Will we see a fight this time?

It’s a pleasant adjustment this. Almost like getting back to your comfort zone. No more Yes Bank maximums, no more (well, fewer) darted in straight balls by spinners, no more “Dude, that match was fixed” speculations, no more Sidhuisms, no more Cheerleaders in the pre-match show studios; the list goes on. Having said that, I must confess that this has been the most astonishing and competitive IPL I’ve seen so far. Have never seen teams fighting the battle of net run rates such valiantly before. Never thought a talent like Manan Vohra could pull fast bowlers for sixes over long on, never anticipated the Akshar Patels and the Aditya Tares to become stars overnight. Ah, and Pravin Tambe wouldn’t have happened without the IPL too. 42-yrs of age, seasons spent playing competitive club Cricket in Mumbai, one of those who probably got overlooked because of the dirty politics that exists; gets picked by the Rajasthan Royals and the rest is history.

I’ve profoundly hated the IPL since its very beginning. This season probably made me realize how naïve I had been. Among all other things, I feel like I’ve found the beauty of the IPL, which is probably one of its kind. It unearths some of the most hungry-for-opportunity and overlooked talents this Cricket crazy country is blessed with. With talents like these in store, you dream and hope for India to be a world leader in Cricket. It is one of those feel good factors which almost makes you forget the dismal overseas record India has had in recent times. However, with the all-important England tour coming up, there is a considerable chance of the scabs getting peeled off.

In the little Cricket that I’ve seen, I’ve always loved it when India tours England. There’s a different aura that surrounds these tours. There’s always that odd remembrance to Lagaan and The Indian Freedom Struggle when these two countries clash. England also puts up challenging pitches to its visiting teams, just making the Cricket a little bit more exciting. And, the English media is probably the most biased one you’ll ever find. There’s always a little controversial statement or a tweet here and there by the ex or the current English cricketers ridiculing the opposition. You can never love the British, especially if you’re Indian. And as a fellow Indian who just wants the best players in the country to be selected to go on that tour, the selection that has been done appears a bit iffy. It is a matter of shame when we need as many as 18 members to be on that plane to England. It is also a matter of shame when players are picked just to be on the fringe. I will be surprised if Ishwar Pandey gets a game, same with Aaron. They’re neither in exceptional form, nor do they have ample experience to be picked on reputation. It is like one of those messed up *PS allotments, in which you are alloted a dream company but you aren’t going to get a meaningful project.

I was overjoyed when I saw Gambhir making it back to the Test squad. I strongly felt that he deserved it. He had a good Ranji season, scored runs in the IPL, and looked hungry to make a point. I also believed Zaheer’s exclusion was a must. I have enormous respect for the bowler, who has arguably been India’s best fast bowler ever. But, there are serious doubts as far as his fitness is concerned. With the growing age and injuries, the pace has dropped. So has the ability to bowl effective long spells. The ordinary fielding doesn’t help either. Pankaj Singh on the other hand, seems a reasonable inclusion. He has been among the top wicket takers in Ranji Trophy Cricket for 5 years in a row now. He certainly deserved a national call-up, particularly when we were touring England. This should be a great learning curve for him. Stuart Binny, someone who can bat and bowl decent medium pace, appears as a good selection too. He is probably a back-up for Jadeja or in case our bowling fails and we are forced to go in with another fast bowler without reducing the batting strength to a greater extent.

What I was surprised and disappointed with, was not seeing Umesh Yadav being in that squad. In fact, I’ve been upset about him not making India’s playing XI for quite some time now. He last played a Test match for India in November 2012 against the same opponents, England, in Ahmedabad. After which, he had a back injury. He made a good enough comeback during the ODIs in the Champions Trophy where the pace was there, the ball swung and he also picked wickets. He was in the Test squad in that home series against West Indies and also in the series vs SA and NZ in the respective countries; but didn’t get a single game to play. One could argue that there was no vacancy as Zaheer, Ishant and Shami were doing well. But, now that Zaheer is dropped and the kind of form Yadav is in, you would expect him to make the playing XI. But, the unthinkable happens and they drop him from the squad and that too for a tour to the most fast-bowler friendly nation in the world. He certainly deserved a place in the squad ahead of Varun Aaron or Ishwar Pandey. Aaron and Pandey both had an ordinary domestic season, and history has proven that selecting players for Test Cricket on the basis of IPL performances is a terribly wrong policy.

The other aspect of this selection to the England tour which appears as a gamble and I’m afraid not a measured one, is the inclusion of just the two spinners in the 18-man squad. We all know England doesn’t produce square turners and if you had to pick just the two spinners, you might as well have picked two of the best spinners this country has. Ashwin and Jadeja, in my opinion aren’t the best we have as far as bowling on non-responsive pitches in Test Cricket is concerned. Past records of the duo support my claim. I believe the inclusion of Amit Mishra was a necessity. He is in decent form, high on confidence after the inspired performances in the Asia Cup and the World T20. Apart from that, England historically haven’t been great players of quality leg spin bowling and the variations that Amit Mishra brings to the table are no ordinary ones. I have serious doubts whether Ashwin will find his feet on English turf, and a backup in the form of Amit Mishra just had to be there. Mishra, being a wrist spinner, should probably extract turn irrespective of how the pitch is. Ashwin has had a very ordinary record outside the subcontinent in Test Cricket, we can only hope that he turns the tables around this time.

The batting looks strong except the uncertainty at the top. I’m inclined to play Gambhir and Dhawan, but Vijay hasn’t been out of form. I guess, the two batsmen out of the three who’ll make runs in the practice matches will have to be the final openers. The middle order looks formidable with Pujara, Kohli and Rahane, all capable of scoring runs abroad. I am concerned with MS Dhoni’s Test form, especially when the ball does a bit in the air. Remember, Dhoni hasn’t scored a single Test century outside the subcontinent yet. Add to that the pressure of consistently failing as a captain overseas. This is one role where Dhoni’s ‘gambles’ haven’t worked. Dhoni has a serious point to prove as a captain here. I’ll be surprised if he continues as the Test captain if we lose this one. Various decisions made by him regarding field placing, team selection, bowler selections have gone wrong in the past when we’ve toured abroad. I believe MSD is much comfortable in operating his spinners which he does really well in the subcontinent and in limited overs Cricket. He needs to believe in his fast bowlers a little more, give them fielders at catching positions. Doesn’t matter if they get hit for a boundary or two. Here’s his one chance to prove himself.

This being a 5 match series is going to be a real test of character for the players. It’s going to create some absolute heroes and well, expose some lethal weaknesses. I want this to be a competitive one, unlike the one that happened in 2011. Indians have historically been poor visitors, if you leave out the Ganguly and the Kumble era. Every time we’ve been at the top of the ICC Test rankings, it has always been because we are clinical at home. It has always been a matter of shame for the fans, and unlike the odd ODI defeat here and there which gets forgotten, these defeats are hard to forget. All I’m asking for is a fight. We didn’t see one in 2011, I hope we do this time.

*PS = Internship. A BITS reference.

The problem with Bangladesh

    Another big game, another below par effort and another defeat. Hasn't this been the story of Bangladesh ever since they have started playing competitive Cricket? In their 14 years of being a nation good enough to play Test Cricket, all they have had to show is a handful of upsets and a few bits and pieces Cricketers. It is a very monotonous and a saddening story with Bangladesh's Cricket. Every time you see them showing sparks of good Cricket, you hope (only to end up in despair) that one day they will become a tough team to beat. It hasn't happened as of yet and I strongly believe it won't happen in the near future. It is not everyday that I use such blunt words, but when I do, I try and make sure there is logic and reason behind it.

   When Bangladesh had beaten Australia in that ODI at Cardiff on the back of that blistering hundred from Ashraful, I certainly believed that it wasn't a fluke. It wasn't anything like Australia dropped a lot of catches or had rested their key players. It was a typical full-strength Australian side and I thought Ashraful played a remarkable knock to see Bangladesh home. Now scoring a hundred against Australia in alien conditions that too while chasing a stiff target is no child's play. You would expect Ashraful to grow and emerge in confidence and become a player to watch out for. It never happened. Yes, he was always the best batsman Bangladesh had but he never delivered when it actually mattered in the matches later on. Call it pressure or whatever it was, but Ashraful never became the Cricketer we all thought he had it in him. And, the way his career ended was absolutely disgraceful for his fans, at least for me.

  Now the next crop of Cricketers like the Mortazas, the Tamim Iqbals, the Mahmadullahs and the Shakibs did catch peoples' eyes with sparkling performances from time to time. There was never a shortage of talent or ability in Bangladeshi Cricketers. It is their poor temperament which makes us believe that all their wins have been flukes. The 2007 World Cup upset by Bangladesh had a lasting impression among many a Cricket fan. Then when they also won against South Africa we all thought that it was finally time that Bangladesh had arrived on the big stage. But, still it wasn't to be. They even lost to Ireland in the Super 8s. They lost almost everything post the World Cup too. They haven't made a knockout stage of any of the ICC events since then. They did reach the finals of the Asia Cup in 2012, but gave it away in the end. Flawlessness was never a virtue of Bangladesh Cricket. The negatives have often been greater than the positives.

  Bangladesh had been awarded the status of being a Test playing nation back in 2000, when they played their first Test match against India. Till date, Bangladesh have won only two Test series that too against Zimbabwe and West Indies. They did manage to draw a series against New Zealand this year and one against West Indies early on, but that's about it. In 14 years of being a Test playing nation, Bangladesh have won only 4 test matches out of the 83 that have been played. It is a very dismal stat this. I strongly believe, Bangladesh don't deserve to be a test playing nation. There are far better talented and determined Cricketers in Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan. Cricketers who are willing to give their 100% every single time and emerge among the finest, which are lacking to a great extent in Bangladesh. Also, there is a general blend of undisciplined Cricketers when it comes to Bangladesh. Ashraful ended up in a fixing scandal; we all know about the lewd gestures made by Shakib in front of the camera recently. The Tamim Iqbals, the Mortazas and the Rubel Hossains with their periodic media chatter and controversies haven't been particularly good boys either. It is time they pulled up the socks and focused on their Cricket.

   You would think that I am going really hard at Bangladesh's Cricket and that it is too early to put them off. But, take the example of Sri Lanka. Even they started playing competitive Cricket at a later stage and were minnows for a while. SL started playing Test Cricket in 1981, however by the 1990s they were already a very tough team to beat. They had a much more settled and a dangerous unit comprising of the Ranatungas, the Jayasuriyas and the Murlis by then. They went on to win the 1996 World Cup. One-two years down the line they even started winning abroad! Bangladesh don't even consistently put up a good fight in their home conditions.

  In a Cricket crazy country like Bangladesh, there will never be a shortage of talent. It's just that they need a proper administration and people who would inculcate the values of hard work and discipline among the youngsters. When I say discipline here, I refer to the Cricketing discipline like sticking to the basics, bowling a consistent line and length, being prudent in the shot selection and so on. Dave Whatmore played a huge role in building up such a foundation in his tenure as the Bangla coach, things would have been a lot more worse if it wasn't for him. But, I believe there is a lot more work to be done at the grass roots level. The Bangladesh Premiere League needs to go, at least for now. With the amount of fixing scrutiny it has come under, things wouldn't get any better with its presence. Building up a clean and a competitive administration should be Bangladesh's priority numero uno.

  I also recommend more competitive Cricket and Test playing status for the likes of Ireland and Afghanistan. In the little Cricket that I have seen them play, I believe they have the talent and the ability that is required at the international level. Short tours of 1-2 Tests and maybe 3 ODIs to bigger Cricketing nations would do them a world of good. Such tours would be a great learning curve and good performances against big countries would motivate a lot of youngsters from these nations. All it takes is one opportunity, one little ray of spotlight.

The Time Machine.

Go back in time. To the days when you played Cricket ’07. What do you remember? Hitting Glenn McGrath for 6 sixes in an over? Getting the World Test XI all out for a score less than 10? The messed up names like Murgalideron (Muralitharan) or Dheneir (Dhoni)? Or the magnificent commentary of Mark Nicholas and Richie Benaud? You had a good time. We all did. It was a simpler world back then. Australia were still the undoubted champions. There was no DRS. The IPL was still an unborn baby. T20 had just become this exciting format everyone was eager to exploit. No one would have even thought of a 3-body governing system everyone is talking about.

What went wrong, you ask. Or did it? Is Cricket really that bad as everyone thinks it is getting. The revenues don’t reflect that, one bit. The fan following doesn’t say that either. Maybe the proposed changes in the administration do. But, you have to be too grumpy a fan to care about that. I want to believe I am not one of those, but reality might not depict that. I am excited for the match tomorrow as much as I was 6-7 years ago. But do I desperately want certain results now? I don’t think so. I mean, these days I don’t get upset about India losing. It’s not that I want them to lose. Being an Indian, you always want India to win. But, now when I watch an India match, the intensity of supporting India is almost equal to the intensity of supporting a team with more number of my favourite players pitted against a team with less number of those. It’s not an admirable trait this, not at all. There are too many voices in the head these days while watching Cricket. That’s why I love to watch Cricket with no one around. It wasn’t like that when I started watching the game. Now, I myself reach different levels arguing with different opinions from different perspectives of Cricket that I know of. I don’t get biased on things. For example I don’t love a Ravindra Jadeja. I don’t hate him either. Most Cricket fans would fall in one of these categories. You would have your own ‘tending towards an extremum’ opinion about him. I don’t. These days, I’m more like “The team which’ll play better Cricket will win, let’s hope it’s us”, earlier I used to be like “India has got to win this one”.

I feel like my relationship with Cricket now is more like a marriage into its 20^th anniversary. The honeymoon period is well over. The odd big fights are done and dusted. The kids have grown to a reasonable age. I like to believe I know a bit of Cricket, but yet every now and then it tends to surprise me with its eccentric nature which actually was the reason for me falling for it. I’ve made a few sacrifices and choices, Cricket’s made a few too. Yet, I don’t see another day living without it. When there’s no mainstream Cricket going on, I feel the need to pick up that goddamn phone and check Cricinfo for domestic Cricket scores; my way of texting “I miss you”. This is what Cricket has made me. It has made me poetic, it has made me a drama queen and a wee bit Grumpy as well.

And that’s why, once in a while I like to shut all that up and go back in time to that honeymoon period. That’s where EA Sports Cricket ’07 plays a pivotal part. The Kumbles are there, the Haydens, the Laras, the Pollocks, everyone is there. The old Cricketing rules are there. You know what, there the spinners flight the ball as well! All that grumpiness, the serious critic qualities, etc. take a back seat when I switch that game on. There’s a part of my childhood in that game. It’s something I cherish from the bottom of my heart. I wish life had such a fantasy world too. Where we could go back to our favorite times of our lives, just for an hour maybe, forget all our established principles and be that kid again, ready to take on the world.

Not 'the next big thing' anymore

  It's the first day of the first test match of India's tour of SA, you wait for it to begin with anticipation and also with a very typical expectation. An expectation of green tracks, a fired up Dale Steyn and an Indian batting collapse. Let's face it, India have never really looked dominant in any such away tour on the first day of the first test. A similar thing happened yesterday. But, it wasn't all that bad. Kudos to probably the best batsman in the current XI, Virat Kohli, who stepped up to the task like a champion.

  I've had the privilege of watching Kohli grow and emerge as one of India's finest right from the start of his career, this is something I didn't have regarding most of my Cricketing heroes. Kohli had a mild start in that debut ODI series in SL. There wasn't a big debut 100 to show off the Kohli swagger. He was in and out of the team. He didn't seem to be that child prodigy which a lot of people believed he would be, especially on the back of that emphatic U-19 World Cup win. After a few games he was dropped, and that's where I believe his real temperament was tested. He made a great comeback in 2009 by scoring a ton load of runs in domestic cricket, and hasn't looked back since. Making a comeback isn't easy after you've been dropped immediately after getting a taste of international Cricket. It is times like these when talent doesn't solve things for you. You need a solid temperament to back that up. And when you have an outstanding temperament which chases 320 in 40 overs, or hooks a 145 kph bouncer from Dale Steyn at 200 kph in front of square, or the one which adapts to the alien South African conditions in a flash and scores a test 100 in the very first test; very few things can go wrong.

  There are a lot more accolades Kohli has than what I've just mentioned, and all of them are exceptional in their own rights. I've seen that 183 against Pakistan while chasing a stiff target in Mirpur, that 133* against SL when India chased 320 under 40 overs in Hobart, and almost all of his other match winning ODI centuries. Every big knock of his has given all of us immense pleasure and that realization that we are witnessing someone really special. But, for me that 119 yesterday against SA at Johannesburg really stands out. That innings just gave me the confirmation that he really can take on the world, and can score heavily outside the subcontinent in Test Cricket. The off stump awareness, the shot selection, the back foot play, the maturity everything was top notch. India needed that hundred from him, especially when they were 24-2 with a fired up Morkel and Steyn when he came out to bat. He rose to the occasion and delivered, which really has become a habit now. That innings spoke volumes about how exceptional Kohli's growth in maturity has been. He was prudent in his shot selection, he was ready to defend and see off a good spell and he was also prepared to wait for the poor deliveries to attack. You look at the other wickets that fell and the poor shots the other batsmen played, and that's when the difference in maturity between Kohli and the other batsmen would become evident to you. I believe, his maturity is probably his biggest asset apart from his talent and temperament, which has been instrumental in promoting Kohli from being 'the next big thing' to actually being 'the big thing'.

  Having said all this, when you talk about Virat Kohli you never just speak about his batting, do you? There's always that little mockery of the MC-BC or of his TDC-like attitude involved as well. It's sad Kohli has had to be a victim of such mockery or criticism. We all are in awe of the Dravids and the Tendulkars, aren't we? We should be. But, I believe that it is very wrong to expect every good player to have that similar gentleman like attitude. I know, that such an attitude with ability to play hard Cricket is a real respectful combination. But, I am not very sure that such an attitude is a 'must have' for someone to be a legend of the game, especially in modern day Cricket. The amount of Cricket the current players play and the amount of scrutiny they are under is just too much, and they are bound to get frustrated and lose their cool sometimes. There's nothing wrong in abusing on the Cricket field. Everyone does that. We've got to accept this trait in the transition to modern day Cricket. If you can accept a newspaper with a front page full of commercials, this shouldn't be too much to ask :P. Okay, now that was bad. So, I'll end.

The Sachin Special

  So, where were you on the afternoon of 14th November when He came out to bat? Were you glued to your TV set jinxing Dhawan and Vijay to get out like a pure Sachinist, or were you in your office/school/college checking out Cricinfo every second, or who knows, maybe you were at the Wankhede itself. I am sure you chucked away whatever else you were doing to watch him bat once he came out in the middle. And then you bunked the rest of your college, postponed your meetings, held your pee and didn't move an inch until the day ended. It is that kind of a life when it comes to Sachin Tendulkar. You don't want to be the reason to jinx his innings at any cost by doing something out of the ordinary. Even you would not have been able to forgive yourself after doing something like that.

  He ended the day on 38* and he looked as fluent as ever. Nothing seemed to unsettle him. He was picking out the doosra, hitting those jaw dropping shots just like any other day at the office. All the pressure, all the expectations, all the drama going into this test match didn't seem to play on his nerves. It is not something any normal person would have been able to do. They were showing his whole family on the big screen at the Wankhede at one point and the crowd was cheering, doing all sorts of things. To ignore all that and to focus on the next ball is not a simple thing to do. I feel, only a Tendulkar is/was able to do something like that, because he has been exposed to that kind of a pressure for more than half of his career. I am no analyst, or I haven't played Cricket at a professional level to be analyzing his temperament. But, having watched a lot of Cricket, I believe I am at liberty to say that his ability to switch off from the whole world and to concentrate on the next ball is simply out of this world.

  When something of this magnitude like Sachin's last test is around, the Social media can't be far away from going viral, can it? I'm sure your Facebook, Twitter timelines must be filled with people voicing their "Sachin is God _/\_ _/\_ #ThankYouSachin"-like opinions. Nothing wrong in that. But, sometimes it just makes me wonder that aren't some of them the same people which criticised Sachin at one point when they said something like 'he only plays for centuries, and whenever he gets one India loses'?. It's uncanny how people change their opinions just to, you know, look cool. I remember the word "cognitive illusion" and this beautiful article on Why do some people hate Sachin Tendulkar? and move on. It's a really long article, read it after this one.

  We all are excited for tomorrow, aren't we? We've already made plans to relish what could very well be his last innings ever. I have made a few, too. But, I don't want tomorrow to come. I just want Sachin to be like this. Not out. Building a strong partnership with India's No. 3 on a crumbling wicket. Hitting those lovely backfoot cover drives, coming on the front foot and defending solidly. Soaking in all the pressure, making a billion people skip their beats.

  Sachin meant a lot to a certain set of people including me. When I was bullied at school, when my Mom scolded me, when I had a hard time in my acads, Sachin was always there. When the chips were down, his batting gave that immense joy which made me forget all the wrong that was happening around me. Everyone of us have our own beloved Sachin stories. We are very very lucky to have them. We'll tell our kids and our grand kids about them some day, and they will envy us. Who knows? Even tomorrow, we might see a Sachin special, but then again I am pressurizing him in my mind. It's time to let go. He is a great Cricketer and will always be regardless of whatever happens tomorrow. With Sachin, it's never the records that excite you, it's the drama, the perfect batsmanship that you simply can't get enough of. So, let's skip some beats for one last time tomorrow.

           "Enjoy the game and chase your dreams. Dreams do come true."

We owe Him one...

  It has been quite an emotional time this, for all of us. It's tough to digest, you know, that Rahul Dravid won't be taking the field anymore. It was one of those goodbyes which you wanted to avoid as long as you could. He had always been there for the team, for the nation and for the fan. He held that one end strong, gave his 100% every single time in his typical classy, determined and gritty way which, I believe, only he was/is capable of. It was just the way he played his Cricket.

  There was always so much to learn from him for me as Cricket fan. You wouldn't associate flamboyance when you thought of Dravid. You would think of him as a common man who played hard and gave everything he had every single time for the team. He wasn't blessed with extraordinary talent. He didn't debut for India when he was a teenager. He was just like the most of us. All of us aren't blessed with great talent, so we try and make an effort to give the best at whatever we love to do, in order to keep it doing. And, on top of that it wasn't just how hard he played his Cricket which makes him the great man that he is. It is the dignity with which he played it, which puts him in a different league altogether.

  The internet is filled with statistics and the numbers for what Dravid stands for. It's not Dravid's stats that I will remember for the rest of my life. What I will remember about Dravid for the rest of my life is the dignity with which he played. In Dravid's Cricket, the contest was confined just between the bat and ball and nothing else. The bowler gave everything he had into the ball he was about to bowl and Dravid made sure he gave everything he had, to deal with it. And, that's where the story ended. Dravid's Cricket ended on the field itself and it only dealt with the events that should go on in the ideal Cricket match scenario. There was no room for sledging, or for any uncalled-for gestures or for any other such thing which has nothing to do with the way Cricket is played. This is how the game is played in its unadulterated form, and basically it is this aspect of the sport with which true Cricket lovers fell in love with.

  Apart from playing with dignity, Dravid also did everything which the team and the selectors asked him to do. They asked him to keep wickets, he did. They asked him to open the batting on cold English mornings by giving up his regular position, he did. They ruthlessly told him that he wasn't good enough to play limited overs Cricket and that he should concentrate on Tests more, he did. Then when they were in trouble in the ODIs in England, they asked him to come back and play, even then he did. Even in the very last match he played, he came in to bat at No.8 because of the situation his team was in. You'd expect him to enjoy his last match and at least see him bat at his normal position like any other star player playing his last match would. But, he didn't, just because the team had decided on such a strategy (however irrational it was). Not only this, but Dravid was also always ready to play second fiddle whenever it was required. Be it Laxman's 281 in Kolkata, Sehwag's 319 at Chennai or even Tendulkar's 186 in an ODI at Hyderabad. Dravid was involved in making huge partnerships in all of these. He was always there to hold that one end strong and complement the batsman in form.

  The one disappointing thing Dravid has had to live through throughout his career is that brutal comparison between him and Sachin Tendulkar by the fans. I've always believed that the comparison is useless and it is like comparing apples and oranges. It takes great mental strength to ignore all that is written about you, said about you, and concentrate on your Cricket. And, it is something Dravid did as good as anyone can. You don't compare Dravid with Sachin. In fact, you don't compare Dravid with anyone. Dravid has a league of his own. He is class apart. No one was and no one can ever be as good as him. So, as a Cricket lover and a huge Dravid fan I appeal to everyone to please spare the great man with such ridiculous comparisons and also with questions like 'Who will be the next Dravid?',etc. Those who say Tendulkar is my God and Dravid isn't or the other way around are immature Cricket fans. It's time we attained maturity. I feel that we at least owe him this.

It's the minority, where people like me exist.

   It was just the other day, when I had that "I seriously need to start studying" feeling all day and then after wasting about more than two-thirds of it, I finally pulled out some random text book out of the closet. Dusted it, pulled some random page which said "Solutions to differential equations at regular singular points" which is the only thing I feel like I read in about an hour. Suddenly, out of nowhere, I heard some chants from the common room. I closed the text book, and went down to find out. I heard Dhoni was on fire. He'd smashed 63 off 19 balls. I was like, "What?", I didn't even know CSK were playing. Those in the common room looked at me like I'd come from Mars. What was worse, was that I didn't seem to care.

  It was a Cricket match, for God's sake, and there were people around me watching, cheering for various turn of events in it, and there I was pretending to read Maths 3. When I think of it, the Cricket lover inside me begins to ask this question whether I still have that appetite to watch Cricket anymore. I'd never imagined such a time would come. IPL Cricket, Champions League Cricket have stopped exciting me for quite some time now. It doesn't pluck that nerve which usually other Cricket matches do for me. And, the worse part is that on top of all this I claim to be a Cricket geek in the society. I have criticized IPL Cricket a lot of times in my life. I won't do it anymore.

  It's just that, I feel like I have found what I love the most in Cricket. I believe, that appetite is still there somewhere. It's not the Karbonn Kamaal Catches or the Citi Bank moments of success that excite me. These days I tend love those typical Test match scenarios, like the 'crucial first hour', or when the ball starts to reverse out of nowhere, or those aggressive field placings for the new batsman, or those gritty innings after a few quick wickets, etc. Things like these hardly play a role in T20 Cricket, because it involves a pretty different style of game play which is equally tough.

  In my little journey of life, I've met a lot of people having similar Cricketing mind-sets like that of mine. We've had various memorable and intense discussions about various aspects of the game. Such discussions usually end on a unanimous feeling that IPL-like Cricket should be put to an end. But, I'm afraid that is impossible to happen. The truth is, these people like me actually form the minority of all those who watch Cricket. We seem to be in the majority because we tend to be more vocal, but we're not. The world has embraced this IPL-like Cricket. When you think of it, such Cricket actually unites families; it's much better that the daily soaps or the reality shows that exist in some parts of the world (especially in India); and on top of that it's just 3 hours of exciting nail-biters with Bollywood Masala somewhere in the backdrop. It's actually a win-win for those who watch Cricket for entertainment. And rather sadly, the truth is that it is people like these who form the majority of Cricket viewers. I mean that, majority of the Cricket viewers today don't like to get geeky or put attention to detail to various aspects of the sport, like the significance of field-placings and the various restrictions on them, or what a new ball does, or even how certain pitches behave for that matter. The modern Cricket viewer, I believe, is far more interested in those '20 balls and 40 to get' or those '15 runs in an over' or probably those '5 dot balls in an over' scenarios.

For example, gone are the days, when as a viewer you would expect the captain to elect to bowl first on a gloomy day on a green pitch after winning the toss. I don't think the modern Cricket viewer cares too much about what might or might not be a wise thing to do on winning the toss.

  This transition of the Cricket viewer is something, people like me will have to accept. The changing mind-set of the viewer results in the changed mind set of the next generation Cricketer. Rahul Dravid said the other day, "We are maybe one generation away from reaching the point where our entire youth structure could cater only to T20 without any emphasis on the longer form of the game. By not giving young players a chance to explore their versatility, endurance or even improvisational skills we will be selling ourselves and our sport well short."

  Imagining a whole generation of Cricket players trained with that T20 mind-set throughout their lives is something that scares people like me. It's probably because, we would never get to see someone like a Dravid or a Kallis in the upcoming generations. Or rather because, say after about 10-20 years or so from now, our kids won't be interested in our little Tendulkar stories. They'll have their own Laras, Warnes and McGraths and their own different opinions about the game which will make it tough to connect with them on a lazy Sunday afternoon. People like me know that when you meet someone who shares a similar Cricketing opinion as yours, he/she becomes your friend for life. This might just not happen with the future generation because of this transition of the mind set of the Cricket viewer.

  Having said that, I certainly feel that because of this mind-set, the next crop of Cricketers will be far more versatile than the current ones as far as making adjustments to the different forms of the game is concerned, but probably at the expense of mastery in the longer forms of the game. We've got to accept them, as we form the minority. The one thing we all Cricket lovers will definitely have in common is the fact that, it was that epic contest between bat and ball which we all actually fell in love with in the beginning. Cricketing opinions, attention to detail, is all secondary. And I hope, these next generation Cricketers with their different mind-sets would create some other 'to be explored dimensions' in various aspects of the game. Geeks like me would love that.