India’s Cricketing Woes: A Deep Dive into the BGT & New Zealand Debacle

India’s cricketing contrasts are stark: a powerhouse at home yet vulnerable in challenging conditions. The recent losses are a reminder that success requires not just talent but humility, preparation, and adaptability. India’s recent cricketing struggles have spotlighted long-standing issues, ranging from batting inconsistencies to questionable strategies. While the Indian cricket juggernaut has often been celebrated for its dominance, particularly on home soil, recent results have raised serious concerns about the team’s direction. 1-3 outcome in Australia is far from surprising; any astute cricket lover who closely followed the New Zealand series could have seen this coming.

Tactical Failures

Pat Cummins and the Australian team have been successful against India's lineup, it's a testament to their strategic planning and effective execution. One of the most debated aspects of India’s performance was their team selection. The Indian think tank's decision to field 5-6 bowlers on paper, despite having only two effective bowlers, highlights a tactical misstep. The injury to the main bowler exacerbates the problem, leaving the team with limited options.

The Lower-Order Conundrum

India’s lower-order batsmen frequently end up as top scorers, a trend symptomatic of a broader problem: an unreliable top order. Home conditions, when overexploited to favor bowlers, can poison a team’s batting just as effectively as it does the opposition. Playing on pitches overly tailored to assist bowlers has often backfired, hampering India’s own batting lineup as much as it troubles the opposition. This recurring issue came into sharp focus during the 2024 Test series against New Zealand.

New Zealand’s Historic Triumph

New Zealand’s men’s team, with only two Test wins in India since 1955, stunned the cricketing world by achieving a historic 3-0 clean sweep. The victory was a testament to their adaptability to spinning pitches and India’s complacency post their T20 World Cup triumph. While players like Washington Sundar, Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal performed admirably, the underwhelming contributions from senior batsmen Rohit Sharma (91 runs) and Virat Kohli (93 runs) proved costly.

Rohit and Kohli: A Question of Legacy

Once the cornerstones of Indian cricket, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli now seem to struggle with familiar patterns of failure. As time catches up with them, their waning form has become a burden on the team. A critical question arises: should these stalwarts retire on a high note, leaving fans asking, “Why now?” rather than “Why not now?” Their consistent underperformance has left the batting lineup vulnerable throughout both series, inevitably leading to an adverse result. 

Change of Leadership

India has failed to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and scrutiny of Rohit Sharma’s captaincy is set to intensify, especially following five defeats in the last six matches. Leadership in cricket is as much about man-management as it is about on-field strategies, and Rohit’s tenure has ended.

Over-Reliance on All-Rounders

India’s strategy of relying on all-rounders to mask the failures of its top order has its pitfalls. While players like Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja & Washington Sundar have produced tough performances, this approach often hides a lack of consistency in the top order. Selecting “half-bowlers who can bat” neither ensures wickets nor guarantees economical spells, as seen in the team’s struggles despite Jasprit Bumrah’s heroic efforts.

Road to Failure

No team can succeed when senior players are out of form, and young players fail to rise to the occasion. The core issue with the senior players isn’t just their underperformance—it’s their approach to the game. Given the chance to sharpen their skills in the Duleep Trophy, they chose to opt-out, missing a valuable opportunity to regain form. India’s decision to skip practice matches ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 has raised questions about their preparation and approach. In a high-stakes series, such a move could impact their ability to adapt to Australian conditions, putting additional pressure on the team from the outset. This decision speaks volumes about their priorities, leaving them with no one but themselves to blame. 

The Need for Grit and Simplicity

No team can carry so many mediocre or out-of-form batters and expect to win against a side with 4 great bowlers. Cricket’s timeless wisdom is that success often demands grit and simplicity over flashy heroics. India’s young players encouraged to “express themselves” with aggressive intent, must learn the value of resilience. The team’s conveyor belt of talent continues to produce promising players, but a lack of foundational stability in batting, captaincy, and selection strategies undermines their potential.

The Broader Lessons

As the cricketing world debates the causes of India’s slump, the focus must shift to fixing the basics. From addressing batting woes to ensuring sound leadership and selection policies, India has the resources to bounce back—but only if it learns from its failures.

The path forward requires more than cosmetic changes; it demands a cultural shift within the team. After all, cricket is as much about reinvention as it is about tradition—a lesson India must embrace if it hopes to reclaim its lost glory. 

New face of Indian Cricket - 6

Fantastic performance of the series by the Black Caps. Abysmal India has hit rock bottom as attitudes and defensive techniques stand badly exposed. The recent series against New Zealand culminated in a dominant display by the Black Caps and raised genuine fears of a possible 5-0 whitewash in the upcoming tour of Australia.  The Indian management must make tough, possibly transformative decisions if the team is to regain consistency and success on the international stage.  

The Indian cricket think tank appears to have adopted a narrow focus, concentrating heavily on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) while overlooking the importance of the New Zealand tour.  Senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Jasprit Bumrah chose not to participate in the Duleep Trophy, and Ravindra Jadeja opted out due to niggle. Even the pitches in the Duleep Trophy were customized for seam rather than spin, leaving Indian Test batters underprepared. Despite India's celebrated depth of talent, it means little when key players are unavailable or not utilized effectively.

The series highlighted the shortcomings of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as leading batsmen. Players like Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shreyas Iyer, and Hanuma Vihari have faded away due to a combination of factors such as form, injuries, and shifts in team strategy. Meanwhile, Sarfaraz Khan and Yashasvi Jaiswal represent the new generation of talent making their mark in Indian cricket. Additionally, B. Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, and Abhimanyu Easwaran are promising cricketers whose consistent domestic performances have brought them closer to the national Test team. Integrating these younger, in-form players who have refined their skills in domestic cricket would be the most effective approach to replacing Rohit and Virat.

As India moves toward the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, it’s reasonable to speculate that the team might start transitioning away from veteran spinners like Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Including Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar as a spin-bowling trio could greatly enhance the strength of India’s Test squad.  While the transition may not be immediate, giving these younger spinners opportunities to lead the attack will be essential for their development.

The transition for any coach into the international arena is rarely smooth, especially when they bring their own philosophy and tactics. A 3-0 series loss to New Zealand is a humiliation, placing Gautam Gambhir’s role as coach squarely under the radar. This has invited criticism not only of his strategies but also his ability to inspire and manage players under pressure. For Gambhir, this could serve as an important learning phase to reassess game plans, strengthen mental resilience in the squad, and recalibrate for future series.  

Cricket is still and will always be about scoring runs and equally about bowling out the opposition. The upcoming Test series for India against England and Australia, both overseas, will be a "baptism by fire."  These tours will offer a chance for emerging talents to cement their place.  These high-stakes tours will demand an adaptable approach, as both teams bring unique styles—Australia’s aggressive, fast-paced game and England’s renewed focus on “Bazball,” their brand of attacking, high-scoring Test cricket.

Individuals declining in a team is normal, but the question remains: Are the backups ready? A lot of Test cricket is about physical and mental endurance, about concentrating when it is easy for the mind to wander.  The transition will be painful for the fans as well as players.  Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant are set to become the new generation of senior players in the evolving Indian Test cricket team. As Kipling once said, they’ll need to "keep their heads when all around them are losing theirs and blaming it on them."

New face of Indian Cricket - 5

This blog doesn't often dabble in technical cricket analysis, because my credentials in the field of technical cricket analysis are somewhat lacking. And I am writing this blog post in a series of posts 7 years after the New face of Indian Cricket - 4. The Indian cricket team is on the verge of playing the ODI World Cup, the Test series with England, and then the T20 World Cup,

What lies ahead for India as their Test /ODI/T20 side enters a transitional phase? Indian team under Rohit and Dravid has been into a spiral loop of learning in every series and every game. Winning is a habit, as England discovered on their march to the summit, and confidence begets confidence along the way. Losing for the sake of learning, on the other hand, tends to become known simply as losing as the team gets too used to the feeling.

Test Team: Retirement is a natural conclusion to a sportsman’s career, even if occasionally the inevitable is delayed.  Rohit, Virat, Che Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane are perhaps at the far end of his career in the batting. Shreyas Iyer will be VVS for the future test team, playing at 5 & competing with Sarfaraz Khan for the spot. Poor XI selection in the test matches and Dust Bowl pitches in India have also expedited the process of the bad patch of batters. Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli both averaged 29.69 in Test cricket since the start of 2020. Yet, while the former has been dropped, the latter continues holding onto his spot.  This is the time to blood new talent Abhimanyu Easwaran, and Sarfaraz Khan and give prolonged chances to Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. 

The real strength of the Indian bowling attack is the ability to take 20 wickets with fantastic spin all-rounders and genuine fast bowlers. Five-bowler theory has been working in abroad tours as there is a reliable batting line-up against good teams. Ashwin and Jadeja are allrounders in the legacy of Kapil Dev & Vinoo Mankad.  New bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav,  Axar Patel, and Saurabh Kumar will be hopeful to carry on this legacy shortly.  

It's difficult enough to solve problems in Test-match cricket, but infinitely more challenging when the existence of those problems is never acknowledged. India is producing sub-standard cricket pitches for the test matches, and they are alien to our own cricketers as well. This is not because they never get a chance to play much domestic first-class cricket but because the standard of pitches in the Ranji trophy is much better than test match pitches in India. This legacy from Kohli-Shahstri & Rohit-Dravid has to be discarded as the substandard pitches also nullify the strength of the Indian spin attack. Lower order has bailed out in Indian conditions, but SENA countries require batsmen to play out of their skin to win games. 

ODI Team:  Dhoni and Kirsten had a clear frame of mind and hardly experimented in the lead-up to the 2011 World Cup. Everything was built with core players forming a cohesive unit and sorting out their positions over time. The anti-thesis of 2011 is currently being practiced for the 2023 World Cup. Rahul Dravid and Rohit have kept on experimenting which has led to an unsettled squad leading lack of cohesion in the team much needed to win games under challenging situations. There has been too much rotation of the players from the ODI squad.  With this strategy, mistakes spill over & have a domino effect. 

India has been a very very ordinary limited-overs side for some time now. The chances of winning the ODI World Cup seem bleak as of now.  This is the time to rebuild the core batting and bowling group of 15-18 players by making tough decisions. Rahul Dravid has turned out to be a disappointment as a senior team coach and must be shown outside. Fitness, endurance, intensity, and skill are the four pillars of cricket.  And the fitness of Captain Rohit Sharma is fragile in nature. The pragmatism of the separate ODI captain must reflect the realities of the hectic schedule of world cricket. 

Individuals facing injury and declining form are normal, but the shocking thing is there are no backups remotely ready for the batting positions 4 and 5. Even then, the main problem is not the team composition but the lack of match time together.   Hoping to create a team worth talking about!

T20 Team:  Top-order conservatism in T20s is a high-risk strategy. At its best, it reduces the game for your batting unit from a 20-over match to a 14-over one, ensuring that even if you don't win many games in the batting powerplay.  The ability to design and implement a strategy was ranked as the top perceived risk.  A reasonable strike rate from the beginning is the only way to counter the planning and tempo of opposition bowlers. Loss should neither be accepted with a phlegmatic shrug nor should low-risk low-reward cricket. 

When it comes to executing strategy, the old saying "the devil is in the details" holds true for many professional human resources setup that identifies performers through the risk-reward process. There should be a reward for good work and backup for the odd initiative gone awry. No player, not even Captain Hardik has to play the role of the grafter and stick to the part of the adventure cricket. Ravi Bishnoi and Kuldeep Yadav be playing faster T20 World Cup in 2024. India will need a fresh set of bowlers with X-factor and a lot of potential. Avesh Khan, Umar Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, Sai Sudharsan, and Jitesh Sharma are the future stars.

The new impact player substitution is a dangerous idea that has exacerbated the tendency to play with specialist bowlers/batsmen. And, further eroding the growth of the Indian allrounders in IPL. Too much IPL without exposure to international T20/T10 leagues will always come to hurt India.  Young prospects in the wings can't be confined due to the exclusivity of IPL. Giving exposure to future superstars among these emerging talents is always an intriguing task.

Enduring great teams prosper not because of a single great leader, but because they can consistently produce great performances from within the team. Great teams become pioneers in producing match-winning performances.  Let us hope for better cricket from Team India. 

New face of Indian Cricket - 4

The Indian cricket team is on the verge of playing England in the middle of a grueling home season. To go back to the famous Ashis Nandy line, "Cricket is an Indian game accidentally discovered by the English." England has won their last three Test series against India, but this time they are branding themselves as “massive underdogs”. Despite of many pundits writing England off, one must look for Captain Cook leading from the front for a tough duel. Grit, Aggression, and looking for results will be the highlights of the series.

The coaching job went into the hands of Anil Kumble mid of this year. It's unreasonable to expect extraordinary work from someone who isn't trusted to create it. Indian camp has the highest regard for Ravi Shastri as a professional cricketer and wanted to be the transition to be smooth as possible.  It is argued that the game comes easier to the greats, making the coach's job of solving problems of average or even good players much more difficult. There is a counterargument in the case of bowlers because they have more understanding of cricket to survive in the batsman-friendly era. Indians hope that the Kumble Kohli partnership can go for establishing India in good records in abroad too. Both of them has forged relationship, mentored the team sensibly, and taken decisions under pressure in the right manner in all the tours.

There is an ongoing state of conflict between the philosophy of aggressive dominant style and playing the match scenario. The parameter for the judgment was fixated on the strike rate of batsmen. With Kumble in the coach position, the debate of batsmen around grafter and entertainer in test matches is quite settled and limited to a positive approach only. Any team in the subcontinent did not need to score at a rate deemed attractive to the public, but in their understated way can decide the outcome of the series. Batting seems counterintuitive in nature on days 4-5 in India. With the turning tracks in the picture, the batting unit needs to use their feet and maneuver the ball and get more singles and twos before going for boundaries.

Test cricket is not a finishing school for the players but a first-time series in the subcontinent for English cricketers will be baptism by spin and reverse swing. As a debutant, every player wants to feel belonged on their first days at work. Ben Duckett, Haseeb Hameed, Hardik Pandya & Karun Nair will catch the eyes of the public with their intent and performance in this series. The selection woes continue with the search for and fast-bowling all-rounder. We waited for the system to produce, rather than for us to actively promote. Sometimes, selectors pick players depending on what future tours are in mind.  Amid great negative reaction to the selection of Hardik Pandya, let us recall a quote by John Wright - “The key is to identify the right players to back. They must have reasonable ability and technique, but you must understand that certain players might not be as talented as others, but boy, they have big hearts and a huge desire to succeed. Those guys, and teams with that attitude, will always surprise you.” In the dynamic of the selection, selectors must explain why certain players have been taken based on potential and why few else have been subjected to limited chance. All players possess basic levels of natural talent to reach the highest level and then it becomes a question of temperament and self-belief. The self-belief to turn it on when it really mattered was the trademark of Kevin Pietersen.

Let us applaud Indians for using the Decision Review System (DRS) in the test series. Stars are born in tough situations & qualities like character, holding up under pressure, and putting your hand up to do the tough task will be scrutinized in this tour.  For too long, however, India has been a story mostly of potential. Turning possibility into reality will demand a greater focus on winning test matches ruthlessly. India should be ready enough in international cricket to start dominating Test matches and win those crucial situations and sessions. That’s how India can become a better team.

New face of Indian Cricket - 2

I read a lot on cricket still publish rarely an article on the cricket. New face of Indian Cricketwas written 5 years ago. This is the second part dedicated to our young team for having luck on the road ahead. 

Any game is often about not doing what your opponents want you to do. Test Cricket is no exception. I always consider One Day and T20 Matches as an exhibition while Test cricket is an examination. There will be 13 test matches(2 in SA, 2 in NZ, 5 IN ENG & 4 in AUS) in upcoming year. Great players will emerge in upcoming foreign tours through baptism by fire of fast bowling. Our young crop of batsman play aggressive brand of cricket what was termed as 'Australian Way'. Prudence is never the virtue of the new generation. Scoring at high run rate is essential for winning is good but not necessary applicable for all conditions. It is best to attack and play pretty when it suits; claw and fight like hell when it doesn't. Our batting and bowling line up has to display grit, temperament and determination . Test cricket have all sorts of ups and downs, collapses and fightbacks and some gritty and skilful performances.

The Gavaskar phenomena preceded the Tendulkar phenomena. Tendulkar has given same bantle to Sehwag as a spiritual successor. I am sure that baton has been passed from Dravid to Pujara and Sachin to Virat. And, Virat is proving to be new Richards as I am writing this on the close of 1st day of India South Africa test series. As batting collapses are not unknown in Indian cricket, still I am hoping for consistent performance. Our batting lineup seems strong with the rise of Dhawan, Rahane and Rohit. Natural talent is abundant here, but performance overseas depend on application and discipline.

India has no place for fast bowlers. We never groom fast bowlers for long duration and thus Zaheer Khan became an exception, not regular product of the system. Our battery of fast bowlers (Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami & Bhubaneswar Kumar) is slowly building. Lanky MP pacer Ishwar Pandey, Varun Aaron and old hand RP Singh are present in the scene. Even then, things always had looked bleak on the Indian yorker scene. Craig McDermott and Lillee are guiding Australians while Allan Donald is nurturing South African talent. India desperately need guidance of Zaheer and Venkatesh Prasad as Javagal Srinath is more involved in administrative work. Kapil's spiritual heirs are none. With Irfan Pathan a spent force, Stuart Binny and Rishi Dhawan can take his path in limited overs. Yes, we have good wicketkeepers in the domestic circuit but none of them touch bar set up by Caption Dhoni. Saha, Karthik and Parthiv are really good choices in case of back up.

The Tendulkar, Ganguly, Kumble, Dravid Laxman era is over now. Even Zaheer khan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni are only remaining faces of the next phase of cricketers. Yuvraj, Harbhajan, Irfan, Gambhir and Sehwag are good cricketers but out of form currently. That has not happened with the stalwarts once they were well established in the team. When players are out of form and low on confidence, they can rely on technique only. Hence, there is even chance of return of Gambhir and Harbhajan. We are having good players like Vijay Zol, Manpreet Juneja, Jiwanjot Singh, Sanju Samson, Baba aparjit and Unmukt Chand in domestic tournaments. Selectors are not in panic state with the exit of seniors. They are choosing suitable candidates and even players of high calibers like Saurabh Tewari, Pragyan Ojha and Manoj Tewari are in waiting line.

Any team with ambitions to rule the world must vanquish challengers on all continents. Youngsters doing well in short formats is a good sign for Indian cricket. And if they do the same in test, then India will become a champion side.  In a great piece of refined writing, Martin Crowe expressed a great advice for everyone. "Wisdom is priceless. When you get on a learning path, it is the best time of your life. Every day means something, every lesson provides the clarity you clamour for. You move forward, evolve, grow, and become more fulfilled as the big picture, the dream even, emerges from the shadows and into the light." Hoping Indian team transform into great team one day.

Farewell Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar retired today from all formats of cricket matches today. Many has paid homage to this legend and much has been already said about his retirement and figures. I will add few words. I don't call him God but sure rank him as one of the best auteur of the game. I assume him as the last gentleman of the cricketing era giving place to aggressive new India. Sachin was raised in tradition of Mumbai batsmanship, aggressive in strokes yet solid and calm in defense. He took it to greatness with his action and achievements.

Rahul Dravid, Robin Singh, Hansie Cronje and Heath Streak are my favorite cricketers. I like Sachin but never loved him. Yet, he was always there as a symbol of hope. During 1990, if Tendulkar failed, TV sets were closed considering all was lost for India. In those days, Indians rarely have something that can be termed as world class. Sunil Gavaskar has given us inspiration that one can be second-to-none with sheer will and hard work. Gavaskar was combination of rock solid guts, the classic technique and full commitment to stand up to such hostile fast bowling of his era. Kapil Dev was similarly inspiring because fast bowlers were non existing species in Indian cricket history. Kapil was generating sufficient swing, bounce, accuracy and work horse like stamina on the dead pitches with athletic fielding capabilities. I always saw Sachin as a combination of both of these stalwarts : First Among Equals at world level amid figures like Brian Lara, Steve Waugh, Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, and Jacques Kallis.

Qualities like Longevity, Dedication, Perseverance, Focus, Ambition and Humility are part of his status. He has even attracted admiration from the players of other country for his composure and behaviour on & off the field. But why I admire him, for his Integrity. All games is safeguarded by their popularity. Whole nation was in the state of shock due to match fixing scandals in 1999. Yet, Sachin's honesty and integrity healed fans and they gave moral support again to Indian cricket team. Indian media has bipolar disorder who either give people as god-like status in good times, while every weakness is dissected in loss. Hence, a career with traces of controversy is an extraordinary achievements. Even without evidence, minor allegation against him like ball tampering in SA 2001 and Monkey gate in Australia tour are insignificant. That career record makes one wonder about miracle named Sachin.

I was kid in early phase of his career and hence not seen great innings of Sachin against fast pitches against England, Australia and Pakistan. This one is hailed as mark of new era in world cricket.

I saw him first delivering match winning last over in Hero Cup semifinal.

I saw him destroying pace attack in foreign condition at South Africa.

I always remember his back to back explosive innings at Sharjah amid sand storms.

I was glued to radio commentary for Chennai Test of 1999 against Pakistan. I was heart broken when chasing 271, Sachin had made 136 with severe back pain & batting with grim resolve in losing cause.

Sachin's batting against Pakistan at Centurion in 2003 world cup match is unforgettable.

I rate heroic 175 against Australia in Hyderabad as an example of lone man fighting a battle.

That double century of Sachin against South Africa was so perfect example of building inning with speed and calculative risks.

Even ad featuring Sachin are now memories of past.

This was one my favorite.

A part of his success goes to the his family, friends , players and his coach. His cricketing records will be broken. Thanks Sachin for so many good memories. Profile of Sachin on Cricinfo.

Ten Issues - 21

1- Barefoot - The other side of lifeHarsh Mander -: Can anyone really live on Rs. 26 a day, the income of the officially poor in rural India? Two youngsters try it out.

2- Powerhouse on your plate! - Easily accessible and affordable, millets are making a comeback to Indian kitchens, says Shonali Muthalaly.

3- The everyday embrace of inequality :The institution of paid domestic labour produces cleanliness, meals and childcare, but it also produces and reproduces an unequal home and society.

4- Salman Rushdie & India's new theocracy :-India's secular state is in a state of slow-motion collapse. The contours of a new theocratic dystopia are already evident.

5- BCCI: Billionaires Control Cricket in India by P. SAINATH

6- 42 per cent of Indian children are underweight - Hunger and Malnutrition (HUNGaMA) report by the Naandi Foundation – were described by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a “national shame” at a release function here on Tuesday.

7- The complex contractor-maistry system, the devastation of agriculture, an ineffective food-for-work programme, debt and debilitating mass migrions - these are an explosive mix. P Sainath joins migrants fleeing the desperate conditions in Mahbubnagar, seeking a meagre living in faraway places : The bus to Mumbai (Part I) and The wrong route out? (Part II)

8- Looming disaster : Handloom weavers in Andhra Pradesh are in a crisis brought on by policy blindness and the emphasis on powerlooms.

9- Bt Cotton, Remarkable Success, and Four Ugly Facts.

10- Walking With The Comrades :- Gandhians with a Gun? Arundhati Roy plunges into the sea of Gondi people to find some answers...

India triumph at Cricket World Cup !

Congratulations to the Indian cricket team. The Indian cricket team wins consecutively three tough matches at Motera, Mohali and Mumbai to lift the world cup. To see India beat Australia, Pakistan and finally Sri Lanka was worth pleasure.

I am not 'ecstatic' but feeling good about it. A transitory breeze of joy is flowing within.

India beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in a pulsating final to deliver World Cup glory to their cricket-mad population for the first time since 1983. Dhoni has sealed the World Cup Victory by slamming a six and it was fantastic to watch to see India perform on consistent as Aussie style of the past. A poetic century of Mahela Jayawardene was given a fierce and free verse poetic reply by performance of Indian batsman.

No body panics like 2003 final and calmness was worth proud. A sheer proof of self belief in the team. Mature India refuse to be beaten and now ex-coach Gary Kristen (Interview) has large role in this World cup win. Contribution matters, not the count!

And, M S Dhoni proves why he is the one of the best captains in the world - wins the world cup, T20, champions league, IPL and leads India to #1 in both ODI and test cricket. Indians dedicate win at Cricket World Cup to Sachin Tendulkar. This also saw end of an incredible career of Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.

Enjoy priceless Sanjay Manjrekar, speaking to cricinfo and hailed Dhoni's leadership as the driving factor in the team's remarkable achievement.

Ten Issues - 2

I am not interested in sensationalism in these sensitive times. I talk about phenomenon in the state of cultural stagnation and political apathy. Reading and education is do ours bit to build democracy as effectiveness of democracy depends on the awareness of its citizens.

1- Indianhomemaker tells us: What do men need liberation from ?

2- Half of India doesn’t even have access to the judiciary. what do courts mean to them? Lawyer Prashant Bhushan speaks to Amit Sengupta of Tehleka on Who is a public intellectual, who can pass for one in India?

3- Amrita Preetam Imroz : A love Story of a Poet and a Painter. Just read to understand the intimacy of the love and poetry.

4- Dubai for a common purpose: to make money as smoothly and painlessly as possible, even if that means turning a blind eye.

5- Greg Satell explains: The Difference between Social Media and Social Networks.

6- From fields to a BPO in 6 months : A first-of-its-kind women-only BPO started by 'Harva' in a Haryana village is all set to harness the rural talent while changing the rigid mindset of the people, transforming rural economy, writes Hemlata Aithani.

7- Author of this post said - If truly good cinema is what survives the test of time, then these three were my first encounter with good world cinema that subsequently attracted me into the good world of cinema! Go on and read - World Cinema : Dark is Mine.

8- By mollycoddling their charges and telling them how to fix each problem, coaches end up creating players who can't think or act for themselves. Is that what has happened to RP Singh and Ishant Sharma? Go figure it out yourself by Harsha Bhogle

9- The Envelope, Please: From Eight Great Innovative Tools, Which Ones Are the Winners? published by April 22, 2010 in India Knowledge@Wharton

10- Who is easily manipulated? A valid question asked by Seth Godin on advertisements.

Steps leading to the No. 1 ranking

Steps leading to the No. 1 ranking

Harsha Bhogle: The rise of cricket, the rise of India

Sachin is much more than God

To call him India’s most famous sportsman ever is like calling Mahatma Gandhi the country’s most famous politician. Read this article written by Harsha Bhogle 21years ago. As Greatbong puts my feelings about Sachin in eloquent way:

Sachin is much more.
He is a cultural icon, someone who has his place booked in the history books. No not just cricketing history. National history. This is because of what Sachin represents—- the epitome of the Indian dream. A man from middle-class origins, not a star-son or the scion of a political dynasty who rises to the very top by the dint of his own merit, not because he looks good or can shake his body but because he has a genuine skill which very few in the world have, an inspiring success story in a country where the odds against you are mounted in every domain unless you are an “insider” with “jugaad”.

But that’s just half the story. What makes Sachin “God” is because once he has attained fame, he has still held onto the values Indians adore—-that of being humble, unassuming, possessing a commitment to his work which is emphatic without being aggressive, well-defined without being brash. It makes us want to believe. That there is something greater than us, our wallets and our lives.

Thodasa Roomani Ho Jaayen

I have passed 8 months in Hyderabad and it has been pretty average time of my life. Time flies away at least the effortless one. As the title suggest no bullshit today. Just few quick, rough and minor updates supported by the light hearted comments (that too copied from here & there ).

Me and mine home town, Azamgarh has lot of bad fame attached to them. Azamgarh is now nicknamed ‘Aatankgarh’ by a nasty friend of mine. Whenever he pinches me too much on this issue, I sarcastically reply him- " Don't disturb me man as I belong to sleeper cell of terrorist." [ Actually Sleeping heavily in office during night shifts for practice :) ]

Career: Prof Sunil Handa from IIMA quotes: The question we need to ask yourself is “will you be happy with a boring, glorified, clerical job throughout your life?”. Keep questioning, keep improving. I have a hypothesis that MNC just exploit our talent and most important phase of the life (22-30 years) for ours need of quick money to stabilize in the life. The most hindering block in any less traveled path taken is 'acceptance'. Acceptance by society, family, friends and never ending list pile on. However, acceptance comes with time and success. And, parents are not very specific about the choice of career; they only want ours happiness.

Cricket Fever: The campaign of Dhoni's team is over at Champions Trophy. Apoorv Singhal comes up with his ditty on India: "O Captain my Captain! our fearful trip is done, The rain saves us the shame of losing two on the run, The port is near, the bells I hear, the Oz horns are blaring, While follow eyes the steady keel, the media grim and daring. I was in staunch support of SA but cheering SA in any tournament feels like staying with a repeatedly unfaithful girlfriend, but the heart overrides the mind. They are bunch of chokers... As for the low crowd attendance at ODI games, who in his right mind would want to be sitting & watching two of the world's top teams competing in a crunch game in the cricket stadium when you could be sitting in a boring office following the cricket on Cricinfo? Getting the point guys ..

Movie Fever: 'Wake Up Sid' would be releasing tomorrow with the them of coming of age movie. There is a dialog in trailer that "come to office for 30 days and the car is yours." One person commented (pun intended) "Lucky us who have to sweat? out for EMI’s and all that stupid stuff :-) " Watch few movies of John Hughes if you are really interested coming of the age drama. He had directed lot of youth oriented films like Ferris Bueller's Day Off (Have seen it 100 times), Breakfast Club and Sixteen candles. He had given voice to the teenage rebel spirit without making them a rebel without a cause.

Now, for upcoming 2nd October remember Mahatma Gandhi who quoted: Be the change you want to see in the world. I have to ask that any of you has been fed up with impossible deadlines and graveyard shifts.. Break away before burnout from the work. Join the protest with the slogan Kaam ka Bamboo, Mat le Shambhu from now on. Chao......

Watch this Offisial Atyachaar..

My views in yours words

"Blogging won't make you a millionaire, so you should only blog if you love doing it. If you don’t enjoy yourself, your readers won’t enjoy reading your blog." -- Unknown.

It is the first step for start of writing original writeup only. This post is written in the series of flushing collection of other peoples writing from my mind. Reminder, this post is full of plagiarism.

Education-- Tell me about yourself: a brief introduction, talk about your skills relevant to the position, experience are transferable to position available and career objective. It is the sort of basic questions faced by us. For me, a college degree shows not that its holder has learned something but rather that he is the kind of person who could learn something. Today, a hybrid talk on education.

Schools or Universities are places where most young people come together crossing the old boundaries of religion and caste. It is here where the new nation is being constructed in the minds of coming generation.

"Universities, are no longer ivory towers. They were meant to remain above politics, but are very at the very centre of it." -Deepak Nayyar former VC of Delhi University.

In the process of discovering alien side of things, one begins to lose one's identity and falls into the trap of becoming an alienated person contemptuous of everything natural and uniquely inherited in him. Rote memorizing involves the brutal repetition of material just as it stands.The fidelity of memory is greatly affected by the intention. Students like me make a great mistake when they study for the purpose merely of retaining until after examination time. We retain facts after they are once impressed. The ability of retention purely depends upon the way it is impressed onto the brain. Recall is the stage at which material that has been impressed and retained is recalled to serve the purpose for which it was memorized. Recall is thus the goal of memory. Whenever a remembered fact is recalled, it is accompanied by a characteristic feeling which we call the feeling of recognition. It has been described as a feeling of familiarity, a glow of warmth, a sense of ownership, a feeling of intimacy. I learned in graduate school that "knowledge is power" but found that it is not correct ! Knowledge is 'potential' power depending upon how it is applied (if it is applied at all.) It's not what you know, but how you use what you know !!!

Work environment of the place can make any job or academics interesting or boring. Choosing a field and being adamant about it is just restricting yourself unnecessarily. Interest is not something which a profile can develop, it depends more of on the work environment you nurture your mind in. When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you.

Cinema--
The majority of people retain better things that are visually impressed. Hence, cinema can be consider as more effective tool than literature for spreading awareness. The idea is to engage an audience and uplift them in some way and take them into an experience which is emotional at many levels. Cinema no more reflects the society because we no more live in a society. Today we live in a market. And like all other products the market forces also control cinema. In the words of Sudhir Mishra - A great film is a film where you lose the distinction between how a tale is told and the tale itself; where there is an investigation into the truth but simultaneously the idea of being wrong is also present. You want to know the truth but when you reach it you also have an idea that maybe that’s not it. A genuinely vibrant cinema that does not necessarily have to be realistic or naturalistic. All we have to do is not to succumb to those who force to mimic or imitate in the name of 'inspiration'.

Cricket--
A wise team does not depend on recoveries. Cricket is a simple game that can be made to sound very complicated. The people who do the simple things well are the people who are most successful. Simple is repeatable and repeatable is successful. Cricket is execution not a game. Cricket is an isolating and yet public game. Soccer players suffer when they miss a penalty. Cricketers risk that collapse every time they go out to bat. It is not a sport at all, it's an execution. --- Peter Roebuck

Salaam IPL or Salwa Judum

Two News affected me in this 24 hour.Just want to capture the big news in summary and small news in descriptive way. Feel free to read and choose importance of them.

Deccan snatch title in tense finish.

My views: The fortunes have reversed. Desi team and videsi captain strategy works for winning this year also. Previous year 2nd last team is runner up and 1st season's last team gets championship of IPL season 2. Akon with Katrina instead of Gilly and jumbo after the match disappoint me. But the most discussed name among all of us was of fake IPL player blog. He has showed the power of blog and anonymity to the media giants in gossip/news coverage. For fun, surely KKR will be hoping to win tournament next year after this turnaround of DC. For more usual stuff, follow the grand story coverage on cricinfo.

OR

Supreme Court grants bail to Binayak Sen:

It took just 30 seconds. And five words: “Bail is granted on personal bond.” But these numbers pale when confronted with another, 24 — the number of months for which Binayak Sen was in jail, before the Supreme Court granted him bail on Monday. The initial charges against Sen were weak and prime witnesses turned hostile during the trial. Yet Binayak Sen remained in jail for over two years. Even convicted criminals got bail faster. Curious about Dr Binayek Sen, know about his identity on wikipedia only.
From the rediff reporting 3 paragraphs:

"The Binayak Sen case is primarily about the rotten state of affairs in the rural hinterland. It's about higher poverty levels; shortage of food and lack of nutritional planning for the chronically undernourished; it's about missing healthcare; lack of protection for the vulnerable; it's about rampant exploitation of the forest dweller and tribal peoples. The districts where Maoists or Naxalites [Images] are active, and it's true of not just Chhattisgarh, as we all know have the worst social infrastructure, and thus offer the best breeding ground for extremism and violent conflict.

The case is also about one vision of development colliding with another that is backed by the might of the state. Bastar and adjoining districts of Chhattisgarh are home to the highest concentration of mineral rich deposits in the country and is one of the reasons why these areas have become high-intensity conflict zones. Is resistance to land acquisition by industrialists a major contributory factor to the violence in the state? Few are aware of the extent of the problem in Chhattisgarh. Thousands of tribal people have been uprooted from their forest habitations -- close to 650 villages in the forest areas are reported to have been cleared in an operation reminiscent of the ways wars were fought in Southeast Asia -- and have been housed for the past five years in refugee camps that are run by trigger-happy and lawless elements who are supposed to be fighting the Maoists.

If this is how democratic states function surely we need a reform of India's democracy? But these and related issues are seldom raised in the general clamour for reforms that have picked up in crescendo post the election verdict. One and all, media pundits who have been setting the reform agenda for the new government are screaming for reforms that are focused exclusively -- and predictably -- on financial sector liberalisation."

Still want to know about hidden reality of Salwa Judum movement, for the seekers of truth: The Inconvenient Truth -- the real face of Corporate governance.

Kamran Khan : The man who would be cricket star

Before IPL:
I noticed a news article and my heart was glad from inside.It stated:"Shane Warne is all set to unleash a fiery Indian teenage pacer Kamran Khan in the second edition of the Indian Premier League. The charismatic Rajasthan Royals skipper calls him 'Wild Thing' or 'Tornado', and says the fast left-arm slinger is capable of hurling the ball at more than 140 kmph."A player from nowhere was coming on the cricketing stage of India.

Azamgarh was in the eye of the nation for all wrong reasons. And to be Muslim from such district is more sinister than anything in these days. In such troubled times for the town, which has forgotten the likes of Kaifi Azami, the advent of a new star in form of cricketer Kamran Khan is a welcome change. He hails from Nadva Sarai, Azamgarh.To even know name of that exact place in Azamgarh, It was great surprise for NRA ( non residential azamgarhi) like me. My mother has studied there in her childhood days hence heard of this remote small village.For clarification, Nadva Sarai village was in Mau district but now falls in Azamgarh commissionaire.

Biography and profile will be spread here and there now on the newspaper or internet. Left-arm seamer Kamran Khan was picked out of obscurity when the Rajasthan Royals signed him up for the second season of the IPL. Darren Berry, the team's director of coaching, spotted him in a Twenty20 tournament in Mumbai. He had no first-class experience and Kamran had spent his nights on railway stations when travelling for cricket trials. When he was handed a US$24,000 contract by Rajasthan, Kamran told the Indian Express. "Had this money come two years back, I might not have lost my mother.I always had monetary problems. I never dared to ask money from my brothers. I had one pair of white clothes for trials."

Rise to fame at IPL:
Kamran bowled just one over in the Royals' losing warm-up game against the Cape Cobras Saturday. He bowled a lethal yorker to knock off the stumps of Cobras captain Ontong [Youtube Link]. Even the fake ipl player blog ,he is termed as Akram Azam. A great compliment from a blogger who has tarnished image of many cricketers...

Kamran was overwhelmed by the change in his fortunes over the last few weeks. "Even until few days ago, nobody knew me. I used to play at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai and just hoped to keep on doing the hard work. I'd gone for trials to every part of UP but without success."

Warne’s immense faith in Kamran’s showed when the veteran preferred him over others for the last over and the deciding Super Over.Warne said: “I told him don’t worry about the Super Over. If you hadn’t bowled such a good last over, we would not have been in this situation.”

From now on:
I had long before watched a movie called 'Iqbal' and now it appears like same story of picking a diamond in the rough. Nothing is like success, everybody (like me also) embraces a winner. New success stories will be formed and every Tom, Dick & Harry will run to take credit of his exponential rise. I do not know how far he will go in this cricketing world but he has changed the face of Azamgarh. Atleast a new hero is born in the Azamgarh....

New face of Indian Cricket

Bollywood and cricket are opium for Indians. Indians were quite influenced by anglo-saxon culture post independence. True face of Indian patriotism was suppressed by white race domination feeling. Image of Indian cricketers abroad was of decent and polite guys in blue. Sunil Gavaskar start the process of reversing and it comes to maturity in Dada's captaincy. Kapil Dev started not only change in fast bowling department but shows way for small town cricketers. Initially cricketer with metro cities background were selected but now scenario has changed completely. An interesting analysis is here about this change.

Rookie from every part of India came and change the face of Indian cricket. After the shambles of booking controversy, Ganguly had taken captaincy in his hand. He was passionate and fusion of new blood in team changes the perspective of cricket in India. The whole career of Dada is of wilderness and redemption. Setback and comeback become inheritance culture of Indian team in dada captaincy. He was committed to change regional attitude to national character of cricketers. The unending passion to win and set he landmark has established him as fierce cricketer in opposition camp. Dada has turned hope of millions into expectation for winning both local and abroad. Dada shows how to win in any condition yet known in this part of world.

Back in 2001, the Oz juggernaut that had crushed everything in its path for 16 games came to a shuddering halt when India refused to be cowed at Eden Gardens despite the hopeless situation that they found themselves in at the end of day three. Then we see the miracle and uncertainty of cricket with exceptional win of India. By the time the teams reached Chennai for the deciding Test, the aura had gone, and India calmly picked off 510 in response to Australia's 391 to set up a series win.

The times, they certainly were a changing. Hope was turned into milestone performance. Natwest trophy 2002 was also beginning of new era and yuvi and Kaif makes the dream chase successful. What this photo did for a nation in war, the image on the left did to a nation in doubt with its expression at success. The half-naked Maharaja's slap on proud Brit cheek was perhaps as strong as the "Half-naked Fakir's".

Talent hunter like Greg has pointed out for younger version of our cricket team. But his cynical tactics make him to pay price of failures. Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble has done real good job after taking reins of captaincy. But nothing magical was achieved except first test win in South Africa. Only tough stand of Anil Kumble against Australian sledging and cheating attitude was worthy remembrance. The heated controversy at Australia shows our national nature to stand together in hard times.

Leadership is a spark not hard work or preparation. Its natural or inherited and M S Dhoni has uncompromising pursuit for victory. Peter Roebuck has done very straight to heart article about current condition of Indian Cricket.Dhoni correctly remarked: "It is all about enjoying each other success". I am enjoying his success feat and is Dhoni enjoying mine?

Message for New Year for Indian Cricket:
" Beyond the skies the hope lies and we see a better tomorrow with open eyes !!"

Test Cricket vs.20-20

The trouble with traditionalists is that they present themselves as protectors of the game's values but are actually doomed romantics. They lament the present state of affairs yet resist innovation.---Peter Roebuck

Indian Premier League

Indian Premier League
Cricket is a game of more controversy than any other sports played in India. After so much debacle and speculation, I.P.L. has kicked off. My loyalty towards India is questioned for first time. I do not have interest in domestic matches but cannot ignore such mouth watering contest. I have to take sides and feeling of regionalism has just started. Whole country is in front of Television set and enjoying the brutal hitting of BB McCullum. Odds are against by bet,but i place my money on Bangalore Royal Challengers. Even SRK and Preity Zinta are enjoying with me in IPL due to high amount of money!!!!
Gear Up and enjoy a new version of Cricket Fever....

ICC World Twenty 20

Twenty20 has been a real crowd-puller, and not only for the cricket .......