Brave New India?

Ajinkya Rahane (24, Mumbai; RHB, RM)

Young, hungry, agile, enthusiastic, tons of first-class runs, comfortable in a variety of batting slots, in different formats, playing different types of innings – quite possibly India’s next big batting superstar. Even by the perverse yardsticks that are commonly applied to select Test cricketers for India, no reason justifies why Rahane is not playing Test cricket right now.

Abhinav Mukund (22, Tamil Nadu; LHB, LS)

Another one who got screwed over on limited opportunities in tough conditions during the 0-4 reverse in England. His 49 at Lord’s last year was an innings of genuine long-term encouragement on a tour where such moments were rare and a few decent, new ball blunting starts in the West Indies tour preceding England offered more avenues to believe that persevering with him might have been fruitful. However, was dropped in favour of the return to action of the Gambhir/Sehwag axis, which has, in infinitely helpful conditions, delivered bugger-all since then. Still only 22 and with recent runs in New Zealand for India A and the visiting Englishmen in the now-infamous ‘no spinners’ practice game, he definitely merits another look-in at Test level. 

Wriddhiman Saha (28, Bengal; RHB, WK)

Dhoni’s backup has consistently delivered on his rather limited billing ever since he started in first-class cricket and there isn’t an obvious flaw in either his keeping or batting to suggest that delivering at Test level is beyond him. Stuck it to an excellent Aussie attack for nearly two-and-a-half hours in an Adelaide Test whose headlines were usurped by the tamasha around Virat Kohli’s first Test hundred, which should’ve been his bar mitzvah into Test cricket but hasn’t been given a chance since. Has an assurance and certainty to his overall cricket that would make it a tragedy if his Test career were to be remembered by the catastrophic selection mistake that resulted in him making his Test debut as a No. 7 batsman in an innings defeat by the South Africans in Nagpur in early 2010.

Praveen Kumar (26, Uttar Pradesh; RHB, RMF)

Hard to figure out who he has ticked off to be so suddenly and resolutely ignored by the selectors. Following six wickets on Test debut at Sabina Park, PK was India’s best bowler by a country mile in the 0-4 in England last summer and has the ideal bowling style to deliver long spells in trying conditions, home and abroad. His effort and performances post-national selection purgatory have been above reproach, even as bigger stars have been dropped and re-picked without putting in a fraction of his effort. Also, given the increasing emphasis in big-time cricket on batting deep, has demonstrated his hitting ability consistently enough to suggest that he could slot in as a very handy No. 8 or No. 9. Probably the closest to being an automatic pick in this lineup.

Manoj Tiwary (27, Bengal; RHB, LS)

Famously dropped after scoring a one-day century against the West Indies, has simply not been given enough opportunities to let him build on his top-notch domestic record and frankly frightening hitting ability. Has been shunted around the Indian set-up extremely unfairly. With the Yuvrajs and Rainas hopefully confined to an extended spell outside Test cricket, maybe it’s time to finally give him a run.

R Vinay Kumar (28, Karnataka; RHB, RMF)

RVK was thrown in at the deep end in Perth and was thus, by association, part of the collective 0-4 failure in Australia. There’s a lot more to his bowling than that, of course, but it hasn’t made an impression on a selectoral roster that continues to be inexplicably obsessed with proven failures like Ishant Sharma. Did well in New Zealand for India A and has started this domestic campaign brightly at the helm of an excellent Karnataka side. His experience and, recently acquired leadership skills could be an extremely valuable asset to the Indian set-up but is another who, at 28, is fast running out of time. 

Pankaj Singh (27, Rajasthan; RHB, RFM)

Is fast approaching Goel/Shivalkar levels in terms of being ignored by national selectors. On statistics alone, has a compelling case for being India’s most effective fast bowler – 16 five-fors in 66 first class games contributing to a staggering 247 wickets at 26.02, at the time of writing. Has been arguably the primary reason Rajasthan are now relevant to Ranji Trophy cricket, proving to be extremely dangerous with new ball and old. The reasons he has been sidelined so far can’t be isolated well but certainly point to playing for a traditionally unfancied state, being a bit of a late developer (now 27) or maybe, cruelly, simply not ‘looking like a star’. Ideally suited to the longer version and absolutely worth a longish run in the Test team.

Abhishek Nayar (29, Mumbai; LHB, RM)

Needs his chance to come now and needs to take it. Equally comfortable attacking or defending, has played the lone hand as frequently as he has grabbed the initiative in seven excellent seasons for Mumbai so far. Started out – and still remains useful – as a medium-pacer and is one of the few all-round domestic cricketers who you suspect would look in place at the highest level.

Bhuvaneshwar Kumar (22, Uttar Pradesh; RHB, RMF)

A certain “B Kumar” has been popping up increasingly frequently in those two-line Ranji Trophy match summaries in newspapers the last couple seasons. While still very much a work-in-progress, has been delivering with the new ball on flat decks in a way that suggests that he is very much a natural at what he does. The natural bit applies to his batting too, though the bowling load has meant he has thrown away a lot of promising batting starts due to a lack of concentration or tiredness or both. Also has a bit of flair about his cricket and comes across as a very humble guy – two qualities that certainly merit a longish rope, whenever it is given. Well worth a punt at some point in the near future.  

Amit Mishra (30, Haryana; RHB, LS)

Over 30 years of age, was bludgeoned for 0/170 in his last Test at The Oval, no value-add to the team if his bowling flops. However, still carrying a Haryana attack punching above its weight, still turning in the kind of effort that supposedly ‘more gifted’ spinners don’t dare contemplate, still extremely valuable in the IPL where playing a leggie is often seen as giving the opposition 24 free-hits, still has the most unreadable googly on the domestic circuit. Can certainly do a job for India – just don’t play him in a Test in England ever again.

Akshat Reddy (21, Hyderabad; RHB, LS)

Captain of Hyderabad at 21, was one of the few occasional bright spots in a dismal final IPL campaign for the Deccan Chargers. Only a few matches into his first-class career, has already demonstrated the ability to stay big against fast bowlers, hit big runs, plan an innings well and force the pace when necessary. Wouldn’t necessarily walk into the Test team straight away but could well become a class opener across formats. 

Mandeep Singh (21, Punjab; RHB, RM)

Mandy is fast becoming an irreplaceable part of Punjab’s highly-rated batting unit and his IPL displays over the last couple seasons have shown that he certainly has the skill set to make the top level. Hit a breathtaking double hundred away at Mumbai earlier this month against a bowling attack of Agarkar, Kulkarni, Powar and Chavan. Has the potential to become an excellent middle-order option.

Sandeep Sharma (19, Punjab; RHB, RM)

Punjab cricket’s bright young thing has had among the more remarkable introductions to first-class cricket in the past few years. On the back of an extremely impressive showing at the U-19 World Cup in Australia, has already grabbed 37 wickets in this season’s Ranji Trophy – including a devastating 10-for against Vidarbha – and we’re only in mid-December. Could be totally the wrong time to capitalize on his promise or, with the soon-to-visit Aussies demonstrating continued susceptibility to the moving ball, could be India’s hidden secret.

CM Gautam (26, Karnataka; RHB, WK)

One of the more left-field picks of the lot but one based on an eyebrow-raising start to this first-class season, which has featured an unbeaten hundred away to Tamil Nadu, an aggressive second-innings 70-odd against a promising Delhi attack which set up a convincing win and a demoralizing nine-and-a-half-hour, 257-run pulverization of Vidarbha. Now firmly established as first-choice as Karnataka launch a genuine tilt at this season’s Ranji Trophy. 

Possible Survivors:

Virat Kohli (24, Delhi)

Enough and more has been said about his attitude and the time he is taking to adapt to Test cricket, but is ambitious, aggressive and unstoppable when on form. Will – and should, on merit – feature in India’s best XI going forward.

Cheteshwar Pujara (24, Saurashtra)

Deserves an extended run based on his recent Test performances at home. Doubts persist about his ability to play quality fast bowling – he was turned over with embarrassing ease when he toured South Africa with the Test team in 2010. His next trip to South Africa with the Test team will make or break him and he should stay in and around the team until then.

Umesh Yadav (25, Vidarbha)

India’s best fast bowler right now, bar none. Wants to remain a fast bowler, come what may. That second sentence may well turn out to be more important than the first.

Pragyan Ojha (26, Hyderabad)

Is the best of a bad lot on current form. Needs helpful conditions to be effective but will do a job even in unhelpful ones. His Test career needs to take him outside the sub-continent for him to be a part of India’s best team long-term.

Ready to Rumble

WWE's Tribute To The Troops is in the rear-view mirror, CM Punk's emergency knee surgery has been successful and there will be no WWE Championship defence at TLC.

 

January 27; Phoenix, Arizona. Cannot wait.

 

Farewell

The Last of His Kind

Ricky Ponting announced his retirement from international cricket today.

In all Test cricket played since he made his debut on December 8, 1995, no one has scored more Test runs than him. He is also the winningest Test captain and player in history and, though there is no official yardstick for this, is probably the most decorated one-day international cricketer in history as well.

Ricky Ponting isn't defined by records or distinctions. He hasn't revolutionised the game he played, nor did he do anything to become particularly unforgettable. Yet, he has meant so much for so many years that it will be difficult to watch his team play without him.

 

There was always something in him that told you that he was his harshest critic and that any decision he took about when to quit (and, let's be honest, we knew it was coming) was likely going to be internally over-analysed to vanishing point. So when he said this morning that he'd thought long and hard about this, it was instructive that he stretched the words "long" and "hard" more than usual. But perhaps not more than necessary.

 

It is this willingness to apply this usually outward standard inwards in the press release that elevated him to the absolute top bracket of sportspersons in my estimation today. I don't think I've ever heard the words "consistent failure" and "not good enough" said so forcefully and so honestly at a cricket retirement before. Boxing, maybe - but not cricket.

 

Ultimately, that's what has me saddened about today - that Ponting has been brutally honest when, for most of his career, the rest of the world has consistently called him a cheat; that he has graciously stepped aside with utmost humility when he has, on so many occasions, been called egotistical and that he has recognised his limitations when there are others who are too defiantly proud to do what's right. I will miss Ponting the cricketer but I will miss Ponting the competitor far more than words can describe.   

Lastly, because I haven't done this kind of thing in a while and because I can't think of another batsman I've seen deserve it more, here's my list of Ponting's top 15 (I wanted to do 10 but got carried away) Test batting performances:

 

15. 96 & 51 v. Sri Lanka at Kandy, 1999

Walked in at 4/16 in the first innings and was last man out at 188; a defiant lone hand against Murali and Vaas at their devastating best. 

 

14. 106 & 86* v. New Zealand at Auckland, 2005

A total massacre of a very fine New Zealand attack.

 

13. 221 v. India at Adelaide, 2012

The 'I can still hack it at this level' innings. Probably his last great Test outing for the Aussies.

 

12. 100* v. South Africa at Cape Town, 2002

He and Hayden hammered South Africa at over 4 an over to enable Australia to chase down 334 in the fourth innings in a little over six hours. 

 

11. 77 & 72 v. India at Bangalore, 2010

He kicked, scratched and clawed his way to two fifties in conditions he never mastered but refused to give up in. His last Test in India.

 

10. 62 v. South Africa at Jo'burg, 2011

The definition of a career-saving innings - came out all guns blazing against the best bowling attack in the world despite no fifty in his previous thirteen innings. Gave the impetus for an amazing 310 chase in the fourth innings. Would almost certainly have been his last Test if he hadn't delivered. 

 

9. 101 & 99 v. South Africa at the MCG, 2008

Australia's third innings collapse was only a little less heart-breaking than watching him get dismissed for the only 99 of his Test career.

 

8. 257 v. India at the MCG, 2003

His highest Test score and longest Test innings was a slow, torturous pulverisation of the Adelaide-high Indians who had threatened to run away with the game after Sehwag's excellent innings on the first day.

 

7. 149 & 104* v. West Indies at The 'Gabba, 2005

A double-whammy that deflated a very promising Windies attack including Edwards, Collymore, Powell and Lawson and set up another comfortable home series whitewash.

 

6. 141 v. Pakistan at Colombo (PSS), 2003

A game remembered for Warne finally coming good at a largely-empty stadium in the sub-continent but a win set up by an imperious 163-ball effort that took apart an attack of Waqar, Shoaib, Razzaq, Sami and Saqlain.

 

5. 196 & 60* v. England at The 'Gabba, 2006

Completely demoralised the best English bowling attack of this generation with a chanceless Day 1 hundred in the first Ashes Test. England never really recovered and surrendered to a 5-0 demolition. 

 

4. 103 & 116 v. South Africa at Durban, 2006

A breathtaking batting display on the fastest wicket in the world which sealed a sweet, sweet series win in South Africa.

 

3. 144 & 72 v. England at Leeds, 2005

It turned out to be Mark Butcher's finest hour for England but it was preceded by one of Ponting's finest solo performances, featuring his first hundred at No. 3 - a barely believable 154-ball 144 in the first innings - and a run-a-ball 72 in the second on a typical Headingly greentop. Even more astonishing when you consider the immense pressure Ponting was under having not crossed fifty in a Test innings in eleven innings prior.

 

2. 120 & 143* v. South Africa at the SCG, 2006

Two knock-out hundreds - the first dragging a first-innings performance out of a batting unit that was staring down the barrel at 3/54 in response to 450-odd and the second being very possibly the finest I've ever seen him bat as he and Hayden hit boundaries at will to turn a 100+ run first-innings deficit into a swaggering 8-wicket win with time to spare.

 

1. 156 v. England at Manchester, 2005

This generation's standard-bearer for a match-saving fourth-innings hundred - an absolute masterpiece that didn't, for a minute, compromise his attacking instincts and helped the Aussies to a famous draw. 

 

***

 

I really can't imagine an Aussie batting line-up without him. A precocious kid with a ferocious pull shot is now an unforgettable man with probably the greatest winning legacy in the history of the sport. Thank you for all that you have given and, if there's any justice in this world, this journey will end at the WACA with a new world No. 1 Test team. 

Fresh Starts

As galling as it is to see Sebastien Vettel complete his three-peat at the age of 25, I have much respect for Adrian Newey for arresting Red Bull's early-season underperformance and turning around another World Championship-winning car. Newey's been screwing Ferrari and the best F1 driver in the world for fifteen years now - long may it continue. :-)

 

 

And while a lot of us on the silver side of things thought that Lewis Hamilton would twist the knife even further by pole-to-flagging his last race in the McLaren overalls, for once, it was his under-stated, infinitely more likeable teammate who held up his end of the bargain and ended the season exactly the way he started - with a race win. With that wonderful bit of symmetry pulling the curtain down on another ultimately fruitless season, at least the reassurance of having a clear-cut No. 1 in the team should launch us towards happier times. Even if it doesn't, here's another addition to the vast collection of podium photos for the record-books of a once-magnificent team.    

 

 

The pattern of Formula 1 for the foreseeable future is set. Let us carry on.

 

***

 

Australia drew the second Test with South Africa today, ultimately unable to pick up six wickets in the course of a whole day's play on a fifth day Adelaide wicket. Australia have had the better of both draws so far and it sets up a fascinating denouement in Perth next week. Adelaide was interesting without being outstanding - Warner, Clarke, Hussey, Smith and Du Plessis all scored hundreds in this match but I know that the one thing I will take away from this Test forever is:

 

NM Lyon 50-31-49-3.

 

Incredible. And sad. But more incredible than sad.