Mr Fix It, and Roebuck's Rebuke

"Just fix it then," Ponting was understood to have said when emotions flared, says a report.

What else can a hapless skipper do. Too much of monetary loss for Cricket Australia staring at their face. And with a face saving alibi in Hindi abuse M…K, it would have been prudent to entertain a verdict, which could save the tour.

A win for Harbhajan and Tendulkar, but India must not celebrate. They did overplay their card, and invited worldwide criticism for being big brother. May be they did not charter a private plane in case Bhajji was banned, but the rumours were allowed to circulate for far too long to ensure an impact on the eventual verdict.

It is high time for the Indians to pay heed to the words of Roebuck, who has slammed them for crude, naked aggression, just as he did when Ponting was slammed for converting the Australian team into a ‘’pack of Wild Dogs’’. Then, we read that with glee. Now we should do it as sober people, as we reflect back on how the things shaped up.

Aggression must be used prudently because power has a tendency of getting into the head. A very strong tendency. If I still remember correctly, two days back Jadeja on NDTV DID NOT entertain the thought of cutting on the tour now. And why not? What India may have gained after Sydney with their aggression, they may have lost with that streak of stubbornness after Adelaide.

It is not to say that Bhajji was guilty. He may have genuinely uttered a Hindi abuse, which could have been heard as Monkey by Symonds. After all, our ear are always attuned to receiving what we strongly believe in. But then was it disclosed to Procter? Or was it just an afterthought to ensure that the credibility of both the sides does not suffer?

Then, the incident happened on Day three of Sydney. Two days should have been sufficient for host broadcasters to hand over the stump mike proceedings to Procter. Probably, hearing on Harbhajan could have been delayed for few more days.

It is funny that Bhajji’s past record of ‘disciplinary infractions’ was not given to Hansen. Did Hansen ask for such record before the proceedings took place. Any judge is expected to do that.

And if he did, but ICC failed, then it reflect very badly on their competence.

And if ICC lied on Harbhajan’s past record, the whole thing becomes even more murkier and serious.

Just to add in Jest, if Monkey was M..K, then was Big, actually Pig! And Again heard incorrectly! Indians can have fun talking endlessly about it, but the Aussie surely won’t enjoy.

Losers in Race Abuse Fiasco

ICC: Made lots of noises, but failed to back them with words. Their match referee for Sydney was too incompetent, or biased depending on how strong one feels about the whole affair.

Broadcasters: For their failure to give Stump mike proceedings in time for action. They had full two days to do that before the first hearing

BCCI: Threat the first time was legitimate, the second time it looked overplayed. That is why so much criticism now. They could have been little more subtle about withdrawal.

Harbhajan: If he did not tell Mike Proctor that he had indeed abused Symonds, and not racially abused him. And abusing someone's near and dear ones on the field is equally nauseating!

The only winner was media. One can bet that TRPs must have touched the stratosphere between Sydney and Perth!

From Gallows to Glory

For a person with just casual acquaintance with cricket, the recent test series against Australia can broadly be divided into four phases

Australian dominance
In the first test at Melbourne, the Australians were all over us and the way they had fielded and bowled, it looked the end of the world for India.

Though former Australian skipper Ian chappell praised the Indians for not allowing the Australians run up to really huge totals in excess of 500, India batsmen let down their bowlers by failing to cross even 200 in any of its innings . The massive 337 run defeat thanks to inept batting in both the innings was something India could have done without. The challengers looked just another of those hopeless pretenders to the Australian crown.

Indian fight back strangulated by Umpires
Bucknor justifiably got the axe after Sydney but the damage had been done with Australia 2-0 up. India could at best draw the series now.

Contrast this with day one when Australia were reeling at 134 for six. It was a glorious opportunity indeed, but Bucknor saw no edge, heard no edge. And when Indians batted in their second innings, again he saw what he wanted to see. Not to mention that he had an ably ally in Benson.

After Sydney collapse, everything looked doomed. Glenn McGrath even predicted a 0-4 whitewash, and for once no one really disagreed with the Australian great. The Indians looked too demoralized despite winning the battle for removal of Bucknor, and a suspended sentence on Harbhajan. They were, after all, headed for Perth, where no visiting team had won in last ten years. To fans, Indian team heading back home after racism controversy was not such a bad idea after all.

Inspired selections help India claw back
The entry of Sehwag, Irfan, and Kumble winning the toss turned the form book upside down at Perth. Sehwag ensured a solid start, Irfan delivered with both bat and ball, and Indian fielding looked like coming to terms with the vastness of the Australian fields. Hunters, for once, looked hunted as unthinkable happened at Perth. For a moment, it looked even better than Kolkatta 2001, even though both are incomparable, landmark wins.

Honours even
India may have lost 1-2 after drawing at Adelaide, but the honours can only be said to be even at the end of such a grueling campaign. They made Australia crawl and suffer on the first three days, so much so that their scoring rate became a matter of fun for Sehwag. And then he rubbed it in with an excellent, match saving knock of 150 plus.

Considering the arena, the circumstances, and some shoddy umpiring, the Indians can celebrate tonight as if they have won a series. After all, it could also have been 0-4!

BE POSTIVE

Yesterday evening, when Sehwag was asked about the only two possibilities remaining in the test, of Australia’s win and a draw, he refused to entertain the argument that India were out of the match as far as winning was concerned.

Today, just 24 overs bowled by Australia in a session controlled by Sehwag, and run-a-ball innings (from 31 overnight to 100) showed what he meant. There was a time when over 30 runs in the morning session, scored by batsmen, had all come of Sehwag’s blade. That happened when Dravid got injured, and went out, and Tendulkar looked intent on defending for some time, and justifiably so.

The century was simply tremendous, and came in circumstance most mentally testing.

It may have finished the match in the 1st session itself. With India leading by over hundred runs, only a collapse bigger than Sydney can ensure their defeat now.

For the first time in his career, Sehwag reached a three-figure mark in the second innings. That should help him and his fans believe that he is not a Lion in the 1st innings, and Lamb in the second.

If only he had played at Sydney! After Mauling at Melbourne, there were calls from Steve Waugh and Ian Chappell to include him in the test team for Sydney.
http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2008/01/sehwag-left-out-of-india-team.html

But coming from the Australians, many believed it was a part of their mental disintegration strategy.

In the hindsight, not playing him in the 1st two tests was an opportunity lost. An opportunity to at least draw the series.

Still, today's knock should stand him in good stead for the challenges ahead. For now, it may have stolen away Gilchrist's farewell present!

Pressure is a Privilege

That is what Billie Jean King had written to Maria Sharapova in a text message before the Australian Open final. May be, that helped Sharapova squeeze her large frame out of a tight corner, when she was trailing 4-5 0-30 in the first set.

And that is what India will need to remember when they get up tomorrow morning and gear up for the battle to save the test. A result not foreseen by many commentators. Dean Jones too, till yesterday, was only discussing the possibility of a draw or India’s win.

It may be a bit premature to discuss that possibility of survival right now at lunch time, but the possibility is real indeed considering the inability of the umpires to muster up the courage to give even the most glaring of leg before decisions. Nearing the business end of one of the most competitive of series, the umpires too seem to be playing safe, and why not! One can only say that they have decided to award LBWs only in the rarest of rare cases.

Australia, if they end up today day with a lead of around 125 to 150, may even declare overnight to put the top order of India under pressure.

Scares of Sydney revisited? Well, they will if India try only to defend. They will have to fight with uncluttered mind as they go about the business of saving the test and hope that the umpires maintain the consistency, with which they have refused to give leg before decisions. Sehwag took a potshot at Australian slow scoring rate on Saturday saying ‘’they are scared.’’ Now, India will have to show Australia how to score on day five as a purely defensive approach could be suicidal.

The most disappointing factor has been, as Gavaskar said, the very very disappointing bowling. Strange things have happened in this test. India crossed 500 with six regular batsmen, and may have failed to put brakes on Australia reaching over 550-600 for the first time in the series. Though things could have been little different had RP not been ruled out little too early.

Meanwhile, Sania Mirza will be looking to create history in an hour or two from now. For once, tennis will upstage cricket with India’s chances looking much brighter in Melbourne, than at Adelaide!

With so many left handers in the Australian side...

…..and rough marks outside their off stump leading to unpredictable bounce, it makes sense to give Sachin Tendulkar much more bowling post lunch. He is definitely a big leg spinner, and a spinning delivery with disconcerting bounce from those marks can, at times, be more lethal than Harbhajan’s outgoing deliveries which a left hander can easily leave. Wasim Akram just now said that Harbhajan should go over the wicket to make batsmen play more. Meanwhile do read the post just below on what India should do on day three, posted yesterday. http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2008/01/one-wishes-to-see-happy-india-not.html

One wishes to see a happy India, not unhappy one on Day three

-- Do not worry, be happy, even if Australian top order clicks. Unless Australia make in excess of 600 runs, they can’t hope to win this test. Realistically speaking, the only winner right now look to be India. So the worst case scenario, as of now, is a 1-2 result. Even that should be quite acceptable to the Indian public considering the way the visitors have fought back in this most exciting of series with blood thirsty warriors. Meanwhile, India did achieve some of its objectives today.
http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2008/01/what-indian-fanwriter-wishes-to-see-by.html

-- We are playing this match with eight bowlers (Ganguly, Sehwag and Tendulkar included), just like we played the match with eight batsmen (Kumble and Harbhajan included!). So, India must strive to make all their resources count. At times, as we saw at Perth, a big or potentially lethal partnership gets broken by the most underrated of bowlers. India would not have been able to win Kolkatta without Sachin’s three crucial strikes in 2001.

-- Whatever be the situation, put Harbhajan and Ishant from two ends when Ponting is on crease. The best time to get him is early on. One casting a web around him, and the other making him jump with his steep bouncy stuff, should be a sight to behold.

-- Harbhajan says agar pata hota ki aage kya hone wala hai to out na hota, 100 bana leta (Had I known what is going to happen next, I would have not missed out on a hundred). Well, quite a philosophical statement. One must take a leaf out of Bhajji’s book, and enjoy the glorious uncertainties of this series. The wicket is good and an acceptance that Australians can also come up with a big score, will help India plan their winning strategy better.

What an Indian fan/writer wishes to see by the end of Day Two

India sitting pretty on a 400+ score. If India can manage that, it will surely have quite a few Australians anxious, and thinking. Shall we then call it Perth scare revisited?

A double century for Tendulkar will be a fitting tribute to his exploits on the Australian soil for last one and a half decade. He is still a long way away. But even if the great man does not achieve that, just by reaching closer he will have done the Indian cause a great deal of good.

The Indian tail to wag a little, just as they had done in the crucial second innings at Perth, and the 1st innings of Sydney. Nothing bothers a batting side more than a stubborn tail wagging.

Five bowlers to work their magic like five Pandavas. The whole press in India has gone berserk advocating for more ammunition to make it 2-2. Now their job is to get cracking when they get their chance sometime tomorrow.

Nothing will give India more satisfaction than the Australians looking at their watches and praying for the day to end. They are undoubtedly a champion side, but right now the momentum is well and truly with the Indians.

India were bold, but not bold enough

Still they managed to have a good first session courtesy Sehwag, which augurs well as of now.

While opting for a five bowler attack in this do-or-die battle was a bold move, a makeshift opener in Irfan meant they were not bold enough to sacrifice a batsman for an opener in Karthik.

http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2008/01/possible-combinations-if-india-play.html

Irfan may have done exceptionally well as nightwatchman at Perth, and in ODIs at number three under Greg, still opening the batting is not his cup of tea. And it was found out very soon. To succeed in Australia, you need reasonably good opening partnerships. Still, 34 runs for the first wicket, mainly courtesy Sehwag, did give India some kind of a launch pad.

However, the bold approach to go with five bowlers means India can feel they have a chance even if they manage a score around 300 on a ground where a team batting first normally scores above 400.

Five bowlers, all of them genuinely proving to be strike-bowlers, do provide more variety and depth to arrest the Aussie momentum at any stage. Just imagine Harbhajan and Ishant bowling in tandem to Ponting. Your bunny, or mine!

One also feels good about Sehwag. Despite Dravid’s failure to get going on one of his favourite grounds, Sehwag's blitz ensured a respectable lunch time score. And his inclusion proved that ‘’it is better late, than never’’. Below are two stories advocating Sehwag’s inclusion before Sydney encounter.

http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2008/01/sehwag-left-out-of-india-team.html

http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2008/01/sehwag-dravid-combo-finds-one-more.html

Possible combinations if India play five bowlers

Below is the link posted on January 6 when this blog had suggested Sehwag, Pathan and Karthik in the team, while hoping that five bowlers would play at Perth.

http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2008/01/team-for-perth-shoudl-have-sehwag.html

Since India opted for a four-bowler attack and decided not to replace Jaffer, Harbhajan and Yuvraj paved the way for Sehwag and Irfan.

Now there are two possible combinations before Adelaide, and again, five bowlers including Harbhajan are recommended. India must be prepared to compromise a little on batting to ensure that Australia are unable to bat themselves out of trouble.

However, if India play with five bowlers and retain Dhoni, one fears that either Dhoni or Dravid will have to open again

V Sehwag (Opener)
Dhoni/Dravid (Opener)
V Laxman
S Tendulkar
S Ganguly
Dhoni/Dravid
Irfan Pathan
Harbhajan Singh
Kumble
RP Singh
Ishant Sharma

But if India want conventional openers and opt for five bowlers, the combination should have

V Sehwag (Opener)
Dinesh Karthik or Jaffer (Opener)
V Laxman
S Tendulkar
S Ganguly
R Dravid
Irfan Pathan
Harbhajan Singh
Anil Kumble
RP Singh
Ishant Sharma

Now it will be difficult to omit Dhoni after such a splendid show with the bat at Perth, but India might need two spinners at Adelaide. Even at Perth, one can imagine the scary scenario without Sehwag getting his spinning deliveries to work, and getting the scalps of Gilchrist and Lee.

However, if India play with just four bowlers, the choice left will only be whether to retain Jaffer or bring in Dinesh Karthik.

Despite repeated failures, the only thing that could save Jaffer now is that having played six innings on this tour, he may be having a fair idea of what to expect at Adelaide. Probably, that will help him succeed.

The timing could not have been worse!

Today the Indian selectors dropped Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly from the ODI squad.

http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2008/jan/20team.htm

The timing of team selection could not have been more inopportune. Could not the 'wise men' have waited for the Adelaide encounter to be over.

What is the point in demoralising two of the most important team members before such a critical test.

No wonder, Mohinder Amarnath had once used such strong words against them.

Everything done today is beyond logic. It might well affect India's chances in Adelaide.

I STILL DO NOT HAVE WORDS TO DESCRIBE THE WIN...

...SO I WON'T EVEN MAKE AN ATTEMPT.
THE ONLY REQUEST TODAY IS TO READ THE LINK BELOW IN RED.
http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2008/01/prey-turns-predator.html

After Bucknor, Benson's experience...

...The two umpires have a huge task of ensuring that the credibility of the game does not take a beating.

Prey Turns Predator

Sania Mirza’s match will be the first one at Rod Laver Arena at 7.30 PM Melbourne Time (5.30 PM Perth time and 2 PM Indian Standard Time). The trend at Perth should be clear by that time!

As of now, the chance is that the 31st seed has more chance of winning against Venus Williams, than Australia has of preventing India from reducing their lead to 1-2 in the series!

Probably, even the die-hard cricket fans in India might get so much bored of the Indian domination, that they will keep surfing the channels to watch Sania in action.

It is ironical indeed that the Indian team, expected to be mauled by the rampaging Australians before the series began, is actually having the better of exchanges.

I can still recall the words of Pat Symcox on NDTV before the series began, when he had said that it was important for India to take the game into the fifth day to win. Experts on various others channels were also of the same view that India must stay in the test for long, to win it.

It is ironical that now, with 348 runs still needed, Australia might need to take the game into the fifth day to win! Though, realistically, a win for either team should come today. Considering that the Australians score at 3.5 to four runs per over irrespective of the situation, and after the 1st day dominated by batsmen, as many as 26 wickets have tumbled in next two days.

As Sunil Gavaskar had said, India must guard against complacency. The batsmen who have not scored runs, now must score them on the field. That is the point number one for India to succeed.

The second is that they must always pitch the ball up. They will get hit, but their swinging deliveries will bother the Australians more than the short-pitched stuff. Though the one that got Gilchrist in the 1st innings was a beauty, and a great surprise tactics by RP after he was hit for three consecutive fours!

It also won’t be a bad idea to try part-time bowlers in between, to unsettle the set batsmen. Michael Clarke was the second most economical Australian yesterday, while Andrew Symonds chipped in with two at critical junctures. Australia could well have been chasing 450 plus, with a tiring frontline attack, had these two not been bowling.

Even if a partnership is worth over 100 runs, India must not get ultra-defensive. One wicket on this track yields at least one to two more. Australia will need at least two very good partnerships of over 100 to win this game. And it is the fourth innings!

Even after all this, if the Australians win, Indians must join in the celebrations as that will be a tribute to their never-say-die spirit, and never ending search for excellence.

As Australia begin their reply...

They better start with the knowledge that only two sessions out of the eight (Till tea on Day three) have produced an average of 40+ per wicket. And that happened on the first two days, when the pitch is usually at its very best.

The first session of the match had India making 74 for two – an average of 37 per wicket.

The second session was the best of the match so far, the only wicketless session, when Dravid and Tendulkar added over 100 runs.

The third session saw the addition of another 120 runs to India’s kitty, but the visitors also lost four top batsmen. The average per wicket for this session turned out to be 30.

The fourth session, the morning session of day two, spelt mayhem for both the teams. India lost four tailenders while Australia lost three top order batsmen for the addition of just 55 runs. So the average was a measly 7.9 per wicket.

The fifth session saw Australia losing just two wickets, while adding 126 more runs. So the average was a healthy 63, but driven by a dropped catch of Symonds.

The final session of the day two saw Australia folding up for 212 and India making 52 for one. So 116 runs were added for six wickets, an average of 19.3.

Seventh Session, the morning session of day three: India added 106 runs, but lost four wickets. An average of 26.5

The eighth session saw India going little slow. 87 runs for three wickets came at the average of 29.

So Australia have a very tough job. Made tougher by the fact that Indians seem to have learnt how to bowl at them.

Sehwag's terrible miss on day of Irfan's hits

(in Jest!)

No. We are not talking about Sehwag’s inability today to take advantage of the life given by Hussey.

Instead, here we are talking about Sehwag’s failure to respond to Brett Lee, when, after hitting Irfan on shoulder, the Aussie paceman was trying to enter into a chat with him once again about the pace of Perth.

The swashbuckling opener, who never lets go an opportunity to hit a loose ball, should have responded to this loose talk by requesting Lee to be friend with him as well. It would have been ideal had he said, “You seem to be very friendly with our bowlers. Why aren't you trying to be friends with me now? I'm a bowler, as well (Even though part-time).'

Remember Symonds words to Harbhajan, after he had touched Lee.

"You seem to be very friendly with our bowlers. Aren't you trying to be friends with me now? I'm a bowler, as well’’, that is how Tendulkar had recalled the conversation, while adding that it was just one of those things.

Do not get despondent, we still lead by a whopping 276 runs!!!

India lead the series by eight to seven

If we take the first two days of each test, and dissect it session by session, that should be the result in favour of India.

Day one at Melbourne

The first session belonged to Australia. 111 for none was something everybody expected of the pair of Phil Jaques and Matthew Hayden, and they did exactly that. Tearing apart the Indian bowling attack with ease.

India hit back in the second session, bagging three wickets for 102 runs. However, the honours were shared in that session as despite Indian inroads, the Australians were still at 213 for three.

The third session undoubtedly belonged to India. They snared six more wickets for 124 runs. Australia were poised to get just about 350, at least 150 less than they would have expected to be their 1st innings score.

Day two at Melbourne

After reducing Australia to 343, the Indian reply was too feeble and too slow. The honours in this session clearly belonged to Australia. Thirty-one for two was not exactly the kind of start India will looking at. All thanks to Dravid’s inability, as opener, to find runs.

The Second session again belonged to Australia. A highly inadequate 122 for five at lunch meant India were well and truly on the back foot.

The third session had, predictably, India getting bowled out for 196, giving Australia a massive 1st innings lead of 147.

So after the first two days of Melbourne test, India had won just one session compared to four by Australia, and it found reflection in a thumping Australian win.

Day one at Sydney

The First session had Australia leaving for lunch at 95 for two, with both the openers dismissed cheaply. The honours were even as it was Australia who had opted to bat first. They could have been India’s had Ponting been given out by Benson.

However, there was a big role reversal in the second session. India were all over Australia, at one stage reducing them to 134 for six. A score of 214 for six at tea was some kind of recovery thanks again to men in white coats, but the honours undoubtedly belonged to India.

However, by losing just one wicket between tea and close, and ending the day at 376 for seven, Australia had wriggled out of the hole, snatching back the initiative.

Day Two at Sydney

The first session on the day two again belonged to Australia as they piled up massive 463 runs.

Even as it looked all over, thanks to a brilliant 73 by Laxman between lunch and Tea, India were back in the game at 101 for one. A score of 216 for three at close meant, India, despite losing the wickets of Dravid and Laxman, looked set for a reasonable score to challenge Australia.

So, the Indian performance was much better on the 1st two days at Sydney, as they won three sessions compared to two by Australia. It could have found reflection in the eventual result as well, but for umpiring errors.

Day one at Perth

The 1st session on Day one belonged to India as, on a pitch as scary as Perth (at least before the match started), they had piled up a good 74 runs by lunch, while losing only two wickets.

The second session saw Tendulkar and Dravid consolidating the gains. Not a single wicket was lost while 103 more runs were added. That was some kind of rarity for a visiting team at Perth.

The final session had Australia pegging India back with four wickets, including the crucial ones of Dravid and Laxman towards the end. The Final session honours should be considered as gone to Australia.

Day two at Perth

It was India’s best day on the tour, when they translated promise into performance. The 1st and the 3rd sessions belonged to India on a day, which saw them bowling out Australia for just 212.

However, the second session, with that tremendous fight back by Gilchrist and Symonds, can be considered shared as India did threaten greatly by picking up Ponting and Clarke very early in the session.

So the first two days of Perth had Australia dominating just one session compared to four by India. The exact reversal of what happened at Melbourne.

In nutshell, if we take the 18 sessions held so far on the first two days, India, as we assess, are leading by 8 to 7. However, they did manage to squander some of the advantage on the remaining days. So how they perform today will be crucial. The groundwork has been done. Its time to make it count.

Other links for Day Two
India have Australia by the scruff of the neck
The best ever quote on Kumble
A sullen, forlorn Bhajji, whose bunny was stolen a...
How were you dismissed Dad!
As they go into day two, Points India must not los...

India have Australia by the scruff of the neck

And they can thank the inspired selection of Sehwag and Irfan for it.

But for the initial thrust provided by Sehwag in both the innings, and two critical breakthroughs given by Irfan in first few overs, probably Australia would have been holding the initiative at Perth.

In fact, that was anticipated at the time of writing this post during the warm up match at Canberra.

http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2008/01/if-india-have-to-get-in-sehwag-this-is.html

Irfan and Sehwag were also the integral part of the team suggested in this blog even before Canberra match, though the ideal thing would have been to have five bowlers and six batsmen.

http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2008/01/time-to-talk-cricket-and-opening.html

Still, it is India who have Australia by the scruff of the neck. You do not get too many opportunities of Taming the Kangaroos. So India must get them fast, by totaling in excess of 400. That should be an impossible fourth innings target on this pitch.

Links to Day two posts of Perth (Four)

-- A sullen, forlorn Bhajji, whose bunny was stolen a...
-- How were you dismissed Dad!
-- As they go into day two, Points India must not los...
-- The best ever quote on Kumble

The best ever quote on Kumble

If there has to be a best ever quote on Kumble, it has to be from Maninder Singh. This is what he had to say on the Irani Trophy game, following which Kumble got a place in the Indian side instead of him. At that time, Kumble had achieved 500 wickets.

Thanks God he got 13 wickets because we got such a great cricketer. When I sit and think of it now, I feel happy that I wasn’t picked and he was. I would thank selectors for it because they did a great job. They had a great eye and we got somebody for the future. I mean more than 500 wickets in Tests! I would not have reached anywhere near it. So well done selectors for picking him after that game.

A sullen, forlorn Bhajji, whose bunny was stolen away!

In the morning session, when India were fighting a grim battle for substantial score, Sachin was seen trying to infuse some humour into off the field proceedings. He had Harbhajan for company. However, Bhajji looked sullen, and in reflective mode. And why not.

If he does get banned by the ICC for few tests, this omission will not count! Was that bothering him? Could well be.

Or was the heartbreak of being omitted from the Indian squad on a pitch, where bounce would have suited him, dominating his thought process. After all, Steve Waugh too felt the same way, as he wrote. ‘’Spinners can profit here, but ones who rely on bounce, such as Harbhajan Singh, are normally a better bet than your skidding types such as Brad Hogg. India's selectors obviously disagree because they axed Harbhajan, whom I felt may have bowled well.’’

Or was it the fact that his bunny (on ground)-turned nemesis-(following complaints to the ICC), was in danger of being let off the hook in the absence of his terminator.

Fortunately for India, Ponting was found wanting today even when turbunator was not there. But no amount of celebrations from Ishant Sharma can match the matchless acrobatics of Bhajji at Sydney, when he had claimed Ponting for the eighth time.

At least one of the Cameras today should have been targeted towards the pavilion, showing how Bhajji reacted once Ponting was dismissed. Probably, he would have cast aside all his disappointment, breaking into a jig – another matchless one!

How were you dismissed Dad!

What if his son asks Chris Rogers this question, instead of inquiring, ‘Dad, what your first runs in test cricket were, and how you scored them?

Probably, Rogers will shake his head in disgust, and lament: Leg Before Wicket, and given out wrongly.

And the answer about the first runs would have been a cracking four to the covers, one of the best shots for an opener to help settle his nerves.

How in a matter of three deliveries the whole world of Rogers may have changed upside down. First he shows his class, then he leaves a good one, and then he leaves to India’s delight!

As Gavaskar said, people remember their first runs, be it in Test Cricket, State Cricket, or Club level cricket. But one can bet they will also be remembering their first dismissals, especially if they have been done in by the marginal ones.

But an unfortunate decision for Rogers was also a perfect case of divine justice. Had the benefit of doubt gone to Tendulkar and Dhoni, India would have been looking at at least 100 runs more than the eventual total. Still, they have Australia on the mat as of now, and that augurs good for the test.

As they go into day two, Points India must not lose sight of...

-- Play your strokes. Fifty more runs could put Australia in a real spot of bother. Yes, the advantage was lost a little with four wickets in the post-tea session, especially with the departure of Dravid and Laxman towards the end. But then, most Indians would have found the 1st day score-line approaching 300, more than acceptable when India won the toss and elected to bat.

-- Ganguly and Kumble could be bigger threats than the other three pacers. The bounce and pace could help them as much as it should assist RP, Irfan and Ishant. India will need optimal utilization of their resources, and Ganguly did prove his worth as a bowler by effecting crucial blows in the series against Pakistan. Take lessons from Ponting’s book in this respect. He has used Symonds and Clarke so effectively in this series. Sehwag’s off spin can also be tried from time to time.

-- After Sydney, most Indians had mentally prepared themselves for a 0-4 score line. So after such a resilient 1st day display, things can only become better for them. Even if they have to go down, they must go down with all guns blazing. Especially when it is a win-win situation for them.

-- The battle for the driver’s seat is still on. As of now, India have runs on the board, and even if last four perish adding just 15-20 more runs, Australia will need anything above 400 to put pressure on India. They will be batting last after all, and could miss Hayden badly. Dravid today said that he would always prefer to bat on a seaming track on the first day, than face an up-and-down pitch later on. Australia may have similar preferences, and apprehensions. They too are humans after all.

Muddai lakh bura chahe to kya hota hai!!!

''Muddai lakh bura chahe to kya hota hai, vahi hota hai jo manzoore kunda hota ha''
Basically, this couplet in urdu means that even if people speak ill of you and wish for bad things to happen to you, only that will happen which the God has in store for you (Otherwise, the whole world would have parished by now!)

Indeed, it was High Tea at Perth for India, when their fans were enjoying Lunch Time in India!

India were 177 for 2 at Lunch. Probably 20-30 more than what people expected to be the team’ss total at this stage. More significantly, they had lost eight wickets less. And at Perth! If someone had just read the score without naming the team, over 90 per cent (not in know of who had won the toss) would have thought that the Australia were simply batting too well!

Openers gave India a 50 plus stand, with Sehwag riding his luck. But then one always knew that Sehwag will give chances. He plays to dominate, and it can have some adverse side effects too.

Sehwag was trying to hit out at every delivery initially in his eagerness to score, and was missing quite a few too. But by the end of his small but significant essay, he had done the job. Thanks to his presence, India had got their best start of the series, which Tendulkar and Dravid made full use of.

And how the threat was tamed. Tait’s bowling was in tatters, 43 runs coming of his nine overs till tea. Indian batsmen were aggressive, not evasive. The biggest threat eliminated even before it began.

Whatever happens now, a score of 300+ will provide some real challenge to Australia. The match will surely not end in three days, unless the Australians are on the losing side!

WHAT I DID followed by WHAT NOT TO EXPECT FROM PERTH TEST

What I did on the 6th which I do not hope to repeat on 18th, 19th or 20th

1) Switched off my TV set in disgust as soon as Ishant Sharma was convinced that he was out (Could not bear to see the Australians wildly celebrating a tainted win)

2) Sulked in despair throughout the day as the reality sunk in that a golden opportunity to keep the series at 1-0 was lost

3) In spite of being a cricket writer whose livelihood depends on writing and AV work, hoped for Board to take a strong view on the continuance of the tour after Harbhajan was ‘banned’.

4) Temporarily stopped admiring Australians for their tough play as they equaled their record.

5) Allowed rough decisions in the match to dominate my life for a few days. I will be watching at least 100 more Tests involving India in next ten years, so one test should not matter that much.

Meanwhile, Kumble has won the toss and elected to bat. Below is a story on what not to expect from Perth Test, written yesterday night.

What not to expect from Perth's encounter

1) Do not expect Sehwag to click for sure. This missile nicknamed Tendulkar of Nazafgarh, can fail as well. He is in because just one very good innings from him has the potential to give India the kind of dream start they are looking for, and get back into the series. Too much expectations will put pressure on him, which could only be counter productive. He is just one of the eleven players in the team.

2) Do not expect India to win, and take the series ‘alive’ to Adelaide. Though be prepared to get surprised if the Indian bowlers just bowl good line and length and let the pace and bounce of the pitch do the rest. Tit for Tait will not be the right policy.

3) Do not expect Dravid to open again. Either Karthik or Jaffer will partner Sehwag. Having Dravid open in the first test was a big mistake, and it was his sheer class which saved the day for him at Sydney. Regular opening combo will also put some order into the batting order

4) Do not expect India to play five bowlers. But it will be good if they are bold enough to go with five bowlers – three pacers and two spinners. To be adventurous is the best policy against the Aussie, as you need more firepower to dismiss Australia twice, and cheaply.

5) Do not expect too much bad blood. Harmonious race relations will be the order of the day. Even losers will be seen smiling, just to ensure that the things do not spiral out of control. Perth should be the perfect photo opportunity for the Cricketing Doves.
But do expect millions of Indians to be rooting for team India tomorrow, hoping for every one of them to be a perfect hit.

Kumble, and the essence of Indian spirit

Indians are apologetic (Even if they do not need to)
Are always forgiving (just to uphold the spirit of the game)
Compassionate without fail (Even if they feel somebody does not deserve it)
So read on.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23052495-2722,00.html

They have come to watch my batting,not your umpiring

It is always nice to see Tom Alter. His presence is so soothing in any programme, on any issue. Alter was certainly a welcome inclusion in the episode of Cricket Controversies aired on NDTV on Sunday night.

Few interesting things that came out of the programme for general public, in the episode titled Is cricket still a gentlemen’s game, were:

-- It was never really a gentleman’s game. When given out, WG Grace once reprimanded an umpire, saying ''they (people) have come to watch my batting, not your umpiring!’’. So how can we blame today's players.

-- Instances of sledging and ungentlemanly behaviour also increase the TRP of Live programmes, Recorded Programmes, Web and Newspaper readership.

-- They help take the focus away from real issues. And the real issue today is that India is 0-2 down and in real danger of losing it badly (Though the initial ammunition here was provided by the umpires and the Australians, leaving the Indians with no option but to retaliate)

-- Even in sports like Chess and Tennis, where the intensity level is very high compared to relaxed time for some cricket players (Especially those in the close-in cordon between two deliveries/overs), instances of bad behaviour are rampant. (I rememeber reading that during the World Championship matches between Karpov and Korchnoi, there were allegations of attempts to hypnotise players (by some spectators sitting in the front row).

Blog's conclusion: In Cricket, ugly behaviour and sledging will continue because no one wants to lose. Even though Cricketing Doves like Alter may remember Sidhu more for his sixes (in the 1987 World Cup), than for his altercation with Aamir Sohail!
Meanwhile, here is a link from my another blog. Spiritualsolace.blogspot.com, on ''Is happiness just a state of mind.''
http://spiritualsolace.blogspot.com/2007/12/is-happiness-just-state-of-mind.html

'If India have to get in Sehwag, this is the time'

Seeing a rampaging Sehwag in action, that was the opinion of Ian Chappell. Sehwag was on 46 then and, just to vindicate the past master, reached his fifty in a most authentic way with a cracking four. His half-century coming off just 37 deliveries.

Contrast this with Karthik’s sedate knock at this stage, when he had barely reached double figures. But as part of the opening combination, he played his role to perfection, also laying a strong claim for the opener’s slot. The choice right now looks to be between Sehwag-Jaffer or Sehwag-Karthik Combo.

Ideally, considering the way he has performed against the real Australian attack in the first two tests, Jaffer may not be the best choice for Perth, and a fresh approach with new pair of openers could be the need of the hour.

Interestingly, when asked during the second day’s play about Sehwag, Chappell had said that despite Sehwag’s 24 to Jaffer’s 92 in the 1st innings, if he had to choose between the two, he would still love to go in with Sehwag.

This is because the Nawab of Nazafgarh has the potential to make the Australians ‘nervous'. He can change the complexion of the game in no time, said Chappell.

At the time of writing this post, Sehwag had completed his hundred, with the next fifty coming in 36 balls – one less than his first. The partnership, at the time of his century, was 145 runs and still going strong.

But even if Sehwag had not made a hundred, he would still have been an automatic choice for Perth simply for the way he played today. He did appear at his very best.

Whether Sehwag will succeed there or not, that is another matter. But for now, he looks to be the one who will surely open at Perth.

India had to chose between dishonour and war

No student of history one can ever forget Churchill’s immortal statement on the policy of appeasement in a speech to the House of Commons, where he bluntly told man of peace Neville Chamberlain that, "You were given the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour, and you will have war."

Now, there are strong allegations that BCCI's money power forced the removal of Bucknor and suspension of the ban on Harbhajan.

IT IS TRUE. If Indian board was poor, and Indian team not wanted for commercial reasons in all parts of the world, this would certainly not have happened.

But then this financial clout was just used for benign purposes -- to set a wrong, right. Right.

Sydney test was a big fraud, and that rankles even today, despite all the excellent performances and some nerve wrecking drama seen between January 2 and 6. The end result was grossly unfair, as unfair as England losing to the hand of god in the 1986 football World Cup, where all Englishmen would have felt so cheated, and would love to have that match replayed even today.

But neither that result could be erased (against Argentina), not this one can be. But the ones who perpetuated this fraud on the playing and the viewing public did need to be reprimanded.

Instead, attempt was made to reprimand and ban someone whose heroics with both bat and ball, generated so much of interest. And that too against all tenets of natural justice.

So what is wrong if India used its threat of tour withdrawal and financial clout in the cricketing world to make the ICC see reason. Probably, people would have been justified in criticising BCCI had the evidence of wrongdoing were not so glaringly evident on TV Screens. The cheating was so blatant, that it became nauseating.

The very fact that the Australian media and public rallied behind the Indian team showed that the money power was never abused. It was only used to correct a wrong.

In fact, after losing a tennis match yesterday to some poor umpiring, Australian Lleyton Hewitt exclaimed that he was feeling like Indian cricketers.

Those who love cricket but never watch tennis, must know that Hewitt is a national icon in Australia!

Time to Talk Cricket, and the opening combination

Now that the Indians have the opposition on the mat when it comes to cricketing morality, it is high time to keep them down on cricketing field as well.

The tie for Canberra holds utmost importance to decide on the opening combination, and the bowling combination. Middle order – with Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid (primarly number three to six bat) and VVS Laxman remains intact.

Trying out Sehwag-Karthik Combo, and if it is successful, will help India push Dravid back into the middle order for the Perth Test (With Laxman likely to remain the batsman at one-down).

As of now, Yuvraj and Jaffer look out of the 3rd test and Dhoni may just have saved his place with some gritty resistance in the final session. But he could still find himself out if India opt for Karthik as opener with Sehwag, and a five-bowler attack.

Ideally, India need to play five bowlers – three pacers and two spinners – because one can win only by bowling out Australia. One can’t just restrict them and hope that wickets will fall. Only by taking wickets, that one subdues them.

The pacers on trial, if they all are played at Canberra, will be Ishant Sharma, Irfan Pathan and VRV Singh. Two of these three are likely to be part of the three-pronged attack led by RP Singh, who along with one of the two key spinners needs to be rested for the Canberra tie.

India also needs to make good use of Ganguly as pacer at Canberra. Did not he chip in with critical wickets against Pakistan, and had Ponting 'nicking' at Sydney? One often feels that he does not get as much bowling as his talent deserves.

Now, if Sehwag-Karthik Combination is selected, and performs well at Canberra, the Blog’s team for Perth will be.

Virender Sehwag
Dinesh Karthik (Keeper)
VVS Laxman
Sachin Tendulkar
Sourav Ganguly
Rahul Dravid
Anil Kumble
Harbhajan Singh
RP Singh
Irfan Pathan
VRV or Ishant

Wisdom prevails as Spirit of Cricket Wins -- ICC removes Bucknor from Test Series and suspends decision on Harbhajan's ban

Below is link to our story few hours earlier on ways to save the tour.
http://cricketclicks.blogspot.com/2008/01/ways-to-save-tour.html

Three ways to Save the Tour

http://cricketclicks.blogspot.com/2008/01/ways-to-save-tour.html

Kumble is no angel, but.....

Kumble is a living legend, who spun a web around batsmen the worldover without spinning too much.

Still, few of Kumble’s victims were said to be courtesy Indian umpires.

And, few of his victims came thanks to vociferous appeals.

So one has to take it with pinch of salt when he says that ‘’Only one team was playing in the spirit of the game.’’

Now, Kumble may not have the moral authority to say so, as few experts will argue, but they certainly can’t challenge his strong sense of history.

As reported in a website, the Indian captain was merely echoing the sentiments of Australia Captain Bill Woodfull when he used somewhat similar words during the 1932 bodyline series.

Now, in that 1932 series just the spirit of the game was broken. Laws were wrongly used, but not broken, to destroy the Aussie lineup.

But 75 years later, in those five fateful days at Sydney, both the spirit and the laws were crushed by 13 visible and few invisible men. On the field, Team India suffered, and off the field, Harbhajan and millions of Indians.

That is the reason that even a day after the event, when passions should have died down on a working day (Monday), a survey conducted by NDTV reported that over 90 per cent Indians were still in favour of calling off the tour (it was 94 some time back).

That (calling off) will not happen with millions at stake (not to speak of future stakes). Some compromise will surely be worked out. Every thing will be forgotten, just as Ponting’s Podium Push to BCCI President during the Champions Trophy’s closing ceremony in 2006.

But as of now, Kumble does have the right to say that only one team was playing in the spirit of the game. It was SO BLATANT after all. Even the Australians were shamed by their team’s conduct with/or without the collusion with umpires. It is so clear in the story below.
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtvcricket/cricketstory.aspx?id=SPOEN20080037918

Unusual defence

Bucknor’s defence: Rahul Dravid was Leg before wicket. Did not ball flick the pad? And where did I say he was caught behind by Gilchrist? Why make fuss about something which never happened?

Benson’s defence of Ganguly’s dismissal: I did not refer Ganguly’s decision to Bucknor because I trust Ponting more!

Ponting’s defence of Clarke: Clarke is the future captain of Australia. If he does not follow my footsteps, whose footsteps he will?

Bhajji’s defence: When Symonds asked me if there are snake charmers in India, I was just inquiring Symonds if you have watched the movie ‘’Snake in the Monkey’s shadow.’’

Sachin on Bhajji’s outburst to match refree: I did not hear anything. Sunny Sir always advised me to concentrate only on Cricket

Gilchrist on Indian fans still claiming a moral victory out of the match, and expressing outrage at the umpiring: Take a Walk mate.

Speed: Honey, these umpires are my bunny!

See the link below on what we anticipated on Day one

http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2008/01/series-that-ended-in-five-days-thanks.html
See our Story below on 97 per cent of Indians in favour of tour being called of
http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2008/01/97-per-cent-in-favour-of-tour-being.html

97 per cent in favour of tour being called off!

Well, that was the verdict at Aaj Tak midway through an SMS campaign to assess if the tour needed to be called off, or not. Flipping through various channels, one failed to see the final verdict but going by the adverse sentiments in the aftermath of a three-test ban on Harbhajan, the final result would not have been less than 95.

Going by the voting pattern, People looked extremely aggrieved by the decisions taken by Bucknor-Benson duo, which Sanjay Jha of Cricketnext, on NDTV, appropriately equated with what Bunti and Babli could have delivered! (Sorry, Can’t recall exact words. His was the best punch line delivered by an Indian yesterday)

One caution. A big majority of these voters on Aaj Tak advocating tour to be called off were cell phone wielding, Hindi speaking Indians. But things would not have been much different even if Yogendra Yadav were to conduct such campaign!

Deepak Chaurasia also cautioned that people are highly emotive. Had such campaign been carried out in Australia, probably an overwhelming majority would have said that ban on Harbhajan was justified even in the absence of an audio, video, or umpire’s evidence.

BCCI did the right thing by saying that they will not call off the tour. But the wrong thing they did was saying it immediately, and losing a powerful tool of negotiation. Extremely undiplomatic.

In much the same way as they said on the first day that Team has been asked to lodge report against umpires, decided not to do that after a wonderful fight back on the second day, and then again decided to lodge a protest on the final day.

Bucknor may not stand in any of India’s matches in future. The Board is powerful enough to ensure that. But the Indian team will continue to suffer with or without Bucknor if some people think they can get away with anything. The Issue is not just bad umpiring. The issue is fair play in all the aspects of the game.

Somehow the Australians have always tended to influence the umpires during the tours down under. And it is not just India who have suffered. High time for all the affected nations to sit together and sort out critical issue.

The series has been effectively killed for India. We could well be seeing eleven dead men, with crushed spirits, walking in Perth and Adelaide. If they still fight it out and manage a draw or a win, each one of them will deserve the Cricketing equivalent of Bharat Ratna.

Were umpires acting under a brief

Of course not!
Or were they?

A tremendous story in rediff which shows how every decision, save one went in Australia's favour. However, the story misses a dismissal of Jaffer off no-ball.

http://inhome.rediff.com/cricket/2008/jan/06umpires.htm

Bucknor is our man of the Match

Man of the match is the one whose single minded determination changes the course of a whole match. It turns potential winners on day one into losers, and potential losers into winners. So who else, but Steve Bucknor!

The Wheel that squeaks!

I remember a recent interview by Rakhi Sawant with Prabhu Chawla in Aajtak titled ‘’Ulti baat’’ (Since it was Prabhu being interviewed) where Chawla said that once he feared for his job when he lost a tape containing an interview with Late Benazir Bhutto in a taxi!

The lady was kind enough to give me another the same day, he remarked.

Imagine, a man like Prabhu, one of the most powerful men in TV Today Network, feared for his job for losing just one interview! (Though he may have said that in jest).

Many professionals face the same situation in their careers when just one mistake, even if not deliberate, can result in job threatening situations.

Then why international umpires, whose decisions have so much bearing on the careers of players as well as economics of cricket, should be immune to this.

People like Bucknor are such a shame. Despite technology showing them repeatedly in the wrong, they do not have little bit of remorse in repeating the same mistakes again and again.

Full of mischief, they favour the teams whose officials hold the real power and it is not just an ‘opinion’.

It is high time for India to lodge a protest. As Sidhu said yesterday, ‘’My Dear, only the wheel that squeaks gets the grease!”

What Bucknor Stands for!!!

After Dravid c Gilchrist b Bucknor, it won’t be unfair to call him, though of course in Jest.

Biased to the core
Ungentlemanly in a gentleman’s game
Cancerous to fair play
Kill Joy of the Indian team
Nemesis of Indian revival
Oz’s biggest ally
Rogue act specialist

Team for Perth should have Sehwag, Karthik, Pathan

In the light of the performances in this test so far, unless Yuvraj or Dhoni come up with a big match saving knock today, this blog’s team will have two openers in Sehwag and Karthik, and five bowlers including Irfan Pathan, (unless Harbhajan is suspended).

Having performed much below par so far, it won’t be a bad idea to have Jaffer, Yuvraj and Dhoni pave the way for these three. Of course, things could change a little during the tour match against ACT Invitational XI in between. Though this will be a little harsh on Dhoni the keeper, but as batsman even he knows he has not done justice to his talent in this series.

With both the skipper and Harbhajan bowling so well, even on a bouncy track of Perth it will make sense to have both of them in the team along with three pacers. India needs to get Australia out twice to bounce back in the series.

In all the four innings so far, the least they have allowed Australia is 343 at Melbourne. That is simply not good enough. The final eleven below will also take Dravid out of the opening position, which, in any case, is only a temporary series specific arrangement.

V Sehwag (Opener)
D Karthik (Opener and Keeper)
V Laxman
S Tendulkar
S Ganguly
R Dravid
Irfan Pathan
Harbhajan Singh (Dhoni or Yuvraj if Harbhajan gets match penalty)
Anil Kumble
RP Singh
Ishant Sharma (Unless VRV does extremely well in the practive match)

As anticipated, India grimly fight to 'live another day;

Below are the two links in this blog yesterday and on day three, and few of the predictions seem to be coming true.

On Friday evening (Day three), we had written in our piece ‘’India leading by THREE HUNDRED RUNS at Sydney’’ that despite a magnificent performance and a lead of 69, India could still be under pressure in the final two sessions of this test.

That precisely seems to be happening as India will be desperately fighting to save the test in the final two sessions.

http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2008/01/india-leading-by-three-hundred-runs-at.html

And then the second, soon after the match on Saturday, rebutted the notion that India still had a chance as Australia had shown by accepting light that they would like India to do all the chasing and leave a next to impossible target for them to chase.

http://atulsondhi.blogspot.com/2008/01/india-will-fight-to-live-another-day-as.html

At this stage, we can just hope that India will live to fight another day. Despite Jaffer's early dismissal once again, Mark Taylor believes that India should be able to save this test though Australia will certainly press hard.

No team in this series has collapsed in just two sessions and light could also be an issue later in the day. So, India have a good chance of survival and that will once again liven up the series.

India will fight to 'live another day' as Australia hold all the Cards

(This article is a speculative piece based on whatever little bit of statistical skills I have acquired over the years. Other four links for the day are below this piece)

A lead of 213 is ideally well short of the target of 250, which the Australians would have liked to achieve tonight, and were capable of doing when Hayden was batting with Hussey.

However, the Australians still hold all the cards. As many as 98 overs remains in this match and by accepting the offer of light few overs early, they have suggested to India that they are not so desperate for a win and India should not expect a very reasonable target from them.

Ideally, they will not leave a challenge of less than five per over for India to achieve on this pitch, for a target of no less than 300-325, unless rain plays havoc with their plans.

India, certainly, are unlikely to get more than 60-65 overs tomorrow unless the Australian batting collapses. The only chance of attempting for a win will be to get Australia out for under 300 and have at least 70 overs at their disposal.

Nearly 85 overs for 349 runs – that was India’s progress post-Dravid in the 1st innings. It was a run-rate of 4.1 per over. The 45 overs after the dismissal of Kumble produced 187 runs. This means, again, a run-rate of just 4.2.

So faced with a run-rate of above five, or even 4.5 to chase a score in excess of 300, that too in the fourth innings, India will pretend to go for a win but settle for a draw to ‘’live another day’’.

Latest four links on Day four of Sydney

Yuvraj scoring with Deepika is BAD publicity!

What did you do Bhajji!

Harbhajan has gone mad!

Neutral umpires are fine but...

Yuvraj scoring with Deepika is BAD publicity!

(Other Day four links below the text are Harbhajan has gone mad! What did you do Bhajji! and Neutral umpires are fine but...)

There were twin pictures in the Times of India today. A relieved Sachin celebrating his 38th ton on the left, and Yuvraj having a quiet, but ‘untimely snapped’ dinner with Deepika. The piece was titled ‘Sachin scores on the field – Yuvi off it – with Deepika’.

By the look of Deepika’s eyes, it appears that she is well aware that she is being snapped and the picture will be widely circulated on phone, net, and could also appear in the print. May be she is well and truly in love (as an inside report quoting the ‘sources close to the family’ says, predicting a marriage in two years). But if she is not (since no family member has said so and one never knows how close the sources are), the publication will not be in vain. It will only do good to her celebrity status!

But spare a thought for poor Yuvraj. This picture will do more damage to him than good. Certainly not the best of publicity for a man going through a very rough patch, and whose place in the Test team looks very very shaky indeed.

One remembers an interview of former Hockey goalkeeper Mir Ranjan Negi with Shekhar Gupta in ‘Walk the Talk’ programme, where he had said that few days after that humiliating 1-7 loss against Pakistan at Asiad, he had gone to take dinner at a Pandara Road Dhaba/Restaurant with few of his team mates. Soon a crowd gathered and criticized them for enjoying themselves even after such a humiliating loss!

Now that was 1982, but things are no different today. Every one accepts that cricketers are very popular with the opposite sex and in one programme, the ever candid Ajay Jadeja even went on to say, in good humour of course, that at times, they are like ‘animals’ on overseas tours.

If you are a good looking successful hunk, you will definitely attract lots of people, and possibly be used by them. But getting snapped when in woeful form will only lead to public outcry.

Moreover, it is not wise to invite the wrath of your ODI and Twenty20 captain! Is it?