How about associate teams in IPL?

The beauty of T20 cricket is such it elevates bits and pieces cricketers into match-winners.

And there can be no favourites as such in T20 cricket. Zimbabwe can sink Australia, Netherlands stunned England, they did the improbable by chasing down nearly 200 runs in 14-odd overs against Ireland, Afghanistan humbled the eventual World T20 champions West Indies.

So, what's special in IPL then? You have the universal boss Chris Gayle; Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers hosting the evening show together; Young Indian talents flourish; a Zimbabwean Heath Streak coaches Dale Steyn; one can even find a prospective candidate like Daniel Vettori for the toughest job in the country -- team India coach.

Ryan ten Doeschate - the Netherlands all-rounder - is certainly a familiar name in India, thanks to the IPL and Kolkata Knight Riders.

Amidst so many difficulties, the associate nations have certainly punched above their weight on a lot of occasions, at least in the shortest format. 

Every associate skipper has said that their biggest hurdle is lack of opportunities. That they don't get enough match days is a big hindrance to their porgress.

Imagine this. How about the IPL featuring two of the top-ranked associate teams in the world? Why not? People will love the sight of Afghan keeper Mohammad Shehzad unleashing his helicopter shot. Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien could well replicate what he did to England in the 2011 World Cup. There is something about the way Oman, who made their debut in the World T20 2016, go about their cricket.

Definitely, the associate countries can put up a strong fight against the franchisee teams. The Indian board, as it has mentioned, can help develop the sport across the globe through IPL. It doesn't just mean playing matches outside India.

Consider this. Eight IPL teams and two associate teams. It can be a ten-team affair or there can well be a qualifier. How about the wooden spoon holders of the previous IPL taking on the two so-called minnows of World cricket in a qualifying league before the actual tournament? Top two will join the other six.

This will certainly increase the competitiveness of the league as well develop the game as a whole. Ifs and buts are bound to crop up. But why not give it a try?

What India lacked in World T20?

To begin with, the writer wants to make it clear that he is not happy about India’s exit in the semifinal.

However, facts be told and decisions taken on the field be analysed. Both India and NZ made the semis. But there is a lot of difference in the manner in which they both played. Every time India won, they had just scraped through. It was more about one man, a genius in Virat Kohli and bowling spells from Ashish Nehra and R. Ashwin.


1. India’s ODI strategy in T20s: Consolidate in the middle, instead of accelerate

This ain’t 50-over cricket. Scoring at 6.50-7.00 runs per over during the 11th - 35th over of an ODI game will definitely put the opposition under pressure. But such a phase from 7th to 15th in a T20 game is bound to bring the opposition back into contention. And Indian openers haven't set the stage on fire for the middle-order to go about consolidating. Though India haven’t lost much wickets, thanks to Virat Kohli, they have scored 62 runs on an average in the eight overs in the middle.

Classic example was the semifinal. India knew they had to post a huge total and they had the ammunition - at least on paper - to put the game beyond the reach of the Windies. One should have realised that you need a score in excess of 220 after watching Afghanistan smash 170 odd against the SA pace battery. 192/2 sounds great; But given the conditions and the six-hitting prowess of the West Indian unit, a 220/6 would have been ideal.

What’s the point in stating Hardik Pandya has been given the license to thrill when he doesn’t get an opportunity. Though it seemed as if Pandya was sent up ahead of Dhoni against Bangladesh, he was in fact pushed a slot below as an out-of-form Suresh Raina struggled.

2.  Was there a designated dasher?

A dasher is as important as a finisher in T20s. Who is India’s Martin Guptill, who is going to whack the ball out of the ground as soon the umpire says ‘Play’? From the way Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma went about their business, one felt their plan was to construct a 35-ball 45 instead of a 20-ball 45.

Who is India’s Glenn Maxwell kind-of-player?   You had Yuvraj Singh, Raina, Hardik Pandya and M.S. Dhoni. Every time Yuvraj walked in he had to play a second fiddle to Kohli. Every time Raina walked in he was under pressure to secure his place and match after match he failed.

Pandya, fearless with no scars of the past, was the only option. But he had little opportunity to unleash with the bat. Kohli was the lone guy striking the fours, sixes, running the twos and singles. Such was the focus on who’s going to finish games, India lacked a ruthless dasher in the middle to wrestle back the momentum which Robin Uthappa and Yuvraj SIngh did so successfully in the 2007 World Cup.

Dhoni, obviously, the finisher. Isn’t he?

3. What was Jaddu’s role?

A left-hander who can clear the ground and bowl sliding ones. What’s the point in saying ‘our batting line-up goes all the way down’ when you don’t tap every resource at your disposal. Except for a couple of fours against Bangladesh, Jaddu’s talent with the bat was hardly utilised. A catch under pressure, a few good frugal overs against Australia and the Windies took him for a ride in the crunch clash. Nothing much.

4. When MSD banked on luck and not Ashwin

Handing Bumrah the penultimate over hoping he would give Hardik Pandya, the only option left on the day, more in the bank was a masterstroke from MSD. And coupled with the mad batting of Bangladesh, India won by a run.

Needing 8 runs to win in the final over against the Windies, MSD opted for Kohli, who claimed a lucky wicket in his first ball earlier during the chase, with his premier spinner R. Ashwin having two overs left.

Why Kohli? Probably, two right handers, powerful hitters at the crease and maybe they could have sealed it in two balls had Ashwin bowled.

West Indies had only two left-handers in Gayle and Benn. The world kept saying Ashwin vs Gayle. But Dhoni never used Ashwin against Gayle in the first over itself. Maybe, MS wanted to reserve Ashwin if Gayle had hit the fifth gear in the first two overs, which never happened.

Gayle gone. Pandya bowls four overs for 43 runs without claiming a wicket, Jadeja sends down four overs for 48 runs without a wicket. And Ashwin was fielding at covers taking a catch off a no-ball from Pandya.

Maybe the probability of a left-arm spinner dismissing a right-handed batsman was high. But, if that’s the case, why pick Ashwin in the first instance, when you had another left-arm spinner Pawan Negi in the dressing room.

If a skipper isn’t going to back his primary weapon, probably the best spinner in the world, during a crunch situation, then why would he have him in the eleven?

It was probably the last thing a top-class spinner would have dreamt of.

And the moment MSD decided to bring on Kohli - just because he has been India’s hero - one felt Captain Cool wasn’t believing his boys’ potential but only luck.

Mortaza carries Bangla on his knees

Sachin Tendulkar carried the hopes and dreams of a nation on his shoulders; Brian Lara carried the batting unit of the Windies on his shoulders; One can say Mashrafe Mortaza is carrying Bangladesh on his knees.

Imagine Sachin; you know his mannerism while taking guard.  Kohli; twirls the bat in hand. Say Dhoni; everyone knows what he does with his gloves ball after ball. Sanath Jayasuriya: Tak..tak..tik..tak.. carves the crease....What Mortaza does? Well, he bends down and adjusts the strapping in his knees as he heads to his bowling mark.

How Mortaza enters the arena? Broad-chested; head held high; ‘I believe in myself and my boys’ attitude and often in the face of the opposition.  You know who is in charge on the ground.

If there was one man in that Bangladesh dressing room who could have even dreamt of having a dash at a fiery Mohammad Amir, it had to be Mortaza. Even as the likes of Soumya Sarkar, Shakib, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur decided to play it safe, Mortaza felt otherwise.

He knew if Bangladesh were to win, someone had to take on Amir. And he knew fortune favours the brave. First ball, clear the front foot and whack down the ground. Fortune favours the brave. Mohammad Sami lets one go through to the fence.

Amir runs in ever so hard and bangs one. Fortune favours the brave. The ball kisses the edge of Mortaza’s blade and flies down to fine leg for four. And the foot faults of Sami saved Mortaza and Bangladesh to spark wild celebrations.

Rewind to 2009. An on a high Mortaza, of KKR, had his hands on his knees when Rohit Sharma, of Deccan Chargers, pummelled 21 runs in one over and probably shut the IPL career of the current Bangladesh skipper. Then he suffered a string of knee injuries which laid him and subsequently the Bangla tigers low.

Forward to 2015 World Cup. ‘Underdogs’ Bangladesh led by Mortaza were up against the might of the eventual World Champions Aussies in Brisbane. Nine out of ten times, Australia would have crushed the Bangla boys. However, Brisbane weather turned out to be a Bris‘boon’ for Bangladesh and a no result meant the men in green were in contention for their maiden knock-outs birth.

England it was. A Mahmudullah-special gave Bangladesh a hope. But Mortaza was struggling, not for form, but with his knees. He knew he could ill afford to limp out of the ground. He limped to covers, limped to his mark, stretched with enormous difficulty every time the ball was hit towards him.

And Alex Hales was taking England to a position of strength. A limping Mortaza adjusted his strapped knees and headed to the start of his run up. Ran in and seconds after sending down the ball, Mortaza erupted, sprinted in joy as Hales edged one to Rahim. The pain vanished and Bangla made the last eight.

“You have to bear the pain if you want to perform for your country. But the pain goes away when you do well and the team wins ... like against England.” These words underline the character of the man.

From being part of a team that knew the word win only if the opposition were Zimbabwe to leading Bangladesh to series wins against Pakistan, India and South Africa...with strapped knees on most days....is a phenomenal achievement from Mortaza.

Over the last 18 months, Bangladesh have benefitted immensely in the shorter formats from the all-round brilliance of Shakib, the improving technician in Mushfiqur, the belligerence of Tamim and Sarkar, the go-to-man in Mahmudullah and the X-factor in Mustafizur Rahman.

However, it’s Mortaza who has carried them on his knees.

'Jallikattu’ - The Kiwi style

You are in front of a television set. The camera zooms in on a grotto. And boom! A fierce bull charges down the arena, unaware of the term pusillanimous, amidst a determined lot who are desperate to stop its march.

This isn’t about Jallikattu, the most debated topic in recent times in Tamil Nadu. This is about Brendon McCullum and the charge of the Kiwi brigade in the shorter and shortest format of the game.

Isn’t there a striking similarity between a bull in fray at the Jallikattu and the Black Caps batsmen on a cricket field?

Baz hurries himself onto the pitch from the dug out and charges down at the best bowler in the opposition ranks invariably at the very first opportunity. Except on rare days such as the one against Australia at the MCG during the WC final last year, he lands the first punch.

Chasing 152 against the eventual World champions Australia; McCullum knocks the wind out of the Oz new-ball attack. Up against one of the finest swing bowlers in the world James Anderson, out comes a belligerent Baz and smashes the Poms to seal the deal in 12.2 overs.

The stage gets even bigger. It’s the semifinal of a World Cup. The target is a daunting 298 in 43 overs against the likes of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel; Add to it the pressure of playing in your own backyard. 45 minutes later, McCullum receives a standing applause at the Eden Park for taking down ‘Steyn gun’ with disdain.

The approach isn’t unique to McCullum. The entire Kiwi batting unit bears the motto of a bull in a bullfighting arena — blast your way through every hurdle. The previous statement came to light when McCullum had to miss a part of the Lanka series with an injury.

When this guy puts his head down and extends his arms like a golfer, the ball’s ‘going, going and gonee…’ He is Martin Guptill.

What if the target is 188, Guptill ensures the Kiwis reach home in 21 overs; What if the target is 118, Guptill and New Zealand do it in 50 balls.

A T20 match and NZ are in pursuit of 147. What Guptill does? Whacks the Lankans apart. Guptill walks back and in comes Colin Munro. Strikes an amazing 14-ball fifty to chase down the target in a mere 10 overs.

In a must-win T20 match against Pakistan, Guptill was the first to charge against the Pakistan attack. A 19-ball 42 followed by a Corey Anderson assault spelt doom for the visitors.

Irrespective of the situation, bat first or second, who the opposition are, what bowlers they are up against, the nature of the wicket, the attitude of almost every Kiwi batsman remains the same — take the attack to the opposition. It’s not mad hitting. It’s all about beat someone to the punch.

However, there can be an argument over the size of the playing field. It turned out to be the talking point ahead of the WC final. Having played every match in the lead up to the final in the smaller grounds of New Zealand, there were doubts over how they would fare in the bigger sized Melbourne. Indeed, they came a cropper in the crunch match.

It remains to be seen whether they stick to their newfound aggression in the turning tracks of the sub-continents or in the challenging conditions outside their backyard.

For now, they are ‘bullying’ visiting teams into submission with entertaining cricket.

Most knowledgeable crowd Chepauk -- Who cares!

(A letter from a fan in Chennai)

Dean Jones faints en route to a double-hundred; Chepauk salutes. Chris Harris works his way to a hundred; Chepauk roars. Mark Waugh punches back; Chepauk applauds. Saeed Anwar creates history; Chepauk adores. Shahid Afridi destroys India; Chepauk stands up. Sachin special in vain; Chepauk in tears. Even ABD would have felt like playing in his own backyard on October 22, 2015.

Probably, one of the few venues

in the world which any visiting team would crave to play for; star batsmen in the visitors’ dug-out knew their talent will be acknowledged.

Bowlers are certain that even if they snap up the wicket of India’s cricketing god they would receive thunderous cheers as and when they begin their march towards the fine-leg and third-man fence.

England play South Africa there is a buzz. England take on West Indies there is again a buzz. When India play Pakistan, the fervour would well be hundred times bigger than what it would be for first day release of a Rajinikanth blockbuster movie.

When Pakistan were headed for win in one venue, the game came to a halt. Over here the arch-rivals acknowledged the love of the crowd with a victory lap!

Taking all these into consideration, Chepauk is deemed one of the most knowledgeable cricketing venues in the world.

It was rewarded with four international women’s World T20 match. This said with great respect to women’s cricket. For one such unbelievable lady cricketer – Sarah Taylor - has made her mark in the men’s league during Sheffield game in Australia.

Chepauk would ensure Charlotte Edwards – England women’s team skipper — says: “Chepauk is one of the most knowledgeable crowd I have ever seen.”

But this a cry of a fan who isn’t greedy for an Indo-Pak clash, but was hopeful of at least witnessing a Chris Gayle or a Brendon McCullum or Eoin Morgan take the flight to Chennai.

The fan here doesn’t bother who is at the helm of affairs. He/she is least concerned about the political scenario existing in the respective centres. He/she seldom understands the behind the scene activities. He/she seldom knows the hidden motives. All a Chepauk fan hopes for is a game of cricket irrespective of the teams in fray.

Why not Chepauk? The reason is ‘known to all’ – closure of three stands! What a pity, isn’t it? Chepauk without three stands has hosted numerous IPL clashes; but WC is bigger than IPL. Isn’t it? The MAC doesn’t even fit in to host the qualifiers which is as good as any big ticket match for the fans here, is it not?  

The most knowledgeable crowd in the world; who cares. Will Bangladesh/Ireland/Zimbabwe any other team in the qualifier cite the closure of three stands as a problem?  

The most knowledgeable crowd in the world; who cares.

Imagine a World Cup Down Under sans Melbourne as one of the venues; imagine a mega event in South Africa minus The Wanderers in Johannesburg; imagine watching a cricket bonanza devoid of band music at the Premadasa in the island nation Sri Lanka; And one can’t imagine a WC without the knowledgeable Chepauk crowd -- not once has it missed out on hosting a match during a WC.

It will give WC a miss in 2016. Never forget; No one is superior to the game and no game thrives without its fans. 

                                                                                                                                                       Baggs blabbers

AB needs KP’s mobile number!

AB needs KP’s mobile number!

The bowler is Ravindra Jadeja. Shoulder arms and you hear the stumps rattled. Be it Faf du Plessis or Hashim Amla. Probably, Michael Clarke knows how hard it is to face ‘Jaddu’ on the dust bowls in India.

For the Proteas, who hit a high in Mumbai, the Mohali loss could be termed a great depression. Lasting a mere 68 overs in the first innings and bundled out within two sessions in the second innings would have dented the visitors, who are desperate to hold on their fabulous away record.

Down 1-0 right at the start, what’s the way forward for ABD & Co.? Maybe the bowlers  — inexperienced spinners — can say they have bowled India out rather cheaply on both occasions and it could be a regular feature in the series. But SA’s strength is without a doubt the pace battery. More worries; Steyn is injured.

And only one batsman has a fifty to his credit. ABD. Even he fell prey to Amit Mishra not once but twice with his stumps rearranged.

Where is the inspiration going to come from for ABD’s men?

There is one South African, back home, who can act as a source of inspiration.

Kevin Pietersen.

Just the very word Mumbai and 2012 will bring back memories of the ‘innings of the year’ by KP - 186. The dancing shoes, the reverse hits, the audacious pulls, the outrageous inside out shots…..The situation back then was similar to as it is now.

Humbled in Ahmedabad, the Poms found their heroes in Alastair Cook and KP.

Cook denied and KP destroyed. It rattled the Indian spinners, who bowled as if their minds had encountered a syntax error.

If there is one guy in that SA dressing room who can come up with a KP-style of innings, then it has got to be ABD. But who will play the Cook’s role?

Will it be Dean Elgar? Though he couldn’t hurt the Indian tweakers, he batted time in both innings. With him being a left-hander and ABD a dasher, it may turn out to be the ideal combination to put Jaddu, Ashwin and Mishra off the radar. Maybe ABD needs to step up and walk in a bit early and dictate terms before it gets out of hand.

AB needs two things. The Youtube link of KP’s 186 and KP’s mobile number!

MSD & 'Malada Annamala' Rajini moment

This is about how MSD fans in Tamil Nadu, who worship Superstar Rajinikanth,  would have felt at the completion of the second ODI in Indore.

He/she (fan) can visualize the hands of his hero tied at the back to a pole. Yes! You guessed the movie right.  

And came the first blow on to his shin – MSD pulls out a stump @ MCG and quits from Tests; Whack on his shoulders – the Ranchi man fails to defend his most cherished trophy World Cup;

Out came a huge fist with an upper jab on to his chin – suspension of CSK; traces of blood drops.

He/she (fan) is distraught. Really raged at what’s happening surrounding the demigod. And people around him are mere spectators. Not knowing the worse is yet to come.

Thwack on to his belly  - Bangla boys humble the men in blue, mock ads add insult to injury and rumours about rift in the team. The painful rhythmic act all of a sudden turns more vigourous.

Fierce blows repeated in a random manner all over his torso – India win away Test series under Kohli bringing about a debate on whether Kohli should be at the helm in all formats, many question his place in the side after losing the T20 series to South Africa and the loss in the first ODI did the protagonists’ cause no good.

Yet, the man manages to smile!

He/she (fan) bewildered; knows the Yellow man can pull off a reversal with aplomb. But why is he taking so long?

Welcome to Indore. Great, you are on the money! He/she (fan) is craving for the arrival of the most exhilarating interval block ever unleashed in Indian cine history, as has been said.

The man travels in his own path and it’s a one man show. Unleashing strike after strike, the hero dazzles with an unbeaten 92 and heads to the pavilion for an interval.

He/she (fan) is thrilled. It’s Meme time.

The reel got changed after the break. Different scenario and a different proposition all together.

Having been let down by his own troops for a while it looked as if everything is going downhill for the man in charge. The opposition party is brimming with confidence, in hindsight it could be termed over confidence.

ABD’s men are all set to go 2-0 up. He/she (fan) fears the guy is almost done.

A slight ‘miscalculation’ from the enemy and the man is back. Ahhhh! You are again spot on in spelling the right movie!

Suresh Raina stretched himself and MSD leapt in joy!

As MSD walked off the field with his head held high and a stump in hand, he/she (fan) whispered:

#Malada #Annamala!

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