Roger Federer and Pete Sampras: Champions of an era

Champions bring thrill, exhilaration, set unprecedented benchmarks and take the sport to another level. In the 90s, the world of sport was dull, not because of the lack of quality, neither because of the absence of state of the art technology. The simple reason being that we had Michael Schumacher, Pete Sampras, Tiger Woods and Steve Waugh’s Australian team.

The aforementioned athletes hated one word: losing. The sweat, toil and relentless pursuit to avoid the second best position made the fans stand up and take notice. Critics bewailed. The mellifluous metaphors were limited; the reverberation in eulogizing the same protagonists had become a routine chore. So when Sampras swept the Wimbledon titles staring from 1993 to 2000 (barring 1996, when some writer might have predicted Sampras’ ouster), everyone knew he was the best man to win the trophy. Writing about the possibility of Petr Korda winning was considered crazy.

Formula One was ruled by Michael Schumacher. His victories reinforced his position at the top by a long margin. Every victory was a carbon copy of the master class. A second position for the German made headlines in newspapers around the world. Presses stopped, inked the news and sold loads of copies. The critics woke up. All of a sudden, the world was a better place to live in when other drivers, mere mortals, got on the level-playing terms with the champion. And all this would be a minor aberration when Schumacher came back and won races again and again.

Tiger Woods has redefined perfection. Winning four majors in a row is beyond realms of imagination. The plausibility of such a thing happening is quite rare. The phenomenon of impossibility was put under severe test.

But today, there are no single favourites in the game anymore. The underdogs, as they are called, have the mental fortitude to compete with the top players. A Lukas Rasol is there to knock out Rafael Nadal, the Dutch cricket team has the arsenal to beat England at Lord’s in the T20 cricket World Cup, the South African hockey team has the gumption to beat the beleaguered Indian hockey team at London. The tales of upsets has become a routine. There is no cloak of impregnability anymore.

Schumacher, the ultimate champion in F1 history, retired and came back in the sport; but he is not the same. The wins eluded him. Sampras, who almost owned the Wimbledon court, was humbled by George Bastl, while the Australian cricket team was whitewashed by India. Federer, a 17-time Grand Slam champion, was challenged by Julien Bennateau at the centre court, and beaten by Thomas Berdych at the US Open. The emergence of Andy Murray as a British Grand Slam winner. Top four winning a Grand Slam each in 2012. How about David Ferrer, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga or Janko Tipsarevic winning a Grand Slam? An Associate nation reaching the semi-final of a cricket World Cup?

Isn’t that good for the spectators’ point of view? Don’t we get bored if same person/team wins again and again? Don’t we want to get titillated before a contest begins? Don’t we just hate the lopsided contests like the thrashing we get in hockey?

Domination is somewhat dour in sport. The cul de sac takes away the intrigue. Change has come, new champions have emerged. Bolt is invincible no doubt; but there is a Yohan Blake giving him run for his money. Hopefully, in coming years, unpredictability shall be the name of the game. If that happens, we will have enough stories to tell our grandchildren- intriguing stories mind you, not mere recitations of ‘dominating’ champions.

Here is a list of 9 players, one from each IPL 6 team who could top the run charts this season.

Ajinkya Rahane (Rajasthan Royals)

One of the main-stays of the RR line-up. Rahane will be hungry for runs as he has always been.

Shaun Marsh (Kings XI Punjab)

He burst on to the scene with a great IPL 2008. He would love to make IPL 6 his own.

Steve Smith (Pune Warriors India)

Steve Smith was the lone shining star in a nightmare season for the PWI last year. He could be their main man this year as well.

Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

The Vice-Captain of the Indian cricket team would love to improve on his performance in IPL 5

Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians)

Rohit Sharma will aim to use IPL 6 as a platform to come back into the Indian team.

Kumar Sangakkara (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Sangakkara will have to lead his team from the front is theyare to make any impression in the IPL.

Murali Vijay (Chennai Super Kings)

Murali Vijay will be on a high after the 2 centuries against the Aussies

Mahela Jayawardene (Delhi Daredevils)

The Captain of the DD could be a key player in the middle order

Gautam Gambhir (Kolkata Kinght Riders)

KKR captain could once again inspire his team and take them to the pinnacle.

Just like the big hitters, the Run Machines will be crucial in shaping the fortunes of their teams. These players could rule the games between overs 7-12 and could set the foundation for a blasting finish.

MAK Pataudi’s feats as a skipper of India were not really astounding. His numbers were at best modest, with India winning nine of the 40 matches he led in. But Pataudi is hailed as one of the finest Indian skippers and the best thing that happened to Indian cricket since 1932 – the year in which India played its first Test. From 1932 (Lord’s) to 1962 (Barbados), India won only eight Test matches in an era where winning a cricket match was an aberration. A draw or a loss was India’s regular feature. And whenever India won a match it was because of stellar performances of one-two individuals – Vinoo Mankad’s 8/55 against England in 1952/53 at Madras or Jasu Patel’s 14-wicket haul against Richie Benaud’s Australia at Kanpur.

Indian cricket administration was in shambles as the selection of players was not based on meritocracy at the time. A player was discarded for trivial reasons, such as not knowing India’s mother tongue or for the part of country he came from. There was a lot of politics and it was impossible to survive in the team for long without having the backing of influential members within the board.

Come the Nawab of Pataudi junior and the face of Indian cricket changed for good. The 21-year-old Nawab, India’s youngest captain, backed his players. He was trusted with the responsibility of captaining the side after Nari Contractor suffered a life-threatening head injury from a Charlie Griffith bouncer. Pataudi did his best as a captain but India lost the series 5-0. But Pataudi took the initial disappointment in his stride and made sure that the Indian team believed that they could win.

The Indian dressing room was a place where people came from diverse backgrounds. Pataudi believed in the concept of team work – probably for the first time any captain was actually concerned about the team, rather than lobbying. Pataudi was a commoner in the team despite being the 9^th Nawab of Bhopal. He had no airs about his royal background. Pataudi expected total commitment from his players on the field and did not impose any restrictions on them off the field. For the first time, there was a captain who fought for the rights of his players.

In 1963-64, he led India against Mike Smith’s England. His form as a batsman hit rock bottom. In the first seven innings, Nawab recorded scores of 0, 18, 10, 0, 2, 31, and 13. People talked about how it was difficult for a player with one eye to score runs consistently. But his second innings at Delhi is regarded as one of the most famous innings played by an Indian.

It is no wonder that Nawab led India to its first overseas win in New Zealand in 1967-68. He got the team out from the quagmire of defeatism and instilled a sense of belief in the eleven men. The famous spin quartet of Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrasekhar and Venkataraghvan was born under his leadership.

Pataudi was an aggressive batsman and scored 2793 runs in 46 Tests with six hundreds – an exceptional feat considering the fact that he had been in a car accident and lost vision in his right eye six months before his Test debut in 1961. One wonders how mighty effective Pataudi would have been, had he played Test cricket with both his eyes functional.

Pataudi as a batsman

As a batsman, Pataudi was boldly adventurous and quite unorthodox. He was not afraid to loft the ball over the infield and often attacked the spinners using his feet. He often dictated the terms to the bowlers and did not believe in getting bogged down for too long. Today we see batsmen adopting that approach across all the formats, but during those days that style of batting was not common. Salim Durani, Pataudi’s colleague, was famous for hitting sixes when the crowd demanded them. Not surprisingly, the critics did not condone Durani and Pataudi for bringing in that element of risk in their games. Pataudi interspersed stout defence with aggressive hits. He was a charismatic player who brought in a sense of excitement- a brand of cricket which brought more and more people to the stadiums. Nawab was a crowd puller.

Pataudi had a decent debut against England in 1961 at Delhi. He scored 13 and 61 in his first Test. But the entire nation admired Pataudi for his 103 which he scored at Corporation Stadium, Madras in his third Test match.

Some of his top innings:

1) His 203* against England in 1964 was monumental since he was in total control of the situation and was battling poor form. This innings made his critics eat humble pie.

2) At Madras in 1964, Pataudi scored 128* against Bob Simpson’s Australia and was responsible for posting a decent total on the board. By scoring this hundred, he emulated his father’s feat of scoring a century in his first Test against Australia. In the next Test at Mumbai, Pataudi scored 86 and 53 which helped India clinch a cliffhanger – a match they won by two wickets, chasing 254. Pataudi’s 93 run alliance with Vijay Manjrekar in the second innings was pivotal in a tricky run-chase.

3) His 113 against New Zealand in Delhi in 1965 was his third Test hundred. His unbeaten 20 off 34 minutes helped India to win the Test when they needed 70 runs in the final hour of the final day.

4) In 1967, at Headingley, Pataudi bravely encountered John Snow, Ken Higgs, Robin Hobbs and Ray Illingworth. His 148 made people wonder how great a player Pataudi would have been with two eyes.

5) On a green Melbourne wicket in 1967-68, India were reeling at 25 for five. Nawab, who had sustained a leg injury, led by example and scored 75 and 85 in the Test match. Noted cricket writer K.N Prabhu, who covered the tour for the Times of India, wrote “an innings played with one leg and one eye in a thin drizzle on a dark day.”

Sacked as a captain 

In 1969, Pataudi was appointed as captain for the home series against New Zealand and Australia. India won the first of three Test matches against New Zealand at Mumbai by 60 runs but lost the subsequent Test match at Nagpur. It was then that the chairman of selectors, Vijay Merchant, criticised Pataudi. India nearly lost the final Test at Hyderabad but for rain. India lost the Test series against Australia by a margin of 3-1.

In 1971, the selectors congregated at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) to pick the captain of the national team. It was here that Merchant used his casting vote against Pataudi. Ajit Wadekar became India’s next Test captain.

“I tried to convince them (the selectors) that Indian cricket urgently needed a change of guard. Added to our drawing with great difficulty (1-1) the series against Graham Dowling’s lowly placed New Zealand, we had, with the best spinners in the world, lost (1-3) the series to Bill Lawry’s Australia – after having drawn level with that conclusive win in the Kotla Test. In the eight Tests at home against New Zealand and Australia, Pataudi was not viewed to lead from the front as his own batting witnessed a sudden decline. As Chairman of Selectors, I wanted results. If Pataudi could not get them after having been captain through 36 Tests running (17 of them lost and only seven won), why not a radical departure from convention? But my plea fetched no response. That’s how I came to use my casting vote in favour of Ajit Wadekar,” said Merchant.

Grand comeback

After Wadekar’s triumph in West Indies and England, the whole cricketing world talked about how India was a force to be reckoned with in world cricket. But in 1973, India lost a home Test against England at Delhi and the team was in tatters. Pataudi was recalled and he acceded to play under Wadekar. That was astonishing since Indian cricket is replete with instances about how princes always had ego problems and never returned after they were wounded.

But Pataudi returned with a bang. His 73 was an innings of high pedigree. In the second innings, Pataudi batted despite sustaining an injury, only to guide the team home on a slippery surface. India won the Chennai Test by four wickets.

Final stint as an Indian captain

The selection committee wanted the experienced head of Pataudi as leader when West Indies toured India in 1974-75. Pataudi had told the selectors in no uncertain terms that if they wanted a leader, he was in and if they were looking for a batsman they should look beyond him. India had been bruised and battered after 2-0 loss in England earlier in the season. The acrimonious 42-all out disaster still haunted them. Wadekar was out of the team and the Indian team was in a rebuilding phase.

West Indies won the series 3-2. Pataudi’s form with the bat was abysmal. He scored twin nines in his final Test at Mumbai.

Life after cricket

Pataudi had a suave air about him and had an amazing sense of humour. He was the editor of Sportsworld magazine. Pataudi modelled for a few products as well. He resided at Pataudi and the family palace in Bhopal.

He stood as ICC Match Referee for two Test matches and 10 ODIs.

What people said  :

Wonderful line by ian chappell at the RSD talk on pataudi ” tiger is my favorite animal, tiger was also one of my favourite human beings

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) December 19, 2011

T 503 – Fond memories of the past with Tiger Pataudi .. his wedding, playing cricket with him, his tabla playing prowess, social evenings ..

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) September 22, 2011

Mansur Ali Khan `Tiger’ Pataudi is no more. Great cricket/captain, terrific personality. Big loss not just to cricket, but the nation. RIP

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) September 22, 2011

At 19, Tendulkar knew how to battle against a moving ball and how to construct monumental knocks outside the subcontinent- a place where inner resolve often gets tested. After Manchester, Sydney and Perth, Tendulkar conquered Johannesburg. The glimpses of brilliance from Tendulkar’s willow spoke volumes about his abundance of talent and there was no doubt in anyone’s mind about who would be the fulcrum of India’s batting line-up for the years to come.

The red cherry was being bowled at a searing pace by one of the fastest bowlers in the world, Allan Donald. He was complimented by two bowlers who were bowling a tight line outside the off-stump, Brian McMillan and Craig Matthews. The openers, Ravi Shastri and Ajay Jadeja, were dismissed for seven and 14 respectively. The eleven men from South Africa were a hungry lot waiting for the teenager to buckle under pressure. But this lad was no ordinary one. At 19, playing only his 19^th Test match, he was the best bet to steer India’s sinking ship; a man who embodied courage in the face of adversity.

The South African team were on a mission to demolish India. The conditions were in their favour as well. The moving ball, world-class fielding (unlike India) and the quality of pace attack – these were the perfect ingredients for an Indian batting collapse. But the teenage sensation of India was intent on proving a point. He battled hard and challenged the home side to pick up his wicket. The battle between Donald and Tendulkar was like a boxing match. If round one belonged to Donald, the second was Sachin’s. Donald’s modus-operandi was to not offer any width to the youngster at the start of his innings. The length balls tested Tendulkar. Donald astutely unveiled his trump card – a delivery full outside the off-stump bowled to unsettle the unset Tendulkar. And Donald almost succeeded. Tendulkar went for a flashy drive to break his run-drought for 19 balls. The ball went between the third slip and gully.

The next ball was a tad short and Tendulkar flashed hard. The ball went over the slip fielders for another boundary. The bowlers kept coming hard. With the latter batting on 10, Donald bowled a fiery delivery to Tendulkar that took the shoulder of his bat. The third-slip fielder, Matthews, dropped a tough chance. The stern test was getting sterner. McMillan was moving the ball both ways. There were absolutely no easy balls. Tendulkar was waiting for the loose balls which were short and wide deliveries around off-stump. Tendulkar exhibited majestic cuts and square drives off those rare deliveries. When day two ended, Tendulkar was batting on 75.

Tendulkar lost Manjrekar, Azharuddin, Amre and Prabhakar before the day’s play ended. On the morning of day three, Tendulkar was playing second fiddle to Kapil Dev. But Dev’s cameo lasted for only 37 deliveries and when More too departed, Tendulkar took control of the innings, even though he was batting at a snail’s pace.

After lunch, Tendulkar brought up his fourth Test century with a firm push between the bowler, Matthews, and mid-off. It was similar to the off-drive he had hit off Angus Fraser in Manchester to bring about his first century. The admirers rushed on to the field to congratulate the centurion who had decorated his well-compiled knock with 17 boundaries. Tendulkar then celebrated his milestone with a couple of boundaries off Matthews, who had been parsimonious the previous two days.

At 111, Tendulkar played a loose shot off Hansie Cronje. He was caught at mid-on. Tendulkar’s innings gave India’s first innings score an air of respectability.

Peter Siddle created history with the bat.

Maxwell as an opener:

At WACA, Perth earlier this year, Glenn Maxwell opened the batting for Australia and hit an attacking half century against West Indies. Today, the Australian team management expected a similar performance from IPL‘s latest million dollar man. But another million dollar man, Ravindra Jadeja dismissed him for eight. The move to score quick runs against Indians did not work and Australia were reeling on a wicket where the ball was turning fair and square.

The celebration of the day:

David Warner gave a few Indians a grand send-off yesterday. Today it was India’s turn to give Warner a fitting farewell courtesy some of their spontaneous theatrical celebrations.

The opening bowling combination for Australia:

For the third time in the history of Test cricket, Australia opened the bowling with two spinners. Maxwell became the first Australian in 84 years to open the batting and bowling in the same Test match. And the move paid off when Maxwell picked up Murali Vijay’s wicket early on in the innings.

The Capital effect:

New Delhi was witnessing a Test match after almost 1.5 years and there was a big crowd assembled on Sunday. The surprise was however the joint appearance of Finance Minister of India, P Chidambaram and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley. Seated beside IPL chairman and MP, Rajiv Shukla, it was refreshing to find the leaders of two political parties which otherwise are at loggerheads on most issues, come together to enjoy a game of cricket.

A tale of two missed hat-tricks:

Ravindra Jadeja’s first two balls after lunch got him the wickets of Steven Smith and Mitchell Johnson. He was on hat-trick for the second time in his Test career but failed to achieve the landmark. Siddle pushed Jadeja towards covers and ran for two runs. It was an anti-climax in the end.

Nathan Lyon, earlier in the day had picked up the wickets of Ishant Sharma and Pragyan Ojha to finish the Indian innings. He was on a hat-trick in the 2nd innings. Murali Vijay stepped out of his crease off the very first delivery that spun a mile. Wicketkeeper Matthew Wade failed to collect the ball and effect a stumping.

Siddle’s tryst with history:

Peter Siddle became the first player in 136 years of Test cricket to score twin fifties at No. 9 position. He also became the first person to top-score in both the innings of a Test match batting at nine.

Aleem Dar’s intervention:

After an absorbing opening session, the teams were heading back to the dressing rooms. Australian ‘keeper Wade and India’s Virat Kohli had a heated conversation and before both the youngsters continued with their verbal volley, umpire Aleem Dar stepped in and cooled down the tension.

A celebration that crossed the line:

When Ishant Sharma uprooted James Pattinson’s middle stump, he aggressively gestured Pattinson to go to the dressing room. Sharma was taken for runs in that over and he reacted aggressively. Ishant might have to visit Ranjan Madugalle in his office since that gesture went overboard and is certainly a punishable offence under ICC’s Code of Conduct.

The catch that could have turned the match:

Australia were on a roll when they picked up the wickets of Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar and Ajinkya Rahane in a matter of five runs. Australia were on a look out for another couple of wickets. Nathan Lyon induced an edge off Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s bat but the chance went begging since ‘keeper Wade failed to hold onto that chance. Lyon would have had his maiden ten-wicket haul in Tests.

A winning hit from Mahendra Singh Dhoni:

Once again it was Dhoni who hit the winning runs for India. Surprisingly, he is always there in the middle, hitting the winning shots when India has won important games. At the World Cup final, against New Zealand in Bangalore, in the third Test match at Mohali and in Delhi to finish off a 4-0 victory against the Australians, Dhoni was the one who either hit a six or a boundary and finished off the match in a grand fashion.

Nathan Lyon picked his first five-wicket haul of the series.

Sitaram’s surface:

When India were 59 without any loss at lunch time, the wicket looked a beauty to bat on. Sanjay Manjrekar, in the post-session discussion called the wicket as “a nice Sitaram surface (a metaphor to indicate a flat batting surface named after Ponnuswami Sitaram – the former curator of the Feroz Shah Kotla). Gavaskar concurred with Manjrekar, stating that Sitaram had made national highway-like wickets during his playing days as well. Allan Border, the other expert in the studio was probably was a worried man after listening to such stories, but probably heaved a sigh of relief when Aussies fought back and the pitch responded in kind.

The ball that hit Pujara’s hand:

Cheteshwar Pujara looked positive right from the outset. When he was batting well, he was hit on the hand when James Pattinson banged one short of a length. The ball just took off from the surface and Pujara failed to gauge the bounce. He was in a lot of pain and was attended to by a physio. After ten minutes, he asked the physio to come back again, which made Australian skipper Shane Watson upset.

Dessert for Mrs. Pujara:

After Cheteshwar Pujara reached yet another half-century, Sunil Gavaskar in the commentary box said that seeing her husband getting a 50 must be like a dessert for Mrs. Pujara. It was an apt comment since Mrs. Pujara was sitting in the lunch room.

Welcome to Test cricket, Rahane!

Peter Siddle was in a middle of a very good spell and had bounced out Murali Vijay. He had his tail up when Ajinkya Rahane arrived in the middle for the first time in Test cricket. Nerves still not settled, Siddle bowled a vicious bouncer to the debutant that thudded onto his helmet. Rahane garnered a leg bye off it. It was a kind of welcome given to him by the Australians, which was typical and Rahane is not likely to forget it ever in his life.

The Christmas presents from the generous Australians:

At 98 for no loss, James Pattinson bowled a length ball to Murali Vijay which he defended solidly to mid-off. Mitchell Johnson picked up the ball and out of nowhere, fired a high return to ‘keeper Matthew Wade. The ball went over Wade’s head for a boundary. The next delivery from Pattinson was a shocking wide ball that went down the leg side and even beat Wade for four byes. Those were bonus runs for India.

Later on in the innings, Peter Siddle threw the ball from fine-leg towards the non-striker’s end with a chance to catch Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni out of his crease. It was Johnson again who was supposed to back up, but hadn’t expected such a throw from Siddle. The ball went between his legs for yet another four overthrows.

With the pitch deteriorating fast, every run is crucial and these philanthropic gestures from Australia may well cost them the game!

‘Lyon-hearted’ spell and the leg-before that was not given:

Nathan Lyon was on a roll today. He dismissed Pujara and one-down batsman Kohli in quick successions. Lyon was spinning the ball and getting vicious bounce to add to the batsmen’s headaches. Tendulkar, batting on 1 and having faced 10 deliveries, looked at the sweep shot as a bail-out option but the ball hit his pads and looked to be hitting middle or leg stump. But he was not given out, Richard Kettleborough being the umpire on that occasion.

Lyon had Tendulkar leg-before eventually but not before Tendulkar had added 31 runs more to his name.

Lyon bowled his heart out and the five wickets he took on Day 2 were an apt reward for his disciplined bowling.

The drama of the day:

The match was in the balance and the Australian fielders were vociferous in their appeals and ‘chat’ around the batsmen. They had sledged debutant Rahane earlier and were successful in causing ‘mental disintegration’. In the 51st over of India’s innings, umpire Aleem Dar warned MS Dhoni for running on the pitch. Australian opening batsman, David Warner had a lot to say to the Indian captain. The situation came to such a point where Shane Watson had to intervene. He pulled Warner away from Dhoni and took control of the situation, but by that time the Kotla crowd had gotten involved as well.

The eventful over didn’t end before Peter Siddle gave away four overthrows, suggesting that Australia had lost the plot. A huge lbw appeal against Ravindra Jadeja followed in the same over which saw every Australian appealing at the top of his voice, despite the ball clearly going down the leg. A very timely drinks break calmed down the nerves when the over finally came to an end.

Maxwell’s Midas touch and the art of leaving from Jadeja:

Glenn Maxwell was handed the ball when 10 overs were left in the day. On his second ball of the match, he had Ravindra Jadeja’s scalp. Having made a valuable 43 off 49 balls, Jadeja did not offer any shot to the ball that did not spin much and though he was unlucky to be adjudged leg before when the ball was going away from the stumps, the decision brought the game back in balance.

Shot of the day:

Lyon had kept the fielders around the bat interested all day. Ravichandran Ashwin had his own way to deal with the spinning ball. He went on one knee and reverse swept Lyon for a boundary. The shot caught the Australians off-guard.

When Bhuvneshwar Kumar beat Ed Cowan’s outside edge with the new ball, VVS Laxman, in the commentary box, wondered where the match was being played – Delhi or Headingley. Some respite for the curator of the Delhi pitch, considering the history of the 22-yards at the Kotla.

Hughes’ aggressive start

Hughes had a forgettable series until the first innings of the Mohali Test. The second innings blitz at Mohali transformed Hughes added to his confidence. At Delhi, he started off positively, driving the ball magnificently. The cracks on the wicket were visible, but Hughes made batting look simple. Hughes was scoring better than run a ball, and looked set for scoring a big score. Until…

A vicious delivery that dented Phil Hughes’ confidence:

Phil Hughes batted positively for his 45, until he got a snorter from Ishant Sharma. The ball hit Hughes on the helmet. Two balls later, Hughes did not move his feet, and all of a sudden he looked circumspect. He did not cover the line of the ball, and tentatively defended it. The ball hit his inside edge onto the stumps.

Very few times in the history of the game have we seen an Indian rattle an Aussie with a bouncer.

A batting spike that saved the day for captain Watson:

When Pragyan Ojha went past Shane Watson’s outside edge in the 26^th over, there was a sea of emotions. Ojha was ecstatic, assuming that he had claimed his 100^th Test wicket.  First-slip fielder Virat Kohli appealed for the catch, while Mahendra Singh Dhoni first appealed for the stumping, and then for the catch.

The television replays were unconvincing.  “There was a smidgeon behind the line,” said Shane Warne. In the end, the stump camera suggested that Watson’s batting spike might have been behind the crease, and he was given the benefit of the doubt.

Carrom ball that ended Johnson’s vigil:

Ravichandran Ashwin’s carrom ball confounded Mitchell Johnson, when he failed to read the ball off Ashwin’s hand. Johnson shouldered arms, expecting the ball to turn. But Ashwin, the master of deception, had the last laugh, as the ball spun back and castled the Aussie. Dhoni was elated, and pointed towards Ashwin as if to suggest that their plan had worked.

Umpire David Shepherd performs his superstitious jig when the score was on a Nelson (111, 222, 333, and so on) during the England v Sri Lanka Test match at the Oval in London. (Getty Images)

Nelson has always been a superstitious concept in cricket. But according to the statistics, the most number of wickets fall on zero and not 111 or multiples thereof.

Let us have a look at some of the vital statistics associated with nelson across three formats.

Overall there have been 50 scores of 111 in Test cricket. Rahul Dravid (India), Arthur Morris (Australia), Taufeeq Umar (Pakistan), Sachin Tendulkar (India), Mark Waugh (Australia) and Graeme Wood (Australia) have two scores of 111 in Tests.

Rahul Dravid, Nathan Astle (New Zealand), Jacques Rudolf (South Africa), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) and Gundappa Vishwanath have all scored 222 in an innings in Test cricket.

Graham Gooch of England and Chris Gayle of West Indies are the only two batsmen to score 333 in a Test innings.

There have been 38 instances of 111 runs being scored in ODI format. Brian Lara (West Indies) has three scores of 111, Ricky Ponting (Australia), Herschelle Gibbs (South Africa), Sourav Ganguly (India) and Kevin Pietersen (England) have two scores of 111 each.

In an innings:

There have been 86 occasions when the bowlers have conceded 111 runs in a Test innings. Jack Gregory’s five wicket haul at Sydney in 1924 is the best bowling figures for a bowler who has conceded those many runs. At Adelaide, in 1925 Gregory again conceded 111 runs but picked up only three wickets in the process.

Apart from Gregory, Wasim Akram (Pakistan), Andrew Caddick (England), Ramakant Desai (India), M Dillon (West Indies), Subhash Gupte (India), M Ntini (South Africa), Brett Lee(Australia), J Lawson (West Indies), Shaun Pollock (South Africa), Peter Siddle (Australia), GR Dilley (England) and Daniel Vettori (New Zealand) have conceded 111 runs on more than two occasions in one innings of a Test match.

Suraj Randiv of Sri Lanka is the only bowler to concede 222 runs in a Test innings on his debut against India at SSC Ground, Colombo in 2010.

Overall:

There are 100 instances where a bowler has conceded 111 runs in a match. Joey Palmer of Australia picked up six wickets against England at Lord’s in 1884 and Chris Lewis emulated the same feat 107 years later at Birmingham against West Indies.

Partnerships:

There have been 101 111-run partnerships: 57 in Test matches, 42 in ODIs and three in T20s.

There have been 10 222-run partnerships: nine in Test matches and one in ODIs.

So overall the occurrence of Nelson scores in all the three formats in the form of partnerships is 111 (a coincidence).

*Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten have two 111-run opening partnerships in ODI cricket one against England at The Oval in 1999 and the other versus Pakistan at Paarl in 2002.

Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene have two 111-run partnerships too, one in a Test match against England at Galle in 2001 (4^th wicket partnership) and one in ODI cricket against Pakistan at Sharjah in 2001 (3^rd wicket partnership).

** Michael Bevan and Steve Waugh added 222 for the fourth wicket against South Africa at Melbourne (Docklands) in 2000.

111:

Stephan Fleming of New Zealand and Chaminda Vaas of Sri Lanka have played 111 Test matches each.

England’s Alfred Shaw has 111 career runs while Phil Sharpe’s highest Test score is 111.

South African David Nourse and Shaun Pollock have highest scores of 111. Anton Murray of South Africa has bowled 111 maiden overs.

West Indian Robin Bynoe and Floyd Reifer has total of 111 runs in four Test matches. Basil Williams of West Indies has a highest score of 111.

Sri Lankan Amal Silva’s highest Test score is 111.

Bangladesh’s Mohammad Rafique’s highest score is 111 against West Indies.

New Zealand’s Noel McGregor has highest score of 111. Bruce Taylor has 111 Test wickets.

India’s Hemant Kanitkar has 111 career runs in two Test matches.

222:

Arhur Mailey of Australia has 222 career runs.

Kenneth Benjamin of West Indies has 222 Test runs.

Number of wickets taken by Steve Harmison bowling for England. Harmison has picked up four wickets bowling for ICC World XI so his total tally of wickets is in fact 226.

333:

Mark Dekker of Zimbabwe has 333 career runs.

555:

Career runs of Sri Lanka’s Pramodaya Wickramasinghe.

666:

Number of maidens bowled by James Anderson.

111:

Habibul Bashar of Bangladesh and Stuart Carlisle of Zimbabwe have played 111 ODIs.

Mudassar Nazar of Pakistan has 111 ODI wickets while his compatriot Hasan Jamil has a total of 111 runs in six ODIs.

Mohammad Kaif of India has highest score of 111*.

Mark Greatbatch of New Zealand has highest score of 111.

Steve Waugh has taken 111 catches in ODIs. David Hussey and Tim Paine’s highest score is 111.

Matthew Hayden was Australia’s 111^th capped player. Incidentally his first ODI hundred was 111 versus India at Vishakhapatnam in 2001.

333:

Neil Broom of New Zealand has those many runs in 22 innings.

South African Umpire Brian Jerling has adjudicated 111 games (combining Tests, ODIs and T20 international games).

Mark Boucher has 999 dismissals in all the formats of the game: 952 catches as a ‘keeper, 46 stumpings and one catch as a fielder. That one catch as a fielder was his 400^th ODI catch to dismiss Darren Bravo at extra-cover.

On 11th November, 2011 at 11:11 South Africa needed 111 runs to win against Australia. Umpire Ian Gould pulled off David Shephard’s leg raise Nelson for a minute. The scoreboard read 11:11 11/11/11.

An ill Geoff Boycott plays golf:

Geoffrey Boycott was quite the controversial cricketer. (Getty Images)

The England team management often had issues with the Yorkshire opening batsman’s attitude on the field. In 1967, Geoffrey Boycott was dropped from a Test match because he had scored 246 not out against India at a snail’s pace. On the tour to India in 1981-82, Boycott did not feature in the Calcutta Test match as he was unwell. But Boycott irked his teammates when he went to play a game of golf. The then highest scorer for England, in the history of Tests, Boycott, was not setting a right precedence for the team. He impaled an apology letter in the dressing room.

After returning to England after the tour Boycott joined the rebellious South African tour. That marked an end to one of the finest cricketing careers.

A costly fishing expedition for Symo:

In 2008, Andrew Symonds skipped a compulsory morning team meeting on the eve of the one day match against Bangladesh and went fishing instead. He also missed an optional training session that afternoon.

Cricket Australia sent Symonds home. This was not the first time Symonds faced the wrath of the team management. In 2005, Symonds went on a night out before a game against Bangladesh. Australia lost the game at Cardiff and Symonds received a lot of flak from the media. He was made the scapegoat for the loss.

Symonds was brought back into the team after the fishing fiasco but within a year he was side-lined from the Australian team.

Careless batting cost him his spot:

He burst onto the international scene when he bowled Pakistan’s Sadiq Mohammad out. When India visited Pakistan in 1978, Kapil Dev was the biggest plus for India on the tour, although India lost the series 2-0. Dev played every match from 1978 to 1993 barring Kolkata Test of 1984.

Kapil Dev missed just one Test from 1978-93. (Getty Images)

His style of play was to always go for his shots. Kapil had the propensity to play match changing innings. But this natural stroke making style brought about his downfall on most occasions. In the home series against David Gower’s England, Kapil threw away his wicket after hitting a six at Ferozshah Kotla. England won the game. Kapil’s careless batting was blamed and he was dropped from the next Test match at Kolkata.

Missing the target by a long margin:

In 2007, the whole world was excited about the inaugural World Twenty20 in the Rainbow nation. Just before the tournament began, news spread around the world about Shoaib Akhtar’s dressing-room drama. He had hit his new ball partner Mohammad Asif on the thigh with a bat. Akhtar later confessed that he wanted to hit Shahid Afridi but he missed his aim and accidentally hit Asif. Akhtar was sent home immediately.

Denness-gate: When the half the side was penalized for appealing:

Sourav Ganguly was given the harshest sentence in this fiasco. (Getty Images)

At St. George’s Park, Port Elizabeth former England captain and the match referee Mike Denness found six Indian players guilty of various offences. While Sachin Tendulkar was handed a one-match ban for tampering the ball while four others: Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Deep Dasgupta and Shiv Sunder Das were also handed one-match suspensions for excessive appealing. Skipper Sourav Ganguly was suspended for one Test and two ODIs because of his inability to control his players behaviour.

India was shocked by Denness’ verdict and the International Cricket Council (ICC) was accused of being biased towards emerging third world nation like India. The BCCI demanded sacking of Denness from the third Test match and he was replaced by Denis Lindsay after South African board acceded with the BCCI’s demands. ICC announced the third Test as unofficial.

Denness served as a referee for another two Tests and three ODIs.

Phil Hughes

Hard luck ends Hughes’ inspiring knock:

For the first time in the series, Philip Hughes looked comfortable against the Indian spinners. He looked positive right from the outset and the justified the team management’s faith in him. Batting on 69, he was rapped on the pads by Ashwin’s delivery that went straight with the arm and was probably missing the leg-stump. Umpire Aleem Dar raised the dreaded finger and cut short Hughes’ innings.

Was it a no-ball?

After Hughes’ departure, the responsibility of weathering the storm was on captain Michael Clarke. He was out caught at short-leg and Indians went cock-a-hoop. Umpire Richard Kettleborough went upstairs to check whether Jadeja had overstepped. And it was a tight call. From what we saw , it was very difficult to see any part of Jadeja’s foot behind the crease. “The line belongs to the umpire,” is a popular belief and the third umpire Sudhir Asnani gave India the benefit of doubt and seconded Kettleborough’s on-field call.

Catches do win matches:

Moises Henriques has shown a lot of promise in the series so far and his twin fifties on his debut at Chennai spoke volumes about his ability. India were looking for quick wickets after dismissing Hughes and Clarke. Ravindra Jadeja induced a false stroke from Henriques and dived to his left and caught an absolute blinder.

Lady luck smiles on Pujara:

Pujara was hard done by an umpiring error in the first innings. Today he inside-edged Xavier Doherty when he attempted to flick him. The ball popped up and was caught in the first slip. But umpire Kettleborough ruled the decision in favour of Pujara.

A five ball blitz from Jadeja followed by vintage Dhoni:

India needed to show some intent after Tendulkar’s dismissal. Captain Dhoni was batting on six off 25 deliveries when Tendulkar was dismissed. It needed Jadeja’s five ball cameo, which included two boundaries,  to make the heartbeats of the entire nation reach a normal level. Dhoni then finished off the game in his typical fashion, smashing three boundaries off Starc and sealing the deal for India.

Statistician’s delight:

1) This is India’s 30th successful run-chase in the fourth innings in India and their eighth against Australia on Indian soil.

2) For the first time, India has won three Tests against Australia in a single series featuring the two countries.

Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga with the World Cup trophy.

On 17th March, 1996 an inspired Sri Lankan team was playing its first World Cup final against Australia who were considered favourites to win the match. The islanders rallied around Aravinda de Silva and scripted their most famous win in a clinical fashion that saw them emerge as the world beaters. Here’s a look at the epoch making event in Sri Lankan cricket history, their Lahore conquest.

Sri Lanka was in the news for all the wrong reasons before the World Cup. The safety of the country was being questioned by a few teams. When West Indies and Australia refused to play their games at Colombo, the entire country of Sri Lanka felt let down and cheated. The angry cricket aficionados in Sri Lanka wanted their team to beat Australia.

The trash talk:

Before the start of the match, there were reports of Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga saying that Australian golden boy Shane Warne was over-rated. Ranatunga was an inspiring captain and had the full support of the team. He had to endure a lot of pain when Sri Lanka visited Australia the previous year. Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was no-balled continuously by Australian umpire Darrell Hair. It was a tough time for Sri Lanka on the tour. Ranatunga wanted to exact revenge and he set the ball rolling with his bold statement.

Challenging history:

The last five editions of the World Cup had seen the teams batting first winning the cup. When Ranatunga won the toss, he decided to bowl on a placid Lahore track. Sri Lanka’s strength throughout the tournament had been restricting the flow of runs by employing slow bowlers in the middle overs. The other tactic that caught teams off-guard was their cavalier approach in the first 15 overs when the field restrictions were on.

An early wicket and a big second wicket stand:

Sri Lankan opening bowlers Chaminda Vaas and Pramodya Wickramasinghe were not getting any lateral movement. Batting looked simple. Australian opener Mark Waugh flicked an innocuous Vaas delivery to square-leg where Sanath Jayasuriya pouched a safe catch.

Mark Taylor was looking good. His pull shots off Vaas showed glimpses of his brilliance. Ricky Ponting also got his eye in and played wonderful drives and picked up singles regularly.

The Australian captain, in the 27th over, played a slog sweep off part-time off-spinner Aravinda de Silva straight into the hands of deep square-leg. Yet again a hundred eluded him. It was the 27th time in his 96 ODI matches, that Taylor had scored a fifty. But Taylor’s 83-ball 74 had given Australia a solid foundation to score a big total. But the Sri Lankan spinners began to prosper. Ponting was out bowled off Aravinda for 45. The delivery turned in sharply to beat a well-settled Ponting.

Loss of momentum:

The pitch then started to show a different colour. Shane Warne was promoted up the order to increase the scoring rate. But he was stumped off Muralitharan. Dharmasena then had Steve Waugh caught by Aravinda. Stuart Law was dismissed as well caught by Aravinda. The part-time off-spinner Aravinda then came into the attack and bowled ‘keeper Ian Healy through his gate. At seven wickets down for 205 runs, Australia looked in danger of being bowled out. From one for 137 in the 27th over to such a precarious position, Sri Lanka were all over Australia.

Resurrection:

Michael Bevan (36 off 49 deliveries) gave Australian score an air of respectability. Australia registered 241 runs for seven wickets in their allotted quota of 50 overs.

Sri Lankan run-chase: Openers dismissed early

Throughout the tournament, openers Romesh Kaluwitharana and Sanath Jayasuriya had attacked the bowlers, forcing them into submission. Australia had to make early inroads before the duo took the game away from them.

Jayasuriya in particular had plundered Indian attack in the group stage and destroyed England in a matter of minutes, scoring 79 off 76 balls and 82 off 44 deliveries respectively. But Jayasuriya was run-out on nine and Kaluwitharana was out when he miscued a pull shot off Damien Fleming. At 23 for two in the seventh over, Australia had a spring in their stride. In walked Sri Lanka’s most reliable batsman Aravinda de Silva.

Gurusinghe and Aravinda stitch an important alliance:

Aravinda de Silva played a once-in-a-lifetime innings.

Aravinda had played one of the best counter-attacking innings in the semi-final against India. He had scored 66 in no time and his inspiring batting tilted the game in the island nation’s favour at the Eden Gardens. In the final, as a fielder he had pouched two catches and his three for 42 bowling figures tilted the game in Sri Lanka’s favour. The entire nation was waiting for “cherry-on-the-cake” kind of moment from Aravinda. For that, he had to win the game for the team. Aravinda did just that. Right from the first delivery, he looked in total control.

The third wicket partnership added 125 off 92 deliveries. Gurusinghe was dropped three times. But he never let that play in his mind. His 99 ball 65 was an important innings in the scheme of things.

Ranatunga’s cameo sealed it for Sri Lanka:

When Ranatunga walked in the middle he was welcomed by a look of anger by Warne. Ranatunga was waiting for Warne’s introduction into the attack. When the leggie bowled his first ball to the Sri Lankan skipper, he smashed the ball past Warne. That deflated the Australian spirits.

Aravinda scored an unbeaten 107 and sealed the deal for Sri Lanka. For his classic performance with the ball and his one-in-a-lifetime innings, Aravinda won the man of the match award.

This was Sri Lanka’s watershed moment in their cricketing history. They redefined the way ODI cricket was being played. All the members of the team clicked at the right time.

Even after 17 years, no one denies that this was an all-time high moment in the lives of not just Sri Lankans cricketers, but also the common citizens.

Caught bat-pad off a leggie

In 1996 it was Peter McIntyre, in 1998 it was Shane Warne and in 2008 it was Cameroon White. These are the Aussie leg-spinners who have got Sachin Tendulkar out in Test matches in India. The common thing in all the first two dismissals was that Tendulkar was caught at the first slip by Mark Waugh, Mark Taylor respectively. Tendulkar was caught at covers by Michael Clarke at Bangalore five years ago. In the subsequent Test match at Delhi, White had him caught at first slip where Matthew Hayden pouched a sitter.

Steve Smith, a part-time wrist spinner got Tendulkar caught at forward short-leg. It was first time that an Australian leg spinner got Tendulkar in that fashion in India.

Where is Decision Review System (DRS)?

Cheteshwar Pujara, the run machine was given out leg before when he had hit the ball. It was an umpiring error from Aleem Dar. Pujara lumbered off the wicket reluctantly. So the debate is open again – should India approve UDRS? We know Pujara’s answer.

Against the run of play:

Shikhar Dhawan never looked like getting out on Saturday. He took the Australian bowlers to the cleaners and dominated them. On Sunday, Dhawan was out caught at silly point while defending off spinner Nathan Lyon. It was against the run of play. He secured a lot of records – highest scorer for India on debut, fastest centurion on debut, first Indian opener to score a century on debut. He missed a few records as well – missing the record of scoring most number of boundaries in an innings on debut, missing the record of being the first Indian to score a double ton on debut.

Skipper Brad Haddin:

Till the last Test match, ‘keeper Matthew Wade’s injury concerned the team management. He played the Test, scored a fifty and kept well. Brad Haddin walked in the team because of Wade’s injury. On the fourth day at Mohali, skipper Michael Clarke suffered from a back spasm. He went off the field. Haddin, the senior member of the side, took the mantle of captaincy.

If Clarke does not get fit in time, we might see Haddin captaining the side for the fourth Test in Delhi since Shane Watson hasn’t flown in yet after leaving for Australia after 2nd Test. So the tour continues to get unpredictable for the Aussies.

Statistician’s delight:

1) This was the third occasion when a team has registered a first innings score of 499. The previous two occasions were when England scored the same total against Australia at Adelaide in 1892 and at Melbourne in 1920, Australia scored the same number of runs against England. Both England and Australia registered wins on those two occasions.

2) Shikhar Dhawan became the eighth batsman to be dismissed on 187. Sir Jack Hobbs has been dismissed twice on the same score; against South Africa in 1910 at Cape Town and versus Australia at Adelaide in 1912. Ravi Shastri was dismissed on 187 against England at the Oval in 1990.

File Photo of Shikhar Dhawan.

Here’s a list of openers who scored hundreds on their debut.
#- indicates left-handed batsman.

Dhawan could have become the sixth batsman to score a double hundred on his debut and the second opener after Sri Lanka’s Brendon Kuruppu to achieve this incredible achievement. But he missed the feat by 13 runs. Dhawan’s 187 is the sixth best score on debut.

Other miscellaneous statistics:

1) 15th player to score hundred on debut aged 27.
2) 32^nd hundred in the second innings, on debut.
3) 61^st occasion when a player has scored a hundred on his home soil. 14^th occasion when India has witnessed a century by a debutant. 

Withing 15 minutes, Mitchell Starc was in the middle of two ‘what if’ moments in the match.

‘Starc’ contrast to some of the top-order batting:

Mitchell Starc scored 99 runs which spoke volumes about his ability as a batsman considering the current struggles of the Australian top-order batting.

Starc flicked brilliantly early in the day, hooked Ishant Sharma with consummate ease and scored boundaries on both sides of the pitch. Indians were rattled by this counter-attack and had no answer to his onslaught. He had the temperament of a top-order batsman and has done enough to earn a promotion in the batting line up. Will the struggling top order take a leaf out of Starc’s book?

What would have happened had Australians appealed?

Shikhar Dhawan could have been out even before Australia had bowled their first ball. Mitchell Starc, who was fired up after scoring 99, was steaming in to bowl the first ball. The ball slipped out of Starc’s hand and hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end. No one appealed. Dhawan was Mankaded. Since Starc had not completed his action and Dhawan was out of his ground, he was out as per the laws.

Was that a costly lapse? Australians adhered to the spirit of the game but had they known what was going to happen for the remainder of the day, they would have surely gone up in vociferous appeal.

For Dhawan he did not suffer the ignominy of becoming the first batsman in 136 years to record a diamond duck (out without facing a ball) on debut.

Handshake for the first run:

Murali Vijay shook Shikhar Dhawan’s hand after the debutant scored his first run in International cricket. Former Indian skipper and commentator, Ravi Shastri who has played 80 Test matches for India said that he had never seen anybody being congratulated for scoring his first run. “First for me,” said Shastri.

Dha.One – A blockbuster

Debutant Dhawan was toying with Australian bowling like an artist who knew his art inside-out. He scored a barrage of boundaries at the start of the innings. It was the start we expected from Virender Sehwag all this while. Dhawan’s shots were magnificent. They had class written all over them. The backfoot punches, flick off the pads, sweep shots, cover drive, reverse-sweep – you name the shot and Dhawan played them with impeccable timing and precise placement.

Steve Smith – the third spinner?

The Australian spin duo was sent to the cleaners. Captain Michael Clarke was running short of ideas and he handed over the ball to Steve Smith who came into the Australian Test side as a bowler in the early part of his career. Over the last couple of seasons, Smith has become almost a specialist batsman. He bowled three uninspiring overs replete with full tosses and short balls. Clarke kept wondering what he needed to do to break the partnership.

Statistician’s delight:

Dhawan became the fastest centurion on debut in Test cricket.

He became India’s first opener to score a century on debut.

Batting on 185, he surpassed Gundappa Vishwanath’s score of 137, the highest score made by an Indian on debut.

Only five more players have scored more than Dhawan on debut.

He needs only five more boundaries to score most number of fours on debut. The record belongs to Tip Foster who scored 37 boundaries on his debut innings of 287 at Sydney in 1903.

Brad Haddin made a return to Test cricket after more than a year.

The Legends Talk:

When Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border spoke in the morning about the Test match, Border said that the Australian side was well balanced with two spinners, two quality fast bowlers and a support bowler Moises Henriques. Gavaskar quickly asked how a side having seven New South Wales members be called balanced? Border was caught off guard.

Stumped out of nowhere:

For now, Allan Border heads the list but Michael Clarke might soon overtake him. We are talking about the number of times a batsman got stumped in Test cricket. Border was stumped nine times in his career. Clarke is now in the second position with eight.

Clarke uncharacteristically jumped out of his crease on his first delivery and got stumped after Jadeja made the ball spin away from him. He might as well have to make a power point presentation on it, who knows? It was Clarke’s second golden duck of his career.

Butterfingered Virat:

After Rahul Dravid’s retirement, we might have got his heir apparent in the form of Cheteshwar Pujara, who has consistently scored runs at number three. But India is dearly missing Dravid in the slips. After Virender Sehwag‘s lapses at first slip, it was Virat Kohli today who dropped a couple of catches, which in Dravid’s lexicon were “sitters”. Ed Cowan was the beneficiary of Kohli’s benevolence on both the occasions – on 35 when Cowan’s cut flew past India’s new first slip fielder and on 64 when an easy chance was missed. In between Pujara too dropped Cowan. But Kohli’s catching technique was discussed in great detail in the commentary box.

On air, Matthew Hayden, who knows a thing or two about standing in the slips talked about how Kohli is unbalanced while catching. How about donning India cap as a fielding coach, Haydos?

Finally Kohli caught Cowan off Ashwin on 86.

‘Hughes’ sigh of relief for a moment, but agony afterwards:

Off his twentieth ball of his innings, Phil Hughes finally found a way to score a run off an Indian spinner courtesy a firm push towards covers. It was his first run off the spinners on his 59th delivery in this Test series. But twelve balls later, Hughes was out for two in a cheeky fashion when he gloved left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha’s delivery to ‘keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Haddin starts with a bang:

Before this Test, Haddin last played a Test match in January 2012 against India. He made his comeback in the team mainly because of first-choice ‘keeper Matthew Wade’s injury. After blocking a couple of deliveries from Ojha, Haddin launched an assault on the spinner and hit him for a straight six. It was a stylish comeback indeed.

Here are my top five innings played by Test match captains:

File Photo: Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni raises his bat after scoring a century.

5) Mahendra Singh Dhoni- 224 vs Australia at Chennai in 2013, First Test

Context of the match:

This was the first Test match of the series and India’s recent Test record was not good. They had a point to prove, especially after losing a home series against England in late 2012. So when, Australia arrived on the Indian shores, India was determined to put up a good show.

At Chennai, Australia won the all important toss and batted first. The ball turned even on day one as Australia posted a challenging total of 380, thanks mainly to their skipper Michael Clarke, who scored a magnificent century.

When India batted they had lost couple of quick wickets. But Tendulkar and Kohli counter attacked. When Tendulkar was dismissed for 81, India’s scorecard read four down for 196 with the match evenly poised.

 Why the innings was important:

Dhoni attacked the bowling right from the outset and never let any bowler settle. But Australia kept picking up wickets at regular intervals to peg back the Indians. When Harbhajan was dismissed India had a slender lead of 26. But Dhoni then took over, and along with Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, took the game away from Australia. Kumar held the fort while Dhoni went berserk at the other end. The duo put together 140 for the ninth wicket and Dhoni’s 224 was the highest Test score by an Indian captain.

Australia found the spinning wicket too hot to handle in the second innings and lost the Test by eight wickets. Dhoni’s innings was the clear differentiating factor in the final outcome of the match.

Accolades:

Former India coach Greg Chappell believed that Dhoni emphatically answered his critics with his 224, which according to Chappell was the best innings he had seen. Opposition captain, Michael Clarke acknowledged the fact that Dhoni’s innings had changed the game.

4) Greg Chappell – 123 and 109* vs West Indies at Gabba, Brisbane in 1975- First Test

Context of the match:

This was Greg Chappell’s first match as a Test match captain. Australia steamrolled past West Indies by eight wickets thanks to  Chappell’s hundreds in each innings of the match. What a start to his captaincy career.

 Why the innings was important:

West Indies squandered the advantage of batting first with reckless shots and were all out for 214. Greg Chappell top scored in the first innings with a quick fire 123 in which he drove with elan. His back foot play was equally compelling.

In the second innings he made the mockery of the West Indies attack scoring an unbeaten 109. The feature of his batting was also his footwork against spinners Lance Gibbs and Inshan Ali.

These couple of innings broke West Indian spirits and for the rest of the series they were found wanting against various aspects primarily against pace battery of Thomson and Lillee. Australia won the six match series 5-1.

Accolades:

Chappell established his supremacy as the world’s best batsman. Wisden dubbed the pitch as a “badly under-prepared wicket” but  praised Chappell for scoring hundred in each innings.

3) Graham Gooch- 154* vs West Indies at Headingley in 1991, First Test

The context of the match:

England fielded a young side, giving debuts to three players Graeme Hick, Mark Ramprakash and Steve Watkin. They won their first Test match against West Indies on home soil after 22 long years. In 1969, Ray Illingworth’s men had beaten West Indies on the same venue.

England had a slender lead of 25 on a surface where the ball was moving. The four pronged pace attack of Curtly Ambrose, Patrick Patterson, Malcolm Marshall and Courtney Walsh was expected to exploit these conditions. They certainly asked many questions to the top-order batsmen.

Why the innings was special:

Gooch was obdurate in his defence and never looked like getting out. No one looked as assured as the England skipper. He had to battle the series of disasters at the other end and had endured a tough initial phase. But his impeccable concentration and unflappable temperament ensured England reached a position of safety in the Test match.

Gooch’s seven and half hours of top quality batting had eighteen boundaries. His ascendancy can be gauged from the fact that the next highest scorer was 27. Gooch and Pringle put 98 for the seventh wicket, which proved to be decisive in the end. Gooch was in total control of the partnership and inspired Pringle to play positively.

West Indies found the target of 278 very difficult to chase as the ball was doing all the tricks. they ended up losing the game by 115 runs.

Accolades:

Gooch was awarded the man of the match award for his century. In 2001, Wisden rated this innings as the third best innings with total rating of 252.

File Photo: Brian Lara of the West Indies celebrates after scoring a century against Australia.

2) Brian Lara- 153* vs Australia at Bridgetown, Barbados in 1998/99, Third Test

 The context of the match:

Australia won the toss and decided to bat on a wicket that looked good. The tourists posted 490 in their first innings with Steve Waugh notching up 199 and Ricky Ponting scoring 104. West Indies in reply lost six wickets for 98 and were staring down the barrel. Opener Sherwin Campbell and wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs put an enterprising stand of 153 for the seventh wicket. The follow-on was averted and West Indies finished their first innings at 329.

In the second innings, West Indies bowled superbly as Australia crumbled in 50.1 overs for 146. Courtney Walsh was the tormentor-in-chief picking up five wickets. West Indies needed 308 to win in four and a half sessions. By the end of day four, Australia picked up three wickets for 85 runs. Lara was batting on two when the day ended.

Why the innings was special:

The destiny of West Indies was in the hands of Lara – the magician. After battling for 28 minutes at the crease on day four, Lara came back on day five with a lot of confidence. He began solidly but West Indies lost two quick wickets and the  scorecard read 105 for five.

Lara was toying with the Australian bowlers. He was conquering their minds and threading the smallest gaps with precision. When the eighth wicket fell, West Indies needed 60 runs to win. But No.10 Curtly Ambrose obstinately held the fort for 82 minutes while Lara was flourishing at the other end. There was one awkward moment when Glenn McGrath hit Lara on the head with the second new ball. The ensuing altercation between Lara and McGrath spiced things up.

Ambrose was dismissed when West Indies were six runs shy of the target. Courtney Walsh survived a few anxious moments. His five ball stay at the crease increased the entire nation’s heart rate. But Lara was determined to see the team through. He creamed Jason Gillespie to the covers off the 256th ball of his epic innings to register a fantastic one-wicket victory for West Indies.

Wisden refers to the report of the Barbados newspaper Daily Notion, which headlined this as the Match of the Century. Writer Haydn Gill said, “It will go down in the history books as one of the most spirited ever revivals, the victory coming from the depths of despair.”

 Accolades:

In 2001, Wisden rated this innings as the second best innings ever played in Test cricket. Lara’s genius, his focus and single-mindedness scripted this magnum opus. The second highest score in the innings was 38, which just underlines Lara’s dominance. Wisden gave this innings a rating of 255.2.

File Photo of Australian cricketing legend Sir Don Bradman.

1) Don Bradman- 270 vs England at MCG in 1936/37, Third Test

The context of the match:

Don Bradman became Australia’s new captain at the 1936/37 home Ashes series. Australia lost the first two Test matches at Brisbane and Sydney by 322 runs and innings and 22 runs respectively. The third Test match was at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Bradman won the toss on the 1^st January 1937. He batted on a wicket that was a ‘ glue-pot’. They finished day one at 181 for six and he declared the innings on the second day, which saw rain interrupting the course of the play on many occasions, at 200 for nine.

England declared their first innings at 76 for nine, conceding a lead of 124 runs and wanted to have a go at the Australian top-order. But Bradman astutely sent his tailenders Bill O’Reilly and Chuck Fleetwood- Smith to open the innings and by the end of day’s play Australia only lost the former. On the next day of the match, which was a Sunday, the  teams rested. On Monday, Australia were precariously placed at 97 for five.

Why the innings was special:

Bradman walked into bat to accompany Jack Fingleton. The conditions had improved for batting. Bradman batted with assurance and dominated the English bowling. Bradman and Fingleton batted for the whole of Monday and a few minutes on Tuesday. The duo added 346 for the sixth wicket, which stood for 72 years until it was broken by Mahela Jayawardene and Prasanna Jayawardene against India in Ahmedabad, when they added 351 runs.

Bradman carried his innings to Wednesday morning, until he was caught by English skipper Gubby Allen. Bradman batted for 458 minutes for his 270 runs and had scored 110 singles. The Australian total reached 564 runs, which was quite an amazing recovery considering how they had lost wickets in a heap on day three. England lost the game by 365 runs.

According to Chris Harte’s A History of Australian Cricket (p. 373), “The match had virtually brought Melbourne to a standstill. The Sun News Pictorial commented: ‘There will be no rise in bread prices while the Test cricket is on. A meeting of the Master Bakers’ Council that was to take place yesterday to consider an increase has been postponed until Thursday afternoon, as the Council was unanimous that watching Bradman yesterday was more entertaining than risking the wrath of housewives by raising prices.”

Accolades:

Wisden rates this innings as the best Test match innings ever played. Bradman’s marathon knock not only won Australia the game but it changed the course of the series. Australia were trailing by 0-2 but with Bradman’s tactics of sending the less skillful batsmen higher up the order and then cashing in when the conditions improved worked wonders. Australia won the next three Test matches to win the series 3-2. In the Test match history Australia is the only side to win the five match series after losing the first two matches.

There have been expeditions to space to discover if there is life on Mars. We have had excavations to determine our ancient civilizations. The common factor in both these things is the presence of a small clue that leads the scientists or archaeologists to a bigger picture. In cricketing parlance, there is a specimen that is difficult to decipher. Cracking the Da Vinci code seems simpler than understanding what goes on between the ears of the Nawab of Najafgarh – Virender Sehwag.

The promise that he showed in his debut innings at Bloemfontein by scoring a hundred in testing conditions, the careless shot at 195 at Melbourne, the altruistic act of refusing a single for the team’s cause while on 199 in Galle, the match-saving hundred against Australia at Adelaide, the monumental 309 against arch-rivals Pakistan at Multan (which was a watershed moment in Indian cricketing history in 2004), the golden duck in a Test match against Pakistan at Rawalpindi, the second triple hundred against South Africa at Chennai  in 2008 and the massacre of the Sri Lankan bowling at Mumbai in 2009 – Sehwag’s cricketing career has been a ride of amazing highs and lows. The records that place him among the pantheon of cricketing greats like Sir Don Bradman and Brian Lara (two triple hundreds in Test cricket) were offset by some unbearable lows and painful moments like the time he got out just before stumps at Lord’s in 2002.

A series of attractive shots, glimpses of brilliance, a long drought, a careless slash and careful selfless batting – there is no pattern to the way Sehwag bats. And just when you can’t tolerate his string of low scores any more, he plays a big knock.

Sehwag’s batting technique is simple – see the ball and hit it if it is meant to be hit. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But Sehwag has been practising this alchemy ever since he started playing cricket and it is commendable how he has never altered that habit of his. Whether it’s the bowler’s birthday or the resumption of cricketing ties with the neighbouring country after 15 years, whether the new ball is swinging prodigiously like at Trent Bridge in 2002 or he is out of form, Sehwag has one thing on his mind – just go for the shots. To master this technique, one needs to be unhesitant in his mind and Sehwag is one of those uncomplicated cricketers who you might think plays his cricket in a cavalier fashion.

The pundits prophesied a short career for this man who they thought did not have it in him to succeed. There has been an occasional bad shot, a series of agonisingly low scores and an incongruity in the way he has gotten out. But that is Sehwag for you. You just have to accept him for what he is. When he played a big wild shot against Herath at Ahmedabad in 2009, the media questioned his commitment. But Dhoni backed the mercurial opener and told the media to accept him for what he was. In the next two Test matches at Kanpur and Mumbai, Sehwag notched up colossal scores of 133 and 293 respectively. In a span of two weeks the media started talking about the conjurer called Sehwag.

He is unpredictable, yet India can never dispense of him on a big tour. When he was woefully out of form before the World Cup in 2007, Rahul Dravid pressed for Viru’s inclusion in the team. He was part of the Australian tour despite his horrendous run in the domestic competition. The team management and the captain had belief in Sehwag’s ability and it made them overlook his string of low scores. And their gut feeling paid off. Sehwag, after having missed the Melbourne and Sydney Tests, made an immediate impact at Perth and Adelaide. His twin cameos at Perth were important and the Adelaide hundred was a sign of Sehwag maturing as a cricketer.

But during the last couple of years, Sehwag has been battling indifferent form, lack of fitness and also alleged differences of opinion with Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. And after Sourav Ganguly lambasted the selection committee and held Dhoni responsible in some way for Sehwag’s exclusion, I wondered if  we could replace Sehwag. Well, there are diverse viewpoints.

Sehwag is someone who has the ability to make the opposition captain place a defensive field within the first hour of a Test match. The Huttons, Boycotts and Gavaskars believed in giving the first hour to the bowling side and it was difficult to dislodge them thereafter. But Sehwag has redefined the role of an opening batsman into someone who believes in putting the bowler under pressure right from the outset. Is it easy for a person replacing Sehwag to fill the void of a man who has such a big reputation, a reputation as a match-winner and a game-changer? Will the selectors have the guts to keep Sehwag out of the important South Africa series and give a young, budding opener (Sehwag’s replacement) a consistent run? One thing is for sure – we can’t rule out Sehwag’s comeback to the Indian side. But it remains to be seen if that would be a way forward or a path towards regression as far as Indian cricket is concerned.

He was touted to be the next big batting sensation but Apartheid ensured that the cricketing world became poorer since it has seen Barry Richards playing only four Test matches. He scored 508 runs at an average of 72.57 against the Australians in the 1969-70 home series.

Richards was part of Bradman’s dream team as an opener.

Richards will always be remembered as the man who might have been a superstar had South Africa played regular Test cricket.

Role in the IPL:

1. Richards was an attacking opening batsman. He had scored a century before lunch nine times in his first-class career. So his role in the IPL would have been to go after the bowling in the powerplay overs not necessarily over the top. Richards’ drives were authentic and fetched him runs on a regular basis.

2. Richards demystified the mystery bowling of John Gleeson in the 1969-70 series with consummate ease. In the IPL, it is very difficult to score against Lasith Malinga, Sunil Narine or Ravichandran Ashwin in the middle overs because of the mystery that they have in their bowling. Richards’ stay in the middle would have ensured that he kept the scoreboard moving without entering into the panic mode. Unnecessary hoicks and agricultural shots were not in his repertoire and hence he was the most consistent batsman of his era.

Ideal Team:

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Team Hyderabad has had a lot of problems setting up the big totals. Often that is because they never really had a stable opening partnership in any edition of the IPL. Richards’ inclusion in scheme of things would ensure a good start more often than not.

2) Graeme Pollock:

Pollock was perhaps the best left-hand batsman the game has ever seen. He had the rare gift of timing and had the talent to notch up big scores. His highest Test score of 274 was a South African record for the highest individual score for many years. Pollock was a powerful batsman with a wide range of shots in his gamut.

Role in the IPL:

1. Pollock was a two-down batsman. His role in the IPL would have been to bat till the 20^th over and help the team in either setting up a good total or chasing down the target.

2. To bowl occasional leg-spinners if the fifth bowler went for runs.

Ideal Team:

Rajasthan Royals: The winners from the first edition of the IPL have not really had a consistent middle-order since their triumph in 2008. This has resulted in poor batting performances in the crunch games. Pollock’s inclusion would have bolstered their chances of going into the playoffs and winning the trophy.

3) Mike Proctor:

Proctor was one of the most talented cricketers to have played the game. He was a ferocious hitter of the ball and bowled with a wrong foot. 41 wickets in seven Test matches and a batting average of 25 suggested that he was a superstar in the making. But South Africa’s isolation from international cricket ensured that the world never got to see him develop as one of the most successful all-rounders in Test cricket.

Role in the IPL:

1. To open the bowling and pick up early wickets. Proctor’s forte was unremitting line around the off-stump. He swung the ball both ways making it difficult for the batsmen to gauge his deliveries.

2. In the county circuit playing for Gloucestershire, Proctor had impressive scores. A 93 in 46 minutes, 92 in 35 minutes and a 57-minute hundred were some of his attacking innings. So Proctor’s role in the IPL would be that of a pinch hitter. The captain would love to float him in the batting order according to the match situation.

Ideal Team:

Mumbai Indians: Proctor’s inclusion in the team would help MI address their primary concern about the balance of the team. It wouldn’t have been a bad idea for the team management to utilize his hitting prowess in the initial six overs. His incisive bowling probably would have enhanced his team’s chances of winning the competition.

4) Eddie Barlow:

Eddie Barlow was a supremely fit cricketer who batted aggressively and without any inhibitions, bowled medium pace and fielded at first slip.

Role in the IPL:

1. To open the batting and take full advantage of the first six overs. Barlow was a ferocious cutter of the ball and often believed in ‘fighting fire with fire’.

2. To bowl medium pace and give captain an option of selecting an extra batsman in the team. As a bowler, Barlow kept coming at the batsman, giving all that he had. His role would be to bowl in the middle overs and put a lid on the scoring rate.

Ideal Team:

Chennai Super Kings: CSK team management over the five editions have roped in three-dimensional players. The team has blossomed courtesy of the all-rounders, which makes them the team to beat. Barlow’s inclusion would help CSK to be flexible with their team selection and include either an extra bowler on a flat track or an extra batsman on a bowler-friendly track.

5) Allan Donald:

Allan Donald rattled batting line-ups in the nineties with his sheer pace. He had a great control over the ball and often conquered the batsman with his immaculate line and length. He also defeated the batsmen on the tactical front. Donald was captain’s delight who always gave his 100% on the cricket field.

Role in the IPL:

1. To bowl a fiery opening spell and keep the batsmen in check. To pick up early wickets and put the opposition under immense pressure with his thunderbolts.

2. To come back in the second spell and bowl the lethal yorkers and bouncers. To keep the batsmen guessing with his variations.

Ideal Team:

Kings XI Punjab: Punjab’s home grounds are Dharamsala and Mohali. The tracks offer a lot of lateral movement and bounce. Donald would surely bend his back to reap handsome rewards on two of India’s most responsive tracks for bowlers in India.

6) Jonty Rhodes:

Jonty Rhodes revolutionized one day cricket with his athletic fielding. He saved at least 15-20 runs on the field which made a lot of difference in the final analysis of the game. He was a busy batsman. Rhodes had the ability to put the fielders under pressure and convert the singles into doubles.

Role in the IPL:

1. To field at backward point for fast bowlers and cut down at least 10 runs with his fielding. His main role in the team would be to inspire his team members to field better.

2. Bat in the lower-middle order and score practically off every delivery.

3. To engineer run chases with his ability to hit the ball in the gaps and put pressure on the fielders.

Ideal Team:

Pune Warriors India: PWI has goofed up some of the run chases simply because they got a bit nervous during the business end of the innings. In the last edition, they lost by one run against Mumbai Indians chasing only 121. Rhodes’ inclusion would surely help the side to win big matches and certainly inspire his fellow colleagues to hold on to their catches- another aspect that lets Pune down.

7) Lance Klusener

Lance Klusener was one of the most destructive batsman in the game of cricket. He had the propensity to hit a good ball to the boundary with ease. Klusener resembled a baseball player when he had a willow in his hand.

Klusener was a fine pace bowler. He picked up eight wickets in an innings on his Test debut and quite often broke important partnerships in ODIs.

Role in the IPL:

1. To bat in the last five-six overs and make a difference of 10-20 runs to the final analysis with his big hits.

2. To bowl in the middle overs by varying his pace and keeping the scoring rate in check with his cutters and other variations.

Ideal Team:

Kolkata Knight Riders: KKR would have loved to have a utility player like Klusener in their ranks. KKR have had power hitters in their line-up but most of them have flattered to deceive. Klusener’s inclusion would lend a fine balance to the team. His big hits also dented the opposition quite often.

Also read:

The superstars who missed the IPL (Australia)

The superstars who missed the IPL (Pakistan)

The superstars who missed the IPL (West Indies)

]]> http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/03/10/the-superstars-who-missed-the-ipl-south-africa/feed/ 0 012002 http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/03/08/battling-for-a-new-emergence-the-anguished-stories-of-indian-sportswomen/ http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/03/08/battling-for-a-new-emergence-the-anguished-stories-of-indian-sportswomen/#comments Fri, 08 Mar 2013 11:59:35 +0000 Sarang Bhalerao http://www.sportskeeda.com/?p=1403968 Indian society, on one hand, worships Goddesses like Lakshmi, Durga and Kali whereas on the other hand, we hear about a lot of instances of sex related crimes, in sports too. It affects the psyche of Indian women who cannot do justice to their talents due to their embattled state of mind. Do we, the average Indians, truly celebrate the achievements of women athletes?

In the 21st century, granting equal rights to both men and women remains the single most important objective of the policy-makers. India has to shed the disparity between both the sexes if it has to become a developed country. Today, if we have a look at various sectors: political, commerce, music, economics, and army – you name it – Indian women have proven themselves to be at par, if not better, than their male counterparts. Yet, there are various instances reported of female foeticide which is deplorable. The UN report published by Department of Economics and Social Affairs sheds a light on why the lop-sided ratio exists in India and how India is sometimes a graveyard for a girl child.

In India, in the field of sport we have seen stellar performances from women athletes. They have given the international superstars a run for their money and what makes this achievement commendable is the fact that the Indian women do not have the high-class facilities when compared to the infrastructure in place for competitors from other nationalities, especially the ones from the Western countries. In today’s day and age, an Indian woman gets motivated by the achievements of MC Mary Kom, who brought glory to the nation of a billion people by winning a Bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. In the badminton circuit Saina Nehwal’s ascent has been magnificent. Her style of play has made the Chinese contingent stand up and take note of her. A Bronze medallist herself at the London Games, Saina’s single-minded determination and on-court brilliance has made her an icon for millions of Indians (including males).

In tennis, Sania Mirza may not have scripted success stories in the Grand Slams, but she is an example of a modern Indian woman who is a fierce competitor and refuses to give up. Mirza’s forehand is top-notch which rattled Serena Williams at the Australian Open in 2008. Mirza lost that match comprehensively but weren’t we proud of Sania’s attitude? She kept trying although it was a herculean task to beat Williams when she was at the peak of her prowess.

The team sports have had their share of stories of unequal treatment being inflicted upon women. First of all let us understand the pressures that women face when they choose to follow a sport professionally. Are the pressures on them different than men, in any way? The bigger question is about their safety. Are women safe from the taunts of the society, the molestation and rapes committed by the coaches? And the biggest question of them all – do women themselves feel at par with men? Quite often, women have been brought up believing that they are inferior to men. This is prevalent in most of the urban and rural parts of the country.

When you think about the reasons why women teams are not recognised much, the answer is simple. It is because they do not win enough. The corporate sponsorship hence eludes them and they do not get many benefits apart from the basic level training. The amount of money they get by representing the country is ludicrously lesser than their male counterparts. These women cannot be expected to only play for pride; they are also there to earn their bread and butter. “Not much has changed since 2006, when I started playing,” Ritu Rani Tindal, the captain of Indian women’s hockey team, told Sports Illustrated India in February 2013.

So, will a woman who quits hockey because she cannot manage expenses be called a traitor? Isn’t it unfair that their male counterparts who came last at the London Olympics are earning big-fat pay cheques thanks to the Hockey India League? We had experts talking about how HIL would resuscitate the state of hockey in the country. But the ladies continued to guffaw sarcastically because not for the first time, they were literally being treated as “second-class sportspersons”.

Recently, former Indian cricketer Diana Edulji too voiced her concerns about Indian women cricketers being treated inferior to men. The venue of the Women’s World Cup matches was shifted from the Wankhede Stadium to the adjoining Brabourne Stadium to accommodate an Irani Trophy match. Besides, the girls often were seen carrying their own kits and walked all the way from Marine Drive to the ground. Isn’t that shameful?

Sexual harassment:

In 2009, six women cricketers complained about sexual harassment against them by the general secretary of Andhra Cricket Association, V. Chamundeshwarinath. In 2010, a hockey player, T.S. Ranjitha Devi accused Coach M.K. Kaushik for passing lewd remarks against her. In the same year, Assamese archers complained of physical abuse against them by their coach. A national level shooter was sexually harassed in Haryana after she returned to her room only to see the in-charge of the mess barging in her room and trying to molest her. There are many more cases that bring ignominy to the country. My blood begins to boil as a sports follower. If the sanctity of the game has to be maintained, we need to respect women or for that matter any sportsperson.

The need of the hour is to protect the women in our country – not just the sportspersons. The monster living inside men who hold women inferior, must be killed. We must all pledge to keep the society free from any fear.

We all want the sport to be remembered for the right reasons and we ought to respect women – their strength, their power and above all, the sacrifices they make. India might just do itself a world of good if it follows the basic tenet of respecting women and letting her express herself fully in the field of sport.

The agonising wait remains for a new dawn.

When he strode out to bat, the whole world stopped and took notice of him. He would intimidate the fielding side with his gait. He would take a look at the field with chewing gum in his mouth. The attitude, the cricket bat and the reputation of the man were enough to send shivers down the spines of some of the accomplished international bowlers. His willow was akin to a rocket launcher that unleashed some of the fiercest hits. He guffawed at the bowlers as if to say, “you aren’t good for me”. Issac Vivian Alexander Richards was the most destructive batsman of his era – a warrior who conquered the cricketing world without ever wearing a helmet.

This king had a different stance from what the MCC coaching manuals preach. His most dangerous shot at the start of the innings was the whip through square leg or mid-wicket, played by slamming his left foot way outside the off-stump. The bowlers kept thinking that they had a chance of getting Viv out leg before, but the king just unleashed majestic shots from his royal repertoire. His presence in the middle was comforting for the dressing room but it was bad news for the opposition and occasionally the crowds. Richards’ fearsome hitting kept everybody on their toes.

His batting was not a series of airy fairy shots. There was a calculated approach behind his madness. At times, he dropped the anchor and played for the sake of the team. Who can forget Richards’ once-in-a-lifetime innings in the final of the 1979 World cup where he curbed his natural instincts after the fall of four important wickets? He played second fiddle to Collis King and put West Indies in a commanding position. In the last ten overs, English bowlers suffered at the hands of the eccentric Richards. The last ball six off Mike Hendricks over square-leg summed up Richards’ abundance of talent.

His innings of 189 not out against England in 1984 was another example of how Richards had the propensity to murder the bowling attacks. England had picked up nine West Indies wickets for 166. Richards then shepherded Michael Holding, the no.11, and engineered one of the best ODI knocks ever played. The last wicket partnership of 106 broke the spirits of David Gower’s English side. Richards bowled 11 overs in that game and picked up two wickets as well.

Richards was a very fine off spinner. The West Indies side had a pace battery and hence he was required to bowl his occasional off spin mainly to break the partnerships or contain the opposition. He has 118 ODI wickets, with his six-for against India at Delhi being his best performance with the ball.

Richards was not the man who played for personal scores. He did not really care about his average. During his twilight he played reckless shots one after the other. The pundits accused him of being irresponsible. But that very style epitomized the man that he was. He was a talisman who made belligerence look beautiful.

In 2000, Richards was voted as one of the Five Cricketers of the Century. He joined the elite list that comprised Sir Don Bradman, Sir Jack Hobbs, his compatriot Sir Garfield Sobers and Shane Warne. The world has not seen much of Bradman or Hobbs but Richards’ batting has been recorded for the generations to witness and take inspiration from. In boxing parlance, he was Muhammad Ali waiting to deliver the knock-out punch to the bowlers.

He was not a purist. He was not the one who believed too much in the positioning of the elbow or surviving the session playing defensively. That is why the entire world loved the way Richards performed on the cricketing stage. ‘Fire in the Babylon’ is a documentary that emphasizes Richards’ importance in the West Indian team.

In this day and age of power hitting, we are yet to find another Viv Richards. We are yet to find a person who has raw passion, flair, the muscles, flamboyance, talent and more importantly fearlessness in the art of batting.