Cricket Poetry--West Indies and Bangladesh upset Eng, Aus

The week of upsets in test cricket

Test cricket is a wonderful game. The week gone by witnessed two big upsets-West Indies defeating England at Headingley and Bangladesh defeating Australia in their backyard. Here is a little rhyme to mark this famous week of test cricket!

At a time when the fans were few,

With every day- voice of criticism grew,

At a time when they were written off..

           Two teams in different parts of world,

           Decided - Enough heard!

           One in Dhaka, their backyard,

           Made the fancied visitors work hard,

           They matched them move by move,

           'Cause they had a point to prove.

           Shakib, their best, took ten in game,

           This team was no longer the same.

           They troubled Aussies with bat and ball,

           The world saw them the mighty fall.

           

           

           At an England ground distant in sight

           West Indies found within them a fight,

           The loss of Edgbaston was kept in mind,

           Shai Hope and Brathwaite did the grind,

           England fought back on Day Four,

          Setting up a big score,

          To do that on last inning,

          Will go down as another fable thing,

          Hope in Headingley gave Hope,

          As Eng couldnt hold on to the rope.

          The two wins in two continent,

           Will make a huge-much needed-dent

           In the world of test cricket ruled by few

           The legend of the game further grew

          

           

           
            

Dhoni- The Art of Living

You realize how bright a source of light is when it is placed in darkness.
You realize how calm someone is when it is placed in chaos.

At the fag end of Indian innings at Pallekele, India needed 8 runs to win the series 3-0 against SL. But the restlessness and anger among Sri Lankan fans crossed the lines. The disgusting act of flinging bottles on the field caused the play to stop. While the security team was furiously handling the crowd, and while the on-field cricketers looked around in anxiety and wonder, the camera found MS Dhoni lying flat- face down- almost like taking a little nap amidst all this.

He looked like an ocean of calmness as the chaos engulfed all around. Second time in the series, he had rescued his team from crisis in consecutive games. The other day when Dananjaya ran through thr batting order, Dhoni found a partner in Bhuvaneshwar Kumar- whom he kept on giving the calmness pills to take India to an unlikely win. And then here at Pallekele, when he happily played the second fiddle to Rohit Sharma as India stumbled to 61/4 chasing a modest 217.

What these zen-like innings will do is to silence the criticism from all corners about Dhoni's waning form. Before this ODI series, MSK Prasad hinted at a slight warning for MSD that raised concerns about his chances at the 2019 World Cup. Not that Dhoni had anything to prove, but the fitter looking captain cool reminded all of what he brings to the table.

MSD takes calmness to the next level at Palekelle

With a young team being built for the 2019 WC where Rahul, Pandey, Jadhav and Pandya among others will be playing their first World Cup, it is essential that Dhoni is stays as the experienced campaigner for all those DRS reviews, those sharp stumpings and run-outs, for these innings of poise- a skill that is missing in the restless modern day talented batters.

And finally, a roundup of life lessons from Dhoni I have observed for some time

Life lessons from Dhoni's career:

1. Even if you start slow, everything isn't lost.

The way he builds up his innings and pushes the accelerator in the later half.

2. Accept success without arrogance and failure without dejection

Its' hard to spot ecstasy or anguish on MSD's face in different situations. His calm manner of celebration tells a lot about his ability to not let success go to his head and failure go to his heart.

.3. The place where you come from, doesn't stop you from achieving.

Jharkhand isnt known for producing international cricketers. It however did produce MSD-someone who never considered his place of origin as a disadvantage.

4. Keep your head when all about you are losing theirs.

Those saint like innings when all around him lose wickets like pigeons among cat

5. Finish things in style, with a stamp of authority.

The finishing sixes that wrap up the chase in style. Most memorable? 2nd April, 2011 Wankhede.

6. Trust yourself when no one else does.

7. Have self-esteem. Live a hero, die a hero.

How Cricket binds the thread of patriotism

Sudhir Kumar has been a symbol of  Cricket Fervour in
India. Image:Wikipedia

We are a huge county- with diverse geographies, religions, beliefs, customs, rituals, habits and languages.It is a land of 1.3 billion people-the second most populous country with the seventh largest area, where Hindus alone worship 33 million deities. These cultural identities are spread across the landscape of mountains, plains, plateaus and deserts. Travel a few hundred miles to any direction and the difference in culture becomes apparent. As this unique nation of ours turns 70, let’s remember athread that binds this diversity close together- the game of Cricket.

In summer of 2007, India had made an early exit in The Caribbean World Cup. Rahul Dravid, the then captain, was caught teary-eyed by the television camera. He was a cricketer known for poise-but there he was, distraught. The Indian team sat in the dressing room- broken-hearted-with weights of disappointments tied to their feet. They knew they had let down millions of fans-fans who were made to feel that their demi-Gods were humans. It was a terrible thing to realize. Had Cricket been just a game, people would have moved on from it the next day. Laughed away and went to work next day. But Cricket is Patriotism here. And It was not a game lost, it was Patriotism which had been shrunk smaller that day-unable to muster its pride. It stood disappointed in a corner with its head low- embarrassed for falling short of gigantic expectations.

The Famous Six that led India
to their 2011 WC win

Four years later, a MS Dhoni six sealed the world Cup for India-their second world cup that came after 28 years. It was an emotional outburst-by players who cried in joy, by media who penned down literary eulogies, by fans who took on the streets to celebrate, by administrators and governments who handed out huge riches to the winning team. It only added to all that it was a fitting farewell for the great Indian cricketer ever- Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. The tri-colour unfurled everywhere- because it was not a game won, it was patriotism which stood that day with its chest swelled with pride.

"The tri-colour unfurled everywhere- because it was not a game won, it was patriotism which stood that day with its chest swelled with pride" 

The Tri-Colour reaches all corners of the world
Image source: Sportskeeda

There stood Muslims and Hindus arms in arms, oblivious of their religions, with same prayers in their lips. The black celebrated with same zeal as the white. The kid was no less ecstatic than the adult. The women were no less proud than the men. It was an epidemic that made those immensely different millions look up to the skies for the same wish-An Indian win.

Cricket is more than a game in India-it is often likened to a religion, likened to a fever. One might not be able to communicate to all people in any one spoken language here, except cricket. Across the breadth of the country, there are small children playing cricket for hours. Even in the age of smartphones, there are people queuing up at a paan shop to listen to radio commentary. India-Pakistan matches are treated no less than a war- with the Big Finale Sundays made sacrosanct for the game. Emotions erupt and boil, with every boundary and wicket. The stadiums attract thousands of fan, who paint tri-colour  on foreheads, and wear their heart on sleeve-cheering every milestone and becoming teary-eyed on every loss. Not only in Wankhede, Indians turn up with tri-colour and blue jerseys everywhere in the world- from Lord's to SCG, from Colombo to Wellington, from Johannesberg to Trinidad.

Some might think that it is a country obsessed with a game. Some might call it a distraction. Others might laugh it off. But the existence of cricket has been more to us- it been a bridge to unite differences, a common table where everyone meets, it is a glue that keeps everyone together.

Cricket, here,binds the thread of patriotism.

Weekly Roundup: India, England win; Iyer impresses in tri series

Moeen Ali bundled out SA as Eng won 3-1
Image credits: the Telgraph

It has been a week with extensive cricket- with SLvInd, EngvSA and Ind-AvsSA-A going on across the globe. Here is the weekly round up in case you missed the action:

India beats Sri Lanka 2-0

With one test to go, Sri Lanka was beaten by India 2-0 in Colombo with Jadeja wrapping up Sri Lankan resistance. The innings and 53 run win meant India ended up with an insurmountable margin heading to Pallekele. However, they will be without the services of Jadeja, who was banned by ICC due to accumulating 6 demerit points within the last 2 years. His exclusion meant Axar Patel was drafted as a replacement in the squad, although Kuldeep Yadav looks like the likely replacement for the test. Sri Lanka's injury woes kept on adding as Herath's back ruled him out of last test. Sri Lanka has already lost Gunaratne, Pradeep to injuries, while Dammika Prasad has been in the sidelines for a while. India might try out their bench strength if Kohli wants to give Rohit, Bhuvi or Ishant a game to get their confidence going.

England win 3-1 against SA
Moeen Ali led England's series victory at Manchester as South Africa folded up in pursuit of 380. The only hope that seemed to do the improbable came when Amla and Faf du Plessis, got together for a brave fourth wicket stand of 123. Roland Jones, who had got Amla out three times before this in this series, was at the recieving end as Amla hit him for 3 boundaries in the same over- probably a revenge for each of his wicket. Once Amla was out LBW to Moeen, when he missed the ball in an attempted to flick it casually, SA lost their way. They collapsed form 163-3 to 202 all out. DeKock failed to fire again and Bruyn too edged to slip. Ali took two in two balls to bring an early end to the test match. England won the contest comprehensively 3-1, their biggest margin of series win against SA in long time. SA go home with more problems than they came with.

Iyer 140* helps India-A to series win
After late strikes from Shardul Thakur ensured SA-A were contained at 267/7, Shreyas Iyer joined hands with Vijay Shankar for a third wicket stand of 141, to help India A sail to a comfortable win in the tri series final. Iyer hit an organized 140* adorned with 11 fours and 4 sixes where as Shankar hit 86-ball 72. They had come in when Dala had removed both the openers-Nair and Samson early. India A won the contest by 7 wickets with 19 balls spared. Earlier, Behardein hit a fighting 101* to help SA-A post a competitive total. Iyer's knock might help draw selectors' attention who might consider him seriously for the West Indies tour in case a regular opener is unavailable. Iyer has been on fringes of a national call for years now- with impressive Ranji seasons and spectacular IPL innings. Vijay Shankar would have also drawn attention.

Jadeja 5-for seals series for India

Jadeja finished the Sri Lankan
Resistance with his five-foot
Image: Espncricinfo

It might have ended with a match penalty for Ravindra Jadeja but the left arm all rounder did the job with the ball for India, and ensured India bagged a big innings defeat against the Lankans. The Colombo win gives India the insurmountable lead of 2-0 with the final test to go at Pallekele.

The final wicket came minutes before tea when Pradeep tried to slog Ashwin but could only found Dhawan's hands. The resistance did come, for a brief time, in the two sessions, after Mendis had set the tone for the counter-attack a day before. The nightwatchman Pushpakumara fell early after he tried to be creative with his shot making and picked the wrong bowler for that. Ashwin outfoxed him and bowled him with a quick delivery.

Chandimal fell next over, caught brilliantly by Rahane at slip off the bowling of Jadeja. Rahane's slip fielding standards brought out the contrast with the slip ups of Kohli throughout the series. Then Karunaratne carried on the rearguard action with seasonal campaigner Mathews, and added 69 runs for the 5th wicket that ended when Jadeja got one to rise from pitch and kiss Karunaratne's gloves. And then with that brilliant 141 that drew applause, the innings started to crumble into pieces in the face of Jadeja's bowling.

Mathews was the first to depart, trying to cut but managing to edge the ball in Saha's gloves. Perera missed the line and got stumped. De Silva's outside edge fell into Rahane's safe hands, who grabbed another brilliant low catch. Dickwella tried to delay the inevitable, but fell soon after.

Jadeja was soon banned for next game when his demerits accumulated. He, however, will be busy tonight savouring his man of the match trophy

Ashwin strikes twice after India post 622

Ashwin double blow sealed Day2
in India's favour. Image:ABPnews

What Sri Lanka feared at the end of day1, turned into reality at the end of Day2. 

Contributions -from lower order ensured India crossed 600 once again- sixth time in last 20 months precisely, far ahead of any other test nation. Sri Lanka's troubles continued with the bat as they lost 2 wickets before stumps in the pursuit of the gigantic total, both openers perishing to Ashwin.

Early in the morning, India lost Pujara after he could add only 5 to his overnight score of 128. Karunaratne, who had bowled 2 overs in his test career before this test, took his maiden wicket when DRS reviews found Pujara out LBW. 

Ashwin joined Rahane, and added valuable runs before Rahane charged Pushpakumara and missed the line completely, to hand him his debut wicket. Pushpakumara pumped his fist elated in joy on sending Rahane back for 132. Ashwin reached his fifty with a powerful strike down the ground, but got cleaned up when he tried to make room for a cut that didn't exist.

Sri Lanka might have sensed an opportunity to wrap up things quickly but Saha had other plans. He hung in there, supported by Pandya who played a run-a-ball cameo. Pandya's dismissal united Saha and Jadeja to crease, and Jadeja took over the role of aggressor after he got his eye in. Fifties from Ashwin, Saha and Jadeja propelled India to 622/9, before Kohli declared with SL left 20 overs to negotiate till stumps.

But Tharanga's stay lasted briefly, with an attempted pull that unfortunately got stuck with Rahul at short leg, who displayed good presence of mind to not drop it. A dismissal that brought out the 'Dab' from Rahul and Kohli, made sure Sri Lanka didn't win any of the day's session. After Pujara's special day yesterday, Ashwin made a milestone of his own- the fastest to 250 wickets and 2000 runs in tests, taking only 51 to get there, only signalling the impact he has had in Indian test success- both with bat and ball.
Karunaratne and Mendis were starting to weave a partnership when Ashwin struck again, with the ball that Karunaratne played with half conviction of the foot movement, and gave a simple catch to Rahane, by Rahane's slip catching standards. Sri Lanka went into stumps with 50/2 with 572 runs behind the big task ahead of them.

They are 0-1 down in the series. And the way these two days have shaped, a 0-2 series loss looks inevitable for the island nation, unless they find a hero in their men.

Pujara, Rahane hundreds give India advantage on Day1

Pujara and Rahane joined hands for a solid 211* stand
Image Credit: india Today

The scoreboard of 344/3 would tell that the first day of Second Test at Colombo hints at a story similar to India's Day-1 score of 399 at Galle,last week. The impact was similarly ruthless, but this time in face of adversity.

When Kohli fell at 13, with an exceptional catch at slip by Mathews, India were left at 133/3, facing a stern test for the first time in the series. Sri Lanka was one wicket away at the 39th over to break open India's lower order. But it was not be.

That 39th over in which Kohli got out,was a maiden. The next maiden was 87th over-in between was a savage attack by Pujara and Rahane, who dominated the spin dominated Sri Lankan attack, with chance-less ease.

The special 50th test couldn't have begun in a better way for India's number 3. Cheteshwar Pujara showed his higher gears, as soon as he crossed his first 50 runs off 112 balls. In the next 52 balls, he reached his 13th test century- almost at double the pace. It was special in many ways-a third century in as many tests he has played in Sri Lanka. It was made more special by a couple of milestones- First, he brought up his 4000 test runs in as many innings as Rahul Dravid- the man he is often compared to, only behind Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag. Second, the announcement of Arjuna Award being conferred to him came late in the evening. And the best part was that he was unbeaten on 128* at stumps, along with the other hero of the day- Ajinkya Rahane.

Rahane seemed in a different zone, right from the start. In a clear sign of counterattack, he did't hold himself back for anything short and made good use of the feet against the left-arm spinners. He played some crisps shot over the cover fielder, and brought up his 9th hundred at the fag end of the day. India made 137 off 30 overs in the post-lunch session, propelling their overall score to 344, at a rate of 3.8- and all this on a pitch that wasn't the best surface for batting. It has a low and slow attribute to it-which will make batting only tougher in the next four days.

Earlier, Virat Kohli won an important toss and had no second thoughts about batting first. With Mukund making way for Rahul, India opened with Dhawan and Rahul. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, were playing with one seamer and 4 spinners- a strategy that will raise eyebrows. It meant return of their captain Dinesh Chandimal in place of injured Asila, debut for left-arm spinner Pushpakumara and Gunathilaka making way for Dhananjaya De Silva.

Dhawan started in the same fashion as Galle, with an onslaught of boundaries- before he was caught plumb by a Dilruwan Perera delivery, as confirmed by the DRS review taken by the home side. When Pujara joined Rahul, the latter took on the aggressor's role before losing his wicket in a mix-up between him and Pujara. Kohli fell quickly too, leaving India at 133/3.

On the second day, India would look to bat out Sri Lanka with another 600+ score and then make most of the pitch that looks to help spinners as the game goes into third day.

Sri Lanka v India- Second Test Match Preview

Kohli will look to seal the series. Pic courtesy: India.com

Match Details

Series: India Tour of Sri Lanka, July-Sep 2017

Venue: SSC Ground, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Dates: August 3-7

Match of Series: 2nd test of a 3-match series

Series Status: India leading 1-0

Time: 10 am Local Time

India- Probable Starting Eleven

India will take the field on Colombo with an aim to deliver the knock out blow to Sri Lanka, in what appears to be another battle of unmatched. The visitors will look to continue the winning ways, with the pitch likely to be support spin better than the Galle pitch. Given the nature of the pitch, Kuldeep Yadav might be introduced as the third spinner in place of Hardik Pandya. With Kohli confirming KL Rahul as the definite starter in the eleven, the second opener' slot will be a toss up between Shikhar Dhawan and Abhinav Mukund, with Dhawan likely to edge out the Tamil Nadu opener after his career best knock of 190 in Galle.


1. Shikhar Dhawan
2. KL Rahul
3. Cheteshwar Pujara
4. Virat Kohli (c)
5. Ajinkya Rahane
6. R Ashwin
7. W Saha (wk)
8. Ravindra Jadeja
9. Kuldeep Yadav
10. Md Shami
11. Umesh Yadav


Sri Lanka- Probable Starting Eleven

Sri Lanka will be boosted by the return of their new captain Dinesh Chandimal, who will make the batting order stronger by his return to the fragile middle order. Rangana Herath looks set to be the part of the match putting all the injury worries to rest. Kusal Mendis will return to his favourite no3 position in the order. Like India, Sri Lanka might be tempted to play three spinners, which would mean a debut for 30-year old left-arm spinner Pushpakumara. There is a chance of newly drafted all-rounder Dhananjaya De Silva to replace Gunathilaka, who is set to miss out after a poor show with the bat on debut. 

1. Upul Tharanga
2. Dimuth Karunaratne
3. Kusal Mendis
4. Dinesh Chandimal(c)
5.  Angelo Mathews
6. N Dickwella (wk)
7. D De Silva
8.  R Herath
9. Dilruwan Perera
10. M Pushpakumara/Lahiru Kumara
11. Nuwan Pradeep

Players to look out for

Kuldeep Yadav( India)

Given he debuts, Kuldeep Yadav's chinaman can be too hot to handle on the turning Colombo pitch. Yadav had an impressive West Indies tour where he troubled the batsmen with his variations throughout the tour.

Upul Tharanga(SL)
 The stylish left-hander didn't have a good Galle match but Colombo might change things, as his form would be key to Sri Lanka's batting at the top of the order. With Chandimal set to return, Tharanga can play his natural game with more ease- the exact counterattack SL needs to need the series in this test.

Opening Up: Dhawan, Mukund, Rahul in contention

Biggest victory margin win in the opening Galle test has exposed the weaker team in the India-Sri Lanka test series. But Kohli's problems don't end there. This week, he will have to decide his two openers and it won't be an easy decision at all.

When the series started, KL Rahul and Murali Vijay were the two primary openers and Mukund as the standby. But things changed in the week leading up to the game, as Vijay's injury meant a comeback for Dhawan as the standby opener with Mukund and Rahul slated to open. With less than 48 hours to the first test, Rahul caught a viral fever that meant he had to opt out of the Galle game. As luck would have it, Dhawan , who was not even the top three openers, walked into the opening eleven.

The Lady Fortune contributed to shine on Dhawan. Early in his innings, Dhawan edged a ball outside his off  and a catch was dropped in the slips. Dhawan made most of that let off and went on to score an imposing 190 runs. That knock helped India get to 399 on Day-1 and set it up for the visitors.  Mukund failed to get a start in the first innings and looked set to be replaced by Rahul. However, the Lady Fortune shone on Mukund too, as India opted to bat instead of following on after a big lead.

As it unfolded, Mukund scored a solid knock of 81, before falling at the fag end of the day's play, missing out on his maiden hundred. At the end of Galle test, both Dhawan and Mukund proved their mettle and with Rahul fit for the second game, it would be interesting if Kohli decides to play Mukund ahead of Rahul, or welcomes back the prolific Rahul despite Mukund's fifty.

Mukund might have his heart in the mouth, as Kohli ponders over the selections. It is a good problem to have after all, the problem of plenty.