Showing posts with label captain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label captain. Show all posts
September 26, 2009
October 16, 2008
You did it all.
Keeper captain close in slip
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
One down open middle order flip
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
Dropped declare resign blip
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
Rahul Jammy Dravid Skip
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
Shooter target trigger click
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
One day no way go away hick
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
T20 not empty scored plenty tick
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
Coach’s boy, very coy, one big kick
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
Whipping boy, favourite toy, very, very sick
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
Soft spoken, invisible, just another brick
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
(to be performed by Beck Hansen, ideally)
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
One down open middle order flip
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
Dropped declare resign blip
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
Rahul Jammy Dravid Skip
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
Shooter target trigger click
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
One day no way go away hick
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
T20 not empty scored plenty tick
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
Coach’s boy, very coy, one big kick
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
Whipping boy, favourite toy, very, very sick
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
Soft spoken, invisible, just another brick
You did it all
Coz you were the wall
(to be performed by Beck Hansen, ideally)
July 27, 2008
My captain!
A minor glitch: After Anil Kumble, who?
M.S. Dhoni doesn’t play tests these days. Whether it is to avoid old mates Ganguly-Dravid, or catch his breath after getting on top, who knows.
Either way, it’s not just timely but a shrewd move as well. When you get away winning a World Cup with a team sans seniors, why not let the seniors lose some without you? Also, a series in Sri Lanka is a seven year itch, why scratch it? Gets only worse playing spinners you can’t read, on record or off the wicket.
Next, Virender Sehwag: he plays tests. No, he doesn’t play tests. Not like M.S. Dhoni. More like Brendon McCullum. Which is, the flesh is willing but the spirit is weak. So while Sehwag actually pads up and puts his whites on, you’d think he was a still in black Daredevil mode. Strike rates and starts courtesy Sehwag and Gambhir have been nothing short of T20ish both in one-dayers and now in tests. What are they thinking – gotta use the field restrictions – gotta use the first six overs. Six and out!
Gautam Gambhir: Just back to playing tests. Going by the widely accepted belief that he is in the form of his life, scoring big (30s and 40s) amongst test ruins, he could beat everyone to the hot seat. Stranger things have happened in Indian cricket. A hundred or even a few half centuries in this series would only push his case. Behold, Gautam the saviour will arrive!
Dinesh Karthik: Plays off and on, more off than on. Once proclaimed as captain material, his cricket is now largely immaterial. By a simple twist of fate had a chance to outdo MSD as a test bat and keeper, instead chopped the very branch he sat on, one drop after another, one shot after another. If persevered with in the second test, it may only prolong the pain. After the England tour, his demons emerged. And then multiplied.
Zaheer Khan: Plays when fit. Will make an animated captain – plenty of aggression, attitude, designer stubbles and misuse of the new ball. If unfit, will swear to return only when 100%.
Ishant Sharma: Flavour of the season. Even if his chances to captain are as remote as Dravid’s, what about tomorrow? Positives for Ishant - he doesn’t smile, frown or lose his cool easily. In a nation of cricketing icons, he is the latest. That helps. Needs to bowl a heavy ball at players other than Ponting. Needs a mentor. Someone other than Venkatesh Prasad. Preferably a quick.
Irfan Pathan: Flavour of the last season. Needs a mentor. One will do. He was an icon. And on some days he still is. On other days, he’s on a cricket holiday. Already made more comebacks than…himself! And thanks to limited overs cricket, will continue too. If he has one good series, even he could be captain. But first, he must be selected.
Harbhajan Singh: Flavour of all seasons. Plays tests because no other Indian spinner is given as much rope. If IPL misdemeanours are anything to go by, India will make the 12th man captain before Singh is King.
Sree Santh: Plays tests when fit. If IPL misdemeanours are anything to go by, India will make the 12th man captain before Sree is Nath.
VVS Laxman: These days, plays each test like it’s his last. Also, always the last man standing. The least controversial, but on scant IPL evidence also the least influential. But as in Kumble’s case, he too may become captain by default. First move: promote self up the order.
Rahul Dravid: Once India’s mainstay, now India’s main stray. Captaincy: He didn’t want it. He doesn’t want it. He won’t want it. But he may get it –over the board’s dead body. After losing captaincy, ODI spot, board’s favour and his marathon runs with the bat, he could be the first of the big four to lose all interest.
Saurav Ganguly: In the form of his life, but is that good enough? To sustain Saurav as skipper, first hire a time machine – arrive at a year when Dravid scored more runs and Sachin gave fewer interviews. If all else fails, don’t be surprised if he is made captain again. Plenty of lore to back him up!
Sachin Tendulkar: if the next captain succeeds, we will soon learn that his selection had been pushed by you know who. However, if Indian cricket plummets further depths, as does Tendulkar’s form, his iconic status may have to be rescued by a call to captaincy. This time, Sachin might just bite the bullet. Or ride one into the sunset.
A new player. One still on the fringes. But whose meteoric rise, boundless ability and canny makes MS Dhoni’s pale in comparison. Or is that just M.S. Dhoni’s second coming as a test player. Refreshed by a test team realigned to his needs. Raina, Rohit, and even Yuvraj walking alongside him - Men in white!
For the time being though, Anil Kumble is India’s captain. And even though his bowling analysis read: 37 overs-4 maidens- 121 runs-0 wickets, consider the vital catches dropped off his bowling. Pause at Jayawardene on 55. Had he not been dropped, what would the game have been? And what would we have said of India’s most successful bowler ever?
A minor glitch: After Anil Kumble, who?
M.S. Dhoni doesn’t play tests these days. Whether it is to avoid old mates Ganguly-Dravid, or catch his breath after getting on top, who knows.
Either way, it’s not just timely but a shrewd move as well. When you get away winning a World Cup with a team sans seniors, why not let the seniors lose some without you? Also, a series in Sri Lanka is a seven year itch, why scratch it? Gets only worse playing spinners you can’t read, on record or off the wicket.
Next, Virender Sehwag: he plays tests. No, he doesn’t play tests. Not like M.S. Dhoni. More like Brendon McCullum. Which is, the flesh is willing but the spirit is weak. So while Sehwag actually pads up and puts his whites on, you’d think he was a still in black Daredevil mode. Strike rates and starts courtesy Sehwag and Gambhir have been nothing short of T20ish both in one-dayers and now in tests. What are they thinking – gotta use the field restrictions – gotta use the first six overs. Six and out!
Gautam Gambhir: Just back to playing tests. Going by the widely accepted belief that he is in the form of his life, scoring big (30s and 40s) amongst test ruins, he could beat everyone to the hot seat. Stranger things have happened in Indian cricket. A hundred or even a few half centuries in this series would only push his case. Behold, Gautam the saviour will arrive!
Dinesh Karthik: Plays off and on, more off than on. Once proclaimed as captain material, his cricket is now largely immaterial. By a simple twist of fate had a chance to outdo MSD as a test bat and keeper, instead chopped the very branch he sat on, one drop after another, one shot after another. If persevered with in the second test, it may only prolong the pain. After the England tour, his demons emerged. And then multiplied.
Zaheer Khan: Plays when fit. Will make an animated captain – plenty of aggression, attitude, designer stubbles and misuse of the new ball. If unfit, will swear to return only when 100%.
Ishant Sharma: Flavour of the season. Even if his chances to captain are as remote as Dravid’s, what about tomorrow? Positives for Ishant - he doesn’t smile, frown or lose his cool easily. In a nation of cricketing icons, he is the latest. That helps. Needs to bowl a heavy ball at players other than Ponting. Needs a mentor. Someone other than Venkatesh Prasad. Preferably a quick.
Irfan Pathan: Flavour of the last season. Needs a mentor. One will do. He was an icon. And on some days he still is. On other days, he’s on a cricket holiday. Already made more comebacks than…himself! And thanks to limited overs cricket, will continue too. If he has one good series, even he could be captain. But first, he must be selected.
Harbhajan Singh: Flavour of all seasons. Plays tests because no other Indian spinner is given as much rope. If IPL misdemeanours are anything to go by, India will make the 12th man captain before Singh is King.
Sree Santh: Plays tests when fit. If IPL misdemeanours are anything to go by, India will make the 12th man captain before Sree is Nath.
VVS Laxman: These days, plays each test like it’s his last. Also, always the last man standing. The least controversial, but on scant IPL evidence also the least influential. But as in Kumble’s case, he too may become captain by default. First move: promote self up the order.
Rahul Dravid: Once India’s mainstay, now India’s main stray. Captaincy: He didn’t want it. He doesn’t want it. He won’t want it. But he may get it –over the board’s dead body. After losing captaincy, ODI spot, board’s favour and his marathon runs with the bat, he could be the first of the big four to lose all interest.
Saurav Ganguly: In the form of his life, but is that good enough? To sustain Saurav as skipper, first hire a time machine – arrive at a year when Dravid scored more runs and Sachin gave fewer interviews. If all else fails, don’t be surprised if he is made captain again. Plenty of lore to back him up!
Sachin Tendulkar: if the next captain succeeds, we will soon learn that his selection had been pushed by you know who. However, if Indian cricket plummets further depths, as does Tendulkar’s form, his iconic status may have to be rescued by a call to captaincy. This time, Sachin might just bite the bullet. Or ride one into the sunset.
A new player. One still on the fringes. But whose meteoric rise, boundless ability and canny makes MS Dhoni’s pale in comparison. Or is that just M.S. Dhoni’s second coming as a test player. Refreshed by a test team realigned to his needs. Raina, Rohit, and even Yuvraj walking alongside him - Men in white!
For the time being though, Anil Kumble is India’s captain. And even though his bowling analysis read: 37 overs-4 maidens- 121 runs-0 wickets, consider the vital catches dropped off his bowling. Pause at Jayawardene on 55. Had he not been dropped, what would the game have been? And what would we have said of India’s most successful bowler ever?
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