I’ve learnt in the process of growing up that the world is not divided into black and white. There are shades of grey distributed all around in our lives. The same holds true whether we’re applying the rule in our day-to-day lives or things that affect it. Cricket is one of those things. And cheating in cricket is another, bigger contributing factor.

We love cricket because we love the sport, the techniques, art, science, and even the literature related to it. There’s a respectability associated with loving absolutely everything connected with the game and that’s because it’s a fair, competitive sport. Take away from cricket its gentleman-ship, and it loses its charm, every last ounce of it. Therefore, cheating in cricket calls for a serious retrospection – by the players, fans and even administrators.

There’s also a need for faith to be restored amongst all the parties stated above, for cricket can’t function in the absence of even one of them. BCCI is not a giant corporation ready to sell the world away for its enjoyment till Doomsday comes calling! They work for the betterment of cricket too, and they are concerned about the game and how it has been progressing in the world. But they need to stop taking fans for granted.

Irrespective of the fact that I think too much cricket is bad cricket, I feel there’s passion among the players to be involved in such a show, which exemplifies madness related to cricket in its truest form. The fans want to watch good cricket. Close matches, which are due to a poor display of cricketing talent, aren’t even close to those which become memorable due to a Chris Gayle, David Miller or even Dale Steyn taking apart the other team.

Good cricket is respected, always.

After being in the game for many years, players understand that; they clearly do since the level of smartness displayed on the field has increased manifold over the seasons, not just in IPL, but also in international cricket. Therefore, it’ll be utterly stupid to think that only players are intelligent and the administrators are corrupt. It’s almost the same as thinking that all the politicians in our country take bribes and can do nothing good.

One bad fish spoils the whole pond is the idiom which needs to be taken very seriously in this scenario.

There are good people in various departments – in BCCI, as well as Indian government. The most important fact here is that those individuals are not given enough importance to bring their contribution to the fore. There are people ready to accept that the case of Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan will act as the final nail in the coffin for IPL. But it won’t.

IPL and its parent BCCI are easy targets now. But this is no Hollywood movie, and they are no giant corporations destroying the game. They have found an outstanding idea to make the game truly global, something which hasn’t been the case in its history of five centuries (only maybe during the days when the sun never set in the British empire), and they need support from all quarters to make it happen.

Cricket is all about entertainment – driven by skills rather than the lack of it – which sometime make for close finishes, but not satisfactory viewing. But over the years, not many people would refute the fact that football has eaten into the fan market. Cricket’s biggest worry in this case is not whether Test cricket is being lapped up by enough audience or not, but the fact that to make a quick buck, the quality of the sport being produced is sub-par, worse than what some of the best Associate teams are able to show.

Raj Kundra, owner of Rajasthan Royals, said:

When asked the repeated question is IPL fixed my answer is always IPL teams CAN’T be fixed but individual players who lack integrity can.

— Raj Kundra (@TheRajKundra) May 16, 2013

He may have meant it to distance the team he owns the major share of as far as possible from the controversy, but there’s truth in those words.

Cricket is an individual sport being played in the shroud of a team game. Individuals are the key for good cricket and individuals need to be targeted for bettering the game of cricket.

Since so much is dependent on an individual in a sport, the ‘bad’ components of the game would obviously be attracted towards them. Therefore, there’s an urgent need to focus on individuals rather than point fingers towards ‘big corporations’. Players are responsible for match-fixing/spot-fixing, and not necessarily the cricket boards or corporates organising the events.

These are individuals whose moral values have a price and who are always looking for ways to make a quick buck, trying to make good money before their weaknesses come standing in way of their aspirations.

Such people abound in our society and it’s not practical to prevent them from coming into the game. But education is something that’ll help rid us of this shortcoming. There should be a certain procedure adopted by our administrators to bring fans to the game. When trust is broken, it’s not enough to just say sorry, there has to be actual work behind the scenes to gain back that credence.

If there is something wrong with the game, it has to be changed starting at an individual level. There’s no quick-fix solution to the issue. Blaming IPL, BCCI or even the ICC won’t solve the issue and bring the attention back to the beauty of the game.

Fickle fans would’ve already felt that there’s nothing really beautiful in the Praveen Kumar delivery which swung in sharp to take the bails off Unmukt Chand‘s stumps yesterday, and may even compare it to a scripted wrestling match in terms of the effect created; but the game is getting better over the years and it’s patience which is the need of the hour.

There are bad apples in the basket, but the game of cricket is made beautiful by good individuals and they urgently need to step up now and give their best. Let the world think it’s all scripted. The joy and the pain of playing the sport still remains with the players and its maddest of fans. Let them enjoy it.

The talk on the pre-match show was much on the expected lines, except when Sunil Gavaskar, instead of posing his question to Navjot Singh Sidhu, whom the talk was about, diverted his discussion to the other Indian stalwart in the studio, Kapil Dev. Without any link to the topic beforehand, he started praising the great Indian all-rounder. It was all very interesting, thinking about all the history the two have got.

First ball ripper

The start of the Pepsi IPL 2013 is going to remain a memorable one. After much discussions, anecdotes and analysis, when the match finally started, Unmukt Chand, promoted up the order in absence of Sehwag, didn’t have a clue about what hit him. Brett Lee, after mentioning that his Hindi lessons were going “Kuch kuch, abhi tak”, left Chand speechless with the first delivery of the match.

Pitched on middle and off, the ball swung away from Chand and took the top of off-stump. Brett Lee was massive in celebrations. The typical jump almost came off. It was great to see that smile after the dismissal!

Warner falls to a (West) Indian spinner again

After falling 5 times in 8 innings to Indian spinners in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar series, David Warner started brilliantly against the seamers in his ‘preferred’ format. But the introduction of KKR’s ‘mystery’ spinner, Sunil Narine produced an edge and a catch in the slips on cue.

The first ball he faced from the West Indian, he was without a helmet or a cap. But the ball turned, bounced, took the edge and was safely pouched by Kallis at first slip. All the equipment off his head couldn’t have made his head bow so low after that all so familiar frustration.

The rare moment from Ravi Shastri

At the fall of the 5^th wicket, Andre Russell came into the middle and faced Narine for his first ball. The teammates at international level would have faced each other in the nets, one presumed. But the first ball was a vicious leg-cutter which left Russell bamboozled. Then boomed Ravi Shastri’s voice on the air, “He played for Jamaica, the ball went to Trinidad.”

The moment however came and went past as fast as a tracer bullet.

Maximums, Yes sir!

The change of sponsors not just brought a change of logos on the ground, but also made the older ones look much better on some occasions. Jayawardene hit the first six of this IPL in the 19^th over of Delhi’s innings, and the screen flashed “Yes Bank Maximum”. Yes, “Yes Bank Maximum”. Nobody’s going to forget that any time soon. Waiting not-so-anxiously for a “Yes Bank Maximum” off a no-ball now.

Welcome back from retirement!

No, this one’s not about Brett Lee, who was in fact bowling after almost a 3-month gap, but his compatriot Simon Taufel, who was officiating after announcing his retirement in the T20 World Cup last year.

It’s always great to watch retired cricketers come back and play competitive cricket in the IPL. But for the first time perhaps, an umpire’s return was a much appreciated fact among the fans. His first victim was Gautam Gambhir, who was adjudged LBW off a Johan Botha delivery.

The good guy David Warner

The Test series had portrayed Warner as the aggressor, especially after the Delhi Test, where some altercations took place between him and some Indian players.

In the 2^nd innings, with the outcome of the match almost decided, Warner, fielding on the boundary ropes, got into a chat with a ball boy sitting outside the boundary. It was quite a moment, as both were engrossed in a discussion between the deliveries, with smiles being exchanged regularly. Warner made it a point to go to the boy again, who was sporting a huge smile now, after each delivery before other kids started surrounding him, and the over changed.

PR Sreejesh gave yet another scintillating performance in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

India came up with a solid defensive display in their 3rd match at Sultan Azlan Shah Cup as they beat arch-rivals Pakistan for the 52nd time in their history.

India’s goalkeeper PR Sreejesh had already put on a scintillating display before the match but his performance between the sticks today will be remembered for a long time to come as India beat Pakistan 3-1.

The first half started at a frentic pace with India and Pakistan having a go at both the ends. It was Pakistan who drew first blood when a 5th minute Penalty Corner was converted by them. Pakistan’s variation saw Mohammad Imran push the ball to Muhammad Waqas who deflected in the shot to score the first goal of the match. But the very next minute, India responded with a PC, with Rupinder Pal Singh, who came under criticism for his inconsistent display, scoring off his first chance even as he slipped while taking the drag-flick.

The initial minutes continued to go past at immense pace as Pakistan tried to get the lead again. Sreejesh had let one in, but for the remainder of the match, the goalkeeper from Kerala remained a final frontier which Pakistan failed to conquer even after repeated attempts. In the 9th minute, India’s attack from the right found Nithin Thimmaiah deflecting a shot straight at the goalkeeper Imran Butt. Imran did well to stop it but the rebound was lapped up brilliantly by Akashdeep Singh who showed great skill in hitting it past the Pakistani goalkeeper. Within 10 minutes of the start, 3 goals were scored and India found themselves ahead 2-1.

Mohammad Imran Junior got a chance to score the equaliser a couple of minutes later as he had a clear shot at goal but taking his eyes off the ball, he missed the shot and a golden chance for Pakistan. After a breathless start to the game, both the teams settled down and from that moment forward, it was a display of solid defensive hockey from both teams. India specially kept Pakistan’s attack in check as Harbir Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh and PR Sreejesh put their bodies on the line and didn’t let Pakistan score.

Akashdeep Singh latched onto the rebound from the goalkeeper to score India’s second goal.

Sreejesh was involved for much of the game as he made some one-handed and diving saves with ease. Mandeep Singh missed a couple of chances as he slipped on one occasion and missed an audacious flick between the legs, but kept the pressure on Pakistan. At the half hour mark, India kept their lead at 2-1. The circle penetrations were 9-7 in favour of India and in terms of shots on goal, Pakistan led 4-3. The numbers showed the solid defensive play that was adopted by both the teams. India had however converted their only Penalty Corner so far in the match, as Pakistan had a conversion of 1/4 to show at half-time.

The second half started with the crowd very quiet in comparison to the start of the match as both the sides played absorbing end-to-end hockey. In the 56th minute of the match however, Mandeep Singh finally reaped reward for his continuous forays forward. A pass from Dharamvir found Mandeep in front of the goal with only the goalkeeper Imran Butt to beat. Though his first flick was saved by Imran, the deflection was hit into the back of the net by the Hockey India League hero as the celebrations started in the Indian camp.

Pakistan continued to attack but tiring legs were now visibly affecting their game. PR Sreejesh was however as alert as possible as he saved a PC twice by blocking with his body. Yet another Penalty Corner was missed by Pakistan when in the dying minutes, Mohammad Imran shot wide of the goal, having finally beaten Sreejesh with pace. It was said many a times before the match by analysts that the failure to convert the chances would be the cause of downfall for either side and Pakistan were the living example of the fact as they could only convert 1 out 8 Penalty Corners which they were awarded in the match. India latched onto their only chance as they converted their 1st and only Penalty Corner in the match.

With this win, India jumped up to the 4th position in the table, ahead of Pakistan in terms of goal difference. PR Sreejesh was undoubtedly the star of the match. He’s developing into a great match winner for India as his performances in this tournament have been nothing short of spectacular. It was also great to see under fire Rupinder Pal Singh and Harbir Singh come to the fore and show commitment and perform for the team’s cause.

India Pakistan matches are always memorable and Sultan Azlan Shah has a history of throwing up thrilling clashes between the arch-rivals. Last year’s match was an absolute cracker and India went on to win the Bronze medal in the tournament. If this performance is anything to go by, Indian fans can expect much better results from this team in the coming matches of the tournament.

India [Rupinder Pal Singh (6th), Akashdeep Singh (9th) and Mandeep Singh (56th)] beat Pakistan [Muhammad Waqas (5th)]

India will face New Zealand next on 14th March.

FILE PHOTO: Indian hockey team

Two consecutive defeats later, the Indian hockey team at Sultan Azlan Shah Cup isn’t exactly facing flak from all quarters, but isn’t generating much positive vibes either. As often pointed out in the reports on these losses, it’s a young Indian side devoid of the likes of  Sardar Singh, VR Raghunath and SV Sunil. But so are the other teams which have assembled in Malaysia, with focus duly on developing a side for the FIH Junior World Cup later in the year.

After a long break post Olympics, the Indian team was busy with continuous matches since International Super Series in November. In the last 5 months, the senior players have been involved in international tournaments as well as the marathon HIL where without a break of more than a day, they had to give their best in the middle.

India will face Pakistan home and away after the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and the fixtures demand fresher bodies in the middle. In this regard, Hockey India and Michael Nobbs must be commended for giving the much required break to the seniors for important tournaments ahead. Having qualified for the Hockey World League Round 3, it was a luxury India could afford.

Coming to the current team’s performances, it’s only a matter of being patient with the youngsters, some of whom have only been inducted into the squad and made their debuts as recently as last month. Gurjinder Singh, Malak Singh and Mandeep Singh have to be dealt with patiently by the Indian fans before getting ‘frustrated’ at their inexperience. Both Malak and Mandeep have had some scintillating moments in the middle, with Malak scoring twice in the tournament so far. Mandeep too has shown his brilliant pace up front, with which he proved so fruitful for Ranchi Rhinos in the recently concluded Hockey India League. Though there have been some missed chances in front of the goal, the duo’s combination for the goal against Korea today was simply a treat to watch. Coach Michael Nobbs too has stressed the importance of the youngsters adjusting to the international arena after tasting success at ‘domestic’ level.

Gurjinder Singh

Gurjinder Singh, the star of World Series Hockey, the ‘rebel’ league was also included in the side after much hullabaloo was created over the last year for ignoring the likes of him who were successful in the league. He’s not been used to full effect in the tournament yet, and fans would be hopeful of seeing more of the drag-flicker.

Talking of drag-flickers, the partnership of Rupinderpal Singh and VR Raghunath had developed quite well for India over the past few months and the duo were impressive for Delhi Waveriders and Uttar Pradesh Wizards respectively in the Hockey India League too. In Raghunath’s absence, Rupinder has done a decent job for the team although he too, according to coach Nobbs, “needs to be more accurate”. Gurjinder’s presence will further add to the team’s attack from set pieces.

But in the two matches so far, the most impressive has been custodian PR Sreejesh’s performance. His brilliant saves have kept the Indian side from trailing by plenty of goals, which the team would have conceded in the absence of the agile goalkeeper. If the matches have gone down the wire, it’s much due to the amazing skills shown by Sreejesh between the bars. India would need more of the same from the Tamil Nadu keeper in the coming games.

It’s a new look Indian team and they need some time to gel together as a unit and past the inexperience blues. India’s next match against Pakistan however, is going to bring the emotions flaring among the fans once again and the pressure will surely be on the inexperienced youngsters.

Rupinderpal Singh (pictured here) and Malak Singh were the scorers for India

A young and inexperienced Indian side started their 2013 Sultan Azlan Shah campaign with a closely fought 4-3 loss against 2nd ranked Australia. India have fielded a young side, with seniors Sardar Singh, VR Raghunath and SV Sunil rested for the tournament.

Australia made the early charge but they were thwarted by some great saves by custodian PR Sreejesh, who’s been appointed the vice-captain of the side in this tourney. But at the 24th minute mark, as Sreejesh deflected a Penalty Corner attempt, Matt Gohdes latched onto the rebound and scored via a shot into the top of the net. Australia were deserving of the lead after dictating play at the start of the game and maintained the score at 1-0 till halftime.

The start of the 2nd half was brilliant for Australia as some defending errors cost India 2 goals within 4 minutes of the restart. A 38th minute Penalty Corner was converted by Glenn Simpson as Australia tried a variation successfully. Within a minute, Australia found themselves 3-0 ahead as Matt Gohdes deflected in his second goal of the match, which resulted from India’s inability to clear the ball.

But India were given a breather when they earned their first Penalty Corner in the 40th minute and Rupinderpal Singh converted to score India’s first goal of the match and the tournament.

Youngsters Mandeep Singh and Nithin Thimmaiah missed a couple of chances in front of the goal which could have changed the complexion of the match in India’s favour.

But another youngster Malak Singh didn’t waste the opportunity as from an acute angle in the 41st minute, he shot past Aussie keeper George Bazely and reduced the deficit.

At 3-2, India were looking to get a hold on the match but Australia earned back the two-goal cushion when Trent Mitton converted an Australian PC in the 53rd minute.

In the closing stages of the match, India had a few chances and though Rupinderpal Singh scored in the 68th minute, the charge came a bit too late to change the course of the match.

India would still take a lot of positives from the match as it’s a team without its seniors and full of youngsters who’ll get a lot of exposure and experience playing against the likes of Australia.

Indian fans can expect the team to come up with better results in the games to come as they face 8th ranked Korea in their next match tomorrow.

Result:

Australia [Matt Gohdes (24th, 39th), Glenn Simpson (38th) and Trent Mitton (53rd)] defeat India [Rupinderpal Singh (40th, 68th) and Malak Singh (51st)]

India recently qualified for Hockey World League Round 3 after winning all their matches in the Round 2 held in New Delhi.

A few hours after Hockey India (HI) had withdrawn the Indian team from the upcoming Sultan Azlan Shah tournament to be held in Ipoh, Malaysia from March 9 to 17, the sports ministry overruled SAI’s decision to not pay the airfare charges for the team.

The ministry also warned Hockey India to not overshoot its budget in the future.

The withdrawal had come after the Sports Authority of India (SAI) refused to pay for the air travel costs of the Indian team for the tour, which it usually does.

Sports secretary Pradip Kumar Deb said that the case was forwarded by SAI after they refused to pay the fare but the government has cleared it.

“We have an annual budget of Rs 5.94 crores for Hockey India, but they crossed it and we have already spent Rs 11.27 crores. So SAI didn’t clear the case and forwarded it to us. I have cleared the trip since Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is a top tournament and the team will get good exposure,” Pradip said.

“But we have warned HI that in future they should not cross the budget,” he added.

SAI’s regional director, Radhica Sreeman, said that despite HI being told to prioritise its tournament schedule within the budget, Azlan Shah was not a part of the schedule.

“HI’s schedule of events for the year did not have Azlan Shah and that was to be taken care of by the federation. In fact, HI’s secretary general Narinder Batra said that since the Azlan Shah organisers took care of board and lodging, it was passage that had to be paid and HI would foot the bill.

“Now all of a sudden, HI wanted government to bear the passage of the team. After discussions with secretary, department of sports, the trip was cleared,” she said.

Earlier in a press release, which was circulated by HI on Tuesday, the sport’s governing body said:

“The only obligation to the government for this tour was to cover airfare cost of the team, but in the sanction given by SAI, it is clearly mentioned that the government is not covering any cost. Therefore, Hockey India has been forced to withdraw its participation from the tournament. Government has always covered the airfare of the team for this tournament till date.”

PTI has quoted a source inside HI saying that the Government refused to pay the fares after HI “exceeded the budget” allotted for the tour.

“We have withdrawn the national team from the Azlan Shah Cup after the government refused to bear the to and fro airfares stating that we have exceeded the budget.

“It is an unfortunate incident as it is the SAI who has given us the go-ahead to hold the national camp for this tournament here. And now they are saying no.

“It is demoralising for the players. The government just had to bear the airfares as all other expenditures, including lodging and food during the tournament were supposed to be taken care by the local organisers,” the source was quoted by PTI.

India has won the Azlan Shah tournament 5 times in the past (1985, 1991, 1995, 2009, 2010). In the last edition in 2012, India finished 3rd.

Due to the FIH Junior World Cup scheduled to be held later this year, HI had selected a young team for the tournament under the leadership of Danish Mujtaba. Senior players like Sardar Singh and VR Raghunath were given a rest for this tournament.

The other teams participating in Sultan Azlan Shah are Pakistan, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand and hosts Malaysia.

Recently, Hockey India had signed a multi-crore deal with energy exploration giants Cairn India.

The team is undergoing a preparatory camp in New Delhi currently.

Everyone is talking about MS Dhoni. And everyone has been talking about him since past couple of years. After Tendulkar, Dhoni is the only player in the current Indian side who can sway emotions from one end of the spectrum to the other with such regularity. Not too long ago, the 2-1 loss to England was supposed to be the nadir of Dhoni’s career according to the media (not for the captain himself, who rated 2007 World Cup ouster a worse scenario). Within 3 months, the perception about the Indian captain has swung more than Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s first ODI delivery.

Well of course, that’s how the Indian fans’ psyche works, doesn’t it? And Dhoni knows that, more than anyone else.

Sachin Tendulkar’s appeal, apart from his batting, comes from his off-field demeanour; that calm and down-to-earth personality that wins an Indian’s heart. And that’s exactly how Dhoni is; only that he’s also the captain of a side that plummeted to depths too quickly after achieving the biggest prize in the sport.

Virat Kohli’s words after the 3rd day’s play gave away the secret of the man. He revealed that Dhoni didn’t want to talk about the game when he came on to bat. He didn’t want to know how the pitch was or how the bowler was bowling, et al. He wanted to talk about something else, anything but cricket. Now, this was not a discussion over a cup of tea between office workers, but between two of India’s best batsmen in the side currently, one of them being the captain of the side. India were playing a Test match and weren’t exactly safe yet. To imagine that the two individuals would have a discussion on anything else but cricket was quite preposterous.

But that’s why Dhoni remains sane after going through the rigours of being an Indian captain. As he accepted earlier, he is, after all, the ‘punching bag’ in the side. It’s the truth of life, even outside cricket. If a team is doing well, there’s always someone or the other to be praised, but when the going gets tough, it’s the leader who’s held responsible. And that’s the fact of life Dhoni’s accepted extremely well.

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you

He is not too troubled at being ridiculed. He has stated earlier that he is not a natural leader and was a shy kid at the start. The most important factor of Dhoni’s leadership is that he knows, better than any cricket expert on the planet, what his side can or cannot do. His understanding of the game, from that vantage point behind the stumps, is quite rich.

He’s rightly criticised for being a ‘defensive’ captain and somewhat detached from the surroundings sometimes, but that’s what helps him keep a cool head on those shoulders. It’s a side-effect of being able to think clearly under pressure situations. That he’s not a classical cricketer is not just reflected in his batting. He is someone who will try to get things done by thinking of all the options at his disposal.

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too

His decision to come on to bowl after Zaheer’s injury against England in 2011 was criticised by many. But it’s also important to question that criticism. Kapil Dev termed it as a mockery of Test cricket. But that’s the quintessential leadership quality of Dhoni – to take things into his own hands. He was praised for the decision lavishly when he promoted himself in the World Cup Final and came up with a match-winning knock. At Lord’s, he almost had Kevin Pietersen out, only for Hot-Spot to reverse the on-field umpire’s decision.

I don’t think Dhoni ever took the coaching manual too seriously. For him, a basic rule of life holds strong – it’s more important to do things correctly than fret over doing the correct things by following the words from a book.

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same

He said once in an interview that he relaxes the most with his dogs at home, who react to him the same way irrespective of him winning or losing a series. And that’s how he treats the two sides of the coin. He’s captain ‘cool’ because he doesn’t go over the top irrespective of the enormity of the win or loss. A balanced outlook has helped him keep his feet firmly on the ground.

A twirl of the bat, taking the stump as a souvenir, hugging the teammate in tears, holding back his, getting engulfed between the teammates rushing onto the ground, wiping away any tears which might be captured by the cameras, Dhoni showed the kind of man he is on the day he made himself immortal. It takes some time to find him in the winning photograph.

If he doesn’t sound absolutely demoralised even after humiliations abroad and at home, fans who can never understand what Rudyard Kipling meant in those two lines ridicule him even more. He remains calm at the risk of sounding almost dispassionate. But that’s what makes Dhoni the best man to lead India. We’ve had some emotional skippers, and it’s not a negative quality. Being an ardent Sourav Ganguly fan, I treat being emotional as a motivational tool. But Dhoni shows the more practical approach towards captaincy and life.

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much

Not one to mince words, Dhoni isn’t someone who reads too much into statements. The ‘rift’ between Dhoni and Sehwag or Dhoni and Gambhir is only an example of reading too much into words. The more you see Sehwag and Dhoni talking and laughing with each other between overs when the cameras are not on them, the more foolish you feel at giving second thought to such gossip. Suresh Raina once said in an interview that there are no ‘friends’ in cricket, only professional cricketers at the end of the day. And that’s precisely how Dhoni approaches his job. There are bound to be different opinions in a group, but he’s been at the helm for far too long to let rifts exist in the dressing room.

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run

The man has time and again reiterated his liking for living in the present and not thinking too much about the future. After winning the Cup in 2011, there have been talks of defending the title in 2015 but Dhoni stated that he would cross the bridge when he reached it. When he talked about taking the decision on his future in the game in 2013, there was huge controversy around his alleged dislike towards the longer format. Even though he’s much more comfortable in the limited-overs format, it was simply an honest opinion about one’s ability to carry on playing all three formats and give the best in them. As he pointed out then, India would need a wicket-keeper who has played at least 80-100 games before going into the World Cup; there’s logic in that statement that can’t be denied. MS Dhoni can’t keep playing the role of captain, wicket-keeper and batsman in all the formats.

But he’s always aiming for the next series, the next match, the next innings, the next session. Breaking down the long-term targets by focusing on the job at hand first and reaching short-term targets is essential to last the distance.

It’s not just his batting or captaincy which makes him the unique person he is. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s thoughts and philosophy behind confronting almost every other challenge make him a great example in life outside cricket. If he hadn’t been a cricketer, he would’ve still been a great leader in any other sphere of life. Leaving the game wouldn’t be too hard for him and he’s a man who wouldn’t be found behind a mic once he retires.

The best of his sentences are uttered while he’s marshaling his resources standing close to the stumps. The stump mic picks up some of the choicest gems ever heard from an Indian captain, whether telling Jad what he thinks about the short ball which was dispatched to the boundary or waking Sree from his slumber by making a joke about his girlfriend.

He is always in the game when he’s playing it. But once that helmet is off, the captain ‘cool’ knows very well that at the end of the day, it’s just a game.

Day 3 of 1st Test in the Border-Gavaskar trophy started with the attention completely on one man – Sachin Tendulkar. He lasted a little over 10 overs in the morning, but the huge Chennai crowd would have been entertained to the hilt after the end of the day. Here are some stand-out moments from an enthralling day’s play at Chepauk:

Tendulkar had added another 10 runs to his overnight score when Nathan Lyon produced a delivery, which despite the thrashing he received later in the day, would give him some much needed confidence. Pitched on the footmarks outside the off-stump, the delivery dipped on Tendulkar, who failed to reach to the pitch of it, despite a good stride forward. All Tendulkar saw was a puff of dust and broken stumps on turning back. Lyon was ecstatic in celebrations; the crowd, stunned in silence.

The image of a swearing and lost in his monk-like concentration Kohli is so common that it was a surprise to see him smiling at Pattinson who had just beaten him, taking the edge of his bat. Kohli appreciated the ball from Pattinson, even as the latter continued to glare at him after the delivery. Test cricket, as Ravi Shastri pointed out on air, was best enjoyed while relishing the challenge on offer. Kohli’s serene side was on display even when he reached his century. No swearing, no pumping of the fists, no extravagant jump; just plain taking off of the helmet and a smile on the face while thanking the heavens.

The day started with Sachin being the talk of the town. After his dismissal, Kohli and Dhoni took over the game and by the time the day ended, Dhoni’s was the name being chanted around the stadium. The Indian captain looked in supreme confidence, which was reflected in his approach towards any new pacer who was brought into the attack.

When on 56, he walked down the pitch and lifted Moises Henriques’ first ball of a new spell over long off for a massive six. Batting on 98, he walked down again, swatting the first ball from Siddle’s new spell over square leg for four, bringing up his 6th Test ton with utter nonchalance. A pattern was emerging but maybe Clarke was too dumbstruck by the counterattack to have noticed it. On 145, Pattinson’s first ball of a new spell was dispatched with the same audacity over mid-off. Not timed as exquisitely though, it only fetched a four for the captain. Attacking a new bowler when they were at their most vulnerable, Dhoni gave a display of how much thinking goes behind constructing an innings.

When Dhoni reached his century, Mohandas Menon, the quintessential Sachin Tendulkar of cricket’s statistics, came out with yet another gem. This was only the 2nd instance when both the captains had scored a century in an India vs Australia Test match. The first time it happened in 1986, when Allan Border and Kapil Dev reached the 3-figure mark. That match ended in a tie, only the 2nd time in the history of Test cricket. Though after Dhoni’s knock today, the possibility of the same result seems quite unlikely.

Indians haven’t seen an Australian captain like Michael Clarke. On the 2nd day, his antics on the field kept the crowd entertained. Used to seeing their team get snide remarks from the opposing skipper, Clarke’s demeanour has been a fresh change from the ‘usual’ norm. When Dhoni got to his century, Clarke walked up to him and gave him a pat on the back. The good guy Clarke would have won many Indian hearts with that small sporting gesture.

Dhoni is applauded for his ‘coolness’ on the field but that rare intense anger, which is reflected in his stare, was on display again today. It takes a real brain freeze at the other end of the pitch to bring out such emotions from the captain and Harbhajan Singh did just that. Dhoni needed a stable partner to build on India’s lead and Harbhajan had had enough of that after facing 30 deliveries. He stepped out to Henriques and tried to hoick him out of Chennai. The ball found the timber behind him and if looks could kill, Dhoni’s gaze would have forced Bhajji to take shelter behind Duncan Fletcher. Harbhajan walked past his captain, with Dhoni looking straight ahead, avoiding any words or eye contact between the two.

But what Johannesburg witnessed in 2006, was a grossly inflated display of only a single skill in cricket, batting. Taking nothing away from the sheer audacity of the numbers in that match, a newbie would have mistaken cricket to be a blown up version of baseball, where ‘home runs’ were scored freely and bowlers (pitchers) simply went through the routine of turning their arm over, forgetting to keep their foot behind the line quite carelessly.

The best quality on display in the match was of pressure being absorbed by the South Africans. The ‘chokers’ defied that tag by giving an astonishing display of batting under pressure. The Proteas deserve all the credit for showing the world that ‘miracles’ were possible. That game changed the way future teams would approach a target. It redefined Limited Overs cricket. But frankly, it wasn’t cricket at its best.

That instance, when the best of everything that cricket signifies was on display, occurred on 17th June 1999 in Birmingham.

The greatest ODI match ever played.

If 2006 Johannesburg was how Peter Jackson would have envisioned the game of cricket, then 1999 World Cup semifinal was a quintessential Christopher Nolan masterpiece. On a big stage, elite performers promised wonders. The story was full of twists and turns and the audience was glued to the seat till the last moment. And the ending, oh the ending! It left everyone gasping for breath and the discussions continue to this day as to what really transpired in the middle of that 22 yard pitch, on what turned out to be the final delivery of the match.

There was great batting, mesmerizing spin, breathtaking swing and athletic fielding with cricket, before Ravi Shastri had ruined the term, being the ultimate winner.

Prologue

Australia and South Africa had finished on same points in the Super Six stage, along with Pakistan who topped the group. Australia finished ahead of the Proteas with a mere lead of 0.184 in Net Run Rate. Another telling fact was that the Super Six encounter between the two had seen Herschelle Gibbs drop an easy catch of Steve Waugh, who then took Australia out of the sticky situation they found themselves in and played a match-winning knock. ‘What if’ was to find a new meaning in cricketing folklore due to these very facts on the day of the semifinal.

Act 1

South Africa won the toss and elected to field first. Steve Waugh wasn’t perturbed a bit as he admitted to preferring to bat first had the coin flipped their way. After a not-so-impressive outing in the previous matches, Shaun Pollock finally found his bearings and dismissed the dangerous Mark Waugh for a duck. Donald and Kallis joined in and pushed Australia to 68/4 after 17 overs, with Donald getting Ponting and Lehmann in a single over. Aussies had lost Gilchrist, Mark Waugh, Ponting and Lehmann. With their skipper and greatest finisher left to come, they had only one chance at making something out of this match and South Africa smelled blood.

Advantage – South Africa.

Act 2

The biggest appeal of a One Day International, displayed more so starkly after the advent of T20s, is the rebuilding phase in an innings. Presented with a potential shipwreck situation, a cricketer finds within himself the ability to absorb the pressure and gather the fallen woodwork. It’s a condensed form of Test cricket, but with the luxury of seemingly unlimited time taken away from the batsmen. Steve Waugh had done the job earlier against the same opposition and with the master of repairing shipwrecks present at the other end of the pitch, he did not let down his team.

“Inner strength” – Waugh’s mantra of success

Waugh and Bevan put together a 90 run partnership in a little over 22 overs. South Africa had found more than an opening earlier in the match, but the failure to break this partnership was one of the many ‘what if’ moments which could have made them World Champions. At 158/4 in 39.2 overs, Australia wasn’t far away from posting a challenging score on that pitch.

Advantage – Australia.

Act 3

With South Africa slowly losing their cool in the middle, Shaun Pollock’s 8th over (40th of the innings) removed both Waugh and the next batsman, Tom Moody, bringing out some sighs of relief from the Proteas. Bevan and Warne put up a 40 run partnership which ended when Warne’s nervy stay in the middle was finally cut short by Pollock who had displayed both brilliance and mediocrity with down the leg bowling on occasions.

With Donald striking another double whammy in the next over and Pollock getting his 5th wicket, Australia’s late collapse ended their total on a seemingly mediocre total of just 213. At 68/4, South Africa would have hoped to have gotten them out a bit cheaper, while from 158/4, Australia would have been disappointed at the final score.

Advantage – South Africa.

Act 4

Chasing a seemingly easy total, South Africa got off to a good start. McGrath and Reiffel were not able to get much out of the pitch and Gibbs was in a form where he dispatched almost anything full to the boundary. Soon, the duo of Gibbs and Kirsten had put together 48 runs in 12 overs without any hiccup.

Advantage – South Africa.

Act 5

But what made Australia so dangerous, was the fact that even after nullifying the opening burst of McGrath and Reiffel, there was a chubby blonde waiting to unleash some wizardry. You knew, you almost knew that even though South Africa had countered the quicks, Shane Warne would do something or the other to change the order of things.

His first over was negotiated well. On the 2nd ball of his 2nd over, Shane Warne did what he does best. He spun the ball, and spun it big. As the ball left Warne’s hand, Gibbs got his front foot out, ready to drive it. But halfway through, he realised that it wasn’t as full as he’d wanted it to be. Trying to force the foot back, he tried to flick it to the on side. But he was already done in by the master leggie; pitching outside the leg stump, the ball spun all the way to kiss the top of off-stump, leaving Herschelle Gibbs completely out of balance and with a shocked look on his face. 6 years after ‘that ball’, Gibbs knew how Gatting felt at Old Trafford.

2 overs and 5 runs later, Gary Kirsten was facing Warne. As Warne pitched it outside off, Kirsten decided to slog him out of the park in what turned out to be very poor judgement. The ball spun, missed the almighty heave and crashed onto the stumps.

A ball later, Cronje tried to drive a full delivery outside leg stump to the on-side. Of course, the ball spun, caught the edge and off went the skipper. Barely 6 overs later, Cullinan was run-out by a direct throw from Bevan.

Just when South Africa had thought that they had got a decent start, Shane Warne’s triple blow brought them back to the reality of the challenge. It was not going to be a ride in the park. The game was on. South Africa 62/4 after 22 overs.

Advantage – Australia.

Act 6

South Africa’s innings spanned out on quite the same lines as Australia’s. After a flurry of wickets at the top, the repair job was done by Jacques Kallis and Jonty Rhodes, the duo putting up 84 in 19 overs. With the required run rate reaching 7 and match into its last 10 overs, Rhodes pulled one straight to deep square leg. At 145/5, with South Africa needing 69 runs off 57 balls, it was anyone’s game.

Act 7

Kallis and Pollock’s 30 run partnership off 26 balls took South Africa closer to the target but the duo’s dismissal in consecutive overs tilted things in favour of Australia. Klusener held one end as South Africa lost Boucher and Elworthy in quick succession.

At 198/9, South Africa needed 16 runs off 8 balls. Australia needed one wicket. In a World Cup semifinal way back in 1999, it was a monumental ask for the Proteas.

Advantage – Australia.

Act 8

Klusener slogged the next ball towards long on and the fielder, Paul Reiffel, failed to get underneath it properly and instead, parried it over the rope for a six. It was a memorable moment in the match when just after the ball crosses over the rope, David Shephard was shown watching towards the boundary, mouth agape. Unbelievable things were happening in the middle, and Shephard could’ve been forgiven for baring his disbelief. Klusener took a single off the next ball and retained the strike.

9 needed off 6 balls, 1 wicket in hand.

BAM! BAM!

Klusener cleared his front leg and smashed the first two deliveries through the off side for consecutive boundaries. That he murdered them, would have been an understatement. South Africa now believed, the crowd went berserk, the Australians looked stunned. Lance Klusener was doing the impossible.

And the nerves went crazy the next ball. Klusener went for a mighty slog on the leg side, didn’t connect and the ball went as far as mid on. Having called all his fielders inside the circle, Waugh gave his side the best chance to qualify for the final in that moment. Lehmann collected the ball and his underarm throw missed the non-striker’s stumps by a whisker. Donald, having trudged off the crease at the moment of the delivery, would have found himself quite short had Lehmann found the target.

The Australians had their heads buried in their hands. Donald was smiling, not believing what he had almost done. Klusener didn’t give his emotions away.

1 needed off 3 balls, 1 wicket in hand.

The next instance is perhaps the most watched ending in the history of the game.

Klusener hit the ball, but couldn’t time it properly as it only went as far as the mid-off, bisecting the bowler and non-striker. But he ran with all his might. Without calling, without looking, he ran. Donald, at the other end, watched the ball, watched it go towards the fielder. He didn’t look at Klusener dashing towards him and perhaps still shaken by the near miss on the previous ball, didn’t commit himself for the single.

Only when Mark Waugh had passed the ball to Fleming, did he see Klusener by his side at the non-striker’s end. He ran towards the other end then, letting the bat fall down from his hands. But Fleming coolly sent down the 2nd most famous underhand throw from an Australian towards Gilchrist who disturbed the stumps and the party for South Africa.

Fleming coolly sent down the 2nd most famous underhand throw from an Australian towards Gilchrist who disturbed the stumps and the party for South Africa.

Left halfway down the pitch, alone, Donald took off his helmet and with bowed head, turned back to lift his fallen bat. Klusener didn’t stop running, almost knowing the outcome without looking back. But he just turned his head once and continued walking. Australians celebrated in the middle, the Aussie fans rejoiced wildly in the stands. The minute difference of 0.184 had made Australia qualify for the finals despite the match being tied.

Epilogue

It was the first tie in the history of World Cup (incidentally, all subsequent World Cup have had a tied match) and definitely the most exciting one.

If South Africa thought 1992 semifinal was a heartbreak, they fell short of words to describe this feeling after 1999. Australia routed Pakistan in the final and lifted their 2nd World Cup. It kick-started the era of dominance for the 2nd superpower in cricket. Australia won 2 more World Cups after that and became the best team in the world. South Africa remained a side filled with champions but ultimately, ‘chokers’.

But what if Donald had seen Klusener running? What if Klusener had made a clear call to Donald?

Well, it would have still remained the greatest cricket match in the history of ODI cricket.

You can read the rest of the series here.

Fiji men’s national team at a practice session of Hero Hockey World League Round 2

In a lopsided match, Indian men’s hockey team defeated Fiji 16-0 at Major Dhyanchand National Stadium in New Delhi today.

The result of the match wasn’t much of a surprise as 11th ranked Team India eased past the 70th ranked Fiji, with goals from Raghunath (3rd, 11th, 41st), Rupinder Pal Singh (6th, 35th), Nithin Thimmaiah (18th), Gurjinder Singh (20th), Danish Mujtaba (29th, 39th, 59th), Kothajit Singh (47th), Manpreet Singh (50th), Malak Singh (51st, 62nd), Chinglensana Singh (54th) and Dharamvir Singh (54th).

Despite being hammered by India, the Fiji national hockey team have a story of their own to be proud of. Fiji are the lowest ranked team in the competition and shouldn’t be too disappointed with this result.

Truth be told, they have done more than enough to win the hearts of fans simply by turning up for the competition. The cost of boarding and lodging is borne by the participating federation only. This posted a huge conundrum for the Fiji team as their federation was only able to come up with half the funds. The rest of the money was arranged by the players, their friends and families.

Coming on the back of Cairn India’s multi-crore deal with Hockey India, the Fiji National team are a living proof of the true spirit of sports. Whatever be the result in the coming fixtures, they’ll win something more than just matches – true respect.

Read more on the Fijian team defying the odds.

South African all-rounder Christopher Morris was bought by the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL auctions held on Sunday for a sum of $625,000. Morris is an all-rounder in the mould of Lance Klusener, regularly clocking above 140 kph and being more than handy with the bat. He plays for the Highveld Lions in the South African domestic circuit and has played only a single international match for South Africa, in a T20I against New Zealand in December.

During the auctions, he was sitting in the dressing room with his Lions teammates and watching the proceedings from an iPad. The final sum of $625,000, which in South African Rands translates to R5.5 million, was a figure he hadn’t imagined in his wildest dreams, while sitting with his teammates in Kimberley on Sunday. What added to the astonishment of his and his teammates around him was the fact that the all-rounder from Pretoria had a base price of $20,000 at the auctions. As the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians battled it out in the middle, Morris watched the sum cross the $100,000, joked around in disbelief when it reached $450,000 and finally saw the figure reach an unbelievable $625,000. Within 10 minutes, he had become a millionaire.

“I have never in my life seen this much money,” Morris admitted later. He tweeted this later:

Very excited to be a part of the CSK family…thank you for the awesome messages! #blessed

— Chris Morris (@Tipo_Morris) February 4, 2013

Incidentally, Chris Morris caught Chennai Super Kings’ coach Stephen Fleming’s eye during the Champions League T20 clash between the Lions and CSK in Cape Town last year. Chris Morris took 1 wicket for 24 runs in that match, and also scored 12 off 7 in a successful chase for the Lions. Despite the figures not being overly impressive, his performance caught the attention of coach Fleming in the opposition camp, who talked with Chris after the match, showing his appreciation for the youngster’s bowling during the fixture.

Chris was the highest wicket-taker for the Lions in South Africa’s domestic T20 competition last season and played a crucial role in their road to the final. He has impressed most by continuously bowling over the 140 kmph mark. He has been performing the role of Lions’ bowling spearhead to the hilt, and has won them quite a few matches with his performances.

In 25 Twenty20 matches played so far, he has taken 35 wickets at 16.68, with an economy rate of 6.85 in his budding career. He also scores at a strike rate of 175.29 and averages almost 25 with the bat in Twenty20 cricket. He is definitely a huge find for the two-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings.

Imran Warsi scored 19 goals for Chennai Cheetahs in World Series Hockey

A true superstar of hockey, Pakistan’s Syed Imran Warsi has been travelling the globe and earning fans with his looks and skills on the field.

He is the son of Syed Ehtesham Ali Warsi, who was himself a reputed international player and coach. Under his tutelage, Imran learnt the nuances of the game and pursued hockey professionally.

He made his debut for Pakistan’s Junior team in 2000 and Senior team in 2004. However, after getting very few chances in Pakistan after the 2008 Olympics, he’s been plying his trade for Dinamo Kazan Hockey Club in Russia since the past 4 years. He was also a part of the Chennai Cheetahs’ squad in the inaugural edition of World Series Hockey and finished as the joint top scorer (19 goals) along with Gurjinder Singh.

The Golden Stick which he won in WSH and is yet to get from the organisers, he plans to auction for charity. A true sportsperson, he joins Sportskeeda in a conversation:

You were the joint highest scorer in World Series Hockey (WSH). How was that experience for you?

World Series Hockey has given me so much. After the 2008 Olympics, I was out of the Pakistan team and WSH gave me a great chance to come back into the game. I have no words to tell you about WSH, it’s absolutely unbelievable.

Hockey India has come up with a rival league recently. Are you following the Hockey India League?

Yes, I’m definitely following the league. I’m in touch with people in India and I’m watching all the games! Delhi Waveriders are an impressive side and their players are performing excellently, especially the youngsters and Sardara, who’s now the backbone of the Indian team.

You’ve played in India during WSH and seen the game closely here. Is there any inherent difference in the way hockey is played in India and Pakistan?

My friend, Pakistan and Indian hockey are very similar. We’re playing similar formations and even our playing styles are alike. Whether I play in Pakistan or India, there isn’t much difference. But we need to improve hockey in both the countries.

Cricket is the major sport in both the nations yet hockey is the national sport in India* and Pakistan. Here, it’s important to note that World Series Hockey took a major step in popularising the game in the subcontinent. The viewership of WSH was simply unbelievable.

Recently, several Pakistani players were sent home following the massive protests against their participation in the Hockey India league. What is your opinion on the issue?

I think it’s a terrible, terrible thing. I think sports and showbiz should be kept separate from politics and it’s not good that sports is affected by petty politics. Nowadays, both countries are on much friendlier terms and such things are not expected to happen. I was in India for more than a month for World Series Hockey and I didn’t face even a single problem!

I even visited Mumbai, went shopping for my wife and friends without facing any problem at all. I felt so relaxed there. Even when my franchise told me not to go anywhere without security, I told them that nothing will happen to me, that we’re all the same. I’ll tell you one thing. I have lots of fans in India, even more than in Pakistan!

You’re playing in the Euro Hockey League currently. What are the main differences that you find in the sport outside the subcontinent? Anything which you’ve realised is better or worse in the kind of hockey played outside the subcontinent?

After 2008 Olympics, I played in the Euro Hockey League and continue to play there. We were champions for 4 years and I was the highest goal scorer too! I have been scoring 12-13 goals regularly in a season. It’s a big achievement for me and I’ve settled here with my wife and family.

As for the difference, in the game itself there’s no difference. The difference lies in our mentality. Here in the subcontinental teams, we’re not given the freedom to play on the field. The problem with our system is that if we’re not able to perform today, we’ll be axed the next day itself. Who knows if they’ll even keep us in the camp after that!

“In the subcontinental teams, we’re not given the freedom to play on the field”

Why do you think the European players are more relaxed when they’re playing? Because they’re assured of their place in the next tournament too. We don’t trust our players. “He’s finished, throw him out of the team. Bring in new players!” are the calls from the critics after only a couple of failures. We should give players more chances. You can’t create a Teun de Nooijer or a Jamie Dwyer in a couple of days, or a Jaap Stockmaan in a week. It takes time for players to develop.

Now take the case of the Ranchi Rhinos‘ captain Moritz Fuerste and Delhi Waveriders’ Oskar Deecke. They were playing for Club de Campo and recently we defeated them 3-2 in the first round of Euro Hockey League. If you remember, in 2005, Pakistan defeated Germany 5-0 in the Rabobank Trophy and I think Moritz Fuerste was a part of that team. Look at him now, he’s the current World Player of the Year. Everything takes its own time. Our problem is that we put together a team today and the very next day we demand that they win an Olympic medal for us! We can’t expect results all of a sudden.

If you rewind a bit, where were these teams – Germany, Netherlands and Spain? They weren’t the best 7-8 years ago. Now they’re at the top after putting in the hard yards over the years. When we were successful, we thought that we had achieved everything and chose to rest on our past laurels. These teams took advantage of that and overtook us with their continuous growth. You can see the end result now.

Another thing is that we make hockey the sole aim of our life. Our lives depend on the game. However, in their (European players) case, it’s a side hobby. They have separate professions outside the game. The most important thing for our hockey players is education. When we have educated players in the team, they’ll pick up the game much quicker than the uneducated lot.

What’s your take on the state of hockey in Pakistan then? Is the level of education that you’re talking about present in Pakistan’s hockey?

I don’t think it’ll be right on my part to comment on the current state of Pakistan hockey. After 2008 Olympics, it’s been close to 5 years now that I’ve been out of touch with Pakistan hockey. I only go there to visit my family and stay away from the hockey establishment in Pakistan. But the growth is definitely there. The team recently finished 3rd in the FIH Champions Trophy and won the Asian Champions Trophy, so there’s definitely growth in the game.

And India…how do you view the progress of Indian hockey?

The Indian team qualified for Olympics despite being 11th ranked in the world. You’ve got a couple of exceptional players in your side. Sardara Singh leaves you speechless. S.V. Sunil is an excellent player. Then there’s Danish Mujtaba, he too is a good player. Then you’ve got V.R. Raghunath and Rupinder Pal Singh, such talented players. It’s a fact that whenever there’s been a hockey league in India, new talents have emerged for the national side. For example, Shivendra Singh was the find of PHL. We played in the same side, Maratha Warriors, where I played for 2 years continuously.

Now, what I don’t like is that there are 2 separate leagues in your country. At the end of the day, we hockey players will support the game wholeheartedly. But what these 2 separate leagues have done is that they’ve created differences between the two sets of players playing for WSH and HIL. Even from WSH, many exceptionally talented players have come out. For example, Roshan Minz of Pune Strykers (he was awarded the ‘Indian Superstar’ award in WSH) is a very good player. God willing, these 2 leagues will merge hopefully. As for me, I’m waiting for the WSH to start as soon as possible!

So, on a personal front, are you still trying to get back into Pakistan’s hockey mainframe?

See, frankly speaking, I’ve given so much for my national team but I wasn’t rewarded with enough chances. Even in the Olympics, I hardly got to play one or two matches. After that, I took my decision. I wanted to play and not sit on the bench all my life. If I had pinned my hopes on Pakistan, I would’ve spent my career sitting on the bench. That’s why I discussed with my family and especially my father and made the decision to play, even if it meant going outside Pakistan. My father is the reason I am what I am today and why people know me as Imran Warsi. He made me and it’s all because of him that I was able to achieve so much.

Who’s your favourite Pakistani player?

In the past, there’s only been one best player of Pakistan – Shahbaz Ahmed. Without doubt, he’s my favourite player.

If you talk about the current crop of players, I don’t think I’m a big fan of any player at present. If anyone, I’d pick myself to be my favourite. And when it comes to the person who’s taught me hockey and introduced me to the game, it’s my father. He will be my first and last coach till my last breath. Although I’ve taken coaching from famous players, my father will remain my best coach.

At one time, you were called the next Sohail Abbas. How did you react to that?

(laughs) There’s no tax on saying something. Let people say whatever they want, everyone is free to make comments.

Do you have any favourite India vs Pakistan memory? Any moment when emotions might have flared up on the field? Any venue in India which you hold close to your heart?

See, as a player, I can tell you very frankly that Indian and Pakistani players treat each other as opponents on the field. They fight and abuse each other like any other opponents. But after the match, you’ll find us sitting together. We’ll be sitting in each others’ rooms, talking, having dinner, etc.

Personally, I’ve found Chandigarh to be my lucky charm. Playing against India there, I got the best defender award once. Then in WSH, I got a hattrick in the same ground against Chandigarh Comets.

What is the most memorable instance in your life?

The most memorable moment of my life is the final of the Rabo Cup in 2005, when we beat Australia 4-3. I scored the first goal of the match via a short corner. I remember Jamie Dwyer was also playing that match and it was a full strength Aussie side. That was an unforgettable moment of my life.

After that, comes World Series Hockey, which I will remember for life. I was in Russia those days and due to heavy snow, it wasn’t possible to train outside. I remember I trained for short corners for a few days indoor and then I went to Pakistan, got my visa and reached India. When I went there, I didn’t harbour any dreams of becoming the top scorer or anything like that. It’s all because of the prayers of my parents, family, fans and almighty God that I became the top scorer there.

“I’m waiting earnestly for the World Series Hockey to start!”

What are your lasting memories of WSH?

The match against Delhi Wizards, where we came from behind to win. Shakeel Abbasi was the captain of Delhi Wizards and I scored 2 goals for Chennai. At one time, we were trailing 1-3. I scored two goals and eventually we won 6-4. I still remember that match and can never forget it. That match and the one against Mumbai Marines where I missed 3 short corners, I’ll forever remember them.

Any off-the-field incident which you might want to share?

Outside the ground, the security was very tight. I agree that they have to make sure of our well being, but once I dodged the security guards to meet my fans. They are the reason behind our success. They come from far off to meet us and if they can’t, we also feel sorry about it. It’s only because of their prayers that God has been kind to us.

You’ve had a great fan following in both India and Pakistan, not just due to your game, but also glamour-wise…

Because of the fan following, even my wife gets jealous sometimes! She knows that so many girls are writing or messaging me. See, I can’t tell anyone to not write to me. My wife has such a big heart that she accepts all these things. She sees crazy fans but doesn’t say anything to me about it. I know how to handle the fans. After WSH, it was a given that I would have a fan following, but it’s all God’s grace that I’ve been bestowed with such a fan following, deserving or not.

And whenever any fan writes to me or contacts me on social media, I always make sure that I reply to them. I never ignore their messages and reply to each and every one. While playing in India, I realised that I have lots and lots of fans there. Even I couldn’t believe that fans were screaming my name after the matches in WSH. And I would get scared because my wife would be watching all the games and whenever there were girls with banners saying ‘Warsi, we love you’, she’d ask me “Who loves you more than me?” (laughs)

But remember, there’s a lot of hard work behind all this success and I’m very thankful that I’ve got such a supportive wife. Even in Russia, there are many fans since I’ve been the top goal scorer for the last 4 years and people come to watch our game. It’s all God’s grace that I’ve achieved so much.

What are your immediate plans in terms of hockey?

Right now I’m playing in Russia and maybe later on I’d like to do some coaching, but not now. Honestly, right now I’m waiting earnestly for the World Series Hockey to start! After World Series Hockey, we’ve been desperately wanting to play more in that kind of atmosphere! They had given hockey a different direction altogether. There was live telecast and proper coverage for each match, and press conferences later on, just like it happens in cricket. For bringing the game up, these are necessary steps that need to be taken.

Do you have any message for your fans?

Definitely. I’d like to tell all my fans to not think of me as a talismanic player who simply keeps scoring goals and has some special skills. It’s nothing like that. All that I have are the prayers from my parents and everyone who watches me play. I request them to keep me in their prayers. And from my side, I’ll make sure that I do everything to make people happy with my game.

Everyone has so many problems in their lives. But when they’re coming to watch my game, I wish that they feel relaxed after watching me perform and just stay happy. My message to my fans is to stay happy and respect your parents. If you get their wishes and you’ve made them happy, you’ll get all the happiness in this world.

*India doesn’t have any ‘official’ sport, as clarified by the Indian Government. 

File Photo: Jamie Dwyer

A fast paced game of hockey between Jaypee Punjab Warriors and Mumbai Magicians at the Mahindra Hockey Stadium in Mumbai finally saw a high scoring game in the inaugural Hockey India League. Trailing 1-2 till the 56th minute, Jaypee Punjab Warriors mounted a late comeback to score 3 goals in the next 14 minutes to register their first win after 4 matches in the tournament.

Dharamvir Singh scored the first goal of the match in just 3 minutes when Dwyer’s pass was flicked in by the Indian striker to give Punjab an early lead. The lead however lasted only 3 minutes as Mumbai’s Satbir Singh tapped in a deflection to equalise for the Magicians. The teams were still locked at 1-1 at the end of the 1st quarter.

There was a lengthy delay for the start of the 2nd quarter as one of the floodlights failed and the match was stopped due to bad light. When the game resumed eventually, Mumbai missed a few chances but ace drag flicker Sandeep Singh slotted in a low, straight Penalty Corner in the 32nd minute to give Mumbai Magicians a lead at half-time.

After much tussle in the middle, Jamie Dwyer made the Mumbai Magicians pay by counter attacking in the 56th minute. Shivendra Singh’s lovely pass was collected by the Australian and chipped over the oncoming ‘keeper’s head to make the score 2-2.

4 minutes later, Punjab completed the comeback as Ranjit Singh got his stick to a ball from the right and gave Punjab the lead for the 2nd time in the match.

Mumbai Magicians tried to make several attacking moves but couldn’t muster an equaliser.

In the dying seconds of the match, Jaypee Punjab Warriors sealed a memorable win with SV Sunil and Dharamvir Singh combining to produce a brilliant finish. A defensive lapse led to Sunil and Dharamvir pacing towards the goal with only the ‘keeper to beat. Sunil, calmly and selflessly, passed on the ball to Dharamvir at the last moment, who did not miss the chance to slot it in and make it 4-2 for Punjab Warriors.

This was the first win for Jaypee Punjab Warriors in the tournament as Mumbai Magicians still remain winless in their 3 matches so far.

Man of the Match: Jamie Dwyer

Watch the highlights of the match here:

With the dominating win in Ranchi over the visiting England side, MS Dhoni‘s Indian team has climbed to the top of ICC ODI Rankings.

Now, from 36 matches, India has accumulated 4279 points, pushing their rating to 119, one more than previous toppers England’s 118.

India defeated England by 7 wickets in Ranchi today and has taken a 2-1 lead in the ongoing 5-match series.

South Africa are at the 3rd pedestal, with 2201 points from their 19 matches giving them a rating of 116. With India-England and South Africa-New Zealand ODI series going concurrently, it was a battle for the top spot between England, India and South Africa.

However, with the Proteas losing the 1st ODI against New Zealand today and India taking a 2-1 lead, it’s a great chance for India to retain the top spot going into the ICC Champions Trophy to be held from June 6 to 23 in England and Wales.

I have decided to retire from the One Day format of the game,” he said in a statement. “I feel blessed to have fulfilled the dream of being part of a World Cup winning Indian team. The preparatory process to defend the World Cup in 2015 should begin early and in right earnest. I would like to wish the team all the very best for the future. I am eternally grateful to all my well-wishers for their unconditional support and love over the years.

21st December was supposed to draw curtains on the world as we know it. The end though, came a day or two late as the world has indeed changed the way we have known it, after Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement from ODIs today.

For more than a generation of fans, the joy of cricket was discovered after witnessing Sachin Tendulkar bat. Is it too hard to accept then, that for them, for us, it’s hard to view the game beyond him? True, there were joys beyond his batting, but they weren’t discovered until adulthood kicked in, for many of his fans.

For millions, watching Sachin get his 186, decimating Australia at Sharjah, destroying Pakistan at Centurion, achieving the impossible against South Africa at Gwalior, are all part of memories that’ll survive as long as those millions are alive, and probably will be passed on from generation to generation.

It’s easy to ridicule the passion of these fans as ‘madness’ but taken in a national context, it’s impossible to imagine a more uniting force than Sachin Tendulkar with a willow in his hand. Not for nothing was cricket a ‘religion’ in India. So much so that it became a clichéd term, with many not appreciating the effect it had on countless people. Cricket was only a game after all. It wasn’t as important as politics, education, science or other more practical aspects which humans should divert their attention to. But the magic of Sachin Tendulkar worked as a soothing balm for the struggles of day-to-day lives of millions of Indians.

School-bound kids completed their homework in time, lest they be barred from sitting in front of the TV when Sachin was batting. Dads left their office work to join their kids, the age barrier going kaboom in that moment. Chai shops were crowded with faces staring at a 14” screen, people who wouldn’t have found anything else equally captivating at any other time.

When Sachin scored that 100 against Kenya after attending his father’s funeral, cricket touched lives. Mourning and celebration found a unique mix among common people who wondered how it felt to perform despite facing personal tragedies. Sachin’s greatness lies in the fact that irrespective of the numbers he accumulated, people will remember him for the emotions he generated with his batting. I saw people who had left their teenage years far behind them, shed tears in abundance when Sachin reached the 200 mark in ODIs. What did they get from that innings? They put aside far more important work to be in front of the TV at that moment. They weren’t going to be paid for watching him bat. They watched Sachin bat and they cried because they felt such immense pleasure in doing so.

And now that era of cricket, when it has been something more than just a game, is so close to being over. We’ve grown up and we have a cold, calculating outlook towards everything these days. Being so emotional about something so daft is frowned upon when you’re an adult. But Sachin Tendulkar always kept that kid alive inside grown-ups, just like he maintained his childlike enthusiasm for the game, even after those 23 years.

Some things, were just meant to happen.

On 2nd April 2011, Sachin Tendulkar shed tears of happiness after India won the coveted World Cup. ‘Win it for Sachin Tendulkar’ was the war cry before the tournament began. Again, an individual becoming ‘bigger than the game’ was how some people ridiculed this emotion. But all ‘idealistic’ views were forgotten in that burst of happiness. We celebrated as if everything was good with the world. In reality however, nothing had changed. The countrymen still faced the same day-to-day problems – the threat to our security, poverty among the masses, pathetic political agendas and many more ‘real’ troubles. But we were happy. In times of adversity, we let out our most basic of emotions – that of joy, for Sachin Tendulkar, and the Indian cricket team – both inconsequential in the giant scheme of things for a normal human being. That summed up Sachin Tendulkar’s story – giving joy, when it was hard to come by from other sources.

The iconic image of Tendulkar is in a blue jersey, with the Indian flag on his helmet, taking his guard at the end of a 22 yard strip. The moment just before a bowler sent out a delivery was that of utmost silence. And then, when the ball raced off the middle of the bat to any particular part of the ground, a nation erupted in joy, in exhilaration.

It’s impossible to be a part of something that is so individualistic and yet so widespread in imparting happiness.

It doesn’t matter if you call him ‘God’ or not, but I bet you will give anything to witness that straight drive one more time.

Sardar Singh, Jamie Dwyer and Teun de Nooijer are the brand ambassadors of Hockey India League.

The popular Indian Premier League is going to have a new clone in the Indian sports arena when the Hockey India League auctions take place in New Delhi on Sunday, 13 Dec 2012.

The hockey counterpart of the giant cricket league is scheduled to start from 17 January 2013. And unlike the ICC, FIH, the international hockey body, has provided a separate window in its international calendar for the event. Also, ESPN STAR Sports has signed a multi-year deal with Hockey India (HI) for the broadcast of the event, which will feature top players from India and abroad.

However, not everything is as great as it looks from outside. The league, which was to feature 6 franchises from across the country, is yet to find a bidder for its 6th team, Bangalore. So far, only 5 franchises have been bought – Lucknow, Punjab, Ranchi, Delhi and Mumbai.

Despite the absence of the final franchise, Hockey India League is set to go ahead with the auctions tomorrow. ”Negotiations are on. We are hopeful of finalising a deal before Sunday. But even if that is not the case, we will go ahead with five teams in the auction,” said Hockey India secretary general Narinder Batra.

Out of the total 245 players available, 144 (in case of 6 teams) will be picked by the franchises in the auction tomorrow (24 for each team). For the 6th team, in case the franchise is picked later, late entry may not cost too much, if one goes by the words of Narinder Batra.

“The sixth team can join later and can have access to players who have not been acquired in the auction. There is also the provision of franchises trading players. So, the sixth franchise can have a strong squad despite making a late entry,” Batra added.

1. Lucknow – owned by Sahara India Pariwar.

2. Punjab – owned by Jaypee Group.

3. Ranchi – owned by Patel-Uniexcel Group.

4. Delhi – owned by Wave Group (The group, owned by late business tycoon Ponty Chadha, will continue to support HIL despite Mr. Chadha’s demise).

5. Mumbai – owned by the Burman family, promoters of Dabur India Ltd.

6. Bangalore – unsold.

Another concept borrowed from the IPL, each HIL franchise will own one of these marquee players:

1. Sardar Singh (India)

2. Sandeep Singh (India)

3. SV Sunil (India)

4. Jamie Dwyer (Australia)

5. Teun de Nooijer (Netherlands)

6. Moritz Fuertse (Germany)

Furthermore, each franchise will have a purse of $643000 and will be owning a player for a period of 3 years upon successful bidding. The maximum amount that can be bid for a single player is $58700. The minimum base price for an Indian player is $2800, while for a foreign player, the amount is $5000.

For the bidding of the marquee players, the franchises will have to make a silent bid before the start of the auction. Hockey India will then announce the marquee player for each franchise, on the basis of the maximum bids placed for the player. Each round of auction will involve bidding of 10 defenders, 10 midfielders, 10 forwards and all 25 goalkeepers.

Sardar Singh: $27,800

Sandeep Singh: $27,800

Bharat Chhetri: $18,500

Gurbaj Singh: $18,550

Shivdendra Singh: $18,550

PR Sreejesh: $13,900

Ignace Tirkey: $13,900

Danish Mujtaba: $13,900

VR Raghunath: $13,900

Gurwinder Singh Chandi: $13,900

SV Sunil: $13,900

Tushar Khandker: $13,900

Sarvanjit Singh: $13,900

Jamie Dwyer (Australia): $25,000

Take Taekema (Netherlands): $25,000

Moritz Fuertse (Germany): $25,000

Teun De Nooijer (Netherlands): $25,000

Glenn Turner (Australia): $25,000

Pol Amat (Spain): $25,000

Floris Evers (Netherlands): $25,000

Oliver Korn (Germany): $25,000

Ramon Alegre (Spain): $25,000

David Alegre (Spain): $25,000

Ashley Jackson (England): $25,000

Mahmood Rashid (Pakistan): $25,000

Dean Couzins (New Zealand): $25,000

Liam De Young (Australia): $25,000

Imran Mohammad (Australia): $25,000

Pirmin Blaak (Netherlands): $20,000

Jaap Stockmaann (Netherlands): $20,000

Fransisco Cortes (Spain): $20,000

Mark Knowles (Australia): $20,000

Austin Smith (South Africa): $20,000

Mohammad Rizwan Sr (Pakistan): $20,000

Simon Child (New Zealand): $20,000

Luke Doerner (Australia): $20,000

The auctions will start at 10 AM on 16th December, 2012.

Ravindra Jadeja has become the first Indian cricketer to score three triple centuries in first-class cricket, after he scored 320* for Saurashtra against Railways in Ranji Trophy today.

4 days short of his 24th birthday, Jadeja now joins legends Don Bradman, Bill Ponsford, Wally Hammond, WG Grace, Graeme Hick, Brian Lara and Michael Hussey in doing so. He scored his first triple ton (314) against Orissa in 2011-12. Then earlier in November this year, he scored 303* against Gujarat and joined VVS Laxman and Wasim Jaffer in the list of Indian players who’ve scored triple tons twice in first-class cricket. Virender Sehwag has also scored 2 triple tons in Tests.

Against Railways today, Jadeja ended the day at 320* off 491 balls, studded with 28 fours and 7 sixes, becoming the first Indian cricketer to achieve this rare feat.

“After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things. Terrible! Yes. But great.” – Ollivander, about Voldemort in the Harry Potter series.

Ricky Thomas Ponting was a great batsman. In the eyes of an Indian cricket fanatic, the words of Ollivander will hold true for the gritty Australian batsman; a teenager’s idealistic view of the great player who ‘wronged’ on many occasions, but who achieved great heights.

When India was riding high in South Africa in 2003, Ponting produced such greatness at the grandest stage in world cricket, which became a source of embarrassment for the Indians. In such a scenario, for a 13 year old, the greatness of the player, of his craft, was secondary to the humiliation caused to his most favourite team in the world. All further judgement of his brilliance was to be filtered through that misplaced nationalistic fervour of being better than your opponent, until there came a moment of realisation of what was to be missed in his absence.

Then there was the 2006 Champions Trophy, where the captain of a dominating team pushed aside the Indian face on the podium giving away the coveted trophy. We were humiliated much before the Aussies had even shown glimpses of the domination in the tournament. And the ugly feeling of being ‘wronged’ surfaced again. A petty issue given the air of a scandal; holding true to our tradition of making mountain out of a molehill.

Sydney 2008 further drilled in the feeling of hatred. For a generation brought up on the humble and respectful ideals of Sachin, Dravid, Laxman and Kumble, the outrage of claiming a dropped catch of our captain, and the injustice meted out by the foreign umpires, was too much for the frustrated fans. There was no end to the ill-feeling now. Ricky Ponting was saakshaat Raavan in real life, shown his ‘rightful’ place by Ishant Sharma in Perth. Ishant’s spell at the WACA was an example of brilliant pace and swing bowling, but so was that of RP Singh in the same match or Sreesanth’s spell at Durban in 2010. But what made it the stuff of legends was the wicket of Ricky Ponting; hated by the Indians to such an extent that the replays of his supposed ‘humiliation’ are popular to this day, irrespective of how many times they have been viewed.

That Ponting was at all times, closing in on the heels of the ‘untouchable’ records of the great Sachin Tendulkar, was an added incentive of enjoying his dismissals. Again, the misplaced nationalistic fervour of an idealistic teen robbed him of enjoying the beauty of the craft.

2011 was as if, godsend. The Quarter-Finals saw a wayward Shaun Tait throw abuses at Sachin Tendulkar, and the blood boiled. The humiliation of 2003, the frustration of 2006 and the injustice of 2008 were all at one moment, aimed at the captain of the group wearing the canary yellow jersey. It didn’t matter that he had scored a brilliant century, in a country where his track record wasn’t exemplary. But when the ball hit Ponting’s finger while fielding and he was down on his hunches in pain, the nation rejoiced. It seems so shameful now, but was so natural then. When Yuvraj Singh roared on the pitch, we roared along with him, and the frustration of last 9 years came pouring out at Ricky Ponting. A group of college students intoxicated by victory, we hurled expletives at Ponting whole night, and next day, and the next, until the giddy feeling of beating Pakistan took over.

In 15 years of watching the Australians dominate, I’ve respected Steve Waugh, Shane Warne, Brett Lee, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden, but hated Ricky Ponting; that downright sadistic hatred for all his failures, however minute and overall inconsequential they were.

But as the teenager grew up, the world wasn’t divided into black and white any more. The shades of grey became more prominent and eventually, the hatred toned down. Sports is not the place for blowing the trumpet of nationalism above individual brilliance; it’s an art, and it’s global in the extent of its champions. Ponting is that respectable fighter from Australia, who had humble beginnings and who fought to the best of his capabilities for the team he was responsible for. That he was the 2nd highest run-getter of all time, accumulating the next best number of centuries in all forms of cricket, the only cricketer to feature in 100 Test wins, the captain to have won the most number of Test matches in the game, went unrecognised and uncelebrated in those years when the shroud of patriotism blurred the immense contribution of this cricketer.

The sense of what will be missing from this game, will dawn upon the fans in the days to come. Even if he was playing lesser number of matches, he was there, constantly shuffling on the backfoot and playing that hook or pull, or caressing a ball through the covers in his own typical way, bent back, arms in a fluid motion, reaching out to the delivery.

“It’s a decision I thought long and hard about, put in long consideration about the decision, at the end of the day it was about my results and my output in this series so far. It hasn’t been to the level required for batsmen and players in the Australian team. My level of performance hasn’t been good enough.” – Ricky Ponting.

There’s honesty in those words, which 4 years ago, frankly, I wouldn’t have associated with him. But as a mature fan, maybe it’s time to revisit those memories and understand what Ricky Ponting was, devoid of any nationalistic feelings and try to give credit where it’s due. No hard feelings, Punter!

When it comes to Zaheer Khan, Indian cricket aficionados have accepted a life with constant fear. If he feels his calf, they fear the worst. If he dives and takes more than a few seconds to get up, they fear the worst. If he simply bends down to take a breather, they fear the bloody worst. And to add to the fear, there’s no consolation being offered from outside. Umesh, Ishant, Sreesanth, RP Singh, Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Varun Aaron – the pacers to have played for India in the past year or so in tests, have neither been lethal, nor shown brilliant fitness levels to last at the top level.

So, when Indian fans brace themselves for the worst case scenario, they know that unless a miracle happens, this team will be doomed without a pace spearhead. Typically, batting is not turning out to be a problem; bowling talents are sprouting up, but failing to achieve their potential.

Zaheer himself is no longer the bowler he used to be in the immediate years before 2011. His county stint was that permanent marker on his career, which divided it into 2 distinct parts. Now, it seems, there’s been another divide created. Since August 2011, post his World Cup heroics, post his breaking down in England, post his ankle surgery, he’s been a different Zaheer Khan. He’s not the same fit and lethal bowler. His accuracy and probing line are still intact, but patient batsmen aren’t afraid to face him anymore and reap the rewards after braving the initial onslaught.

Here’s a breakup of Zaheer’s statistics during these 3 periods:

Before returning to the national team in November/December 2006 for the tour to South Africa, Zaheer struggled with form. His stint with Worcestershire brought knowledge and experience for the left-arm pacer. He had been troubled by injuries for a large part of his career, with every comeback culminating in a frustrating injury setback. But that period from late 2006 to mid-2011 was the most fruitful of his career, as he ran in with an extremely fit body.

India’s heroes in 2011 World Cup were Yuvraj, Zaheer, Sachin and Dhoni – in that order. His 21 wickets in the tournament did not include a single 4 wicket haul, underlying his consistency at providing crucial breakthroughs. Be it an incoming yorker to Strauss, or ‘knuckle ball’ to Devon Smith and Michael Hussey, he provided India with wickets when India needed them. Dhoni later revealed that many players were playing despite carrying some niggles. It might be true that Zaheer gave it all in the World Cup and paid the price later in England.

A lot of his lack of incisiveness is due to his feeble fitness status. It’s not that he’s not giving his best, but Zaheer with that old ball, is not able to dart it around as he used to do it earlier. The most potent weapon in his armory was his ability to reverse swing the old ball. The thing about reverse swing is that it needs the most from a tiring bowler on unhelpful tracks. But now, the simple mantra of pitching it as fast as possible, to bring the most out of the old cherry, is daunting for the bowler not at the peak of his fitness.

Sachin has been choosing his own formats and series for elongating his career as much as possible and it’s paramount to give the same luxury to Zaheer. There’s absolutely no need for him to feature in T20Is, but save his best for the longer formats.

In the match against Railways, his figures were 20.5-5-41-1, before he held his groin in discomfort and left the field. Though it was said to be cramps by Mumbai captain Ajit Agarkar, it’s an all too familiar scene and can be unnerving for the fans. He was selected for the squad against England after getting a clean chit from the NCA physiotherapist.

Going into an all-important series against England, there’s a serious need to re-evaluate Zaheer’s situation. It isn’t too difficult to imagine him breaking down in the midst of a series and this time, the damage might be just too much for his battered body to make a comeback. Yet, the best judge for Zaheer Khan is Zaheer Khan himself. He’s too experienced and proud to let that happen again. If he trusts in his body to take the rigours of 5-day matches on long stretches, it’s great news for India. But how much of those performances can he now turn into match-winning ones? That’s where he has to face the hard truth.

It’s paramount that the Indian camp to preserve him for as long as possible. The war hero may not be the same fighter on the ground, but his tactical mind and leadership prowess can still motivate the troops to give their best. Zaheer, known for standing at mid-off or mid-on during a young pacer’s spell, putting his arm around the bowler’s shoulder, continuously peppering him with knowledge and tricks to disarm the opponent, is of vital importance, a contribution not reflected in records and stats.

It’s too much to hope for him to stay to defend the World Cup in Australia, even hard to imagine that he’ll still be the spearhead when India leaves its shores for South Africa in 2013/14. But like Sachin, it’s time he’s placed in a rare commodities section and dealt with the same way. He’s the most successful pacer for India after Kapil Dev and like the dashing all-rounder, it’ll be a near impossible task to replace Zaheer Khan.

Starting today, Sportskeeda brings to you a list of players who’ve made their name by show of good, sometimes great and extraordinary leadership.

Stephen Fleming

Longevity and success (relatively) – were hallmarks of Stephen Fleming’s time at the helm of New Zealand cricket. At a time when captaincy was traded between players on a monthly or even weekly basis in many countries, Fleming was the rudder guiding an underachieving Kiwi side. When Lee Germon was injured, he was handed the responsibility at the age of 23, and in his words, was ‘overawed’. Though appointed only as a stand-in captain at first, he was eventually handed the permanent job.

Fleming never led a great side. Earlier, he had the charismatic Chris Cairns, but Nathan Astle, Scott Styris, Craig McMillan and Chris Harris didn’t comprise a champion side. Later, the team suffered as Shane Bond oscillated between brilliance and frustration. Daniel Vettori maintained a calm presence meanwhile, growing and learning under the leadership of Fleming. The Kiwi side was very rarely at full strength, and when they were, Fleming extracted the most from them.

His New Zealand took on Naseer Hussain’s England in 1999 and won 2-1. His New Zealand came up against Steve Waugh’s Australia in 2001-02 and drew the test series. His New Zealand defeated India in the 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy and won their only limited over tournament of note to date. That 4-year period was the best under Fleming’s leadership.

“If you walk around thinking you’re a leader, you’re a long way from it.” – Stephen Fleming

He learned a lot from the likes of Astle and Cairns though, who helped him grow into the leadership role. Fleming distinguished between a captain and a leader, and suffered when he was put under pressure due to his failure with the bat. Like his side, he was an underachieving batsman, and it’s your perspective how you look at it – nobody has scored lesser number of hundreds with 7000 ODI (8 centuries) and 8000 Test (9 centuries) runs.

A captain is known by the respect he commands from the team. In 1998/99, when South Africa visited New Zealand, Dion Nash stood in as the captain for injured Stephen Fleming. His attacking captaincy was much appreciated, compared to the unhurried manner of Fleming’s leadership. When pressed for a change in the captaincy by the media, Nash responded by saying, “No way. We can’t wait for Steve to get back and take over again.” There was not an iota of doubt who the true captain of this ship was.

Stephen Fleming the captain of New Zealand keeps a tight grip on the trophy after beating India after the India v New Zealand Final of the ICC Knockout Tournament in 2000.

The captain puts his team before himself, and his innings of 274 against Sri Lanka in 2003, where he selflessly declared before crossing Martin Crowe’s 299 and becoming the first New Zealand to score a triple hundred, is just one of many examples. Though the match was a draw, the effort was not lacking from the captain.

He surpassed Arjuna Ranatunga’s record of 193 matches as captain in 2006, becoming the longest serving captain of that time. He finished with 213 matches as captain, second only to Ponting’s record of 230.

For New Zealand, he was the most successful captain by a long distance. 28 Test victories and 98 ODI conquests came under his watch, more than double the success the next best Kiwi skipper achieved.

He walked away from international cricket in 2008, scoring yet another 50 for his side, before failing to convert it.

Stephen Fleming may not be the best New Zealand cricketer to have graced the game, but under his leadership, the best was milked out of the Kiwis, making them strong contenders against much stronger opponents.

To see the other captains who made this list, click here: 15 Greatest Captains