Kumble.
Atleast that is what I heard on the news last night.
Now though, I am hearing that Harbajhan Singh might be injured. Something wrong with the toe?
So that means that Mishra might end up playing because it certainly does not make sense to go in with 3 seamers and Kumble.
Thats like 4 seamers on a Kotla wicket!
So Kumble and Mishra?
What is the likelihood?
Two legspinners?
Bring it on I say! I'm already licking my lips at the prospect of watching that.
I'm sure Kumble & Mishra will be as well once they get a sight of the Kotla pitch.
If both of them play, India win the series I say!
What Do You Do?
By Q
You are the captain of an international cricket team.
You are playing against the best side in the world.
Pre series talk is speculating your retirement.
You draw the first test.
You have had a bad year with hardly any wickets against your name and you have just played in only the 3rd test in your life in which you went wicketless.
Retirement talk hasn't stopped, only fuelled further.
You are old and have sustained an injury ruling you out of the 3rd test.
More Retirement talk is happening.
Your injury makes way for a new leg spinner and the ODI captain of your team takes over for the 2nd test.
The stand in captain, who has thus far been criticized for not playing as well in tests as he does as captain in ODIs, plays an inspiring knock of 92 and leads your team to a sizeable total.
The new young leg spinner, your replacement, picks up a 5-for, and leaves the number 1 team in the world 201 runs in arrears.
Your replacement in the cricket world is ready and your critics are calling for your retirement.
The stand in captain does not enforce the follow on and send out the openers to go attack and make merry.
Your team piles on the runs rapidly.
The stand in captain walks out to bat at the drop of the 1st wicket to continue the assualt and remains unbeaten on an aggressive 68 as he declares with almost half of the 4th day remaining.
Your replacement as captain of the test team is ready and experts are calling for your retirement.
Your side sends half of the number 1 side in the world back to pavilion with 370 odd runs still remaining to be chased.
Victory is your teams to have and will be had tomorrow.
In 8 days, there will be another test match. Your team is 1-0 up and you are fit again.
Experts will be calling for the new young leg spinner to be in the XI.
Your only way into the team is by replacing the new young leg spinner who took a 5-for on debut.
Your critics will be calling the ODI captain a more dynamic captain.
Your only way into the team will also replace as captain someone whose dynamic leadership played an instrumental part in your team's victory.
Calls for retirement are at their peak.
What do you do?
How long will he hold on?
by Raja Baradwaj
When this person called Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar became the highest run getter in test history, it would have been around 6-7p (roughly) down under and about 11a or so in England. At that point in time it was the euphoria of someone having broken a big record that dominated the press. Now that it is about 48 hours since and the feeling sinking in, I am sure a lots of them have started thinking / writing about the next stage. Their prediction about the state of this record
So the logical next question is… Who will break it?
Ricky Ponting or Jacques Kallis? For they seem to be the closest to breaking the record.
So here I am trying to crunch some numbers to figure the fate of the record, when will it be broken and who will.
Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/Assumptions
1. The last biggie to retire was a small man called Brian Charles Lara, he retired when he was 37. So 37 has been taken as the benchmark year here for the other three players in question.
2. Based on the number of years they have been playing and the number of matches they have played, we have arrived at a number of matches they play on an average per year. Based on which we have arrived at a number of matches they would play further (projected)
3. To arrive at the number of runs they would score in the years left, 3 scenarios were looked at
(a) Their average at the start of their career. First 25 matches
(b) Average at present. The last 25 of their matches
(c) The average across their career
(d) The best among these three has been taken as the projected average for the rest of their career
Interesting takeouts
1. The bottom line seems to be very tightly poised, there is a less than 200 run difference between the two players as they finish their careers
2. We traditionally know Sachin as a very poor second innings player (remember my previous hard hitting stats post?!!). One look at Ponting proves he is no better. Both of them have only 27% of their total runs come from the second innings.
3. Ponting has a good match average because he has far more incomplete innings, meaning not outs etc.
4. While Sachin seems to have a steady average across his career, the other two have had a very good last few years. The variance between the first 25 and last 25 match average for Ponting is +25 and for Kallis is +14
5. Kallis is an odd man in this club. He has a very healthy second innings average. The variance of first to second is +8. The only one to have so
6. We could literally rule Kallis out of the race for the simple reason that he is an allrounder. This means that the wear and tear is more compared to the other two.
7. Sachin too has a fair share of his injuries. More recently a cricket irrelevant injury, the tennis elbow!! And Ponting too is not left far behind. So what are we talking about here??
While we have been speaking about the present, we also need to have one look at the past. For there have been some splendid players who, had they had opportunity like the blessed ones today, they would have placed the bar miles away.
Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/
Interesting facts
1. Geoffrey Boycott baffles me. His career spanned across 18 tumultuous years, as we all know he also quit playing as and when he liked. In spite of all this, had he played like the others did, more importantly like the England of those days, he would have played about 9 matches an year on an average. That would have left him at 15,374 test runs
2. One look at the figures here tells you a big story. The story of test matches across years, there was a time (Geoff, Sunil & Allan) when they played full 5 days cricket, when both the innings were equally important. As test cricket evolved, the second innings became more irrelevant. The strategy now changed to put a huge score, choke them. Because of this the present day cricketer is pressured to apply himself well in the first innings and then he plays the second innings either to win or for a desperate draw. The result, a poor second innings record.
3. Steven Waugh seems to be as lucky as talented a man he is. He has been at the right place at the right time. The accumulator he is, he wouldn't have had enough chances like he had, had he started today
There are many more things one could read from these two simple charts. I leave the rest to your imaginations.
Well, as we all know statistics are like miniskirts. They reveal more than they hide.
There is also a converse to this…
Talent is like a dhoti, it covers more than it should reveal.
We are talking about 3 real talents at present. The competitive environment today is, you never know when any one of them would retire or where they would place the bar should they retire.
It would be for time to say where, when and how.
Till then let’s all join in saying Cheers!! Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, Laghe raho.
