How A Perfection-loving Indian Cricket Cost Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav’s exclusion from the Indian T20 squad, which will tour Australia in November-December, depicts India’s distinctive love for cricket quite impeccably. While the country has remained unrivalled in their criminal love for cricket, the ever-evolving game has taken the unsightly route to success leaving it’s aesthetic Indian fans behind.

It is almost ironic how India were the first country to win the ICC TwentyT20 World Cup in 2007 and to come up with the most successful T20 League a year later, but have still struggled to grasp the concept of the shortest format of the game.

WHY INDIA HAVE FAILED IN T20

Indian have not won a single T20 World Cup since 2007 – with West Indies winning it twice while England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka all getting their hands on it once each since then – and there is a very good reason for it.

If the game of cricket has ever been an art, then the twenty-twenty format is the closest that science has come to art. If the classical cricket formats (Test and ODI) are gauged by human traits like instinct, quality and grit, the T20 format is blatantly formulaic and gauged by calculations and matchups.

Now, while cricketing boards like Australia, England, and West Indies have seemingly cracked the code, the BCCI, even with its unlimited resources, has been unwilling to look in the right direction. Like the cricket lovers in India, the country’s cricket board is obsessed with the picture-perfect straight drive and the envious outswinger.

While cricket’s aura is still captured in those atypical shots and deliveries, success in T20 format has been achieved by more scientific minds. Hence, India’s last memory of T20 glory dates back to playing days of Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan and Yuvraj Singh.

OBSESSION WITH PERFECTION

“Time” is the only thing of essence in T20 cricket because the format hardly offers any to its players. On average, every player gets eleven balls to make a mark with the bat, which renders parameters like average and highest score insignificant. Hence, a player scoring 75 off 60 balls is a liability in T20 when put against a quickfire 10-balls-30.

One look at the Indian batsmen in the T20 squad – Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Manish Pandey – and it is evident that BCCI is still blinded by the traditional stroke players over hard-hitters.

There is a reason why Kohli is not the greatest batsman Indian T20 League has ever seen or KL Rahul’s recent campaign in the Indian T20 League – where he is an orange cap contender with 670 runs – didn’t help Punjab seal a playoff berth. Success in T20 format comes in strike rate, both with the bat and the ball, and not averages.

WHY SKY WAS THE LIMIT FOR INDIA

Suryakumar Yadav – aka SKY – has been the talk of the town since India’s squad release because of the unique form that he is in. Coming first down for Mumbai, the local lad has really found the sweet spot with his willow. Yadav has faced 273 balls so far, hitting 54 boundaries and eight sixes in them. He tallies 410 runs in 14 matches in the ongoing season at a strike rate of 150.18.

India’s usual first down in T20 matches, Virat Kohli has a current strike rate of 122.01 in the tournament, while Iyer has 122.74. Both have garnered more runs than Yadav so far, which has blindsided BCCI’s selection committee and pointed out India’s flaw in understanding T20 cricket.

This, however, will be an opportunity lost for both India and Suryakumar Yadav, because keeping a consistent strike rate is rare and the management should have bet on the ones in the zone with a contingency plan in place. Another cricketer who exudes a similar T20 acumen is Rishabh Pant, who has been excluded from the squad as well.

India’s T20 squad is an ODI batting order remodelled for a shorter format, and while India’s bowling firepower could take them the distance, glory isn’t anywhere near the corner.

Dean Jones: The Australian Legend Who Was Forged in India

Despite the suddenness, sorrow and deficiency that Dean Jones’ demise left the world with, one realizes that there could hardly have been a better farewell for the Australian cricket legend. Dean Jones died doing what he did best – analyzing cricket – and in the land that had turned the Melbourne brat into a cricketing wunderkind 34 years back.

T20 cricket, today, is nothing more than a controlled execution of the flair and bravado that Dean Jones played with, two decades back. The daredevil batting, witty usage of the crease width, dexterity to hit one-handed six over fine leg, jolting runs between the wickets, attempting the forbidden reverse sweep during a crunch 1987 World Cup – Dean Jones had done it all in the 20^th century what is considered “cool” today.

In fact, AB de Villiers might not have basked in the moniker of “Mr. 360”, had Dean Jones’ era had the internet. Quite ironically, Dean Jones’ pioneering batting prowess and combative temperament for white-ball cricket first came to fore during a Test match against India in Chennai, back in 1986.

Dean Jones’ swaggered approach to cricket, with his chewing gum carrying Viv Richards’ arrogance, had divided opinions. But, if your male ego can help you survive Madras’ 50-degree heat, 503 minutes of play, 330 deliveries, loss of eight kilograms and one trip to the hospital and fetch you an immortalizing double century, why would you ever want to shed it?

A 25-year-old Dean Jones had achieved it only in his third Test match and it remains the highest score by an Australian cricketer even today.

While nature was his biggest foe during his first double century, Dean Jones’ highest Test score of 216 came against ‘Man’ – the fearsome four-pronged West Indies bowling attack of Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Patrick Patterson in Adelaide in 1989.

Dean Jones’ single-minded desire to succeed at all cost had allowed him to challenge some of the fiercest captains of his era. After his double ton against Viv Richards’ West Indies side, Dean Jones had challenged Imran Khan next. Touring Australia a year later, Imran Khan had the luxury of young speedsters Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis hurling missiles at batsmen on the greasy Australian pitch, which had both pace and bounce. However, while that intimidated most of his Australian teammates, Dean Jones remained unfazed. After playing a classy innings of 116 in the first innings, he would come back to score another ton – this time 136 – against the petrifying bowling attack.

While Test matches reflected his grit, Dean Jones’ quick-thinking brain and ruthless tactics had emerged in the ODIs. His ability to get under the skin of his opponents and stealing doubles from a singles stroke are all an integral part of T20 cricket today.

In a career laden with surreal limited-overs centuries, Dean Jones’ best ODI ton came in 1990 against England at the Gabba. As if he knew his time was soon going to be up, Dean Jones’ seventh and last ODI ton had seen the cricketer possessed by greatness. Dean Jones had scored 145 off 136 balls in a blistering innings that had 12 boundaries and four sixes.

Dean Jones retired in 1994 tallying 3631 runs in Test cricket, which had 11 centuries, and 6068 runs in ODIs. He had soon taken to commentary and was seen analyzing the game in various TV shows across the world. Having a transparent eyeball meant Dean Jones could dissect a cricket match like no other and he was soon named “Professor Deano”, which later became his Twitter handle.

Dean Jones’ death could not have come in more unfortunate circumstances. With the world desperate to leave behind a tragedy as big as the World Wars, Dean Jones is unlikely to get the farewell he always deserved. But one doubts if his cavalier soul ever wanted that. Dean Jones had once said, “If you fall off a horse, the best thing is to get back on as soon as possible.”

The social revolution

 

The social revolution
Subhayan Dutta letters@hindustantimes.com
Hindustan Times (Kolkata)
Mar 14 2016

Step aside, Marx. The social revolution is here. Young Left candidates contesting assembly elections are leaving no stones unturned to reach the masses. They are not limiting their campaigning only to the age-old door-to-door way but are also reaching

out through social networking applications such as Facebook and WhatsApp.

According to Rajib Majumder, 41, the Left’s young candidate from Maniktala, who has over 3, 500 followers on his Facebook profile, social media is extensively being used by all the sections of society and the Left doesn’t want to left out. They believe the front can reach very deep through this medium.

“It is a constant medium of communication. And one can reach them through powerful pictures and videos instantly. We are soon opening a page named Maniktala Bidhannagar Sabha Committee, where the current dire condition of the area will be posted and suggestions will be sought on how to better it. We also have seven to eight WhatsApp groups at different levels, where I mostly connect with the youth,” said Majumder, who was also the secretariat member of the DYFI central executive committee.

Majumder went on a door-todoor campaign on Sunday afternoon from Kankurgachi with hundreds turning to support the young leader. From middle-aged aunties to the people working at tea stalls to small kids having a fuchka treat at the corner of the lane, all waved back at Majumder, who promised to bring employment and women’s safety back in Bengal.

Differently-abled to stage skit on Delhi gang rape

 

Differently-abled to stage skit on Delhi gang rape
Subhayan Dutta letters@hindustantimes.com
Hindustan Times (Kolkata)
Mar 7 2016

A city-based theatre group working with differently-abled people will stage a skit based on the New Delhi gang rape incident of 2012. Three differently-abled actors will take the stage among other performers on March 8 at the University Institute Hall in College Square. The Delhi gang rape incident, that shook the nation, has been the subject of many short films, theatre performances, documentaries and films in the recent years. It will be performed for the first time in the city, said Esha Kar, founder of the theatre group, ‘Kothakolom’.

City looks up to Union finance minister

 

City looks up to Union finance minister
Subhayan Dutta letters@hindustantimes.com
Hindustan Times (Kolkata)
Feb 29 2016

With the Union Budget scheduled to be announced on Monday, the primary areas that need to be addressed include agriculture, children’s education and reallocating allowances. HT spoke to few people, who discussed about their expectations from Union the finance minster.