Long Innings: Recent Episodes
Long Innings
Fast bowling is hard work. Experts have estimated that when a fast bowler delivers a ball, up to nine times his body weight goes through his front foot. Indians are further handicapped by the weather conditions at home where the heat can be oppressive, and their genetic build. That is why in the past, India has struggled to produce quality fast bowlers. In the 1930s, India had 2 genuine fast bowlers in Mohammad Nissar and Amar Singh. Another reason for the lack of genuine fast bowlers in India over the years is that their psyche is based on hero worship. Until Kapil Dev came onto the scene in 1978, the young aspiring fast bowlers in India did not have someone they could idolize and not many people were inspired to take on fast bowling as a profession.
The game of cricket is measured by the currency of runs and wickets. Matches are won by the team which scores more runs than the opposition. This statement considers only the end result of the match and not intangible factors like entertainment, elegance, sportsmanship etc. There are 3 formats in cricket and each has its own unique appeal and charm. Test cricket is still regarded by pundits and purists as the format that tests a player’s skill the most. Some critics still scoff at the Twenty20 version calling it slam bang cricket and just a way to earn astronomical amounts of money without necessarily testing a player’s variety of skills, temperament and adaptability that Test cricket demands. There is no doubt that the money generated from T20 cricket has developed infrastructure and helped sustain interest in certain countries. In this podcast we analyse the influence of T20 cricket and how it has shaped results and the way Test and ODI cricket are played.
Cricket allows time for chats between players. It’s a game with one format (some say the toughest format) spread over five days. Lots of time for a friendly banter between players then… and players have always grabbed an opportunity to take a jibe at the opposition team members - to unsettle them, to break their concentration, to get under their skin, all in an effort to get them to commit a mistake or lose their focus.
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1991 was a momentous year for South African cricket. It marked their re-admission into international cricket since their suspension from the sport by the ICC due to the South African government’s Apartheid policy. South Africa had been cricket’s outcasts for more than 20 years.
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Fast bowling. Gets one excited. Not the dibbly dobly medium pacers, but the genuine fast bowling makes cricket very exciting. There is no better watching in test or ODI cricket than a good old dual between a top batter and top fast bowler. Fast bowling however, takes a lot out of you. The sheer running into to bowl, the hard landing on the crease takes a toll on the knees and ankle and the motion of hurling the ball as quickly as possible can take a toll on the shoulder and back. That’s why good fast bowlers are well revered and followed. They are the bad boys of cricket.
Batting in cricket is about building partnerships. The surest way of getting a big score is by stringing together a few big partnerships. That’s what coaches want from the batters. Some batters seem to play well together and help each other to score big runs. They usually form big partnerships and put their team in a strong position in the process. Let us look at a few batting pairs who formed a great partnership.
The Sri Lanka cricket team has not being playing at it’s best for some time now. Coming into the test match against South Africa in Durban in Feb 2019, the team had lost 16 of its last 18 international matches, which included a drubbing away at Australia preceded by a thrashing at home by England in both the Tests and ODIs.
Ben Stokes is currently counted amongst the best all rounders in the world. A player who is just as capable of taking 5 wickets or scoring a hundred every time he plays. He is the most expensive overseas player ever sold at an IPL auction.
At 27 years old, he has potentially many years of cricket ahead of him and has a chance to go down as one of the all time best to ever play and most certainly one of the all time best to play for England.
But, it could all have been so different. This chance could have been taken away from due to a scuffle between him and a couple of other people outside a nighclub in 2017.
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Shane Keith Warne was born on 13th September 1969 and at the time of his retirement in January 2007 was the highest wicket taker in Tests. He made his Test debut against India in 1991-92 at Sydney and had a pretty ordinary debut taking just 1 wicket and conceding 150 runs in his 45 overs. At that time even the most gifted fortune teller would not have been able to look into his crystal ball and predict the bright future and the glittering career that Warne would have. Since the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, the dominance by the West Indies with their accent on pace bowling meant that the spin bowling cupboards in world cricket were bare and that spin bowling, particularly leg-spin bowling was in danger of getting extinct. Even though Warne made a pretty unspectacular beginning to his Test career, he rose from strength to strength and by the time of his retirement was unarguably the greatest leg-spinner of all-time.
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There may be some doubt as to whom the greatest fast bowler of all-time is. There may be some doubt as to whom the greatest spinner of all-time is. There may be some doubt as to whom the greatest wicket-keeper of all-time is. However, there is no doubt as to who the greatest batsman of all-time is. Which yardstick or parameter you use to judge greatness, no matter how skewed or biased you may be, the greatest batsman of all-time is Donald George Bradman. The margin between him and the second greatest batsman of all-time is probably as much as the margin between the 1st and the 20th best in any other sport. And that is not giving in to hyperbole.
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The Stock of Women’s cricket is on the rise and its about time. There are more and more sound bites available in the media, on social media, in the news papers and this is only good news. Like their male counterparts, women cricketers deserve their time in the sun and 2017 and now 2018 were years when women’s cricket took all the right steps.
As we take a look back at the year 2018, we will focus on a few key tournaments, series and events that made the news.
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2018 was an eventful year for cricket. A look back will show just why. It helped that the cricket played on the field certainly kept things interesting and some events on and off the field got a lot of attention.
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When India stepped down on Australian shores in November 2018, there was an air of expectation that something special could happen. There was genuine hope that this Indian side could do something no side before it had done - which was to win a test series in Australia for the first time ever.
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Rahul Dravid made his Test debut for India along with Sourav Ganguly in the 2nd Test versus England at Lords during India’s tour of England in 1996. He made a solid and composed 95 which did not get the due credit that it deserved because it was overshadowed by Ganguly’s 131 in the same Test. That was the story of Dravid’s career. He did not get the due credit that he deserved because his career overlapped with that of more flamboyant and charismatic batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman. This could be looked at in two ways depending on a person’s point of view. It either deprived him of well-deserved recognition or it left him free to carry on with his job of scoring runs for India without being distracted by excessive attention.
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Sourav Ganguly made his international debut for India as a precocious 19-year-old in an ODI against the West Indies at the Gabba in Brisbane in January 1992. He had a pretty unremarkable debut scoring just 3 runs and that coupled with supposed rumors about his attitude led to him being consigned to the cricketing wilderness for more than 4 years. He made a dream debut to his Test career, scoring 131 on his Test debut at the home of cricket, Lords in 1996. Most players would give their right arm to have such a beginning to their Test career and to announce his entry on such a stage is the stuff that fairytales are made of and Ganguly silenced all his detractors with that innings. Ganguly’s 131 against England is the highest score by a debutant at Lords and he is one of just 105 players who have scored a Test century on debut.
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Another year in the cricketing calendar is firmly in the rear-view mirror and there were a lot of phenomenal feats in 2018. Some players enhanced their already stupendous achievements while others addressed the gaps in their CV. Some young players put their hand up to show that they had it in them to become the greats of the game, while there were some whose performances turned out to be a damp squib. There were a total of 48 Tests, 128 ODIs and 81 T20Is played in 2018 and in this podcast we look at the top performers in all 3 formats.
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The late Richie Benaud, who was considered the doyen of cricket commentary, once called cricket the most controversial game of all. Over the years, cricket has been involved in a lot of controversies like gambling, match-fixing, spot-fixing, sledging, disrespect towards umpires, dalliances of a non-platonic nature, verbal tirades and even the odd physical skirmish. Ball-tampering can also be added to this list but for some reason over the years it failed to be considered a serious offence. There have been a lot of players caught red-handed, tampering with the ball over the years but for some reason the offence does not seem to warrant the seriousness that it deserves. Here is a list of players caught tampering with the ball over the years.
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The calendar year 2018 has been a fantastic one for Indian cricket. They were unstoppable in the shorter formats of the game and in Test cricket they won their first ever Test series in Australia. They learnt from their mistakes in selection and execution in South Africa and England and put that to use in Australia where the team jelled as a cohesive unit and emerged 2-1 victors. In T20Is, they played 6 series and won 5 with 1 series being drawn. Out of the 19 T20Is they played in 2018, they won 14, lost 4 while 1 ended in a no-result. Their Win-Loss ratio of 3.5 in T20Is was the 2nd best after Pakistan (8.5), while Afghanistan were victorious in all 7 T20Is that they played and therefore didn’t have a Win-Loss ratio.
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New Zealand became the fifth team to receive Test status in 1930 while India became the 6th team to receive Test status in 1932. In this podcast we recount India’s first ever overseas win in Tests. India’s first ever Test win, away from home was against New Zealand at Carisbrook in Dunedin. The record of both teams prior to the start of the Test series in New Zealand, in February 1968 was pretty poor. In fact, it was downright abysmal. Out of the 7 teams which had Test status in 1968, (Pakistan were the 7th in 1952), it would not be an exaggeration to say that New Zealand and India, along with Pakistan were right at the bottom of the pile. They were certainly not at the standard of teams like Australia, West Indies, England and South Africa.
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Five - is the total number of test wins India have managed against Australia in Australia until the start of the series in 2018. Suffice to say then that a win in Australia is always treasured and long remembered. India was still searching for their first ever series win in Australia as of December 2018.
Apart from the fact that Australian teams have been very good, there are few more reasons why the Indians just don’t win there enough.
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No Balls can be costly, just ask a bowler when he gets a wicket only for the delivery to be declared a no ball. It can change the fate of a match, as Jasprit Bumrah found out in the ICC Champions trophy final of 2017.
Having said that, a couple of no-balls in a test match between Pakistan and England at Lord’s in 2010 had a sinister hand behind them and far-reaching consequences. They unearthed a ‘spot-fixing’ scandal and had dire consequences for the culprits at the centre of it all.
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The year 2019 promises an interesting feast of cricket for fans from all over the globe. The ODI World Cup will be held in England from 30th May till 14th July. This year will also feature the inauguration of the World Test Championship, which would include the Ashes in England. So, there is a lot of cricket to look forward to. However, while the established stalwarts in various teams are expected to rule the roost, there are also a number of new exciting players on the horizon. Some of them have captured the fancy of the cricketing public with their exploits in the T20 arena while others have impressed in their first outings in international cricket. If these players keep their head on their shoulders and live up to their potential then they will certainly be the ones to watch out for in 2019. Here are 8 players who could impress on the world stage in 2019.
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There are some cricketers who are prolific run scorers but do so at a snail’s pace and are not particularly appealing to the eye. There are some cricketers who score runs at a brisk pace but do not score enough runs to be called great or even good batsmen. There are some cricketers who excel at a particular format but are found wanting in another. There are some cricketers who score a lot of runs at a brisk pace and also stir the senses by the manner of their stroke play. Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards falls into the last category. He had a long and illustrious career and entertained his legion of fans with his scintillating stroke play in both Tests and ODIs. What made Richards tick over such a long career was his god given gift of picking the line and length of the ball earlier than most mere mortals. He was also blessed with immense power and was considered the hardest hitter of the ball in his era.
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As of 1st January 2019, there have been 2956 players who have played Test cricket. So, when pundits of the game sit down and choose an all-time great World XI, there is a plethora of talent to choose from. Since Test cricket began in 1877, there have been a number of great batsmen, bowlers, all-rounders and wicket-keepers to choose from. Therefore, it is only natural that the pundits who choose the all-time great Test XI will differ in their choice of the playing XI. However, there are some players whose exploits on a cricketing field are so compelling, that leaving them out of the playing XI is impossible. They include players like Don Bradman, Garfield Sobers, Shane Warne and Wasim Akram.
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India is not normally known as a country that travels well in cricket. To an extent that has changed since Sourav Ganguly became the captain of India in 2000. Post that, we have had some memorable victories in Tests but Test series wins in Australia and South Africa continue to elude us. India’s first Test series win was in New Zealand in 1967-68 followed by twin Test series wins over West Indies and England in 1971. In 1970, South Africa were banned from international cricket for the policy on apartheid. India did not even play the Proteas in international cricket till their reintroduction to international cricket in 1991-92. Out of the 7 countries that had Test status in the 1970s, India had not registered overseas Test series wins against Australia, South Africa and Pakistan. India missed a golden chance to win their maiden Test series Down Under in 1977-78 when they narrowly lost the series 3-2 to an Australian team weakened by defections to Kerry Packer.
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In this podcast, we recap another of India’s famous away Test wins. This was against England at Lord’s in 1986. Before we get into the details of India’s victory against the hosts, it is important to delve into the events just prior to the 1986 tour to England. India had just lost the Asia Cup final to Pakistan at Sharjah in heartbreaking fashion when Javed Miandad hit Chetan Sharma for a six off the last ball of the match. Over the previous few years, the Indian selectors had played a game of musical chairs over the captaincy of the team with both Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev. After India’s famous victory in the Benson and Hedges, World Championship of Cricket in 1985, Sunil Gavaskar vowed that he would never captain the Indian national side again.
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Through the years Indian Test sides have not won much outside the country. Series wins abroad are even rarer. This fact makes us savour wins abroad even more. In fact, India has never won a test series in Australia and South Africa, have won only one series in Pakistan, twice in New Zealand and 4 times in West Indies ( but only one of them before 2006). In England, they have won three series once in 1971, then in 1986 and then in 2007. It can safely be said that Indian wins abroad are few and far between. Even the current side, Number 1 in the world, lost the series they recently played in England and South Africa earlier in the year.
Not now...
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It was an event full of drama, controversy, gossip, a (perceived) pantomime villain, a (perceived) hero of the people. There was infighting, there was a public spat, it was spoken about on all TV channels and discussed ad idem in offices during the water cooler chats. TV commercials were made taking a dig at the entire episode and there was a bittersweet ending. Some may think it was a soap opera, and, why not, as the ‘script’ certainly had that feel to it. However, we cricket fans simply refer to it as the Ganguly – Chappell saga. We delve into what happened, why it happened and what it led to.
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An India – Pakistan sporting rivalry, there is nothing like it. Any sport – If India is going up against Pakistan there is bound to be massive interest in both countries. Be it Kabaddi, Hockey, Volleyball or football. We don’t like losing to them and vice-versa.
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In the previous podcast, we had covered cricket since its beginning to the period immediately preceding World War 1. The last Test before the War was played between England and South Africa in February 1914. With the onset of the war, there wasn’t any Test cricket played between the 3 countries as priorities changed. Ironically cricket was played in India, whereas in England, South Africa and West Indies, First Class cricket was abandoned for the entire duration of the war. In Australia and New Zealand, cricket was played in the 1914-15 season but afterwards, First-Class matches were completely abandoned.
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In the previous podcast, we had covered cricket since its beginning to the period immediately preceding World War 1. The last Test before the War was played between England and South Africa in February 1914. With the onset of the war, there wasn’t any Test cricket played between the 3 countries as priorities changed. Ironically cricket was played in India, whereas in England, South Africa and West Indies, First Class cricket was abandoned for the entire duration of the war. In Australia and New Zealand, cricket was played in the 1914-15 season but afterwards, First-Class matches were completely abandoned. At least 210 cricketers were known to have joined the armed forces of which 34 were killed.
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In the last podcast, we had traced the evolution of cricket until the early 1980s. The first two ODI World Cups had been held in England, and West Indies had triumphed on both occasions. In the 3rd ODI World Cup, India pulled off a stunning upset over the mighty West Indies in the final winning by 43 runs, ending the hegemony of the West Indians in ODIs. Just to prove that win was no fluke, India repeated their triumph in the World Championship of Cricket in Australia in 1985. They annihilated Pakistan in the final by 8 wickets and served notice to the rest of the world that they were a force to be reckoned with in international cricket. Their cricket team was beginning to be noticed for the quality of their cricket and the huge population in the sub-continent meant that it became the financial powerhouse of the cricketing world.
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West Indies were once the powerhouse of the game. The all-dominating team that conquered all the teams pitted against them. What was also awe-inspiring about them was the imposing manner in which they demolished teams. Between 1976 and 1995, they played 137 tests, losing only 18 and winning 71. In the 1980s they went through a period when they did not lose a single test for 27 consecutive test matches (still a record). They went from 1980 – 1995 without losing a series!. The current no. 1 side in the world has lost two series in this very calendar year, this gives us a sense of the West Indies domination.
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Cricket like any sport has its fair share of controversies. Ball tampering, Match fixing, spot fixing, sledging, pitches favouring the home team excessively, bad umpiring decisions affecting the outcome of games etc etc. Every now and then a couple of cricketers have a go at each other, sometimes its harmless or just to get a psychological edge but sometimes it can get quite ugly (Miandad v Lillee and Ian Chappel v Ian Botham). There have been however certain unique issues that have cropped up from time to time. We recently explored the Ganguly-Chappell saga, today we take a closer look at the Muralitharan – Darrel Hair no bowling controversy and why there was more to it than it seems.
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India has never been an easy place to tour for test playing countries. In the past, when the Indian team was not a very good side, the facilities and general infrastructure of the country was such that teams did not relish coming here. Over the decades, as the facilities improved, from the ground conditions to the hotel accommodation and everything else in between, the Indian team started playing very well in their home conditions. Foreign teams did not relish coming here for that reason.
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Sachin Tendulkar can lay claim to being the most talked about, and the most written about cricketer in history. He is still referred to as God by his most ardent fans. They say millions of households just switched their television sets off the moment he got out in a match. He was the man who could do no wrong. He is the first, and only, sportsperson to have received the prestigious Bharat Ratna (and is also its youngest recipient).
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Hi this is Malvika and in this series called Dressing Room, we take a look at MS Dhoni’s career.
It will be interesting to see what M S Dhoni’s resting heart rate would be. The man never seems to lose his cool. His team mates have said that even when the Indian team was going through its miserable tours of England and Australia in 2011, Dhoni was a picture of cool and never lashed out as captain on any of them. But don’t be fooled, just because he is cool all the time, doesn’t mean he doesn’t care.
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In the earlier podcast, we had discussed how India was introduced to the game of cricket by the British and how the Indian cricket team had fared in the international arena until the late 1960s, briefly touching upon their twin overseas Test series wins in the West Indies and England in 1971. Since the climatic conditions in Asia and the natural build and physique of Indians were not conducive to producing fast bowlers, India relied on the guile and mystery of spinners to win Test matches. No matter how good the batsmen in a team are, unless the team has bowlers who are capable of taking 20 wickets at an economical rate, it will not be able to win regularly in Tests.
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The first definite reference to cricket being played anywhere in the sub-continent is a report of English sailors of the East India Company written in 1737. It refers to cricket being played at Cambay near Baroda in 1721. A match between Madras and Calcutta in 1864 was definitely the 1st First Class match in India. The British played the match to build relationships with the Indians, the reasoning being that if the Indian elite had more connections with the British, the British could have more control over India.
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Cricket is the second most watched sport in the world after football. It originated in South-East England in the late 16th century before becoming the national sport of England in the 18th century. However, it started developing globally only in the 19th and 20th centuries. Matches between countries have taken place since 1844 while the first Test match took place between Australia and England in 1877.
Let us attempt to trace the evolution and growth of cricket from its infancy through the years up to World War I.
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All-rounders represent the best of cricket. Adept in more than just one skill, the greatest of them can turn matches with bat or ball. When they’re not excelling in both, they usually end up making up for one with outstanding performances in the other. MS Dhoni’s entire Test career as captain was spent wishing for a genuine all-rounder in the Indian, especially when touring. But he never did find one. India has only ever had the one truly world-class all-rounder. Australia, West Indies, England and South Africa seem to produce them in spades - supremely talented individuals who excel in multiple disciplines, if not multiple sports!
In this podcast, we’re taking a look at the greatest all-rounders in Test cricket’s history. Listen on...
Historically, the Indian cricket team has travelled poorly. For the longest time, the first aim of the Indian cricket team was to see if they could avoid defeat. Every draw they could manage abroad was something very much like a victory. If one takes away Wadekar's 1971 team, which made the whole of India dream - briefly - of world domination, the tours abroad had followed a pattern where the team lost the first Test and hence the initiative, and then went on to lose more Tests, or at least the series!
With Sourav Ganguly coming in as captain, there was a perceptible difference in the attitude of the team, and the desire to win abroad was evident. And there was the expectation that things would change.
The tour to Pakistan in 2004 went a long way in taking this forward.
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Test cricket is a funny thing. Some consider it the real form of cricket - a five day test of skills that demands the best from players in terms of discipline, fortitude, and fitness. It’s gladiatorial, almost. No protective rules favoring the batsman and few restrictions on bowlers. A cricketer’s skills, his entire childhood’s worth of training, and all of the ink expended in the hype around his exploits in T20s or One Day Internationals can come to naught if he fails to make the cut in Test cricket.
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2019 is almost upon us, bringing with it the anticipation of the World Cup. While Team India is prepping for it, or so one hopes, fans are optimistic about the performance of the men in blue. Can this team match the bravado of Dada’s iconic shirtless moment at Lord’s? I wouldn’t complain if the series also doubled up as the denouement for MS Dhoni’s career. In all this, I, and many like me, hope to wing a ticket or two for some of India’s matches. I can’t think of a better way to tick off a stadium like Lord’s or Trent Bridge on my bucket list.
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Sporting Rivalries are the very anchor of any sport. Passionate fans, chants, players giving it their all, the odd violent exchange between supporters too comes to mind.
Cricket fans the world over savour one such rivalry that has stood the test of time, and riles up fans on both sides. Ashes is the name given to the Test series between England and Australia held every two years, with each country alternating as the hosts.
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The World Cup. The pinnacle of all limited overs cricket. Despite the endless cricket we see all year round, the World Cup is still one of the prized possessions in the entire game.
Win the final and you’re one of the immortals. Like Kirti Azad. (His ODI career spanned just five years.)
The next World Cup, the 12th edition, will be held in England, over May, June and July of 2019. The last one in 2015 was won by hosts Australia, who defeated their neighbors New Zealand. 2011 was, of course, India’s World Cup. Who can ever forget MS Dhoni’s six that won the final? That moment will go down in the annals of cricket as the most emphatic winning blow in a world cup final.
The World Cup gained importance in India after Kapil’s Devils won the trophy in 1983. Indeed, cricket itself rose to prominence following that seminal victory. Prior to that, cricket, while a very popular sport in India was not quite as religiously followed as it is these days. Similarly, Sri Lanka’s win in the 1996 world cup against Australia, after decimating India in the semi-finals, also marked a new era in cricket. 1996 onwards, the three subcontinental teams were no more the minnows of world cricket.
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One Day International cricket is going through an existential crisis.
Other than the World Cups, which draw sizeable audiences, most ODI series or tournaments have seen a clear dip in following. That said, one day cricket does churn out some spectacular performances, whether it be 2002 Natwest Final thriller or South Africa chasing down a world record 434.
Such glory was achieved due to the skills and determination of some extraordinary ODI batsmen. Today, we look at the greatest ODI batsmen who scored big since the start of the new century.
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This is a series where we celebrate the brightest moments in India’s Test cricket history.
India’s win over Australia in the second Test at Kolkata in 2001 will always remain a watershed moment. Bundled out in the first innings by a champion side that had 16 consecutive Test match wins under their belt, then asked to follow on, India carved a memorable, character-building win that set the tone for the future. It also led to an entire generation of Test cricket captains giving up on the idea of follow ons.
Today, we will revisit those five days of the very best Test cricket had to offer.
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Welcome to CricketNext. I’m Brian/Malavika, and today we’re taking a closer look at the inner workings of one of India’s favorite things - the IPL.
The Indian Premier League had its 11th season this year. I know, it feels like it began just a few years ago and it is already 11 years old. They grow so fast, don’t they? The IPL has been around for so long that two-time champions Chennai SuperKings, who were ousted for two years, made a popular comeback. Their first match in the 2018 season was a classic…Dwayne Bravo’s big hits taking the Chennai Superkings past Mumbai in the last 3 overs…what a way to start the biggest cricketing event of the year! CSK, of course, were crowned champions once again in 2018. As the joke goes, the Chennai has played fewer IPLs than Bangalore and still has more IPL trophies.
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Ball Tampering
Ball tampering. That thing cricketers do to alter the way the cricket ball moves - with dirt, with mints, even with the metal in their pants’ zippers. Some think of it as innovating but the ICC calls it cheating. Some iconic players have been caught messing with the ball while others came clean later that they did so too. Even someone like Imran Khan did it. He admitted in his autobiography that he uses bottle-tops to gouge cricket balls. He wrote, “The ball was not deviating at all…So I got the 12th man to bring on a bottle top and it started to move around a lot. I occasionally scratched the side…and lifted the seam.”
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