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ASSEMBLY POLL '98
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'India will come a cropper in this World Cup in spite of all talents'
E-mail from readers the world over
Date: Saturday, January 30, 1999 11:33 PM I read your commentary of Day 3. Though I have criticised your analysis on occasion I agree with you on the captaincy issue. Azhar is not a smart captain -- he may be lucky, that's all. He has never won abroad. All the wins at home has been due to superlative performances from Sachin or Kumble. No win has come from strategic decisions from the captain! He can never think or analyse the game -- evident from his comments after a defeat like "We batted, bowled, and fielded badly!" And he still is our captain because he is a puppet of the Indian board -- he is no Srikanth or Gavaskar when it comes to that! The Indian board wants a YES man, not some one who can think for himself and make bold decisions. And mark my words -- India will come a cropper in this World Cup in spite of all talents due to this captain! Karthik
Date: Saturday, January 30, 1999 8:23 PM It was a very sad and bitter experience going through your commentary. Well, cricket is a game of instinct and mind. Technique and science are there but still it's the instinct. That's why there is so much of uncertainty. Your comments were very biased against the Indians and specially against Azhar. Some days things don't happen. Even I was worried that the wickets were not falling. Why can't you give credit to the batsman for doing well rather than ridiculing the bowling? After all, they are international class. You didn't give due credit to Indian bowlers for getting Pakistan out cheaply. You attributed it to Pakistan's poor batting and umpiring. Also you were very mild in commenting on Tendulkar's dismissal. It was ridiculous to go after the bowling so early in the innings whatever may be the ploy. Isn't it a blatant bias towards one particular player? As regards to fielding, yes you do need wickets but what's the bottom line? Specially when you don't have a sufficient 1st innings lead. What do you expect the captain to do? Your readers -- the so called followers of the game get too carried away by the biased, sarcastic, insensitive, prejudiced and pessimistic report. How can one make predictions about an innings which is still not played going by what's happening currently? Did anybody expect Afridi to score a century and more than half the score for his team? Nor did anybody expect Prasad to take a 6 wicket in 14 balls. So that' the game of cricket. (Your comments made me feel so sick that out of frustration, I shut my system before tea and missed the excitement ahead.) I am also a nationalist when it comes to cricket, and I want India to win each and every game. May be you are too. But those feelings should not be made felt to the readers/followers.You could be objective but can't be judgmental. Your comments could be milder when it comes to criticism instead of being sarcastic. Nobody is perfect. This is an imperfect world. So don't try to change it. I guess you had to put your foot in your own mouth for all the bad mouthing you did throughout the day.
Date: Sunday, January 31, 1999 2:25 AM I agree with you on the Prasad case. Why was he picked up when he was just given 2 overs in 4 hours? Why is it that Azhar who is the longest serving captain, has the best win record (at home of course) can't understand this? Had he been given some more overs in the morning the story would have been totally different. Azhar's captaincy has been as unpredictable as his batting. Anyway, he never was a brilliant tactician like Taylor, Ranatunga and Cronje. It is sad to read every now and then that we don't attack that much when it is required. This has been a regular feature of the Indian team. This is the main reason why we don't win abroad. What's the harm really? It was pathetic to see in the Third Test in New Zealand that both the teams were urging each other to take risks. It was okay on the part of New Zealand to try not to take any risks as they wanted to hang on to that 1-0 lead. But it seems the Indian team had accepted a loss in the series on the 4th day itself. The Indian team, barring a few members is not committed enough. It seems that some of the members just want to hang in the team and try to rake in as much moolah as possible. All hopes rests on Sachin. Sure Dravid and Ganguly make us feel positive. Azhar is as usual unpredictable. I really doubt we'll bounce back strongly in the next Test in Delhi. Mohan
Date: Sunday, January 31, 1999 3:38 AM It's nice to see that you have not lost your sense of humour, amidst the volleys from your critics. You see, given the Indian diversity, you know you're doing a good job when you have critics. You're surely going to ruffle some feathers, if you say nice things about someone, and "not-so-nice-things" about someone else. After all, we are Indians, and our regional divisiveness will never give way to our national interests. It's sad that way -- but again, that's reality. I feel so lucky as a Bengali -- we don't yet have such a strong presence in the team to warrant divisive politics. I enjoy your coverage of the games. The more critics you have, the better off you are -- at least, you'll stand out in a crowd. Good job, partner, and here's hoping that you keep it up.
Dev Mukherjee
Date: Sunday, January 31, 1999 12:09 AM Very good article, this one, Prem, hats off to you.
Nav Bawa
Date: Sunday, January 31, 1999 1:22 AM This question has been lingering in our minds. Why doesn't India open with Dravid? Currently the problem is that we don't have consistent openers, and as our middle four are fixed we have to play Laxman who is technically a middle order batsman. We propose a plan to open with Dravid and S Ramesh, have Sachin at one down, Azhar at two, Ganguly at three and then at four we can have any number of budding middle order batman, such as Kambli (50 plus average), Amay Khurasia, J J Martin, Jadeja or even Laxman. This also gives us an option to play an all rounder like Shukla. I am surprised that no one has given this a serious thought, anyway Dravid virtually opens, as usually one opener is out before the first five overs. Cricket lovers in Austin, TX
Date: Saturday, January 30, 1999 11:44 PM This is probably an odd time to write this, being as we are in the middle of a tough Test series, but one thing's been bothering me regarding the composition of India's One Day eleven. The place occupied by Nayan Mongia. Few would even bother stating the fact that on flat one day pitches, a batsman-keeper is of far more value than a keeper-batsman. The fact has been illustrated by the outright success of people like Gilchrist, Stewart, Moin Khan, Boucher, Andy flower and even Kalu... for that matter, even Parore, when in form, is a great bat, as we saw in the last Kiwi tour to India. Mongia's a good keeper. No doubt about that, but when the greatest - Ian Healy, can be kept out of the team for One Days -- then what justification can one find for Mongia's inclusion into the side as a specialist keeper. Agreed he is no mug with the bat, but what India really needs is a batsman for the no 6 position. No one will argue the fact that Robin Singh is far more suited to the no 7 position. Sending him as 4 down, leaves us looking extremely vulnerable. Good batsmen like Samir Dighe and Pankaj Dharmani have seen their talents going to waste. Wouldn't the series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka be the best time to try out someone like M S K Prasad with the World Cup coming up Any thoughts? Puneet Khunger
Date: Sunday, January 31, 1999 1:29 AM I like your way of seeing things.
Date: Sunday, January 31, 1999 4:32 AM It was quite interesting to see some of your observations with regards to underbowling Prasad. To me this phenomenon of underbowling your No 2 opening bowler in the second innings seems nothing new, especially so with regards to matches being played in the subcontinent. I'm not defending Azhar here, but am only trying to point some of the instances that this has happened in the past... India versus Australia - Third Test in Sydney - 1985-86 Kapil opens the bowling with Shastri though he has Chetan Sharma in the team. India versus Pakistan - Sixth Test at Bangalore - 1986-87. Kapil opens the bowling for Pakistan's second innings with Maninder Singh (The second fast bowler here is Binny). Imran for his part opens the bowling with Akram and Iqbal Qasim. (Imran not bringing himself on!!) India versus New Zealand at Hyderabad - 1988-89. Sanjeev Sharma bowls the customary four overs and is relegated to the outfield. India versus England series in India - 1992-93. Kapil and Prabhakar bowl 51 and 48 overs respectively, chief bowlers are Kumble (181 overs), Raju (210 overs) and Chauhan (170 overs). Srinath was not even considered for a place in the Test matches... These were just some the instances that came to my mind right away, but I'm sure there are many more. Captains have tended to put their faith in spinners in the subcontinent. It's rather unfortunate that Kumble failed to deliver the goods. PS: I still cannot think why an attacking field was not set for Srinath. We saw the edges fly through the slips so much in NZ and Azhar obviously does not learn from his mistakes!! Sudhakar G
Date: Saturday, January 30, 1999 9:39 PM You are among the best practitioners of your art -- straight commentary and spruced up with succinct nonsensical analysis. But why do you sound so unnerved by the negative email you get? So what, if someone got rubbed the wrong way and writes childishly to you! So long as it is about cricket that you write, I expect nothing less than what's on your mind. Please ignore the wayward and say it as it is.
Tarun Seam
Date: Sunday, January 31, 1999 6:52 AM I wanted to write you to let you know I've been an avid reader of your articles and I respect you tremendously for your courage to come out and say what's in your heart -- instead of wrapping it with all kind of nonsense. I dont agree with a few of your viewpoints at times but hey, you do have the right to say what's on your mind -- especially since this is *your* column! On the other hand, I do agree with most of what you have to say on cricketing matters in general and the Indian team in particular. You're doing a grrreat job and I want to convey that there are a whole lot of people out here who appreciate your work! Much more than you might even think possible. Thanks! And yes, do keep the articles coming! A sincere admirer
Date: Sunday, January 31, 1999 12:45 AM Your articles are always most enthralling; never before I have seen such passion in cricket articles. Keep it up. Vijay Yadav
Date: Saturday, January 30, 1999 10:04 PM I think it was Geoff Boycott who once said that: "Kumble spins more than the balls he delivers." Quite apt. In a pitch taking spin, why did he not try to turn a few? How come he got so many wickets in the first innings? Same errors (field pacing, etc), match after match suggest that the Indians just don't think or plan ahead. Something that is inexcusable these days. Difficult to assume it is beyond them! So what else can one say?
Date: Saturday, January 30, 1999 7:56 PM Just a short note to say that this has been a wonderful Test match. Whoever wins, they have provided so much life to Test cricket -- in practical terms they have turned that godawful five day game where face saving draws are what teams play for into three days of intense excitement. Hats off to both teams for playing such a good game. Amir Husain
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