Analysing MS Dhoni’s Test career

MS Dhoni has sent shock waves across the country with his sudden retirement from Test cricket. On the final day of the MCG Test, he announced his retirement from Tests. It was as sudden as one of his helicopter shots, coming out of nowhere to surprise everyone.
As Dhoni leaves the Test arena, let us have a look at his Test career and the legacy he left for Indian cricket.

Initial Journey
MS Dhoni started his jouney as a Test cricketer in 2005 against Sri Lanka and came into his own very soon. His unorthodox batting and suspect technique were as barriers to a good Test career. However Dhoni proved eveyone wrong and played many good knocks early into his career. His century versus Pakistan in Pakistan helped India save a Test match in the 2006 series,and his attack on Shoaib Akhtar enthralled Indian cricket fans no end.

He continued to improve his overseas batting also and played few crucial knocks there too under pressure situations. By 2008, Dhoni’s name was talked about as the possible successor to Anil Kumble to lead the Test side. His successes in the T 20 and ODI formats in a very short span of time made him the most suitable contender for the Test leadership.

Rise To The Top
MS Dhoni led India in Tests for the first time in 2008 against South Africa and he went on to win all his first four Test matches as captain. Under his charismatic leadership, India steadily improved and won series after series to attain the number 1 spot in Test rankings for the first time in 2009.
The two biggest factors behind this rise to numero uno spot were Dhoni’s shrewd captaincy and Virender Sehwag’s batting. After Anil Kumble’s retirement in 2008, Dhoni used the limited bowling resources India has very wisely and got the best out of players like Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh.

Calm under Pressure
Dhoni also brought a sense of calm to Indian cricket and it saw players performing well under pressure situations. India held on to the number one spot in Test ranking for 18 months, and sustained many sharp challenges to their position by rising under pressure and always peforming when it mattered most. Dhoni’s calm and composed nature under all situtations seemed to pass on to his teammates.

Dhoni as a Batsman
Dhoni as a batsman was destructive in Asian conditions and his match winning 224 against Australia in Chennai has to count amongst the best knocks on Indian soil in the last decade. He also improved overseas and played many gritting knocks, including a match saving 92 in the first Test of the 2007 series on England soil. India went on to win that series 1-0. He was India’s top scorer in the 2014 series also in England, where most top batsmen failed to put up a good show.

Overseas Failures
He faced failures overseas from 2011 to 2014, when he lost most of the matches in England and Australia against top opposition. He was passive at many times in matches, and did not play the same aggressive brand of cricket he was known for. What exacerbated matters was the retirement of Indian batting greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. The lack of good fast bowling options also hampered his quest to lead successfully on overseas soil. All these factors seemed to weigh upon him both as a player as well as the captain.

Dominant at Home
However despite all this, Dhoni was very successful on Indian soil and won most of the matches Indian played at home. He was a different captain at home, attacking with the spinners and looking always proactive in spin friendly conditions. India white washed Australia for the first time in its Test history 4-0 in a Test series in 2013. Out of the 30 Tests that Dhoni led India on home soil, we won 21 and lost only 3. Historically he ranks fourth amongst Test captains with most home wins.

A word of Thanks to the man!
India owe MS Dhoni a big thanks and lot of respect for what he has achieved for Indian cricket. He led India to the top of Test cricket and led the team with dignity and composure. His calming presence will be missed by all Indian cricket fans when India takes field in the whites next. Truly a champion cricketer and a great leader of men! Well done on a fabulous Test career Mr Dhoni!

Captain Cool: The MS Dhoni Story

Analysing the impact of Philip Hughes episode on the sporting world

The last few weeks saw a great outpouring of support and warmth for the cricketing community after the tragic death of Philip Hughes. Hughes was hit by a bouncer on the back of his head which led to his demise a few days later. 

The incident shook the entire sporting world. There was an outpouring of support and emotions from sportsmen across different sports for Philip Hughes' loss. The cricketing community was also united in mourning this tragic loss, and cricketers across the globe expressed their shock and feeling of personal loss over this incident. 

The incident highlighted the dangers that modern sportsmen face in many sports. Despite the technological advances and modern equipments available these days, such accidents show how player’s safety is still not guaranteed. 

Some sports have already responded to this happening. Hockey has introduced metal masks for players stopping the penalty stroke to prevent any hit on the head. In cricket too, helmets have come under scrutiny and there has been a demand for better technology in that area too.

The incident also triggered a debate as to whether the bouncers should be banned because of the dangers they might cause to players. However most players are of the opinion that it is not the right thing to do, as it would take the excitement out of the game.  However in the near future, most fast bowlers will have second thoughts on the idea of bowling quick bouncers to batsmen, considering what has happened just recently.

What the cricketing world needs is greater safeguards to prevent such accidents from happening again. Also having first hand medical staff on the field to help in case of such emergencies can prevent such mishaps in the future. That can be one learning cricket can take from this incident and implement it for the betterment of the players and of the game.

Start of love affair with cricket and Anil Kumble, my first hero

It's hard to pin point exactly when it all began, but it was around the beginning of  World Cup in Australia,1992. That was my first taste of the game of cricket. The energy associated with the game attracted me from the very beginning.

I remember listening to my dad and my youngest uncle, as they discussed India's chances at the ODI World Cup. The first match of India was versus England , which we lost by a small margin. I still remember the thrill that close chase gave me. I remember watching a few more matches of that tournament, and enjoying most of it. An instant attraction for the game developed which was gripping beyond description.

However, it truly kicked in only an year later when England toured India in 1993. The Indian team had a new look about itself, with a triumvirate of spinners for the first time in a while. I still have few memories of that tour with me, the most striking being watching a young bespectacled spinner , who bowled at a brisk pace ,running through the English batting line-up. 

I particularly remember one delivery bowled at almost medium pace that got Graeme Hick out in the 2nd test. It was something else. He seemed to be a different breed from the other Indian bowlers that I had watched in the recent past. I immediately developed a deep admiration and liking for that man. It felt like now we had a really top class bowler. The guy was Anil Kumble, and he became all and more of what I had imagined about him at that time.

To develop a love for something, we need to see examples of men who excel above others at that , and do great things that ordinary mortals can only think of. You need heroes. He was my first hero, and with him began the love affair with cricket that continues to this day.

Ranking Sachin Tendulkar’s 5 best test innings

Sachin Tendulkar has been one of the biggest icons in the 60 years of India’s independence. A whole generation of Indians has grown up watching him bat and almost singlehandedly carry the burden of our batting in the 90s. He was a pure genius who waved his bat like a magic wand and delivered time and again for India. As he goes into the sunset, let us revisit some of his best performances in test matches in the last 2 decades.

The criteria for ranking his 5 best test innings have been the following:

•          Quality of the bowling attack
•          The nature of the pitch
•          Situation of the match and the series
•          The entertainment value of the innings
•          Impact of the innings on the outcome of the match

No. 5: 169 vs South Africa at Capetown, 1997

This innings scores very high for me on 3 of the above mentioned factors, i.e. entertainment value, quality of the attack and the situation of the match. India had been bowled out in the 1^st test of the series for a paltry 100 and 66 in both the innings and lost miserably. The South African bowlers were all in their prime with Donald, Pollock and MC Millan all breathing fire.In the 2^nd test at Capetown, South Africa scored a mammoth 529 in the first innings and India were immediately under the gun in their 1^stinnings. Sachin arrived with the score at 25/3 and India were soon 58/5 with Sachin and Azhar at the crease. It was then that these two launched a brilliant counter attack and smashed the world class South African quickies to all corners of the ground.220 runs were scored by them in 40 overs. It was amongst the most amazing counter attacks ever launched by Indian batsmen on foreign soil. Tendulkar scored 169 at a strike rate of 66 and hit 26 boundaries in the innings. He was the last man out.

No.4: 114 vs Australia at Perth, 1992

This innings of Sachin scores high on 3 of the above mentioned factors, i.e. quality of the bowling attack, nature of the pitch and entertainment value of the innings. On a fast bouncy WACA pitch, all the other Indian batsmen struggled against a good pace attack in Australian conditions, comprising McDermott, Merv Hughes and Paul Reifell. Sachin displayed his great talent for facing fast bowling in help conditions for the 1^st time in test cricket. Not only he scored 114 runs, but he looked completely at ease during his stay and scored the runs at a fast clip too. His innings included 16 boundaries and was pure entertainment for a cricket fan. Even today many people rate that innings as his finest innings on a bouncy track.

No. 3: 155 vs Australia at Chennai, 1998

Shane Warne once famously remarked that he had nightmares of Sachin Tendulkar hitting him for sixes. This innings was may be the biggest reason why. It was the first test match of the 1998 series. Australia had taken a 1^st innings lead, and India were under some pressure when Sachin came out to bat in the 2^nd innings. He then launched a massive counter attack, and especially tore into Shane Warne on a turning track. He repeatedly used his feet to attack his leg spinner and smacked it straight down the ground for 6s and 4s. The world had never seen Warne being attacked in such a manner. Sachin hit 4 6s and 14 boundaries in his whirlwind knock of 155 not out in a mere 191 balls, and his innings was like a knockout punch that completely put Australia out. Australia never recovered from this knockout punch, and lost the series 1-2.

No. 2: 116 vs Australia at Melbourne, 2000

Against an all team great bowling attack comprising McGrath, Warne, Lee and Fleming, Sachin scored 116 on a very lively Melbourne pitch. All the other Indian batsmen struggled against the accuracy of McGrath and the pace of a young Bret Lee bowling at 150+ kmph. What makes this innings rank this high is the combination of the lively pitch conditions, with enough bounce and movement for all the fast bowlers, and the great Aussie attack, which was near to unplayable for all the other Indian batsmen. Apart from Sachin, who also scored a fifty in the 2^nd innings, no other Indian batsman crossed 45 in either innings.

No. 1: 136 vs Pakistan at Chennai, 1999

This was undoubtedly Sachin’s greatest test innings. Against another all time great bowling attack comprising Akram, Waqar Younis and Saqlain Mustaq, Sachin almost single handedly took India to the brink of victory. The pitch was a tough one to bat on in the 4^th innings, with prodigious reverse swing and spin both happening. Chasing a target of 271 runs to win, India were reduced to 82 for 5 at a stage. It was almost like the match would end soon. Sachin then launched a terrific counter attack in very tough conditions. It looked like he would single handedly take India to victory. Disaster struck a mere 17 runs before victory. Sachin misread a Saqlain Mustaq doosra and got out, with 3 wickets remaining. The tail failed to resist against the hot Pakistan attack and India lost by 12 runs. Had India won this test match, this innings would have ranked in the Wisden Top 10 test innings of all time.

Playing It My Way- Sachin's Autobiography

The way forward for Indian Test cricket in the coming future

The Indian side has had great success in ODI and T 20 formats in the last few years and has been amongst the best sides in those formats. However our performances in Test cricket have dipped considerably in this time. We have lost all our overseas tours since 2011, and the one sided manner of most of those defeats has left a bitter taste in the mouth.

Causes of our Failure

So, what has hurt our cause in the longest format? For one, our fast bowling, which has for long been our Achilles Heel has continued to be problematic. The bowlers we have invested faith in, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami have failed to perform with consistency and venom for any long periods of time. We saw that in tour of England this year, when Bhuvneshwar Kumar started the series well against England, only to taper off badly towards the end.

Apart from this, Dhoni’s captaincy has been very passive on multiple fronts in the Test arena. Firstly, his team selections have centred on safety first approach. A prime example of that was preferring the economical but sedate Pankaj Singh over the fast but mercurial Varun Aaron early on in the series.

Tactically he was horrible in the series. A prime example was the second session of the third Test match of the series, when India led 1-0. In only the second session of the match, he made Jadeja bowl a negative line outside the leg stump to stop run scoring by English batsmen, rather than attacking them and going for wickets. It helped England get back the momentum in the series.

Need for an aggressive Captain

What India need now is an aggressive captain who can play for wins rather than taking a meek approach. Virat Kohli fits the bill perfectly and his aggressive approach to his batting will reflect in his captaincy also. He has enough experience playing at the top levels and now is the perfect time to hand over the Test captaincy reigns to him.

Need for Pace in Tests

Apart from that, India needs to play the fast guys in Test as pace is essential for success in Test matches. Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron need to be given a fair run in the Tests. If they can get their lengths right, then with their pace, they can cause a lot of trouble for batsmen, especially on pace friendly pitches overseas. If you can play Ishant Sharma for 50 Test matches, you can give these guys 20 matches, eh!

We hope the Indian Test cricket moves in the right direction in the future. Historically we have been poor in Tests overall, and rank at seventh position amongst top eight Test teams, when it comes to win-loss ratio in Test matches. It is time we breed aggressive fast guys in Tests and back the squad with a leader who can back them and play for winning matches, rather than saving them. Only then can we reverse our negative trend in Tests in this decade and become a great Test side.