Ponting as at the start of 2010...champion cricketer and captain.

Ricky Thomas Ponting, the prodigy who started wielding the willow aged 10 for his father's club and got junior sponsorship from
Kookaburra soon after, always made an instant impression. He scored quick and big for Tasmania as a teenager and his three year
senior (only in age) Gilchrist cant miss recalling the uber confident Goatee wearing pro making him feel shallow while both
were making their claims for a Aussie test spot. Only that Punter was a certainty even then. But then there was the downside.
While he scored runs on the field, his personal life did not seem to be the stuff of dreams. He had his share of controversies which all
culminated in the famous sydney brawl where his black eye was infamously captured on camera. He personally admitted to have an alcohol related
problem. A common sight these days is him walking to the presentation ceremonies and the crowds booing him from Lord's to Guwahati.
He is the perennial bad boy when it comes to an image and arrogance, haughtiness seem to be the adjectives people tend to associate
with him most.
So what exactly is the point here. Sachin, Lara, Gibbs and even Bell were all prodigies earmarked for success. And there are the good boys like
Younis and Sanga who are liked by all and sundry for their apparent gentlemanly traits. Is there really anything that sets Ricky apart for him
to leave a legacy for cricket. Doesnt look like he could hope to match up to even his predecessor captain.
Or does it.
After all he is the only captain after Murdoch from the last century to loose the coveted Ashes twice in England. And dint his side
exit the T20 world cup in the first round. Did he not loose a test series in India followed by the loss at home to SAfrica. And who lost the all too
important ICC ODI team rankings from the position of supremacy. Makes for a rather bad captain. Does it not.
But what was made of the OZ after the famous tri-retirement of Chapell, Marsh and Lillie. They lost 12 and won 3 tests in the next three years and
lost Test series to West Indies, twice to England, even to New Zealand while even India could salvage a drawn rubber down under and
it took them almost four years to register their first series win againt the lesser brothers New Zealand in home soil. The trio had won the
last series they played in for them 2-0. Both Kim Hughes and Border suffered ignominy at the hands of all other teams.
Ponting's captainship blemishes still are interspersed with series wins against S Africa, India and a plethora of ODI wins.
Even after Hayden, McGill and Gilly followed the other heavyweights out, he could win one of the next three test series and a historic win at that
in South A frica. Even after losing a closey fought Ashes he could win the ODIs 6-1 followed by the champions trophy win and a series win in India and regain
the top ranking.all too soon. He has achieved all this while only Hussey has consistently been in the playing 11 to answer the call
for any established cricketer other than himself. Clarke, Clark and Lee have been injured or out of form. And one and all from Beau Casson, Jason Krejza,
Bryce McGain, Michael Clarke, Simon Katich, Cameron White, Hauritz have been entrusted with the job of winning test matches with
their spinners. Even Shane Watson has opened in Test matches and three wicketkeepers have lent service to the national cause.
A player has joined the playing 11 with the flight boarding ticket in his pocket and one of the Aussie winning combination has looked more like a Pura Cup outfit.
And among all this, he has managed to accumulate most ODI runs in the year worldwide with almost every run worth the record unlike
some other player's runs which are no reflection of their contribution to a team's particular objective on that day.
And then there is Ponting the batsman. It is not the aim of this essay to decipher or list the electrifying attributes that make him the magnetic batsman he is
while on the crease. There is however the final product which is so pleasing to the eye and satisfying to the intellect. There is a sense of purpose in virtually
everything he does on the cricket field. He has successfully maintained the high standards for a long period now to answer the calls for consistency required to
bestow an all time great tag on a batsman. And ofcourse he has made the number 3 position his own as no one else has in both the formats of the game.
The only frailty which could be put against him is his occassional tentativeness against quality spin. Not to state that he has a decisive weakness against that form
of bowling, but just a case. However, it is not substantial enough to bother him or any critic and is far too occassional.
Now revrting to the original issue of a general criticism that he has to endure, we can only sympathise with him. He is actually one of the most sporting losers
in the game. He takes all the losses on the chin and doesnt shirk from responsibility and thats the mark of a champion. That comes from a confidence and a belief in
one's own abilities. He is always matter of fact. Adam Gilchrist quotes how he was matter of fact when Adam got vice captaincy ahead of him and also in the same
vein when Ricky got the captaincy ahead of Gilly. And Gilly himself assures everyone in his book that Punter was the best possible leader after Waugh among
the lot of legends. He throws light on how it was only Punter who could handle and confront if the need be, to the mercurial Warnie. Any other person in charge,
Gilly argues would have failed miserably in tackling Warnie without bias and hesitation. That is how Ponting is - matter of fact, forthright and that
is what comes as brash and rude to many a fellow. That is pitiful as such a person warrants highest respect for his professionalism and honesty to his craft.
Well, he is ultra competitive and thus would not sport that fake smile during close games. He wants to win to the last drop of his sweat and the last clause
of legality in the game. And like a truly confident professional, he does not seem to bother what anybody else has to say about his craft. Such is the confidence
which beams out when he trudges or rather sprints to the batting crease when the Aussies are one wicket down. That is what a fan would long to look in his/her
favorite player. And that is what Punter offers to his fan more than any other cricketer does to their's and that is where his true value lies.

What afterall is so good about Cricket?

I dunno man. Whenever I visit this space and think of penning down my mind, I inevitably think Cricket. I was following the game much less all through this year and was pursuing some other vocations instead which are as fascinating and closer to nature (Anyone game for some Geology/Geography/History talk? or some refreshing dosage of eastern philosophy around compassion and harmony?). But guess what, I opened up here today and its still Cricket on my mind !! Huh..
Part of it is attributable to one Rahul Dravid. He just completed his 13000 test runs. Collossal, aint it. And guess what, it is also cathartic. For someone who had been trying in vain for few years of defending among peers, his value and even position in the test side, it was a sigh of relief and some lighthearted happiness.
Not that people did not support him or like him, but they had all lost any confidence in him or doubted his relevance or thought someone youngster was better- off filling his shoes. He seemed just one knock away from some hard browed expert comments and passionate scrutiny. Is not there the lad from the west who has compiled mountains of runs in the domestic seasons, someone uttered. Are jaye yaar ab apna kaam kare kuchh wo kya karraha hai ab mauka dede auron ko, kab tak khelega. But something was quite not right in all these assertions and I found out what. I told myself - But what when we tour outside the dusty comforts of our subcontinent into the unknown entity where batsmanship was more than driving on the up and I suddenly found all the answers in my pursuit of his support. Rest was duly accomplished in the English summer and now everyone has gained perfect confidence in their minds for his abilities. Good for him and for cricket!

IPL - India's Popular League

Here it is again. The third time and successful. Lalit Modi and company seem to have cracked the marketing code like no other. Or perhaps not. One may say that cricket was always going to set the stage on fire in India. With somebody with the right contacts and sufficient hold over the BCCI machinery, it was always going to be a cake walk to crack the T20 cricket code. But what about the temporary problems which were created and subsequently resolved like in 2009 when IPL had to be moved out of India. Wasn't he swift in deciding and executing the plan. I think he was indeed.
But IPL has sold out like the proverbial hot-cake and apparently all the tickets for the matches in Bangalore have been sold. Same may be true for other venues. And has the gala lived up to the hype. You bet. I guess a super-over, a hat-trick, scores over 200 and overhauling of a 200+ score, a 37 ball hundred in the first two weeks - do qualify the event as being equal to its hype. So much so that the occasional murmur for the match-fixing scandal has started to be raised in different quarters.
The novel story this year however has been the coming good of the so called veterans of the Test arena. Jacques Kallis has amused and awed his spectators and Sachin Tendulkar has reminded again as to why they confer the "god" title on him. He has cracked the T20 code while conserving the grace in his batsmanship. KUmble, Ganguly, Dravid haven't lagged far. Does it not then allow Mr Modi to tag the future franchises at the whopping $250 million mark. I think it does. Which is why the two new teams have been grabbed by business houses despite the lavish price tag.
So my thing is - IPL is there to stay. Cliche, aint it. Yes, few prophesies are that way anyway.

Folklore - Dravid and KP

Cricket is strange indeed - one just doesn't seem to come to grips as to which myriad ways it can fascinate the fan in. Just when the pure and unadulterated expression of Sehwag in Chennai boasted to remain the single most inspiring feat and memory of a series which is played on the backdrop of the disappointment and horrors of Mumbai 26/11, Mohali has set its claim to atleast two such acts in just the first 3 days of the match. Even the most staunch supporters of Dravid had abandoned reason and thought pertaining to his form and were just starting to be non-commital on his future for none of them knew any answers. Only one man anyway could know what it was all about and perhaps still did not know the amends he needed to make. I can resonably claim that a century was not in the mind of Dravid himself when he walked after Sehwag was caught in the first day at Mohali. The demons that he would have had to fight everytime he dons the pads on while waiting for the first wicket to fall would have spared him early on Friday when he was able to get into the thick of the action as the first wicket fell early. But the ordeal had just begun and the reminiscences of previous such fights however hard he tried not to, would have been playing on his mind. A rather serious supporter like me could not watch it due to transmission problems, but honestly, I doubt if I would have been able to summon the emotional reserves it had of late started to call for to watch one inning of his. Such negativity, desperation and doubt had crept into the mind of an almost devoted fan. So what would have been going through his own mind is a matter of applying common sense. A glimpse of the above could be found in the unlikely heave which luckily landed safe in the midwicket region initially. Or was it “the omen” of all what was needed for the final reassurance of his finding his touch for no one had doubted his instinct even when the poor run continued. Well, it turned out so. And the final outcome was one which everyone embraced whole heartedly. There could be a difference only in the degree of aspiration and desperation with which people would be wanting this hundred to come true - even his worst critics - for as I understand everyone knew deep within that the charm in his game had still not vanished. And that belief was actually superimposed for his inning had the elements which we attribute to a Dravid masterpiece unlike the exhibitions in Perth and Chennai earlier this year. Its still some distance to go before we could safely rest the case of his bad form I agree, as it has all been only one inning - although a few fighting 50s recently and 800 runs in a calender year suddenly start to indicate towards just a case of an aberration rather than a career defining inflexion point. Such indeed is the fickleness of the observer of cricket. But the prospect of a New Zealand tour with the juiciest of wickets and stern conditions would just be the ideal stage for a full scale revival - remember the winters of 1999 when he came out of another rut to shun his detractors - the romantics would be quick to sniff a repeat of history. After all, one thing is for certain - Dravid starts to fill the mammoth frame devoted to him in the fan's/not-so-fan's mind only when the conditions start to make batsmanship more than just driving on the up. So we hope here that his career continues to flourish as long as his instinct is sharp as it has been in the past and not be mired by any noise between the ears - which is so much more difficult to handle for a immaculate and sensitive cricketer like him. Good luck Jammy.
             The other master feat of the match belongs to the flamboyance and panache of KP. There is an undercurrent of self assurance, originality and maverick which pervades his entire batsmanship - be it the stance, the initial movement or to find an example the incredible "swicth-hit" - I could finally find a case to apply the word incredible, now applied to rather credible feats. The inning today served well to highlight the indiscretion of the average Indian critic or the doubting mind after the string of recent failures he had had to sustain. Did we not hear MSD muttering ill constantly from behind the stumps of his predisposition to leg side play. It may appear as sleazy and average predetermination. But it has got to have something unfathomable to others for the sheer effectiveness of such play - and 4000 runs in 44 tests do indicate greatness - demand more respect.  He actully starts to look rather gauche if his methods suddenly stop to serve him in terms of numbers and the average mind exposed to the heavy dosage of orthodox batsmanship starts to make audatious claims and doubts regarding his much professed talent. But then the master of the art only can fathom the tricks he applies. And he must know/experience a few such inspirations for him to execute a stroke as extravagant and novel as what he made Harbhajan and company to suffer from. There is a degree to which Sachin gives in to experiment. All the improvisations starting from the reverse sweep, the paddle sweep, inside out hitting, upper cut et-al appear as the cases of application of authentic technical modifications coupled with confidence and mastery over one's game. But KP's manouever comes purely as his other propositions - a statement of authority and command. Such has been the entire story of the man - right from his "crossing the boundary" to his disregard for the match situation in an affirmative way today when he spirited to the crease. And this is what ressures and belittles the average doubter of his uncategorisable genius. Whether it is more of the batting genius or the approach which make him such a force to reckon with is a question only he may have the priviledge to answer to for others can only wonder in amazement, delight or scorn when he decides to hop on the crease when the spinner has still rotated only half his arm preparing for the switch hit. He comes apart indeed as a fresh zephyr from the west. But also an instrument of inspiration with which the folklore of cricket is so much possessed.

Indian sub(?)prime...

well, i have a thought to share...not mine in its entirety, had some inputs from some other writing, but sure added a few insights into the issue...it can be a rather long post if I get into explaining the finer aspects....but lets keep in view tht its already into the wee hrs of mrning as they say.....and I want to keep it concise (:P)....
LEARN SOME LESSONS FROM THE US SUBPRIME CRISIS...rather sleazy ain't it....this bold-case writing....thats a literay stunt either...at its most basic/fundamental level, the US subprime collapse is just a correction or "prevail-of-sanity"......the whole idea was loud and based on erroneous/extravagant assumptions which ought to come false....someone bet a bit too far on the salary he would draw to pay the EMIs for a long-long period..and that just dint happen......a major hike in salary after the initial 3 yrs. period did not comeby and to add insult to injury (blame my lack of English language phrases - ok..lets say..." to add excessive water to dough during extreme poverty/paupery"), the house prices also plummetted...and that meant an overall negative equity and no refinancing and similar stuff.....but why m I writing it all here when its common knowledge now.....just to say that - "such a strike is very much a possibility in the current Indian scenario either".....how..? well, those INR 75 lakh appartments ppl. are buying, I presume are based on EMIs mostly rather than any cash....and who knows when the US service jobs would dry, leaving the EMI payments into quandary....then the house rates (artificially ballooned now by the builders) would witness major slashes..no buyers for the flats if u wanna get rid if the EMIs then by paying-of the loans...or selling at much cheaper (rather corrected) prices......m not trying to profess anything or lessen the enthu. of someone whoz just bought one such flat....but then, its a possibility mann.....so rather spend within ur limits (or rather, dont bank on heavy EMIs).....

and its all just very haphazardly written I would agree......there is more sound logic behind the argument I propounded.......lekin baanki kabhi baad mein..abhi sote hain bhailog....

recorded song

http://www.garageband.com/song?pe1S8LTM0LdsaSjZVO_ZGg

In the twilight zone....

someone was delighted over the exploits of a fire fighter the last week...for all the skill and panache he possessed, Gautam Gambhir had had a stop-start career all through...an instantly successful debutant long back in 2000(domestic circuit), he has been in and out of the ranks of top class cricket and been fairly consistent and yet never looked certain to have his place confirmed.....he had played all his career in that mysterios "Twilight Zone".....

a twilight zone is typical of innate talent, natural confidence, expectations, impressive starts but still elusive of the destination where the talent belongs....this was exactly the case as happened to him among admittedly, many others...his game was compact and accomplished, strokeplay was flashy at requirement, stylish and elegant in full flow, his play of spin was controlled and assuring, particularly commendable given he is an opener, demeanour was calm and reassuring....yet!!!....it was no honeymoon period any of the time...part of this is ofcource due to tight slots up the order in the Indian batting order....but the T-20 WC has marked the change in script...he has been able to evolve from a contributor to a match winner...for the first time, the lady luck seems to have shone on him as he has demonstrated the consistency which had eluded him always.....and the commanding innings he played against the Lankans down under and under good measure of pressure should put an end to the debate as to whether he belonged to the top stage or not.....

the case has been one of coming back hard time and again....its not easy to be in the twilight zone for so long and still demonstrate the hunger and zest....its much easier to build if its been all hunky-dory....but shouldnt be so straightforward to tackle a twilight zone for so long and finally stamp the authority....