Play it again, Sam …

Its in every newspaper I guess, but loved the photograph so here it is.
Sam Alexis Woods.

12 Majors. 79 Professional wins in all.
As the line in the movie goes :
I’m so excited, I think I’ll brush all my teeth today!

Cric Info ? … ESPN ? … ESP ?

This is from Samir’s blog.
I’ll struggle to put up a introduction or conclusion that does justice to the exchange so I suggest you just read it.
First, Samir’s Letter to Cricinfo.. Then, Martin Williamson’s response to the letter and Samir’s response to it. And finally (assumption, mine), the response to the response …
Its the “take it [...]

The Grass is Greener There …

You could get ground into the red clay at the French Open like Pete Sampras did (one semi-final in 13 attempts. 3rd Round-2nd Round-2nd Round-1st Round-2nd Round-1st Round – his last six attempts there) but 7 Wimbledons (and 5 US Opens & 2 Australian Opens) and an unquestioned all-time great was right there.
Or you could [...]

25 June … The day it all changed.

This day in 1983.
Indian Cricket changed forever.
 And I know what you’re thinking. There are better photographs that capture the moment. Here’s the thing though. There are a few guys missing from this picture.
One of them – Kapil Dev – was the captain of the team. Another – Sandeep Patil, played an important role right through. This week, [...]

One, Two ; Buckle Guru …

Its not that we won easily.
To me, the importance of yesterday, was Sachin and Dada as India’s one-two. Its immaterial that it failed.
Sachin Tendulkar back at the top of the order – a desire he’s expressed a few times – is important. In the past, when he said that, it was explained to him that [...]

Tee Off the Summer …

India play Ireland today … So here’s a true (I pommish) Irish story..
On a golf tour in Ireland, Tiger Woods drives his BMW into a petrol station in a remote part of the Irish countryside. The attendant at the pump greets him in a typical Irish manner completely unaware of who the golfing [...]

The Sikh of Tweak …

… as a reference to the “Sheikh of Tweak” for Shane Warne
or
The Montster
or
The Beard to be Feared
or
Parmesan Tony
or
The Python
or 
The Spin Doctor
It does not matter what name you choose, Mudhsuden Singh Panesar is the flavour of the season. He’s Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2007. If you don’t believe me, check out his profile on his website. [...]

Writings on The Wall …

Graham Ford’s Runaway Bride act (for thats the politest one can be) has done this. Its turned the focus solely on Rahul Dravid. This is going to be his summer. It will have to be. It had to be that way the day he reconciled it all by saying “Coming to a place like India, [...]

Rock – Captain – Hard Place

This is another episode in the Steve Waugh series of this blog. Its also about captaincy and its associated calculated gambles.
“When you’ve got to drop a player as a captain you become emotional. You don’t cry, but you feel like crying. It’s hard to hold back. You’re very … different in your emotions. It’s hard [...]

Sir Beefy – And Walking the Talk …

“When we did the first walk from John O’Groats to Land’s End in 1985,” says his Beefiness, “there was a 20 percent survival-rate for people with leukaemia. Now that’s up to 80 percent and I won’t stop walking until it’s 100 percent. If we can beat one form of cancer, who knows what doors that’ll [...]

The start of something beautiful …

Tiger Pataudi and his (then) fiancé Sharmila Tagore watch a cricket game.
The scoreboard reflects a strong partnership brewing.
Photographer unknown

Dhoni – and India’s Twenty/20 vision …

I’m beginning to lose count and will admit that I’m confusing ODIs and Tests – but lets see now … India’s list of vice captains in the not so recent past – Sachin, VVS, Sehwag, Yuvraj and in the Bangladesh series – Nobody. Somewhere Kumble and Ganguly felt good about it for a session or [...]

Yes, I read and re-read to make sure too …

I’m speechless.
We’ve come up with Chandu Borde as the answer?
72 years young and long may he live… (Take care, sir. The game’s changed a fair deal and they say that the schedules are a bit tight these days. Apparently / Ostensibly that was a reason that the 46 year old extremely fit Mr Ford did [...]

Kent instead of Superman….

Model T’s broken down !! Graham Ford’s turned down the BCCI offer ….
This is what the Kent website carried yesterday …
FORD RETURNS TO THE NEVILL
Following reports suggesting that Kent Director of Cricket Graham Ford has been offered and has accepted the role of coach to the Indian National side, Kent County Cricket Club can confirm [...]

King Rafael, III

This is what Roger’s father had to say after the match.
“It was a game against history, for both of them. Only Rafa was good enough.”
He turned 21 last week. (And already has an asteroid named after him)

Model T …

Ford. Graham Ford.
So long as everyone – BCCI, media, fans, bloggers and most importantly Team India – get it clear that Graham Ford is here in the most basic form of the coach (the Model T Ford, if you will), and his role is the quintessence of “help-me-help-you” and nothing more and nothing less, everything [...]

Standing Tall (outside)….

Bodyline remains and will remain amongst cricket’s bigger controversies.
Douglas Jardine, central to that – drew extreme reactions from the two sides involved.
To the present day, Jardine is remembered throughout much of the cricket world as the architect of what some, particularly in Australia, consider the most vicious premeditated behaviour seen on a cricket field; but [...]

Garfield St Auburn Sobers …

Sometimes you’ll look at stats & descriptions, such as Left handed bat, Left-arm fast-medium, Slow left-arm orthodox, Slow left-arm chinaman, Outstanding fielder and then read words written by people who were fortunate enough to see him perform and yet think that they’re always at least one adjective short.
The Independent carries a rare interview with unarguably [...]

Real Men in White …

I got hold of Mukul Kesavan’s Men in White (the book) earlier this week. Some of his blog pieces, unfortunately, are a bit too “lets-stir-the-pot” for my taste particularly when others give the impression that its pretty deliberate and show a man who knows exactly how his audience (at least a large segment of the [...]

Ford & Emburey …

After my last I-wish-I-wasn’t-so-clever post about the BCCI choosing coaches, I’ll limit this one to someone else’s silly points …
This is from the Telegraph in India and its Pat Symcox on Graham Ford – who, says Pat, doesn’t believe in frills.
On the other side, in a number of ways, is a small excerpt [...]

The King & I ….

Been a while since posted any pictures on the site.
So here goes …

Its December, 1981. England are touring India.
And this is from the England team fancy dress party for Christmas.
Geoffrey Boycott (apparently) appears as Ranjitsinghji. (Altho I seem to remember that its the uniform that the durbaan at one of Delhi’s bigger hotels wear).
Ian Botham’s [...]

All good things to those who wait …

We’ve got a Board that justifiably claims to have a monopoly over the receipts of the game. The BCCI realises that Indian eyes on tv sets are what make Ricky Ponting’s Australia Yellow or Rahul Dravid’s India Blue. Without us, they’d all be (if at all) in white.
We are the colour of money.
Sometimes tho, one [...]

Coach to Destination …

In all the debates about the roles about a coach in a cricket team, Shane Warne is associated with the prosecution’s opening remarks.
Do we need a coach at all.
Shane Warne – always good with the wrong ‘un – said this. “I’m a big believer that a coach is something you travel in to get to [...]

Sometimes I wonder ….

We (as in India) are said to be long struggling with an opening combination. And if most people say so, its probably right. And I don’t delve into statistics too deeply but a lot of people do.
So here’s a quiz question. (I know the answer incidentally. Ha !).
Sunil Gavaskar. 125 Tests. 10,122 runs. 34 centuries [...]