Players should be recognized by what they have done, not by what they have not!!!!!

   
       What if I say Ishant Sharma is no less than Zaheer Khan and he may even end up as a fast bowling legend from the country?
   
       For a moment, I myself wouldn't agree on that, for the number of matches Zak has won for the country. Goodness me, how can one compare Zak with Ishant Sharma? But when I started looking at the numbers, it told me an entirely different story. Zaheer has played 92 test matches out of which we will consider his first 68 to compare with the number of matches Ishant has played.
     
      When we look at the overall record there doesn't seem to be  much of a difference, but we got to admit that Zaheer's record is marginally better than that of Ishant.
   
Career stats         Mat    Inn     Overs    Mdns     Wkts      Runs     Avg      Eco
I Sharma              69     121     2260.3  438         202       7464     36.95   3.30
Z Khan                68     124     2264.2   458        220        7472     33.96   3.29

     The record at home is also very much similar and Ishant might just have got the better of Zak. His average and economy are marginally better.
   
At home              Mat    Inn     Overs    Mdns     Wkts      Runs     Avg      Eco
I Sharma              25      45       748.1    168         63        2190    34.72     2.92
Z Khan                27       51       867       180         71        2692     37.91    3.10

     Their numbers during the away matches prove that Zaheer was far better. But we should also consider that Ishant has been a part of few tours where the batting unit just didn't click. The away tours of 2011-2012 to England and Australia and the same in 2014-2015. The 2015 tour of Australia was on much flatter wickets where both the teams plundered runs. It was one of the high scoring series that has ever happened in Australia.

Away matches    Mat    Inn     Overs    Mdns     Wkts      Runs     Avg      Eco
I Sharma              43      74      1488     261         138        5277     37.87    3.51
Z Khan                41       73      1397     278         149        4780     32.08    3.42
   
       The most surprising of all stats is that the their numbers in won matches doesn't have much of a difference. Considering this, it is possible to say that Ishant Sharma is as good a match winner as Zaheer Khan.

Won matches     Mat    Inn     Overs    Mdns     Wkts      Runs     Avg      Eco
I Sharma              27      54       806       178      91          2451     26.93    3.03
Z Khan                 26       51      774        177      95          2405    25.31    3.0
   
     This comparison was not to prove that Ishant is equal to or better than Zak. With all due to respect to both the professionals, this is just an illustration to those people, who I feel is more critical on Ishant than what he actually deserve.

     Coming from a country like India where batsmen are idolized most of the time, becoming a fast bowler itself is an uphill task. When we see an young fast bowler running in like Ishant did in 2007, we expect them to become like a Dale Steyn or Jimmy Anderson of India. But what do we provide them when our fast bowlers play at home? Dust bowls, track which turn square on day one. Most occasions, our fast bowlers end up doing "holding the one end" job at home.

     Our strength lies in our batting and it is something we have to admit. In the past twenty years whenever our batsmen have done well on tough pitches, we have won those games. Headingly in 2002, Perth 2007, Lord's 2014 etc.

    Our bowlers have always got better with experience. And that is how it works for us. Kapil Dev is the leading wicket taker for India as a fast bowler. And below him are Zaheer Khan, Javagal Srinath followed by Ishant Sharma. Both Kapil Dev and Srinath played in an era where the pitches where more bowler friendly than it is now. With all due respect to them, it would be fair only if the current generation Indian fast bowlers are left alone and not compared to the legends from past.

    It is actually more disheartening to see Ishant Sharma being made fun of, even when he takes wickets. To be a fast bowler and representing India for 8 longs years is something not many have done. We have seen a bunch of fast bowlers coming in and vanishing as a flash in the pan. We have to respect players for what they have done and leave alone the things that they have not. It is up to the players to do something about what they have not done. After all, that is what they play for !!!

MS Dhoni - The man who is much more than what the world sees !

                 In the late 90s when I started watching cricket, India struggled to chase big totals. Those were the days when Sachin got out; the match was more or less over for the Indian fans. India lacked a finisher who can take the team across the line. It wasn’t until Dravid took the extra responsibility of keeping wickets so that an extra batsman can be accommodated, India started chasing well. 2002 was the year that marked the arrival of Yuvraj and Kaif. Yuvi at point and Kaif at cover were electrifying on the field. They won a lot of matches for India. Still not quite there; still Dravid had to keep wickets.
               
                 By the end of 2004 a wicket keeper batsman with long hair from Jharkhand made his debut. He was an unknown commodity. All people knew was that he can hit big sixes. He was promoted up the order at No. 3. The way he took on the opposition without any respect gave us joy. The way he scored in his 183 against Srilanka was monumental. Then the controversies occurred and Dravid became captain. It was he who made Dhoni bat at 6 with Yuvi at 5. This pair bonded really well and finished matches with ease. India won 16 successive matches while chasing down totals.

                Dhoni was always a quick learner. He read the people’s mind really well like he read the match situations. Maybe 2007 world cup tragedy would have taught him that. I still remember what he told after winning the T20 world cup. “One thing is for sure. This format is going to be an instant hit in our country”. And it did.
             
                Similarly, after winning the 2011 worldcup he said, “Whatever happened has happened. Now what we have to do is to build a new team and it’s a process that we have to concentrate on, irrespective of the results”. This was the process he was talking about in every single press conference during those loses. And he did build a new team for the 2015 world cup which did reasonably well for not to be blamed.
             
                It’s strange why Dhoni has so many haters in his own country. Looking deeper into it gave me a clearer picture. It wasn’t the case before the start of IPL. May be every single fan wanted him to play for their favorite franchise. The fact that the people of Tamilnadu accepted him as their own and praised him as if everything is because of him must have created hatred among fans. Those so called haters of Dhoni are the T20 generation who wants only entertainment. But a fan who knows a bit about the game and love the game for the joy it gives, wouldn’t hate him. There are so many instances where his actions proved that he played the game in the right spirit.
             
                Be it any format of the game. The legacy of Dhoni will be taking the responsibility for loses and giving credit to individuals during victories. You can see him in the corner of each group picture after winning a tournament. It’s heartening to see that Virat does similar things.

                Like he mentioned in the new IPL team jersey launch, he was never politically correct. Not just OFF the field but ON the field as well. He is neither a textbook batsman nor an orthodox captain. Perhaps he just had his own way of scoring runs and winning matches. On field, the game and the country came first for him. He gave everything he can on the field. Off the field he took everything that the game gave for him. Be it the advertisements or the contracts, he has got everything from the game.
             
                But that doesn’t mean that he has taken the game for granted. His passion for the game is immensely high. I have read that during his teenage he used to run in the ground with a football during rain. He said that it strengthened his lungs and thighs. His reflexes during stumping and returning back from halfway when an extra run is not available are unique. This is where his football skills make him untouchable on certain aspects of the game.

               From a ticket collector to the captain of the world cup winning team in eight years time is no mere joke. What Dhoni has done is that he has opened the gateway for every small town kid. By instilling belief in them that anything can be achieved if the person has the will power to take the toll. He is a living example by himself.

         Mahendra Singh Dhoni really is a superstar of the game. But above all his legacy is and should be that “It’s not where you come from, it’s what you do that defines you”. And certainly MSD has defined himself better than many other players. Not by his words, but by his actions. That’s why these kind of people are called legends. MS Dhoni is definitely an absolute legend of the game. Happy Birthday MS !  

Pink ball cricket and Private leagues may become the way forward for sports in India.

              18th June 2016 is going to be a significant date in the history of Indian cricket. This is something which not many will remember, except for those fans who follow the sport and feel for it's development and take joy from it.

Read: India's pink ball debut

               Cricket Association of Bengal has taken the initiative to set an example and show the world that the majestic EDEN Gardens and Indian cricket is ready for pink ball cricket. Sourav Ganguly who I believe is doing a great job as an administrator. One match is very difficult to judge the consequences and the effectiveness of pink ball in the subcontinental conditions. But it was just the beginning.

               We Indian have always been slow starters in the past as far as cricket is concerned. We always waited for victory or a massive achievement to make us fall in love with it and embrace it. ODIs became popular in India only after the world cup victory in 1983. I am not sure whether IPL would have been popular or even started in the first place if we hadn't not won the inaugural championship. But that's in the past.

               The world has understood that pink ball cricket is the way forward for test cricket. When this proposal came for the first time, I was not sure about it. I felt TEST cricket should be left unaltered. But after looking at the Adelaide test attendance and the empty stadiums for the recently concluded test series which was famously named as "The Freedom series", I felt something needs to be changed..

               Sport will flourish as a profession only if the spectators embrace it. To bring the audience to grounds, the game has to evolve without any hindrance to it's basics. On that perspective, D/N test matches are worth a try. I am not sure that this will be the future of the game. But over the past century, cricket has evolved and re evolved to it's best possible form. So it is something that we will know only if we try it.

               Now that BCCI wants to take an initiative by conducting Duleep trophy under lights, it will give us an idea what are the issues we will be facing and what needs to be done to counter that. BCCI is not under Indian government which I believe is a blessing in disguise as it has helped the sport. But I believe it should be answerable to supreme court so that some kind of accountability will be there. It will be reflected in the faith of the people towards the organisation.

             Other sports also have started to develop faster in our country in the last decade. We have champions in each sport to idolize for kids growing up. But considering the thought process and the nature of ourselves, I believe privatization of sports will do a greater good over a period of years. There are private leagues and championships for almost all sports like Hockey, Football, Badminton, Kabbadi etc. which are being promoted to nook and corner of the country. There is a lot of money involved in it, which is undeniable. But since there is so much money involved, people who have invested will definitely do whatever is necessary to make those leagues successful. Which I believe will make the franchises look for new unearthed talents in the country. For example ISL for football has just gone through two years. If this league happens successfully over a period of say 25 years, I believe we will definitely be in a better position in football than what we are now.

               Though BCCI has it's own controversies and internal politics like other organisations do, they have managed to promote the sport and take good care of the retired champions whom the current generation will be looking up to. Of course it is not fair to compare other Govt. aided organisations with one of the most wealthiest cricketing board in the world. But Indian cricket was lucky that the rise of Indian economy and Sachin Tendulkar coincided. Sachin was the reason why most of the current generation cricketers wanted to become what they are now.

     I have never been a fan of privatization irrespective of the area of implementation. But considering the current system we have, I am afraid to believe that privatization is the way forward for other sports to develop as good as cricket has become in India. When other sports develop, cricket has its own challenge of sustaining and holding on to the audience it has, which is one aspect as a cricket fan I am worried about. And that is why I believe pink ball cricket is worth a try.