Amazing Sehwag sets up improbable chase

Playing tough, patient, flair-free, textbook Test cricket over four days, England had slowly but surely, tightened their grip on the match, leaving India to chase an impossible 387 in 120 overs on a deteriorating pitch.

History indicated a win was impossible. The odds were long to even contemplate a draw. But, apparently nobody told Sehwag. He batted with purpose, didn’t allow any bowler to settle, repeatedly cut and slog swept with amazing ease on his way to becoming the highest run-getter in Tests in 2008.

His simple, yet atrocious batting has left India to chase a difficult but not impossible 256 on the last day. His blistering innings of 83 off 68 balls has single-handedly raised the hopes for an improbable win!

Bad light and absurd rules

After India’s dominance in the first two games, the third ODI between India and England showed some semblance of a contest before bad light ended the game handing India another win under the D/L method. Earlier a foggy morning had already delayed the match by 45 minutes reducing the match to 49 overs per side.

Though India would have probably won the match anyway, it is ridiculous that bad light ended the match when floodlights were available at the ground. And, even though the match started 45 minutes late, the players had a full regulation break for lunch (even after the England captain requested for a shorter break). Apparently, both are due to some insipid ICC regulations, despite some recent changes to the rules after that absurd match in England. Given the circumstances, and the rules, the officials could have at least shown some foresight and reduced the match to a 45 over game. A 45 minute delay resulting in a 2 over reduction when everyone knew light would come in to play is downright stupid!

Instead of trying to layout specific rules which are half-baked anyway, ICC should just outline some generic guidelines and allow the officials use their judgment to determine the best course of action to get a complete game as much as reasonably possible.

Goodbye Ganguly

A career that began with a century at Lord’s in 1996 has come to an end with a golden duck at Nagpur in 2008. In between, one of the greatest one day batsmen and India’s most successful Test captain Saurav C Ganguly has provided us with some wonderful memories – the debut at Lord’s, the spectacular run at Toronto in 1997, the big hitting blitz at the ‘99 World Cup, the thrashing in dying light at Leeds in 2002, the thrilling ‘chin music’ counter-attack at Brisbane in 2003, the double hundred against Pakistan in 2007 are a few that immediately come to mind among countless other one day innings.

More than his outstanding one day career and a fulfilling Test career, Dada’s legacy would definitely be his exploits as a captain. Taking charge during the aftermath of the match-fixing controversy, he was the first to bring a sense of professionalism to the team by bringing in a professional coach in John Wright. Unlike most captains before him was able to influence the selectors in getting the team he wanted. He had an uncanny ability to identify talent and, most importantly he backed the players he trusted to the hilt. Yuvraj, Kaif, Sehwag, Harbhajan and even Dhoni were all unearthed by him. He was able to motivate, inspire and extract the best from his players. I think Dravid’s one day game changed and prospered for the better after he was entrusted the additional responsibility of keeping wickets. His greatest accomplishment is the confidence and winning attitude he brought to the team; In the words of Steve Waugh

he injected some toughness and combativeness into a side that had often tended in the past to roll over and expose a soft underbelly.

All were not roses in his career though. If the performances in Australia and the win in Pakistan in 2004 were the peak of his accomplishments, things went downhill from there. His batting became listless, leadership uninspiring and his spat with Greg Chappell eventually forced him out of the team. True to character, after everyone had written him off, he came back to the team in early 2007 and the last 18 months has arguably  been his most consistent run as a batsman.

He may be gone, but he will forever remain as the God of offside stroke play.

Tendulkar's little gem

I have been too lazy to blog recently, but I just could not let Sachin's little gem of an innings on the first day of India's third Test match against Australia yesterday at Delhi go uncommented.

Similar to the delightful innings of 71 he played at Perth earlier this year, this little gem of 68 was an composed but authoritative innings, full of fluent and sometimes thumping strokes. The circumstances then and yesterday are eerily similar. At Perth, he came in with the score reading 2-59 and built a partnership of 129 runs with Dravid setting up the platform for a memorable win. Here, he came in with the score reading 2-27 and built a partnership of 130 runs with Gambhir and has hopefully set up the platform for a win!

And the similarities doesn't end there. Between those beautiful on the toes back foot punches through point, cracking cover drives, glorious on drives, a delightful late cut and a thumping slog sweep he unleashed in this innings, the shot of the day was when very much similar to the shot he played against Lee in Perth, he nudged the same bowler's fast and furious short ball over slips for four!

India vs Sri Lanka - Preview

After the loss in the Asia Cup finals, the Indian ODI Team faces off Sri Lanka once again in a five match series starting tomorrow. As in the Test series, the focus will be on how well the Indian middle order handle Mendis and Murali, especially with the absence of Tendulkar.

While the core of the team remains unchanged from the one that played the Asia Cup, there are still six changes in the squad -

Zaheer and Harbhajan back for Sreesanth and Chawla - With Ojha preferred over Chawla based on his performances in the Asia Cup and Sreesanth asked to prove his match fitness, an easy decision of seniors coming back to replace the juniors in the team.

Virat Kohli and Badrinath come in for Uthappa and Ishant Sharma - Uthappa was expected to make way for Sachin, but with Sachin out to injury, Badrinath gets a chance. Ishant gets a rest, but why did Kohli get his spot?

Parthiv Patel for Yusuf Pathan - With Dhoni complaining about non-stop cricket and even skipping the Test series, the selectors have recognized the need for a backup keeper in the team. Parthiv gets the nod over Karthik, though nothing really differentiates the two - both performed poorly in the Test series. Nevertheless, this should give Parthiv some confidence going forward. Yusuf Pathan is unlucky to miss out. He didn't do much wrong in the Asia Cup and if someone had to make way for the backup keeper, it should have been his brother Irfan. While Irfan is the better bowler in helpful conditions, he looks distinctly off-color otherwise and considering the slow pitches in Sri Lanka, Yusuf would have been the better choice.

Munaf for Gony - As I recall, Munaf was dropped for the Kitply and Asia Cup tournaments after a lackluster performance in the CB series wherein questions about his fitness and commitment were questioned. With Gony not grabbing his couple of chances of well enough, Munaf is back. This can mean only one thing - the selectors dropped Munaf more as a warning to get his act together and had every intention of bringing him back. Munaf could now either come back strong or get complacent realizing that there is no better to replace him. Either way, Gony must feel used!

Murali Karthik - He bowled well against Australia and Pakistan last year, but unfortunately got injured. Though he has recovered now, he finds his place in the queue behind Harbhajan taken by two spinners in Ojha and Chawla. Very unlucky for him and am not sure if the selectors even remotely considered his name!

Despite the threat of Mendis and Murali, I still believe our strength is batting and that we should stick to a five bowler strategy. Here is my playing XI for the ODI series -

1. Virender Sehwag
2. Gautam Gambhir
3. Suresh Raina
4. Yuvraj Singh
5. MS Dhoni
6. Rohit Sharma
7. Irfan Pathan
8. Harbhajan Singh
9. Praveen Kumar
10. P Ojha
11. Zaheer Khan

Fabulous Four - Beginning of the End

With Sri Lanka wrapping up an easy win, a very disappointing series for the Fabulous Four of Indian Cricket - Sachin, Dravid, Laxman and Ganguly comes to an end.

One way to look at their failure is to consider this as an aberration in their wonderful career and a watershed moment  in history when a talented spinner in Ajantha Mendis made a remarkable debut. After all, I don't think there has been any other series where all four collectively failed and based on his performance so far, Mendis (especially in tandem with Murali) does look like a quality spinner to watch out for. Plus, if these four with all their natural talent and vast experience couldn't perform, who else could have? Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma? I don't think so. Olympics and the upcoming ODI series should provide enough distraction to forget this failure and move on!

But, the other way and I think the right way to look at this is as the beginning of the end of a wonderful chapter in Indian Cricket. The build up to the series couldn't have been better - the all young ODI team in good  form was rendered clueless by a new spinner and the stage was set for the aging champions to show the new kids on the block how it's done. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. If these four with all their talent and experience could not produce a decent performance in even one innings, what is the point of persisting with them? If their talent, form and experience is not making a difference, then what value do they bring to the team? If their aging bodies and slowing reflexes has  overwhelmed their talent and experience, how are they superior to other players waiting in the wings?

This doesn't mean that all four need to be dropped and replaced with the Rohits and Rainas in waiting. I cannot confidently name one player that absolutely deserves a spot over any of the fab four. But, this does mean that the playing field between the seniors and juniors is level now. Instead of being considered automatic picks, they need to be compared and evaluated against other players. Instead of being assumed superior, they need to compete for their place with the rest. Instead of blindly preferring the old masters, the selectors should take a chance and opt for some young blood. It's not the end, but the beginning of the end.

What happened to Kaif?

Trying to write up a preview of the third Test match between India and Sri Lanka, I was looking up the members of the Indian squad and then it hit me - whatever happened to Mohammed Kaif?

Midway through India's last Test series against South Africa, when Sachin Tendulkar was ruled out of the series after aggravating his groin injury, the selectors announced Kaif as his replacement. The fact that he was picked over other middle order batsmen like Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and S Badrinath, was surprising, but, considering his prolific domestic season, completely justified. Though he was not expected to make it to the playing XI (and he didn't), it offered him a glimmer of hope of staging a comeback and offered us some insight in to the selectors' thinking. It seemed like the selectors were not ready to push the youngsters in to the Test arena without them first providing some credible evidence of delivering on their promising talent.

Now, only a couple of months later, he finds his place in the squad being occupied by Rohit Sharma! What has changed? Was Rohit's performance in the IPL Twenty20 enough to displace Kaif? I was against Kaif's selection then, but, am equally against his replacement now.

For me, it's not about Rohit vs Kaif, it's about having a consistent selection policy. It's about treating your players right. Imagine how Kaif must be feeling - first surprised at getting recalled, then elated at the opportunity, only to be bewildered and confused at being dropped! And, I am willing to bet that no one possibly called him offering an explanation.

India win Galle Test to level series

After three days of intensely fought competitive cricket involving spin bowling - spinners running through and batsmen countering them - an unexpected, fiery spell of fast bowling by Ishant Sharma on the fourth day of the second Test match between India and Sri Lanka at Galle, tilted the match in India's favor, helping them win the match by 170 runs.

And a what a well contested match it was! If Mendis shrugged off Sehwag's assault to take 10 wickets, Harbhajan shrugged off his indifferent form in recent times to match that effort. The Lankan top order's composed batting was matched by Gambhir's crucial fifties. Until Ishant's spell sprinted forward India to the finish line, both teams were running close all through the match.

The real difference for India, of course, was Sehwag's heroic, assaulting double century. In the very first session of the match, he had tamed the 'unreadable' Mendis, dismissed the wily Murali, calmed India's nerves and single-handedly laid the platform for a memorable win.

Apart from methodically and completely destroying the spinners, his best moment was not during one of the 250+ runs he scored in the match, but the one run he didn't score in the third ball of the 81st over - the one that would have taken him to 200 with last man Ishant at the other hand. He refused the easy single to shield Ishant and waited until the last ball of the over to get to his personal landmark! That moment once again exemplified his style of batting - treating each ball in its own context. Forget text book technique, his simple approach to cricket is what every young cricketer should be taught.

Mendis spins Sri Lanka to victory in the Asia Cup finals

Ajantha Mendis' spectacular spell of 'mystery' spin bowling rendered the in-form Indian batting lineup chasing 274 clueless and led Sri Lanka to a comfortable run win in the Asia Cup finals on Sunday. He ended the day with astonishing figures of 8-1-13-6!

Introduced into the attack in the tenth over with India cruising at 76/1 on the back of a blistering 60 off 34 balls by Sehwag, the Indian middle order facing him for the first time, struggled to read his flicked deliveries and were deceived out in no time. Only Dhoni who played him as late as possible reading the deliveries off the pitch was able to handle him a little better but with Mendis reducing the Indians to 98/5, it was just a matter of time before Sri Lanka wrapped up the win.

Earlier in the day, Dhoni took the field with an extra batsman, called right and put Sri Lanka to bat. Despite Jayasuriya's awesomely aggressive 125 - 26 of which were scored in the one RP Singh over (three sixes and two fours), with Ishant picking up early wickets, Sehwag and Ojha bowling tightly in the middle and RP Singh cleaning up the tail, India had restricted Sri Lanka to a sub par 273. In the end though, it turned out to be 100 runs too many!

Mendis or not, it should be noted that Dhoni made two tactical mistakes even before the match began - one, he chose to abandon the five bowler tactic that was so effective in the tournament & opted instead to strengthen the batting with a seventh batsman (Uthappa) and two, having won the toss, put the Sri Lankans to bat. Both these decisions were particularly bewildering considering that he justified these decisions as playing to his team's strength - batting. Since batting is our strength, my logic dictates that we should back our batsmen and bolster our bowling with an additional specialist. Also, instead of putting our weak bowling to test by bowling first, we should bat first, trust our strong batting to put up a big score and ease the pressure on the already weak bowling.

Looking ahead, the Test series coming up in a couple of weeks promises some thrilling cricket with the prospect of India's batting Trinity facing this exciting new spin sensation!

Another Final, Another Loss!

Pakistan re-grouped after their thumping on Tuesday to score a clinical and convincing win against their nemesis  and favorites India in the finals of the Kitply cup in Bangladesh today.

Just when everyone was expecting the tri-series to meander to an end and were wondering if the intensity of India-Pakistan encounters have diminished due to both an overdose of such contests and the recent decline of the quality of Pakistani cricket, this loss for India has brought back in to focus its bugaboo for the last few years - losing finals!

Once again, India's weak bowling came apart at a crucial time when assaulted by aggressive, attacking batting. Instead of dismissing the loss attributing it to the bowlers having an off-day, India should seriously re-think its team composition.

India has always tended to counter its weakness in bowling by bolstering its batting. I have never been and probably never will be a fan of this strategy. I mean, can anyone remember the last time when the seventh batsman made a difference in a game for India? On the other hand, there has been plenty of times (especially finals) when the fifth bowler - the lack of one - has adversely affected the team.

Instead of going in with just three specialist bowlers, one bowling all-rounder (Irfan Pathan) and making up the fifth bowler with batting all-rounders, India should always go with five bowlers. We have to trust our formidable batting line-up and beef up the bowling by bringing in another specialist bowler. After all, this five bowler tactic did prove worthy in the CB series, when India beat Australia to win an ODI series final after a very long time.

India XI for the Kitply Cup

Except for Tendulkar missing in action due to injury, the Indian squad for the Kitply Cup in Dhaka is mostly the same team that tasted success against the Australians earlier in March. Here is my playing XI for the series in batting order:

• Robin Uthappa
• Virender Sehwag
• Gautam Gambhir
• Yuvraj Singh
• Rohit Sharma
• MS Dhoni
• Irfan Pathan / Yusuf Pathan
• Manpreet Gony
• Piyush Chawla
• RP Singh
• Ishant Sharma

Kitply Cup - anybody interested?

A rather inconsequential ODI tri-series involving India, Pakistan and Bangladesh begins today in Dhaka. With the teams themselves treating the series as practice matches for the upcoming Asia Cup, not too many are interested in the Kitply cup. Nevertheless, it could still provide answers to some questions arising on the heels of the IPL Twenty20 extravaganza.

After being used to weeks of hectic Twenty20 cricket, will fans find the ODIs slow paced?

Will the players be able to adjust their style of play for the longer version?

With the IPL being a hit in Pakistan and the Indians having cheered Tanvir and Akhtar, will an India-Pakistan encounter evoke the same partisan passion as before?

With Tendulkar injured, Dhoni for the first time gets a chance to field a team of youngsters for a full series. Can the youngsters impress?

Will Yusuf Pathan and Manpreet Gony, drafted in to the team based on their excellent performances in IPL, prove skillful in the 50-50 format?

Well, we don't have to wait long to find out.

IPL - Players review

With the Rajasthan Royals capping their impressive run in the IPL Twenty20 cricket tournament with a thrilling last ball victory against the Chennai Super Kings in the finals on Sunday, it is time to look back and analyze the performance of the players involved.

Icons and Superstars
Among the icons and superstars of Indian Cricket (Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Kumble, Harbhajan, Zaheer) only Dhoni and Sehwag had any real impact in the tournament. Dhoni impressively led his team to the finals while also scoring over 400 runs with an average of over 40. Sehwag's 400 runs and his consistent opening partnership with Gambhir went a long way in taking Delhi to the semis.

As for the other batsmen, Laxman and Tendulkar missed most of the matches to injury; Yuvraj could not live up to his big hitting expectations; though Dravid topped his team's batting statistics, he could not really motivate or inspire his team mates; Ganguly played a couple of incredible knocks, but they were just too little and too late.

Among the bowlers, none left a mark, except Harbhajan's slap on Sreesanth's cheeks!

Former Stars
None of the former stars (Kaif, Agarkar, A Nehra, L Balaji, Parthiv Patel) performed well enough to get noticed, though it is heartening to note that both Balaji and Nehra have both recovered from injury.

Twenty20 Champs
Some of the new generation Twenty20 cricketers - Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Robin Uthappa, Venugopal Rao, Irfan Pathan, Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla - performed consistently well and enhanced their reputation as the future stars.

The rest - Munaf Patel, P Kumar, VRV Singh, Joginder Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Wasim Jaffer - seemed to have lost their mojo. Ishant Sharma in particular was disappointing considering the high price that Kolkata paid to get him and Dinesh Karthik missed an opportunity to get back in to the selectors radar.

Foreign Recruits
Most of the big names in international cricket - Shaun Marsh, Shane Watson, Jayasuriya, Sohail Tanvir, Shane Warne, Graeme Smith, Sangakkara, McGrath, Maharoof, Ntini, Albie Morkel, Adam Gilchrist, Mike Hussey, Hayden, McCullum - were spectacular. Especially Marsh and Watson, who emerged as the two best performers in the IPL.

Pollock, Muralitharan, David Hussey, JR Hopes, Stephen Fleming, Jayawardene, Bravo and Umar Gul did not exactly set the stage on fire, but had a few good performances.

Mark Boucher, Kallis, Salman Butt, Gibbs, Symonds, Kamran Akmal, Ponting, Cameron White, Akhtar, Vaas, Asif, Chanderpaul, Shoaib Malik, Afridi, Fernando and Steyn were abject disappointments.

Emerging Talent
This was an ideal opportunity for some of the local boys to showcase their talent and a few - Manpreet Gony, S Dhawan, SA Asnodkar, Goswami - managed to shine through, but none better than Yusuf Pathan who had a wonderful tournament capped by a man of the match performance in the final.

Overall, the Foreign Recruits ensured the high quality of cricket throughout the tournament and played a huge part in making the IPL a success. The biggest disappointment has to be the performance or rather the non-performance of the Icons and Superstars of Indian Cricket.

It's Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals

The IPL Twenty20 cricket tournament is winding to a close with an exciting final on the cards between the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals tomorrow.

Both teams won their semi-final games in contrasting but emphatic style. While the Royals batted the Delhi Daredevils out of the competition through outstanding strokeplay, the Super Kings knocked out the highly rated Kings XI Punjab through accurate seam bowling.

Their ride to the final has also been in contrasting style. Chennai - a pre-tournament favorite and lead by the league's highest paid player - started with a bang, struggled in the middle and managed to pull off some crucial wins in the end. Rajasthan - the cheapest team in the league and the pre-tournament underdog - started badly, but cruised through the tournament otherwise.

Despite their differences, both teams are lead by immensely talented, inspiring leaders in Dhoni and Warne. I do not know if the two best teams in the league are facing off tomorrow, but certainly they are lead by the two best captains.

So, who are the favorites to win tomorrow? Unpredictability has been the hallmark of Twenty20 cricket, with luck and nerves playing important roles as well as pure cricketing skills. Tomorrow's Champion could very well be the team that handles pressure better. Analysis aside, I am just hoping for a fitting finale and a thrilling contest!

IPL - entertaining but not engaging

It's been a month since the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and despite any initial apprehensions some might have had, it's been a huge success.

From huge sixes to quick wickets; outrageous stroke-play to brilliant hat-tricks; improbable wins to inexplicable losses; one-sided contests to last-ball thrillers; SRK dancing to Mallya whining; players getting slapped to CEOs getting sacked; inspiring leaders to clueless captains; failing favorites to winning underdogs; Australians getting cheered to Indians getting booed; spectacular fireworks to skimpy cheerleaders; awesome centuries to painful ducks; delightful cameos to devastating spells; athletic catches to dropped chances; insightful commentators to well, Ranjit Fernando; highs to lows and everything in between, it really has been an entertaining month of Twenty20 cricket!

But, despite all the entertainment, there is a sense of detachment for fans like me - expats who are far away from the action with no real affinity towards any particular team and inconvenienced by time. It's like watching a typical Bollywood blockbuster - entertaining for sure, but not engaging. After waking up early to catch the first couple of matches live, I now watch mostly the highlights and sometimes the replays.

IPL is fun, but it hasn't quite managed to evoke enough passion to lose sleep over - except when Tendulkar is batting!

The Giant Pool of Money

I chanced on an excellent episode of This American Life today on KQED radio titled 'The Giant Pool of Money'

A special program about the housing crisis produced in a special collaboration with NPR news. We explain it all to you. What does the housing crisis have to do with the turmoil on Wall street? Why did banks make half-million dollar loans to people without jobs or income? And why is everyone talking so much about the 1930s? It all comes back to the Giant Pool of Money.

The program does a fantastic job of explaining to the listeners how the subprime mortgage crisis happened, and has led to the current global credit crunch. Alex Blumberg and Adam Davidson describe the events in simple terms through the personal stories of some of the people involved in this financial chain - borrowers, brokers, bankers and investors. Download the podcast here while it is free.

Celebrating Puberty

When my phone rang in the middle of the night last Friday, I woke up startled wondering who on earth was calling at such an odd hour. 'This better be important', I muttered to myself as I picked up the phone and heard my cousin from India announce that her daughter has 'come of age' and that they are having a 'Sadangu'. Half asleep, angry to be woken up and surprised that she called at all, this piece of news overwhelmed me! I froze, struggling to find the right thing to say; thankfully, my wife nudged me and whispered 'congratulations'. I muttered the same and handed the phone to her, heaving a sigh of relief.

Congratulations? Is that what you say? Actually, did I need to know this? Did anyone except the parents need to know this? And does it have to be celebrated through an elaborate ritual with guests? While Hinduism is loaded with rituals, this particular practice of celebrating a girl's puberty is distinctly Dravidian and as far as I know this is only observed by non-Brahmin Tamils.  Traditionally, when girls were married off as soon as they hit puberty, the celebrations served the purpose of letting everyone in the community know that the girl is available for marriage. But, does this still hold relevance? While puberty is an important milestone for a girl and deserves celebration, it should be a personal and private affair. Instead of announcing the news to the whole world, take the girl shopping, take a vacation, send her out with her friends - anything to make her feel special, not embarrassed.

As for my daughter, I would be happy and proud when she transitions from a little girl to a young lady, but I sure won't be calling up anybody in the middle of the night!

Sambar Noodles

Yes, you read that right. Apparently, the folks at Maggi have paired the South Indian Sambar with Chinese Noodles! As curious as it sounds, this is a flavor combination that I will not be trying any time soon. What next, Idlis in Schezwan sauce?

India wins, series drawn

For the first time in the series, on a surface that suited them perfectly, the Indian bowlers dominated proceedings in the third Test match and bowled out the South Africans in their second innings for just 121.  The South African top order that performed admirably well in the first innings struggled to score and once Sehwag broke through the defenses of Kallis and Smith, Harbhajan and Ishant ran through the rest of the lineup.

Earlier in the day, Ishant and Sreesanth had frustrated the South Africans with an often lucky partnership to help India stretch its first innings lead to 60.  Although they lost the openers, the Indians knocked off the 62 runs required for victory quite easily, squaring the series and thereby managing to hold on to their number two ranking in the ICC list.

For an Indian fan this was a rather disappointing series; other than Sehwag's triple century at Chennai and the fascinating contest the first two days of this Test match provided - that's three days out of the 15 days of cricket (well, actually it was three out of 11, since the last two matches ended in just three days) - there was nothing else to cheer about. Hopefully, with IPL coming up soon, there is plenty to look forward to.

After the Indian collapse in the second Test match, I struggled to understand how a team that had performed reasonably well on green pitches in recent times could bat so poorly. Agreed, the South Africans bowled incredibly well, still, 76 all out just didn't make any sense. This Kanpur pitch, if nothing else, has provided a way to compare the performance of the South African batsmen. In the first innings, faced with a dry, cracking pitch, their top order batsmen played to a plan, batted with purpose and at least for the first half of the innings tackled the spinners with ease. In the second innings though, the same batsmen seemed lost, struggled to score and looked baffled against spin!

I guess as a batsman, irrespective of how well you plan ahead and mentally prepare yourself for the kind of shots you need to play on a given surface, on alien conditions, it is indeed difficult to execute your plans effectively - sometimes you succeed, but sometimes you fail. The collapse was probably not due to lack of plan or application, but just a lack of experience playing quality pace bowling on such green-top pitches. And that makes those wins in Perth and Headingley even more incredible!

Kanpur Test interestingly poised

The third Test match between India and South Africa is interestingly poised after India ended day two on 288r for nine - 23 runs more than the 265 the South Africans made on day one.

The crumbling pitch with uneven bounce made batting hard, but that was only until Laxman came in to bat. He batted with such elegance and composure that you wondered if he in fact relished such conditions! And just when it looked like he along with a very determined Dravid had tamed the conditions, both fell to totally unplayable deliveries from Morkel leaving India tattering at 123 for four.

And then Ganguly stepped in and took charge. He ran hard for the singles, rotated the strike, put away the bad balls, never missed an opportunity to score and remained unperturbed when the odd ball bounced or turned viciously missing his bat. In short, it was the perfect innings for the conditions. Though he missed a well deserved century, this innings of 87 should rank among the very best he has ever played. He was ably helped by cameos from Yuvraj and Dhoni; though Dhoni should be kicking himself for the moment of madness that ended his innings.

Two days, 553 runs and 19 wickets later, the match is still evenly balanced with neither side holding any distinctive advantage. After a rather dull two Test matches at Chennai and Ahmedabad, it has taken a dry and deteriorating pitch to produce two consecutive days of fascinating cricket!

Kaif to replace Sachin

Sachin Tendulkar has been ruled out of the second Test against South Africa after aggravating a groin injury. As I said earlier, he should have been rested for this series in the first place. I mean, how hard could it have been for the selectors to pull up Sachin and say - "Sachin, you have been terrific all through this tour of Australia, and as a reward, you get a paid time off until after the series against South Africa. No, don't worry about the team, we are going to pull in Yuvraj to replace you and he along with his teammates should be able to cover for you. And, if they cannot, well, someone will get fired! So, now go on, relax, recuperate and enjoy your time off.". I hope it is not a serious issue and that they would give him an extended break and keep him out of the third Test as well.

In a surprising move, the selectors have announced Mohammad Kaif to replace Sachin. He probably deserves his place based on his performances in domestic cricket, but again, why wasn't Karthik considered? As I said before the start of this series, he deserves another chance. Plus, picking him opens the possibility of resting Dhoni, who is possibly the most overworked player in the team. Anyway, it doesn't matter much as realistically, Sachin's replacement is not going to make it to the playing XI.

It is now almost certain that Yuvraj would get to play; But, considering how the bowlers struggled in Chennai and that we are not going to see bowler friendly pitches,  it is not a bad idea to pick a fifth bowler instead. Piyush Chawla or Irfan Pathan could be picked up, although Irfan might get in anyway to replace the off-color RP Singh.

Scintillating triple ton from Sehwag!

Virender Sehwag treated the crowd to some scintillating batting,  scoring the fastest triple century in Test history, at the M.A. Chidambram Stadium in Chennai yesterday. What an exhilarating joy ride it was - stroke after scorching stroke flowed from his bat all day long as he scored more than 250 runs in a single day! And, nothing could stop him really, not even Paul Harris' tactic of bowling well outside leg. He either stepped out and drove inside out or reverse swept - one almost going for a six - never once slowing down. This innings will be remembered as much for the simplicity of his 'I see ball, I hit ball' temperament as the audaciousness of his stroke play for a very long time!

It's hard to pick out a couple of shots as the best when his whole innings - filled with 41 fours and five sixes - was like a highlights package! But, a couple of moments stood out for me. One was when he just stood in the crease and cut a good length ball on the off stump behind point for four and Arun Lal in the commentary box exclaimed -  "Coaches tell you to get to the pitch of the ball; if you did that, you could never put that ball away for four!".  That shot summarized Sehwag's game - his talent lies not in sound technique, but in backing his blessed hand-eye coordination with good shot selection. He rarely moves his feet, but, when in form, stays beautifully balanced.

The other was the last over before tea. Most batsmen would be content to play safe the last couple of overs before a break, especially if they had just scored a double century in blistering hot conditions, but not Sehwag - he clobbered Ntini for 15 runs in the over, including a smashing four off the last ball and nonchalantly walked back to the pavilion. That attitude showcased his simple approach to batting - playing every ball on its merit, without worrying too much about what had happened before or what is going to happen next.

With good support from Jaffer and Dravid, he has turned the match around and put India in a position of strength. With two more days of play left, the Indians can force a win from here, but, will they?

Squad for South Africa Test series

The Indians have announced their squad for the first two Tests of the series against South Africa. Unlike the last time when they made some bold changes to the ODI team, this time the selectors decided to stick with the tried and tested. Though nothing different was expected, three players could consider themselves unlucky.

Gautam Gambhir - After an exceptional outing in the Twenty20 world cup and an outstanding run in the recent CB series, he is knocking on the doors of Test cricket. More than the amount of runs, the way he has scored them is impressive. He has a good technique, handles both pace and spin with aplomb, and seems an ideal fit at number three.

But, with two strong contenders for the number three spot - Dravid and Laxman - already in the team, he has to miss out. Another option might be to pick him as an opener; but, there again Sehwag is in good form and though Jaffer did not fare as well in Australia, it's just wrong to drop him after just one mediocre series, especially considering the valuable contributions he made all through 2007. It's just truly unfortunate for Gambhir that he cannot make it to the team when in such a good form!

Yuvraj Singh - Though he has been included in the squad of 14, realistically, he stands no chance of breaking in to the playing XI barring injuries. Agreed, he failed to use his opportunity in Australia to seal a place in the side, but one more chance for such a talented player is not such a bad idea. If the selectors really believe that he is the future of Indian batting, then he needs to be picked more regularly in the team now - when he has a chance to flourish without the burden of pressure - than later.

But, the question is who does he replace? I think Tendulkar could have been rested for this series. Obviously not because of lack of form, but because he truly needs to rest. As much as  I would love to see Tendulkar bat in every match, I would rather see him take some deserved breaks in an effort to prolong his career. While he is too important a player to be rested for an away series this could have been the perfect opportunity to give him a break.

Dinesh Karthik - Well, he has not done anything spectacular to present his case, but he hasn't done anything wrong either. After losing his place as a wicket-keeper to Dhoni a couple of years ago, he forced his way back in to the team as a specialist middle-order batsman and adjusted reasonably well as an opener. After a mediocre series against Pakistan and not making it to the playing XI in Australia, he now finds himself being cast away! If Yuvraj deserves a place after his debacle in Australia,  then Karthik too deserves another chance. 

With Sehwag back in form, it is that much difficult for Karthik to get back as an opener. So, what should he do now? Should he go back and try to work his way in as a middle-order batsman or should he continue to hope for a spot as an opener? Will he work his way back in the team or just fade away like those other short-term openers like Sanjay Bangar, Sadagopan Ramesh, SS Das and Akash Chopra? Only time will tell.

Madras Filter Coffee

There is nothing better than a good cup of coffee to kick start your day. And, as a South Indian, when I say coffee I mean the traditional Madras filter coffee!

While the taste for filter coffee is easy to acquire, mastering the art of making one is not so easy. Working the traditional filter to make the decoction needs a lot of practice and plenty of patience. And, of course you cannot use a coffee maker as  it is intended for use with coarse ground coffee, while the traditional filter coffee is made with fine ground coffee.

Then, one day while sipping a café latte at Starbucks, I realized how similar it was to the filter coffee; I mean, both are made with concentrated coffee (espresso for the latte and decoction for filter coffee), milk and a little foam on top! A little research and $200 later, I ended with a shiny new espresso machine that makes perfect decoction (or rather, espresso)  every time within minutes and without the hassle!

So, now I enjoy my Leo coffee every morning - Italian style! Truly, 'kaalathai vendra rasanai idhuvae'!

Team India - The Next Generation

By winning the CB series, India's next generation of cricketers have proved that they have the technique and temperament to compete with the best. Here is my review of the players in batting order -

Robin Uthappa - Showcased his hard-hitting capabilities while chasing 318 for a victory against Australia in the league phase, but otherwise had an average series. He seems ideal at number 6, but in a Team packed with low order hitters, he will miss out if the team goes in with five bowlers unless he is willing to adjust his game as an opener. He proved that he has the temperament to be an opener when he curbed his aggressive style and gave India a solid start along with Tendulkar in the final. Remains to be seen if he can develop in to a solid opener who can mix caution with aggression and provide the team with consistent good starts.

Virender Sehwag - I strongly believe that though he should be a sure pick  for opening in Tests, he has been too inconsistent in recent times to be considered an automatic pick in one dayers. After the first few games in the league phase, Dhoni quickly recognized him as the extra batsman in the team and rightly kept him out for the rest of the series. Robin Uthappa should be given an extended run as first choice opener, with Sehwag as cover for the openers in case of injury. If the pitch conditions demand an extra batsman instead of the fifth bowler, then Sehwag is an ideal pick as he can also bowl off breaks.

Sachin Tendulkar - The fact that at 35, after 18 years of cricket, he is even in this next generation team tells a story doesn't it? Clearly his experience at the top of the order adds stability to the team. He started the series with a string of fluent 30s followed by  single digit scores in three games and just when the critics were getting ready to slaughter him, roared back to form with a cracking 63 in the must win game against Sri Lanka. He then took charge in the finals and led the team to victory. If his sublime innings of 117* in the first final was a perfect example of a well paced chase, his 91 in the second final was another magnificent innings grafted patiently against tight bowling and extremely good fielding. Who can ever forget those beautiful upper cuts he executed off Mitchell Johnson's bouncers! Irrespective of age, he still is India's best ODI batsman and in fact ended the series rated as the no.1 batsman in the ICC ODI rankings.

Gautam Gambhir - Was the most consistent batsman for India through the series; topped the batting charts for the series with 440 runs at an average of 55.00 and a strike rate of 82.70; and his beautifully paced 113 against Australia that almost took India to victory was the best innings by an Indian in the tournament! Ferocious cuts and pulls are his trademark shots, but he also showed nimble footwork against Murali's off spin. He sure has grabbed the number three spot for himself. He, more than Yuvraj deserves a place in the Test XI.

Rohit Sharma - Impressed everyone with his compact technique and athletic fielding abilities. Seemed capable of playing both in aggressive mode and in accumulation mode, but fell several times to casual strokes. Surely talented, but, needs to be seen if he has the mental strength to develop in a to consistent middle order batsman.

Yuvraj Singh - He was touted as India's best bat and expected to marshal the inexperienced middle order, but his horrid run continued in the one day series as well. Except for the delightful 76 against Sri Lanka wherein he showed how devastating a batsman he can be, and a quick 38 in the final he had a very ordinary series.

MS Dhoni - Known for his outrageous shots and hard-hitting capabilities, he never really got a chance to showcase his firebrand style of cricket. Instead, with the top order failing too many times, he found himself in situations where he needed to rebuild the innings and accumulate runs. By suitably adjusting his game, he has proved that he is a versatile batsman. Particularly,  the 88 he accumulated in the washed out match against Sri Lanka and the 50* he made, also against the Sri Lanka, without hitting a single boundary were well crafted innings. But more than his batting, he impressed everyone with this captaincy. Having gotten the team he wanted, he marshaled the players very well. If I were to pick one decision that highlighted his captaincy, its the one he made regarding Sehwag. With the batting collapsing a few times, he dropped Sehwag and instead brought in the extra bowler. By reinforcing the bowling, he took pressure off the batting and this five bowler strategy, I think was crucial in India eventually winning the tournament.

Irfan Pathan - Pathan, the batsman never got  going - it did not help that the captain sent him in at number three a several times - except for that 31 in the must win match against Sri Lanka; Pathan, the bowler started the series well, but lost his edge as the series wore on. He is a decent swing bowler who can be very good if conditions suit him and a capable number seven batsman and when in form allows the team to go in confidently with a five bowler attack. I never understood the ploy of using him at number three - in good batting conditions, there is no point in sending him ahead of specialist batsmen, and in difficult batting conditions, he doesn't have the technique to cope! Dhoni should use him wisely and make sure that he is not over worked.

Harbhajan Singh - He overcame controversies and crowd hostility to consistently choke the runs in the middle overs and picked up some important wickets as well.

Ishant Sharma - The find of the series, no question about it! Bowled beautifully in the test series and emerged as India's strike bowler in the one dayers. He bowls fast, extracts good bounce, swings both ways and has the stamina to bowl long spells - what more can you ask for! We can only hope that he doesn't fades away like many other Indian bowlers (think Balaji, Nehra and even Pathan & Munaf who aren't nearly as lethal as they once promised - at least not consistently) in recent times.

Praveen Kumar - The surprise package of the tournament, he was the man of the match in both the must win game against Sri Lanka and the final! To say that he played a major role in India winning the series is an understatement - another wonderful prospect for Team India.

Munaf Patel, Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla - Each played their part in one match or the other. But, Sreesanth has a tendency to blow hot & cold, and Munaf is injury prone & a poor fielder. It's to Dhoni credit that he managed them well all through the series. Unless they step up their game to justify their talent, they are sure to lose their spots to Zaheer and RP Singh when they return.

Zaheer Khan, RP Singh - These two were expected to be India's front line bowlers, but both were out to injury.

Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, Manoj Tiwary - Not too long ago Dinesh Karthik and Suresh Raina were touted to be the future of India's middle order, but Rohit Sharma and Uthappa have beaten them to the team. Though they did not get a game in the series, whenever they came on the field as substitute fielders, one could feel the enthusiasm they brought to the team. The fact that these guys are waiting in the bench should drive those in the team to always be at their best, and that is good for Indian cricket!

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's the 14th of February today and it's time to celebrate love and express your affection for that special someone in your life; unless, of course, you are single and alone or a Shiv Sena activist! Yes, the 'Sainiks' were out this year again, burning cards and protesting the holiday.

Though celebrating Valentine's Day is a very recent phenomenon in India, unlike many other western imports (fast food joints, big box retailers etc.), it's a much welcome import. A land that gave us the Kama Sutra and that quintessential expression of love - Taj Mahal - had somewhere down the line lost its tradition of love. Any overt expression of love became frowned upon. And, I am not even talking about love before marriage; I am talking about married couples having to repress expressing their love for each other! Except for honeymoon couples in holiday spots, how many couples hold each other's hands in public? How many parents hug or otherwise be romantic at home in front of their kids?

Looking beyond the commercial aspects of the holiday, the underlying spirit of expressing love is definitely worth celebrating (and much needed) in India. In fact, more than youngsters, it provides an opportunity for the older generation to finally express their affection for each other a little bit more openly. If my grandmother buys my grandfather a Valentine's card, would the 'Sainiks' rip it out of her hands and burn it? I think not!

What Not to Wear

When I first heard that the appropriateness of actress Shreya's attire at a recent function in Chennai was discussed with fervor in Tamil Nadu , I wondered if that show on TV where two oddly dressed gay guys and a hot girl discuss celebrity fashion (Fashion Police on E!), has now gone global to Kollywood as well. But, apparently it was the state's politicians who were discussing the subject and that too in the state assembly!

To be honest, she was the only one who was appropriately dressed for the occasion. I mean, it's a movie function after all and it's supposed to be about glitz and glamour. Amidst all those somber looking guests, she was the only one who was even smiling!

On a serious note, while the new generation of young Indians are leading the nation to a brave new world, incidents like these expose the narrow-minded social chauvinism that is still prevalent.  What's more bothering is the fact that no major social organization came in support of the actress. Whatever happened to editorials and opinion columns in newspapers? Where are those feminists and women's organizations? Shouldn't the movie fraternity have come out in support of her? The only voice of protest has been from individuals in blogs and online forums. Why is that people who burn effigies of umpires for giving a wrong decision against their favorite cricket player, keep quiet when the very concept of democracy is threatened? Some might think that I am overreacting; after all nothing came off the issue, but, if we don't question such attitude, we will never end it.

Similar to the IT revolution that has changed the economic outlook of the country; we need a social revolution to bring in the next generation of politicians to better represent the new India.

Harbhajan race row - case closed

Finally, there is some closure to the Harbhajan Singh racism controversy after Judge John Hansen cleared him of the racial abuse charge, and instead penalized him for using abusive language. The full text of Hansen's judgement can be found here.

Compared to how Mike Procter, the ICC match referee handled the same case, Hansen seems to have approached the issue much more methodically and sensibly. He has documented the evidence, explained his analysis and justified his conclusions, leaving no room for debate.  If only Mike Procter had handled the issue similarly, there wouldn't have been so much drama!

Earlier, when Harbhajan was first banned, I had blogged that though Harbhajan should be punished, he shouldn't be named a racist. Echoing similar sentiments, Judge Hansen in his report says -

"...But in my view even if he had used the words “alleged” an “ordinary person” standing in the shoes of Mr Symonds who had launched an unprovoked and unnecessary invective laden attack would not be offended or insulted or humiliated in terms of 3.3..."

He is essentially implying that even if Harbhajan had used the word 'monkey', he still would have cleared him off the racial abuse charge!

Tendulkar delights India with his 39th test hundred!

Sachin Tendulkar's yet another commanding century was the highlight of the first day's play in the 4th test match between India and Australia at the Adelaide Oval. He started off slowly, but once past 50, dazzled with some magnificent strokes, especially against Brad Hogg.

Coming in with a pre-meditated intent to attack Hogg, the early part of his innings was dominated by cuts, slog sweeps and a huge hit over midwicket for six. But, past 50, his feet started moving better and he unleashed those superb drives straight down the wicket. Particularly severe on Hogg and Michael Clarke, his straight six off Clarke and subsequent cover drive for four that took him to his 39th hundred were the shots of his innings today.

Riding on Tendulkar's 124* and half-centuries from Sehwag (63) & Laxman (51), India have reached 309 at the end of play, but with Australia scalping 5 wickets on a good batting pitch with some outstanding bowling from Brett Lee, the match is evenly poised.

India would be hoping for Tendulkar(124*) and Dhoni (6*) to get them past 400 and that depends on how well they handle the new ball on day 2. Australia would want to end this partnership as early as possible and run through the tail. Either way, day two promises some exciting cricket!

India stops Australia short of 17th win at Perth!

Australia's bid for a record 17th straight test match win was brought to a halt by India at the WACA in Perth. India convincingly beat Australia in what must rank as one of their greatest wins ever! On a pitch where nobody gave them a chance, with a second string bowling attack, coming off a heart breaking last minute loss at the SCG, this win was a tremendous team effort! 

 

 

Here are the highlights of the match -

Anil Kumble winning the toss and choosing to bat - With so much talk about how the pitch is going to be fast and bouncy, and Australia bringing in Shaun Tait to go in with a 4 pace attack, it would have been the easy decision to bowl first. But, Kumble took the tough choice, which paid rich dividends at the end.

Tendulkar and Dravid's partnership - Kumble's call to bat first paid off mainly due to the partnership between Tendulkar and Dravid. Dravid back at his no.3 spot, played a wonderful innings, but, it was Tendulkar's inventive stroke play that was the highlight of the partnership.

Pathan, RP Singh and Sharma's bowling - India's second choice attack (all three played only because of injuries to Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth and Munaf Patel), instead of trying to exploit the pace of the wicket, played to their strengths - keeping the ball up and swinging. Theirs was the most consistent pace bowling by India in recent times, swinging the match India's way.

Laxman's partnership with Dhoni and RP Singh - With the big 3 failing in the 2nd innings, Australians were with a real chance to get back in the game, but ran in to VVS Laxman. With runs worth their value in gold, he patiently grafted every run in the company of Dhoni and later with RP Singh. Dhoni too, curbed his natural style and knuckled down to scrapping every run possible. This was one of the most determined batting efforts by India in recent times. To me, this was the most intense and definitive passage of play in the whole match - ugly to watch, but beautiful in intent.

Ishant Sharma vs. Ricky Ponting - What a wonderful passage of play this was - a rookie troubling one of the most accomplished batsmen in this era! Excellent pace bowling by Ishant had Ponting missing, fending, swaying, hopping, mistiming and finally edging to Dravid.

Michael Clarke's innings - Clarke exemplified the Australian winning attitude. Batting with confidence and controlled aggression, he lead Australia's charge towards an improbable win. While he was at the crease, an upset was definitely on the cards.

Sehwag bowling out Gilchrist - With Clarke batting fluently and the new ball due in 10 overs, Gilchrist was preparing to launch an assault  - he had just brought out his squash ball and stuffed it in to his left glove (remember the world cup 2007 final?). In an inspired move (or, maybe just lucky!), Kumble tossed the ball to Sehwag and he obliged bowling out Gilchrist around this legs, exposing the Australian tail and snubbing out any chance of an Australian win.

Tendulkar - Masterful!

Rahul Dravid, who looked totally out of sorts as opener at the MCG, was slowly but steadily batting himself into form at the SCG and today at Perth, back at his usual no.3 spot, he finally found his groove and hit some glorious shots - especially through covers, on his way to a composed 93 that helped India reach 297 at the end of day 1. Though, a loss of quick wickets towards the end means Australia holds a slight advantage in the contest.

But, it was Tendulkar's innings of 71 that set the match up for India. Coming in with the score reading 2-59, he showed urgency in running, looked composed, and generally showed positive intent from the beginning. But, the way he adjusted his game to the Australians' tactics of bowling short to him was the highlight of his innings. He stayed well balanced and swayed out of the short balls on the middle and leg; but, anything short and wide was cut fiercely over gully and the slip region. One shot in particular stood out - in the 32nd over, Lee bowled a short one at 145km/hr, Tendulkar swayed out of the way, and as the ball was about to pass him over, gently guided it over slips for four. An exquisite shot, minimal in effort, and delightful to watch!

Contrast this with his innings in the 2nd test match in the series against England last year, where not in the best of form, he still managed to score a very useful 91, which along with contributions from the openers and a very good spell of fast bowling from Zaheer Khan helped India secure a win. Then, unsure of his form, he handled the short pitched bowling very differently - he swayed, ducked or left the short balls and many times took blows to his body rather than trying to pull or hook. He showed great humility and determination not to fall prey to England's tactics, eschewing shots he wasn't confident of executing right. And, of course when the ball was full, he dispatched it magnificently through covers.

This ability to adjust his game to different situations is what makes him a true master.

Team for the Perth Test

Yuvraj Singh's failure in India's warm up match against ACT Invitational XI has essentially ruled him out of the team for the rest of the series. Unable to replicate his ODI form, he has scored a meager twenty eight runs in four matches - so much for shuffling the batting order around to accommodate him in the eleven. He must be disappointed that he couldn't use the opportunity to cement a spot in the team after being in the sidelines for so long.

Another player who has been struggling for runs in the series so far is Jaffer. He has fallen in all the four test innings so far to Lee's scorching pace. Though he scored a useful 92 in the practice match, it wasn't a confident innings and on a fast bouncy pitch in Perth, he could be a liability. It is a tough call to drop him - he was in very good form all through 2007 and still should be India's first choice opener. But, with Sehwag exhibiting some form - he scored a typically aggressive 73 ball century in the practice match; it's worth a gamble to try him as an opener at Perth.

Yuvraj's replacement Karthik offers a couple of options. One option is to play him as the other opener and restore the middle order back - Dravid at three and Laxman at six. The other option is to keep Dravid as the other opener and play Karthik at six. With Laxman being so fluent at three and Dravid settling in to the role of an opener after a horrid match at the MCG, the latter option sounds better.

As for the bowlers, Kumble, Ishant and RP Singh select themselves. With Perth promising to be a fast and bouncy pitch, Pathan should be brought in for Harbhajan.

With that, here is my team for the Perth Test -

1. Virender Sehwag
2. Rahul Dravid
3. VVS Laxman
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Sourav Ganguly
6. Dinesh Karthik
7. MS Dhoni
8. Irfan Pathan
9. Anil Kumble
10. RP Singh
11. Ishant Sharma

The Sydney Test

Stumbled upon this excellent summary of the controversial events of the Sydney Test - "The Most Discussable Match".

Harbhajan Singh a racist?

Harbhajan Singh has been banned for three test matches effectively cutting short his Australian tour after he was found guilty of racism for calling Andrew Symonds a "monkey" during the second test match of the ongoing India-Australia test series. In the words of Mike Procter the match referee - "I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Harbhajan Singh directed that word at Andrew Symonds and also that he meant it to offend on the basis of Symonds' race or ethnic origin."

A three match ban for calling someone a monkey?! And how in hell did it constitute racism?! I mean I call my daughter a "naughty little monkey" as an endearment! At first glance the complaint itself sounds silly and the punishment unfair. But, there is some history to this story - when the Australians toured India in Oct 2007,  Symonds was called a monkey by certain sections of the crowd first in Vadodara and later in Mumbai and Symonds took offence to that as being racist. Then too there was a debate as to whether to interpret the crowd's behavior as a racial comment or merely as a playful taunt to Symonds' perceived boorish antics. We would never know what those people were really thinking when they were taunting him, but we definitely know for sure how Symonds felt - insulted, humiliated and a victim of racism. And that by itself is reason enough to stop calling him that. While it is highly arguable that the crowd behavior in Vadodara wasn't racist, it's a separate debate; Once Symonds explicitly took offense to that behavior as being racist, it is reasonable to expect any decent human being to stop insulting him like that. The Mumbai crowd didn't, and hence their behavior inexcusable. And for the same reason, Harbhajan's behavior is also inexcusable.

Does this mean Harbhajan is a racist? No, I don't think so. There was a lot of chirping from the Australians when Harbhajan was batting and it is totally plausible that Symonds said or did something to really offend Harbhajan and Harbhajan responded in kind. I believe Harbhajan called Symonds a monkey not because of his ethnicity or race but because he knew it would tick him off. So, while I agree with Mike Procter punishing Harbhajan, I am not convinced that "he (Harbhajan) meant it to offend on the basis of Symonds' race or ethnic origin".

On the other hand, this incident should have never escalated up to the match referee in the first place. Every team sledges, Australians more so than others; and every individual has his own level of tolerance for what is over the limit and what is within (remember the jelly bean incident with Zaheer Khan?). If the Australians felt that Harbhajan was crossing the line, they should have first tried to work things out by talking to the Indian captain off field instead of running to the umpires. Aren't they the ones who advocate the "what's said in the field remains in the field" argument? Its just shameful that an issue which could have been easily solved over a couple of beers has been escalated to a player being banned.

The tail wags, but....

The Indian batting lineup redeemed itself at the SCG after a dismal performance at the MCG, riding high on VVS Laxman's glorious 109 and Sachin Tendulkar's sublime 154*.  But once again, India's tactics while batting with the tail was baffling to say the least and this time it was Tendulkar who was the culprit. His strategy of trusting the tailenders and sharing equal strike with them worked pretty well with Harbhajan, who scored a very useful 63. And that partnership between them essentially enabled India to get closer to Australia's score and eventually go past it.

Once Harbhajan got out, one expected Tendulkar to take charge,  farm the strike and be more aggressive.  But, Tendulkar was happy to rotate the strike around to both RP Singh and Ishant Sharma, both of whom outscored Tendulkar in their partnerships! Agreed, Ponting made things harder by pulling back the field when Tendulkar was facing the bowling and bringing the field in for the last 2 balls of an over; but, it was frustrating to see Tendulkar neither show any intent to protect the tail nor be aggressive in scoring runs. Its to the tailenders credit that they were able to last longer than expected.

Nevertheless it was a controlled, well-paced, expert innings from Tendulkar, who after a couple of near misses in 2007 has scored his 38th test hundred - an innings that has put India on top...for now.