A tribute to Rahul Dravid on his retirement by a BIG fan!

You were the one who taught me that everything awesome need not be flashy.
You were the one who taught me that it is sometimes okay when your hardwork goes unnoticed.
You were the one who taught me to put team before self.
You were the one who taught me that patience was one good quality.
It was just because of you that i switched allegiance from RCB to RR.
It was from you i learnt to respect the

opponents who are the reason for your greatest defeat.
It was from you i learnt that constant hardwork coupled with dedication and perseverance can take me a long way in life.
It was from you i learnt a good deal of sportsmanship.
It was from you i learnt that it is what you believe that is important not what others say.
It was from you i learnt that being humble, even when you are at the top, is very important.
You were the man who defined endurance, Perseverance, dedication, agility, shrewd and true spirit of the game.
Men may come and men may go, but you can never be replaced.
As sachin said, there can not be another Rahul Dravid,
You were one of the very few persons, whom i always defended on the public forum.
You were one of my earliest role models.
You are a reason for many kids to start playing the game.
As they say, everything has to come an end.
I am not sad that you are retiring, i am sad because of the circumstances in which you are retiring.
Just 1 bad series and you were made the scapegoat.
I still believe you have a few ounces of cricket left in you.
You will always remain an inspiration to millions of people like me.
You will be sorely missed at number 3.
I doubt whether there will be man who can put his hand up for the team like you do.
Happy retired life.
Mr. Rahul Dravid,you and your strokes will be missed.
Looking forward to seeing you play and captain for one last time in IPL.

The BIG Carnival called IPL

Indian Premier League- These 3 words are enough to send any Indian cricket fan into a tizzy. When Lalit Modi conceptualized this cricket extravaganza to counter the now defunct “rebel league” ICL, I believe he wanted to make a statement to the world and show them who the boss was in Indian cricket. And sure they did. Like Modi said in his inaugural speech, it was indeed a momentous occasion.

Cricket is a game loved by millions and is tailor made advertisements with short breaks between the overs. So naturally, IPL was lapped up by advertisers and fans alike. The broadcasting rights were sold for nearly a billion dollars. The idea of franchise owned teams brought in a lot of money to BCCI’s coffers. International stars being bought and sold under the hammer was never seen before in the history of the game. The players were naturally delighted for having been picked for astronomical sums as Indian owners, consisting of movie stars, liquor barons, corporate honchos and what not, splashed the cash at the auctions. The brands piggy backed on the great Indian carnival as almost every term in cricket saw some brand name being attached to it. The regionalistic rivalries were drawn. The icon players (some of whom did not remain icon players for long, unfortunately) were named. The show had just begun.

The first season was a dream. The spectator, watching at home or stadium, just could not get enough of it. There was a glittering opening ceremony, cheer girls, witty one liners displayed on the big screen, catchy music at the stadium, beautiful reporters etc. But it had cricket as its centre piece. It was christened as ‘Cricketainment’. It was wonderful to see the fans thronging the stadiums and supporting their team even when the chips were down. The strongest teams on paper went crumbling down on field and it was Rajasthan Royals, considered to be the weakest, which won. Befitting. Never perhaps will a domestic cricket tournament get any bigger.

But somewhere down the line, I believe IPL lost its focus or maybe just that the audience lost interest (The viewership is still very good, Mind you!). The long schedule did not help either. It began hogging the limelight for all the wrong reasons, be it the after match parties called ‘IPL Nights’ or Team India’s dismal performances due to so called IPL stress.  But still, IPL held on the viewers’ interest with it charm. A few last ball finishes, unbelievable comebacks, tense matches was the reason why cricket lovers still stuck to IPL. There were miraculous turnarounds, like the teams which finished last two places in the first season occupied the top slots in the second.

But I believe the tipping point came at the end of the third season, where a re-auction was to be done and two new teams were added. The team owners meant business. The icon players were no longer icons and were ignored at the auction much to the chagrin of their die hard fans.  Dravid went to Rajasthan from RCB, Dada to Pune from KKR, Laxman to Kochi from Deccan, Yuvraj to Pune from Punjab and many others. The loyalty was torn. The crowds were confused. This is not EPL where such player transfers happen regularly but the fans stand by their clubs. This is IPL. The teams were just 3 years old. Here, fans had a bond with their heroes which was much older than the teams.  They couldn’t shake it off at once. The outcome was heartening (and maybe what our nation’s founding fathers wanted). People from Bangalore supported Rajasthan royals and those in Kolkata roared when Dada turned up for Pune warriors.  The support for the teams came from all over India(and abroad) even they played against their so called ‘home side’. But the novelty of the idea had worn off and the increased number of matches caused a significant dip in its viewership. The allegations of spotfixing and other controversies weren’t helping it either. But enough said, it was an annual spectacle which most people waited for with bated breaths.

There has definitely been a lot of positives to take from IPL. It has also thrown up some interesting revelations. One of it is the unearthing of raw Indian talents. The exposure the young players get by rubbing their shoulders with legends will most definitely hold them in good stead in the coming years. Talents like Kamran Khan being brought in from nowhere(what happened later is another sad story altogether) was nice to see.

Bottom line: You can hate it or You can like it! But you can not definitely ignore it! IPL is here to stay!

Rajasthan Royals - The Dark horses who held their heads high.

The fever surrounding the Indian premier league has subsided. It doesn't catch the fancy of the audience like it used to and controversies and allegations of fixing aren't helping it either. But still some franchises have a connect with its fans which is unmistakable. Win or lose, these fans rally behind their team unflinchingly. Rajasthan royals are one among them. It not only has the support of fans in its native state, but also has a sizable number of supporters outside it. If there is one team which has caught my attention like no other, it would be the Rajasthan Royals. A team consisting mainly of Ranji level players led by the ever effervescent Rahul Dravid have delivered the goods on more occasions than not. Recently retired Rahul Dravid has proved that he still has what it takes to make an impact in a shorter format of a top flight tournament. Rahane and Dravid have shown that T20 is not just about the power hitters about the likes of Gayle, but it’s also about the temperament and proper cricketing shots. Rahane must definitely be the find of the tournament. I think he has immensely benefited from having Dravid as his opening partner. His knocks in the league has firmly put him back on the selector's radar. So what makes this team different from 8 other teams in this big carnival called the IPL? For me, it HAS to be the tremendous self belief shown by the inexperienced yet talented youngsters and the faith reposed by their captain in them. The campaign of the double R's has, so far, been largely reliant on the opening pair of Rahul and Rahane. Not surprisingly, they have been the best opening pair of this season and the only unchanged pair of the current season. The middle order consisting of Shah, Hodge, Goswami, Menaria, Botha and lately Watson has performed reasonably well to build on the foundation provided by their opening pair. Credit must be given to the team management and its captain for encouraging loads of domestic talent in this format where the margin for error is negligible. Be it opening the bowling with a little known left arm spinner called Ankeet Chavan or not hesitating to throw the ball to Stuart Binny when just 8 was required with Dhoni was still on crease, Dravid has taken a few big gambles. Sometimes, it has back fired. But it did fill these youngsters with confidence enough to produce some fine performances in next matches. Even though Dravid has erred sometimes, I must say he has been inspirational and a good captain. The factor which makes this team so likable is the youngsters who have been playing their hearts out and not quit even when the chips were down. The fact that almost all the matches which they lost, barring defeats against Delhi and RCB at Jaipur, were close matches, tells the story of the team in this season. They were down, but never out. I believe that the phase which hurt the team most was the 4 consecutive losses. Especially the loss against the table topper Delhi by one run after having the mighty Delhi team on the mat for 38 overs would have hurt a lot. A surprise of the season in terms of foreign player is Brad Hogg. 41 year old, on the sidelines for a fair amount of time now, delivered the goods consistently when given the chance. For a team which did not boast of a single Indian player who has represented the nation for a fair amount of time, barring their Captain, it must have been a vindication of sorts for them to have come this far in the tournament.  Being a bangalorean and supporting the double R’s over RCB, for me, the defining moment of the IPL for this team as a whole and Dravid in particular must be their match against RCB at Chinnaswamy. The way the crowd went into raptures when Dravid’s name was called out during the toss was a moment to cherish for all the Dravid fans out there. The crowd loyalty was divided. As Dravid said, it was ‘an away home’ game for him. And win they did. The victory was lapped by every fan of Dravid as ‘the triumph’ after he was unceremoniously shown the door after 3 seasons by RCB.  The arrival of their star player, Shane Watson, provided the much needed zing in their batting as well as some handy 4 overs of medium pace. Shaun Tait has been fast and a match winner but his wayward bowling in a couple of matches left a little to be desired.  Though I shifted my loyalties from RCB to RR after the arrival of Dravid into the team, I was always amazed by the heroics of the team in the inaugural edition.  This time, there was no repeat of that fairy tale run, but they have held their own against some of the best teams in the business. A look at the points table can be deceptive because the team was in contention till its 15^th match. A rare win by the DC ended the hopes of royals. All I can say is that, HDFC Life could not have chosen better  team to sponsor because their tagline ‘Sar Utha ke Jeeyo’ fits aptly to this team more than any other. Moreover, I think royals have served the purpose for which ‘Indian’ Premier league was created. It has unearthed Indian talent like no other team. Just hope to see them signing off on a high with a victory against MI and climbing up to 6^th on the points table, even though the position on the points table matters almost nothing to us now. And last but not the least, hope to see Rahul Dravid play more season in the blue jersey as a captain. HALLA BOL!

On a different note, IPL has brought various aspects of a player into public glare. Here’s another side of the wall ;)

Rahul Dravid - My tribute to 'The Wall'

When a young lad walked out to face the stiff England bowling attack on 20th of July, 1996, most people would have laughed off even a vague thought of that batsman becoming the backbone of Indian batting line up for the next sixteen years. On March 9th, 2012, when curtains fell on Rahul Dravid’s career, the writing was clearly on ‘the wall’ for all to see. In sixteen years of career filled with cricketing records and brilliance, Dravid was known for his off field persona as he was for his on field heroics. So what made him stand out in a team filled with legends like Tendulkar, Ganguly and Laxman?. He wasn’t a master blaster like Sachin, fiery like Ganguly nor did he have the stylishness of Laxman’s strokes, but he more than made up for it with remarkable sense of application, determination, dedication, discipline and his unwavering allegiance for his team’s cause. Be it donning the gloves to accommodate an extra batsman or opening the innings or moving down the order when required, Dravid has done it all for the team. Dravid, when asked by Harsha bhogle about team work, quoted Rudyard Kipling and said “for the strength of the wolf is the pack and the strength of the pack is the wolf.” He was a good orator too. He belonged to a rare breed of sportsmen who wrote their own speeches. Dravid’s career is a shining example of wonders of hard work. He holds the record for most number of catches in test cricket. Mark Waugh once remarked on this – “Dravid is not a natural slip fielder. He is only successful there because of his sheer practice.”

 Team India’s resurgence in mid 2000’s was based on its performance abroad. And behind the facile wins abroad was Rahul Dravid. In fact, Dravid is one of the very few players to average more abroad than in home conditions. He was a purist’s delight. He was a rare player who applied defensive techniques to winning matches. He was a player who could face the bowlers with the broad face of his bat for hours together. He, despite being one of the best, was often overshadowed by his more glamorous counterparts. For a player, once called unfit for one day format, he has more than ten thousand runs in that format. Rahul Dravid at number 3 was a name which reassured millions in a cricket loving nation. He was a man who always put up his hand when the team needed him. His simplicity and humility set him apart. RD, the cricketer, has had a few controversies as well. Be it Multan’s declaration in 2004 or accusation of ball tampering, he has come unscathed out of it. But as every legend has it, there were a few lows too in his career. One of it was India’s early exit in world cup 2007. The lean run in 2012 series in Australia, after some sparkling centuries, may have accelerated Dravid’s decision of retirement keeping the best interests of the team in mind. Not even legends can outrun time. Sooner or later, it was to come. Probably the best tribute to Dravid was given when an England newspaper wrote- “Dravid is the kind of man you would want your son to grow into.” Dravid has retired but his glorious cover drives and pulls will always remain etched in the memories of millions. We can hope to see him in commentator’s box in near future.As Rahul Dravid said, I walk off a sad but a proud man. Every fan of his is sad but proud today.

Inevitable Change of guard in U.S ?

Imagine its 2 am in the morning, you tip toe quietly into the living room, taking every steps to ensure your mom doesn’t hear you, now you switch on TV, bring a bottle of coke from refrigerator and sit down.

You are just in time to see the god in his full magnificence against a spirited 'US cricket  team'

Sounds far fetched ain’t it??

Well its not! we will tell you why.

Cricket in U.S is sort of a paradox, the team which played its first ODI in 1800's against Canada, the laws of game which were painstakingly brought from England, Should by the laws of the world have been in top 5 at least.
Where did the script go horribly wrong??

The large past of this has to do with the restlessness of the American people evident by their shifting over to basketball, baseball, football. The 5 day format was just not to their liking as well as their busy lives. They cant really be blamed of course. Thus started the constant degeneration of cricket in US.

Moving back to the current scenario the subcontinent people are doing their best to keep the game alive, Its heartwarming to see Pakistanis ,Indians, Lankans and Australians working together for greater good.

The main problem lies in infrastructure With lack of quality pitches(lack may be a understatement, as the pitches there are described as horrendously misbehaving) . And lack of quality coaches, the system has to be put in place to ensure the youngsters are not deprived of their passions.

Moving forward still, the biggest entertainer in cricket right now, T-20 is threatening to explode in US
If it happens it will be culmination of the second biggest sport on earth and the largest market of the world,
Exciting isn’t it??
The talks are already in place, with Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman( read NZ and AUS) possibly buying the franchises(like Florida and New York ) to be put on sale from next year.
Indian players in all possibility may be a part of it.

Thus ensuring a beginning of a new era in beautiful game of cricket...

'There cant be improvement without hope' - Sachin Tendulkar.