TONdulkar - The 50 Maar Khan!

One of the most difficult thing in present day cricketing context is certainly to write something about Sachin Tendulkar. Millions of articles, billions of comparisons and zillions of accolades have been showered on him for his innumerable feats and still the critics and fans all around find themselves at shortage of words but the superman is still going strong, with don't know how many such wonderful and proud moments still to come out of his quiver. From the youngest cricketer to achieve so many feats, to be the first batsman to clock 12, 15 and 17 thousand ODIS runs respectively, from being the only man to have scored 200 runs in an ODI innings to hit the maximum number of runs and centuries in both forms of the game and now the mere impossible, the first man on earth to have reached the unthinkable feat of 50 Test Tons. And it won't take him long to bag 100 international tons (ODIs plus Tests) either. Naturally he has made life tough not only for the bowlers across the globe but also for the writers and columnists. Nothing written about Sachin from now on will be new, yet a million words will be penned for every run that he scores.

No wonder almost every run he scores literally breaks one record or the other. And the newspapers next day are flooded with statistical vendettas and towering statements about the great man. And the same happened when he scored his 50th, all the news channels had only one thing to show, Sachin! All the radio stations had only one thing to air, Sachin! The last five pages of Times Of India next day had stories on only one man, Sachin! All the food joints, office cafeterias, pan shops and even the restaurants were buzzing with just one topic, Sachin! And a bitter irony amongst all these celebrations and coronations was that, not only the whole of India but even the entire world forgot a very important fact that India has faced one of their biggest defeats in a Test Match in recent times. But who cares as long as their favorite star is entertaining them in such an incredible fashion!

This man has been playing international cricket for more years of his life (21) than he hasn’t (16). And certain facts about his longevity are so staggering that it seems that the entire world has transformed in these 21 years, but for his zest for excellence. When he started to play international cricket, Steffi Graf was Wimbledon champion, Diego Maradona was captain of Argentina, and Allan Border led Australia. Think of where they are today, how physically fit they are and what they do now. Mind boggling, isn't it? Also, when he started, the Berlin Wall and the Babri Masjid were still intact; India had no mobile phones;and Nirvana was two years away from recording Smells Like Teen Spirit. As the world around him has changed beyond recognition, Tendulkar – peerless, generation-straddling poster boy of his sport – continues to dominate India’s collective consciousness more than anyone else has in the past two decades.

Naturally with this amazing feat happening the age old comparisons with Don Bradman were bound to resurface. But this time around not only the Indians declared the burly mumbaikar as their first choice but even the Australian fans joined the global bandwagon in felicitating the 37 year old sensation as the best ever. Though I believe it's not the best thing to compare the legends across eras, as the cricketing conditions were different 50 years back, amount of cricket played today is far more enormous than it was say 30-40 years back, state of pitches have changed considerably, protective gears and technology has come to batsmen's aid in today's game and the amount of travelling has risen considerably too. So it is in the best interest of the game to savior and enjoy the best of each of these geniuses rather than getting involved in a slug fest of comparisons. But with the little master continuing with his path breaking batting streak, fans, critics and writers are bound to resort to new ways of praising him, naturally the tool of comparison. And it was hardly any surprise when I came across an article in Times of India few days back which toyed with the idea of comparing Sachin with the all time greats of various other sports and in turn corona-ting him with the throne of Best Sportsman in the World! Heartwarming indeed, but I don't think it's required at all because even if the little genius fails to perform the way he has over the years, he will still remain to be the king of our hearts and most deserved owner of the Bharat Ratna title.

What makes this guy special are not his towering records and statistics but the way he has played the game for over two decades. What separates him from his peers is not his impeccable technique and temperament but his infectious enthusiasm for the game. What eventually transcends him from a good player to a great player are not his multi million dollar endorsements but his humility and off field conduct. Whatever he does, however much, we still want more from Tendulkar. He has borne the burden of our hope so well for 21 years; it could well be the heaviest burden borne by a batsman in cricketing history. In today's India when corruption and dishonesty has spread its wings from politics, media, healthcare and even in the prestigious cauldrons of defense and services, he is probably the lone man standing on the pillars of honesty and integrity and performing his duties for the nation with full honesty and consequently bringing smiles to the faces of million Indians. So the least we can do for this messiah, in the last leg of his career is to slightly unburden him for our never ending expectations, savor every moment till they last and let him enjoy the game a bit more than he usually does.

Bracketing Sir Don & Sachin: Much like the Bradman's stupendous average of 99.94 has always remained a thing of talks and a largely unchallenged number,Sachin's eventual tally of century of Centuries will also remain one such feat which will remain unchallenged and unbeaten for a long long time.

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kin...

Mr Honest (PM), Prove your Honesty!

If their is one quality or attribute which both the Government and the Opposition are hell bent to showcase these days, it's certainly that of being 'Obstinate'. So if the BJP led Opposition is relentlessly demanding for a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the Rs.1.76 lakh crore 2G scam, the Congress led UPA government is vehemently refusing to all such demands. And the overall output of this stalemate is the fact that winter session of parliament got adjourned for all the 21 days leading to a humongous loss of public money.

Now the big question is why is the opposition so adamant on its demand of setting up a JPC or what good a JPC will do to the fortunes of the opposition? As a matter of fact, in the post independence political history of India, 4 JPCs have been formed respectively for investigating the Bofors scam, the Harshad Mehta scandal, the Stock Market scam and the pesticides adulterated cold drink debacle. And on all the four occasions, leave aside the prospects of anybody getting punished, not even a single person has been convicted, rather even no substantial remedial action has been taken against the suspected defaulting party. So with such a backdrop, ideally even a full fledged JPC inquiry should count for nothing.

Also, the JPC makes sense if it manages to clear up the murky dealings between the politicians, the bureaucrats, the industrialists and the media. But who cares for all this, at least the opposition hardly does because the biggest plus which they are seeking from a JPC probe is the fact that a JPC probe can even summon the Prime Minister to appear in the dock. And with that happening it clearly tarnishes the image of the man on whose innocence, goodwill and stainless record, the Congress led UPA government has been sailing smoothly on even the roughest of waters. And with a huge role that the Prime Minister Office has to play in the entire 2G Spectrum allocation process, their is every chance that the honorable PM might be summoned to appear before the JPC and eventually face quite a few awkward questions, which for sure will be a matter of great shame for not only Dr Manmohan Singh but also for the government. No wonder the government is shying away from a JPC probe and the opposition is so hell bent on gaining a huge political mileage over the government by letting it happen.

But amidst all this brouhaha the biggest and the most surprising question is that, why is the government so reluctant and rather so defensive in having a JPC to probe the 2G scam.Obviously with such a huge uproar on this matter already they are foreseeing a risk of finding themselves in minority on this issue and this apart from the stated reason of finding the honorable Prime Minister in the dock. But by constantly denying a JPC they are reinforcing the fact that something is wrong from their end and they are trying to shield the Prime Minister from a shameful scrutiny. And this rather uncharacteristic behavior on the government's part is also shocking because going by the past records of JPCs, none of the JPC probes, findings/recommendations have been implemented or were rather implemented as a watered down version. So when they could have easily lingered on with a nod to JPC, relying on its non-productive outcome, they have made matters worse and rather dubious for themselves by constantly objecting to it.

And what is most disgusting amongst all this is the government's new found habit of advocating the Prime Minister by saying that the opposition should not raise fingers against a person of Prime Minister's stature, as he is a man of utmost integrity, he has always been a role model for millions and is rather the best and the cleanest Prime Minister in the history of Indian politics. But if that is the case, they should make things even more simple by letting the Prime Minister and in turn the government prove their innocence by going through a JPC. And idolizing is a good thing only if it is done in the right vein, but when it crosses the limits of sanity it turns into stupidity. So if a man has been an impeccable character all his life, doesn't mean that he will remain one for the rest of his life too, he has to pass through various litmus tests to prove his mettle time and again.

Obviously with the public memory being short lived this multi crores scam will also evaporate from our storage disks in due course. A prospective aberration to this can be an united opposition still adamant for a JPC and thereby also disrupting the budget session of the parliament. But with no offence against the honorable Prime Minister and with full regards to him, in the interest of this nation he should be the first man from the government to cross the line, agree to a JPC, prove his innocence and come out clean.Only then will it set a good example for all the politicians, bureaucrats and industrialists to traverse the path of honesty and integrity.

Jai Hind!

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kin...

Ponting's debacles, Sachin's 50th & a lot more...

It's the season of Test Match Cricket and with the top cricketing teams fiercely contesting against each other to show their cricketing prowess, times can't get any better for an avid cricket fan. So if Australians are fighting hard to regain the Urn in the Ashes down under, the No. 1 Test Team in the world (India) is under a serious threat of justifying their Numero Uno title in the hostile and bouncy pitches of the Rainbow nation. Though despite the eventual results of both these series, there are lot of other things too which are at stake, like Pontings Future as a Captain and as a Batsman, Sachin's 50th Ton and the Performance of the formidable Indian batting lineup in SouthAfrica.

Naturally a lot is at stake for the formidable Indian batting lineup in their trip to South Africa, though even if they fail yet again in South Africa their CV's won't get tainted at all but a good showing here would definitely add feathers to their already glorious careers. Certainly this is the last time the batting trinity of Dravid, Tendulkar & Laxman is touring South Africa and going by their past records they would certainly like to improve upon it in a big way. As none of them averages even 40 playing here and same goes with the most destructive batsman of this era (read Sehwag). And we can safely add Gambhir too to this not so elite list because Mr consistent is still to open batting in not only South Africa but also in the testing environs of England and Australia. So if these men get going, then we are sure to have a cracker of a series in our hands, however going by the past showings,our run machines might find it a bit arduous to start delivering from the first match but by the third and the final test they will surely give the protean quicks a good run for their money. And needless to say, no practice game before the 1st test might surely prove to be a costly affair.

If there is one thing which is as much debated as the final scoreline of the ongoing Ashes series, it is most definitely Ricky Ponting's future. Though despite his continued poor form and a total run aggregate of just 80 runs from the first 6 innings in the series, the man himself has categorically denied any thoughts of retiring but the actual scenario seems far more intriguing. How often has one seen Australia being dominated so badly by any of their opponents? How often has one seen Aussies being so docile in their approach against such a huge backlash? How often has one seen an Australian selection panel backing a player/captain for so long despite a string of failures. A lot of big names, including Steve Waugh were shown the door despite their past laurels, than what's so different about Punter's case? Is it because the selectors don't see a potential successor to Ponting at this point in time, which is probably a strong reason because Michael Clarke who has been tagged as the Captain in waiting for so long has failed to deliver consistently when Punter is failing rather more consistently. Or is it because the Australian board still backs their chances of seeing an Aussie at the top of batting chart in terms of most test runs and maximum test centuries? Or is it because even the selectors are unaware about the most righteous ways to handle such an unexpected situation? The exact reason behind this rather unusual behaviour is probably known only to the ACB but going by the batting form, Ponting's future seems to be rather gloomy however going by the form of other captaincy contenders in the Aussie lineup, Ponting's throne still seems very much intact and unchallenged!

And how can one talk of Test Cricket without mentioning the great Sachin Tendulkar! So every time the little master will come out to bat in the 3 test series in South Africa the buzz will revolve around his 50th Test ton. Obviously the feat will eventually happen one day or the other but this feat is so humongous that its bound to create loads of excitement. But the buzz and excitement in India is very much the same every time Ponting gets out cheaply, the simple reason being he is the closest competitor to all of Sachin's record in Test Match cricket. There is no denying the fact that Ponting still is a very good batsman, infact he is one of the most complete, dominating and fluent player of the modern era but then why is it so that his fan following isn't as huge as that of say Sachin,Lara or Sehwag? Probably because of his touch arrogant, ruthless and petulant conduct in his hay days, no wonder in his rather tough times he isn't enjoying the support and backing of many non-aussie fans. And that's where the off field conduct and behavior of other cricketing greats comes into play. However comparisons apart these are undoubtedly the times to saviour each of these battles with the battles in this ever so beautiful and enthralling game.

Bird's Eye View : And for those like me who are still very keen about the statistics and comparisons, it's time to get more worried by Mr Jacques Kallis' ascendancy towards Sachin's feat, as he is just 1 shy of Ponting's 39 tons and is also an year younger to the Aussie too!


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kin...

2010 - The Year of Leaks, Fixes & Cheats!

It won't be an exaggeration if we term the year 2010 as the year of clandestine fixers. What sort of started with the Pakistan Cricket Team's biggest match/spot fixing scandal continued on with the Radia leaks and literally exploded with the wiki leaks revelations.If the former was a shocker than the ones to follow were nerve wreckers, Infact every single of these gigantic fixes, leaks or conspiracy theories are all a full fledged case study in themselves. And a deep rooted analysis of each of these shameful acts reveals that every single of these horrendous act have been going on for a while now, so certainly these aren't those earth shattering discoveries, rather they are all timely inventions breeding on the eternal greed.

Interestingly, this isn't the first time that the Pakistan based cricketers have been found guilty of match fixing, they (Pakistan cricketers) have been doing this for as long as one can remember, it's just that the ways, means and the names have changed with time. Same goes with Niira Radia, she is a known fixer and has been around for two decades now, fixing deals for the rich and the famous. With most of her clients being the reputed corporate houses, only now it has transpired that she has politician clients as well and may be some clients in the media too. And what wiki leaks has stumped the entire world with, is certainly a shocker but definitely not the first timer. They have been constantly coming up with various dubious theories on part of the US (government) vis-a-vis different nations and agendas, it's just that this time around they (wiki leaks) have revealed a bit too much and all in one go. So in all these clandestine fixes, probably the packaging, presentation and timing has changed but the very essence still remains the same.

So to defend and tackle these irregularities or exposures through the weapon of 'Breach of Right to Privacy' is a serious misuse of the law because there are stages where the laws of privacy, however sacrosanct, need to take a backseat. And in such a scenario, whosoever has advised Mr. Ratan Tata to go to the Supreme Court yelling for his breach in right to privacy, has done him a serious disservice. If Tata is trying to stop more tapes from coming out, he is only making the public even more curious about what they may contain, which eventually in all probability will do even more harm to Tata's image than if the tapes were actually revealed. Insinuation causes far more lasting damage than actual revelation because that’s when your business/professional rivals get a free hand to float any rumors they want. And, as we all know, rumors cause greater damage than facts.

But the bigger question is, Why people like Radia flourish? or What makes wiki leaks reveal so much? or What makes these Pakistan based players so deeply involved in the vices of cheating and match fixing? Well it's an age of deceit, double standards, distrust and corruption and if we talk just in terms of our own country, we have ourselves created a system so disgustingly corrupt and dirty that it’s impossible for anyone to survive in any business or trade without having to necessarily resort to fixers and middlemen. That’s why people like Radia flourish. Not only because there are corrupt business houses eager to grab special favors from politicians and bureaucrats forever ready to offer them but also because there are also honest business houses who have no idea on how to navigate a system as venal as ours. They need an astute guide through the stormy waters. They need people who can advise them on how to deal with each rascal who tries to extort them at every stage. The system breeds its own Radias who, in turn, approach and compromise people, even good people.

So rather than pointing fingers at these middlemen or fixers it would be probably a better idea that we all got together to clean up the house. This must begin with dismantling the corrupt system and exemplarily punishing the guilty, not just booting them out. But the biggest hurdle in this clean up act is our thought process which professes that 'what can I do alone to cleanse this deep layered filth'. So if we can combat this demoralizing thought process of ours, half the battle is won. The least we can do to be a part if this cleansing act is by not subscribing to the easy but corruption led route of getting things done in our day to day life. This route can be a bit cumbersome and painful but the long terms effects of this approach can be really worth all the pain.So instead of cynically talking about moral codes for lobbyists, let’s repair and restore our institutions in a manner such that we can combat corruption. But first let’s start by believing it’s possible.

We all thought Terrorism in Punjab is beyond repair, corruption and crime in Bihar is beyond redemption. But with a firm belief and true hard work on the part of the administrators, the results in both the scenarios are for all of us to be proud about. So it's all about the self belief and a few tough steps against these chronic vices of corruption and fixings. And it's high time we fix the fixers rather than getting our system fixed by them.

Perspective: Understandably the Radias, the Kalmadis and the Rajas are the culprits of various offences, but all of us who are breeding these corruption mongers through our lackadaisical and accommodating attitude are also equal partners in crime. And unless we change our approach towards governance and routine chores we can't stop the influx of new Radias and Kalmadis.

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kin...

No.1 Team in the World! Really!!!!...Really????

Out of the 18 Tests that India has played over the last 2 years, they have been on the winning side on an impressive 10 accounts and have lost only twice in this period. This in itself is a never before statistics for the Indian Cricket, and if we take into account the fact that 4 out of these 10 victories have been Overseas wins, then it makes this statistic look even more fanciful. No wonder that with these performances Team India finds itself at the top of Test rankings, with a considerable lead over the other podium pushers. But what is most refreshing about this celebration of sorts is the fact that the monotonous, boring and at times irritating dominance of the Australian team in this arena is finally over. And gone are the days when even the very thought of a non-Australian team at the top was a far stretched imagination or even a wildest dream, no wonder these are well and truly the changing and exciting times in the world cricket.

Though there is a school of thought prevalent among the critics of the game that Team India isn't the deserved owner of the top seat but that hardly takes away anything from the consistently stellar performances exhibited by this team over the last few years. However there is no denying the fact that they (Team India) aren't as fearsome as the West Indies team of 70's and 80's or the Australian team of late 90's and early 2000's but nevertheless they have been playing exceptionally good cricket well within their limits.Not only this team has a fearsome, spontaneous and an intelligent leader in the name of MS Dhoni, but they also have an equally capable team to back their leader's spontaneity. And to have a team with an aggregate run tally of over 50,000 runs and a total batsmen century count of over 100 is a no mean feat. Though this also highlights the fact that our's is mainly a batsmen led team but then bowling has never been our forte.

It's very easy to attribute this success to a few key man like Tendulkar, Dravid, Harbhajan, Laxman, Sehwag, Dhoni, Zaheer and Kirsten but there are few others too who are not a part of this team now but are still equally responsible for Team India's ascendancy to the top spot. And these elite gentlemen are John Wright, Souav Ganguly and Anil Kumble. Wright was the one who emphasised on the way these guys trained and prepared in the most righteous manner, Ganguly was the one who marshalled and transformed the team from a soft bunch of players to an aggressive lot of warriors and Kumble was the one who consistently kept on taking wickets and almost single handedly bowled oppositions out on the unfriendliest of tracks. But this undoubtedly is the golden era of Indian Cricket, as not often will it happen that the likes of Tendulkar, Dravid, Sehwag, Laxman, Ganguly will play for the country at the same time. One may see one or at max two batting greats playing at the same time, but these many doning the Indian Jersey at the same time will probably remain rarest of rarities. In that sense the Indians are truly blessed to have all of them playing for country at the same time.

But for India to continue it's dominance at the top spot, they need to improve and sharpen their bowling skills because it's ultimately the ability to take 20 wickets which eventually decides the winner. Though of late India have been out batting their opponents convincingly to cover up for their mediocre bowling but certainly these aren't good signs for Team India. There was a time when a majority of fans used to criticize the great leg spinner Anil Kumble for not being able to spin the ball much and literally bowling as a medium pacer, but his effectiveness over the years can be felt now when none of the bowlers of the current era (including Harbhajan) are able to tighten up the opposition's noose with their bowling. Understandably Kumble didn't spin the ball much, but his line, length and pin point accuracy was a nightmare for the batsmen all around the world, naturally to fill his shoes is a big task. So when Harbhajan is hitting back to back test match hundreds, it is definitely a moment to rejoice, but this team needs more of Harbhajan the bowler than Harbhajan the batsman. Because we have already seen with Irfan Pathan, what that extra pressure of batting well consistently does to ones bowling and when Harbhajan is already struggling big time with his bowling we should not pressurize him further with those alrounder tags. It's high time he takes up the role of the lead spinner in the team and mentor the younger crop as Kumble did so well in his time and Zaheer is currently doing the same with the young pacers.

The debate on whether Team India is the deserved owner of the Numero Uno spot can go on for a long time, but on practical and statistical terms the ICC ranking system states that Team India is the No.1 cricket team presently. And there are no doubts about the fact that Team India possess the most formidable batting line up in the world but from the fielding point of view this team is lagging way behind and the bowling attack isn't the most threatening one either. So if we surgically disect the three important areas of the game, batting wise, YES, Team India is the No.1 team amidst it's peers, fielding wise the team languishes right at the bottom and bowling wise too this team is certainly not the No.1 team and is rather just average in qualitative terms. So in such a scenario if this team wants to extend it's stay at the top spot then it should minimise its dependency on the batting strong hold and pull up it's socks in the bowling and fielding departments. Because it's not far when the batting trinity of Laxman, Dravid and Tendulkar will hang up their boots and the current batting line up will transform from great to good or may be even average. It's then that the real test will start for the bowlers, they won't have that cushion of a huge score to bowl with, every single time; the destructive, flamboyant and carefree Sehwag will 'probably' turn into an innings builder and may be more of a batting mainstay then the momentum builder, as he is now. Consequently the bowlers will have to equally share the responsibility of wining sessions along with the batters and will also have to shed their dependence on the bowler friendly tracks to bowl out the oppostion twice.Only then the fans of Team India can proudly boast that their team is in the same league to that of the West Indies and Australian teams of the past!

Perspective -The gruesome South Africa tour which is just days away, should be the first real test for this talented team to prove its mettle at the top spot!

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kin...