Was it all a dream, Yuvi?

It’s the summer holidays. The noon, June sun breathes fire down on a makeshift cricket ground outside DAV Public School, Chandigarh. There’s a bunch of boys, around eight or nine of them, ranging from 10 to 17. The tallest and oldest of them is unleashing a fireball, knocking batsmen over.

An audacious little kid roller skates right through the middle of the pitch. The fireball wielder has to stop in his bowling tracks. He hurls abuse in Punjabi, the kid snaps back. 

The bully hurls the ball at the kid. The kid catches the ball.

A good time to end it right there, instead, the kid asks for the bat.

More abuse follows, in a mix of Hinglish and Punjabi. The kid lets off a mock laugh, takes guard. The first ball is a beamer on the batsman’s throat. Though instead of clearing his throat, the ball clears what would’ve been a very deep fine leg, beyond the trees, beyond everyone’s sight and imagination.

The bully storms towards the kid. Before he can reach him though, he’s on his skates, away, as far as the ball.

Was it all a dream, Yuvi?

***

Yuvraj Singh did not bat in his first ODI. Ganguly, Tendulkar, Dravid, Kambli did. Even now, on retirement, he seems like that cheeky kid. But he’s of a 2000 vintage. Grown in the Punjab, blossomed in Kenya. Against bullies again. Isn’t that the best way? Up against McGrath, Gillespie, Lee. There was no Yuvi-six in that innings. Studded with 12 fours it was. On October, 7, 2000, Yuvraj Singh was born in blue.

Was it all a dream, Yuvi?

***

Over three years and 73 ODIs later, Yuvraj Singh made his Test debut. At home in Mohali. In his first Test, Yuvraj became familiar with the third result in a cricket match – a draw. After India slid to 18/3 and 128/4, he held back for a 5 off thirty minutes.

What followed was that Pakistan tour of 2004 best remembered for Sehwag’s triple at Multan, and India’s 2-1 series win. Somewhere in there was Yuvraj on his first away Test series. His first Test half century, first Test wicket, first Test century (on a green-top at Lahore) and Inzamam’s run out.

Yuvraj had to wait for India’s next tour of Pakistan for his second Test century. Yet again in a lost cause, was the finer-print in a Test career fraught with stops and starts already being written?

Yuvraj’s third century also came against Pakistan. In the same innings, Irfan Pathan scored his only Test century while Sourav Ganguly raked up his highest Test score of 239. India gallivanted to 626. Shoiab Akhtar bowled only 10 off Pakistan’s 150 overs.

Yuvraj did not play Pakistan again. Yuvraj did not score another Test century.

He played 40 Tests spanning nine years, seven against Pakistan. Overall Test average of 33.92. Test average against Pakistan 63.55.

What if Yuvraj had played more against Pakistan? What if India had?

Was it all a dream, Yuvi?

***

But Yuvraj did play Pakistan again, albeit in an ODI. 18 days after his Karachi Test hundred, he scored another Karachi hundred – this time in a winning cause, batting at three. Yuvraj was man of the match, man of the series. By now you know, this kid never did things in half measures.

Yuvraj’s ODI average and strike rate both spike against Pakistan – from 36.55 to 42.50, from 87.67 to 93.47; sometimes, all an Indian cricketer needs for inspiration, is a Pakistani cricketer to play against, and vice versa?

The last time, Yuvraj played against Pakistan was in the Champions Trophy Final. Two years ago, but all those triumphs seemed like light years away.

Was it all a dream, Yuvi?

***

How do you make your captain behave like a hooligan?

You team up with U-19 mate, Mohammad Kaif and win a seemingly lost cause. You make that day, evening for India, a memory of a lifetime. There will be bigger championships to be won, but that first definitive whack at a sport’s adversary, the knowledge that the foundations have been laid, there and then – that is power.

Armed with that power, Yuvraj scaled the World T20 in 2007, the World Cup in 2011. What he couldn’t scale was Test cricket. Perhaps, it was a different power.

Who knows, just as his timing of the white ball was unrivaled, his success at Test cricket required a restraint that wasn’t inbuilt in his game. Nor was there the audacity of a Sehwag that often surmounted that restraint.

A middle order of Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman in whites; sometimes, it’s tough to find a spot for India’s blue eyed boy.

Then there was every southpaw’s worst enemy – the off-spinner. Yuvraj himself admitted that he thought Muralitharan was the toughest he faced.

Who knows, maybe white was way too bland for this flam kid. By now, all those fierce splashes in blue have washed away the austerity of white; just as the splendour of those late night finishes have outdone the day game.

Was it all a dream, Yuvi?

***

Every year, IPL franchises outdid themselves in the Yuvraj chase. The promise of what could be far outdid what had been in the previous years.

In their pursuit, runs, averages were damned. Franchises just wanted a part of that Yuvi glory. In a sport often bereft of stars, here was one, although on the wane, still brighter than most.

In all likelihood, Mumbai Indians will be his team for keeps; in what capacity is uncertain, he could add to the super coach/mentor strength. Seated with his mates, Sachin and Zaks amongst other.

Before signing off for the season, he did play four games. Strewn across, were six sixes.

They were none like them in the IPL. They were sixes off Yuvraj Singh’s bat.

They were part of an earlier memory. A memory that came alive again. Pulled at a forgotten part of your cricketing heart. Pumped it. Thumped it. Made it alive again.  Almost at ease. As if it’s alright to look for pleasure in the sinful. That extravagance is acceptable. That it’s good to be king if just for a while. It’s good to be high and never come down. *

Was it all a dream, Yuvi?

*last line by Tom Petty from the song It’s good to be king.

First published here

    

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Why is dropping big names like dropping a big bomb?

The great Yuvraj Singh played seven games for KXIP before he was asked to keep Viru company in the dugout. In these seven games, he dragged his bat to 64 runs at a strike rate of much less than a run a ball – 91.42.

Yuvraj has been many things to Indian cricket, but somehow he’s never quite cut it in the league. But it’s the promise of Yuvraj that has compelled franchises to pay monster-money for him. Once upon a time, just the sight of Yuvi was good enough for the crowds.

On the IPLT20 website, his role is that of an allrounder. In this edition, Yuvraj bowled 12 deliveries in seven matches. For 23 runs. In 2017 too, he bowled 12 deliveries. But in 12 matches.

For a largely faceless team, with no big ticket Indian ODI or T20I stars, Yuvraj gives Punjab a star stamp of authority – he makes it to their ads, plugs, promos; in spite of doing little with the bat, he has that perfect sync with the team. Just watch him celebrate in the dugout, he’s the DJ in the house, the choreographer, the cool, funny dude who everyone gravitates to. He’s in many ways Punjab’s mascot.

When on the field, his fielding has been scratchy, but his enthusiasm has been electric.

Since his absence, KXIP has lost two of its last three matches.

It took six games for Gautam Gambhir to bench himself – 85 runs at strike rate less than a run a ball (96.59) is how it ends for a two-time IPL winning captain.

Years ago, Delhi Daredevils let go of Gambhir at his peak. To make amends, they picked him on the wane. Much like KXIP, Delhi too, lacked an Indian icon. And much like their northern neighbor, their move defied cricketing logic – in only DD’s second match, chasing 71 in six overs against Rajasthan Royals, Gambhir did not come out to bat, even after four wickets. As often before, Gambhir had put the team before himself. Years back at DD, he slipped down to the order, relinquishing the opening spot to David Warner.

If Gambhir’s selection for six matches was tricky, playing Glenn Maxwell for nine matches has been the biggest joke of the IPL. While both Yuvraj and Gambhir have appeared clueless in the middle, Maxwell comes across as a tail-ender trying to reacquaint himself with the blind slog in a long lost match.

It’s mattered little where or when Maxwell bats – the faith in him has been so absolute, and there appears to be a genuine belief that he must play his reckless natural game (for he has no other game) – every innings he appears blindfolded, striking purely by the smell of leather.

Maxwell has somewhat miraculously cobbled together 133 runs in nine matches; his hit-and-miss innings have lasted 87 deliveries, striking at 152.87.

Mumbai Indians’ love affair with Kieron Pollard started in 2010. Since then, he has been a specialist fielder who bats little, and bowls even less. His catches have been the toast of every highlights’ package. Pollard for reasons best known to MI has been one of their most sought-after players.

At times it seems that Pollard plays more matches in a season than even MI. 

What to do, he’s always there. And rarely put under much strain. It’s always too early for Pollard to come out and bat – there’s a belief in MI circles that Pollard can win games of one-two overs but anything more is pushing his T20 powers.

So, coming in this late, it’s tough to ascertain what 76 runs off seven matches means, even if it’s at a strike rate of 108 and an average of 15. But after one defeat too many, MI’s hand was forced and they had to let go of Pollard.

All these indulgences pale in front of D’Arcy Short. In spite of scores of 4, 6, 11 opening the innings, Short got yet another go – 44(43) – helping him fuss long enough to find his touch but also sink his team. He followed that with a cracking 44 and a run a ball 2. Verdict is that RR has a better shot at winning when Short doesn’t score.

While Gambhir and Yuvraj are both pushing 37, and as champions in their time, could well find themselves in the odd mentoring role in future IPLs, don’t be surprised to see Pollard reappear if MI make the playoffs. 

As for D’Arcy Short and Glenn Maxwell, there are enough Aussie commentators on air to tell us of their exploits Down Under. So what if this isn’t the Big Bash League.

Aside: Gambhir and Maxwell are both born on October 14.  

First published here

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How the Indians woke up after losing to Lanka.

It has come to be known, that India’s match against Sri Lanka was being written off as a practice match – by none other than the Indians themselves. Sri Lankan wicketkeeper, Niroshan Dickwella, speaks of extracting revenge, even as he says that such things have no effect on the Lankans.

Anyhow, after the rude shock of losing to Sri Lanka after beating archrivals, Pakistan, the Indians woke up dazed. As early as 3 am, an Indian cricketer was seen sleepwalking towards the swimming pool of the hotel. He then proceeded to sleep talk, “I deserve to drown myself in shallow waters” A crude translation of the Hindi saying, ‘Chullu bhar pani me doob mar’.  Giridhar Gupta, the guard on duty, was disappointed that the Indian cricketer did not recognise a fellow Indian.

While most of the players surfaced well past 6:00 am, the Indian coach, Anil Kumble and captain, Virat Kohli, were spotted getting a net way earlier, at 5:00 am – while Kohli failed to contribute with the bat against Sri Lanka, he did bowl three overs of his concoction of slow seamers with a leggie’s action. Those who spotted Kumble and Kohli claimed to see the two working on the captain’s bowling. After that, it appears the two were working on the coach’s batting. Seeing the calm between the two, it is now being said that the captain and coach have turned a corner in their relationship. Still others said that this was just being done to ease out disharmony between the two.

Sourav Ganguly, however, said he fully believed that the two were champion cricketers and there was nothing wrong between the two in the first place. “I repeatedly said in commentary that India will score 330, and because India fell eight short of my target they eventually lost. If you see, Shekhar’s hundred…”  When corrected that it was Shikhar and not Shekhar, an oblivious Ganguly marched on, “as I was saying, Shekhar’s century…”

When approached, Kohli said he wanted to dismiss the defeat to Sri Lanka as a bad dream. “While it is nowhere as deflating as our continuous defeats playing for RCB, turning up as the losing captain had a sense of Déjà vu. Yes, you can say, Sri Lanka turned up today, and I do think 320 was a defendable target and we just didn’t bowl well enough or field well enough for that matter, even though there were two runouts, we let some easy ones go…” the interviewer was quite flabbergasted when Kohli rambled on and left her with nothing to ask.

When the players assembled at 7:30 am for breakfast, they sat with their empty plates, looking as if they’d just been caned by a missionary school headmaster. Umesh Yadav broke the silence when he muttered, “Yesterday, I met Umesh Yadav older version who would bowl at least two hit-me deliveries in an over. I never liked him. But batsmen liked him. Yesterday batsmen liked him a lot. Not just like they even shared my hit-me deliveries between themselves.” Umesh stared at his empty plate, as Jadeja took over from him, “because of me, Virat and Kedar had to bowl. Because of me, Ashwin did not bowl. Because of me…” When reminded that there was no way Ashwin could have bowled as he wasn’t playing, he continued, like a haunted man, “But we hunt in pairs, we hunted in pairs throughout the home series”. When reminded that he had been listening to too much Ravi Shastri, he said, “Because of me, Shastri is not doing commentary”.

Next, Yuvraj Singh decided to own up, “After a match-winning innings for India against Pakistan, I played a match winning innings for Sri Lanka against India”. Everyone cracked up, and thanked Yuvi for being such a cool and funny guy.

It was then that Hardik Pandya chipped in, “I was nearly as expensive as Jadeja, if you take away my maiden over, I went for 51 runs off 6 overs, Jaddu went for 52 off his 6…and I dropped a return catch and threw my wicket away when I needed to accel..”

It was then that Kumble and Kohli walked in from their long net together. Kohli cleared his throat. Silence at the table. “We have been discussing the defeat, and we have decided to take it in our stride”, Kohli said in a very matter of fact way.

And with those few words, suddenly, everything was good at the Indian breakfast table. They started laughing and repeating to themselves, “take it in our stride!” “take it in our stride!!” take it in our stride!!!”

The Indian table resembled a Lok Sabha cheering session, with the players thumping the tables hard.

Next, Kohli commanded them to go fill their plates with every conceivable protein on offer, “We are a champion side and we’re gonna have a breakfast of champions”.

Kumble added, “Yes, Breakfast of champions is a book by Kurt Vonnegut…have anyone of you read..”

But by the time, Kumble could finish asking, the team had already started to attack the buffet. Someone could be heard chirping with much euphoria, “muesli…take it in our stride!!”

(However plausible this may sound, this is largely a work of fiction.)

First published here

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