Its not only cricket- Why Master Blaster received Bharat-Ratna before Dhyan Chand???

Sachin Tendulkar, who retired from international cricket two days ago was acknowledged by India’s most precious award “Bharat ratna”. Undoubtedly Sachin Tendulkar is a Bharat Ratna, every 65 inch of his stature. But its not only about cricket, there were many reason why government awarded him the most prestige award.  Although, the government’s timing was perfect in officially acknowledging on his D-Day what the nation long felt about the cricketer. But why government prefer Sachin over Dhayanchand and Vishwanathan??

Many people would claim that Tendulkar’s authentic sporting achievements are more than matched by one Viswanathan  Anand. But more would also agree that even his superhuman feats donning the tricolour on the helmet do not reasonably add up to the many wonders worked on the Davis Cup turf by one Leander Paes. But they are of same generations who do not mind waiting for their turn.

But in the discussion of Bharat Ratna, to recall the hockey wizard Dhayanchand is fairly through. The hockey legend retired in 1948. He died before Tendulkar even picked up his bat at 11. It is terrible to equate generations or different sports. Dhyan Chand won three Olympic gold medals for India. But statistics tally for nothing when anyone deliberates his influence on the game that he picked up only after joining the Army at 16. If the legend would have played cricket, his aura would no less than Sir, Bradman.

Bradman watched Dhyan Chand in 1935 in action in Adelaide. “Dhyan Chand scores goals like runs in cricket,” was his enthralled response. The next year, the German press went into a flap watching the wizard at Berlin. “The Olympic complex now has a magic show too,” screamed a headline. Legend has it that a charmed Hitler offered the major the post of colonel in his army. Residents of Vienna built a effigy of him with four hands holding four hockey sticks, underlining the wizardry.

 Now doesn’t it seem unusual that government acknowledged Tendulkar before Dhyan Chand , every bit a Bharat Ratna, before honouring the country’s first modern sporting genius and superstar? The downhill affluences of hockey may have a lot to do with it. Long back in 1956, Dhyan Chand was honoured with the Padma Bhushan. The government released a postage stamp on his first death anniversary in 1980. Obviously, sportspersons were not eligible for Bharat Ratna. Rules for the same were amended in nov 2011.

That november, 82 MPs, a number of UPA ministers among them wrote to the Prime Minister’s Office, recommending Bharat Ratna for Dhyan Chand. In the same year, the PMO also received 64 nominations for bharat ratna, including Master Blaster for the highest honour backed by Prithviraj Chavan.

Subsequently in 2012, the union sports ministry has twice recommended Dhyan Chand for Bharat Ratna. This year in July, the ministry recapped that he was the logical choice. “We had to name just one sportsperson for the Bharat Ratna. With all due respect to Tendulkar, Dhyan Chand is a legend in Indian sports. And it was logical to recommend Dhyan Chand for the Bharat Ratna since we have named every other trophy after him,” Pradip Deb, secretary sports, was quoted as saying.

The UPA government dawdled for two years since amending the rules before picking Tendulkar as a ”popular choice” on the day of his retirement. Many people complaint of the honour and said it’s a biased decision.

Anand has won the Chess Oscar six times and world championship five times and in a sport many times more competitive than cricket. Three years senior to Tendulkar, He became India’s first grandmaster even before the boy wonder made his international debut. The only player to have won the world championships in all formats – tournament, match, knockout and rapid – he is recognized as the most adaptable world champion in the history of the game.

Anand (1985) and won the Arjuna award before Tendulkar (1994). Anand was the first recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1991–92, India’s highest sporting honour. Anand became India’s first sportsperson in 2007 to be awarded the Padma Vibhushan ahead of Tendulkar. Chess enthusiasts should not mind if the cricketer takes the lead this time. As Government decision to award Bharat ratna is not only about cricket, its also has political influences.

Sachin, who is currently a member of upper house of parliament from congress. Sachin who also played his last match in his home ground on request from BCCI. Rajiv Shukla, a central minister and bcci chief may ask sachin to promote congress post retirement.

Timing for the acknowledgement was perfect, as sachin was retiring from cricket. People have sympathy from him and should be as he was playing cricket for past 24 years. And perfect time that no one would like to criticize this and UPA government added one feather in his cap. It would not be surprise for the people, if we saw sachin promoting congress in the future.

Whats happened to our Gauti!!!

Gautam Gambir who won KKR the first IPL trophy under his captaincy also played a wonderful inning in world cup final to help india win. But after thay he never looked liked in his past form touch. His averages got down and finally he is out the team for the first two matches of Australia tour which will begin from 22th feb. Lets we try try to find out what happen to our Gauti..Why his performance got down..

It's been difficult to understand what faze Gambhir is going through right now. It took the classy left-hander ages to cement his place in the Indian team, and once he had done it, he looked good enough to be there forever. He formed a lethal opening combo with Virender Sehwag. agressvive man is known for his classy shots on the on-side.

Gambhir is called the best Opener in the world who can perform in all condition and even in all the formats of the game. His pair with Sehwag is also counted as the most destructive pair in the world cricket.

Who can forget Gambhir's 93 against South Africa at Cape Town (with a swollen arm) in 2011, the match-saving 137 against New Zealand at Napier in 2009, or the double hundred against the Aussies at Kotla in 2008? Why, he was even labelled as India's captain-in-waiting.

Then, bad habits crept in and the bad times arrived. Runs dried up and it led to his eventual ouster. Despite managing 251 runs in four Tests against England @41.83 at home, Gambhir has been dropped for the first two Tests against Australia. Was he made the scapegoat for the Test losses against England and the ODI reversals against Pakistan (he scored 34 runs in three games)?

He hasn't scored a Test hundred in more than three years now. In recent times, he has repeatedly got out caught behind or in the slips. What is wrong with Gambhir?

"He is transferring his weight too early on the backfoot, which is why he is edging the ball behind while trying to cut. When you meet the ball, your weight should be on the front foot, but in his case it is entirely on the backfoot. When I coached Delhi (back in 2007-08), I corrected that. Also, you aren't an opener if you don't leave the ball. He doesn't do that enough," says former India all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar.

Gambhir's coach Sanjay Bhardwaj feels his ward has got a raw deal. "He scored runs against England (scores of 65, 60, 40 & 37). I don't think anyone in India has been dropped after such a performance. It's just that the hundreds haven't come," he says. He makes another pertinent point when he adds, "They should have at least played him in the Irani Cup."

Former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar, who chaired the selection panel which recalled Gambhir and triggered his 'golden streak,' says: "Every player goes through such periods. He will have to work hard, play more matches and spend time in the middle. He is a proven player. One or two good knocks will help him get his confidence back." 

Ex-India opener Aakash Chopra, who has opened with Gambhir in domestic cricket blames instant cricket for his woes. "His problem has much to do with overexposure to T20 and ODIs. Our players are playing so much of it that they forget how to construct an innings and how to bat for one-and-a-half days." 

Often, a spell out of the team gives a player time to introspect. This break could work for Gambhir if he takes it in the right spirit. Says Bhardwaj, "This is a good break and will help him improve." 

Many also feel that Gambhir takes his game a bit too seriously. "Sometimes, he gets too hard on himself. He needs to just enjoy his game," says Delhi's Ranji coach Vijay Dahiya, who also assists Gambhir at Kolkata Night Riders. 

While form has been an issue, there are also other reasons that could have played a role in Gambhir getting the axe. A frosty relationship with Dhoni is being touted as one of the reasons.

India need "Kapil" to groom fast bowlers??

There is a perception amongst common cricket fans that India is a graveyard when it comes to producing quality pace bowlers. After Kapil Dev there have been only Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan who glorified the legacy of fast bowling in India. There is a hue and cry amongst Indian cricket experts about the lack of pace bowlers whereas India's neighbour Pakistan tends to deliver speed merchants like a smiling paddy field. Pakistan is a fertile land for fast bowlers whereas India are the opposites.

But is India really incapable of producing quality pace bowlers? I slightly disagree with this concept. Over the years, India has produced quick men, though not as gifted as those in Pakistan. Though Kapil and Srinath and Zaheer did India proud there have plenty of others who showed much promises only to fade away in the course of time.

These include Ajit Agarkar, Harvinder Singh, Irfan Pathan, Sreesanth and Munaf Patel, among others; all bowlers who emerged as encouraging packages but in the long run did not cope with the demands of international cricket.

There have been other reasons offered for their overall failures to become leading fast bowlers. In my opinion, these young prodigies lacked a proper mentor to survive in the competitive world of international cricket. They were never given the type of nurturing which is necessary for a pace bowler to accomplish a 10-year career stint with success.

Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis burst onto the scene as prodigies but their long term success was the result of Imran Khan's astute guidance. Similarly, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander are talents of high quality but for their successful existence they can't deny the contributions of Allan Donald. But sadly, the promising Indian pacemen were never under the watchful eyes of a true master.

As a matter of fact, India does have the mentor but he has been underutilized. The MRF Pace Academy is headed by foreigners whereas in their own land there is Kapil, the man who had given India hope and a shot of pace with his nippy, effective swing bowing. Since Kapil's retirement, India have only summoned the man in 1999 to coach a young side.

The relationship between Kapil and the BCCI is a sore one and for which Kapil was aloof from Indian cricket. A legend like Kapil doesn't deserve such treatment. For the future of Indian pace bowling, the BCCI should've thought of getting benefited from Kapil. Kapil would have been ideal for the likes of Munaf or Irfan, providing necessary guidance. He would have been the perfect person to nurture these younger talents. But it was not to be.

Indian cricket is going through a transition phase. Such times often produce young talents and Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one of them. Rather than being accurate, his ability to swing the ball at will is brilliant. But Kumar should be nurtured and that is where Kapil should come in. Only an Indian pace bowler can read the minds of a young quick. The Indian culture has always been too busy in focusing on batting talents; pace bowlers have rarely been their subject of interest.

It is not true that fast bowlers don't emerge in India. They do, but worryingly they fade away due to improper man management. There had been no person brought forward to build these young talents. The time has come to seek Kapil's help. Whether the BCCI has Kapil in their plans remains a moot question. I hope good sense prevails.

Coach should also have a nationality??

Every team needs player of its origin. Obvious? then why it is not obvious that the same is not applicable to a coach, someone who can be of any nationality as long as he can bring out the best in the side??

Keeping the wins in the last three consecutive ODIs aside, the string of defeats led to suggestions from various quarters that Team India needs an Indian coach. Unfortunately, cricket has absolutely nothing to do with caste, colour, creed and nationality of the mentor. It's a simple fact that most are surprisingly giving a miss.

The argument that team needs an Indian origin coach would be valid if several members of the side found it hard to communicate with a foreign coach in a foreign tongue. The rise of players from the grass-root levels and the heartland of the country may indeed make this a valid point in which case, this write-up is defeated in its purpose. Otherwise, it seeks and begs to differ.

Individual merit of individuals cannot be subjected to his nationality. To this author at the very least, it is better to have a maverick foreign coach who infuses energy into a team than have a coach who may be speaking the same language but nobody is really listening! Of course, someone who speaks the same tongue, has superb credentials and has a persona which commands players to play their best and enjoy every minute of doing so, would be the ideal choice. Is it then not better to just say we need a capable man and not necessarily an Indian?

Most important point raised in favour of having an Indian coach for the team is that a former cricketer who has played in this team and at the domestic level, is the best because he recognizes challenges, works against identified limitations and is a hardened veteran in the not-so-subtle nuances of sub-continental cricket. Even former skipper Sourav Ganguly said he is not a big fan of the 'obsession' to get foreign coaches.

I just thing Fletcher didn’t have the skills to manage a team that has a star in every player, and that Ganguly would be the ideal man to take over from him. I don’t understand this obsession with getting foreigners to coach our team. How can someone who isn’t an Indian understand how our system works? Look at australia they always choose a national coach in which they won three consecutive world cup. You have got to have someone who knows the inside out not only Indian cricket, but also how the administration works here. Fletcher failed when it came getting the players to understand how he works and also didn’t have the influence needed to give the players a reality check.

Ganguly was someone who always called a spade a spade and need someone like him to take over. The guy needs to be fearless and not be worried about certain people in the board who want to run the show. Who can be better than him? Also, he hasn’t retired a decade ago so he is well versed with the way things work in Indian cricket. I feel he’s the perfect guy for the job. Fletcher is just like our prime minister who never comes to media never makes any statement why india consecutively loosing??


Coach of same nationality:

South Africa: Gary Kirsten - This team is like a raging bull and has a superb matador steering its rampage.

New Zealand: Mike Hesson - Accused for his alleged role in having Ross Taylor sacked and replacing him with Brendon McCullum. Kiwis thrashed recently by South Africa.

West Indies: Ottis Gibson from Barbados - Mentored West Indies to WT20 title. Period!

Clearly then, there is no set principle that a foreign or a coach of the same nationality can ensure success and improve a team by miles.

Well, Fletcher was on the two year contract which will be ended on the coming april. So lets ripe for the indian coach.

Indian cricket team back on momentum??

Team India, once impassable at home, is now a mere shadow of its reputation. The ascendancy in Gary Kirsten's era as a coach seems to be a forgotten story. India was also ranked No. 1 in Tests when Dhoni's men reached the summit and conquered the 2011 World Cup. Since then, the tides have turned and they have been subjected to a free-fall.

Plenty has gone wrong for MS Dhoni in the last 20 months: India have been thumped in overseas Tests, and then lost some more at home too; his captaincy moves have been questioned; and his batting form in Tests has been pretty ordinary - 958 runs in 33 innings at 33.03 - and those stats were propped up by home runs against New Zealand and West Indies. There's one aspect of his game, though, that has remained untouched by all these recent debacles - his ODI batting has been quite spectacular recently, even if all his runs haven't led to victories.

Since the end of the 2011 World Cup, Dhoni has played 27 ODI innings, scored 1166 runs, and averaged 83.28 at a strike rate of 92.39. The average has been helped along by 13 not-outs, but even allowing for that, these are amazing numbers: in these 27 innings he has gone past 50 on 11 occasions, and scored a century when coming in to bat at 29 for 5 in seaming conditions against a potent Pakistan attack. He has guided the team when wickets have fallen around him, consolidated during the middle stages of the innings, and been there during the slog overs, performing each role to perfection.

There has been criticism about him batting too far down the order at Nos. 6 or 7 - he has batted higher only three times during this period - but it can also be argued that he has given the specialist batsmen in the team the best opportunity to build their innings. That he has been left with so much to do is a damning indictment of the lack of form of the top-order batsmen. In these 30 matches that Dhoni has played, he has scored 16.38% of bat runs scored by all Indian batsmen, a pretty high percentage for someone who bats outside the top five in the 50-over format.

It is more of an emotional outburst to call for Dhoni's sacking. Despite results not going his way, Dhoni has performed consistently in the shorter formats. In Tests, it isn't fair to expect a No. 7 batsman to save the game every single time. The top order has hit the skids, the bowlers have struggled to pick 20 wickets and eventually MS Dhoni has had to bite the bullet. India has certainly not found its next Test or ODI captain yet. However, a T20 captain? Yes. It's perhaps time Dhoni is relieved of that responsibility. The grey hair is an indication of the stress he's had to bear over the last couple of years. Virat Kohli, who many believe is our future captain, can get a fair test handling the T20 side as he's proved to be India's run machine for the previous two years. There's Yuvraj too who can take over the T20 side.

It will be a never-ending discussion if one starts pointing out the loopholes in the grass root level where budding talents are born. Instead, the team management, selectors and the players should collectively think that it's never too late to bring about a change. Be it in terms of individual fitness, attitude towards the game or team-spirit. The game needs a strong Indian team. There is enough talent. The million dollar question is, 'will there be enough effort put in?' We'll find out in days to come.


It's about time the team management gives Rahane a go, even if he has to bat at the top of the order. For that to happen, either Sehwag or Gambhir should make way. The former has been living on thin ice for over a year now. Nobody knows, for how long his reputation can grant him a place in the side. The latter - Gautam Gambhir - has hit a dry patch too. Despite having an ODI average of over 40 in the last year (with most of his good knocks coming at the start of 2012), he has been under the scanner for repeatedly committing the same errors. Gambhir's rapport with captain MS Dhoni has also been a talking point. Who would you drop?

Rotation policy, once employed to reduce player fatigue, can be a solution to India's dilemma. Give Rahane a fairly long run while you alternate between Sehwag and Gambhir for different matches. It doesn't just give Rahane some breathing space, but it also creates a sense of competition among the senior players to save their place and perform to the best of their abilities. It is a matter of saving their career, after all. Similar approach can be used to figure out who among Manoj Tiwary and Rohit Sharma will cement his place in the ODI XI. The young talent will also gain some valuable experience this way.

India is in dire need of a bowling coach, a mentor of sorts, someone like a Wasim Akram or a Glenn McGrath who has the talent and the experience to help the Indian bowlers surge ahead in these testing times. Praveen Kumar, S Sreesanth, Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra and several promising bowlers have succumbed to injuries on a consistent basis. Of course, one can't totally eliminate injuries at the International level, but preventing injuries to the extent possible will be one of the areas that should be addressed by the BCCI and it can be carried out by proper mentoring.

Most fast bowlers will fancy their chances against Dhoni in Tests, especially overseas, but in ODIs Dhoni has tackled them pretty effectively. Batting outside Asia remains a tricky issue for Dhoni - he averages only 33.13 in chases outside Asia, compared to 63.89 in Asia - but given his current form, he is India's best batting bet in ODIs regardless of the conditions.

Dhoni is although consistent when team team is passing from a bad phase. He scored century against Pak when half of the team was back to pavilion. Last two matches have awaken hopes for team india and jadega also has impressed with his performances. Will team india will be able to keep his winnning tune on and will get the momentum back??

It will be a never-ending discussion if one starts pointing out the loopholes in the grass root level where budding talents are born. Instead, the team management, selectors and the players should collectively think that it's never too late to bring about a change. Be it in terms of individual fitness, attitude towards the game or team-spirit. The game needs a strong Indian team. There is enough talent. The million dollar question is, 'will there be enough effort put in?' We'll find out in days to come.

No one better captain than Dhoni in current team

Mahi, the local boy, When came to creaseamid loud chants. He didn’t have too much to do or too much time, but hit a boundary, in his customary style, to seal the win.

Things could have been different had the selectors not revisited (several times) all arguments – pros and cons – for a change at the top and retained Dhoni despite the Test series defeat against England because they couldn’t agree on a strong and viable alternative.

Fact is, the Indian captaincy has been like a game of snakes and ladders for the past year or so, with dangers and opponents lurking for Dhoni at every twist and turn as rivals emerged, either directly or through support from stalwarts, a couple of them even former selectors.

Indeed, only a few weeks back after resolute and resourceful England had turned the tables on India despite turning tracks and their poor past record here, Dhoni appeared to have been bitten by the deadliest snake on the board, as it were, and almost tumbled out of the game.

Remember, his leadership had been under severe scrutiny this season. After the disastrous tours to England and Australia, redemption was promised on the friendlier home pitches.

But after the 2- 0 drubbing of a New Zealand side in disarray (as it emerged later), Indian cricket’s stock plummeted further when England turned the tables on the home team in the Tests.

By that time the clamour for Dhoni’s head had reached a crescendo and it is unlikely that Sandeep Patil and Co, who had assumed charge as selectors only a while earlier, were not frenetically discussing the matter amongst themselves.

It seemed the tidal wave of negative sentiment would take them along too, but Dhoni survived.

Just about. Perhaps it helped his case that the new selection committee was still to find its bearings and was therefore risk-averse.

But risk could only be justified if the other contenders were doing well. To Dhoni’s good fortune, none was. For instance, front- runner Virender Sehwag, after a dazzling century in the first Test in Ahmedabad, faded away losing batting form as well as becoming hugely suspect in the field.

Gautam Gambhir was consistent, though he lacked big innings to seal his case. More than that perhaps frequent involvement in run-outs, sluggish fielding and a generally gloomy demeanour worked to Gambhir’s detriment.

Sehwag and Gambir were the two strongest claimants to Dhoni’s position at the start of the season, and not without good reason.

They have rich experience and been outstanding contributors: except that when runs mattered, their bats kind of ran dry.

Mohinder Amarnath, who left the selection panel after the tour of Australia and blew a fuse about Dhoni’s captaincy in the middle of the Test series against England, was a strident votary for either Sehwag or Gambhir as replacement.

But his arguments lacked sustenance for when he made his case in Australia, both these batsmen were faring poorly.

When he reiterated them this season, the situation hadn’t become any better.

Krish Srikkanth, former chairman of the selection committee, was another who launched a diatribe against Dhoni but could never adequately explain why he chose him as captain for the Test series against New Zealand. The credibility of his objections was lost in this flip-flop.

In the circumstances, Virat Kohli, who found support from the hard-boiled Sunil Gavaskar, emerged as the most likely successor.

But the team’s best performing batsman over the previous 12 months also hit a trough. The selectors settled for status quo.

This gave Dhoni breathing space. With the focus shifting to limited overs cricket, this also gave him the opportunity to come into his own as a batsman. His form in both T20s and ODIs has been outstanding and a major factor why India are in the hunt for a series win over England, having lost 2-1 to Pakistan.

In the interim, he found support in another former India captain Rahul Dravid who believes he is still the best man for the job – in Tests and ODIs – though he would like the T20 captaincy to be given to somebody else.

I would subscribe to that view because it reduces the workload on Dhoni and would allow him greater bandwidth for the other formats, especially with the BCCI now looking aggressively to build a side for the 2015 World Cup.

Of course, the equation can change if India lose the series badly, say 1-4. All things considered, captains are judged by the winsdefeats equation and an adverse result would revive most of the arguments against Dhoni’s captaincy: as also start a fresh round of the snakes-and-ladders game.

Bangla board should chang its attitude towards Pak tour..??

Bangla Team were all set to tour Pakistan in April 2012 after a deal was made between the bangla board and pakistani cricket board. Disappointingly the tour did not happen as a Dhaka court order embargoed the series. Bangladesh was supposed to play three ODIs and two T20Is. Time moved on and the proposed series looked a possibility again.

Kamal's dream of becoming the ICC vice-president came true and his legacy as BCB chief was to be carried on by Nazmul Hassan, an MP from the ruling party. On November this year Hassan revealed that the BCB had made a written commitment to the PCB on touring the country in the latter part of 2012. Hassan said that compulsary steps would be taken regarding the tour and didn't reveal by whom the letter was sent. Hassan and the BCB were in the second phase of talks with the PCB as the first phase which was about the security issues had been dealt satisfactorily.

Before Bangladesh premiere league, bangalesh was scheduled to pakistan for a solitary ODI and T20. One could feel the amazement amongst passionate Pakistani fans who were yearning for the return of international cricket to Pakistan.

On December last year, while addressing to media, Hassan said that the tour to Pakistan had been ruled out for the moment neither saying 'yes' or 'no'. "The ICC minutes have it that we have made an unconditional commitment to tour Pakistan. But there is concern among us about the country's security situation, it has deteriorated. We don't think it will be wise to visit Pakistan at this time," he said.

But Hassan and his men did have a satisfactory talk regarding the security of Pakistan while they were in conversation in the first phase. Now, if the meeting regarding the security had been satisfactory enough then why this sudden stepping back by the BCB remains a moot question. In fact, Pakistan's security has been too shaky for the last couple of months. I don't think the BCB slept while the Polio Vaccine workers were attacked, Malala was shot or during the serial bomb blasts that had been taking place in many areas of Pakistan. Bearing such incidents in mind was it apt and appropriate by the BCB to wave a green flag regarding the Pakistan tour?

Rather than being non-committal, the BCB must come to a specific decision. If they wish to tour then they should proceed accordingly and if they don't wish to tour then they should say no straight way. This drama isn't doing any good to Bangladesh's image. In fact, this game of yes-or-no is questioning our commitments.

Sadly, the cricket fans of both the countries are the ones suffering. The war of words between fans on both sides on social websites is pathetic. As a matter of fact, Bangladesh and Pakistan cricket fans should never been at daggers drawn. Again, other than their army, the common people of Pakistan are very kind and humble towards Bangladesh and convey their utmost sadness regarding 1971. But the much cherished relationship is getting soured due to the twisted attitude of the BCB.

If the BCB had given a written commitment to Pakistan then it becomes a responsibility for Bangladesh to tour Pakistan. Bangladesh should respond to those fans that are deprived of cricket for the last three and half years. We mustn't forget Pakistan's help in building our cricket when we had no hope. We were provided coaches from them, they had provided us ample support in the ICC regarding our Test status, they had supplied us players for our Dhaka League in the 90s when cricket was still not popular and in last year's BPL it had been their players who were instrumental in making the tournament a mega hit.

Bangladesh must tour Pakistan and should not neglect. Pakistani board was always helpful to bangla baord. But yes, before that Pakistan must ensure a full-proofed security and the BCB must monitor it thoroughly before saying yes. The BCB must stop its twisted attitude regarding the tour and be specific. It will be a victory of cricket as Pakistan recently visited india.

Sehwag must have to score on board for Team India??

Sehwag is the second most senior player in India's present ODI squad but playing like a spoiled brat who refuses to tone himself down, change with time and assume responsibility. He must have to take responsibility to give india a quick start. Sehwag's failure is hurting India as much as his success benefits the team. And despite failing repeatedly, the opener is showing no signs of an attempt to moderate himself, indicating he doesn't acknowledge the sorry state of Indian cricket.

There was a time when legends like Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid in the XI, Sehwag could take that extra liberty to go slam-bang at the top. Not anymore. Not only have those big names disappeared, but also the youngsters are proving to be square pegs in round holes. That, in fact, also tells that the Delhi dasher isn't proving to be an inspiration in the dressing room, and he can't, until he plays like a responsible senior.

With Sehwag's poor form and to some extent numb attitude, India lose on two fronts: a game-changer on the ground and a shepherd off it. Not that he will teach youngsters the correct way to move their feet or the need for a straight elbow. Instead, Sehwag will tell them how to perform under the pressures of international cricket – day in and day out. That's how he himself benefited under Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman. Sadly now, when it's time to repay, Sehwag is proving to be a disappointment.

Being an opener in every format, Sehwag's continuing failures put added pressure on the team. Perhaps India could have coped with that in the early 2000s but asking youngsters, however talented they may be, to repeatedly bat at 20 for 2 is a bit too demanding. One may counter that argument saying that Dravid did that in his early days, but there are great players and there are good players. India's great players have left. The young crop we have now comprises only good players, who need experienced ones like Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir to act like guides if India were to come out of this slide and rebuild in the next couple of years.

Somewhere down the line it seems Sehwag clenches his fists on the topic of captaincy. His desire to lead India is not a secret, but when you let it affect your mindset, you lose the chance to become a great player. Sehwag averaged just over 21 last year, with a solitary fifty. His dismissals in the ongoing series against Pakistan point yet again to a man fading, or perhaps having lost it.

Ajinkya Rahane is ready and a capable opener. He deserves an extended run at the top of the order in ODIs. But if Sehwag stay in the team just on reputation, he will be doing nothing but blocking the path of a deserving youngster.

Now a time India needs Sehwag - badly. Not only can he can give a quick start which will remove pressure from middle order but also he can win matches on his own but he is one player who has an infectious rub when on song. His spark at the top can ignite the whole team, and it's not a myth. We have seen that happen and there's no reason why it can't happen again – provided Sehwag spends some time on crease and then riping the ball out the rope.

Its perfect time to bring DADA as coach??

Every cricket fan is wishing in this new year team india will get the momentum and will start performing on ground. Everything that could go wrong have gone wrong since indian team won the 2011 world cup.

Many blamed the rise of Twenty20s for the fall in performance in Test matches forget that this Indian team, with Mahendra Singh Dhoni at the helm, has failed in both of the formats of game, with ODIs being the only format in which India have enjoyed some success in terms of a win- loss record, but not in terms of trophies.

Duncan Fletcher who became coach of indian team after world cup and failed to proved himself as india continously lost eight test matches. And i feel its perfect time for DADA to be shown the door and to be handed the job of guiding the Indian team through this tough time. 
I guess it is the perfect time to give him the charge as he is just brilliant to bring the team on track.

The ‘ Bengal Tiger’ was the man who was given the charge of bringing Indian cricket out of its darkest phase. It was 1999-2000 when the match- fixing scandal was at the turn of the millennium and he rebuilted the team that went on to appear in two World Cup finals in eight years and also spotted no 1 test ranking. The man himself is non- committal about whether he would want to take charge of the team, but did leave the door open for an appointment. In in recent conversation he said

 "I wouldn’t say that I would not want to coach the Indian team, but currently, I haven’t given it much thought. Also, I don’t believe in thinking too far ahead. Taking things as it comes is how I like to live my life. You never know what lies in store in the future, so why think so much?” 

I just thing Fletcher didn’t have the skills to manage a team that has a star in every player, and that Ganguly would be the ideal man to take over from him. I don’t understand this obsession with getting foreigners to coach our team. How can someone who isn’t an Indian understand how our system works? Look at australia they always choose a national coach in which they won three consecutive world cup. You have got to have someone who knows the inside out not only Indian cricket, but also how the administration works here. Fletcher failed when it came getting the players to understand how he works and also didn’t have the influence needed to give the players a reality check.

Ganguly was someone who always called a spade a spade and need someone like him to take over. The guy needs to be fearless and not be worried about certain people in the board who want to run the show. Who can be better than him? Also, he hasn’t retired a decade ago so he is well versed with the way things work in Indian cricket. I feel he’s the perfect guy for the job. Fletcher is just like our prime minister who never comes to media never makes any statement why india consecutively loosing?? He just keeps silent like our Manmohan singh.

 Communication i guess is very prominent in the today's life and age and I feel that is where Fletcher has fell back. I have hardly seen him with our skipper that he is discussing something with our captain. I don’t find any reason why an Indian can not be considered  by the BCCI. How about getting someone like Ganguly? He can be the man who can get out the team  form trouble with his immensing idead.

 As for Fletcher, it does seem his days are numbered. Some of the current players recently expressed their disappointment at Fletcher’s methods to the Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI). According to a senior BCCI official, while it is highly unlikely that the Zimbabwean will be sacked before his term ends, there is no question of his contract being renewed.

 Well, Fletcher was on the two year contract which will be ended on the coming april. So lets ripe for the Ganguly and bring the DADA back in team.

Will Indian cricket team terminate the dark shadow in 2013???

Undoubtedly indian cricket team is passing from a bad faze. After winning the 2011 world cup, indian cricket team has put all results on stake on the field, it may well have felt like doomsday was near. In the last nine Tests India played, of which six were at home grounds, and still had a ledger that showed only three wins against five losses. Two of those three wins were against New Zealand, ranked eighth in the Test ranking.

In the first half of 2011, team India won one day cricket only against Sri Lanka. Four wins in the World Twenty20 helped give the team a marginally higher than 50 percent win record, but were not enough to make the semifinal of the t20 world cup. The record got worse if the second half of 2011 is included, and Test cricket is in focus. India lost back to back cleen sweep from england and australia for 4-0. India last went through a phase of losing eight (or more) Tests in a row overseas only back in the 1959 to 1968 period.

After that England came to india, and every one thought, india will defeat england here but indian team performance swap away all indian happiness and england won the series from 2-1. India was lost a series in his homegrounds to england after twenty two years. This loss made Dhoni statement perplexing. He commented

"It was a tough series, but there are not many things that will come close to the loss in the 2007 50-over World Cup. This is not close to that.”

The 2007 ODI World Cup is often referred as india's worst show of play. India team lost to bangladesh in league matches and was out of tour. Iseemed to players and fans alike that the end was nigh, but in the overall scheme of things, the 2007 World Cup was prepared otherwise good results for the team. Before world cup tournament India won a Test series in West Indies and won a Test match in South Africa for the first time. After it, India won a Test series in England and against Pakistan at home. In limited-overs results, there was the incredible sequence of 19 successful chases in ODIs on the trot a year before the World Cup and the inaugural World Twenty20 title a few months after it.

The other recent occasions when India did not performed was in the 1999-2000 season, when they were sweeped 3-0 by Australia in Australia and 2-0 by South Africa at home. That, however, was followed by the match-fixing scandal that led to a change of guard and started India off on their excellent run built around a core of all-time great players. And even then, the margins of defeat were not as overwhelming. 

Then it was back in the 2004-05 season, when australia lost india in the home grounds where the greatest team of the past two decades finally realised their collective ambition of a series win in India. That time also the loss was the only one India faced at home for a long while, and while the immediate results after that weren’t great, they weren’t disastrous either.

Let us find how things have gone changed for the Indian team since the start of their England tour in 2011, and the contrast is stark. In the period book-ended by India’s losses to England home and away, the batsmen and bowlers off the mark. Bowlers gave 40 runs per a single wicket. That’s over 17 Tests, including nine at home. 

In that same period – extended to include the T20Is and ODI till the end of the year – India has scored fewer runs per over than their opponents across 32 ODIs and 16 T20Is on an average. In very short we can concede that kind of dip the team hasn’t gone through in a long while.

That said, it is not all doom for Indian cricket. The previous lows weren’t as extended as this one is because the core group remained largely constant and in form. This particular team is in transition, our seniors are retiring and youngsters are getting chances, so it is obvious that results on the field will fluctuate until the team settles. The darkest shadow will teminate and lights will be on as Australian team short on experience due to visit soon. This time is to terminate the dark shadow.

Why india don't get a consistent fast bowler??

India has not found even a single fast consistent bowler after Kapil Dev. Whether Pakistan the neighbour of india has always come up with the mystries of the world?? Both the countries have similar people, resembling culture and almost equal fervor for sport of Cricket, the mystery being, how come Pakistan has and continues to, produce fast bowlers where as India is yet to produce even one quality fast bowler. Javagal Srinath was fast in the initial stages of his career but later on he also became medium pacer, Kapil was a medium paced swing bowler from day one although India has over 1 billion people, about six times more then Pakistan, and equally passionate about their cricket but still not a single fast bowler. 

It is an interesting and intriguing study to compare these two countries and the reasons that have contributed to such anomaly. There are no apparent reasons for that no one would be able to put a finger on any such element that can explain this oddity. Many theories have been mooted by many an expert and respected players, ranging from Geoff Boycott to Dennis Lillee, Imran Khan, Sarfraz Nawaz and Aqib Javed, have all tried to explain this phenomenon in some detail. Some of these theories have some substance and make sense but still do not explain the vast difference in its totality. 

The most successful Indian pacers, by no means fast, has been Kapil Dev with 434 wickets in an 18 year international career and Javagal Srinath has 236 wickets in 11 years of international cricket. That is significantly less then Imran 362 test wickets, Waqar Younis 373, Wasim Akram 414 test wickets, all these were genuinely fast bowlers and match winners. It is not only about wickets either, it’s about speed, serious speed that Pakistan has been able to produce and India has not. Even before Imran there was Sarfaraz with his 177 test wickets, arguably the founder of reverse swing, Asif Masood in 60’s with only 77 wickets and before them all Fazal Mahmood, not express pace but enough to disturb the best batsman with 139 wickets in his illustrious career.

Also in the over all comparison, especially in the last two centuries Indian cupboard looks bare, where as Pakistan, and as such many other countries, had to leave out really good fast bowlers, India failed to produce any genuine fast bowler. Once again reiterating that Kapil was a medium pacer and Javagal Srinath was the only genuine quick, although for a brief period, produced by India. General mark of quick bowling being someone who bowls in high 80’s mile per hour speed category or around 140 kmph range, if not in the 90’s. Let us just have a look at the names that come to mind from the last two decades, even if some of them did not play for much longer due to lack of positions in the team or injury. Zaheer, Irfan and munaf have the ability to fast bowl the have reduced with time.

Many experts beleive In india bowling coaches for action askes bowler to reduce the speed while in Pak the coaches allows the bowler to bowl however the bowler does with any action and speed. In recent only Zaheer was the hope for the fast bowling. He was performing stunning from last 2-3 years. He took 21 wickets in the 2011 world cup but his inconsistent form has put indian fast bowling on stake.

From Pakistan point of view if you exclude the obvious five fast one i.e. Imran, Wasim, Waqar, Shoib and Sami, you are still left with genuine fast bowlers like Azeem Hafiz, Tahir Naqqash, Fazle Akbar, Mohammad Akram, Mohammad Zahid, Shahid Nazir, and to an extent Aqib Javed (he was quicker then any of the Indian bowlers but was classified as medium due to relative comparison with two W’s) Mohsin Kamal the list goes on (we have not included Medium pacers like Siknadar Bakht, Wasim Haider, Rashid Khan, Jalaluddin, Azhar Mahmood, Abdulrazzaq etc.)

Well, what are the reasons for such difference, although India also has had MRF pace academy for the last 20-years or so with the sole remit of producing fast bowlers where the legendary Lillee works with youngsters, but, so far the academy has produced nothing of substance.

There are four theories that prevail in the Pakistani cricket circles that outline the reasons for Pakistan producing fast men consistently rather then India. Rahul Bhattachariya outlines these in his book, Pundits from Pakistan, in his interview with Aqib Javed, the theories have been put forward by many people in Pakistan cricket at different times, including Imran Khan, but Aqib has put them together in his role as academy coach and under 19’s team coach in the last four years. 

To be a fast bowler you need to have, it goes without saying, speed, but in order to generate speed you generally need to have a physique suitable for bowling fast, aggression i.e. the mental make up of a bowler, willingness to bowl fast, once again mental side of things and stamina and desire, and culture and a system of grooming fast bowling. So we understand that most of these four factors, if not all of them, make up a fast bowlers along with the natural ability or talent, which is a given for any sport. A closer inspection of these factors one by one reveals the reasons for them being in an individual or not and its impact on the ability to bowl fast consistently. 

Where the traditional Indian cricketing heroes have been batsmen like Punkaj, Vinoo Mankad, Nawab Patuadi, Nari Contractor, Ajit Wadekar, Gundappa Vishwanath, Sunil Gavaskar, Mohinder Amarnath and the list goes on. Is it any surprise that India has produced Sachin, Rahul, Yuraj, Dhoni and Sehwag and they should be able to find an express bowler soon.

But still, all of the new brigade is medium pace, Zaheer was quick when he came on, so was Nehra and every one expected Irfan to get quicker but all of them have become medium pacer with the passage of two to three years in international cricket. But none of them were as quick as the new bowlers bursting onto Pakistani cricket scene, Rana, Asif and Razzq all consistently bowl faster then their Indian counter parts but all are categorized as medium pacers, at least three current fast bowlers in Pakistani first class cricket are bowling over 90 mph regularly and still have not been able to get into the national side, Najaf Shah, Yasir Arafat and Mohammed Irshad. 

In my opinion it is the two later factors that are major reason for the disparity in fast bowling resources in India and Pakistan. Although having a good build certainly helps and once you have the skill, attitude either comes with it or becomes irrelevant, Steve Harmison is a genial chap, but O boy can he bowl fast. Tino best of West Indies is very aggressive but can he bowl in international matches? And the next big problem in India’s lack of fast bowlers is the development of fast bowlers or their education about fast bowling, Nehra, Agarkar, Balaji and Zaheer were all much quicker when they came into the Indian side then now and Irfan looked like a genuine heir to Wasim Akram’s throne, but have all either gone down or stopped growing, in terms of speed of bowling, in the last couple of years.

And Pakistanis need not worry, the grass is still green in the land, PCB and Pepsi recently conducted fast bowling clinic in a bid to unearth the fastest young bowler in land. From eight zones they picked the two fastest bowlers, below the age of 20, 16 bowlers assembled and then were reduced to 8 once again on the basis of sheer pace, all eight bowled well over 90 mph. And Wasim Akram and Imran Khan, who both knew a thing or two about fast bowling, say that the peak of a fast bowler is from the age of 24 till 29 when the body has filled up and bones strengthened, meaning this is the time when fast bowlers are at their quickest and more recently Anwar Ali and Jamshed Ahmad shone in the under 19 world cup final, incidentally against India, by successfully defending 109 runs.

India has always been a great batting sides. There all hero are the batsman, even country has produced many legendry batsman. But as a passage of time india is losing in bowling department leaving fast bowling beside india does not have a quality spinner now. Harbhajan is out of form and ashin in no more way to be a very good spinner. Whether Pakistan is improving his batting sides. Its a perfect time for Selector to give some attention to bowling department and find some good bowlers.

First t20 world cup champs no more in sight now??

Young indian team lead by Mahendra Singh Dhoni on 2007 stunned everyone by winning the inugural world t20 world cup. Indian team played that tournament without the legends Sachin, Saurav and Dravid. But what happend to indian team in the shortest format after the first t20 world cup that they keep loosing after that.

It will be astonishing to know in T20 cricket, a format in which India ruled the world, they have been suffering more reversals than victories. After stunning everyone by winning the inaugural World T20 in South Africa under a new captain, MS Dhoni, and a fresh team, India have struggled under the same man to replicate that success.

Interestingly they have not qualified beyond the Super Eights in last three successive WorldT20 tournaments after the first winning one. Till now they had not won even a single T20 bilateral series comprising more than one game. And all this despite possessing the most highprofile, cash-rich T20 league in the world, the IPL.

Tuesday's defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Pakistan, though a close one, showed yet again that the millionaires of IPL are paupers in T20 Internationals. So, what ails our Men in Blue in instant cricket? This is not a format which requires us to discover express pace bowlers or batsmen who can score in any condition - something that is a must to excel in Test cricket.

Everyone talks about there is no deficiency of talent in india. In the shortest format india have IPL league as talent recognisation. If there is so much talent, why do we lose so often? i guess the problem is to find right combination for the format. We does give chances to young fresh talents. we are the team who just repeat or gives more or more chances either they perform or not.

Murali Vijay played 13 matches without a fifty only because he is from south or somehow he performed good in IPL. Selectors have to understand that IPL is played in india where ball does not bounce uper than knees unless it is a beemer. Whether in foreign coutries balls keeps high and batsman face difficulties.

BCCI should also make bouncy pitches in india. So that our new young fresh talent can face the bouncy balls. If you will look at the worldcups in t20 in which india did not qualified in supereight. The maximum no of batsman was feared by the bouncers or they were unable to play.

India need to repeat the model that succeeded in SA in September '07. Our Team won then because the boys were pretty young and energetic. In the next few editions of the T20 World Cups, our players were older, and their reflexes, slower. 

A big advantage of that 'young' team was the fielding it displayed. Perhaps it was the best Indian fielding side ever. Who can forget Dinesh Karthik's diving catch in the slips to pouch Graeme Smith? That team affected as many as seven run outs (five of them were direct hits) as the young turks threw themselves around. Surely, fielding deserves more points in T20 cricket. Slow movers are a strict no-no and India still 'carry' a few of them in the T20 side, purely because they happen to be star cricketers in other formats.

A case in point being Virender Sehwag's selection ahead of Ajinkya Rahane for the WorldT20 in Sri Lanka. It is important to have speed and strength in T20. That applies to both the bowler and the batsman. We need to pick players based on their skill sets.

Confusion over what combination suits us in T20 cricket hasn't helped. Though Dhoni has been the skipper of the team for more than five years now, there has been too much chopping and changing. In the last 10 games, India have changed their playing XI eight times. Delhi seamer Parwinder Awana was played in two games, got hammered, and was left out.

Team management should give chances to young and fresh talent in the shortest formet of the game and should bring and talented faces also on regular interval. BCCI should module on bouncing pitches. If we have to win a series our team management will also have to work on team combination. The other teams have improved since 2007. There is a lot of T20 cricket played in other countries now and their players play in the IPL too.

Who can replace sachin in ODI??

So one day, that too on a Sunday, Sachin Tendulkar decides to retire, giving up on the only lucrative blue collar career in the world and opting to stick to cricket’s white collar day job. Sadly, his fans will not get to see him again on the field in coloured clothing, and those who watched him bat against Pakistan in Mirpur, will be thanking their stars for making it to the day/night match. From now on, India’s favourite batsman will not be seen at a World Cup, and there won’t be a number on his back. 

Sachin Tendulkar 'The great indian cricket legend' has now hung up his pads from ODI. He has been serving for country from last twenty three years. Words are not enough for him some cricket fans beleive him as "Father of Cricket" while other calls him the record book who has the records for maximum runs, maximum runs, maximum number of mathches all of his name. But now we have to move on..We have to find another one who can fit the great Tendulkar's boot.

The real test for India now is finding another cornerstone who can guide India. This i believe can be Virat Kohli. Virat Kohli is a confident young man with an amazing array of shots to dazzle fans with. He seems to have a steady head and at the moment the only pillar holding the Indian shaky middle order together and the lone bright spot India had after this T20 world cup. He seems to have the temperment and class to be a star for India. He has proven he has the skill and attitude to get to the top. He has already played a big hand in many Indian victories over the last 2 years. Virat has been consistent and even when India was struggling on there tours he was one of the few bright spots that were present for that team. Virat has the skill to take over being the pillar of India and i believe India is hoping he does too.

Can he become the cornerstone of Indias New batting lineup?  Tendulkar now has hung his pads up, but India will need to find a suitable candidate to play the role he played for them. Sachin used to help India get off to a great start but most importantly was always there to anchor the innings, case and point the most centuries by any man who has ever played cricket. He guided India to setting and chasing many High totals and was a pillar for India even when other batsmen crumbled around him. It was a joy to watch him during his best.

I remember how Sachin used to play when he was younger and Virat Kohli reminds me of him. Virat made his debut in One Day International ODI cricket in 2008 when both Sachin and Sehwag were injured. Also, following that, he was able to be a part of the team at times when Yuvraj Singh was injured or when Sachin Tendulkar was rested. But, in all the chances he got, he has performed really well and in 2010, he became the fastest Indian to score 1000 runs in ODI cricket. In 2o10, he also became India’s leading run-scorer with 995 runs including 3 centuries from 25 matches at an average of 47.38. (Wikipedia). He is still young and has a long way to go. In 2011, he was the highest run scorer in ODI, he was also choosen as Cricketrt of the year award. Hope he continues to peform great and brings a lot of glory to our nation. If he continues to play the way he is doing right now, am confident, he has the potential to become the ”next Sachin”. Interestingly, Kohli considers Sachin his idol and hates to be compared to him. I feel if does well, it will be a great tribute to his idol as well.

To be frank guys, when Kohli “twists” the bat with his wrists and arm power, its worth watching. He makes quick decisions about the stroke he is going to play after a quick analysis of the field arrangement and the bowler’s strategy and all this means a lot to the audiences and his fans and he truly deserves to be at this “average”. This is just a beginning for him and there are “lot more twists to come”.

The under ninteen captain, Unmukt Chand can also replace him. He has lead the team for under 19 world cup and won the world cup to the india. Meanwhile, Unmukt Chand can wait in the gallery or dressing room and wait for his chance to play for the national team.

To fill the sachin's place is never going to be easy. but the youngers like Virat and Unmukt kept the hopes alive with their performances. They have a long way to go. By now we can only see the talent they have and wish them to carry india on his shoulder like the legend Sachin.