In the end, the broken pieces of a legendary cricketer will come together, if it doesn't its not the end yet ! - The ramblings of a Sachin Fan

A single Indian victory brings in harmony. A single Indian loss brings in anarchy. As the estranged love affair between media and cricket continues, the normal cricket fan is put under the pressure to differentiate his thought from what he feels and what he is made to feel. Why is that, on a spin friendly track, the entire focus has been made to shift from the poor showing of the spinners to the poor showing of a single batsman? A frail hearted cricket fan might have got consumed, with media butchering an inimitable cricket legend in the name of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. The average fan might feel that, Sachin's off-field defense is getting as scratchy as his on-field defense. But hold I'm no diplomat, I'm a cricket fan & Sachin Tendulkar is my god. 

Any belief worth having must survive doubt. My belief on Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has not only survived doubt, but has also managed to massacre it. Its not because he's got the numbers behind him, but its a simple fact that, he's thought us on how one person can carry the hopes of a billion people over a decade or two. Every single day of his life there are expectations. And no one can be blamed for that apart from himself. He has set the standard sky high, that even a small error looks magnificent. Even while so much is happening around him, it is so easy for a person to get consumed by the situation. But all this man does is, walk up to the nets without paying much heed to the hoopla, knock a few deliveries with pristine concentration. Often the question arises, "Why does he still have to play cricket? He's achieved every single thing possible!." The answer I'd give to that is, he's still learning and he will always continue to learn. Being a keen student of the game you love the most, throws age out of equation.

To be fair, he knows the value of this game much more than any cricketer who has ever played this game. The value is just not about the sport and how it is played. The value of it is how much you are able to carry apart from just a sport. Often people and pundits wonder, why Sachin is not treated the same way, other legends were treated from other countries. To put things under perspective, Cricket is a sport across the globe, but not in India. It is a religion here. A healthy percentage of the billion population, under any circumstance will have something or the other to chat about cricket, every single day of their lives. When it is considered as a religion, everybody consumes it. You can't help it if cricket is more emotional than rational in our country. Every cricket follower in India, is just not a fan, he's a captain, he's a selector, he's an umpire, he's a fielder, he's the referee, he's the curator and he assumes almost every singe role available in the sport. With almost a billion people like this in our country, spare a thought the amount of pressure that is stuffed on a single personality, each and every time he walks into the field. A good part of his career, he's carried the weight of a billion, no other sportsperson in any sport in the world has manage to do that. Ganguly, Dravid, Laxman and many other contemporaries are no doubt legends, but they did not carry the same baggage or the expectation that Sachin carried all these years every single time he stepped onto the cricket field.  

 

 

 

How many times have there been emotional uproars during the midst of an important cricketing series? But why is there such a mood swing in the cricket fan's mind? A century can make you glitter over night and a failure can make you look worse than a puff of dust. Like Krisnamachari Srikkanth rightly put it, why would you want to postmortem a performance even before its completely so openly? Why would you want to make yourself susceptible to unwarranted criticism? Along with the soup, the media needs just a spark of warmth to ignite the entire situation and elevate it to an altogether new level. Their concern is morphed with commercialism. Their debates are like what the Joker says in Dark Knight - "I know why you decide to have you little "group therapy" sessions in broad day light." Ultimately you've got to be sensitive to the situation and see what is on top of the priority list to discuss. Whether its an entire team failing to live upto the expectations or the focus needs to be shifted to a legend having an elongated rough patch in the climatic stages of his career. 

 

 

 

Sachin Tendulkar himself has recently stated that htere is not much cricket left in him. He might be god on the field, but he's still a human off the field. He has come to terms that the final stages of his razzmatazz filled cricket career is coming to a close. You've just got to give him his time. You may wonder, why other players were asked to leave unceremoniously? Is Sachin so special? The answer to that is an obvious YES! Sachin is special. He's just not another cricketer. The problem people are identifying with Sachin is that he's growing old and he's thereby holding the position of an upcoming talent. Which cricketer doesn't have a rough patch in their lives? Sahcin's has been treated as god all these years, and people are not able to accept when god makes a human error. That is the dilemma between the heart and the mind. Without getting too emotional about this, lets take it by the step. Coming to terms with the current Indian batting set up, India are a batsman driven team. But who are the people in form? Gambhir - No. Sehwag - No. Pujara - Yes. Kohli - almost Yes. Yuvraj - No. Sachin - No. Dhoni - No. So technically you are just talking about 2 people in prime form, and this stage a wise cricket fan would back experience than to try something out of the box and lose even the little respect that is still hinging on the famed batting line up.

 

 

Sachin Tendulkar, you either love him or hate him. If you love him, keep the faith. If you hate him, keep the doubt. Both of these feelings are bound to bring back the best from him. Lets not drive him to an unceremonious retirement. Atleast he deserves to be sent of in style. A lot of questions have been raised about the selectors role in such a situation. Its not the question of the selectors having the guts to go and talk it out with Sachin Tendulkar, but its just that they unanimously believe that he's a player of such capability, who will take a call on his own when the time is ripe. A lot may call this the timidness of the selectors, but full marks to them if they have respected the decision making power of a single individual, thats the only tribute that they can provide this living legend. Frankly no one can push him to retirement or change his fate. Only he has the capability to decide his own fate, because he has written it all by himself till date.    
 

Is Walmart coming to the streets ? - A stroll into a chai shop

Here's my blog first blog over the last 6 months. Not Laxman's retirement; Not Yuvraj Singh's comeback; Not the World T20; Not the champions league. A non-cricket blog after a long time. Don't be afraid. This blog, for a change, doesn't feature even an ounce of cricket in it. But I guess I have an interesting experience to narrate.  

Its an ongoing debate about Walmart's entry into India. I'm not a pundit to be commenting on the nuances of their entry into India. But there is a small incident that makes me think if Walmart is really coming to the streets. Nothing negative about the statement, though it might just sound that way.

I came across something really interesting, at the same time mildly alarming. A couple of days earlier, while is I was mulling over a few personal issues and how to overcome them, something hard stuck me in my already jammed mind. So what do you do generally when your mind is stuck about something? The most safest and logical solution for any chennai-ite, is to walk up to the nearest tea stall, preferably empty, order for a cuppa chai and aimlessly rant about some solution in your mind. By the time you finish contemplating which way to approach the solution, the chai glass is almost empty. And the following act will unsurprisingly be to order another cup of chai. If there's a thought that makes you wonder whether this is unusual, here's is a common phenomena if you have studied in a boys college in Chennai. It was just a mere hangover from the past, traces of the time when you weren't really sure about what was coming up next in life. While a sense of restlessness set in, here walk a couple of people straight at the owner of the chai shop. It was getting to that part of the day, where a chai wala would just give you a disgusting stare when asked for a cup of tea, as if he was doing us a favor. If he had such a mindset towards his customers, you can imagine his reactions towards random promoters.

As these 2 gentlemen walked into the already small setting of a chai shop, a normal middle aged customer storms into the shop with sweat and irritation on his face. When you look at people like these, you often wonder if he had missed a meeting with Obama or he just missed beating Bolt's record by a micro second. This middle aged man looked a bit decent but seemed to have a sense of mistimed curiosity. As I'm sitting in the corner, well into my second cup of chai, I slowly start paying attention to the conversation between the shop owner and the marketing personnel. That guy looked 25, a bit proactive and a lot provocative. So I assumed it was one of those random promoters who was trying to sell his products in vain to a mildly rigid and arrogant chai shop owner. I turned away from their conversation worrying about my second cup of chai which was getting cold, even without me finding a start to my solution.

As I was sipping into my depleting tea, I heard a frail voice say "We are from Walmart" (translated text). All of a sudden, my importance towards my chai was replaced by my curiosity towards the voice I heard. My sudden change of attention was keenly noticed by this middle aged man sitting opposite to me. Without paying much heed to my surroundings, I deeply followed that conversation. The guy from Walmart explains the following " We are coming from walmart, it is supposed to be the worlds biggest retail store. Now they are venturing into India. Have you ever heard of Walmart sir?." The shop owner looked really confused and apprehensive. After a long thought, he says "Yes." It was clear to me that he was listening to the name of this retail giant for the very first time in his life. The promoter continues by talking about the positives of Walmart and about how they are planning to open up a store in a massive area of 6 acres. He was trying to explain to a simpleton, the real weight behind Walmart. The owner was not a bit amused by this random promoter and an unheard retail chain. 

Ok, here is what the promoter was trying convey to the shop owner. He was trying to explain, how one can get every single need of the shop, under one roof at an insanely subsidized price point. The Walmart apparently offers a card for all the retailers around the city, free of cost. That card makes the shop eligible for the inflow of Walmart supplies. He later added that as a shop owner, all he had to do is give a call whenever he needs to restock, and the supplies from Walmart would reach his store in quick time. The promoter pulled out his file and showed how many shops have already enrolled with Walmart from the very same street. I thought that was being aggressively smart. But did the shop owner budge? Even before I could run that thought in my mind, the middle aged man sitting opposite to me enters the conversation with a bang. "They have come here also, to destroy us and our shops. Never fall into the trap. They have to be thrown away from our country." The shop owner, the promoter and myself, from various points, sharply turned our heads towards him.

The questions that popped in my mind were varied after I heard that. "Who is this guy?"; "Where did this guy come from?"; "Does he know what Walmart is?"; "What's his problem?"; "Is he correct?"; "Is he wrong?". But I paused for a moment and quickly rewound my questions and I realized that he was one of those persons, who sits at the bench of a chai shop ranting endlessly about the various news he spots in the free newspaper he reads. The conversation continued, so did my attention towards them. The shop owner told the Walmart promoter, that he was happy with the way his original supplier was dealing with him and he is not interested in any other third party. The promoter put forward many questions in his bid to convince the shop owner to enroll with Walmart. The owner even tried saying that the shop did not have a license and they are running it illegally. Even for that, the promoter came up with another option to convince him. All the promoter needed, was to get a address proof and disburse the membership card to the shop owner. The transaction might sound simple, but the process is a painstaking one.

The exchange of words continued for a couple of laps, but the promoters efforts went in vain. The shop owner literally sent them out of the shop and he looked a relieved man once he sent them out. As I was still trying to grasp the mood, the shop owner turned towards me and gave me a look filled with disapproval. He thought even I knew nothing about Walmart, thanks to my messy hair; thick beard; shabby shorts and pair of loose flip flops, even the little bit sanity I had in me was hidden. My tea was over; Didn't find solutions to my problem; But that exchange made me think. 

Without critically digging too deep into the financial and economic aspects of this suave upsurge of Walmart, my passerby notes is as follows:

Walmart is silently slipping into the grass roots of our retail market. Not too sure, if their professionalism into slicing up the market needs to be appreciated or attacked. With this, it may be safe to say that Walmart is not only for the 'Pure customer', but they are also turning the small retails into that category. This might be a switch, which has the potential to demolish an entire eco-system, which seems content and self sufficient atleast in the lower segment of retails. The concept of credit buying may soon be out of the window, if this trend continues. Well, its for the pundits to carry a complete autopsy of this situation. But I never fancied Walmart literally coming to the streets !

IPL: The top 10 statements that punctuated my IPL

After a grueling couple of months, cricket might have left you gasping for breath. An Over-dose of sorts makes you want a break from some cricketing action. But having followed the IPL religiously, that's a hangover that will disappear soon. When India gets back to action, while Dhoni & Raina play in blue, you cant help but to think about this pair clad in yellow. When Sunil Narine bowls to Gautham Gambhir in the T20 world cup, the thought of KKR vs KKR can't escape your mind. Well, that's the side effect of one heavy dose of the Indian Premier League.

But there are many things that would have crossed your mind while watching this season of the Indian Premier League. IPL would have been a part of your daily conversation. The following are the top 10 statements, in no particular order, which was part of my conversation with various people, during the length of the IPL.   

1. It's all fixed !

The moment you see a result go against what you feel, the instant reaction is, "It's all fixed." Be it a strong team losing to a lesser mortal; Be it the best of fielders dropping sitters; Be it strategic decisions gone awfully wrong. Its so easy to say that it's fixed. The next question that immediately rises - "Why watch it then ?" You might not be able to come up with the best of answers to it. That's simply because you feel that the cricket played in the IPL is too good to be true. But this is where cliched phrases of Ravi Shasthri finally emerges true - "Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties."  Fixed or not, you certainly are hooked onto it. You'll crib, cry, whine, abuse or even close your eyes, but I'm sure that you'd still be tempted to mildly split your fingers & watch it hypocritically. That's how addictive this IPL can get. Even if you feel it's fixed, you'll still watch it !

2. How can they lose this one ?!

Truth is stranger than fiction. Don't believe me? Continue reading. 14 runs required off 3 balls; 45 runs required of 12 balls; 5 runs required off 1 ball; 21 runs required off 6 balls. 5 years back you would blindly put your money on the bowling team. But in this IPL, all the above results & many more humdingers have been achieved much to the disbelief of the bowlers who landed those deliveries, batsman who murdered those deliveries & of course all the people who were witnessing it. This often makes you wonder , "How on earth can they lose that match?" With not much time for the scars to heal, the unattended wound tends to resurface on a similar scenario. It has been the case for many teams this season, that leaves you with a thought "Anyone can lose from anywhere!" Ultimately you've got to give credit to the batsmen who have achieved his mission impossible.

3. Where did you come from man ?! 

 

In a game of chess, just after you've removed the queen, the knights, the bishops & a rookie, of the opposition, how would you feel if a bunch of pawns present you with a checkmate ?! Thats how a bunch of unknowns threatened the opposition & caught them napping in this edition of the IPL. Someone like a Mandeep Singh or a Parvinder Awana, might not be the most destructive players, but they certainly proved that they have the power to threaten & demoralize you. Sunil Narine was one such mystery magician, this season. He might have foregone a prospective national debut, but he's certainly made heads turn towards him purely by his craft. But the question "Where did you come from man?" is best suited for 2 occasions this season. Delhi Daredevils asks Murali Vijay after the 2nd PlayOff; Chennai SuperKings asks Manvinder Bisla after the Finals. Truly, where the hell did you come from man ?! 

4. IPL is full of controversies

"I'd prefer to watch SRK during an IPL game rather than on screen" is what one famous celebrity quoted recently. IPL has been controversy's latest child. With claims of fixing, cases of molestation, ugly brawls, retractable bans, this season of IPL has never been short of off-field action. Though you'd say "IPL is full of controversies", with a disgusted look on your face, I'm sure many such people who make those statements are the ones who bask & thrive gossiping on those controversies. With a property which has created a stand-still in the sporting arena, controversies are bound to happen. Even though its a lot of negative publicity, I wouldn't think to say that, these controversies adds more commercial value to the brand of IPL. Spider man's uncle once said "With great power comes great responsibility." Looks like IPL has taken a leaf out of his book & altered it in its own style - " With great controversies come great commercialism"  

5. This has been the best IPL season 

 Off the last 5 seasons, this in my view has been the best IPL season so far. That's because the defending champions, Chennai Super Kings, had much more than just one competitor. In all the other editions, there were only a few teams which looked like contenders & CSK would breeze though. But this time around, barring Pune Warriors & Deccan Chargers, every other team looked threatening. CSK's inconsistency & the rise of KKR & DD meant that every team had to really fight out for their spot in the play-offs. The mid table scramble between Mumbai, Bangalore, Rajasthan, Punjab & Chennai continued throughout the league phase & extended until the last game was played. There were as many as 14 last ball/last over finishes in this edition of the IPL. Generally there is a lull in the middle phase of the IPL, but this around 76 games in 54 days just flew leaving you gasping for breath.

6. What will I do at 8 pm after IPL ?

For all the IPL addicts, 8pm is never going to be the same anymore. After finishing a tired day at work or tuition, the last 2 months have provided some mind-numbing action. It was almost part of our routine to get back home to a TV with the blaring commentary or crowd cheer. You may now surrender the remote to people in your house who were deprived of their daily dose of soapy serials for the last 54 days. The temptation to switch to SET MAX is inevitable to see whether there are any traces IPL. Sadly we've got to tune ourselves to the lack of IPL action & improve our productivity atleast for the next 10 months before we are bombarded with the next IPL.

7. How the hell does this work ? 

Though the experience of watching IPL games live from the stadium is exhilarating, for the people who wanted to beat the heat & enjoy the games on HD, up close with a glass of chilled beer & a group of friends, it has been an equally exciting experience. Apart from the usual dose of funky ads & the never ending Extraaa Innings, the match viewing experience was enhanced by 2 stand-out technological advances. The Spider cam & the Super Slow motion footage. For the people who wonder how one camera can keep floating around the ground, the axis of the spider cam is fixed to the various poles of the flood lights & the camera man handles this cam with a couple of joysticks on the ground. That gives a complete 360 degrees view of the ground, as this cam gives us pictures from any position of the ground, right from the bird's eye view of the stadium to the umpires head. The Super Slow-Mo footage, which captures more than 1000 frames per second, clearly shows every muscle that moves which catching a ball, hitting a shot or even the swaying hair of the cheer leaders.

8. I've never seen such a shot

Necessity is the mother of all inventions. With the advent of T20 format, cricket has no other way than to embrace the innovation that's currently taking place. With a plethora of shots being played, you often wonder whether you've seen such a shot before. The Dil-scoop, reverse-sweep over the keepers head. switch-hit, helicopter shot, french cut, bravo's bazooka & much more are just a handful of crazy shots that have been showcased in this IPL. More than resisting the legality of such shots, you've got to give it to the players who have more less mastered such shots with exemplary practice & timing. Equate this to a special move that every fighter has in Mortal Kombat, you'd realize that batsman too have special powers.     

9. What's wrong with him ?

 This Indian summer has been touted as one of the most hottest in recent history. The temper & temperature, both on & off the field has been quite erratic. With players losing their cool at the drop their hat, the previous IPL seasons were not as hot as this. The culprit guilty in such a case was majorly the Mumbai Indians. It all started with Munaf Patel & Harbhajan Singh almost strangling the umpire for a review of Sangakkara's dismissal. With Munaf smiling while being hit for boundaries & shouting at instance of a misfield, you cant help but to think that he was struck by 'Bi-polar disorder.' Ambati Rayadu in an other instance extended his heroics off the field against Harsh Patel splattering a few words in anger. Ravi Ashwin was also not too pleased with Steven Smith in an effort to 'Mankad' the latter. The war of words continued between Mahela Jayawardena & Gautham Gambhir on a tricky decision which went in favor of the former, where the umpires had to split the bout. Though the tempers fray, at times it did seem a bit unnecessary. But no complaints, we're always ready for a spat !    

10. No da Sidhu !  

While there was so much happening on the field, the pre match & post match programs featuring Navjot Singh Sidhu often left you with a smirk or even changing the channels. No doubt about his credentials to churn out impromptu poems, but at times it did seem a bit mundane & fist clenching. With 'In-studio' cheerleaders & hosts desperately trying their best to keep the cricket & glam quotient in balance, 'Sherry Pa'  seldom gave a chance to the other guests to opine throwing the balance out of sorts. His comparisons have lost the wit & more often than not doesn't fit the situation that he wants to address, prompting you to say "No da Sidhu !"


Bottom Line - Love it or Hate it, IPL is the mother of all forms of entertainment. This Buffet can never get exhausted.

Cricket is just another brick in this wall

There was and is only one Rahul Dravid. There can be no other. I will miss Rahul in the dressing room and out in the middle" - Sachin Tendulkar

His character on-field is a clear resonance of his character off-field. Always filled with grit, power, resilience, fight, responsibility, concentration, temperament, confidence and self belief. The most meticulous person who is entitled to be an ambassador of this gentleman's game in the modern era. The only Indian cricketer I know who speaks the same brand of cricket he plays.

The writing can be on the wall, but the wall can never be written off. The value of a human performing a miracle is more awed when compared to god performing one. The key difference a human brings is, the value added by the amount of practice, hard work, concentration and dedication to get there, is far more creditable as it can be witnessed through human eye. In spite of that, that feat is not considered something extraordinary because its after all performed by a human. In cricket, Sachin has always been a god and Dravid has always been a human.

If you count every single strand of hair in your body, it will equal to the number of times Dravid's brilliant  performances has been overshadowed by others. If you count every single wink of your eyes, it will equal to the number of times Dravid stood up tall like a wall to save India from trouble. Mr. Dependable is such a massive responsibility to shoulder. Though no credit can be taken away from Tendulkar, In true fairness, Dravid has performed that role with more aplomb and consistency. Having said that he's by far one of the best catalyst India could ever get. In such a position, his amalgamations with Sachin, Sourav and especially Laxman have created their own distinctive chemistry, a sense of aura and a feeling of nostalgia.

In the last few years, he's had to twine in both the opener's role as well as the most important position in any batting order at No.3, given the performance of Indian openers in the recent past have been dismal. He hasn't complained because he takes that as an opportunity and not as a threat. This warrior has created his own style of waging a battle against all odds. An inimitable style of stubborn resilience who stands even when everything around him is in ruins; who doesn't get deterred even while chaos prevails around him; who uses his cricket bat as his mouth piece to answer critics. His in-depth knowledge of the game, techniques and his ability to analyze situations puts this man a class apart. The Bradman's oration was quite a hair raising experience, with every word making so much of sense aided with his subtle sense of humor. No one else could have pulled such an intense speech with a thin thread of worry, concern, sarcasm & the future of cricket threaded into the Bradman's oration.   

Rahul was thoroughly used for the growth of indian cricket. He traveled the batting order at the demand of any situation. He was used as a stop gap keeper to fit an extra batsman into the line up. At times of desperation he was also asked to turn his arm over. When the openers failed, the faith was put on him and more often than not he has replied rather powerfully. He has not only been a 'wall' in batting, but also proved to be a wall among the tremors of BCCI. There was a time when haters spat on the wall, kicked it, drilled it, and even tried to decimate it, but the wall wouldn't budge. The haters then got tired and leaned on the same wall for rest, because they had no other place to go to. That's magnanimity for you and more importantly that's Rahul Dravid for you.

If 16 years of his cricket can give me a high, I'd be more than happy to fall into a trance. But the importance of the high is only valued when it disappears leaving you gasping for more. Let me tell you friends, cricket is just another brick in this wall. He transcends beyond that. Guess the time has come for a cricket museum to be built with nothing in it but for the walls. I'm grateful to this sport for churning out such a valuable gem and cricket is a clear winner for having him. I'm proud to be a Dravidian

SHADY CRICKET - An attempt at satire, sarcasm & simply cricket

"I hate using the WEB."

Michael Clarke not an avid member of the social networking community

"Retiring? Oh wait, India is coming."

Mark Boucher might announce his retirement after the England series

"Did we just play worse than India?"

Brendon McCullum is devastated after being white washed by South Africa

"What - more does Pakistan need?"

Dav Whatmore has been newly appointed as the head coach for the Pakistan cricket team

"I hate you, like I love you"

M.S.Dhoni & Virender Sehwag's "miscommunication" led to an apparent rift within the team.

"Rested is the new dropped."

Virendar Sehwag - This dashing opening batsman was 'rested' for the upcoming Asia cup due to an injury.

"Bottlenecks are barred in my cricket."

Jesse Ryder - Axed from the New zealand team for indiscipline after getting involved in a brawl at a pub.

"Middling the finger and the ball."

Virat Kohli - Showing his middle finger after being agitated by some Australian fans.

"Missed-bah Ul Haq."

Misbah-Ul-haq - Missed a simple winning opportunity in the recently concluded T20 match against England.

"I should get there before you"

Arjun Tendulkar & Sachin Tendulkar - Son takes a dig at his legendary father on getting to the most jinxed landmark.

"Even my head is spinning after playing Saeed Ajmal"

Andrew Strauss & the English team were left clueless against Saeed Ajmal through the entire series.

Ponting's uninhibited style of captaincy made Australia monopolize the game.

"The strength of the group is the strength of the leaders."

The powerful dominance of Australia in cricket for the last 2 decades can be mainly contributed to their captains. Various players, various situations, various combinations, various conflicts, but the results have always pointed towards victory. The consistency at which, Team Australia kept winning games, made them the invincible for the last 20 years. Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh & Ricky Ponting have been the pillars of Australian cricket, in the way they have led their teams. Their approach towards the game & captaincy have been distinctly different, but the focus on results have been brutally cultivated on the players, which is to win. A team having a motto "Perform to play", has never derailed from its strict axing policy, irrespective of the past glories & the players greatness. Cricket Australia has been very clear that, they live in the present and play for the future. This ruthless axe hasn't seemed to have missed, one of the all time greats - Ricky Ponting, at least in the one day format.

Ricky Thomas Ponting, has been a pioneer for Australian cricket & is one of the best captains, that the world could see. The past of Ponting stands testimony for his greatness. The past also includes the recently concluded series against India, where he looked at his supreme best. He was under tremendous pressure to perform before the series began, but "Punter" answered his critics in his own inimitable style, by scoring runs. He amassed a staggering 535 runs in 4 tests, including a double century & a score of above 150. That's when he really fought for his place in the team. Even at the age of 37, he's forced to prove himself & to fight for his place in the team. Thats Australian cricket for you !

17 years of ODI cricket, 13,700 runs at an average of a whisker above 42 speaks volumes about his consistency & his thirst for scoring those runs. Every time he steps into the crease, he makes the opposition think vehemently about how to get rid of him. His famous "Crouch-Pull" shots sends an alarming message to the opposition, that he's about to make them count. In the 375 matches that he's played, every time he takes guard, you almost get the feeling that, he treats every innings of his like the first one he had faced. Coming in at No.3, is no child's play, where you're considered as good as an opener. Ponting has managed his role at No.3 with great aplomb & success. The world cup final in 2003 is just another example of his impact in that position. Though Ponting, began his career as an opener, the "1-down" role was performed to perfection & his approach to that pivotal position can be taken as a bench mark & lessons for many to follow. 

It is not only his batting that propelled him to become one of the greats of the game, but also his fielding. As far as my knowledge goes, he's the only player to have successfully evaded age catching up with his fielding. His reflexes are a gods gift & his instincts are one to die for. His ground fielding within the circle has been so intimidating that the batsmen thought twice before running, when the ball was approaching him. Ponting often stood at the cover, point regions & took to the slips as well. Though the slip-cordon was a specialist position, Ponting's agility earned him a spot among the great slip fielders for Australia like Mark Taylor, Allan Border, Mark Waugh & Matthew Hayden. He has also ventured into more specialist positions such as silly mid off, short leg & Silly point. Only a fielder who has immaculate anticipation, knowledge, agility & instinct can be placed anywhere in the field. He was an undeniable asset on the field, taking some stunning catches & also saving 10-15 runs on an average every single game for Australia.

During 2004, when Australia were searching for an able replacement to the legendary Steve Waugh as a captain, the only person at that time, who showed promise & eagerness to lead the nation was Ricky Ponting. Though a lot of people raised questions about his temperament to deal with captaincy & to lead a side filled with different characters, Ponting braved his way successfully to handle the team in a controlled fashion. Ponting was a very shrewd captain, who followed every split-second of the game without any distractions. He showed no mercy on the field, both to his players & the opposition. He was a bundle of energy, too risky to have him close to you. He incessant jabber & motivation to his team, often got onto the oppositions nerves. He often had his on-field "Chats" with the opposition (in other words sledging), that sprayed their concentration around, often playing into the hands of Ponting & his men. His uninhibited style of captaincy made Australia monopolize the game. He had a plan to execute & even if it deviates, his knowledge to assess the game & the situation instantly made him the perfect catalyst to get the best out of his players. Ponting grew with age & his captaincy was ruthless & aggressive, which was much within the frame of the sport. The world had not seen such a captain, who made his team believe that winning was just another habit, like brushing your teeth everyday. 

In the 7 years he had captained the team, Australia looked at their shining best, putting themselves way ahead of the remaining cricket playing nations. Whenever a team played Australia, the opposition was given no chance of tasting victory & even if they did, they would treat it much worthier than gold & time. Ponting headed a team which had all time greats such as, Shane Warne, Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist & Glenn McGrath. To deal them with due respect & also to give them their space to exploit their distinct individuality, was a perfect ploy that proved successful for both him & Australia.     

Aussies have traditionally concentrated on the ashes, and Ponting's dream was to safe guard their Ashes much more than the World cup. Unfortunately it took a beating in 2005, when Australia had lost their grip on the Ashes for the first time since 1987. But in the run up to the next ashes at home, they managed to white wash, West Indies & South Africa. The term "White-wash" was becoming increasingly prominent whenever Australia took on an opposition & to its main credit was Ricky Ponting & they way he handled his troupes. He enjoyed the support of the world which saw him with much adulation & also for a change from cricket Australia as well. 

The ever gum-chewing Ponting's words were often like spit of fire, very precise, to the point & also blunt. Though he was a terrific spokesman for Australia, he often spoke his mind out which didn't go very well with the media or his cricket board. He was a bud of a lot of controversies, including his criticism of some greats like  Jacques Kallis, Sachin Tendulkar. The victories seemed like, it got onto his head. The invincibility wasn't taken with much humbleness. Though that attitude helped his team dominate the world of cricket, beyond a point, it began to lose its sheen, so did Ponting. The famous Sydeny test against India stands testimony for that fact. The torrid umpiring errors, added to his desperation to win, in what seemed like a not-so-sportsman like behavior through the series. He was never a believer of the so called spirit of the game. His agenda was simple, he wanted to win games for Australia. He wouldn't walk if the umpire had not given him out, even after knowing that he actually did. 

Though Ponting has one of the greatest distinctions after Clive Lloyd, of captaining his team to 2 successive world cup victories, the defeats that followed had an impact on his performance, both as a player & as a captain. It looked like he started to doubt his ability to play like before, mainly fueled by surrounding thoughts, including the media & the board. 

The respect from the players also looked like as if it was diminishing slowly. Ponting hit a lean patch in the last couple of years, during which his team had lost the ashes, and as a team, Australia began to lose their tag - "Invincibles". Every team believed that it could beat Australia anywhere. That was a thought that never cropped into the minds of many during the last 2 decades. He then stepped down from the captaincy, after being ousted from the world cup by India. And ever since that, Ponting has not been a shadow of his own. His performance plunged downwards & Cricket Australia's axe did not miss this great as well. His words in the latest press conference epitomizes his eagerness to still represent his country & his unquenchable thirst for cricket "I've always been a traditionalist, I've loved every opportunity I've had to play cricket for Australia, whether it be one day cricket, Twenty20 or Test cricket. All I've got left is Test cricket and I want to make every post a winner with that, and make sure that every time I have a chance to play for Australia I'm the best prepared I can be and I enjoy every moment."

Now that he has drawn curtains to the One day format, he hopefully is part of the test plans for Australia. It is always hard to see a player of such stature exiting the game in such a manor. A great player like him should decide when he wants to quit, rather then the circumstances pushing him away from the team and it leaves a bad taste in the tongue. But even under these situations, he still gives himself a chance to play for Australia and prove more to himself, as we can never deviate from the fact that he is a legend; a leader & after all he is Ricky "Punter" Ponting 

          

Every Sachin fan has a sense of untold Hypocrisy within them

"Cricket is my religion, Sachin is my god." Sounds more like a promise made on the Bhagavad Gita in the court of Law. But cant help it, when I firmly believe that every Sachin fan has a sense of untold Hypocrisy within them. Every Sachin Tendulkar fan believes that they are the best fan of him. Of course they're entitled to feel so, as the impact created by this god-man on them is simply enormous. He has powered the belief of an average Indian cricket fan to eccentric heights, which went to an extent, that people switched off their TV sets, as soon as he was out. How would you describe such a centripetal cricketer, who pulls fans & adulation from around the world? Even if you're the minutest part of the cricketing fraternity, you can't help but get attracted to his cricketing avatar.  Whether you like it or not, the fact that he's single handedly carried Indian cricket on his shoulders for 2 decades will always remain to be turned into history. A lot of cricket buffs would want to debate on that point instinctively, hesitantly, for the love on him or for the heck of it. 

Even today, whenever Sachin walks out to bat, the pressure is similar to that of how it was a decade ago, infact its much higher than what it was with the world anticipating his 100th century. With yet another never-before-achieved landmark waiting to be unfolded by this great man, every ball in his every innings is being watched with bated breath around the world, even by the people who aren't too aware of this sport. Spare a thought for this man ! From the time 1989 till date, the expectations of millions that he has carried is unimaginable and can never be done by any other sportsperson. And especially with such consistency, is truly a god-like effort. When such a person is on the verge of a historical milestone, it is fair to comment on his retirement & pile up more pressure on him. During this period, his 60's, 70's & even his 90's don't seem to create a mark. Is he cursed for putting up great performances?

After his lean patch during the 2006-2007 season, he has never looked back & infact he has played the best cricket of his life during this period. He cant be held responsible if the numbers are purely on his side. He has just played cricket with its maximum intensity, integrity, commitment, honesty and numbers are a mere entity which have picked themselves up as salute to the kind of cricket that he has played in a variety of situations. And that is epitomized with 2 of the best milestones in his cricketing career; (a) To be the first man to score a double century in the history of the game in limited overs cricket; (b) After an epic 6 appearances in the world cup, finally he managed to be part of the World Cup winning team in 2011 & that too in his home ground. And to blame him for concentrating on numbers is as good as blaming god for creating mankind.   

Having said that, slowly we have began to identify a trend that Sachin's gradually easing out his cricketing services to the country. He decided to opt out of the National T20 side, along with Dravid during the Inaugural T20 World cup. And after that he's just been concentrating on important series, where his services might be needed, in the 50 over format of the game. It was beginning to be clear that, he's gradually pulling out of the 50 over format as well. His previous campaign in ODI's preceding the current Australian series, is the historical world cup. The fans are slowly beginning to accept his absence from the ODI format as well. Thanks to a very fiery crop of talented youngsters, who play cricket more cohesively, and never give up till the final ball, which wasn't the case with the teams, when Tendulkar was at his helm. Sachin has begun to rotate & choose his games against strong opponents. To play the game at his will is what he has earned over the last 20 years. This shows his empathy towards the path the Indian cricket is proceeding and moreover he does understand that he's aging and there will surely be a point when he has to bid adieu to the game that loved him the most, though that will be a day of disbelief for the entire cricketing fraternity, especially his fans. But on that day, though a fan will be disheartened not to see Sachin play for India anymore, he would have by then got used to Sachin not playing at a high frequency, which will enable him to digest the fact far more quickly. And that fan who ideally never wanted Sachin to retire, will be a far more refreshed man, not facing anymore debates with respect to Sachin's selection in the team, formally giving birth to hypocrisy, even without his knowledge.

Having said that, have you ever stopped to think, that there might be a barrage of questions that are sub consciously doing the rounds within every fan of his? Though I maybe forced to think that Sachin is indispensable; Sachin is just one innings away from getting back to his purple patch; Every innings that he plays I'd believe that he will get to his 100th century; Sachin can never be a weak-link in the team; He can never get old, instead he can just get better; Sachin is still a run machine sending numbers into a tizzy & much more. But on the hindsight, every fan might actually be fearing to think the following 'un-thinkables'  as a Sachin fan. Is Sachin getting old? Is Sachin pushing his cricketing expiry date? Is Sachin bothered about his 100th century? Is Sachin an unwanted god in the Indian team? Is Sachin a liability to the young team? Is Sachin denying an opportunity to an upcoming youngster?  Where Sachin Tendulkar is placed, in the current scheme of things with respect to Indian cricket ?   

People of my generation, who were born & bought up by Sachin's cricket, can never believe that such a thought can crop up in our minds. Even if it does, we'd want to get rid of it as soon as possible, either hoping for Sachin to put up a great score or just simply moving away from the topic. Often in an argument between a-Sachin -fan Vs Not-a-Sachin-fan, though the former starts of solidly, there are only two reactions at the end of it; (a) He furiously exits the conversation ranting about Sachin's numbers towards the end, (b) He just decides to keep quite and walks off thinking that Sachin is too great for him to be discussed with a cricket illiterate. But have you keenly noticed, after the debate's done, the after-taste leaves you a bit disappointed or exhausted. The reason to that disappointment can either be because you weren't able to defend you're god to the fullest or you just wasted you're time explaining about proven excellence to a novice. But sub-consciously, you might have actually been hurt with certain facts that were spelt out in the open, about someone who holds the highest regard in your heart. You hesitantly begin to ponder over those 'un-thinkables' as a Sachin fan. We fear that the truth might actually be bitter & instantly we decide to shut out that thought, pacifying ourselves about is greatness & his past performances. This can probably be the part where the sense of untold Hypocrisy crops up in a fan. When he forces himself not to tell out his thoughts loud, something negative, about a person whom you treat like god. Ultimately you'd never give up someone whom you love the most, even if there's something wrong with them. We try and defend them blindly with various reasons, but secretly wonder if their reasoning was good enough for themselves to believe.   

So, should Sachin retire or not ? Gods can never retire, their mere presence gives birth to new opportunities ! Yes, I'm a Sachin fan & yes, this is the sense of untold hypocrisy within me !