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Balu Alaganan who led Madras to its first Ranji Trophy triumph against Holkar at Indore in 1954-1955, was a popular captain, with an impeccable pedigree in the game. After his high school education in Colombo, he came back to his native Madras state, where he captained the strong Madras Christian College team at Tambaram. Alaganan was an all round sportsman, who won singles and doubles titles in state tennis, and played golf as a keen amateur.

The sad news of this gentleman cricketer’s death was announced today.

A conversation with Balu (circa 2000)
In a free flowing conversation about Tamil Nadu’s maiden Ranji triumph, Balu Alaganan revealed some unusual facets of that famous victory “I was a member of the selection committee that made me the Madras captain the year we won the Ranji Trophy!” he said. “It was a bombshell to me. I had been in and out of the side, had done nothing of note, though I had a hundred against Mysore in a junior match under the captaincy of M S Shastri, uncle of Ravi Shastri. M J Gopalan, C Ramaswami and R T Parthasarathi were the other selectors who persuaded me along with ‘Ghanta’ Srinivasaraghavan (the Madras Cricket Association secretary). Ghanta promised he would be there to watch us when we won the Ranji Trophy, but while we were playing Hyderabad we received news of the air crash that claimed his life.

About his dream run, culminating in a match-winning innings in the final, Alaganan recalls: “The players were more motivated than I. They kept on encouraging me. On the night before the last day of the match, A K Sarangapani had a dream in which he scored 74, the exact number of runs he made in the second innings. M K Murugesh came up to me at no.11 and said: “Don’t treat me as a tailender, I’ll stay with you”, and our partnership proved vital. The 50 runs we put on were in the end the margin of our victory”.

“In the semifinal, C D Gopinath plotted Pankaj Roy’s dismissal on the hook shot off the bowling of BC Alva with his fastish offbreaks. We had a fielder about halfway to the boundary, Alva bowled short and Roy could not resist the temptation.”

“Kripal played a great role in our win. He was writing his exams and we wanted a postponement, which was granted. The star-studded Holkar team captained by Mushtaq Ali, put us in on jute matting, perfect for batting, thinking they would finish the match earlier as their main bowler Dhanwade wanted an extra day in Bombay on his way to the English league.”

As it turned out, Madras made 479 and took the lead. Holkar had heard of Gopinath, but not of young Kripal Singh who played two wonderful innings and bowled superbly. Alaganan wanted to drop himself, as he hadn’t been among the runs. True to form, he scored a zero in the first innings, the only batsman to do so.

After that memorable victory, Alaganan retired and was nominated as a Vice President of the Madras Cricket Association, but was found to be underage, and had to wait until he was 35!

“One year, we all had to resign from the committee when S R Jagannathan sued the Association, but I was determined to become president after that, which I did,” says Alaganan, who was the popular choice it seemed, whenever unpleasant tasks had to be carried out.

He it was who had to inform skipper P K Belliappa he had to stand down as Tamil Nadu skipper in favour of Venkataraghavan, because the off spinner was being groomed for the South Zone captaincy and India vice captaincy.

Years later, when some players went up to him to express their unhappiness with Venkat, again it was Balu who had to convey their feelings to the captain.

A memorable match as manager of the state team was when Tamil Nadu beat Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy semifinal at Poona. “When Maharashtra went into bat for the last time in the match, we led only by 120 runs, but I told the boys not to give up. Skipper Venkat said: ‘Don’t worry, we will win the match’. There was some great bowling by Venkat and VV, and we bundled Maharashtra out for 96, to register an incredible win.”

Balu was a lucky manager. At least that’s how he describes himself, though players who have toured with him think of him as a thoughtful official who really cared for them and contributed meaningfully to team strategy. The Indian teams that visited Sri Lanka, New Zealand and West Indies in the seventies thoroughly enjoyed touring with him.

Balu also did a fairly long stint as radio and TV commentator. One unforgettable incident involved the late P Ananda Rau, who invariably summed up the day’s proceedings for the benefit of overseas listeners who tuned in just after teatime on Test match days in Madras. On one such occasion, even as Ananda Rau was summing up, a few wickets fell, and the commentator went on with his resume, paying no heed to current happenings. The crowd was roaring all the while, and the noise level was quite deafening. Acting on phone calls from worried listeners, who feared some mishap at the ground, the police landed there. Balu nudged Ananda Rau even as the police were making their way towards the commentary box, and Rau woke up from his trance to announce: “As I was talking to you, dear listeners, three more Indian wickets fell.”

The veteran administrator recalls with a chuckle an instance of attempted match fixing from his own experience. It was an intercollegiate match in the forties between Loyola and Madras Christian College, Alaganan’s team. Loyola’s captain Fullinfaw wanted an outright win, as otherwise Engineering, who had star players like Aruldoss, B C Alva, and G Ramanathan, would become the league champions. He asked the MCC captain to lose the match intentionally. “Our captain G Zachariah said, ‘No, I am a true Christian, and won’t throw away a match under any circumstance,’ and we drew the match. The Loyola College crowd, obviously in the know of things, booed us.”

They were a class apart – Listening to cricket commentary those days was a pleasure, what with the voices of experts such as Bobby Talyarkhan, Ananda Rau, and Pearson Surita capturing the magic of the game over AIR.

CRICKET COMMENTARY is now a subject, debated and dissected by all, including the players. A lot of it is related to what is being said and analysed by a plethora of former cricketers in the current World Cup.

True, nothing panegyric is being said about any of them, and rightly so, because very few had succeeded in riveting the attention of the huge audience with their description, vocabulary, vision and assessment, even though a majority are high profile players in their heyday. Their discomfort in pitching for the appropriate expression, total lack of felicity and professionalism, leave alone the essential ingredients of voice modulation, sobriety and restraint, make a mockery of what many regard as an art in itself.

It is fashionable to portray commentators of the BBC and ABC as demi-gods and the Indians unworthy of the job. In the Indian context, it is ridiculous, since the Englishmen and Australians come off in their mother-tongue. Long before the names of John Arlott and Alan McGilvary entered the Indian psyche, there were commentators who earned the appreciation and approbation of one and all, including the thousands of Englishmen. Can any of those who listened to the narration of A.F.S. (Bobby) Talyarkhan from the famous Bombay Gymkhana ground, or any other centre, where Tests were played, feel that it did not match his western counterpart? He was a one-man army, and went on the air throughout the day, giving listeners a mental picture of what he was seeing, be it the classicism of Lala, the imperious stroke-making prowess of CK, or even the impeccable defensive display by Vijay Merchant.

To say, `Bobby’ Talyarkhan was a trendsetter so far as commentary in Indian sports is concerned, notably for cricket and horse-racing, is no exaggeration. There have been quite a few who have followed in the footsteps of `Bobby’, each exuding a different style, personality and intonation to communicate with listeners over the then most powerful medium, the All India Radio. The Maharaj Kumar of Vizianagaram (`Vizzy’ to many), the former India captain, had a style of narration all his own. He was admired and despised, but none dared to ignore him. Vizzy always led the field, and formed a lively team with Devraj Puri and Berry Sarbadikary. While Puri, who was a first-class and unofficial Test cricketer, spoke with a passion, almost racing with the ball rolling from the bat of Vijay Hazare, Vijay Manjrekar or Dattu Phadkar, the silver-haired Berry Sarbadikary was more tonal, drawling but measured.

But if you needed one with the diction and style that matched those demigods of BBC and ABC it was Pearson Surita from Kolkata. A brilliant narrator, both in football and cricket, Pearson was hugely popular with the listeners for the choice of words and observations. Not surprisingly, he was invited as guest commentator to share the mike along with John Arlott and Brian Johnston when India toured England in 1967. Equally versatile was Anant Setalvad from Mumbai.

In no way did Tamil Nadu lag behind in this field. Though `Bobby’ Talyarkhan captured the audience here — he named GP “the parson” and Rangachari “the policeman” — in the 1930s from the picturesque Chepauk, once considered as beautiful as any other English ground, this city, considered then a conservative, intellectual centre, on par with London, can remember with pride a few notable cricket commentators as good in any other metropolis of India. High on this is the late P. Ananda Rau, whose sonorous voice could be heard from any transistor set those days during the Ranji Trophy matches. Unlike now, commentary never came through the whole day, and the resume after an hour or so from lunch break was eagerly looked forward to. The summing up by Ananda Rau on what occurred during the break would be enough for the listener to mentally picture the happenings at Chepauk.

A `Varsity’ blue, Ananda Rau, who spent the better part of his professional career as hotelier — he was the manager with the Dasaprakash Group — contributed immensely to enhancing the profile of cricket commentary. When AIR began broadcasting commentary in 1938, Ananda Rau, then a narrator of local events, made his debut with the Madras-United Province Ranji Trophy match in 1943. Encouraged by the then state captain, G. Parthasarathy, (GP as he was affectionately called) who later became India’s Permanent Representative in the U.N. Ananda Rau was behind the mike for over 57 Tests (both official and unofficial) and 117 first-class matches, including the Ranji and Duleep Trophy tournaments. The golden moment of his career as a commentator came when he was invited by the BBC to do the job from the hallowed Lord’s. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1991 for his contribution to sport and tourism. He was president of the Federation of Hotels and Restaurants Associations.

Ananda Rau had a splendid team man in Balu Alaganan, the first captain to take Tamil Nadu (then Madras) to a trophy triumph in the Ranji Trophy. Renowned for his sobriety and depth of knowledge, Alaganan’s observations were weighty and taken as authoritative. Another prominent figure during that period was again a Ranji Trophy captain and former Minister of State, R. T. Parthasarathy of Salem. A youngster who went on to become an exponent, K. Balaji, cut short his career behind the mike to pursue higher studies. Bureaucrat and cricket buff, V. Ramamuthy, was also on the panel — he even toured Pakistan. But he switched over to Tamil commentary, and continues to be part of that team. While on the subject, it is not easy to ignore the name of V. M. Chakrapani who joined the staff of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The charm of radio commentary is gone. The advent of TV has transformed the whole concept, where professionalism and felicity have been pushed into the background in preference to projecting star players — glamorous models too — whether they fill the bill or not. If someone today views the TV on mute mode, it is not an aberration; but a conscious choice to avoid the deluge of words.

S. THYAGARAJAN – Article Courtesy – The Hindu

Post Script –  I, HR Gopala Krishna, had the opportunity of working with P Ananda Rau,  Balu Alaganan and, V Ramamurthy in the Radio commentary box as a scorer-cum-statistician in Test Matches and Ranji Trophy matches and with RT Parthasarathy and K Balalji  in Ranji Trophy matches

Secret of success: M.S. Dhoni, who has a record 100 stumpings, knows too well that the odd mistake is often remembered more than a weighty contribution.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni flashed a familiar smile and extended his arm. His handshake was firm, as always.

Moments earlier he had been swarmed by fans in the hotel lobby even as he alighted from the lift. Dhoni’s popularity has not dipped a tad.

Dressed in a tight t-shirt and jeans, he appeared super fit. “Do I have any other choice,” he quipped.

A professional athlete’s life can be hard. You come under a microscope. Then there are questions that follow – Is he getting on in age, is he slowing down?

The India-Australia limited overs series beginning at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Sunday could see Dhoni answering many of those queries.

As a wicket-keeper batsman, Dhoni comprehends only too well that the odd mistake is often remembered more than a weighty contribution.

Glittering career

He has to be on his toes, silence the doubters and build on what has been a glittering career. At 36, much of his incredible journey from a small town to the big, bold lights of international cricket is behind him. But then, the challenges ahead could get his competitive juices flowing.

For most part, he has sped down the highway to success and milestones, his biker spirit shining through.

Dhoni has crossed the 300-game mark in ODIs; has a record 100 stumpings in them. These are times though when he may have to negotiate some tight bends.

Dhoni no longer plays Test cricket, there can be long breaks between series, and he has to keep his focus. And each time he fails to live up to his own high standards, he will be under even more scrutiny.

Yet, there could be some sting in the tail of a fulfilling tale which could climax in the ICC 2019 World Cup.

Dhoni is here in a city that is only too familiar to him. As the talismanic skipper who fired Chennai Super Kings to several triumphs, he has a legion of supporters in these parts.

There will be a roar when he enters the ground here for the first India-Australia ODI.

‘A legend’

India coach Ravi Shastri has backed Dhoni to continue in the side, appreciates his ability, fitness and commitment. “He is a legend,” says Shastri.

In a side of stroke-makers, Dhoni offers stability to the line-up. He has so often been the link between the specialist batsmen and the lower order.

He can rally when the chips are down, build partnerships and pilot the side home. Take the India – Sri Lanka ODI this season at Pallekele for instance.

Pursuing 237, India slumped 131 for seven before Dhoni (45 not out) guided the side to victory along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He does add weight and experience to the order.

Of course, he might not have the eye of a 28-year-old. Years of cricket do take their toll. And his ploy of taking the game deep and exploding at the finish has come in for some criticism particularly when the tactic fails to come off.

His 114-ball 54 against the West Indies in the ODI at North Sound is a case in point. India went down by 11 runs and Dhoni couldn’t quite be the finisher that day.

But then, he still has the bat speed, dexterous wrists and the power to dismantle attacks on his day. Dhoni still covers ground like a panther between the wickets and still possesses those fast hands to effect lighting stumpings and run-outs.

This celebrated cricketer still has some gas left in the tank. Dhoni has some unfinished business.

by S Dinakar – Article courtesy – The Hindu

 

 

India coach Ravi Shastri has hinted that there are “surprises in store” from MS Dhoni “with the bat”. There has been a perception over the last few years that Dhoni has struggled to finish games. And while he wasn’t at his destructive best in the recently concluded 5-0 series victory over Sri Lanka, his ability to read the limited-overs game ensured he finished with 162 runs from four ODI innings, without being dismissed.

With Dhoni being 36 now, and the next World Cup in 2019, India seem to have some time to help groom a replacement in less demanding circumstances but Shastri had quashed such arguments two weeks ago saying age was no factor in the debate when the skills haven’t faded. And on Tuesday, speaking to India Today, answering a question on whether Dhoni should be in India’s World Cup plans, Shastri said, “If he keeps performing like that, how can you even think of anything else?”

“He is one of the fittest guys in the team. As far as wicketkeeping goes, in one-day cricket, he’s the best and let me tell you there’ll be some surprises in store with the bat. You watch. I have a feeling there is something around the corner. In Sri Lanka, you might have just seen a trailer.”

Dhoni has been taking a few measures to tweak his game, ditching his preferred style of pads for the more orthodox kind and has been working on a more balanced knee flexion. Technical changes aside, Shastri said Dhoni’s hunger to perform for India has not faded yet. “A break from Test cricket has been very good for him. For going through all those years as a wicketkeeper across all three formats has been tough.”

Another topic that has been debated is the resting of India’s lead spinners from the series against Australia starting on September 17. It is the second one in a row that doesn’t feature R Ashwin, though in this time he is playing for Worcestershire in the County Championship, and Ravindra Jadeja. Even with the chairman of selectors MSK Prasad insisting the offspinner was rested, there was speculation over whether he was dropped from the one-day side.

Shastri said India were making sure Ashwin and Jadeja do not burn out.

“You have a heck of a lot of cricket being played. You have about 25 Test matches in two years. You have a similar number of one-day games and a similar number of T20 games. Now you want a guy operating in a mode in a particular format that is very good from the team point of view. If you look at the No. 1 and 2 bowlers in the world, it’s Ashwin and Jadeja [sic three and two] and we are playing a heck of a lot of cricket, a lot of Test cricket. So if you start playing them across all formats, there will be burn out.

“The World Cup is still two years away. There’s enough time. Every now and then they might play. But the emphasis should be on Test matches as far as they are concerned. They can play across all three formats. So how much you want to use a player here, as opposed to a different format, that is a decision the team management will have to take.

“[India go to] South Africa for two months [in 2018], England two and a half months, Australia two and a half-three months, so you don’t want a burnout or more important than that, injuries. Already you would have seen in Sri Lanka, all 15 players played. You will see at least, across the one-day formats, just having a chat with the selectors, their intentions, I think are very good. Try as many guys who are on the fringe and then boil down to a point, six months, seven months to the World Cup, you have about 17-18 players to choose [from]. That will depend on current form, at that time form will be very important as well, and of course the fitness parameters.”

Article Courtesy – Espncricinfo.com

Directs CoA to prepare draft BCCI Constitution

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued show-cause notice to BCCI office-bearers Amitabh Choudhary and Anirudh Chaudhry to explain their alleged lack of initiative and ability to push forward the Justice Lodha Committee reforms in the Special General Meeting (SGM) held on July 26.

Choudhary, who is the BCCI acting-secretary, and acting-treasurer Chaudhry were accused by Supreme Court’s amicus curiae and senior advocate Gopal Subramanium of being the “hidden, preponderant voices in the SGM of July 26 who just did not want to implement the Lodha reforms”.

Subramanium drew the court’s attention to the scathing fifth status report submitted by the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) led by former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai, which recommended to the court to remove all the current BCCI office-bearers, including the acting-secretary, treasurer and the acting-president, C.K. Khanna for their non-compliance with the Supreme Court’s principal judgement of July 18, 2016 to implement Lodha reforms in the next six months.

Sen’s feedback

Subramanium referred to how former Supreme Court judge, Justice Vikramjit Sen, who was present in the July 26 SGM as the Delhi High Court-appointed administrator for Delhi and District Cricket Association, expressed strong reservations about the stakeholders’ hostility to the reforms.

Senior advocate Puneet Bali, who represents the BCCI office-bearers, objected to Subramanium’s submission that not a single recommendation of the Lodha Committee has been implemented so far. He submitted that his clients were actually “helpless”.

“After the July 26 meeting, emails were sent to each and every official to comply with Lodha reforms. I am only the secretary or the president. I am helpless,” Bali submitted. “Beseechment is not the solution, Mr. Bali. You have expressed your helplessness. Ok. So we will issue show-cause notice to them. None of the Lodha reforms have been implemented so far,” Justice Misra orally addressed Mr. Bali.

The Bench of Justices Dipak Misra, A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud court referred to its July 24 order, directing that “the recommendations of the Justice Lodha Committee report as far as practicable, barring the issues which have been raised pertaining to membership, number of members of the selection committee, concept of associate membership, etc.” should be implemented.

Objective

“The purpose is to implement the report as far as practicable and, thereafter, it shall be debated as to how the scheme of things can be considered so that the cricket, the ‘gentleman’s game’, remains nearly perfect,” the court had recorded in its July 24 order.

The court directed the CoA to draft the BCCI Constitution by Sept. 19. While drafting the Constitution, the CoA would however keep in mind the July 24 Supreme Court order red-flagging the three issues of membership, number of members of selection committee and concept of associate membership.

The Bench said it would open the floor for all stakeholders to debate the draft constitution once it was handed over to the court.

by Krishnadas Rajagopal – Article Courtesy – The Hindu

Mincing no words: The CoA report, submitted by members Vinod Rai and Diana Edulji, said the BCCI and its affiliated associations had been in contempt of the Supreme Court. | Photo Credit: AFP
Seeks directions to remove the current office-bearers for ‘flouting the orders with impunity’

The latest status report by the Committee of Administrators (CoA) has not only questioned the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s efforts and intentions in implementing the Supreme Court-ordered reforms but also sought directions to remove the current office-bearers for “flouting the orders with impunity”.

The fifth status report, submitted on Wednesday by CoA members Vinod Rai and Diana Edulji, has pulled no punches in stating that the BCCI and its affiliated associations were not interested in implementing any of the reforms because of vested interests and had been in contempt of the SC.

“The current office-bearers of the BCCI have demonstrated scant regard for the directions issued by the CoA and continue to flout the same with impunity. Since the previous president and secretary (Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke) had been removed (in January 2017) for failing to implement the reforms mandated by the (SC) judgement despite a period of six months having elapsed, it is only fair that the current office-bearers be treated in the same manner (and) cease and desist from being associated with the workings of the BCCI,” the CoA has stated in its scathing report.

The CoA minced no words that the BCCI was in contempt of the SC. “Describing these issues (the reforms) as “impracticable” or “difficult” is nothing short of a gross abuse/contempt of the court order and ought to attract appropriate consequences,” it said.

Seeking further directions from the SC for the implementation of the reforms, the CoA sought revision of electoral rolls in States under the supervision of an administrator and a forensic audit of each association.

“The CoA submits that, unless the SC issues appropriate directions, the judgement of this court will remain a writ in sand and the implementations of reforms mandated will never see the light of the day,” it wrote.

More charges

That’s not all. The CoA also accused certain individuals of “treating State associations as personal fiefdoms” with vested interest in maintaining the status quo and feared they might “make changes to the membership to ensure they continue to remain in control.”

“It is clear that the BCCI members have no desire to implement the reforms… because they are aware that once reforms are implemented at the BCCI level, it is only a matter of time before the member associations will be required to adopt measures relating to transparency and accountability, specially in respect of the funds they receive from the BCCI. Those who have been occupying positions for a long time have a vested interest in ensuring this doesn’t happen,” it claimed.

The cause for CoA’s harsh words was the Special General Meeting of the BCCI on July 26 that saw the State associations resist the adoption or implementation of the reforms, as recommended by the Justice Lodha committee, and indicate their inability to do so any time in near future.

“The SC order (of July 24) was deliberately and completely misconstrued by the BCCI general body during the SGM… first, the BCCI CEO (Rahul Johri) and other administrative staff were asked to leave the meeting on the basis that they were not office-bearers… it appears the intention was also to ensure that the CoA would not receive a first-hand account of the proceeding… Even fundamental issues such as conflict of interest rules and appointment of ombudsman were not implemented. The decision to ask the CEO and other staff to leave was preplanned and orchestrated. It is obvious that the whole idea was to stonewall the fundamental core of the reforms and make the same a dead letter,” the report stated.

Double standards

Highlighting the double standards adopted by the BCCI, the CoA claimed that, “If the court’s direction that only office-bearers can attend the meeting applied to BCCI as well, then the two vice-presidents who attended the meeting (T.C. Mathew and Goutam Roy) should have also been asked to leave because the definition of office-bearers in the existing BCCI constitution does not include VPs”.

The administrators also listed examples of the BCCI’s complete disregard to the CoA’s directions. “The CoA had, on June 16, suggested the names of six retired judges of SC and requested the BCCI general body to appoint one of them as ombudsman… no appointment was made at the SGM. The CoA had, on June 13, sent a copy of the new BCCI Conflict of Interest rules to the constituent members [but] the SGM failed to adopt the same. It also failed to adopt the new fund disbursement policy in line with the recommendations,” it said.

By Uthra Ganesan and Vijay Lokpally – Article Courtesy – The Hindu dated 16th August 2017

The mercurial all-rounder has to keep his emotions in check to avoid censure in the future

It seemed a perfect weekend for Ravindra Jadeja. The feel-good cues included a game-altering performance topped with a ‘Man-of-the-Match’ award in the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club, and the number one ranking among bowlers in cricket’s longest format.

However, the left-arm spinner’s excellence-overload hit a roadblock when the International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended him from the imminent third Test at Pallekele. The reasons for the temporary grounding of Jadeja arose from an on-field misdemeanour — a needless throw that whizzed past Sri Lankan opener Dimuth Karunaratne here on Saturday.

Under watch by the ICC, Jadeja should have kept a lid on his frustration while Karunaratne flourished at the crease. The ICC’s verdict was a cumulative one and it took into account an earlier violation. In the Indore Test against New Zealand last October, Jadeja the batsman was found guilty of ‘running in and damaging the protected area of the pitch’. The game’s governing body rightly cracked the whip.

Problems in the past

This is not the first time that Jadeja has found himself boxed into a corner. In the incident with James Anderson (the speedster allegedly pushed and abused Jadeja near the dressing room at Trent Bridge) during the 2014 Test series in England, the Indian cricketer seemed the aggrieved party.

The then captain M.S. Dhoni backed his player and it was a support based on what the skipper saw and had nothing to do with jingoism. “I did something that was right and I stand for what’s right and what’s wrong,” Dhoni told the media.

But there is no denying that the combative Jadeja does get under the skin of rivals. At times, he makes his displeasure known to his own teammates. While bowling, Jadeja gets irked because of his perception that the fielders aren’t doing enough. It stems from his strength of being a supreme athlete and it rankles him that some of his colleagues cannot be quicksilver on the turf.

Caught between the fierce desire to compete hard and his failure at anger-management, Jadeja is not doing himself any favours. In the second Test, he was the rockstar, scoring an unbeaten 70 and grabbing a match-haul of seven wickets.

But what remains is a one-match ban just because he had a brain-fade for a few seconds!

The man from Saurashtra dons many roles — nagging left-arm spinner, gritty batsman (he has three triple centuries in domestic cricket) and outstanding fielder.

X-factor

There is no denying his x-factor and Kohli said: “Remember Lord’s (against England), remember Dharamsala against Australia, those were very important innings like the 90 against England in Mohali. He has the ability and he has worked extra hard in the last 10-12 months. He has bowled so much that the other discipline was left behind, but now he is catching up. It will only do him good.”

Jadeja indeed has many brownie points but he should guard against melting them in the heat emanating from his misplaced anger.

by KC Vijayakumar – Article courtesy – The Hindu

The role of a head coach in the Indian cricket team has never been as ambiguous as it has been since the first murmurs of trouble between Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble began. Kumble himself didn’t have much experience as a coach, but in the one year he spent in the job, he came across as somebody actively involved in working with bowlers, passing on some tips to batsmen, playing a role in strategising and also keeping an eye on the supply line.

However, as each passing day conspired to get Ravi Shastri back as the coach, you wondered what India wanted in their coach. Now there are specialist bowling, batting and fielding coaches in the side. If Shastri had not picked them himself, the Cricket Advisory Committee would have enforced through Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid. What exactly does Shastri do then?

“My role is to be in charge of the entire support staff, and to make sure that we get the boys in some great mental space to go out and express themselves with nothing else on their minds but to go out and play a brand of cricket which you have seen India play over the last three years: positive and fearless,” Shastri said, two days before the SSC Test.

When asked how exactly he does that, Shastri shot back: “That is a skill, that is why I am here and you are not there.”

Later he said, though, that all he had to do to achieve the right atmosphere in the dressing room was “walk in”. “That was enough”

It is instructive that a press conference two days before the middle Test of a series revolved more around Shastri’s role in the team than around the Test or the series. “For me, I don’t carry any baggage,” Shastri said about the winning start in Galle. “For me it was like walking into the dressing room as I had left it. Nothing had changed, and no special buttons I had to press. It was just that one play button, and off you went.

“The boys were fantastic in the last Test match but what we are striving for is improvement. There are still areas to improve from the last game. And we have discussed that and what we want from this team as a unit collectively is consistency. Not just where you are good in one game and totally the opposite in the other. Your levels of consistency have to be high.”

Shastri was even asked how he makes sure he is not “overbearing” and balancing out the need to speak to players and giving them their space. “When you have been around the game for 37 years, you probably learnt a little bit,” Shastri said. “So that experience is very handy for me in knowing exactly how to deal with the players.”

Just walk in, press the play button and using his 37-year experience (as player and commentator), coaching India sounds easy. He was asked how easy it exactly was. “I have been manager, director, now I am head coach, and it’s the same role,” Shastri said. “Absolutely the same role. So there is nothing that I have to change. The fact that you played the game and watched the game for long periods of time without a break does help. So you know what’s contemporary and what’s happening at the moment and you relate with people in that fashion.

“I don’t think at this level coaching is needed. At this level, it is all about fine-tuning and getting the blokes in a good mental space to go out and play the game. They know they have reached here because they are good. At times you might need to just fine-tune them a bit because the amount of cricket that’s being played you might just get into the odd bad habit without you realising it. That’s where the experience of having played, probably having watched you can pick it up and pass on the message.”

Shastri also said this team had achieved what many Indian greats had failed to achieve. “They have already done things that a lot of Indian teams and a lot of big names couldn’t do in their careers,” Shastri said. “Like, for example, to win a series here [in Sri Lanka] for 20 years. A lot of big names have played for 20 years, they have come to Sri Lanka many times, and they have never won a series. But they [this team] have done that. They have won a one-day series in 20 years, which a lot of teams haven’t done.

“This team is used to doing things that a lot of other teams haven’t done, and that too overseas. Forget Australia, I am not even touching the Australia tour, so when you say overseas like South Africa, England, it is a lot of tough cricket coming up. I see it as an opportunity. I am very positive here that this team can do things that probably no other Indian team has done.”

by Siddarth Monga in Colombo – Article  Courtesy – espncricinfo.com

“India being in the final is the best result for women’s cricket,” Heather Knight, England’s captain, said. “There’s massive scope for growth and support from India. And with their team being in the final, BCCI will take note and support women’s cricket the way it should be.”

The BCCI have already done exactly that. On the eve of the final, they announced a bonus of INR 50 lakh (approx US $ 77,500) for each member of the squad, irrespective of whether they return home with the trophy or not. It means that for reaching the final, Indian women will receive more than three times the amount of an annual Grade A contract, which is set at INR 15 Lakh (approx US $23,200). If they win, who knows how much richer they could become.

Raj hoped the wealth won’t be measured only in numbers. “There might be a lot of changes back home if we go on to win the World Cup, and those changes will benefit the future generations,” she said. “Women’s cricket in India will have a brand of its own. It won’t require anything else to support it and promote it as a sport. This platform and this win will definitely give it that edge for young girls to take up sport back home and maybe a women’s IPL might be in the pipeline.”

This is not the first time Raj has proposed a women’s IPL. Before last year’s World T20, Raj predicted that if India did well at the event, it would “give birth” to the women’s IPL. As things transpired, India only won one of their four group games and did not make the semi-finals. Now, things have changed. The team is on the up and Raj has reason to restate her request for an IPL.

“It is time. Looking at the way the girls have been performing in the last couple of years. And we’ve seen how Smriti and Hamanpreet have benefitted from their exposure to WBBL,” she said. “I am sure if the other young girls in the squad are exposed to the culture of a T20 league, the domestic standard in Indian women’s cricket will also improve immensely.”

Knight agreed that an IPL could become one of the showpiece events for the women’s game, and that the performance of the Indian team at this World Cup could be the catalyst for starting it. “A women’s IPL would be brilliant. The BBL and KSL have been really successful and they’ve been a part of pushing women’s cricket forward,” she said. “You’ve seen players involved in those competitions really develop and perform in this World Cup. All we can keep doing as cricketers is keep improving and keep pushing. The more cricket we play, the more competitive and close games, people will improve quicker.”

England coach, Mark Robinson, however, was a little more sceptical about another T20 competition. Being a national coach, his reservations are understandable, especially because the women’s game is still trying to find its feet when it comes to regular bilateral fixtures. “I think we have to play more international cricket before we get into IPL. We don’t play enough international games. We haven’t played since November coming into this competition,” he said. “We can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. England need to play New Zealand more, Australia more, South Africa more. We need to play more good games, home games from a selfish point of view. The IPL might improve cricket in India, but we want to play more international games.”

Even in that regard, Raj aimed to please. Though T20 is foremost on her mind, she also wanted to see the game develop more traditionally. “I would also prefer women cricketers playing the longer format, because that is the ultimate challenge,” Raj, who has played 10 Tests, said. “T20 is a good way of promoting the sport and it gives more range for the batters to be more innovative and proactive in their shot selection. But if you want to see quality bowlers, it’s the longer version that you give them that space. We need to have bowlers also in the game and not just focus on batters.”

But not at Lord’s tomorrow. Raj was hopeful of “plenty of runs” at the ground where she averages 153. She has only played at Lord’s twice, first in 2006, when she made 59 in a losing cause, and then in July 2012, when her unbeaten 94 helped India beat England. She remembers the first occasion because all she wanted to do back then, as a 24-year old first-time entrant at the venue, was “click pictures.” Now that she is back here to finish her World Cup career, she considers it “destiny.”

Though Raj believes she can continue playing for India for a little longer, she has confirmed this is her last World Cup and she wants to give it everything because she does not know how great the rewards could be. “Unlike 2005, where I played with a lot of pressure, this time I want to enjoy being out there,” she said. “In all the years, there were a lot of occasions where I could have enjoyed the success of my team or a few of the innings I played, but it never occurred to me. Now, I will make sure I will not let the fear of what might go wrong cross me.”

What about what might go right? “It’s a final and everybody will have their nerves. No matter how many finals we play, there’s always that fear of putting a wrong foot,” she said. “But this bunch of players is playing a final for the first time. I don’t see any fear in them now. It’s completely different to 2005 when we were all overwrought by the situation.”

India’s calm comes from a place of certainty, because they know that everybody, at least everybody that matters to them, is rooting for them. “The whole world will be watching India play. Everybody is rooting for India back home,” Raj said. “We’ve been getting calls from various parts of the country to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of the team so far. Everybody is very happy with the way the team has performed through the tournament. One more game can change the fortunes for women’s cricket and Indian women’s cricket.”

Article Courtesy – espncricinfo.com

Have N Srinivasan and Niranjan Shah acted disruptively and subversively in the BCCI’s efforts to implement the Lodha recommendations, as the Committee of Administrators (CoA) complained to the Supreme Court? Did the pair “hijack” proceedings at the BCCI’s crucial June 26 special general meeting (SGM), where another delaying tactic – the creation of a special committee – was agreed upon?

As the BCCI continues to dawdle over the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s recommendations – most of which are now pending for over a year – Srinivasan’s influence in that movement has come under attention. As per the minutes of the SGM on June 26, seen by ESPNcricinfo, Srinivasan and Shah had a prominent voice against what appeared to be a majority view of BCCI members, who wanted to find some middle ground between rejecting and implementing the recommendations.

The SGM was significant because of its single-point agenda: deliberation on the implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations. It ended with the formation of a seven-member committee to put together “critical points” on the major reforms BCCI members were opposed to, which will then be presented to the Supreme Court.

The CoA subsequently submitted a status report to the court saying the SGM was “hijacked” by disqualified administrators like Srinivasan and Shah, who had a “vested” interest against adopting reforms because it would mean ceding the “control” they held for decades over their state associations, and by extension, the BCCI.

Both Srinivasan and Shah attended the SGM as representatives of their respective state associations, even though they were in breach, as per the eligibility criteria set by the Lodha Committee, having exceeded the 70-year age-cap which is meant for the representatives also.

The SGM was dominated by three voices: the BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary, Srinivasan and, as a moderating voice, Jyotiraditya Scindia, representative of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association. The meeting began with Choudhary bringing members up to speed with developments since the SGM on October 1 last year, which was the last time the recommendations were discussed by the state associations.

Although the members were in favour of adopting “80-85%” of the reforms then, there was a recognition that some were just “insurmountable” and needed reconsideration.

“Jyotiraditya Scindia, representative of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, said the BCCI’s image to the outside world, not just the court, was “extremely negative” so anything the board said or did would be monitored closely”

The CoA was sympathetic to that assessment. According to Choudhary, the CoA “shared misgivings” over three recommendations: one-state-one-vote, the three-year cooling-off period for an administrator and the reduction in the size of the selection panel.

The CoA also said the court could be asked to modify those recommendations that could not be adopted by the BCCI. In the SGM in June, Choudhary repeatedly stressed on the importance of showing to the court the progress the BCCI had made in implementing reforms. He said that the court could take some drastic action if that wasn’t the case. “Beyond that I see only peril,” Choudhary warned.

Srinivasan remained unaffected. Attending as a representative of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA), Srinivasan seemed to argue that the strength of the objections of state associations gave them legal leverage. He said that 19 state associations had already filed petitions against the original court order of July 18 last year. “I think we have to see what is the practical situation,” Srinivasan said, as per the transcript of the SGM minutes. “The practical situation is 19 members of this BCCI have filed affidavits in the Supreme Court. They have filed affidavits where they have challenged the orders of 18th July and they have asked many reliefs.

“So we cannot today, irrespective, even if there is somebody having a gun to my head saying I will shoot you, I cannot change that affidavit. That affidavit, you know, it’s in the Supreme Court. I cannot today say I change something.”

Srinivasan also pointed out that both Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke were sacked by the court as BCCI president and secretary respectively in January for failing to implement the court order. If the BCCI were to now “dilute” its position, it would be letting them down.

“The president of the BCCI, Anurag Thakur, and Ajay Shirke, the secretary, were found fault with saying you fellows did not do anything to implement,” Srinivasan said. “Now if I agree to any suggestion to modify or dilute stand we have taken, then we are completely letting down Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke because that means they could have done something, they did not. CoA has persuaded these people to change. So, our original decision on these two fellows are right. I am sorry gentlemen. There is no way in which we should alter anything because that will hit our former president and secretary.”

One of those 19 affidavits came from the Saurashtra Cricket Association, represented by Shah. He reiterated the SCA stance in the SGM, pointing out that it did not agree with some of the recommendations approved by the court.

In contrast, Scindia advised caution to the board members. He said the BCCI’s image to the outside world, not just the court, was “extremely negative” so anything the board said or did would be monitored closely. “There is no easy solution to this. I, for one, feel that today the highest court of the land has pronounced a verdict. We are seen on the outside as an organization that is very obstinate and very stubborn in terms of accepting even what highest court of land has adjudicated.”

Scindia also disagreed with the idea of setting up a special committee that would shortlist the main recommendations the board members opposed. The idea, Srinivasan told the SGM, was mooted by Jay Shah, the Gujarat Cricket Association president.

Scindia feared the court might view a special committee as just another “bureaucratic hurdle” put in place by the BCCI. “So the way forward for us is very clear,” Scindia said. “To me, it is bi-modal. It is either we go ahead and accept it or (b) if we don’t, then we formulate a process with which we say we are going to stick with the [board’s] earliest [position], which is what Srinivasan adjudicated, or you look at a mid-path. Those are the three options that are open to you, either you do nothing, or you accept it, or you look at something in between.”

Srinivasan then claimed that the Supreme Court had told state associations while accepting their individual affidavits that if it found substance, it would refer the matter to a constitutional bench and that, ultimately, it could “recall” the original order.

Choudhary denied this was the case, and stressed that the court had never made any such statement in writing at least. “They have said, I tell you, they have said: I will hear you. Let us not argue on this,” Srinivasan responded to Choudhary. But the BCCI secretary insisted: “The point is, sir, what you actually said is not a part of the order. So these are what we conclude from the body language of the judges or from the informal comments. None of these are part of the order.”

Srinivasan interrupted. “Amitabh ji, the court, the newspapers, many informal comments are made. The media has picked and chosen what they wanted to highlight also. I do not, all I am saying is, this is what I heard, if you say this is not… I have no dispute. All I am saying is they are going to hear us.”

Eventually, influential administrators like Rajiv Shukla – attending the June SGM as representative from the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Associaton – agreed that the forming of a special committee was a good starting point. Scindia, too, ultimately said he was fine if all members supported such a decision.

In its last hearing on July 14, the court served notices to Srinivasan and Shah, asking them to explain why, despite being disqualified, they attended the SGM. The court is scheduled to hear the matter on July 24.

By Nagaraj Gollupudi – Article Courtesy – espncricinfo.com