My love for the hallowed grass!!!

oops..sorry guys..i had better explain the title before it is misconstrued and I'm branded weird. Quite obviously (at least to the sports minded and people who know me), I am referring to the great Wimbledon championships. It has a great history and some unique features including the curtsy(bowing to the royal box) which was done away with recently, its traditional touch, its favorite dish i.e. strawberries and cream and the rains that seem to always affect it every year. There has been no other sports event that I have so loved and literally revered like this annual grass court Grand slam. Almost every tennis player past, present and pretty sure well into the future dreams of holding up this great trophy once..The history of the tournament can very well take up a book by itself..I was just recalling how I came to love this event so much and decided to write this blog..






My guess is it was about 1992-93, fairly late considering the event began in 1877:D I had just watched the 1992 championship results on news and read about it in the newspaper and had not the slightest idea about the players and tournament let alone the rules of the game and its history..



I asked mom "What's this game ma? who are the top players in this game and how do they play this one"...pretty childish one may think..but I can quite confidently say there are quite a few around now far older than I was then but pretty ignorant about the game...To me, not loving Wimbledon in particular and the game of tennis in general seems unacceptable...Anyways, back to the point...mom told me that Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg were the top players then and among the ladies Steffi Graf ruled. She also did her best to explain the then complex now so simple rules of the game to me..all thanks to her and my grandpa who was quite an avid watcher and a keen player in his younger years, I was introduced to this lovely game and have been hooked on ever since.

Started my own little research( where was the internet then:D?), read few issues of Sportstar and Sportsworld and figured out that Wimbledon (held annually in England) along with the Australian open (Melbourne), French open(Paris) and the US open(New York) constituted what is known as the Grand Slam of tennis. I particularly remember one issue of Sportsworld with Boris Becker on the front cover which had a lot of details on the championships including all the records.

I don't generally believe in love at first sight, but I guess its only Wimbledon that has truly captivated me from the moment I watched it first..I started looking up all the past champions, victories and scores and stored them in my pint size brain...and voila! I have still not forgotten anything..Knowing the details and recollecting Wimbledon records and matches has given me the greatest joy!...






The first Wimbledon tournament I watched with quite some dedication was 1993. I very well remember that Boris Becker of Germany ( 3 time champion in 1985,86 and 89) met a young Pete Sampras (USA) and Stefan Edberg of Sweden (champion in 1988 and 1990) came up against Jim Courier (USA)..Becker and Edberg had faced off 3 times and everyone expected them to clash again in the finals...perhaps to signify a change of guard..Sampras and Courier came through and contested a very good final which Sampras won to take his first title..The ladies final was most unforgettable with Steffi Graf, the most dazzling and supreme athlete from Germany (a HUGE reason for me to be glued to Tennis) came back from the brink of 1-4 and 15-40 in the final set against the Czech Jana Novotna. The image of Novotna sobbing on the shoulders of the Duchess was most painful and something that cant be forgotten ever..



I was totally attracted to the game by then and my parents also would almost always sit with me when the semis and the finals were on every year and I started delving more and more into the fascinating history of the great tournament. I read about the great Rod Laver's conquests, the unparalleled and astonishingly calm Bjorn Borg and his unbelievable rivalry with John McEnroe, who was known as the 'enfant terrible' for his tantrums on court. Borg and McEnroe contested one of the greatest matches ever seen in the 1980 finals and only Borg's calmness could have helped see him through after losing a quite unbelievable tie break of jaw dropping brilliance (20-18) in the fourth set. Other greats included Jimmy Connors who had a fierce temper, Boris Becker who flung himself at volleys which most others wouldn't care to approach, Stefan Edberg with the silken net game and Ivan Lendl, who despite all his gutsy efforts never won a single Wimbledon. Very famously, in a defensive statement when quizzed repeatedly about his lack of success at Wimbledon, he said "Grass is for cows" but also later stated that he would gladly exchange all his other titles for a single Wimbledon. This aptly demonstrates the high regard this great event is held in.


Ever since 1993, I haven't missed a single year and have been privileged to have been in this era of two of the greatest men's champions in Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. Also, Steffi Graf was the single greatest reason for me to love watching the ladies game and also cut down drastically watching it ever since she retired.

Graf's first round loss to Lori McNeil in 1994, Conchita Martinez's victory the same year in the final over the legendary Navratilova (9 time champion). 1995 saw a marathon final between Graf and Aranxta Sanchez Vicario, a plucky Spaniard and involved a game with 13 deuces!!..Graf prevailed in the end. Pete Sampras continued his winning ways till he was upstaged in the quarter finals by the dutch giant Richard krajicek in 1996..Krajicek won the final against Malivai Washington fairly comfortably. The 1996 tournament was most (in)famous for the suspension of American Jeff Tarango from the ATP for a year after his wife slapped the referee Bruno Rebeuh and also the streaker running past in the finals. 1997 -2000 saw Sampras win four more titles and establish himself as the greatest champion. My interest in the ladies game had dwindled ever since Steffi retired and I used to watch fewer games. The Williams sisters especially Venus dominated the scene starting 2000. 2001 was a most memorable year as it marked yet another change of guard, this time Pete Sampras met a certain Roger Federer in the 4th round and in a fascinating battle of 5 sets, Federer upset Sampras. The talent of Federer was fully on display and it everyone who viewed that match had little doubt that he was a champion in the making.

Goran Ivanisevic, the moody Croat who had lost in 3 previous finals (92 to Andre Agassi, 94 and 98 to Sampras) was given a wildcard entry and he charmed the crowds by reaching the finals after many a titanic battle. In another giant struggle, he outlasted Patrick Rafter, who himself had defeated Agassi in a classic semi final. Ivanisevic's victory was the stuff of dreams and his copious tears provided just another indication of how much players valued a Wimbledon title. Lleyton Hewitt won a not so memorable Wimbledon with almost all greats making their exit prematurely and the greatest of all Pete Sampras falling to an unknown Geroge Bastl. It was to be Sampras's last stride on the great lawns and it was a very sad sight indeed watching him go.






Roger federer took the world by storm since 2003 and until 2007, when he was challenged by Rafael Nadal before coming through in 5 sets, he dominated every player he met with utter ease. Nadal, a brilliant athlete from Spain with a never say die spirit and fantastic stamina was slowly rising up the ladder and the contest that was witnessed in the 2008 finals was beyond description. The level of tennis was breathtaking, the shots stupendous and the resilience of both was just extraordinary. The ability of both the players was never in question, but they often exceeded themselves and in a match fit to be described as a match for the Gods, Nadal prevaailed 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-7 9-7 in a near 5 hour marathon. Federer missed out on beating Bjorn Borg's record of 5 consecutive titles but the seeds of a great rivalry had been sown and the world yearns for another surreal contest between these two greats.

Well, as I said before and will always do, there has been no other event be it sporting or non sporting that has single handedly captured my imagination and had me hooked to it than the All England championships. One of the very few wishes that I have in life is that I sit at Centre Court in Wimbledon and watch the singles final. I truly hope it will be fulfilled soon.

What I miss the most!!!!

The last year in my life was one when i endured a host of problems, struggled through a phase which I had expected to be a lot simpler if not downright easy. I moved to California after my final semester from Kansas so that I could find a job soon (which most people had at that time!) and then complete the 'formalities' of a thesis...oh how I was mistaken..!

The thesis had its complications and I was not having much luck with the job search..The best part so far had been the marathon drive from Missouri to San Jose with Karthik. I settled down into his place..The India tour of Australia provided some much needed break from the otherwise strenuous job hunt.. Karthik left to India in Feb on some official work and I was just wondering what I would do alone..Well.lucky me..this is when I moved into a different house in early March with JD, Vikram, Gopa and Shiva..Also had Jayanth and Karthik living fairly close by and I cannot ever imagine a better life personally nor a better place than San Jose.

By then, life was taking one twist after the other and I was deep in trouble with the job stuff and also struggling to complete my Masters which at one point seemed 2 easy..I can never forget how these guys encouraged me and helped me through these very testing times..They had many a kind word and offered so much support that its hard to write about. I managed to complete my MS with quite a bit of a struggle but eh job situation had become a lot more grim and I used to have a lot of mood swings (extremely unlike me) and started thinking at many times that I was a failure. I cant help but restate the value of having had this bunch of guys around..else I most certainly wouldn't have made it through that stormy phase. I was able to withstand all disappointments and personal losses (granny expired) courtesy the support I got from these fantastic guys!

California as such played its part in rejuvenating me...it had a plethora of restaurants and we often made the visit to the favorite Indian ones like Saravana Bhavan and Komala Vilas (my fav-trust no1 will disagree :). Great times were spent in these places and also the visits to San Francisco on more than 1 occasion, half moon bay (Vikram's favorite) and Santa cruz beach.

When I am around, cricket cant be far away and playing in the cricbay league and practice for the matches were part and parcel of the weekends. A typical weekend involved cricket in the mornings, lunch at Komala Vilas, sleep to make up for lost sleep on Fri nights..freak out in the evenings, dinner outside at a diff place and more often than not, booze again flowed at home. There was never a weekend booze session without its arguments, funny moments and of course without 'ur truly' getting his ass kicked..I used 2 b pissed a lot of times but in hindsight, its something I yearn for daily now...

Tennis was another big passion of mine and I was very regular and almost always a common factor whenever anyone wanted to play. I simple loved the game and the facilities that were available in the beautiful California.

Vivek visited twice and provided me with a really vital break from the monotony of job applications and rejects. We guys had a whale of a time and made it to LA both times. I could just go on and on about California and the gr8 guys i had around me ...but all this pretty much masks the trying times I was going through..A job materialized at last but I was going to have to go back to India for that one..I instantly felt the pinch..

Rejoicing that I had the job was one thing, the very fact that I had to go back leaving all these wonderful guys and head home was too difficult a pill to take...The tears didn't flow but deep within I felt so down that I could not afford to let it show..Agreed home has a few advantages no place does..but California and the gang of guys shepherded me through what I believe was the toughest phase of my life so far and I have absolutely no doubt that I have been the luckiest guy to have met these gr8 buddies and can say without a shadow of doubt that the stay in Cali with my friends has been the definition of the Joie de vivre

The Invincible eleven

Most cricket lovers have without doubt indulged in the task of picking an all time great team at some point of time. This is often a thankless task given that when the decision is made, more often than not, there are bound to be debates and arguments aplenty not to mention the brickbats one gets on certain omissions and inclusions. Yet, the best part about this whole exercise is that one gets the opportunity to look back at the game’s history in detail and understand the various factors that would go into selecting the team. At the outset, I shall try and outline the criteria that I am using to help me make the selection. Firstly, this is solely based on performances in test cricket and does not include any ODI and more recently T-20 achievements. Also, various other factors such as playing conditions, quality of opposition and impact of performances, consistency are taken into consideration. The team selection starts from the openers all the way to the bowlers and at each step, all the candidates are analyzed before a conclusion is reaches thus leaving little room for confusion and debates. I shall include all the necessary stats as well to help others figure out their best possible team. I certainly don’t expect even half the readers to agree on many choices let alone the team, but the very idea of selecting an all time great team is thrilling enough and I can’t wait to embark on the quest.

Test cricket has produced many fantastic openers in the last hundred odd years. Right from the time of W.G Grace through the great pre war pairing of Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe, the legendary Len Hutton, the excellent and consistent Aussie opening pair Bob Simpson and Bill Lawry, the technically perfect Boycott and Gavaskar, the dashing Caribbean duo Greenidge and Haynes and more recently the Aussies Hayden and Langer. Hobbs and Sutcliffe formed a fantastic opening pair for England who in just 38 tests had over 15 century stands and averaged over 87 which is unlikely to be matched. Len Hutton was an exceptional batsman who maintained a consistently high average until the end. Lawry and Simpson formed a very consistent pairing for Australia in the 1960’s, both averaging in the high 40’s. Geoffrey Boycott often seemed hard to dislodge and was a great accumulator of runs. Sunil Gavaskar made his debut in 1971 in the West Indies scoring a record 774 runs and never looked back. He averaged over 50 and was the shining light in the otherwise inconsistent Indian outfit. His feats are all the more remarkable as he conjured up 13 hundreds against the formidable West Indians who ere in their pomp in the mid 70’s through the 80’s. Greenidge and Haynes averaged nearly 50 together and amassed more than 6000 runs. Greenidge was the more aggressive, trying to dismantle attacks and Haynes the steady rock building the platform for the great middle order. More recently, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer have proven to be the best opening pair averaging over 50 and putting attacks to the sword all round the world. Matthew Hayden has scored 30 centuries and for the best part of 6 years starting 2000, he was the most consistent batsman in the world. The choice of openers for my team would be Sunil Gavaskar and Gordon Greenidge simply because Greenidge consistently terrorized all bowling attacks the world over and could attack from the word go and Sunil Gavaskar at the other end would have been the ideal foil given his exemplary technique and powers of concentration. In this case, selecting a pair has not been easy and it is more a sense of logical thinking that has gone into the choice.





The number three batsman is more often than not the best batsman in the side as his role is extremely crucial. He has to continue the attack which has been initiated by the openers and not let the tempo slip away and also in the event of an early wicket has to ensure that stability is restored quickly and that momentum is not lost. The choice of the all time great number three batsman is fairly unanimous and easy- Sir Don Bradman of Australia who in just 52 tests scored 6996 runs at an astounding average of 99.94 and made an even more unbelievable 29 tons. The very fact that the notorious leg theory or ‘Bodyline’ as it is more popularly known as was used just to curtail his run scoring spree is a clear indicator of his batting prowess. An argument that is often raised is that Bradman made all his runs only in England and Australia and never ever played elsewhere. It would be sheer stupidity to imagine that a batsman of his class and caliber would not have thrived on other surfaces. Also, a point to be noted is that Bradman lost six years of cricket during the Second World War when he was at the height of his abilities. A great batsman who misses out is Rahul Dravid of India who has for years held the bar of consistency so high and scored runs for his team on virtually all surfaces. Ricky Ponting of Australia who was touted as the next best after Bradman has been the most consistent batsman of the decade and has amassed runs aplenty. He is most likely to be the highest run getter in tests very soon and is without doubt a modern great.



An exceptional middle order is quintessential to a great team and selecting the players is definitely not an easy task as hundreds of great players are to be considered. I shall do my best to briefly mention the strongest candidates and outline the criteria for their selection/omission. Sir Vivian Richards would have made any team’s number 3 slot but for the presence of Don Bradman. Richards’s swagger and calm demeanor combined with a fantastic eye and unmatched aggression made the best of bowlers lose sleep. He played his cricket in the most entertaining manner and was captivating to watch. Also, he had the sheer numbers to back it up- 8500 runs at an average over 50 with 24 centuries. Yet I always felt that with Richards, it is more his intimidating presence and dominating personality that catapults him to the number 4 spot ahead of most other greats. Other players considered include the great Walter Hammond of England who ended his career as the then highest run getter in cricket amassing over 7000 runs at an exceptional average of 58, the classy Greg Chappell of Australia, the street fighter from Pakistan Javed Miandad.

At number five, I decided to go with the tremendously gifted Brian Lara of the West Indies. This may raise a few eye brows for two reasons. One, Lara batted at either 3 or 4 most times and also there is peerless Sachin Tendulkar, holder of records for most runs and centuries. The reasons why I have gone for Brian Lara ahead of Tendulkar, Lara in his pomp was the much more exciting to watch and there was never a moment when he took a backward step. He made monumental scores including the most number of 200 plus scores after Bradman and also the most scores over 150 in the history of the game. Also his exceptional handling of the two legends of spin bowling- Shane Warne and Muralitharan truly underlines his greatness. Tendulkar on the other hand is the more consistent and the more reliable, but on a slightly more partisan note, I have gone for Lara simply because he has been the first player who truly made me love and enjoy watching test cricket.





A great all rounder is a key to the team’s success as more often than not in test victories, stellar roles have been played by gifted all-rounders. Some of the great names that crop up are Keith Miller of Australia, who was an integral part of Bradman’s ‘Invincibles’, the legendary Sir Garfield Sobers of the West Indies. The 70’s and 80’s saw four of the best all rounders to grace the game in Imran Khan of Pakistan, Sir Ian Botham of England, Sir Richard Hadlee of New Zealand and Kapil Dev of India. More recently Wasim Akram and Jacques Kallis have made the headlines on a number of occasions. Again, as with the number 3 position, the choice of the best all rounder is very easy though not exactly a no brainer. Sir Garry Sobers is without doubt the finest all rounder to step into a pair of cricket shoes. He is the ultimate all rounder in every sense of the term. A batsman par genius who scored more than 800 runs at almost 58, a bowler who could bowl absolutely anything from fat bowling through off spin and also chinamen. He picked up 235 wickets and also held 109 catches and was widely regarded as the best all round fielder. Imran Khan, Ian Botham , Hadlee and Kapil Dev were exceptional bowlers and brilliant batsmen too but were far less consistent with the bat and with the team having some great bowlers, it would be more appropriate to have a batting all rounder who can bowl a fair bit.



A look back at the annals of test cricket brings up names of some of the finest men to don the wicket keeping gloves. Bert Oldfield and Wally Grout of Australia, England’s Alan Knott and Bob Taylor, India’s Syed Kirmani and Pakistan’s Wasim Bari, Jeff Dujon of the West Indies who stood almost throughput the golden period of West Indian cricket and the best Aussies keepers in Rodney Marsh, Ian Healy, Adam Gilchrist and the plucky South African Mark Boucher. Almost all these players have been brilliant and extremely consistent all through their careers and held various records at different points of time. But the one man who totally redefined the role of the wicket keeper with his exceptional batting abilities and great skills as a keeper was Adam Gilchrist. He strode out at number 7 and any hopes the opposition had of snapping up the remaining wickets soon turned into a position when the teams were forced to start being defensive in the wake of his extraordinary counter attack. He was capable enough to be included in the team purely as a batsman and averaged over 47 scoring the runs at a quite incredible strike rate of 82. He scored many a crucial knock and was instrumental in boosting the confidence of the all conquering Australian units of Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. Many wicket keepers were more skilled and natural than Gilchrist but he takes the spot for his keeping skills combined with the fantastic hitting ability.



Selecting the bowlers is also an extremely arduous task which I have tried simplifying slightly by restricting the selection only from the list of bowlers who have taken a minimum of 300 wickets and have played at least 50 tests. This takes out quite a few greats like Sid Barnes, Clarrie Grimmett, Wes Hall, Ray Lindwall and also some of the West Indian greats such as Michael Holding and Joel Garner who were quite unplayable in their peak. A balanced bowling attack includes 3 fast bowlers and a spinner and I have decided to base the selection on these lines. The names that come into play for selection as fast bowlers include the most successful of all- Glenn McGrath, the most consistent and quick Malcolm Marshall, the aggressive Dennis Lillee, the master of swing and cut Richard Hadlee, the bowling all rounders Imran Khan, Ian Botham and Kapil Dev, the miserly yet deadly Curtly Ambrose , the great Pakistani duo of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, ‘White lightning’ Allan Donald and the legendary Fred Trueman of England. Malcolm Marshall is the first to slide into the team given his exceptional average of just over 20 and remarkable ability to out bowl some of the finest fast bowlers in his time and team. Glenn McGrath gets the nod for his unparalleled accuracy and uncanny ability to pick up the wickets of the best batsmen in the team. Though there is the temptation to select Wasim Akram who is arguably the finest left arm bowler ever, I have decided to go with Lillee for two reasons- he was the more consistent fast bowler and the presence of a certain Sobers in the team makes another left armer redundant.







Spin bowling is an art that makes cricket viewing most enjoyable and some greats who have mastered the art include leg spinning legends such as Clarrie Grimmett, Bill O’ Reilly, Richie Benaud and the incomparable Shane Warne. Off spin boasts of a rich heritage too including Lance Gibbs, the Indian trio of Prasanna, Bedi and Venkatraghavan and the Sri Lankan wizard Muralitharan who is right up the tree of wicket takers in the game. Shane Warne and Muralitharan are the two who make the short list for selection. As in the earlier case with Tendulkar and Lara, Muralitharan is very much the more consistent and also has more wickets and more five and ten wicket hauls, but Warne was the more captivating to watch. He engrossed cricket watchers the world over and revived the almost dead art of leg spin. He was definitely the more aggressive and cast a doubt over opposition batsmen like no other spinner has. Again there may be a touch of partiality here, but I pick Shane Warne for his sheer presence and larger than life image that he brought to the cricket field not to mention his tremendous leg spinning abilities.



Ultimately I pick Don Bradman to lead the team not just because of his towering achievements but also for his fine leadership when he captained the ‘Invincibles’ in the post war years.

It has been a thoroughly enjoyable time grinding through records and cricket details of the past decades in order to select an all time great team. I do not believe that people should concur with my list or criteria but am sure that everyone who loves the game will undoubtedly agree that Test cricket has been ever so remarkable in producing greats who have lit up the game and have with their extraordinary achievements and performances, made the five day game such a pleasure to watch and read about.

The 'ultimate' eleven in batting order is listed below:

1. Gordon Greenidge
2. Sunil Gavaskar
3. Donald Bradman
4. Vivian Richards
5. Brian Lara
6. Garfield Sobers
7. Adam Gilchrist
8. Shane Warne
9. Malcolm Marshall
10. Dennis Lillee
11. Glenn Mcgrath

ah...miss those days!!

Well..if ur wondering what could be different in this one after having read loads of recaps.. i can assure u it aint too very different but without a shadow of doubt has to be the best phase of my life after the initial innocent childhood years.
My family moved into this new locality- Vidyaranyapura which was then absolutely unheard of. I was quite shocked when told that we were moving from PG Halli which was an amazing place in Bangalore not just for its location but also as it had almost all my best buddies from school in close proximity. After a lot of tears and convincing, we decided to move on March 9th 1996..India Pakistan Wc quarterfinal for the cricket minded (which includes urs truly)..

cable connection was ready even before i got there thanks to dad and after lunch we settled down for the match..next few days passed by sumhow coz of exams..and then came the acid test for vpura..the holidays!!..would i be able to spend time and find a set of pals..and find them i did..man a humongous number of friends all in the same age group with one big and common passion--cricket. Right from the outset it was pretty clear that cricket would be the one big unifying force there and we didnt let this go unnoticed..4-5 hours everyday with absolutely no other concerns..man, how i yearn for those days..!

acads and play were balanced quite beautifully and not once did mom have to come up with a "get back home..time for slogging" etc. time kept flying past and before i realized i was into engineering but the cricket hadnt changed 1 bit..matches galore were played with a newer and bigger set of friends around. I was the person to pull people to the ground and dint they flock to it. used to get up every sat and sun mornings at 6:30..mom kept saying- have u ever done that for ur exams..but then who wud hv ever felt like doin that for studies:D.. left home on mom's scooty..went to each friends house..shouted so loud that no man could still sleep..made umpteen fone calls and then went to the ground, cleaned it up of wud u believe any goddamn stuff that may have come in the way of cricket that day..if it had rained the previous day we guys did our bit to ensure that the drainage facilities were world class..lol

people would sometimes not turn up for the next 1.5-2 hrs and i would sometimes be a forlorn figure in the ground looked upon as a good for nothing guy who has no other thing to do except get to the groundd early morning and wake up every soul around...little did i care..all i cared about was getting a good game or 2 of cricket..slowly the other partners in crime--karthik, subhash, raghu(he deserves special mention for all the pains we usually went throught to bring him till the ground)..

the game used 2 start off at about 9 am most times and since we usually had about 16 guys, the test matches which we loved so much went on until about 12:30-1 pm and we were absolutely famished at the end..never did the rumbling stomachs deter the cricket enthu in us..when i finally did go back home after my dad and sis made atleast 2 trips to the ground to remind me there was a home i needed 2 get back 2, i was greeted by a bemused mom who had no idea how their son could be so crazy as to ignore the hunger and time and stay put in the ground since early mornin..i used 2 have a quick shower and gorge like i hadnt seen food for years..settle into the couch catchin up on some movie and soon it was time for dinner plans with friends..this was pretty much a regular occurrence through all 4 years of my BE..calls all thru evening and finally come to a decision by about 7-8 pm. Usual plan used 2 b to get to vivek's house or chu's house and then get to a dhaba sumwhr on ring road..rest of the guys from college would join by about 9-9:30 and the dinner would go on until about 1-2 am..there would still be time for the ice cream at corner house if we were done a tad early else it would be time to get back..kiran the companion on most occasions on the way back home..get blasted for always gettin back that late by mom/dad..

now..3 years later in the US..ive met a lot of frds here and had a great time..be it dinners, hanging out and also playing cricket etc...but the small joys that are associated with home and the friends there not to mention the ultimate joy of playing test cricket on weekends are never gonna come back and my heart longs for those days with every passing minute..!!

Why the five day game rules (me)!!

Why the five day game rules (me)!!

Very few events in ones life tend to influence them to the extent that their presence is sine qua non. Family, friends and a few episodes do occupy a special place in my heart, but I for one would go as far as elevating test match cricket to the same pedestal. Absurd though this may sound, this version of my favorite game has been the most alluring and captivating feature of the last 10-12 years and undoubtedly will be for years to come. It has quite easily kept me glued to the television screen when on air, to the newspapers for a thorough read and made me yearn for books galore to learn more. In the era of T-20 cricket when even the fifty over game seems painfully slow to most so called cricket fans, an ardent lover of the five day game (read ‘I’) have been branded an anachronism. Clichéd though it might be, the statement ‘old is gold’ is a very accurate one in this context. Its time I actually start reflecting on the reasons behind the greatness of test cricket and more specifically why I have been so drawn to it.

Among my group of friends, almost all of who are cricket fanatics, I am pretty much regarded a freak when it comes to cricket and its statistics. I have tried to recall when this sudden interest stemmed in me and have found it all too difficult to pinpoint the time from when I became cricket crazy. Test match cricket has been around for decades, 131 years to be precise. Unbelievably gifted players and fantastic teams have graced the arena over the years and surreal performances fill the memory. But one might justifiably ask- what is the difference between this game and the others? Nearly every game has its own elite set of heroes over the years and produces unforgettable moments. Test cricket though stands out in its ability to still thrill and enchant viewers like no other sport whilst retaining almost all its originality.

Typically, a test match spans five days and though this duration might seem a crazy idea to most sport lovers, it’s this very aspect of the game that helps in stand out. Three sessions constitute a day’s play and the start and end of each of them fills one with anticipation. Though moments of brilliance can and do often make the difference, more often than not it is continued consistency and endurance that separate the winning and losing teams. For a spectator and viewer, this is compelling watching. Not for a minute can a player afford to relax or drop guard as he knows all too well that the session and hence the game may hinge on that moment. The batsmen’s technique and bowlers’ skills are thoroughly examined and tremendous application, patience and focus is paramount for success in test cricket.

Test cricket has continued to enthrall players and viewers alike because of its purity. The game has managed to retain its pristine nature despite changes galore all round it. Statistics, controversies, records, memorable performances, amazing on field displays not to mention exceptional radio and television commentary and coverage of the game have all added gloss to the evergreen game. A number of fantastic books have been written by great cricket aficionados further enhancing its beauty.

Well, much as I do try to avoid for fear of fewer readers, no piece on test cricket can do justice to it if it is bereft of the history or statistics. So I shall try and provide a very brief summary of the game so far which also encompasses the reasons why the game stands tall in the pantheon of sports. Originally contested only between England and Australia, their rivalry came to be known as the ‘Ashes’ and their clashes don’t fail to woo the cricket viewer to this date. Other countries including India, South Africa, the West Indies also entered the fray, albeit a few decades later. The greatest player in the pre war period was Sir Donald Bradman of Australia who averaged a stupendous yet unreal 99.94 and is surely the greatest batsman statistically as long as the game survives. Also other exceptionally great players included the man who has the highest number of first class hundreds to date-Sir Jack Hobbs(Eng), the great run machine and fielder par excellence Walter Hammond(Eng) and two of the most consistent and brilliant bowlers to have played the game in Sid Barnes(Eng) and Clarrie Grimmett(Aus). The most controversial and ill tempered cricket contest before the world war was the infamous Bodyline series between Australia and England in 1932-33 when the English captain, in an attempt to stop the deluge of runs from Bradman embarked on what is known as the leg theory of bowling. This series has been all too well documented in books and also had a mini television series made. Reading about the bodyline series and getting a better picture of the situation then was a great boost to my ever increasing love for the game.

The post war period has had some of the best players, trendsetters, and fascinating contests ever witnessed. The West Indies rose to power slowly through the 1950’s and by the mid 1970’s after a few hiccups midway, they were well and truly the greatest team in the world. They revolutionized the game and had a galaxy of star batsman and virtually an assembly line of quality fast bowlers. They debunked the theory that a team needed spinners to perform well and their fast bowlers put fear in the mind of opposition batsmen for almost three decades. Some of the Caribbean greats include Sir Garfield Sobers, who has almost unanimously been chosen the greatest al rounder to have stepped on a cricket field, the 3 W’s (Worrell, Walcott, Weekes), Clive Lloyd- who captained a champion west Indian team which lorded the cricket world more than a decade, Sir Vivian Richards, inarguably the most exciting and destructive batsman to have played the game. They also had fast bowlers such as Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall, and Andy Roberts who terrorized batsmen the world over. West Indian cricket had in its culture a sense of gay abandon and a different kind of love for the game which readily made it the most loved cricket team all around. They transformed the way cricket was played and test cricket is without doubt indebted to them for this immeasurable contribution of theirs. Australia have been the most consistent team through all the years and since the mid 90’s regained the crown of champions from the declining west Indian outfit which has been in the doldrums ever since much to the chagrin of almost every cricket lover.

Wonderful commentators including John Arlott, Brian Johnston, Richie Benaud and many more have made cricket viewing on television a pleasure. Watching a test match being played down under early morning in India was a pleasure beyond comparison and I haven’t experienced a single event that matches that feeling. Players like Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, and Shane Warne shone bright and captured the minds of the cricket fan. I have been privileged to have been in an era when test match cricket has been at its glorious best and even more blessed to have been able to watch videos and read about the era gone by which undoubtedly set the tone for all the great stuff that followed.

I could as well go on and on writing about test cricket, professing my love for the game and glorifying it no end. But I would rather conclude thus if ever there is a thing called rebirth, I pray that I be reborn as a test cricketer.

Rewind--- 3 yrs in the US...

Well guys....the new blog has taken a while coming....its another 'boring' lookback, retrospective or wutever u call it at the last few years..got to the US of A in haste and amidst a lot of confusion sometime like late dec 2005.. since then, my life has taken turns aplenty..have met radically different people, had myriad experiences..some wonderful..some not so memorable..travelled all round the US..well almost!, ogled at pretty chicks and wondered why the lucky bum next to her cant be me...overall it aint so bad an experience as some may make it seem and also I should state in bold...certainly not as rosy as is projected...well before u guys start thinkin wut the hell this is all about..lemme tell u..its a summary of my life over the past few years..the effects of it are indelible and I have wondered many a time if I made the right decision..of course in hindsight everyone tends to make right choices..ok...its time to get to the bottom of things..

back in India..there was an uneasy feeling about the whole US voyage...though most factors related to the university and courses were all settled...things were still not in place..parents, mom especially was worrying herself every second about how I would manage with my not-so-adequate culinary skills..humongous number of purchases and visits to shopping malls preceded the big day...emotions filled the air..it took great courage for all of us to cut down on the tears and move on to the big moment...Ultimately, the 'man of the moment' got on to the flight and I fel sick in the pits of the stomach...for all that the USA had to offer..i cared a damn for it...my family wasnt going to be with me there and I had no goddamn interest in any of what was goin on.. Food wasnt going in and i felt like puking...somehow held on and decided to sleep...ahh sleep the best solution to most woes...sleep i did like i had been drugged and got up only once at heathrow and then slept again and woke up in chicago...well..even if i had watched a great deal of hollywood movies...the sudden change in culture hit me hard initially...people were friendly and receptive but the apprehension never ceased..delays and other obstacles went by and finally I was at the apartment which I had taken the greatest care to book in advance...the day was dec 31 2005...supposedly new year eve!!

well...as u might have guessed already..i dozed away through the whole of 31st and got up late into 1st jan 2006...one hell of a new year bash...slowly picked myself up and got to terms with where i was...my roomie was a gem...he did help in every way possible and gave me maps and directions to my uinversity which was..well the reason i had gotten to the US in the first place.. visiting the univ seemed to be the last thing on my mind...but the need to access the internet and chat with my parents and sis gave me the energy to go..winter and snow were deterrents but I braved these many a day for that half hour of 'virtual' love and affection..one of these days was when i chanced to meet Sathya who was to change my stay in Kansas forever...never did i think i should speak to some stranger on the road but getting lost wasnt on top of my wishlist...so i did inquire about the way to the apartment and after a smattering of English from both...we thankfully realized that Tamil was the common mother tongue..wasnt that a hell of a relief..? He asked me to get to his apartment and introduced me to each of his friends (thankful especially to have met JD)..I bought a laptop and a phone soon which are in the US was as essential as may i say underwear... nice roomies and a host of great friends around helped in some smooth sailing through the initial turbulent months...

wouldnt wanna speak 2 much about the academic front except that most things went in order..got an RA (abbrev for research assistantship) which was more than useful...got paid well..no fees..wow! suddenly this was life...friends, cricket (Indians..wut do u xpect).. but sadly the one thing amiss was a chick..kidding!..one of my best frds...cka visited me at lawrence in summer and it was an amazing feeling to meet someone who had been with me throughout the last few months in india and had shared many a common experience..decided to meet good ol' frd Kiri and the about to land Maddy in Syracuse...had a gr8 time in syracuse and made a trip to New york and niagara...summer had culminated in the best possible way with me booking a ticket to India in december...

The next few months went by rapidly...all that was on my mind was me goin to india..made a couple of short trips and one memorable one to rolla to meet cka with jd and sathya...went to chicago and had a gr8 time during thanksgivin.... India shopping had begun in full swing and I for one was not the one to hold abck expecially not on the first trip back home...meeting my dear family beckoned and i bought loads of stuff...cka and maddy were coming too.. it was goin 2 b a hell of a jolly time..

sumhow got thru the trauma of travelling by gulf air..with all its delays and sad timings..reached home and the joy that was visible on my parents' and sis's faces cannot be described...got home..hogged like I had been in somalia for years...met my adorable granny who was a huge repository of knowledge and without doubt my greatest inspiration when it came to studying our culture and mythology etc...met up with most relatives..visit to Tirupati with cka..Viv was leaving to the US just like I had the previous year...so spendin quality time with him was paramount..and i did manage 2 squeeze time for tht..overall a really awesome time in india..

got back 2 the US and bak 2 the 'grind'(lol)..trust me...a Masters is a joke..atleast i thot so...did lesser work than my B.E.. a pretty good semester w.r.t trips again...a simple amazin trip 2 florida full of escapades and gud memories..met all old-school buddies..a trip of a lifetime to the west indies for the cricket world cup ended in a fiasco!

on the academic front...brought out a research paper-just 2 show my nerdy side as well.. and..as a reward for that..took off on a trip to california...had a great time and simple loved the bay area and LA...and after this embarked on another india trip...people mus b thinkin wut the hell i've jus been upto in the US..:D

and this time the whole india trip was a surprise...beautifully planned and executed with precision..sumhow the loopholes din give it away...family was shocked and it was a fantastic month and half...got my LASIK done and no more specks for me..my long standing companion of 20 yrs was gone..sigh!

back 2 the US..finishin up the degree...job hunt and etc etc...thats a diff story and a sad one at tht..don wanna mix that with these gr8 times...:D

Tribute to a genius

‘A stroke of genius’- A phrase that perfectly describes the charismatic Brian Lara who in 15 years has effortlessly set and reset records galore while keeping the cricket lovers spellbound by taking the art of batsmanship to dizzy heights.

Brian Lara was always destined to be a great batsman even before he was picked for the test series against Pakistan in 1991. He had scored heavily in the domestic competition and his talent was spotted by the great Michael Holding who remarked that Lara must be picked first and then the remaining 10 players.

Living up to the enormous hype and huge expectations of the fans was never going to be an easy task even for a short period of time, let alone for more than a decade, but the Prince from Trinidad has done all this and more in a manner others can only dream of.

Hailing from the W.I, Lara had the huge burden of constantly being compared with his illustrious peers which included the incomparable Sir Garry Sobers and perhaps the most destructive batsman to have played the game in Viv Richards whom he actually replaced after the former retired. Like Sir Garry Sobers, Lara took some time to score his first century, but when it finally came in his 6^th test, it was an unforgettable knock drawing comparisons with Sobers’s brilliant 365 against Pakistan.

West Indies were playing Australia in what was regarded as the unofficial World Test Championship. The W.I team was still a good team but the juggernaut image seemed a thing of the past. Australia, under Border had taken a 1-0 lead going into the Sydney test and with 3 matches to go it was going to be an uphill task for the tourists. The difficulties were compounded further when the Aussies amassed 503 in their 1^st innings. In reply the W.I were tottering after the loss of a couple of early wickets and with the wicket aiding turn, facing Shane Warne wasn’t going to be easy. Lara, with Richie Richardson for company proceeded to score a stupendous 277 showcasing his entire repertoire of strokes. He was finally run out which seemed to be the only way he could have been dismissed, but not before the W.I scored 606 and earned a creditable draw. They went on to win the series including the triumph at Adelaide in a thriller with Lara making a crucial contribution. This was only a sample of the things to follow.

The summer of 1994 was marked by England’s visit to the Caribbean. Lara at his sumptuous best treated the England bowling with disdain and in the final test at Antigua, he scored a world record score of 375 out of a team score of 591 in the process surpassing the legendary Sobers. The innings was chanceless and was characterised by delicate late cuts, scorching drives, rasping cut shots and murderous pulls including one to claim the record.

If one thought this was the pinnacle of his career and that these achievements couldn’t be bettered, they were proved completely wrong. In a glittering first class season for Warwickshire he proceeded to score 7 centuries in 8 innings in an almost Bradmanesque fashion. This fascinating run culminated in a mammoth 501 n.o against an unfortunate Durham side thus resulting in him becoming the highest individual scorer in first class innings going past Hanif Mohammed’s 499.

Lara was magnificent during 1995 especially against England for whom he always reserved special treatment. He scored 3 centuries in the series thus firmly establishing him as the greatest batsman playing then. His career had till then been a near perfect one but then the excessive adulation of fans, overbearing expectations and pressure got to him and lead to a loss of form which resulted in the W.I relinquishing the Frank Worrell trophy to the Aussies under Mark Taylor. This was the beginning of the end of West Indian domination and this was clearly very disappointing to him.

Lara was equally brilliant in the shorter version of the game and had the unique ability to come up with crucial knocks like the one in the finals against Pakistan in Sharjah and none more vital than the century in the 1996 world cup quarter finals against South Africa. This was one of the most brilliant comebacks as earlier in the tournament West Indian cricket had reached its nadir in their shocking defeat at the hands of lowly Kenya. The team had to incur the wrath of its supporters and the harsh criticism of former players. Lara decided to respond in style and though he began shakily taking about 22 balls to get his first boundary, he was soon in his elements taking apart the famed S.A attack and went on to score a brilliant 111 leading his team to victory. This innings was full of strokes characterised by his customary flair and unmatched elegance.

'There is no genius where there is no flaw'- This adage seemed to be the very description of Lara’s career. He astonished everyone with his magical batting one day and then suddenly he seemed completely unconcerned and aloof. He was going through a trough in his personal form and the team which almost solely depended on his batting was in the doldrums. He decided that he should take a break which would be beneficial to him and the team and thus went through a 4 month self imposed exile. He then returned from his layoff and continued to score runs consistently but the team’s fortunes plummeted continually.

It was the 1998-99 season and Steve Waugh’s rampant Aussie team visited the Caribbean supremely confident that they could retain the Frank Worrell trophy without breaking a sweat as they were up against one of the weakest West Indian teams. The series began at Lara’s hometown in Port of Spain. The hosts were skittled out for 51 and lost by a massive margin of over 350 runs. The entire team and especially Lara were subjected to all kinds of criticism and the morale was at an all time low.

What followed was almost beyond belief. Lara decided to take the Aussies on all by himself and proceeded to score a fantastic 213 at Kingston and the W.I leveled the series at 1-1. The series moved to Barbados and after an evenly contested 3-4 days, W.I were set an arduous task of scoring 309 against the quality Aussie attack. They were staring down the barrel at 105/5 when Jimmy Adams joined Lara. Lara unleashed all his trademark classical strokes and combining them with his twinkling footwork kept the W.I in the hunt. But as was the case with the brittle W.I middle order often, they collapsed to 240/8 leaving Lara only the tailenders in Ambrose and Walsh for company, not exactly an inspiring situation.

The Aussies felt they had the match in the bag. But Lara had other ideas and in a thrill a minute partnership with Ambrose with the latter stoically holding ground he added a vital 50 odd runs when suddenly Ambrose was dismissed. Courtney Walsh walked in and almost all hope was lost as he had to face Gillespie who was bowling beautifully. But in one of the most hilarious yet effective efforts, he managed to stave off the bowling of Gillespie and Glenn Mcgrath. Lara meanwhile hammered a couple of boundaries and finally with a scorching drive off Gillespie, finished on 153 n.o and managed to pull off an improbable win. The cricketing world rose in unison to applaud the left handed maestro’s Herculean efforts in single handedly restoring his team’s dwindling fortunes and salvaging the pride of a rich cricket tradition.

Lara was not yet finished in the series. In Antigua, he raced to a quite breathtaking 100 off 84 balls caning the famed Aussie bowling though Australia managed to square the series. These awe-inspiring performances of Lara were rightly given due recognition by Wisden and the 153 was voted the 2^nd best innings of all time.

As was the case with his career so often a high was followed by a grey patch. He had a run of poor scores and the team was hammered 5-0 by Australia and S.A. He decided to take moral responsibility for the debacle and resigned as captain.

In 2001, W.I visited Sri Lanka and were drubbed 3-0. But this in no way reflected Lara’s superhuman effort in the series. He single handedly took on the Lankan attack which included the off spin wizard Muralitharan and amassed a monumental 688 runs in 3 tests including 3 hundreds and a 200. He alone accounted for 42% of the team’s runs and this clearly showed that Lara was truly the best and this was testified by Murali.

A relatively ordinary couple of years followed though he did make some sizable scores during the period. In 2004 against England at Antigua, he waded into the attack and scored a mind boggling 400 in a single innings overtaking Matthew Hayden’s 380 to reclaim the world record exactly 10 years after he had scored the 375 at the same venue. He had a fantastic series against S.A and Pakistan making 4 hundreds in the process. He also has 5 hundreds in 2005 which has firmly placed him in the pantheon of all time greats. Recently in the 3^rd test against Australia, he scored a magnificent 226 and went past Allan Border as the highest run getter in the history of the game which was just another record in his glittering career. He later modestly said that it was a reward for his long service he had rendered to W.I cricket.

Inevitably any game always involves comparisons with contemporary stars and past greats and cricket is certainly no exception. Lara may not have the remarkable consistency of Don Bradman , the natural gifts that Sobers possessed or the swagger and presence of Viv Richards. He may not have the fan following nor the temperament of Sachin Tendulkar or the dogged determination of Steve Waugh, but he is blessed with a remarkable eye and quicksilver footwork which when combined with his gift of timing and his appetite for huge scores makes him one of the most exciting batsmen to have played the game. He has the ability to set the pulse racing the moment he steps in to bat and the sense of anticipation never ceases. He is not a batsman from whom one can expect anything beforehand but one whose magical skills are at the command of his mind and his mood. When he is in the right frame of mind and has the mood, he conjures up performances way beyond even the imagination of other players. There is no better batsman to watch in cricket when he is on song and he can certainly be regarded as one of the best to have played.

There may be numerous flaws in him like his carefree attitude, questionable temperament and mood swings but as is the case with most geniuses, these flaws are completely overshadowed by his extraordinary talent, insatiable thirst for runs, his divine footwork and sublime stroke play.

Brian Charles Lara is certainly an invaluable treasure to the game of cricket and millions of fans across the globe and will certainly be immortalized in Cricket Hall of Fame for the sheer joy and entertainment value he has provided consistently to all cricket aficionados.